Popeye's Red Beans and Rice ***

Even though there's one just a couple minutes from my house, I actually have never tried Popeye's.  However, I love red beans and rice, so when I first saw this a few years ago, I knew I had to give it a shot.  This is probably the hundredth time I've made it since then.  So good!  Not a bit spicy, thanks to adding the hot sauce after cooking.  Hubby and I love ours with the hot sauce, but it is easily left out of the kids' servings.  The OP said she used hot sausage links and goya beans, but I just use turkey smoked sausage and pinto beans.  I also use brown rice instead of white.  I'm sure the white would probably soak up the juices and hold the flavor better, but the brown makes me feel better about it, healthwise.  :)

POPEYE'S RED BEANS AND RICE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Food.com)

1 lb smoked sausage, sliced
4 (16 ounce) cans pink beans, drained and rinsed
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 pinch rosemary, crumbled
1/8 cup liquid smoke
1 (4 ounce) can green chilies, drained
6 cups cooked rice

Mix all ingredients (except rice) well in a crock pot.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Remove bay leaf.
Stir in cooked rice and serve with hot sauce on the side.
*Amy's notes: I use turkey sausage and pinto beans.  The OP said she used hot links sausage and goya beans.  I also only use about a tablespoon of liquid smoke.

Pizza Pierogi Casserole ****

I have no words for how freaking GOOD this is.  The kids would have eaten the entire dish if I'd let them.  It's unusual for all of us to fall in love with the same dish, but this was definitely a winner for us!  I used 4-cheese pierogies with fresh mushrooms.  I'm sticking with that next time.  Just wow.  Obviously, it's not a fancy dish, and definitely not waist-friendly, but so very worth the calories.  Every.stinking.one. ;-)

PIZZA PIEROGI CASSEROLE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ FrugalFoodieMama)

2 (16oz) packages of your favorite frozen pierogies
16 oz jar of your favorite pizza sauce
2-3 oz of sliced pepperoni
1 to 1-1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
Any additional pizza toppings that you would like

Boil the two packages of frozen pierogies according to the package directions. Drain in a colander and allow to cool slightly.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Start layering your pizza pierogi casserole in this order - 1/3 of the pizza sauce spread into the bottom of the dish, then half the boiled pierogies, then another 1/3 of the pizza sauce spread over the pierogies, then half the pepperoni slices and any other toppings you wish to add, then half the mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layering again from the pierogies.
Bake in the oven at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
To Freeze the Casserole:
Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil, and then freeze. Allow the casserole to thaw completely in the fridge before baking. Then follow the directions above to bake.
Casserole should keep well in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Ham and Cheddar Waffle Pockets ***

This one was inspired by the Pizza Waffles on Pillsbury's website.  I thought they'd be perfect as a breakfast food, though, so I actually never even opened the recipe link and just went with my gut.  It's not like it was a complicated idea anyway, lol.

Long story short, the kids loved them.  Hubby and I weren't eating breakfast, so we never tried them.  They smelled amazing, though.  The kids have already requested that we have them again this week!  I love when something so simple turns out so well.

HAM AND CHEDDAR WAFFLE POCKETS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ inspired by Pillsbury)

1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers biscuits
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
8 slices deli-thin honey ham

Spray waffle maker with cooking spray; heat waffle maker.
Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Cut slit on 1 side of each biscuit, forming a deep pocket. Place 1 slice of folded ham into each pocket. Top with a large pinch of cheese. Press dough around edge to seal each biscuit.
Place 1 biscuit on center of waffle maker. Close lid; cook 3 minutes or until waffle is golden brown. Repeat with remaining filled biscuits.

One Pot BBQ Chicken Pasta ***

We all liked this a lot.  It wasn't really anything special, but it was still a nice change from the norm.  I'll definitely make it again.  I didn't make many changes, other than using two breasts instead of one (to make it go a little further - lunch leftovers for hubby), subbing petite diced tomatoes for the regular diced tomatoes (personal preference), and subbing the real bacon bits/pieces for the bacon slices (that's what I had on hand).  I just realized I left out the garlic, but I doubt it really made any difference in the long run.

ONE POT BBQ CHICKEN PASTA

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ DamnDelicious)

4 slices bacon, diced

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-­inch chunks

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

2 cups chicken broth

1 (14.5­ ounce) can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more, to taste

3 cups rotini pasta

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup barbecue sauce, or more, to taste

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-­8 minutes; drain excess fat, reserving 1 tablespoon. Stir in chicken and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes.

Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring often, until onions have become translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, milk, red pepper flakes, pasta, salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 13-16 minutes.
Stir in barbecue sauce and cheese until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Beefy Bean Burrito Casserole ****

We all love this.  Occasionally, I'll use the bean and cheese burritos to make it meatless, but we all prefer the beef and bean.  However you make it, it's yummy!  One of these days, I'm going to make my own burritos and freeze them to use later.  I'll bet that would be even better.  This is one of those meals that I keep the ingredients on hand at all times, since there's nothing that will go bad.  It's so easy and so good.  Even the kids devour it!  Tonight, I served it with Mexican Green Beans.

BEEFY BEAN BURRITO CASSEROLE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Allrecipes.com)

6-8 frozen beef and bean burritos
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 medium tomato, chopped (optional)
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and sliced (optional)
1 (2.25 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained (optional)
1/2 cup salsa (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place the burritos in a row across the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, stir together the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and chile peppers. Spread evenly over the top of the burritos. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is slightly browned and burritos are heated through.
Serve with tomato, avocado, olives and salsa.

Mexican Green Beans **

The flavors in this were okay.  I used fresh green beans, and I actually simmered for quite a while longer than the 10 minutes.  I just ended up with some beans that were super hard and some that were super soft.  It didn't really blend well at all.  I think that next time, I would either use canned green beans or stick with the fresh and put a cover over it while it simmers, to allow for a little steaming to soften them up.  I'd be willing to try it again, though, just to see how it goes.  Tonight, I served it with one of our all-time favorites, Beefy Bean Burrito Casserole.

MEXICAN GREEN BEANS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Food.com)

1  tablespoon vegetable oil
1  lb green beans (fresh or frozen)
1  large onion, peeled and chopped
2  garlic cloves, minced
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies (Rotel)
2  teaspoons basil
1/2 lemon, juice of, fresh

Trim green beans if using fresh.
In a large skillet, saute beans, onion and garlic in hot oil until beans are tender-crisp, about 5 minutes.
Stir in Rotel and basil.
Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve.
Serves 6