For the past couple of years I have worked on fixing things ahead of time on the weekend so when I got home from work, I could just heat up the main dish and add some sides. I've tried different cook books and web sites and have found some fabulous casseroles.

I recently checked a book out of the library called "Casserole Crazy" by Emily Farris. Emily apparently lives in New York, but grew up in the Midwest. In her book she talks about how many of her NY friends wouldn't have given a casserole a second thought until she started making them and letting them come and enjoy them. She now has casserole parties where folks have to bring a casserole following a few guidelines. She said it has become very popular with her crowd and they email their recipes to each other after the event.

She also wrote about how casseroles often helped families in the 50s and 60 stretch their food dollar. That I would have to agree with as well. I can take a whole chicken (not a tiny one) and get 3-4 casseroles or dishes from it and sometimes even have chicken broth left over to freeze.

There are a few recipes I'm tempted to try in her book, but like most cook books I encounter, it isn't one I would use every recipe. But it was an interesting read nonetheless.

I guess it's time for me to push away from the computer and get my casserole dishes started!

It's Friday night and after a long week at work, I rushed home thinking I needed to fix the pot pie I created over the weekend. Last weekend I had cooked a whole chicken in the Crockpot and used it to make 4 casseroles. With this one I had roasted vegetables and added some broth, a can of cream of chicken soup. When I got home I topped it with cover of baking mix and milk mixed together and baked at 350 for an hour. I'm pleased to say it was a good dish when combined with sliced tomatoes, cottage cheese, and fruit for dessert. My husband gave it a 10 out of 10 which made my day.

I'm glad that I took the time and effort to make it ahead of time. Friday night is a nice when so many people in my hometown eat out. I know we saved money by eating in and I controlled the ingredients. For a stormy, windy evening, it was a chicken pot pie kind of evening.