Simply Home by Beth

Simply Home by Beth

Hash Brown Potato Casserole

By

Add the Sun to your Sunny Side Up Eggs with a side of Hash Brown Casserole!

Hash Brown Potatoes Casserole

Beth Wood
breakfast casserole, serves 12, made with potato hash browns, cheese, scallions, great with eggs and bacon, or sausage
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 12

Equipment

  • skillet
  • knife
  • measuring spoons and measuring cups
  • can opener
  • casserole dish
  • oven

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs. ORIDA frozen hash browns
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 C. butter melted
  • 2 Tbsp. onion diced
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup or use 1 can cream of celery soup
  • 2 C. sour cream
  • 2 C. bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 1/2 tsp. parsley
  • 2-3 C. Cheddar Cheese shredded, set aside for topping

Instructions
 

  • Thaw frozen OR'IDA hash brown potatoes, drain and set aside.
  • Mix all ingredients, except cheese, add to thawed hash browns.
  • Pour into buttered 9×13 pan.
  • Sprinkle shredded Cheddar Cheese on top, to cover
  • Bake 40-60 minutes at 350*.
  • Can be made 1 day ahead, covered, and uncooked, in refrigerator.
Keyword frozen hash browns, cheese, bacon, cream of chicken soup, scallions

Friends: a Story about My Granddaughter and her Dog

By

“I can help you…” offered one small friend to the other.

My tiny, golden-haired granddaughter, not much bigger than our little dog, could see “Hoosier” waiting by the door.  It was a hot, July day at the lake. Hoosier, no doubt, wanted to go inside for a cool drink of water. The problem?

Neither one of them could reach the door handle!

Frustrated, she put her little hand on his back, to say, “don’t worry, I’m here.”

Amid all of the busyness of hosting, and playing with my grandchildren, I stopped in my tracks when I saw this twosome, at the door.

I am touched by the “tenderness” of this photo, this moment shared.

Isn’t life so much sweeter shared with a friend? A loved one? Or even a furry four-legged fellow?

After I snapped the photo, I opened the door for these two. Wondering if Hazel Ann would go off to play,

I was pleasantly surprised when she insisted on helping Hoosier with his drink! She was not negligent in

her duties,

Her offer came from her heart, and she intended to see if through.

Summer, ideally, is often described as “lazy days”…

This obviously, does not refer to family vacations, swim lessons, softball and T-ball,

Bible School, and Camps of all sorts.

Let’s remember to look for our moment, to cherish our time spent with friends and loved ones,

To offer assistance, tenderness and support, when needed.

Like a little hand resting on your back,

I wish you the sweetest of warm, “lazy” Summer days!

Blessings,

Beth

Farmhouse Envy

By

I just have to confess this right now..

I may live in the suburbs, but my heart is in the country, especially during the Summer.

Is it just me?

Do you find peeling paint, missing shutters, rusty tin roofs, and collapsed porches appealing?

I do! I do!!  Raise your hand!

When I see a white farmhouse at the end of a long lane in the country….

I swear I just want to run up, give them $10.00 and beg for a tour!

I want to be up close. I want to take in every architectural detail. I want to find the squeaky floor boards on the porch, and slam the screen door shut!

I want to slowly stroll through the garden, and pop cherry tomatoes in my mouth like candy!

( You KNOW nothing is better than that!!)

I want to feed little animals, climb over fences, and chase chickens through the yard!

I suppose my extreme exuberance has kept me from having any tours, or even being invited to

“sit a spell”.

I can only dream of my farmhouse,  the one alone at the end of the lane, aging in silence….

Waiting….for me…… I WILL FIND YOU….

And, when I do, I’m making you HOME!

The above photo is my father, and Penny, our dog: standing in front of the summer kitchen behind my Grandparents’ farmhouse, my first home.

Snow is Still There

By

Rushing into SpringI just looked out my window, and the snow is still there. It is all over the world as we speak.

In defiance, today I will dust off my faux forsythia and pussy willow branches, and ready them for their new home. As soon

as the edges of grass peek out along the driveways and sidewalks, I will hang a Spring wreath in celebration!

The yellow forsythia and pussy willows will be shoved into frozen dirt in the urns on my front porch.

I am all about curb appeal.

I go all March Madness competitive with those urns.

The outside of my front door will scream SPRING IS HERE!! , and inside, sadly, we wait.

A vase of Spring flowers on my coffee table will make the mantle look sad and neglected….left behind.

A new runner on my table, without the coordinating floral dishes and bunny napkins, will look like a runway to nowhere.

This is the secret we hide behind the door. I will eventually “do Spring”, but only after the door and urns are finished.

That way, the neighbor ladies driving by will say ” boy, she is so ON IT!”

The back-of-the-door dwellers know differently!

 

Summer is Coming!

By

Summer is coming…I can prove it!

Yesterday I received a Wal-Mart flyer in the mail. Usually, this goes straight into recycling, after I make sure no bills are stuck inside…..

But…

Something on the cover stopped me in my tracks!

An outdoor patio set with matching umbrella, was set with coordinating plastic tableware.

I did not like the table, the umbrella, and certainly not the plastic dishes, but together they screamed,

SUMMER!

I have a summer birthday, which makes me a summer girl. I celebrate for the entire 3rd quarter of each year!

I also entertain in the summer more than any other time of the year. Mainly, because we have a small lake cottage, and hot sun and cool water are a great mix, it always draws a crowd.

How did Wal-Mart know I would really NEED something from every page?

We have outdoor chair cushions that are limp and faded, they need replaced. We have an umbrella with a broken pole…..my husband wrapped it in duct tape, fortunately that does not hold up to the wind. Good try though!

What really caught my eye was on the very last page. I am going to order TWO Cedar Raised Garden Beds WITH SHELVES (insert clapping hands emoji).!!

Yes, I can spend all summer learning how to make my own, but this girl is ready to GO!

I’m putting a Cedar Garden bench on each side of my lakeside door on my Cedar deck,…. doesn’t that sound Perfect?

How about you? Do you enjoy Summer gardening?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not plowing acreage, but simply packing those beds with herbs, vegetables, florals and grasses…..maybe a little decorative light?  Kids love that!

We can eat fresh all summer, and the cottage will be beautiful because of those beds,

This is a WIN- WIN!

Thank you Wal-Mart for remembering me, and helping me to prepare for the

BEST SUMMER EVER!

So Much More Than Busy-Work

By

Organization, not a four letter word, but it can deliver a sting to those of us who lack “focus”.

Have you been reading all of the Spring Cleaning tips?

How about the home organizational gadgets that will make the rest of the year run so smoothly?

Actually, this started in January of 2021.

A fresh, clean and organized start to a brand new year!

I’m truly not making fun of this at all.

I remember each Spring, my Grandmother would come to our home, and help my Mother with her cleaning. I remember them taking turns on a ladder, washing down wallpaper in the dining room. My job, was carefully washing individual crystals that hung on our chandelier. I had a small bowl with water and vinegar, it smelled awful, but my crystals reflected tiny rays of sunshine all over the room when I was finished.  It was “magical”!

The art of cleanliness is an act of appreciation, in my book!

Take care of the items you have, appreciate the fact that they belong to you!

Grandma said, “A tidy home reflects a tidy mind”…..

Never really got that one….

I imagine it refers to the focused, deliberate act of discipline and structure.

Develop a plan, then work your plan. That is focus, and discipline….and structure.

But pride of ownership is REAL.

What does your home say about who you are?

OK, enough about Organization already!!,

I’m starting to squirm in my seat. As I sit at my computer, I can see dust on the lightbulbs above my head…..

UGH!!

Gotta go…..my dust rag is calling me….

You’ve got this!