out of this world

 last night was the MLS Cup (like the Super Bowl of American soccer) and Deputy Handsome was psyched to watch it and cheer for his favorite team: the Los Angeles Galaxy! I'm a girl who loves a good theme, so I planned a simple easy-to-eat-in-front-of-the-TV meal inspired by the matchup between LA and Houston and made some spacey cookies for dessert.

Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice casserole

slice-and-bake cookies jazzed up with star sugar

This night was a win-win for Deputy Handsome, not only did his team pretty much dominate the entire game, but this casserole is a tried and true favorite of his, probably because the base is a box of Rice-A-Roni (I won't bore you again with orations of how much this man loves Rice-A-Roni). I didn't cook this casserole ahead, although you could (directions are included under the recipe) but it makes fantastic leftovers so that's good enough for me today. If you have the new red and white cookbook from Better Homes and Gardens ("America's #1 Cookbook since 1930"), it's under the poultry section on page 473, or you can click here for the recipe. I don't make many changes to this recipe, except to leave out the can of tomatoes (he would just pick them out) and add a handful or two of cheese to the base of the casserole before popping it in the oven. I think I'm starting to see why I still have ten pounds of pregnancy weight hanging around. Ehh, I'll address it after Thanksgiving! My make-ahead holiday menu is coming up later this week!!