Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake

If you heard a huge sigh of relief over the weekend, it probably came from Chris as I made my way back into the kitchen and gave him a break from dinner duty! It's been quite some time since I cooked dinner...like "can't remember where some items are stored" amount of time. But...I survived and (thanks to Pinterest) I think I made a tasty and very easy little quinoa dish! Enjoy!

Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake

Ingredients

2 cups of cooked quinoa 

1 cup of your favorite pasta sauce

2 tablespoons of tomato past

1/3 cup of heavy cream

1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese

1 cup of mozzarella cheese (divided)

1 cup grape tomatoes (halved)

1 large bunch of fresh basil (loosely chopped)

1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper

salt/pepper to taste

Directions

First, cook your quinoa. I tossed in 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa with about a cup of water to yield (close enough) to my 2 cups of cooked quinoa. This took roughly 10-15 minutes. Once done, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Now, let the fun begin! Heat your pasta sauce and tomato paste over low heat in a large sauce pan.

Once warm, stir in your heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper and season with salt/pepper.

Remove from heat and stir in your cooked quinoa.

Next, fold in half of your mozzarella cheese, half of your tomatoes, and your chopped basil.

Once combined, spray a baking dish and pour in your entire quinoa mixture. Note: I used a 2 quart dish and I wished I would have used an 8x8 or other size square! Top with the remainder of your mozzarella cheese and remainder of your tomatoes.

Bake for 10-15 minutes and then turn on your broiler for about 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is golden and 

bubbly! Remove from the oven and sprinkle with a bit more of your chopped basil.

Allow to cool and then serve! 

This was seriously delicious! Lily (and even GranZee) enjoyed it...but that might have been thanks to the crazy amount of cheese in this dish! Whatever works!

Happy Father's Day Super Dad!

In the spirit of Father's Day, I wanted to share some sweet moments celebrating Chris and all his Super Dad qualities. Enjoy!

The day Chris became a Daddy, he was hooked. This picture still melts my heart...such love!

Chris has mastered the fine line of being quirky enough to be cool but not quirky enough to be weird. While that confidence can't be taught, I love that he already supports Lily with finding her individual style!

OK..maybe "supports" isn't quite strong enough a word..."encourages" is probably more accurate!

Chris is in charge of bath time at the Henry House. While it is more just an extension of "play time", the kids do manage to get clean every once in a while!

Speaking of play time...if Lily wants to play on the slide...so does Daddy!

He never misses an opportunity to get some good lovin' in. From kisses to cuddles, "daddy jail" is the best!

Adventures are encouraged...especially educational adventures. Chris has a thirst for knowledge that is contagious and I love that he is constantly finding ways to show Lily that learning is fun!

The kitchen is their favorite learning ground! Chris is the king of the kitchen...unless Lily is making cupcakes...then she takes over!

When the adventures are over, Daddy's cuddles are the best way to recharge the batteries!

And then they are on to the next adventure! Lily is such a big "helper" and Chris' patience with her is remarkable. He loves every minute of it!

And now, he has an official "mini-me"!

I cannot wait to see the trouble these two get in when Harrison starts to move and groove!

If story times are any indication, life with these boys is sure to be entertaining!

One thing for sure...our life is crazy but if anyone can handle it, Super Dad can! 

I'm so proud of Chris...he is a good man, amazing husband, and a truly phenomenal father. He is caring, fun, supportive, and  loving...with a few dashes of wild and crazy! He makes our lives enjoyable and I'm so lucky to have him by my side as we continue the Chenry Show journey!

Happy Daddy Day Chris!!!