Lazy Perogy Casserole and Avery gets a job!

What a big day for Avery today! There was no sleeping in for us this morning since we had to get him to his Challenger British soccer camp. It's full days of soccer from 9-4 all week. The fact that it's outside all day with no indoor breaks, or even much shade aside from lunch hour under the trees or the couple of umbrella tents they have set up. It's well into the 30s (celsius) with the humidex this week, so I was a bit worried about him and the amount of water he had (can't help it, I'm a mama!). I stopped by part way through the morning to bring him a third large stainless steel water bottle. When I got there I watched him for a while from the van and he looked so happy and comfortable. Once I saw them head over for a water break I brought the water to him and he was chatting nonstop about how awesome the camp is. I think this is going to great for his soccer confidence! Well worth the $42/day price tag. :)

Guess what else happened for Avery today? He started his very first job! :D My boy is now delivering the local paper. I went with him today just to make sure he didn't run into any problems (there's that mama thing again!), but he totally didn't need me there. He was finished in no time, and pretty much collapsed on the couch after he had his shower. That was a long day for him! I am so proud of that kid. He's growing up so quickly.. sniff, sniff. It's so bittersweet. I still think of him as that chubby, big-cheeked, curly topped, blond haired, blue eyed Cheeky Charlie. ♥

Dinner tonight was another huge hit! Everyone in the house gobbled theirs up, and the boys even begged for huge second helpings. Tiernan's opinion? "I could eat this for every meal of every day for a YEAR!" Haha. The Lazy Perogy Casserole (I think "lazy" is my theme for the week - yesterday's lasagna was considered lazy, too.) I made used to be in regular rotation wayyyy back when the kids were teeny.. before I was even pregnant with Rhianna - back when we still ate meat. I sort of forgot about it until I found my old food blog (it's terrible.. don't look too hard!) and saw it on there. I think it'll be going back into rotation again or I'll have some very disappointed children on my hands. I served it with some tin foil oven roasted veggies - asparagus (won't do that one roasted again!), parsnips, carrots, Spanish onion and zucchini seasoned with garlic and thyme in margarine, and some veggie sausages. A very satisfying meal. :) The picture pretty much sucks, though - we watched 'Whispers of the Heart' while we ate, so the lighting is terrible.

Lazy Perogy Casserole

15 whole wheat lasagna noodles

3 lbs of red potatoes, peeled and halved or quartered

4 tbsp butter

splash or two of milk

2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup butter

2 yellow onions, sliced

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Once they're cooked, drain well.

Meanwhile, put the potatoes into a pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender. Drain and remove from heat. Add the butter, milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cheddar cheese. Mash well and set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt the 1/2 cup butter. Add the onions, and cook on medium until the onions have caramelized.

Prepare the casserole as follows:

Spray a lasagna pan with some cooking spray. Layer 5 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan to cover it. Spread half of the mashed potato mixture over top (I find a fork works best). Add another layer of 5 lasagna noodles, and top it with the second half of the mashed potato mixture. Top the potatoes with the last 5 lasagna noodles. Pour the butter and onions evenly overtop, making sure the spread the butter around.

Cover the dish with foil and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes before cutting it into slices. Serve with sour cream.