I’ve heard that necessity is the mother of invention. This recipe is proof of that truth. You see, my life is crazy right now. I’m totally overwhelmed, and looking to streamline as much as possible. Especially mealtime. That’s where pigs in a blanket casserole comes in.
On Wednesdays, we have hot dogs for lunch this year. I do a random assortment of pigs in a blanket, pigs in a tortilla, and regular ol’ hot dogs with homemade rolls. But this week, I didn’t have energy to do any of the above. I didn’t want to sit and roll out dough. I didn’t want to deal with frying the tortillas. And I certainly didn’t want to mix up rolls.
Owen hasn’t been sleeping again. Normally I can deal with several days in a row without sleep fairly well. But, when I’m pregnant, I can’t. I walk around in a fog and get grumpy. And I just didn’t have energy to cook our typical lunch.
So I turned to Google to see if I could make a casserole. I found plenty of options, but they all included chili. My kids don’t really like chili. Neither do I. So I knew if I wanted lunch to actually get eaten, I had to create something on my own.
And I did. It was super simple.
Pigs in a Blanket Casserole Directions
I took our pack of 12 hotdogs from Costco and had one kiddo cut them up. I asked another to mix up a batch of biscuit dough. And because life is overwhelming right now, we used Bisquick. Measure, add milk, and stir. Can’t beat that!
I greased a 9X13 inch dish. I had the hot dog cutter add the hot dogs to the bottom of the pan. Then I sprinkled shredded cheese on top of the dogs.
We topped the cheese off with big clumps of biscuit dough.
Then I tossed the pan in the oven and hoped for the best.
I let it bake for 20 minutes. When I pulled it out of the oven, the biscuits were golden and the cheese was bubbly.
I cut it into chunks and dished it up. Some kids squeezed ketchup across the top. One added some sweet relish.
We added some fruit cocktail and some baby carrots to bring a little balance to our plates.
Everyone ate.
The kids enjoyed the variation. I was thankful for the ease.
So if you’re looking for a chili-free pigs in a blanket casserole, give this a try. I’d love to hear what you think if you cook it!
Sheryl Templeton says
At first I thought, “Yuk!” But then I saw the picture and it actually looks really tasty. I’ll be giving this a try in the near future.
As for the Bisquick, I use it all the time. It makes the best shortcakes I’ve ever tasted, and mixing it with a little cornmeal and lots of spices makes a terrific coating mix for baked pork chops or chicken. My point here is this: Don’t feel guilty about taking shortcakes. The number of things you accomplish in a given day is impressive enough already. Go for the Bisquick and any other shortcuts you can find. Put a home assembled meal on the table instead of a homemade one, and take time to enjoy it together. That’s the important part. I love reading your blog, Lisa!
Lisa says
Thanks Mom, love you and appreciate your insight.