Chicken Marsala

Ok, folks, you’re very privileged to get to see this recipe! It was given to me by my friend Jessica. (P.S. This girl can COOK!) I’m eternally grateful for her generosity, because this recipe ROCKS. As far as flavor goes, this can’t be beat. It’s a little more work than some recipes, but the payoff is worth it. This is one of my favorites. The entire time I ate it, I made Mmmmm sounds. Jessica is working on publishing her own cookbook and this will be an inclusion to that. Once that happens, I’ll be sure to link you all to where you can get your very own Jessica Cribbs cookbook! I can’t wait to get my hands on one! So, Jessica, thank you for sharing this with me and for allowing me to share it with others!

2 boneless/skinless breasts
¼ cup cake flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 TBSP oregano or Italian seasoning
4 TBSP Olive Oil
4 TBSP butter or margarine
1 (2-3.5 oz) jar of capers (do not drain)
2 (8 oz) packages of fresh, sliced mushrooms
1 thinly sliced onion
2 cups sweet marsala wine

Combine flour, salt, pepper and oregano in separate bowl. Heat the oil and butter in a skillet until bubbling lightly. Rinse the chicken, shake off lightly then dredge the chicken lightly in the flour and shake off the excess. (It should not be thick like for fried chicken.) Immediately place in the pan and lightly brown on medium heat for 4 minutes on the first side. Turn the chicken over and brown for 4 more minutes, while adding the mushrooms, capers and onions around the chicken.  When the breasts are lightly browned, stir the mushrooms, onions and capers and add the wine to the pan. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes on medium. Flip chicken and allow to simmer on low for 20 mins. Continue to flip the chicken as needed, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with each flip. The longer you cook the chicken, the tenderer it becomes.

 Strain the liquid from the pan and pour into another pan, adding 4 TBSP of flour and stir on medium heat.

**As you can see from my pictures, I overcooked this a bit and really caramelized everything. That being said, this was still fantastic. Sadly, I was pulled away from the kitchen for a bit too long!

Easy Chicken and Stuffing

I know it doesn’t look appetizing, but I swear, it was yummy. If it doesn’t pass my inspection, it doesn’t get added to the recipe book! I found this recipe online while searching for crockpot recipes. I decided that I wanted to do chicken and stuffing and here is what I found…

4 boneless/skinless chicken breast halves or 2 whole breasts

½ can cream of celery soup
½ can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup of milk
1 package seasoned stuffing mix with seasoning packet
1 ½ cups water
Salt and Pepper

 Place chicken in crockpot. Combine soup and milk and pour over chicken. Combine stuffing, seasoning packet, salt and pepper and water. Mix well. Spoon over chicken and soup. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

*You can choose to use 1 full can of either soup. I just combined both cans of soup that I had left and froze it for the next time I make this.

Crockpot Roast

This evening we had a roast for dinner that I cooked in the Crockpot all day. Let me just say that it’s HEAVENLY. I don’t think I’ll ever cook a roast differently anymore! I gotta give credit where credit is due however. This recipe was shared by my daughter Kaytie’s Me-Maw. She made it for us while we were visiting over the summer and I just had to have the recipe. YUM.

Chuck Roast

8 small potatoes
1 bag of small carrots
4 small onions
Cornstarch

 Cut up 2 of the onions into quarters and place on the bottom of the crockpot. Put the roast on top of the onion and add 2 cups of water. Cook on high for 3 hours.

After 3 hours, add potatoes whole around the roast. Cook on low for 2 hours.

Now add the carrots on the top. Cook on low another 2 hours.

Quarter remaining onions and add on top. Continue cooking on low for 2 hours.

Remove about a cup of the juice and mix 3TBSP of cornstarch until dissolved. Add back to crockpot and cook on love for 45 mins.

***I didn’t add any seasonings or salt and pepper to this and it was wonderful!

FYI: She suggested that I use the crockpot bags for no clean up and I did. They are marvelous and I’m sold on them!

Sautéed Squash

This takes me back to home cooked meals with my family as a child. My Grandmother always made the BEST fried squash. Right now, my mouth is watering for some. Even if you don’t like squash, I’m certain you will love this. Now that my Grandmother is no longer able to cook, one day, I sat down with her and had her walk me through making squash “her way”. My family adores it and it’s the only way I prepare squash. It’s also a family tradition and something I hope to pass down to my kids.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. This one comes straight from the heart!

You will need:

Squash (Remember, squash cooks down. I use about 8 pieces, because we can’t get enough of this when I make it.)

2 Onions

1 Stick of Butter

1 Can of Evaporated Milk

Salt and Pepper

First, you’ll need to cut your squash and onion up. I cut my onion into wedges. My squash, I cut at an angle. I have no idea why other than that’s what my Grandmother taught me and how she’s always done it. Melt 1 stick of butter over medium heat. Once melted, add squash and onion.

Sauté this down. It’s going to take a while. Keep your heat on medium. Cover with a lid and stir periodically to keep from burning. Once the squash has softened (see photo below) add your salt and pepper. 

You’ll notice the closer it gets to being done, more water is present. At this stage, remove the lid and continue cooking. You want to cook the water out.  

Once you have successfully cooked the water out, the squash will be soft and a little brown in some places. Now you want to add your canned milk, just a little at a time, until you have a nice, creamy sauce. You won’t even use half of the can.

Yum – Yum!

Homemade Chili Mix

How many of you know that I L O V E Chili? Well, I do! I make a very easy and basic chili and it’s wonderful, but I love trying new versions! I happened upon this recipe one day while browsing online and decided to give it a shot. Normally, I just use the packaged chili mix (yes, I admit it). After reading the RAVES for this mix, I decided to give it a go and boy am I glad that I did! Thank you Mermaids Treasures for sharing this!

2 TBSP chili powder

1 TBSP seasoned salt
2TBSP cumin
1 TBSP oregano
2 TBSP dried onion flakes
1 TBSP garlic powder
½ to 1 TSP dried red pepper flakes

 *I only used ½ tsp of the pepper flakes. I decided it was easier to add, than to take away. This was plenty spicy for my family. I would recommend making this recipe times 3 and storing it in an airtight container for future use.

I added 4TBSP for a large family size serving. You can add more or less obviously, to your preference

Fritos Chili Pie

This was FANTASTIC. I’m always looking for quick and easy recipes to try. Something a little different. Thanks to my friend Michelle for posting that she was having this for dinner and then so generously sharing the recipe with me. I made it the very next night! I’ve been wanting some chili anyway (come on cooler weather!) and this hit the spot. I’ve never had, nor heard of Fritos Chili Pie before. I guess I’ve been living under a rock! We all enjoyed this very much.

*Side Note: We had this for lunch the following day. I added a little water to rehydrate it and added some crackers and ate it like chili. YUM!

Here’s how I made mine!

Chili

Fritos

Shredded Cheese

Make your chili, don’t use the canned stuff. For me, this means:

I browned 1.5lbs of turkey meat. Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes and 2 cans of chili beans. Also add chili flavoring. (I decided NOT to use the package of chili mix and found a recipe for homemade mix. It was AWESOME. You can find the recipe here.) I allowed this to cook up and blend well, and then I simmered it for about an hour. Once I was ready for the chili, I added 3 TBSP of Wondra to thicken the chili so that it was not watery.  

Now add 2 cups of Fritos to the bottom of a casserole dish. I broke mine a little using the palm of my hand once in the dish. Top with shredded cheese (or Velveeta if that’s what you prefer) and pile your chili over the top. Layer with more cheese and top that with crushed Fritos.

I put this under the broiler for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese.

P.S. Since we’re trying to eat healthier, I used ground turkey meat and 50% less salt Fritos.

Bruschetta Chicken over Risotto

Thanks to Angie for this recipe. It was amazing! Everyone here loved it! This was my first experience with Risotto ever. First experience making it and tasting it. Kevin actually liked the Risotto better than regular rice. The consistency is slightly different and it’s more dense and creamy. The meal went together perfectly. It was a little more work then set it and forget it, but well worth the effort. I served this with a simple side salad. It would have been nice to have had some dinner bread to go along with it. However, it was very filling.

1 cup Baby Arugula Leaves, chopped small

8 oz Fresh Mozzarella, cubed

1 (16 oz) package Risotto

4 tbsp Olive Oil

1 cup fresh diced tomatoes

¼ cup olive oil vinaigrette

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 cup Italian bread crumbs

4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

4 chicken breasts

4 tsp minced garlic

Prepare risotto following package instructions. (If instructions call for butter, use olive oil instead)

Combine tomatoes, arugula, cheese, salt, pepper and vinaigrette and set aside.  

Preheat large sauté pan on medium 2-3 minutes. Add 3 tbsp oil to pan.  Combine breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp parmesan cheese in a bowl. Coat both sides of chicken. Add chicken to pan, cover and cook until done.

Stir in garlic and 2 tbsp parmesan cheese into risotto and cover. Cook and stir 2-3 more minutes until rice is creamy and tender.

Add risotto to plate, top with chicken. Finish with tomato mixture on top.

Lime Chicken Tacos (Crockpot)

Yummy! This recipe makes about 12 tacos. It’s so flavorful and easy! Can’t wait to make it again!

3 lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken

3 tbsp Lime Juice

1 tbsp Chili Powder

1 cup Frozen Corn

1 cup Chunky Salsa

12 (6 inch) tortillas

Sour Cream, Shredded Mexican Cheese, Lettuce and Tomatoes

Place chicken in crockpot. Combine lime juice and chili powder. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours. Shred chicken using 2 forks. Add corn and salsa. Cover and cook until heated through for about 30 minutes.

Baked Rotini and Ham

I found this recipe online and it looked worthy of trying. It was simple to make. Probably one of the best features is that this can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator overnight. If you need a casserole for an event and time is not on your side, try this out. I enjoyed this. Kevin on the other hand, wasn’t as fond of it, but that’s because he isn’t a huge ham fan.  

8 oz Rotini

1 (16 oz) Jar of Alfredo Sauce

½ cup Milk

½ cup Shredded Mozzarella

½ cup chopped, cooked ham

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

1/8 tsp grated black pepper

¼ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook Rotini and drain. Stir in alfredo sauce, milk, mozzarella, ham, seasoning and pepper.

Transfer to a baking dish, top with parmesan. You may cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.  

Cover dish, bake on 350 for 30 minutes. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

Crockpot French Dip Sandwiches

Okay, two words about this recipe… THESE. ROCK. I made these when my parents were visiting and EVERYONE loved them. I believe they were my Dad’s favorite. I’ve made a similar recipe before, that was more involved. This one is simple and easy. However, I did change this up a little to add certain things from the harder French dip recipe. You’ll find my recipe below.

I’d like to thank Crock Pot Recipe Exchange for posting this amazing recipe. Her original recipe can be found by clicking here.

Enjoy!

2 lbs Round Steak (cut in thin strips)

1 Green Pepper (sliced)

1 Onion (Sliced)

3 small jars of whole mushrooms

1 large box of Beef Broth

1 Envelope of Dry Italian Salad Dressing Mix

Montreal Seasoning (applied liberally)

French Bread

Provolone Cheese

Mayo and Horseradish (mixed)

Spray crockpot with nonstick spray. Add meat, peppers, onions and mushrooms. Combine broth, salad dressing and Montreal seasoning well. Pour in crockpot. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.

Spread mayo/horseradish lightly on bread. Add meat, onions, peppers and mushrooms. Top with provolone cheese. Place on pan and place in the oven on 350. Allow bread to brown a bit and cheese to melt.

Serve with broth in a side bowl for dipping.

Chicken Parmesan

My friend Angie sent me this recipe. The first time I made it, it turned out really yummy…. However, I made it when my parents and aunt were here and it was so much better. This is probably one of my favorites. Goodness, it was excellent. The trick is to make certain that you use a nonstick pan. I used a stainless pan the first time and it didn’t turn out as well. I can’t wait to make this again!

4 Chicken Breast

2 Jars of Pasta Sauce    

Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Shredded Mozzarella

Italian Seasoning

Italian Bread Crumbs

Garlic Powder

Salt and Pepper

Pasta

Olive Oil

1 Egg

1 Onion

Season chicken breast with garlic, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Dip breast into beaten egg and coat on both sides. Dredge through parmesan cheese, followed by bread crumbs. Heat oil until hot, add chicken. Turn several times. Cook noodles. Poor pasta into a casserole dish, add chicken, layer with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Caramelize an onion and add as topping. Bake until heated through.

Ravioli’s with Bava/Vodka Sauce

My BFF sent this recipe to me via text message. When I lived down in Florida, we used to go to this Italian joint and ALWAYS order the same thing; pasta with bava sauce. I miss it! When she sent this easy to make recipe to me and said, you have to try it! I went and picked up the couple of things I didn’t already have in my pantry and guess what? It was simple and oh so delicious!  

Frozen Cheese Raviolis

1 lb Ground Turkey

1 Jar of Pasta Sauce (We used Ragu Chunky with Tomato, Garlic and Onion)

1 Philadelphia Cooking Crème in Savory Garlic

Shredded Mozzarella

All you do is boil your ravioli according to the directions, drain and set aside. Brown the turkey, add sauce and cooking crème. Allow to heat through and melt together. Add ravioli to sauce. Top with cheese and allow to melt.   

Mocha Frappuccino

(This is DELISH! I decided to try to find something similar to Starbucks frappuccino. Those happen to be my weakness!! Now, I always add an espresso shot, so I like mine strong. This recipe does the trick and saves me MONEY!)

Brew a pot of double strength dark roast coffee, the darker, the better. (I actually brewed a full pot and then poured it into a glass jar and stored it in my refrigerator so that it’s already chilled and I don’t have to brew a fresh pot every day.)

Chill the coffee in the refrigerator, since frappuccinos are typically served cold.

Blend ½ cup coffee, ½ cup of milk, 2 tbsp of sugar and 2 tbsp of chocolate syrup in a blender until mixed. (I use a personal sized blender and had to tweak this down a little because once I added the ice, it wouldn’t all fit. I used 3 ounces of each.)

Add ice to fill cup and blend with the mixture until smooth.

Pour into a serving cup. Top with whipped topping and chocolate syrup.

Tuna Melt

(I found this online here (with many other yummy recipes) and made it for lunch. I loved it. I was fantastic. It was quick to prepare and the sour cream spread with the melted cheese was creamy and added an exciting combination.)

2 tbsp light sour cream

¼ tsp garlic salt

2 slices of wheat bread

3 oz tuna, drained

1 tbsp light mayo

Shredded cheese, to liking

1 tbsp butter

Combine sour cream with garlic salt; spread on one side of each slice of bread. In a small bowl; combine tuna and mayo, top one slice of bread. Top with cheese and cover with remaining slice of bread. Melt butter, add sandwich and cook until bread is browned and cheese is melted.

Cheddar Biscuits

(A friend on Facebook posted this delishiously similar recipe to Red Lobsters Cheese and Garlic Biscuits. They are surprisingly very close and simple to make. My family LOVED these, especially my husband!)

2 cups Bisquick

2/3 cup milk

½ cup shredded cheddar

¼ cup butter

¼ cups garlic powder

Mix Bisquick and cheese; add milk. Spoon on a greased cookie sheet, bake at 425 for 8 to 10 minutes.  Brush with melted butter and garlic powder. Makes about 10.

Creamy Pork Chop Casserole

(This is a pretty yummy casserole and excellent if you’ve run out of ideas and are tired of the same old pork chop dinner. My aunt made this when we were in Florida and I made sure to bring the recipe home.)

Olive Oil

8 boneless pork chops (I use the center cut, more lean meat)

2 cups uncooked rice

¾ cup milk

10 ¾ oz can cream of celery soup

10 ¾ oz can cream of chicken soup

1 medium onion, sliced

2 (14 oz) cans carrots, drained

2 cups water

Salt, pepper and garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350. In large skillet over medium high heat, warm olive oil. Season chops with salt, pepper and garlic. Add to oil and cook about 2 mins. on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from skillet and place in a greased baking pan.  In a medium bowl, combine rice, milk, soups, water and onion. Mix well and pour over chops. Cover and bake for 1 hour or until rice is tender and chops are cooked through.  

I served this with cornbread muffins!

Crockpot Chicken and Parsley Potatoes

(This recipe came from Crock Pot Recipe Exchange's Facebook page. It was a set it and forget it recipe. We all enjoyed it. Was it our favorite, no, but it was simple enough and good enough that I’ll make it again.)

4 chicken breast (one per person)

Garlic powder

Pepper

Salt

Parsley

Potatoes, chopped (about 1 ½ per person)

Onions, chopped (2 medium onions)

Ham, sliced in strips (I used 2 packages of Carl Budding. I don’t think it matters, as long as it’s thin sliced.)

Butter (2 tbsp per chicken)

Foil

Season chicken with garlic, pepper and salt. Set aside. Tear foil in 4 large pieces. Add chopped potatoes to center of foil, in a single layer. Season with garlic and parsley. Top with onions, 1 piece of chicken and ham. Add 2 tbsp of butter, top with garlic and pepper. Wrap up inside foil. Place in Crockpot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Mushroom & Chicken Quesadillas

(My Aunt made these when we were in Florida and they were SO good that we decided to make them again once we got home!)

1 large chicken breast

3 small jars of sliced mushrooms

8 (8 inch) tortilla shells

1 can refried beans

1 (2 cup) bag Mexican shredded cheese

Boil chicken until cooked through. Allow to cool down and shred with two forks. Coat skillet with cooking spray and place over medium high heat. Cook mushrooms. Spread all 8 tortillas with refried beans. Divide cheese, chicken and mushrooms between 4 of the tortillas. Place remaining tortillas on top, bean side down.

**I cooked these on my George Forman. I just placed them between 2 pieces of foil, closed the lid and came back to a cooked tortilla. My aunt used this method:

Place skillet on medium high heat. Coat skillet and tops of quesadillas with cooking spray. Cook one quesadilla 4 minutes per side or until cheese has melted, reducing heat to medium if tortilla becomes too brown.

Cut quesadillas in fourths and serve with sour cream and salsa.

Low Carb Deep Dish Pizza

(This was FANTASTIC. My BFF and her guy gave this to me. I loved it. Kaytie thought it was yummy too. The boys, not so much. I think they knew it wasn’t actually crust and that turned them off from the beginning. I guess it’s a good thing I made “regular” pizza for them. I will be making this again, even if only for myself. This had a wonderful cheesy taste. I think it would be awesome cut into “bread” sticks and dipped in sauce also.)

4 oz cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese

¼ tsp oregano or Italian seasoning

¼ tsp garlic powder

8 oz Italian cheese blend or mozzarella, shredded

How to prepare:

In a medium bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Whisk in eggs until mixture is well blended and smooth. Add the parmesan and seasonings, then stir in 8 ox of Italian or mozzarella cheese until moistened. Spread cheese mixture evenly in a well greased 9x13 glass baking dish. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until evenly browned, but not too dark. Let cool completely. When nearly cooled, use a metal spatula to pry up the edges from the pan. Ease spatula under the whole crust to loosen. Leave crust in the pan, refrigerate uncovered until serving time.

Spread chilled crust with pizza sauce, cheese and toppings. Sprinkle lightly with garlic and oregano. Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 mins.

***Important Note: You want to make this early and refrigerate for a couple hours to allow the crust to dry out a bit for easy handling when eating. Also, if you make this in a metal pan, it will stick. One recommendation is to lightly grease the pan and line it with parchment paper.

Sheppard's Pie

(Okay, so I have to ring my own bell for a minute. I make the BEST Sheppard’s Pie known to mankind. Really, I do! Give it a try, if you don’t believe me!)

1 lb meat (beef or ground turkey)

1 or 2 cans mushrooms
Dry minced onion
Beef bouillon cube
Worchester Sauce (add as much or little as you like, it gives a yummy flavor)
1/3 cup of water
1 can corn
2 bags of Idahoan Potatoes (prepared)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese

 Brown meat with mushrooms and onion. Drain. Add water, bouillon cube and Worchester sauce. Cook until water evaporates. Pour meat into a greased pan. Layer with cheese. Top with corn and potatoes. Cover with cheese. Bake 30 minutes on 350, then broil to brown cheese.  

Savory Pot Roast

(This is BY FAR, my FAVORITE pot roast recipe EVER. I got it from the Kraft site. The kids and I ate this up. Kevin wasn’t as crazy about it. You use A1 in it and he doesn’t really care for A1. However, if you love A1 as much as I do, you’ll love this. The pot roast was so tender and flavorful! From now own, Kevin will have to get his own little pot roast, because I can’t wait to have this again!)

1 boneless beef chuck roast (2-2 ½ lbs)  

6 Yukon gold potatoes, quartered
6 carrots, peeled, cut into 1 inch lengths
½ cup Original A1 Steak Sauce
1 package dry onion-mushroom soup mix
1/3 cup of water

 Heat oven to 350. Place meat in a shallow pan, surround with vegetables. Mix remaining ingredients until well blended. Pour over meat and vegetables, cover. Bake 2 hours. Slice and serve with pan gravy.

Taco Soup

(This is a really easy and yummy soup. Kevin loves it and requests it often. Many thanks go out to Becky for sharing this recipe with my family. I’ve changed it only a tiny bit to meet our personal likes, as you should do too! P.S. Becky’s sister Kelly also gave me her Taco Soup recipe that is equally YUMMY. We switch back and forth between them. I’ll post it soon too, so keep watching!)

20 ounces ground turkey (seasoned with a little salt and pepper, garlic and dry minced onions)

2 packets taco seasoning
1 packet powdered Ranch seasoning
1 large can diced tomatoes (followed by 1 full can of water)
1 regular sized can corn (do not drain)
1 regular size can black beans (do not drain)
1 large can chili beans (do not drain)

Brown meat and stir in seasoning packets. (We used turkey for a meal that was better for us and no one even noticed!) Pour in the vegetables and can of water. Cook in the Crockpot on high for 5 hours. Sprinkle cheese on top and add sour cream. I serve this with whole wheat cheesy quesadillas that I throw on my George Forman.  

Chicken Carbonara

(Okay, I know that I’ve said before how THIS was our favorite recipe, but really, this time I mean it. Holy Smokes, this was AH-MAZ-ING! We love eating at Buca di Beppo. One of our favorite dishes there is the Carbonara. Kevin thought that maybe I should try to find a copycat recipe since it’s so yummy…and I did. This turned out spectacular. It tasted exactly like Buca’s. I will be making this again and again and again. Everyone had seconds. Kaeleb even asked to take it to school with him for lunch. J Now, with all this being said, it isn’t the most healthy meal you can have. Nor is it low budget. But trust me when I say, you’ll want to make this and take your chances, at least periodically! I served this with a Caesar Salad and Garlic Bread. NOM-NOM-NOM!)  

 ½ cup olive oil

8 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
¼ cup minced garlic
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh (chopped and cooked)
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 ½ cups alfredo sauce (See recipe below)
1 cup frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste
Spaghetti (14 oz) *I use whole wheat pasta in everything.

 Prepare alfredo sauce.

1 quart heavy cream

4 tbsp butter
2 cups parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

 Heat the cream over medium heat until reduced by a third. Add the butter, stirring constantly, then incorporate the cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.

 Boil pasta then place in a large bowl covered by a lid.

 Dice and cook the chicken using a little oil in a skillet. Remove and set aside.

 In a pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat until very hot. Add the prosciutto slices and sauté until it starts to brown and has bubbly white caps. Add the minced garlic and sauté just long enough got the garlic to begin to caramelize.

 Add the chicken, cream and alfredo sauce and slowly bring to a simmer. Add the peas and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly and the chicken is hot.

 Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce well. Serve immediately.

 Makes 10 servings.

Mexican Lasagna

(This is by far, one of the BEST recipes EVER. My friend Alicia gave me this one many moons ago, probably about 8 to be exact! I’ve loved it ever since. In fact, Kevin asks for this specifically! When we moved to VA and were staying with a friend, Kevin asked for this, but all of our personal things were packed away in storage, along with my recipe book. I tried another recipe, but it just didn’t cut it. If you love Mexican food like I do, give this a try! It’s also EASY and FAST which is always a plus!)

1 lb ground beef

1 (14 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (14 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 oz) can corn, do not drain
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp minced onions
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic salt
½ tsp oregano
1 can (4 oz) green chilies, do not drain
6 whole wheat tortillas (8 inch)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

 Cook beef and drain. Add tomato sauce, beans, corn and chilies. Stir in chili powder, minced onions, cumin, garlic salt and oregano. Boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, uncovered. Place 3 shells on the bottom of pan, half the meat sauce and half the cheese. Repeat. Bake on 350 for 30 minutes.

 I serve this with sour cream and salsa.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

(These are FANTASTICO! I found this recipe online several years back and it’s so tasty that it’s the ONLY one I’ll use for stuffed peppers! I’m thinking about using turkey meat instead of beef to make this an even healthier meal. I will tell you that the simple topping is AMAZING! You’ll want to make more, because just a little on top won’t be enough!)

 4 green peppers

Salt and pepper
5 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic (minced, refrigerated kind)
1 lb beef
1 ½ cups uncooked rice
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp oregano
½ cup ketchup
1 tsp Worchester sauce
Dash of Tabasco

 Pre-cook rice and allow to cool.

 Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Meanwhile, cut top off peppers 1 inch from the stem and remove seeds. Add several pinches of salt to boiling water, and then add peppers and boil, using a spoon to keep peppers completely submerged, until brilliant green and their flesh slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Drain, set aside to cool. Preheat oven to 350. Heat 4 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, add raw meat, rice, tomatoes and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.

 Drizzle remaining oil inside peppers to coat, arrange cut side up in a baking dish, then stuff peppers with filling. Combine ketchup, Worchester sauce, tobacco and ¼ cup of water in a small bowl, then spoon over filling. Add ¼ cup of water to the baking dish. Place in over and bake for 40 minutes.

 This recipe is enough for 6 peppers and then some, but the kids don’t like peppers so I put theirs in little ramekins for baking.

Potato-Topped Mini Meatloaves

(This is an awesome recipe. I got it from Kraft Foods. Kevin LOVES meatloaf; the kids and I, not so much. In fact, I’ll go as far as saying that I hate meatloaf. I found this recipe and it looked pretty tasty. It was different from standard meatloaf, so I thought I’d give it a try. I’m so glad that I did. This is a family favorite! Now I can give Kevin his meatloaf and the kids and I enjoy it.)

2 lbs. ground beef

2 (6 oz) packages stuffing mix
2 cups water
8 tbsp. A1 steak sauce
1 block cream cheese (room temperature)
3 cloves of garlic (I use the diced garlic in the jar.)
Hot mashed potatoes (I’m pretty picky and ONLY like Idahoan instant potatoes, that come in a little sack.)
4 tsp. dried parsley
1 to 2 jars beef gravy, warmed

Heat oven to 375. Mix meat, stuffing mix, water and steak sauce; press into muffin cup pans sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Add cream cheese and garlic to potatoes; stir until cheese is melted. Stir in parsley. Scoop over meatloaves. Serve with gravy. (Makes 24 mini loaves.)

   

Cream Cheese Chicken

(Our friend Rachel gave us this recipe. I’m not sure where she got it from, but I’m so happy she shared it. This is one of our favorites. It’s so good. It smells fantastic cooking!)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 tbsp. Melted Butter
Salt and Pepper
2 Packages of Dry Ranch Seasoning
1 small can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 8oz block of cream cheese
1 small can chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
Fresh mushrooms (optional)
2 cups uncooked rice

Place chicken in bottom of crockpot. Pour melted butter over chicken and sprinkle with salt, pepper and 1 seasoning pack.  Add mushrooms. Brown chopped onion with a little olive oil. Add soup, broth, ranch seasoning and cream cheese. Cook until smooth. Remove from heat. Add rice, stir and pour over chicken. (Once I have this in the crockpot, I add water knowing the rice is going to swell. I just add as much as I think looks right.) While this is cooking, I use a large spoon to shred the chicken once it’s tender enough. This puts the chicken all throughout the rice.

Cook on high for 6 hours.

  

*I’ve scaled this recipe down a bit. We were having entirely too much left over. Even still, my Crockpot is full.

**To change this up a bit, you can use Spicy Ranch. (Note: I tried this and didn’t like it as well.) I’m also going to try it with onion soup.