Thursday, July 25, 2013

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

 

What to gather:

2 - 3 chicken breasts (1 lb.)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 package thin spaghetti - cooked half way and drained
3 cups favorite spaghetti sauce

2 teaspoons basil - optional
8 oz. mozzarella or Italian cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 cups garlic croutons

To do list:

Cut the chicken breasts into cubes. Season with the garlic powder, salt and pepper. Lightly brown the chicken in a frying pan, do not cook completely thru.
Add spaghetti sauce and basil to the pan. Set aside.
Cook the spaghetti until almost cooked. Drain. Put in a greased baking dish.
Top the spaghetti with the chicken mixture and sauce.
Top with half of the cheese.
Add croutons. Top with remaining cheese.
Bake for 30 - 40 minutes at 350 degrees until it begins to brown and is bubbly around the edges. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Spinach Dip



Spinach Dip! 

Everyone loves spinach, right?  NO?  Really?  Well you will after this recipe! Here is a YUMMY Spinach Dip that is SO SO easy! This dip is always a hit!

Here is what you will need:

  • 2 packages of chopped frozen spinach (like pictured above)
  • 2 packages of the Dry Italian Dressing Mix
  • 1 16 oz tub of Sour Cream

Here is what you do:
  • Thaw and drain the spinach.
  • Chop up the spinach a little more.
  • Combine all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir!

See I told you it was easy!

I use this dip with the wheat thins toasted chips... the garden veggie kind.
Totally Yummy!  I promise! Try it!

Monday, May 20, 2013

Potato Casserole


HASH BROWN POTATO CASSEROLE

What you need:

1 (2 lb.) bag frozen hash brown potatoes
2 (8 oz.) cartons sour cream
1/2 c. chopped onions
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
2 c. shredded cheese, cheddar, sharp or other
2 c. corn flake crumbs
1/4 c. butter, melted


What to do:

Thaw potatoes, combine soup, sour cream, onion and cheese; mix in potatoes. 
Spray 3 quart casserole with Pam, put in mixture. 
Mix melted butter and crumbs and sprinkle on top.
Have oven preheated to 350°F. and bake 1 hour.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Spaghetti Squash Cassarole


Spaghetti Squash

So while I was home and on my liquid diet…. I cheated and ate soft foods part of the time. One evening, we had my Mother-in-Law, Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law over for a quick meal of steaks and baked potatoes. Nothing fancy schmansy. But then again when it comes to cooking meals, I can’t be simple. (Just ask anyone that has been to the house to eat) So, I did add fresh salad and fresh bread to the menu. Then decided to add something I could also eat. I had purchased a decent size spaghetti squash early in the week and now was the time I was going to attempt to cook it. Did I tell you I have never made spaghetti squash before? I dumped a little of this and that along with a lot of extra calories into a bowl and ohhhhhhhhh my! It was better than I thought it would be. Even the hubs said he’d eat it again.



Thought I would share the recipe.


Here’s what you’ll need:
1 spaghetti squash
2 cups sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 package garlic butter croutons
1 stick of butter - sliced


Here’s what you’ll do:

Preheat oven to 400. 
Next - Peel, slice, take out the seeds and cut the squash into chunks.

Place the chunks on a large cookie sheet covered with foil & cooking spray.

Bake the squash until tender – took about 45 minutes to an hour.

Once tender, dice the squash into smaller 1 inch chunks.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients above except for the croutons and 1 cup of cheddar cheese.

Pour the mixture into a casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Next crush the croutons and sprinkle on top of the casserole. 

Then sprinkle the last cup of shredded cheddar cheese on top.

Bake at 400 for 15 to 20 minutes and ENJOY!

Monday, May 6, 2013

Baked Bacon Chicken



Baked Bacon Chicken



8- Chicken breasts
8-16 slices of bacon
4- 10 3/4oz can of cream of mushroom
1-Cup sour cream
various seasonings






1- Wrap your CHICKEN breasts in bacon.  It may take one of two peices... depending on the size of the breast.
2- Place in a shallow baking dish.
3-Mix soup and sour cream together and add seasoning. ( I use onion powder, garlic powder, season all, salt & pepper)
4-Pour mixture over the chicken and BAKE at 325 degrees for around 2 hours.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Sweet & Spicey Meatloaf


Sweet & Spicey Meatloaf


What you need:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 can Mexican Rotel
8oz tomato sauce
2Tb vinegar
4Tb Brown Sugar
1 C bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
2 eggs beaten
2Tb Mustard
3/4 c Water
2 Diced Jalapenos (if you want to warm it up more)

Here's what to do:
Preheat oven to 350.
Mix Crumbs, meat, rotel, salt and (optional jalapenos) in a bowl.
Shape into a loaf and place it in a baking pan.
Next mix tomato sauce, water, vinegar, mustard,and brown sugar.
Pour the sauce mixture over the loaf.
Bake at 350 for 90 minutes.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

"Creamed" Corn

One recipe that my friend has us stuck on is Cream Cheese Corn.  Earl comes up with some of the best recipes!  What you need:

1 bag of frozen corn (16 oz)
1 pkg (8oz) Cream Cheese
Salt & Pepper
Sugar - I would avoid this!  Something we tried and I didn't like.

So place the frozen corn in a pan over medium to medium high heat (depending on how much of a hurry you're in :))

Add a brick of softened cream cheese and stir.



Here's where I added the sugar on hubby's request but ignore this step!  I thought it made too sweet.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and you're done!  Holy Yum!



Monday, April 22, 2013

Spaghetti Toss


Spaghetti Toss

What you need:

10 oz package vermicelli or thin spaghetti
10 oz package frozen sugar snap peas
2 Tablespoons butter
3 cups rotisserie cooked chicken (shredded or cut into strips)
11 oz can mandarin oranges (drained)
2/3 cup stir fry sauce

What to do:

- Cook spaghetti in saucepan according to package directions.
- Stir in peas and cook for an additional minute.
- Drain and stir in butter until butter is melted.
- Place into large bowl and add the rest of ingredients.
- Toss to coat evenly.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Tuna Veggie Salad


Tuna Veggie Salad

What you need
-8 oz package of pasta shells
-2 small yellow squash, diced
-2 small zucchini, diced
-15 oz can pinto beans, drained & rinsed
-11oz can mexican corn, drained
-12 oz tuna, drained
-1 cup creamy italian dressing


What you do:
-Cook pasta and drain, then rinse in cold water
-place squash & zucchini in a saucepan with around 3/4 cup water. Cook on med. heat for about 12 minutes or until they are barely tender. Drain
-Combine all of the ingredients, except the creamy italian dressing,in a large bowl and place in teh refridgerator for about an hour.
-Remove from the refridgerator and add the dressing. Mix Well.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Steak Pasta


Steak & Pasta

What you need:

2 cups uncooked penne 
1/4 pound fresh green beans, trimmed 
1 (3/4-pound) boneless sirloin steak, trimmed 
1 tablespoon garlic-pepper blend 
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red onion 
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper 
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard 
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil 
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

What to do:

Sprinkle steak with the garlic-pepper blend. Grill steak until desired degree of doneness. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.

Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a large pot (6 qt). Add pasta; cook 5 minutes. Add beans, and cook 3 minutes or until pasta is done. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well.

Combine onion and next 8 ingredients (onion through black pepper) in a large bowl. Add pasta mixture and beef slices; toss well to coat.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Breakfast Casserole


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I'm all about traditions, but I also like to make my own such as a photo of hubby & me a month on a scrapbook page or breakfast, mmmmm breakfast! For a couple of months while we were dating we had the same dish every Sunday morning.  Yup, it's that good.  Now we don't have it as much as we used to, but this is still one of our favorites. Sunday Morning Breakfast!!
Ingredients: Sausage (you can buy the types that have seasonings in them... they are good as well) Hash browns or tator tots (our favorite are the tator tots) We selected Mushrooms but you don't have too Cheese. We use Mexican blend or Fiesta Blend or whatever but Cheddar is good too. Salt & Pepper & seasonings... we chose Sage 1/4 cup chopped onion or onion flakes if you realize you don't have onion... 2-4 tbsp butter And we're off! Fry up the Sausage with the onion. Sausage is browned add the salt & pepper & sage, now add the butter.
Melt the butter in. This is to help fry up the hash browns or tator tots. We prefer tator tots, you just have to chop them up. They cook up better though than the hash browns in our opinion.  Since we chose tator tots, we have to chop them up while they cook.  This part takes a little bit.
Now put the lid on to help cook up the tator tots. Also you should check seasoning here as well (it's always fun to sneak tid bits all the way) Add about a quarter package of the cheese and mix in. You can add as much or as little as you prefer... we like cheese :)  Stir the cheese in so it gets all melty and cheesey!
Once you have the cheese stirred in, now top the dish with the rest of the cheese in the bag. We like it cheesy. Don't miss any of it!! every last drop!! Put the lid back on to help melt the cheese on top of the dish. Dish it up... how ever much you'd like.
And now you are ready to EAT!!!! That's the BEST part!

**It always helps if you know that you are going to make this, to defrost the tator tots & the sausage in the fridge the night before... so much of a time saver. One of these days, Prince Charming & I will remember this (since we do it every weekend) but until then... Thank God for Defrost buttons on the Microwave!!

Hope you enjoy this as much as we dooooooooo :)
Happy Eating!

Monday, April 1, 2013

Shredded Mexican Chicken


Shredded Mexican Chicken

This is a recipe (Slightly altered) that I heard about on another blog from Mandy...tried it last night and we all loved it!! Basically it is shredded chicken that we used on tostadas, but you can use it for tacos or enchiladas. It is SUPER EASY!

What you need:

Crock pot
1 Package chicken breasts
1 package FIESTA ranch mix 
1/2 package taco seasoning
2 cans chicken broth

What to do:

- Combine the 2 cans of chicken broth and the 2 packages of seasonings
- Place the chicken breasts into the crock pot
-cook on low for about 6 hours
-shred the chicken as it cooks


I actually cooked this during the day and put it in the fridge and heated it back up for dinner. Was quick & easy and most of all extremely yummy! Thanks Mandy!

Monday, March 25, 2013

Pepper Steak


This is actually a very quick and easy recipe that my whole picky family eats! 






3 tablespoons butter or oil
1 1/2 pounds round or flank steak
1-2 large Onions
1 large red bell pepper
1 large yellow bell pepper
1 large green bell pepper
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
2-3 can Campbell's brown gravy



I have 3-4 quart saute pan with lid that I use to cook everything in...
-First cut all your veggies in 1/4 - 1/2 inch strips
-Slice your beef into 1/4 inch (fajita style) strips
-Heat butter over medium high heat
-Place veggies in pan and cover with lid
-cook on medium heat until they start to soften just a little
-Add meat and season to taste ( I use onion powder, garlic powder & season all)
-Cook over medium heat until meat is browned
-Add the brown gravy and Worcestershire sauce and stir
-Heat about 3-5 minutes until gravy is good and hot

I serve this over plain white rice :) Hope you enjoy!

Monday, March 18, 2013

Chicken Cordon Something


Chicken Cordon Something

What you need:

1 stick butter, melted 
1 cup dry breadcrumbs 
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 
4 deli slices of ham
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
4 slices Swiss cheese 

1 can diced tomatoes (can be rotel or seasoned)


Preheat oven to 350°.

Place butter in a small microwave-safe bowl; microwave at high in 30 second intervals until melted. Set aside.

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound each to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt, pepper, and any seasoning of choice. Top each breast half with 1 slice of ham and 1 slice of Swiss Cheese. Next place about 2-3 tablespoons of diced tomatoes on each of the four chicken breasts. (on top of the Swiss cheese). Roll up each breast half jelly-roll fashion. Dip each roll in melted butter; dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place rolls, seam side down, in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until juices run clear and tops are golden.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Sweet & Spicy Bacon Chicken

Oh goodness, Patty brought these yummy Chicken strips wrapped in bacon!  She said they were called Sweet & Spicy Bacon Chicken but I didn't think they were spicy at all!



Super simple to make...

Sweet & Spicy Bacon Chicken: Season chicken w salt, pepper,garlic powder and chilli powder,wrap in bacon and roll in brown sugar. Bake 400 till crispy 30-40 min.

And these were what ours looked like, YUM!
This picture doesn't even do them justice because it was taken with my iPhone!!

Monday, March 11, 2013

Lime Shrimp


Lime Shrimp

I borrowed this recipe several years ago and we really enjoy it. Sometimes I serve with rice, sometimes I grill veggies to go with this. AND sometimes I use this as a marinade and grill the shrimp.

2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
8 cloves garlic, minced, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1.Place shrimp in a medium nonreactive bowl and toss with lime juice, 1/4 cup cilantro, half the garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
2.Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, marinade and remaining garlic; cook until the shrimp are just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add the remaining 1/4 cup cilantro, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper. Toss to combine.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Whathavewegot

This is how things go around here lately at 5:15'ish...time to make dinner and I am uncertain as to what that means. I figure out something to have, and then realize I am missing at least half of the required ingredients. I spent most of Wednesday planning to make some sort of chicken and gravy dish to serve over noodles. The catch? No noodles. That's okay, I'll put it over rice. The catch? I don't have the bag of frozen peas I was planning to use for my concoction. I decided to throw havoc to the wind, and started opening doors and drawers to see what ingredients I actually did have.

Here is a general guideline to what I made. My son suggested I try mystery meals more often, as he enjoyed the dish.

Cook two chicken breasts in a bit of oil with some salt and pepper, oh and some garlic powder (as I was out of fresh...of course). Dice some carrots and throw them in the pan. Then put some chopped onion in. Cook it up for a bit. Take the chicken out and cut into smallish pieces, then throw it back in the pan.

Add a little butter to the concoction, then add a cup and half of rice.
Stir it up. Hey, if you have some fresh spinach hiding out in the veggie bin, slice that up and add it now too. Keep stirring for a few minutes, then add some chicken broth until even with rice.

Cover the pan and let the broth cook down, add some more broth (use general rice cooking guidelines, but allow for a bit of extra liquid)...repeat this until the rice is tender. Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle a covering of romano cheese over the rice, then stir it in. You can call it risotto, as opposed to the title of this post!

Oh, and peas might have been a nice addition...see what you have around and have fun!


Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Bacon + Cream Cheese + Jalapenos

Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

Hello yum is all I have to say. In fact I couldn't keep my sweet husband out of them, but don't worry, for every one he got, he took a bite and then I got a bite is it was all good, right!?!?

Ok so what you do:

Get Jalapenos.  Slice them in half and remove the ribs and seeds (because that's where the heat lives in a pepper).

Then you take cream cheese and stuff the half pepper full of cream cheese.  Wrap a half piece of bacon around the pepper.

We stuck them in a 500 degree oven for 30 minutes to quickly get them done.

Eat and Enjoy!

Monday, March 4, 2013

Salmon Patties


Salmon Patties

1 (15 3/4 oz.) can salmon drained
2 eggs- beaten
Approx. 16-20 crackers (must be enough to hold together mixture to form patties)
1/2 med. onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Empty 1 can salmon & juice into large mixing bowl (remove bones). Add 2 eggs. Add lemon juice. Stir mixture well. Add onion,celery, pepper, crackers. Stir.

Form into patties 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Set aside on plate or wax paper (make 5-6 patties). Let set 5 minutes.

In large frying pan heat 1/2 inch cooking oil to med. high temperature. Do not skimp on oil. When oil is hot place patties in pan and cook 4-5 minutes per side. Make sure patties get cooked all way through. Center should not be cold.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Cajun: Creamy Chicken Cajun Pasta

Tuesday Night Patty brought Creamy Chicken Cajun Pasta.  She found the recipe on Pinterest.  That seems to be a great place to find things when you're looking!

Source: delish.com via Patty on Pinterest


Creamy Chicken Cajun Pasta (via delish)
  • 8 ounce(s) whole-wheat fusilli or rotini
  • 1 tablespoon(s) canola oil
  • 2 slice(s) bacon, chopped
  • 1 large sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 pound(s) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, sliced
  • 3 clove(s) garlic, minced
  • 4 teaspoon(s) Cajun seasoning (see Tip)
  • 1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour
  • 1 can(s) (28-ounce) crushed tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup(s) reduced-fat sour cream
  • 1/2 cup(s) sliced scallions for garnish
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain.
  2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add chicken, bell pepper, garlic, Cajun seasoning, and pepper. Cook stirring, until the onion and bell pepper are beginning to soften, about 4 minutes.
  3. Add flour and stir to coat. Add tomatoes and their juice; bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce is bubbling and thickened and the chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in sour cream.
  4. Stir the pasta into the sauce. Serve sprinkled with scallions, if desired.

    Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 vegetable, 2 lean meat, 1 fat Carbohydrate Servings: 2 1/2 Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (53% daily value), Vitamin A (23% dv), Iron (21% dv), Magnesium & Potassium (20% dv).

And in fashion, this is what ours looked like:
 Hello Yum!! 
Photobucket


Creamy Chicken Cajun Pasta

by Nicole
Ingredients
  • 8 ounce(s) whole-wheat fusilli or rotini
  • 1 tablespoon(s) canola oil
  • 2 slice(s) bacon, chopped
  • 1 large sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 pound(s) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, sliced
  • 3 clove(s) garlic, minced
  • 4 teaspoon(s) Cajun seasoning (see Tip)
  • 1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour
  • 1 can(s) (28-ounce) crushed tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup(s) reduced-fat sour cream
  • 1/2 cup(s) sliced scallions for garnish
Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain. 
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add chicken, bell pepper, garlic, Cajun seasoning, and pepper. Cook stirring, until the onion and bell pepper are beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. 
3. Add flour and stir to coat. Add tomatoes and their juice; bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce is bubbling and thickened and the chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in sour cream. 
4. Stir the pasta into the sauce. Serve sprinkled with scallions, if desired. 

Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 vegetable, 2 lean meat, 1 fat Carbohydrate Servings: 2 1/2 Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (53% daily value), Vitamin A (23% dv), Iron (21% dv), Magnesium & Potassium (20% dv).
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Monday, February 25, 2013

Brown Derbies


Brown Derbies



What you need:

Derby:
2 lbs ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 Lg Onion

Sauce:
3 cans Campbell's beef gravy
5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup margarine
4 tablespoons flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 350

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set to the side

Lightly spray a large casserole dish with non stick spray

Mix the ingredients for the derby (w/o onion) and form into 8 patties

Place the patties in a single layer in the casserole dish

Slice the onion and place the slices on top of the patties

Next pour the sauce onto the patties

Cover the casserole dish with foil

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, or until patties are cooked all the way through

I usually serve this with mashed potatoes, to utilize the extra brown gravy from the dish


You can actually change this up by using the seasonings that you prefer