Tater Tot Casserole

2 pounds ground beef
1 can mushroom soup (or make your own with this recipe)
2 cups of frozen veggies (I like carrots and peas) you can also use canned veggies
1 bag tater tots

Mix together beef, mushroom soup, and veggies.  Spread in a 9x 13 pan.  Top with tater tots.  I usually stand them up on their ends so I can fit as many as possible.  There never seem to be enough!  Then I sprinkle the tater tots lightly with Lawrey's seasoning, or you can use salt.  That gives it a little extra flavor.  Bake at 350 until the tots are brown. (About 30 minutes)

Weeknight Lasagna Toss

A Family Favorite of ours!

1 lb. lean ground beef

2   green peppers, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jar  (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1-2/3 cups water

1/4 cup  KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing (I usually omit this)

12 oven-ready lasagna noodles, broken into quarters (sometimes I substitute other pasta)

1 cup  Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

BROWN meat in large saucepan; drain.
ADD peppers, garlic, spaghetti sauce, water and dressing; bring to boil. Stir in noodles; cover.
COOK on medium-low heat 10 to 15 min. or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese; cover. Let stand 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

Beef Stroganoff

Photo courtesy of. Confabulation in the Kitchen,

Beef Stroganoff:1 lb ground beef (cooked)
1 small onion
1 pkg egg noodles (prepared)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 T beef boulion
1 t garlic
1 c sour cream

Add onions to ground beef. Cook until onions are tender. 

Add soup, boulion, and garlic.  When ready to serve, add sour cream and noodles.

Enchilada Casserole

Brown 2 pounds hamburger with taco seasoning.
16 oz salsa
8 oz tomato paste
sour cream
flour tortillas
2 cups cheese


Mix hamburger, salsa, and tomato paste together and set aside. Butter 9x13 pan. Spread sour cream on tortilla shells.
Layer:
flour tortillas
meat mixture
cheese
flour tortillas
meat
cheese

Cover with foil. Bake at 400 degrees.  Bake 30 minutes.  Take foil off and bake another 10 minutes.

Banana Crumb Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake:
Crust:
2 1/4 c flour
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c marg
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t soda
1/4 t salt
3/4 c sour cream
1 t almond flavoring
1 egg

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 c sugar
1 egg
1/2 c raspberry preserves (no seeds)

Topping:
1 c Reserved Flour Mixture from crust
1/2 c slivered Almonds (optional)
Dust with course granular sugar (optional)

1. Preheat Over to 350. Grease and flour bottom and sides of 9" spring-form pan.

2. Blend flour, sugar, and butter until pie crust consistency. (Mixture will be dry)  Reserve 1 c for topping. Add baking powder, soda, salt, sour cream, egg, and flavoring. Beat until well blended. Mixture will be think and sticky. Spread into spring-form pan and spread 2" up the sides of the pan about 1/4" thick.

3. Blend cream cheese, sugar, and egg. Mixture will be runny. Pour over better. Stir preserves until syrupy. Drizzle preserves over batter. Top with 1 c reserve flour mixture, slivered almonds, and sugar (optional)

4. Bake 45-50 minutes. Watch the outside crust. You may need to place foil over the edges to keep from getting over cooked.

Walnut Chicken

1 1/2 lb chicken, cooked, cubed
2 T cooking oil
2 med red and/or green peppers
4 green onions
1 c walnuts2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T soy sauce
2 t cornstarch
2 T dry sherry (cooking wine, optional)
1 t ginger
1 t sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t red pepper

In a frying pan, toast walnut and garlic.  Once toasted, remove from heat and set aside.  Add oil and veggies to fry pan. Fry until tender.  Add cooked chicken.  Before adding, blend soy sauce and corn starch.  Add to fry pan with cooking wine, ginger, sugar, salt and pepper.  Cook until sauce thickens.  Remove from heat and mix in walnuts.  Serve over rice or I like to serve it over beef ramen noodles.  Mmmmm

Three-Cheese Chicken & Pasta Skillet

2 cups rotini pasta, uncooked

1 Tbsp.  oil

1/2 cup each chopped green peppers and onions

3 cloves  garlic, minced

3 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 jar  (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves

3   KRAFT Singles, quartered

1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1/3 cup  KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese 

COOK pasta as directed on package.
MEANWHILE, heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add vegetables and garlic; cook and stir 3 min. or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in chicken, sauce and oregano; bring to boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
DRAIN pasta. Add to sauce with Singles; stir. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan; cover. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 min. or until mozzarella is melted.

Cashew Chicken

Photo courtesy of www.marthastewart.com

1 1/2 lb chicken

2 T dry sherry (cooking wine-optional)

2 t minced ginger

3 1/2 t cornstarch

course salt

1/2 c chicken broth (or I use bouillon and water)

2 T soy sauce

1 T rice vinegar

2 t sugar

1 T + 2 t veg oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2/3 c unsalted cashews, toasted

2 scallions (or green onions), thinly sliced

cooked white rice or serving.  

In a medium bowl, toss chicken with sherry, ginger, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch; season with salt. Refrigerate 30 minutes. In another bowl, combine broth, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch; set sauce aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add half the chicken and cook until golden and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Add 1 teaspoon oil to skillet and cook remaining chicken (reduce heat if chicken is over-browning). Transfer to plate.

To same skillet, add 1 teaspoon oil, garlic, cashews, and scallion whites. Cook, stirring constantly, until garlic begins to soften, 30 seconds. Whisk sauce and add to skillet along with chicken. Cook until sauce thickens, about 30 seconds. Top with scallion greens and serve with rice.

Easy Baked Manicotti

2 cups spaghetti sauce, divided

1-3/4 cups  Ricotta Cheese

1-1/2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1/2 cup  Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup  pesto (Or your favorite herbs and spices)

12 manicotti shells, cooked, rinsed in cold water

HEAT oven to 350°F.
SPREAD 3/4 cup sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Mix cheeses, egg and pesto until well blended; spoon into resealable plastic bag. Use scissors to cut small corner from bottom of bag.
FILL manicotti shells by squeezing cheese mixture into both sides of each shell; place in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce; cover.
BAKE 40 min. or until heated through.

Church Chicken Cassarole

A Favorite at my church growing up!

1 stick Marg, melted

1/2 box Ritz crackers, crushed

2 1/2 pounds chicken, cooked and cut into bite size pieces

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1-8 oz carton of sour cream

Mix together margarine, and crackers.  Press 2/3 into 9x13 pan.  Reserve 1/3 for topping.  In a bowl, combine chicken, soup, and sour cream.  Spread over cracker crust and sprinkle top with remaining crumb mixture.Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes, or until crust lightly browns and mixture bubbles. 

Ho Ho Bars

Ahh, Brings me back to my childhood!

Base: (I'm thinking about next time using a chocolate cake mix instead, I think it would taste better, but it's still good this way!)
1 stick marg

1/2 c oil

1 c water

3 T cocoa

2 c sugar

2 c flour

1 t soda

2 eggs

1/2 c buttermilk

Filling:

1 c sugar

1 c crisco

1/2 c evaporated milk

1 t vanilla

1/4 t salt

1 t water

2 c powdered sugar

Frosting:

1 c sugar

6 T milk

6 T marg

2 c chocolate chips

For base:

(If using a cake mix, prepare as directed and bake in a jelly roll pan.  I'm not sure on how long to cook it, so just keep an eye on it)  Combine first 7 ingredients; beat well. Add eggs and buttermilk; beat well.  Spread in 15x17'' greased and floured jelly roll pan.  Bake 20-25 min at 350.  Cool for 1 hour.

For filling:

beat first 6 ingredients for 5 minutes on high.  Add powdered sugar. Beat well and spread on cooled brownies.

For Frosting:

Boil sugar, milk, and marg for 1 minutes.  Stir in chocolate chips and beat until smooth.  Drizzle over brownies.

Squash Cassarole (Or Mixed Veggies)

1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz sour cream
squash, cubed
Onions, chopped
carrots diced
celery, diced
any other vegetables you think might go together (green beans, corn, etc)

Topping
1-1/2 c crushed cheese crackers
4 T melted margarine.

• In a large skillet, saute the summer squash, zucchini, onion and  in oil until tender; drain.
• In a large bowl, combine the vegetable mixture, cheese, soup, sour cream and salt. Transfer to a greased 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish.
• Combine cracker crumbs and butter. Sprinkle over vegetable mixture
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.

If you don't wish to pre-cook the veggies, just bake an extra 30 minutes.

Cream of ____ Soup

Ever need some cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup, but didn't have any on hand?  Here's a cheap and easy way to make it yourself!

2 T butter
3 T flour
1/2 c broth (or I use water and boullion)
1/2 c milk
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add flour and mix together.  Add milk and broth.  Stir on med heat until thickened.  Salt and Pepper to taste.

Orange Jello Pudding

I have yet to meet a kid that doesn't LOVE this.

3 c water
1 (3 oz) pkg orange gelatin
1 (3.4) oz package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (3 oz) pkg tapioca pudding mix
1 (15 oz) can mandarin oranges
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple
1 (8 oz) carton whipped topping

In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Whisk in gelatin and pudding mixes. Return to a boil, stirring constantly; boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Fold in oranges, pineapple and whipped topping. Spoon into a serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Yield: 12-14 servings.

Pizza Roll-Ups with Dipping Sauce

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/4 tsp.  Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 can  (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust

1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

2 Tbsp.  chopped onions

1 pkg. (9 oz.) O Fresh Shaved Oven Roasted Turkey Breast

1-1/2 cups  marinara sauce 

HEAT oven to 400°F.
MIX butter and seasonings until well blended.
UNROLL pizza dough onto baking sheet; press into 15x10-inch rectangle. Brush with half the butter mixture; top with cheese, onions and turkey. Starting at one short end, roll up dough to form log. Pinch seams and ends together to seal. Position log lengthwise, seam-side down, in center of baking sheet. Brush with remaining butter mixture.
BAKE 15 min. or until lightly browned. Let stand 5 min. Cut into 12 slices. Serve with marinara sauce.

Chewy Apple Oatmeal Cookies-Stephanie Wright

This recipe is courtesy of Stephanie Wright:

One of Joe's favorite desserts is Apple Crisp.  And let's face it, the best part of apple crisp is the top!  These cookies catch the best part of your favorite fall dessert!

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup chopped apples

In a large bowl cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Combine the flour, cinnamon and baking soda in a bowl.  Gradually add to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.  Stir in oats and apples.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in apart onto ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.  Let stand for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack.

2 EASY Fruit Salad Recipes

Sorry, I don't have any pictures for this.  But you can use your imagination.  But try it!! It's so good and easy!

First Recipe:

Apples
Bananas
Grapes
1 can Mandarine Oranges
1 can diced Pineapple
Any other fruit you like
1/2-3/4 can of orange juice concentrate

Cut fruit into bite size pieces.  Take a can of orange juice concentrate, still mostly frozen, but soft enough to spread, and mix together with fruit. Add as much as you need to coat your fruit. That's it! It's so easy and so good!  You can make the night before and it will keep in the fridge overnight.

Second Recipe: (just as easy)

Apples
1 can Mixed Fruit
1 can Mandarine Oranges
1-2 sliced Bananas
1 cup fresh Strawberries
Any Other Fruit You Like
1 can Peach Pie Filling

Cut fruit into bite size pieces. Mix together with pie filling.  Enjoy!!!  It's SOOO good!!

French Fried Onion Chicken

Ingredients:

2 cups (4 oz.) FRENCH'S® Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
4 (5 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten

Directions:

Place French Fried Onions and flour into plastic bag. Lightly crush with hands or with rolling pin. Transfer to pie plate or waxed paper.
Dip chicken into egg; then coat with onion crumbs, pressing firmly to adhere.
I usually pan fry the chicken in a little oil on the stove until cooked thoroughly.  Or, you can...
Place chicken on baking sheet.
Bake at 400°F for 20 min. or until no longer pink in center.