Easy Pasta Bake

Serves 6-8 people

1 1b. dry pasta
1 jar pasta sauce
1 jar water
2 cups shredded cheese
1 1lb. ground meat, browned and drained

1. Heat oven to 425.
2. Spray a 9x13 inch glass casserole and pour in the dry pasta. Pour in the jar of sauce. Fill the jar with water and pour over pasta, stirring well.
3. Add the prepared meat at this time and stir through. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and remove foil. Stir well. Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly over top. Return to oven, uncovered, and bake for 10 more minutes. Let rest for several minutes before serving.

My dad's lasagna

Ingredients:
2 boxes lasagna noodles
3 8oz. containers parmesan cheese
Red Sauce- 1st set:
1/2 cup butter
2 large onion, minced
3 Tab. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tab. italian seasoning
1 large carrot, minced
Red Sauce- 2nd set:
4 28oz. cans crushed tomatoes
4 6oz. can tomato paste
1 1/2 lb. hamburger
1 1/2 Tab. salt
White Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 qt. half and half

1. Combine the first set sof red sauce ingredients. Simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Add second set of red sauce ingredients. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Bring a pot of water to boil for noodles and cook as directed on package. Strain and rinse in cold water. Lay out to dry.
4. White sauce: melt butter in another pan, add flour and whisk together for 1 minute. Whisk in half and half and cook on medium/low until thick, about 20 minutes. Stir often, careful not to let it burn.
5. Preheat oven to 350. Pour 1/2 cup red sauce in bottom of 13x9 pan to cover bottom. Layer with 3 noodles, 1 cup red sauce, 1 cup white sauce, 1 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Repeat 3 times ending with parmesan on top.
6. Cook for about 30-60 minutes. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.

California Quiche

3 eggs
1 c milk
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 grated Monterey Jack cheese
9 inch pie crust
1 small can diced chiles
chopped bacon
spinach
1 c grated cheddar cheese

serves 5-7

Beat eggs with milk and salt. Spread Monterey Jack over bottom of pie crust. Spread chiles, spinach, and bacon over the cheese, then cover with egg mixture. Place cheddar on top and bake in 350 oven for 40 minutes.

Thaw thoroughly and warm in oven until heated through.

Baked Blueberry French Toast

6 slices of French bread, cubed
8 oz. package of cream cheese, cubed
21 oz. can blueberry pie filling, divided
6 large eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup of milk
1/2 t. cinnamon

makes 6-8 servings

Butter an 8 x 8 baking dish. Place half the bread cubes in the dish. Scatter cream cheese cubes over the 1st layer of bread. Spoon 1/2 the blueberry filling over the top. Put the rest of the bread cubes over that.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, maple syrup, and milk until blended. Pour over top. Spread remaining blueberry filling over top and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Preheat oven to 350 and cook covered with foil for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 30 minutes.

Serve warm with syrup.

Chicken & Corn Quesadillas
Ingredients:

1 cup chicken (or turkey), cooked and diced/shredded
31 oz Corn, canned or frozen but thawed
1 cup Salsa
8 oz Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
8 oz Cheddar Cheese, shredded
16 flour tortillas*
Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Heat an ungreased skillet. Place one tortilla into skillet and cook until starting to turn brown, turn over. Fill one side of the the tortilla with approximately 1/2 cup of mixture. Fold other half over mixture. Continue cooking until golden brown and cheese is melted.
Servings: 8
Linked from: http://onceamonthmom.com/chicken-corn-quesadillas/
*I plan on making homemade tortillas. If I'm successful I will post the recipe here.

Southwest Roll-ups

Southwest Roll-ups

(makes 16 roll-ups)

2 cans refried beans*
1/2 cup salsa
2-4 cups cooked chicken, chopped
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
16 tortillas*

Mix together beans, salsa, and chicken. Spread 1/8 of mixture onto one tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up and turn ends under. Stick in a freezer bag or in a 9×13 baking pan and freeze.

When ready to bake, thaw and bake in a pre-heated 350 degrees oven for 20-30 minutes until heated through. Sprinkle with more shredded Cheddar cheese, if desired. Serve with salsa.
Recipe found at:
http://moneysavingmom.com/2010/04/southwest-roll-ups-recipe.html

*I plan on making a homemade version of tortillas and refried beans. If I'm successful I will post those recipes here too.

INA Chili

1 tsp olive oil
1 lb lean gr beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 16-oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 16-oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 T. chili powder
1 T. cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste

Brown ground beef in saucepan, drain.
Add the onion and pepper; cook until onion is translucent.
Add remaining ingredients; cover and cook over low heat 20 minutes.

French Beef Dip

French Beef Dip

2 pounds of roast
8 oz. mushrooms chopped or whole
1 onion chopped
12 oz. beef broth (add day of)
6 Rolls
6 slices Provolone cheese

Assemble all ingredients(except broth) into freezer bags. Place in freezer. Day of cooking, place in slow cooker and add broth. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4. Shred roast and make sandwiches. This recipe makes extra liquid, for dipping.
recipe is linked from:
http://mamaandbabylove.blogspot.com/2011/09/orange-beef-stew-chicken-n-cherries.html

Russian Chicken

 Ingredients:

1 small bottle Russian salad dressing
1 small bottle apricot and pineapple jam
1 pkg lipton onion soup mix
salt and pepper to taste
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 C prepared rice

Directions:

Thaw. Arrange chicken in a 9x13 baking pan. Mix remaining ingredients together and spoon on top of chicken. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until juice runs clear. Serve over white or brown rice with extra sauce.

Lemon Yogurt Pancakes

¼ cup plain or lemon yogurt
½ tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
½ tablespoon grated lemon zest, plus more for serving
¼ cup fresh lemon juice, from about 2 lemons
1⁄8 cup milk, or more as needed (same note as yogurt)
½ cup self-rising flour (you can substitute ½ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¾ teaspoon baking powder, mixed together)
1 tablespoon sugar
Vegetable oil for greasing the pan
Confectioner’s sugar for serving


In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, melted butter, egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and milk and beat well with a whisk or electric mixer. Add the flour and sugar. Stir carefully until incorporated, but don’t overmix. (Add more milk if the batter is too thick. It should have the consistency of a loose milkshake.)

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Heat a griddle or nonstick pan over medium-high heat, and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil or butter. To see if the griddle or pan is hot enough, throw in a little batter. You should hear a light sizzle but shouldn’t smell or see smoke.

When the griddle or pan is ready, pour in silver-dollar-size pancakes. Watch for little bubbles to form on the surface, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Keep the pancakes in the oven until you’re ready to serve.

Serve warm. Garnish with confectioner’s sugar and grated lemon zest to taste.

Asparagus Mushroom Ham Strata

2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 lb. asparagus, ends snapped off, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
salt and pepper
3 1/2 oz white mushrooms, thinly sliced
6 green onions, chopped
9 eggs, beaten
2 3/4 c. milk
1 lb. ciabatta bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 lb. thinly sliced deli ham, cut into 1-inch strips
3 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

Melt the butter in a large (12 inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the spears start to brown and soften, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and green onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms soften and cook through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for a couple of minutes.

Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Whisk the eggs with the milk and 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper. Spread the bread in a single layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with half of the egg mixture and then cover with half of the ham, cheese and asparagus mixture. Repeat with the remaining egg mixture, ham, cheese, and asparagus mixture. Cover with plastic, pressing down so the bread is completely submerged in the egg mixture, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 2 days before baking.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350. Let the strata sit at room temperature while the oven heats. Bake until the custard sets and the top browns, about 30 minutes. Loosely cover with foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

Costa Vida Sweet Pork Burritos

Sweet Pork
2 pounds boneless pork roast
19 oz. red enchilada sauce
1 can dr. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine all ingredients in crockpot. Cook for 8 hours. Shred pork with forks.

Cilantro Lime Rice
3 c. cooked white rice
1 tsp. lime zest, minced (optional)
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
2-3 tbsp. cilantro, finely minced

Toss lime juice and cilantro with cooked rice.

Cilantro Ranch Dressing
1 package Hidden Valley buttermilk ranch dressing, prepared according to directions
2 tomatillos
1/4 bunch cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup lime juice
1/8 tsp. tabasco

1. Peel tomatillos and cut into fourths. Rinse cilantro and remove large stems.
2. Pour prepared ranch dressing in a blender, add cilantro, tomatillos, garlic, lime juice, and tabasco. Blend until cilantro is finely chopped.
3. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until dressing is thickened.

Assembly of burritos:
large warm tortilla, cilantro lime rice, black or pinto beans, sweet pork, shredded cheese, cilantro ranch dressing. Add shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo if desired.