Slow Cooker Lasagna

1 lb. ground beef
1 lg. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomato sauce (29 oz.)
1 c. water
1 can tomato paste (6 oz.)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 pkg. no-cook lasagna noodles (8 oz.)
4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (16 oz.)
11/2 c. small-curd cottage cheese (12 oz.)
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

In a skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the tomato sauce, water, tomato paste, salt and oregano; mix well. Spread a fourth of the meat sauce in an ungreased 5-quart slow cooker. Arrange a third of the noodles over sauce (break the noodles if necessary). Combine the cheeses; spoon a third of the mixture over noodles. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining meat sauce. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until noodles are tender.

Crockery Pot Meatballs

These meatballs are good served over egg noodles.
1 1/2 lbs. extra-lean ground beef
1 c. dry breadcrumbs
1/2 c. egg substitute
1/3 c. chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp. minced fresh onion
1/3 c. ketchup
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 can jellied cranberry sauce (16 oz.)
1 bottle chili sauce (12 oz.)
Parsley sprigs (optional)

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; shape mixture into 30 (1 1/2 inch) meatballs.
Combine ketchup, sugar, juice, and sauces in a Crockery Pot; gently stir in meatballs. cover with lid; cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Savory Pepper Steak

1 1/2 - 2 lbs. beef round steak, about 1/2-inch thick
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 med. onion, chopped
2 lg. green or red peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch strips
sm. clove garlic, minced
1 can whole tomatoes (16 oz.)
1 tbsp. beef flavor base (paste or granules)
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
fluffy rice

Cut steak into strips. Combine1/4 cup flour, the salt and pepper; toss with steak strips to coat thoroughly. Add to Crock-Pot with onion, garlic and half of green pepper strips; stir. Combine tomatoes with beef base, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Pour into Crock-Pot, moistening meat well. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
One hour before serving, turn on High and stir in remaining green pepper strips.
If thickened gravy is desired, make a smooth paste of 3 tablespoons flour and 3 tablespoons water; stir into Crock-pot. Cover and cook until thickened. Serve gravy with Pepper Steak over hot fluffy rice.
Serves 4

Cheesy Meat Loaf

17 round cheese crackers
1 sm. onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. green pepper, minced
1/4 c. chili sauce
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
11/2 lb. lean ground beef

Crush crackers with rolling pin or blender until crumbled. In mixing bowl, combine crumbs with onion, green pepper, chili sauce, milk, eggs, salt, and pepper. Mix in ground beef. Form into 6 or 7 inch round loaf. Place in slow-cooking pot. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until done.

Halloween Appetizers

cheese finger food

Mozzarella string cheese
Green bell pepper
Cream cheese
Wearing plastic gloves or sandwich bags over your hands to keep the cheese as smudge-free as possible, use a paring knife (parents only) to cut each string in half and then carve a shallow area for a fingernail just below the rounded end of each half.
Mark the joint right below the nail as well as the knuckle joint by carving out tiny horizontal wedges of cheese, as pictured.
For the fingernails, slice a green bell pepper into 3/8-inch-wide strips. Set the strips skin side down on your work surface and trim the pulp so that it's about half as thick. Then cut the strips into ragged-topped nail shapes and stick them in place at the ends of the fingers with dabs of cream cheese.

apple bites

Ingredients
Apples
Slivered almonds

Instructions
Just quarter and core an apple, cut a wedge from the skin side of each quarter, then press slivered almonds in place for teeth.
Tips:
If you're not going to serve them right away, baste the apples with orange juice to keep them from browning.

carrot finger food

vegetable dip
4 long carrots
1 medium carrot
softened cream cheese
sliced-almond
baby carrots

To prepare them, just fill a serving bowl with your favorite vegetable dip. Wash and peel 4 long carrots for fingers and 1 medium carrot for a thumb.
With a paring knife (a parent's job), cut a flat, shallow notch in the tip of each carrot. Then use a dab of dip or softened cream cheese to glue a sliced-almond fingernail atop each notch.
Stick the fingers in the dip, as shown, and serve with plenty of peeled baby carrots for dipping.

Edible Eyeballs

Carrots
Cream cheese
Pitted black olives

Instructions
Simply slice carrots into 1-inch-thick chunks, top each with a blob of cream cheese and one half of a pitted black olive, and serve

Grilled chicken pineapple burgers!

NOW THAT IS NICE WEATHER IS NICE HERE ARE SOME GOOD RECIPES FOR THE GRILL!

Grilled Chicken Pineapple Burgers

I don't have a picture... Should have taken one last night. My family LOVES these burgers.
(got the idea from Red Robin's sandwich!)

RECIPE INGREDIENTS
Chicken breast
Pineapple rings
Buns/Rolls
BBQ sauce
Swiss cheese slices
Teriyaki

DIRECTIONS
I use skinless, boneless chicken breast cut in half.
I used meat tenderizer-I think that is what it is called and pounded them flat
(so you can bite into them)
marinate chicken in pineapple juice
(from the can of slice pineapples)

Grill chicken and pineapple
put BBQ sauce on the chicken just before its done
I butter the buns (I use seasoned rolls-garlic or anything you want) then grill them
then add the Swiss cheese let melt and then pineapple slices

Melts in your mouth!!

I have also tried marinating the chicken in teriyaki instead of pineapple juice, and that is good too!



Fuddruckers Hamburgers recipe

(got this from my SIL, we have tried this and it is good!)


Recipe Ingredients
2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp brown sugar (we added a little more)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder (We didn't have powder so we just used onion salt)
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Will work with any ground beef, but we prefer ground sirloin. Will make about 2 lbs. worth (approx. 4 big patties)

Enjoy!

Chili-Rubbed-Steaks-Pan-Salsa-

Active Time: 20 MinutesTotal Time: 20 MinutesYield: 2 servings

Any cut of steak will work for this recipe, but we especially like the flavor and texture of rib-eye with these seasonings; look for steak that has been thinly cut. A cold ale, sweet potato fries and vinegary coleslaw can round out the meal.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS
8 ounces 1/2-inch-thick steaks, such as rib-eye, trimmed of fat and cut into 2 portions
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 plum tomatoes, diced
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro


DIRECTIONS
Sprinkle both sides of steak with chili powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steaks and cook, turning once, 1 to 2 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to a plate, cover with foil and let rest while you make the salsa.
Add tomatoes, lime juice and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to the pan and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes soften, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cilantro and any accumulated juices from the steaks. Serve the steaks topped

Crock Pot Pizza Casserole

Crock Pot Pizza Casserole

1 lb Ground beef
1.5 jar (14 oz) pizza sauce
1 jar (23 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 pkg (12 oz) noodles {I choose a Penne noodle}
4 oz Cheese, mozzarella
4 oz Cheese, cheddar
1 small can Mushrooms
1 small can sliced olives
1 Onion, diced
1 Green Pepper, diced
1 pkg Pepperoni

Directions
1. Brown hamburger and onion. Drain grease.
2. Cook Noodles while browning hamburger.
3. Add sauces to meat and onion mixture.
4. In crock pot add mushrooms, olives, and green pepper.
5. Spoon meat mixture into crock pot and mix all together.
6. Put in as much Pepperoni and cheese as you would like.

Cook on Low for one hour, I wouldn't cook longer than two hours. I do have to tell you when I made this, the sauce mixture did not go far - so I increased the amounts on this recipe. It is possible even with the increase it could still be a little dry, just use your best judgment on the sauce. Additionally, I would imagine you could turn this into a half day crock pot recipe, with the hamburger being cooked in the crock pot. Overall, this was actually pretty yummy and I was sceptical!

Ro*Tel King Ranch Chicken

Ro*Tel King Ranch Chicken

A signature Ro*Tel recipe--a creamy, cheesy and easy casserole with that special 'kick' coming from Ro*Tel® Tomatoes


Time:Hands On: 20 minutes Total Time: 1 hour
Servings:Makes 8 servings (about 1 cup each)


Ingredients
1/4 cup Fleischmann's® Original-stick
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 can (10-3/4 oz each) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (10-3/4 oz each) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can (10 oz each) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
12 corn tortillas (6 inch), torn into bite-size pieces
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (2 cups = 8 oz)
Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Melt Fleischmann's in large saucepan over medium heat. Add bell pepper and onion. Cook and stir about 5 minutes or until tender.
Stir in both soups, undrained tomatoes and chicken; blend well.
Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Layer 1/3 of tortillas, chicken mixture and cheese evenly in dish. Repeat layers twice more.
Bake uncovered 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Cook's Tips:
May use any variety of Ro*Tel Tomatoes in place of Original to suit your taste.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Cooking Light

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:

1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

5 teaspoons butter, melted

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 teaspoon paprika

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 thin slices prosciutto (about 2 ounces)

1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Cooking spray

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°.Place broth in a small microwave-safe bowl; microwave at high 15 seconds or until warm. Stir in butter and garlic. Combine breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and paprika in a medium shallow bowl; 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, oregano, and pepper. Top each breast half with 1 slice of prosciutto and 1 tablespoon mozzarella. Roll up each breast half jelly-roll fashion. Dip each roll in chicken broth mixture; dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place rolls, seam side down, in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour remaining broth mixture over chicken.

Bake at 350° for 28 minutes or until juices run clear and tops are golden.

Yield4 servings

Anyone out there?

Hello my fellow busy friends!!! Do any of you read this blog anymore? I know I know I haven't posted a recipe in ages!! If you do read and/or use this blog, leave a comment on this post!! Angie, you are super champ for keeping this going and posting on a regular basis!! Thanks a million lady! ~Brandee~

Chicken Mac and Cheese

Well I was looking for a good recipe for Mac n Cheese and this is what I found. I will attempt to make this tonight for my family!!!

1 pound skinless, boneless, chicken breast halves
1 to 2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces dried mostaccioli, ziti, or penne pasta
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups milk
8 ounces smoked cheddar, Gruyere, or Swiss cheese, shredded (2 cups)
Salt and ground black pepper
2 cups soft sourdough or French bread crumbs
2 ounces finely shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese (1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. In a large skillet cook chicken, Italian or desired seasoning blend, salt, and pepper in hot oil over medium heat until chicken is no longer pink.* Remove chicken from skillet; set aside.

2. In a large pot or kettle cook pasta according to package directions until just tender. Drain; return pasta to pot.

3. Meanwhile, in the same skillet in which chicken was cooked, cook onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons hot butter over medium heat until tender. Stir in flour until well combined. Stir in tomato paste. Add milk. Cook and stir until mixture is thickened and bubbly; reduce heat. Add the shredded cheese. Stir until cheese is almost melted. Remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add sauce and chicken to cooked pasta in pot; stir to coat. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart square or rectangular baking dish.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl stir together bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and 3 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle crumb mixture over pasta mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until crumb mixture is golden and edges are bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Cooking Club Directions: Prepare casserole as above for each member, except divide the bread crumb mixture into small resealable plastic bags or moisture- and vapor-proof plastic freezer bags. Do not bake. Cover pans with foil to refrigerate, or wrap with moisture- and vapor-proof wrap to freeze. Refrigerate up to 24 hours or freeze casserole and bread crumb mixture up to 1 month.

Test Kitchen Tip: Use a blender or food processor to make soft breadcrumbs. About 1-1/2 ounces of break makes 1 cup of crumbs.

Reheating and Serving:
Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 6 servings Calories 675, Total Fat (g) 34, Saturated Fat (g) 18, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 12, Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 2, Cholesterol (mg) 132, Sodium (mg) 771, Carbohydrate (g) 49, Total Sugar (g) 8, Fiber (g) 1, Protein (g) 42, Vitamin C (DV%) 4,
Calcium (DV%) 55, Iron (DV%) 16, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
one bag of chocolate chips (feel free to use bittersweet or semisweet)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
3 tbsp. graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup powdered sugar
a pinch of salt
mini muffin liners (this makes 16-20 cups depending on how generous you are)
Ready? It's time to play with chocolate, and I'm super excited. First thing, melt the chocolate. You can do it in a bowl over a pot of simmering water, or just do my favorite technique - pop it in the microwave. Heat it for 30 seconds at a time, and stir after each nuke. Once it's melted, you're good.
Next, grab a pastry brush or a clean paintbrush that's really tiny. Put a smallish spoonful of chocolate into each muffin liner, and use the brush to "paint" the chocolate up the sides and into those little ridges. No need for it to be incredibly even. The more rustic, the cuter the cup in my opinion. If you have a mini muffin pan, put the liners in it to cool. If not, just put them in a regular tin or just on a plate. You want the liners to keep their shape. Pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes to set up.

While they freeze, make the peanut butter filling. Mix together the rest of the ingredients. No need to pull out the mixer; a spoon works great.

Pull the chocolate cups out of the freezer, and use two spoons (or a spoon and your kids' cute little fingers) to put a little dollop of the mixture into each cup.

Now put another little dollop of melted chocolate on top. If you need to nuke the chocolate again so it's spreadable, go for it. Spread it around a bit with the back of a spoon, and put the cups back in the freezer to set up. Like any other kind of chocolate candy, these keep just fine at room temperature, but the chocolate stays a bit more stable in the fridge. If you're planning on saving these for holiday gifts (or just to keep yourself from eating them all at once), storing them in the freezer works great, too.

Scrambled Egg Nests

SCRAMBLED EGG NESTS



Ingredients
1 (3 1/2-cup) bag frozen shredded potatoes, defrosted (I USED 1 CARTON OF DEHYDRATE HASHBROWNS)
1/3 cup vegetable oil or butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup finely diced onions
1/3 cup finely diced bell peppers
3/4 cup diced cooked breakfast sausage Shredded Cheddar
Chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions
Heat the oven to 400°.
In a large bowl, toss together the potatoes, 1/4 cup of the oil or butter, salt, and pepper.
Spoon about 1/3 cup of the potato mixture into each cup of a 12-serving muffin tin.
Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of each cup, then bake until golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes.
Remove the nests from the oven and allow them to cool.
Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and milk.
Heat a large nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat.
Add the remaining oil or butter to the pan and heat.
Add the onions and peppers to the pan and saute until both are soft and the onions are slightly golden, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the sausage and cook until heated through.
Add the egg mixture and stir until the eggs have set and small curds have formed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the potato nests from the muffin tin and place them on an ovenproof platter or cookie sheet.
Fill each cup with some of the egg mixture, top with a sprinkling of the cheese, and place the nests in a 375° oven until the cheese is melted, about 2 to 3 minutes.
If you like, garnish each nest with a little parsley.
Serve warm.

ENJOY! WE DID THIS MORNING!

Golden Stew!

GOLDEN STEW

4 carrots (cut into 1" pieces)
1 1/2 cups peeled & diced potatoes
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 medium cut-up onions
1 pkg frozen peas (1 lb)
2 cups cubed ham
1 can cream of celery soup
1 (8 oz) jar Cheez Whiz or
Velveeta processed cheese

In large saucepan combine carrots, potatoes, onions and celery covered with water.
Cook, covered til veggies are tender or about 10 minutes. (I always do the carrots
first because they take the longest to cook.) Add peas and ham - cook for 5 more
minutes. Stir in soup and cheese and heat through. For more volume add more water.
This is good served in a good bread bowl and you can eat the bowl and all!

Vanessa gave me this!