Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Roll-Ups

I love lasagna. But I also love Chicken Alfredo. Combining these two fabulous dishes makes me happier than a kid in a candy shop. That's probably the Italian in me. Or maybe it's just THAT good that it could make almost anyone happy. Give these a try sometime and see what you think. I found this recipe on Pinterest and tweaked it a little bit to my liking.

Chicken Alfredo Roll-ups



Ingredients:

9 lasagna noodles (have an extra couple ready just in case they break)
2 ½ cups alfredo sauce (homemade or store bought if you can stomach that stuff)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast
oregano
garlic powder
3 cups shredded Mozzarella, separated
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 egg
  
Directions:
1. Spray an 8x8 dish with non-stick spray.  
2. Add enough alfredo sauce to just cover the bottom of the pan. 
3. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Don't overcook them! If anything you want them a little bit undercooked to reduce your chance of tearing them.  
4. While the noodles are cooking, combine 2 cups of the mozzarella, cottage cheese, and egg in a large bowl.
5. Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water. Lay the noodles out on a paper towel.
6. Spread a thin layer of alfredo sauce over each noodle (about 2 tbsp). Sprinkle with oregano and garlic powder. 
7. Spread the shredded chicken evenly over each noodle and top with the cheese mixture. 
8. Roll each noodle up starting at one narrow end and roll the noodle over the toppings to the other end. You will need to lift the noodle a little as you roll to prevent squishing everything out.
9. Place the roll-ups in the pan seam-side down so they don't come undone while cooking. Pour the remaining alfredo sauce over the top. Top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. 
10. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted on top. If you want the cheese browned on top just turn on the broiler for the last couple of minutes to get it golden and crusty. I like it that way buy if my kids see any brown they think it is "burned". Kids...gotta love them, right?

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

It's grilling season again.  YAY!!!!  I love grilled foods.  The fact that it doesn't add extra heat to the house is definitely a much appreciated bonus.  I saw this recipe on Kraft and I thought it looked like it was worth a try.  And it only has 5 ingredients.  How easy is that?!?  I'm glad I tried it.  It was so good!  Even my kids ate it, which is saying a lot if you know my kids...

Plus, it's healthy, which is worth a few more bonus points, right?

If you're looking for a new recipe for the grill you should try this.

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken:

 

Ingredients:

 

4  boneless skinless chicken breast halves (I used the thin-cut ones.  They cook faster and easier)

1/4  cup KRAFT Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing, divided  (I doubled this)

1  tomato, finely chopped  (And I doubled this too...)

1/2  cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese

1/4  cup chopped fresh basil (I used the fresh cut basil in the nifty squeezy bottle...love it!)

Directions:

Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag. Add 2 tbsp (or 1/4 cup if you double it like me) dressing and seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with dressing. Refrigerate at least 10 min. or all day if you remember. 

Preheat grill to medium heat.  Cover half the grill grate with a sheet of heavy-duty foil. Place chicken on uncovered side of grill grate; grill 6 min. 
Meanwhile, combine remaining dressing, tomatoes, cheese and basil.
Turn chicken over; place on foil. Top with tomato mixture. Grill 8 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF). 

**If you use the thin-cut breasts like me then you grill it about 5 minutes on each side.** 

Mac and Cheese Soup

I tried a new recipe today for Mac and Cheese Soup that I got from a friend.  I thought my kids would like it but I didn't realize just how much they would absolutely LOVE it!  I probably should have known though considering one of my daughters asks for mac and cheese for lunch almost every day. (Just to clarify, I don't let her have mac and cheese everyday, but she still asks for it)  I liked it too.  It has all the flavor of everyone's favorite comfort food and yet it's a warm and delicious soup.  Yum!  Hopefully you will like it as much as I did. 

Mac and Cheese Soup:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound of bacon (optional but really makes it so much better)
• 2 cups of dry elbow macaroni
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 1/2 of a medium onion, diced
• 1/3 cup of all purpose flour
• 2-1/2 cups of chicken broth
• 2 cups of whole milk
• 4 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 tsp mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:


1.  Prepare macaroni pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.
2.  While the macaroni is cooking you can cook the bacon until crisp, then chop it up and set that aside.
3.  Melt butter in a medium to large pot.  Add the onion and saute until tender. Add the flour and cook over  medium to medium high heat, stirring constantly for about a minute.  It will be very thick. 
4.  Add the broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, constantly whisking until fully incorporated and smooth. Add the milk a little at a time, stirring after each addition.  
5.  Keep the soup on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until hot but NOT boiling. Stir in the cheese, about a cup at a time until completely melted and smooth.
6.  Add the cooked pasta and gently stir. Take a taste and see if it needs any salt or pepper.  Ladle soup into bowls and top with chopped bacon and additional cheese, if desired. 

You could add a little bit of celery if you want.  You could also add ham or mix the bacon into the soup instead of just sprinkling it on top. 

Super Easy Slow-Cooker Beef and Mushrooms

I love for my kids to be involved in things.  It's good for them to learn new things, make friends, and have fun while doing it.  However, sometimes their schedules can be more than a little difficult to work around.  I know everyone is busy and I am only preaching to the choir but some days I could SERIOUSLY use a couple more hours.  My girls have dance class from 4:30-5:30 on Tuesdays and my son has Cub Scouts from 4:15-5:15 on Thursdays so it's kind of difficult to have time to prepare dinner on those days.  So unless I want to feed my family PB&J all the time (hey, don't get me wrong, an occasional peanut butter sandwich for dinner is perfectly fine) I just throw some food in the crock pot.  Then dinner is magically done when we get home and I don't have to slave over a hot stove after battling kids to get them everywhere they need to go.  This is one of those easy crock-pot recipes for those days when you don't have time to make dinner.

Super Easy Slow-Cooker Beef and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 pound lean beef stew meat
1 can low-fat cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1 packet dry onion soup mix
8 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)

Directions:

Toss the meat in the bottom of your slow cooker.  Sprinkle the onion soup mix over the meat.  Toss in the mushrooms next.  Combine the canned soup and water and pour that over the top.  Cook on low for 7-8 hours.  If you want it a little creamier, stir in 1/2 cup of sour cream just before serving.  Serve over rice or noodles.

Onion Potato Chicken Casserole

Here is a quick and easy casserole to throw together this time of year.  A nice way to feed those extra holiday house guests!

Onion Potato Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 medium potatoes, sliced into 1/8 inch slices (and peeled if you want)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can French's fried onions


Directions:

Layer the potato slices in a 9x13 inch dish.  Drizzle with butter.  Mix soup, sour cream, broth and cheese and spread over potatoes.  Place chicken breasts on top, spacing them evenly across the dish.  Salt and pepper as desired.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle French's fried onions over the top of the casserole and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I sprinkled some sesame seeds on mine

I have tried several sweet and sour chicken recipes over the years trying to find one that I really liked.  This was it!  This one is very similar to the sweet and sour chicken at my favorite Chinese restaurant.  It's really quite simple too!  And, if you are rushed for time you can substitute frozen batter-dipped chicken nuggets instead of making your own.  (just don't use the breaded ones, they're not as good with this).  Enjoy!


Sweet and Sour Chicken:


Ingredients:

CHICKEN:
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
2 1/4 cups self-rising flour (No self-rising flour? Add 1/2t salt & 1 1/2t baking powder to your flour)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 egg
1 1/2 cups water
1 quart vegetable oil for frying

SAUCE:

1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained (juice reserved)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 3/4 cups water, divided
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
2 drops orange food color  (or you can use 2 red and 1 yellow to make orange)
2 green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

Directions:

1. Combine flour, 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, salt, white pepper, and egg. Add 1 1/2 cups water gradually to make a thick batter. Stir to blend thoroughly. Add chicken pieces, and stir until chicken is well coated.
2. Heat oil in skillet or wok to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C). Fry chicken pieces in hot oil 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove chicken, and drain on paper towels. 
3. For the sweet and sour sauce, combine 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, vinegar, reserved pineapple juice, and orange food coloring in a saucepan. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Combine 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup water in a cup; slowly stir into saucepan. Continue stirring until mixture thickens.  Stir in pineapple chunks and bell pepper.  Remove from heat.
4. When ready to serve pour hot sweet and sour sauce over chicken on plate.  Serve with rice. 

I served my sweet and sour chicken with pork-fried rice and egg drop soup

Egg Drop Soup

One of my favorite things to eat when I go to a Chinese restaurant is Egg Drop Soup.  I never realized it was so simple to make until just recently.  This is a great basic egg drop soup recipe.  Enjoy!

Egg Drop Soup

Ingredients:
4 cups water
5 chicken bullion cubes
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1/2 cup water (optional)
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:
Bring 4 cups water and chicken bullion to a boil over medium-high heat.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  If you want to thicken your soup (most restaurants do) add the cornstarch/water mixture and stir well.  (Make sure your cornstarch/water mixture does not have any lumps before you add it to the soup.)  When it boils again remove the soup from the heat.  SLOWLY pour in eggs while GENTLY stirring soup in a clockwise direction.  (If you stir too fast it will turn the egg into shreds instead of long ribbons, but it will still taste good.)  Let set for about 1 minute so the egg can fully cook.  YUM!

If you want to add more flavor you can add a few drops of sesame oil or a little soy sauce when you add the salt and pepper.  Try topping it with diced green onions too. 

Tomato Parmesan Pasta

Here is a nice summertime dish, especially when you start getting those fresh tomatoes off your tomato plants!  This dinner is quick and easy to throw together and my family can't get enough of it!  I think your family will love it too.

Tomato Parmesan Pasta:

Ingredients:
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium tomatoes or 1 lb of cherry tomatoes
3-4 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 package spaghetti, fetuccini, or capellini pasta
1-1/2 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried basil or 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
1 cup milk

Directions:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add tomatoes, garlic, and red pepper flakes, if desired.  Season as desired with salt and pepper.  Cook, covered slightly, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes blister and burst, about 10-12 minutes.  Press down on tomatoes with spatula to release more juices.  Remove pan from heat and set aside.
Meanwhile, boil pasta according to package directions, but stop cooking just before tender.  Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta cooking water.
Transfer pasta to skillet with tomatoes and set over high heat.  Add pasta water.  Cook, stirring and tossing often, about 1 minute.  Stir in cheese, basil, and 1/2 cup milk.  Add more milk a little at a time until sauce is a good consistency.  Toss until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente.  

Try topping with toasted breadcrumbs or sprinkling with some cheese and diced tomato.  Yum!

Creamy Slow-Cooker Chicken and Potatoes

I know life can get kind of crazy sometimes!  When you are trying to chauffeur kids to soccer practice or dance classes, or marching band, or whatever it is your kids do, some days you don't have time to stop and make dinner.  It's days like those when I throw something in the crock-pot and let that do the cooking for me.  This meal is fast and easy to throw together and it's something my whole family will eat.

Creamy Slow-Cooker Chicken and Potatoes

Ingredients:
4-6 frozen chicken breasts
3 medium potatoes, washed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tbsp dried diced onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
Put frozen chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock-pot.  Add potatoes and sprinkle with onion.  In a bowl mix together the soups, pepper, and garlic powder.  Pour over the top of the potatoes.  Cover and cook on low for about 6-8 hours or until the chicken is cooked through and very tender.  Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Fajita Soup

 
Here is a recipe for chicken fajita soup that is super easy and super delicious!  If you like things really spicy, throw in a splash or two of your favorite hot sauce.


Easy Chicken Fajita Soup:

Ingredients:
 2tbsp oil
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 packet fajita seasoning
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 medium onion, cut into strips
1 can diced green chilies
1 (14 oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cilantro
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
1.  Heat oil in large pot over med-high heat.  Add chicken strips and cook until no longer pink.
2.  Add fajita seasoning, peppers, onion, and chilies.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until peppers are soft, about 10 minutes.
3.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve with cheese, sour cream, guacamole, tortilla chips, baked tortilla strips, or a quesadilla.  The possibilities are endless!  Enjoy!  

Cream Cheese Alfredo Sauce

Publish Post

I have always made my alfredo sauce with cream or half-and-half.  Then one day I just HAD to have alfredo for dinner and I didn't have any cream and I didn't have time to go to the store.  What was a girl to do??  Then I remembered this recipe I saw a while back that uses cream cheese for the alfredo sauce and I decided to give it a try.  It was surprisingly good.  It was a very creamy sauce and it tasted great.  The trick is making sure you add enough Parmesan cheese, otherwise it just tastes like cream cheese. 

Cream Cheese Alfredo Sauce:

Ingredients:
1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened and cut in cubes
1/2 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 tsp minced garlic
1-1/2 cups milk
6 oz grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:
1.  Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. 
2.  Add cream cheese and garlic, stirring with wire whisk until smooth. 
3.  Stir in Parmesan and pepper.  (It will be thick)
4.  Add milk, a little at a time, whisking quickly to smooth out lumps. 
5.  Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Toss with hot pasta to serve.  I usually toss mine with fettuccini noodles and sliced grilled chicken!  The sauce will thicken as it cools.  You can also add some oregano or parsley or whatever seasonings you prefer :)

Beefy Traditional Chili

For some reason cold weather and chili just seem to go together perfectly for me.  There are so many kids of chili and I have 3 different chili recipes that I make so it never gets boring!  This one is my favorite I think because it's one of those "comfort foods" that you always know will turn out great.

Beefy Traditional Chili:

Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground beef
3 cans red kidney beans
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes
3-4 small cans tomato sauce
1 packet of your favorite chili seasoning
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2-1 can diced green chilies
1/4 cup water
grated cheese for garnish, if desired


Directions:
Brown meat in large pot; drain grease.  Add onion and bell pepper and cook until onions are clear and soft.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes or until cooked through.  Serve with grated cheese, if desired.  Goes great with Fritos chips or fresh-baked cornbread! 

Cheddar Potato Chowder

Mmm...I think this is my absolute favorite soup!  I got this recipe from my mom years ago and it's perfect for this cold weather.  It's easy to throw together and good enough to impress any guest.  You can add ham or try adding different cheeses, potatoes, or veggies like frozen peas, whatever you like!

Cheddar Potato Chowder:

Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 medium-sized celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 small onion, chopped
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp group pepper
1/4 tsp dry mustard
2 cups half-and-half cream (or milk if you want to make it a little healthier)
2 cups water
4 medium-size potatoes (about 1 3/4 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 chicken-flavor bouillon cubes
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
1.  In a 3 or 4-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  Add carrots, celery, and onion.  Cook until tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in flour, pepper, and dry mustard.  Cook 1 minute.
2.  Gradually add cream, water, potatoes, and bouillon.  Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
3.  Remove saucepan from heat.  Add cheese and stir just until melted.  Top each serving with crumbled bacon and chopped chives, if desired.

Oven Roasted Red Potatoes and Simple Baked Chicken

Want a good dinner to cook on a cold winter day?  Try baked chicken and roasted red potatoes.  YUM!  Incredibly simple too!

Oven Roasted Red Potatoes

Ingredients:
2 lbs washed small red potatoes
1/4 c melted butter
1/4 c olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried minced onion
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp chives
1/2 tsp thyme

Directions:
Peel a strip around the middle of each potato.  Place in a 9x13 baking dish.  Combine butter, oil, and spices.  Drizzle over potatoes.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove foil, turn potatoes, and bake for an additional 30 min or until soft.

Simple Baked Chicken

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 c Italian flavored bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 tbsp milk
2 tbsp butter, melted

Directions:
Line a 9x13 pan with foil.  Mix eggs and milk until well blended.  Dip chicken breasts in egg mixture, then in the bread crumbs, coating completely.  Place in baking pan.  When all the chicken breasts are coated and in the pan, drizzle them with the melted butter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until no longer pink in the center.  It may take longer or shorter depending on how thick your chicken is.




**Try sprinkling a little Parmesan cheese on the potatoes and/or the chicken.  Feel free to adjust the spices to suit your family's tastes!**

Baked Chicken Chimichangas

I LOVE Mexican food!  It is definitely one of my all-time faves!  Chimichangas are absolutely delicious but they are a little more fattening than I would like since they are fried in oil.  This recipe is for chicken chimichangas that you bake in the oven instead of frying in oil and they are incredibly good!  They don't take very long to put together either, so you should give them a try.

Baked Chicken Chimichangas

Ingredients:
1-1/2 c cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 c diced onion
1/2 c drained and rinsed black beans
2 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)
3/4 chunky salsa (your favorite brand)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or monterey jack or pepper jack, whatever you like)
8 taco-size flour tortillas

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl combine the chicken, spices, onions, black beans, and cilantro.  Add salsa and cheese and mix well.
2.  Wrap tortillas in a clean kitchen towel and microwave for 30 seconds to soften.  Remove one tortilla at a time, keeping the others wrapped so they stay warm.
3.  Add a heaping 1/3 cup of filling in the center of each tortilla.  Fold in the sides and roll up like a burrito.  Place the chimichangas in a greased 9x13 in pan or cookie sheet.
4.  Brush the tops and sides of the tortillas with oil or spray with cooking spray.  Bake for about 25 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy.  Enjoy!

Speedy Skillet Taco Rice!

I am always looking for new ways to use ground beef.  We use a lot of ground beef because my in-laws have a dairy farm and raise their own beef, which they then share with us.  This recipe is tasty, easy, and quite tasty!  It only takes about 30 minutes total to make this dinner for your family.


Speedy Skillet Taco Rice

 Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup of your favorite salsa
1 cup corn (canned or frozen)
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant rice
3/4 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or mexican-blend)
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 can sliced olives
Sour cream, if desired

Directions:

1.  In a 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat until completely browned.  Drain.
2.  Stir in taco seasoning mix, water, salsa, and corn.  Heat to boiling and stir in rice.  Boil for 1 minute then remove from heat.  Cover and let stand 8 minutes.
3.  Fluff rice mixture with a fork.  Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top.  Cover and let stand 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Sprinkle lettuce around outside edge of skillet, sprinkle tomato inside the lettuce, and olives inside the tomato.  Serve with sour cream.

Cheesy Prosciutto Chicken

Here is a recipe that I think is pretty good.  It's nice to have something different once in a while and this is pretty easy to throw together.  Plus, it looks wonderful so it's sure to impress guests. 

Cheesy Prosciutto Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 c all-purpose flour
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tbsp olive oil
4 thin slices prosciutto or ham
4 slices mozzarella cheese (or provolone or swiss)
1 tsp chopped fresh sage leaves (optional)

Directions:

In a shallow dish, mix flour, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning.  Dip chicken in flour mixture and shake off excess flour.  In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add chicken and cook about 8 minutes or until no longer pink in the center, turning every few minutes to make sure it doesn't burn.  Place 1 slice of prosciutto or ham and 1 slice of mozzarella cheese on each chicken breast.   Cover skillet and cook another 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.  If desired, sprinkle with fresh sage before serving.  

**Prosciutto is an Italian ham that is seasoned, salt-cured and air-dried.  You can replace it with thinly sliced deli ham if desired.  Feel free to use any kind of cheese you like.**

Super Easy Manicotti!

First of all, I forgot to take a picture of this when I made it so the picture is of the leftovers the next day so it may not look quite as good as it did the day before but it was still delicious!  I love Italian food and I absolutely love manicotti but it can be such a pain to try to stuff floppy noodles with spoonful after spoonful of cheese.  Well, not anymore!  Here is a much simpler way to do it where you pipe the cheese into the uncooked pasta and it still comes out perfect.  It's simply tasty!

Super Easy Manicotti

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup finely chopped spinach (fresh or frozen) - optional
1 package uncooked manicotti tubes
1 jar traditional style spaghetti sauce
1-1/2 cups water

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. 
2.  Combine all four cheeses, eggs, salt, pepper, garlic, and spinach in a large bowl.  Mix well. 
3.  Pour mixture into a gallon-sized baggie and snip off one corner.  Squeeze cheese mixture into the uncooked manicotti tubes, filling each completely, and place in the 9x13 pan.
4.  Pour the whole jar of spaghetti sauce over the top and then pour the water on top of that.
5.  Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.  Take the foil off, sprinkle with additional mozzarella cheese if desired, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.  Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

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Sloppy Joes!

For some reason I can never say "sloppy joes" without instantly thinking of Adam Sandler singing the sloppy joe song while Chris Farley dances around in a hair net.  If you want to see the famous Lunch Lady Land skit, here it is:  Lunch Lady Land
Anyways, the other day a friend of mine told me that she has NEVER had a sloppy joe that didn't come out of a can.  REALLY???  I decided to put an end to that one, fast!  Sloppy joes are really very simple to make from scratch and it tastes a million times better than something you plop out of a can onto a bun.  Go ahead and give my grandmother's recipe a try.  You might actually like sloppy joes :o)

Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef
3 cans tomato soup
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp vinegar
4 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Brown meat in large skillet.  Add bell pepper and onion; let simmer for a few minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Simmer for about 20 minutes until peppers are soft and it has thickened up a bit.  Serve over hamburger buns and top with shredded cheese.  Enjoy!

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1.03.01

Bacon Cheeseburger Bundles

These are another kid favorite!  These are especially nice in the wintertime when you don't want to grill outside.  Velveeta isn't something I always have on hand because I don't like it so I have substituted grated cheddar or colby jack cheese instead and it works great!  Dip in ketchup or BBQ sauce.  YUM!

Bacon Cheeseburger Bundles

Ingredients:
BREAD:
4-1/2 tsp yeast
2/3 c warm water
2/3 c warm milk
1/4 c sugar
1/4 butter, softened
2 eggs
2 tsp salt
4-1/2 to 5 cups flour

FILLING:
1 pound sliced bacon
2 pounds ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 pound Velveeta cheese (cubed)
4 tbsp butter, melted

Directions:
1)  If you have a bread machine, layer the bread ingredients in your bread machine and run the dough cycle.  If you don't have a bread machine you'll have to do it the hard way ;o) :

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water.  Add the milk, sugar, butter, eggs, salt, and 3 1/2 cups flour.  Beat until smooth.  Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. 
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.  Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

2)  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp.  Drain on paper towels.  Cook the beef, onion, salt, and pepper until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Add bacon and cheese; cook and stir until cheese is melted.  Remove from heat.

3)  Punch dough down.  Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into fourths.  Roll each portion into a 12 x 8 inch rectangle.  Cut into six squares.  Place 1/4 cup of the meat mixture in center of each square.  Bring corners together in the center and pinch to seal. 

4)  Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Brush with melted butter.  Serve warm with ketchup or BBQ sauce if desired.