Breakfast Bites

Ingredients:

• wonton wrappers (24)
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup diced ham
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese
• 2 green onions, with tops
• salt & pepper to taste
• salsa *

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a small mixing bowl mix eggs, ham, half-and-half, and shredded cheese.
3. Prepare mini-muffin pan with cooking spray. 
4. Put one wonton wrapper in each muffin well.
5. Fill wonton wrapper with egg mixture - about 2/3 full.
6. Top with sliced green onions and salt and pepper if desired.
7. Bake at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes.
8. Allow to cool before serving, top with salsa if desired.

Pepperoni and Ziti Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 lb uncooked ziti
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 (26.5 oz) can prepared spaghetti sauce
• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 (8 oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 (9 oz) package frozen, chopped spinach - thawed & drained
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 4 tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 oz mini-pepperoni

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. Brown ground turkey over medium heat until no longer pink - then drain.
3. In a large bowl, combine: browned ground turkey, large can spaghetti sauce, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, chopped spinach, cottage cheese, Italian seasoning, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Mix well.
4. Fold drained pasta into the turkey mixture.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Prepare 2 baking dishes with cooking spray. (One to bake, one to freeze - if desired.)
7. Fill both baking dishes with ziti-turkey mixture.
8. Combine water with regular tomato sauce. Pour that combination equally over both pasta dishes.
9. Top with remaining shredded mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and mini-pepperoni.
10. Bake the casserole at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes - OR - cover and freeze until ready to use.

Seafood Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb cooked shrimp, peeled & deveined
2 (6 oz) can crab meat, drained & flaked
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
4 TBS butter, divided
1 large white onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (4 oz) can mushrooms, drained
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 hot sauce
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or colby blend)
1 cup butter crackers, crushed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Gather all needed ingredients and utensils.
2. Combine the cream cheese with 2 TBS of butter in a small sauce pan over low heat, stirring until smooth.
3. In a separate large skillet: saute onion, celery, and green pepper in 2 TBS butter until tender.
4. Add the smooth cream cheese mix to the sauteed vegetables in the large skillet, mixing well. Add shrimp, crab meat, cream of mushroom soup, drained mushrooms, garlic powder, hot sauce, cayenne, and cooked rice. Mix well.
5. Transfer combined ingredients to a prepared (use cooking spray) baking dish.
6. Mix crushed butter crackers with shredded cheese. Cover the mixture in the baking dish with the crushed cracker and cheese blend.
7. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until center reaches 165 degrees F.
8. (Best served hot.)

Hints: I was first introduced to this dish at a work potluck dinner. The cook used seafood paella mix instead of only shrimp and crab meat. I prefer that combination, but my boys do not. (I'm sure it's a visual thing - but whatever.) Another way to up the nutritional value is to substitute wild rice for the regular white rice. Definitely, definitely one of my all time favorites!!

*Also linked up to Food on Friday over at Carole's Chatter - go check it out!!*

Stuffed Shells

As I started pulling out the ingredients to put this together, my husband asked "Are you making dinner already?" I answered no, but in all honesty - yes, yes I was!

I not only have dinner ready to bake for tonight, but I also have a second meal for my freezer. Score!!

Sunday afternoons I am away from home and my fellas need to eat lunch while I'm gone. Freezer meals are a great way to keep the meals a little more interesting than *just* ramen noodles or a PB & J sandwich. Freezer meals are also a great way to be prepared for those days or nights that we need to make life a little easier. One less meal to prepare, right?

With this recipe, the frozen Stuffed Shells can be pulled out of the freezer to thaw and then baked for a hot delicious meal your family will enjoy.



Ingredients:

1 box, uncooked jumbo pasta shells
1 container (24 oz) small curd low-fat cottage cheese
1 (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
3 cups shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese blend (divided)
1 1/2 cups of half-n-half (divided)
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese (divided)
2 tsp garlic
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 can ( 15 oz) tomato sauce


* Boil pasta shells for 9 minutes in boiling water. Drain thoroughly, and let cool.

* In a small mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, 24 oz container of cottage cheese, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, and 3/4 cup of half-n-half. Next add drained spinach, garlic and Italian seasoning to cheese mixture.

* In another mixing bowl, combine spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, 3/4 cup of half-n-half. Divide in half. Reserving 1 cup of the first half of tomato sauce, pour the remainder into the bottom of a prepared freezer safe baking dish.

* Next, use a scoop or large spoon to fill pasta shells with cheese mixture. Once filled, set into tomato sauce mixture in baking dish. When you have filled the needed amount of shells for the first baking dish, cover the shells with the leftover cup of tomato sauce. Top with 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella and additional Parmesan if desired.

**Repeat the last step for the second dish, going into the freezer. I recommend the dish going into the freezer be covered with foil first, then the lid be placed on the freezer safe baking dish.**

Time to bake!

Thawed shells should bake, covered with foil for 40 minutes in a 350 degree F oven. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow shells to stand for10 minutes prior to serving.

The Stuffed Shells from the freezer should be thawed in the refrigerator and then set out prior to baking to avoid placing a frozen dish into a hot oven.

Ooey Gooey Chicken

A few years back, I came across this recipe in a scrapbooking forum - so I claim no ownership or credit for it - but I can testify that it is DELICIOUS!!

Ingredients:

1 1/2-2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 can, cream of mushroom soup
1 can, cream of chicken soup
1 cup water
1 cup salsa
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
**shredded mexican cheese for garnish**
**extra salsa for garnish**
tortilla chips <-- for dipping


*Combine chicken thighs, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, water, 1 cup of salsa, rinsed and drained black beans, green chilies, chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes in crock-pot.

*Cook on low 6-8 hours, or high 4-5 hours.

*Garnish with shredded cheese, salsa (even sour cream or jalapeno slices if you like)

*Serve with tortilla chips

Chicken-Spinach-Mushroom-Alfredo-Extra Cheese Lasagna

Every once in a while, I hit the Mommy jackpot with a dinner meal. Tonight was one of those nights. I can happily report that my 12 year old who can never, ever, ever, never manage to finish a meal did in fact finish his dinner and asked for seconds. Score!!

The upside is we will get to enjoy this meal again for lunch tomorrow (and probably the two days following), but the downside is...there was enough to feed a small army.

This is comfort food to the 10th power.

Seriously.

And it has spinach.

Seriously.

Ingredients:

2 - 13 oz cans cooked chicken breast, drained

2 jars prepared Alfredo sauce

1 large container, small curd cottage cheese

1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 small can of mushroom stems and pieces, drained

1 lb of shredded Mozzarella cheese

shredded Parmesan, Asiago and Romano cheese blend

1/2 package of oven ready, no boil lasagna noodles

Italian seasoning blend - to taste

garlic blend seasoning - to taste

1 - Prepare baking stone or pan with cooking spray

2- Combine 1/2 cup of Alfredo sauce with 1/2 the container of cottage cheese and 1st can of chicken. Spread over bottom of baking dish.

3- Cover chicken-cheese mix with drained spinach and drained mushrooms. (Our mushrooms were only on half - otherwise my 16 year old would never speak to me again)

4- Top vegetables with 1/3 of the shredded Mozzarella cheese and a portion of the Parmesan cheese blend. Sprinkle lightly with Italian seasoning blend and garlic seasoning blend.

5- Next, add the first layer of bake-ready lasagna noodles.

6- Combine remaining cottage cheese, 2nd can of chicken, and 1 jar of Alfredo sauce. Spread over lasagna noodles.

7- Cover with more shredded cheese, (leaving enough to cover noodles a final time.)

8- Add additional seasoning if desired, final layer of noodles, then top with last of the shredded Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese blend. Top with seasoning before baking, if desired. (I definitely added more seasoning.)

9- Cover with foil and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.

We served this delicious lasagna with fresh bread and a Bacon-Caesar salad.

And lucky for me, more Chicken-Spinach-Mushroom-Alfredo-Extra Cheese Lasagna for lunch tomorrow!!

That's okay, I do not mind at all!!

Chicken Broccoli Braid

**This is not my recipe, it originally came from a Pampered Chef cookbook**

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

1 cup broccoli, chopped

1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped (optional)

1 garlic clove

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup mayo

2 tsp all purpose dill seasoning mix (pampered chef)

1/4 tsp salt

2 packages crescent rolls

1 egg white, lightly beaten

2 Tbs slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Chop chicken and broccoli. Place in bowl. Chop pepper and add to bowl. Press garlic into bowl. Add cheese to mixture. Next add mayo, dill mix, and salt. Mix well. Unroll crescent rolls but do not separate. Arrange longest sides of dough across width of a 12x15 pan. Using dough roller seal perforations. On longest sides cut dough 1 1/2 strips apart for braiding. Put mixture from bowl into center of dough lengthwise and pull cut pieces of dough up over filling to cover in a "braided" fashion. Twist each strip one turn. Tuck ends under to seal. Coat outside of dough with brushed egg white. Sprinkle top with almonds. Bake 25-28 minutes or until deep golden brown.

**Mary's modifications: I used egg beaters egg whites instead of separated eggs, used a pizza crust/roll mix instead of crescent rolls, did not do the whole braid thing...instead more of a stromboli...it was a hit**

Chili - "6 Way"

What can I say, we watch too much TV in our house. Really. But....because of what we are watching we are also learning new ways to cook our favorite dishes. Tonight was supposed to be Chili for dinner kinda night. It was. Kind of :)



Our version of a "6 Way" - - next time, more jalapenos!!

1 - Spaghetti noodles
2 - ground beef, slow cooked in tomato sauce and chili spices
3 - red kidney beans
4 - diced onions
5 - shredded colby-jack cheese
6 - sliced jalapenos


Beeeeee-licious!!

This was adapted from a segment featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Awesome. Just, awesome!!

Chicken Enchiladas

We started with 1 whole chicken. Roasted in the crock-pot with only seasoning. From that 1 whole chicken...we got 3 different meals. This is meal #2:

Ingredients:

2 1/2-3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chilies
1 cup shredded cheddar blend cheese
1 cup salsa
8-10 fajita size flour tortillas
1 (10 oz) can green enchilada sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar blend cheese
sliced black olives for garnish**
2 chopped green onions for garnish**

- Begin by combining the chicken, 1 cup of shredded cheese, sour cream, green chilies, and salsa.

- Spray freezer safe/oven safe casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Spoon chicken mixture into flour tortillas, roll and place in casserole dish seam side down.

- Cover filled tortillas with enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, and black olives and green onions if desired.

- Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until heated through.

- OR -

- Cover and freeze for up to 3 months before reheating and serving. To reheat and serve, allow prepared dish to thaw in refrigerator prior to cooking. *Placing a frozen glass dish in a preheated oven may cause glass to break.**

MiMi's Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

1 package boneless skinless chicken thighs

2 can great northern beans, drained & rinsed

1 small can chopped green chilies

1 package frozen fiesta corn blend

1/2 medium onion, diced

5 cups water

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp taco seasoning

1 1/2 tsp garlic salt

*pepper to taste*

*tortilla chips*

*sour cream*

*shredded colby-jack cheese*

- Combine chicken, great northern beans, green chilies, corn blend, onion, water, and spices into a crock-pot

- Cook on low 6-8 hours

- Stir occasionally

- Serve with warmed tortilla chips

- Garnish with sour cream & shredded colby-jack cheese

Breakfast Pizza...for Dinner

Ingredients:

* seamless crescent roll dough
* 2 cups hash brown potatoes with onions and green peppers
* 1 lb cooked, drained pork sausage
* 6 eggs, slightly beaten
* 1/2 cup half and half
* 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
* 1 cup shredded colby jack cheese
* salt & pepper to taste
* hot sauce........if you dare!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Unroll crescent roll on to prepared baking sheet, stretch gently to desired length and width.

Spread hash brown potatoes with onions and green peppers evenly over crescent roll.

Top potato mix with crumbled cooked sausage.

Mix half and half into eggs and pour over potatoes and sausage. Combine ingredients well.

Top with cheeses and add salt and pepper if desire.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until cheese is completely melted and eggs are thoroughly cooked. Use a fork or knife to test doneness.

**Tonight we served our breakfast pizza with a side of mandarin oranges....no leftovers!! Score!**

Quiche Me Baby!!

I have a love-hate affair with breakfast.

In my mind, breakfast is always best when someone else cooks it.

Having a diabetic teenager in the house means breakfast is not an option - it is a requirement.

I stumbled across a lovely spinach-quiche recipe a couple of weeks ago and after tweaking it a little here and there...I've found a breakfast recipe that even I don't mind to cook.

*Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees F.

*Next assemble the ingredients:

1/2 cup butter margarine
1 small can, drained, sliced mushrooms stems & pieces
1/2-1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup diced frozen onion & pepper seasoning blend
6-8 oz baby spinach

4 eggs
1 cup skim milk

3 oz feta cheese
3-4 oz shredded cheese (colby jack for us...)
1 deep dish pie crust

- Begin by melting the butter or margarine in a deep skillet on the stove top.

- Once melted turn the heat down to medium and add mushrooms, onion & pepper blend, and garlic. Saute until well combined and onions are slightly translucent.



- Turn heat down slightly more, and add spinach allowing it to sit on top of the butter mixture briefly before stirring. This allows the spinach time to begin wilting.




- As the spinach begins to wilt, mix eggs and milk together gently in a separate some bowl or in the blender. If you use the blender - do not over blend.

- Stir spinach into butter mixture, and continue stirring slowly until spinach has completely cooked down and mixture begins to thicken slightly.

- Remove skillet from heat.




- Add feta cheese, shredded cheese, and milk-egg blend. Combine carefully.

- Pour contents into the deep dish pie crust and bake for 40 minutes.

- After the first 40 minutes baking, sprinkle additional shredded cheese lightly over the top and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes. HINT: Go lightly on the cheese topping...a little goes a long way.




- Full cooking time should be 55-60 minutes total. Check quiche for doneness by using a fork into the center to see if quiche is fully set or still runny. Cooking longer will set the eggs more.

- Do not under cook.

* Our breakfast was served with a glass of orange juice...without pulp of course! Great way to start the weekend!!

Tuna & Shells

Tuna & Shells:

8 oz uncooked medium pasta shells, prepared as directed on box
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can FF cream of chicken soup
... 1 soup can skim milk
3 cans tuna in water, drained
1 small can, chopped green chilies
1 cup shredded taco mix cheese
1 small bag of frozen green peas
1/2 - 1 cup - bread crumbs

* prepare pasta as directed, drain well
* return to pot and add milk, soups, green chilies, tuna and shredded cheese
* mix well
* add peas to mix, combine thoroughly
* pour into a prepared casserole dish
*top with bread crumbs - more or less as desired

**Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes

Ham & Cheese Waffles

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 large egg
4 TBS butter or margarine, melted & cooled
4 oz thinly sliced ham, chopped
1 cup shredded *orange* cheese (we used colby-jack mix, cheddar works well also)
2 green onions, chopped

*mustard for dipping*

Begin by combining the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl with a whisk.

Next, add the milk, egg, and melted butter. Combine thoroughly.



For this recipe we used deli style ham. To get it the right size (quickly) Jon used the pizza cutter to dice it all up. Fast and efficient.



The ham, cheese, and chopped green onion are added to the batter without over mixing.



Using a waffle press the batter is cooked. These waffles are not as crunchy as other waffles, so be prepared for the texture to be softer.

Don't be fooled though, they are super filling!



I like a little bit of mustard to dip my waffles in - but of the 5 people here - I am the only one. They don't know what they are missing!

If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, they make great snacks and would work well for a quick lunch.

We weren't so lucky this time...but next time that just means a double-batch!

Another Potato Soup Recipe for the Crock-Pot

At some point during the night last night, someone turned the heat off.

That wasn't very nice.

Then the weather man has to go and tell me that it's gonna be a cooler day.

All day.

There's really only one way to deal with that...a nice warm bowl of Potato Soup.

The only thing better than that bowl of Potato Soup is not having to rush around cooking it at the end of the day. It's in the crock NOW so when those hungry boys come home from school, we can shower them with parental attention.

Win! Win!!



The rule of thumb in our house is 1 potato per person. Not small potatoes, not super enormous potatoes, just regular size potatoes. If it is bigger than my fist it is too big.

Into the crock:

5 potatoes, cleaned - peeled - and diced
1 large white onion diced



2 large stalks of celery, chopped
3-4 TBS chicken bouillon
1 10 3/4 oz can cheddar cheese soup
6 soup cans hot water
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp minced garlic (we tend to lean on the theory more garlic = better)



YUMMMMM!

Mix well and cook on low 6-8 hours...or until the kids come home.




Then add the protein of choice about 1 hour before serving.

Today we will be adding:

1 cup shredded colby-jack cheese
1 1/2 cups diced turkey ham

Toppings? Sure!!

Green onions & bacon crumbles.

Maybe more cheese.

If you dare!

Fortunately we still have some sourdough bread to add to this feast.

Is it dinner time yet??

Oven-Baked Chicken Nachos

1 13 oz. bag of bite-size Tostitos (as many as you can put on the pan before they get ate)
1 13 oz can cooked chicken breast meat, drained
1 2.24 oz can sliced black olives, drained
1/2 medium white onion, diced small
1 10 oz can rotel, drained
1 tsp Pampered Chef, Southwest Seasoning mix (sub. chili powder or mix)
4 oz shredded Colby-Jack cheese blend
**sliced jalepenos - to taste**

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.




Spread chips over baking sheet or stone.





Combine chicken, black olives, onion, rotel and cover chips.




Top with seasoning.

Cover with shredded cheese.

Add jalepenos if desired.




I desired!

Bake 15-20 minutes.