Crock Pot Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb Hamburger
1 Onion, chopped
1 Green pepper, chopped
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 can Kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can Pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 cans Tomato sauce
2 tsp chili powder
½ tsp basil


Directions:
Brown hamburger, onion, and green pepper, drain. Combine with the rest of the ingredients in a crock pot. Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours.

Lasagna Toss

1 12 oz package of uncooked pasta (shell or bow tie)

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic minced

1 27 oz can spaghetti sauce

2 cups ricotta or cottage cheese

1 TBS chopped fresh parsley

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 350. Cook pasta according to package directions for 7 minutes; drain. Meanwhile in large skillet, brown ground beef with onion and garlic, drain off excess fat. Stir in sauce and simmer 10 minutes or until heated through. Remove 1 cup meat sauce, set aside. Stir cooked pasta into remaining sauce.Place 1/2 pasta mixture in 2 quart casserole; combining ricotta cheese with parsley, evenly spread on top of mixture in casserole. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese; cover with reserved meat sauce and remaining mozzarella. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired. Cover and bake 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.

Layered Enchalada Bake

Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 1 hr 35 min
Makes: 8

1 lb. (500 g) lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups chunky salsa
1 can (19 fl oz/540 mL) black beans, drained, rinsed
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
2 Tbsp. chili powder
6 flour tortillas (9 inch)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup KRAFT Tex Mex Shredded Cheese

PREHEAT oven to 400ºF. Line 13x9-inch baking dish with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of dish; set aside. Brown meat with onions in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Add salsa, beans, dressing and chili powder; mix well.

ARRANGE 3 of the tortillas in single layer on bottom of prepared baking dish; cover with layers of half each of the meat mixture, sour cream and cheese. Repeat all layers. Cover with foil.

BAKE, covered, 30 min. Remove foil. Bake an additional 10 min. or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

Thai chicken Pizza

You can make this really easy by buying a pre-made pizza crust, but I make mine. This recipe makes 2 pizza's.

Pizza Dough:2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (you can substitute whole wheat flour for 1 cup of the all purpose).
25 ounces active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water1/2 - 1 Tbsp. olive oil
cornmeal, for sprinkling

Directions: Mix a little sugar into the warm water. Sprinkle yeast on top. Wait for 10 minutes or until it gets all foamy. Pour into a large bowl. Add flour, salt and olive oil. Combine. Knead for 6-8 minutes until you have a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (add a bit more flour if you need to). Cover and let rest for 10-30 minutes. Lightly grease two 12 inch pizza pans (or cookie sheets if you don't have pizza pans). Sprinkle with a little bit of cornmeal. Divide dough in half. Place each half on a pizza pan and pat it with your fingers until it stretches over the whole pan. Try to make it thicker around the edge. Then spread with toppings of your choice and bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly, hot and the edges are golden brown.

**If you don't want to use all the dough, you can freeze it. Take a portion of the dough, form it into a ball, rub olive oil over it and place it in a freezer bag. Make sure to thaw before using.

Thai Chicken Pizza toppings:
House of Tsang Peanut Sauce (you can get this at Wal Mart usually)
Mozzarella Cheese
Shredded carrots
Chopped cilantro
Sliced water chestnuts
Shredded cooked chicken

Just put however much you like. Spread peanut sauce evenly over crust. Then Sprinkle lightly with Mozzarella cheese. Then top evenly with chopped cilantro, sliced water chestnuts, shredded carrots, cashew pieces, and shredded cooked chicken. Sprinkle with a little more cheese and drizzle with peanut sauce. Bake as mentioned above.

Creamy Potato Soup

1 - 16 oz. package of Velveeta cheese
4 cups milk
3 cups half-n-half
3 T flour
3 T chicken bouillon
1 cube butter

Vegetables
5 pound bag of red potatoes (washed and cubed into bite size pieces)
1 small bag of baby carrots
1 medium onion finely chopped
6-8 stalks of celery- chopped

In a big sauce pan melt butter. Pour in milk and half-n-half then add cheese. Bring to a simmer. Then add flour and bouillon, stirring constantly to incorporate all ingredients.
Meanwhile boil all of the vegetables. I boil the potatoes and carrots, then add onion and celery towards the end because the potatoes need to cook the longest.
Drain the vegetables then add sauce. Stir together. Serve with rolls.
Makes quite a bit, but it freezes well.

Baked Chimichangas

2 1/2 c. shredded chicken or beef
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 Tbs. chili powder
16 oz. jar of salsa
1 cup black beans
Flour tortillas

In a saute pan, combine 2 Tbs. olive oil with chopped onion, pepper and garlic. Saute until tender. Add chili powder and salsa and heat until warm. Immediately stir in cooked, shredded meat and beans. Let mixture cool slightly before rolling into chimichangas. Make sure your flour tortillas are soft (put them in the microwave for 30 seconds). Spoon approximately 1/3 c of meat mixture into tortilla, fold in the sides and roll. Place in a greased pan with seam side down. When you're done rolling all the chimichangas, lightly brush them with olive oil. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes. They come out crispy, just like they've been fried. Garnish with cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc. Super good and low fat.
If you're counting Weight Watcher points the chimichanga is only4 points. Of course if you add sour cream, cheese and all the goodies you have to count that seperate.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

3 lbs chicken deboned (or 3-6 chicken breasts)
cornstarch
2 eggs beaten

Dip smaller pieces of chicken into cornstarch then dip coated chicken into beaten eggs. Fry in 1/4 inch of oil until brown. Then pat fried chicken with paper towel and place in a 9x13 baking dish.

Sauce: (I double or sometimes triple the recipe depending on how much chicken I have made)

3/4 c sugar
1/4 c vinegar
4 T ketchup
1/4 c chicken broth
1 t soy sauce

Pour sauce over chicken and cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Rotate chicken 1 time during baking. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes. Serve over rice.

Beef and Broccoli

Shopping List:

Beef sirloin steak
Onion
Cream of broccoli soup
Soy sauce
Fresh broccoli
Rice

Directions:
Slice beef into thin strips. Cook beef in 1 TBSP oil in skillet until browned. Add wedged onion, cook 5 minutes. Stir in soup, ¼ cup water, and 1 TBSP soy sauce. Heat to a boil. Add broccoli and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 5 minutes or until broccoli is tender. Serve over rice.

Rice Lasagna

3 cups Rice (Cooked and Cooled)
2 Eggs slightly beaten
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbls Parmesan Cheese (divided)
2 cups shredded Mozzarella
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 pound ground beef
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 jar(15 1/2 oz) jars Spaghetti Sauce

Preheat oven to 375. Combine rice, eggs and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Mix thoroughly and set aside. Combine mozzarella, cottage cheese and 2 Tbls of Parmesan cheese. Mix well
Brown and drain meat, add garlic powder and spaghetti sauce, continue cooking until thoroughly heated.
Spoon one half of the rice mixture into a 9x13 dish. Cover with 1/2 cheese mixture and 1/2 meat. Repeat layers and then sprinkle 2 Tbls Parmesan cheese on top.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Dinner In A Pumpkin

This is a tradition that we started in our family for Halloween night. We always have this for dinner. Your kids will love it!

1 1/2 to 2 lbs of ground beef, browned
2 Tbs. Soy Sauce
2 Tbs. Brown Sugar
2/3 c sliced button mushrooms
1 box Uncle Bens Wild Rice, prepared according to package directions
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1 to 2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 medium pumpkin

Brown ground beef in a skillet. Prepare Wild Rice according to package directions. While these two things are cooking, thoroughly wash and clean out your pumpkin (just as if you were carving it). To your browned ground beef add soy sauce, brown sugar and soup (if you like your casserole really "soupy" use two cans). In a large bowl combine rice, mushrooms and water chestnuts. Finally, mix with hamburger mixture. Pour into pumpkin, replace pumpkin lid and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Spaghetti Pizza

This is actually Christy B.'s recipe, but we love it!!

Directions:
Brown 1/2 pound sausage in a large skillet. Then add pepperoni, sliced onions, green peppers and mushrooms. Sauté on low heat. Cook spaghetti noodles. Heat 1/2 jar cheesy ragu sauce diluted with 1/2 cup milk. Serve like spaghetti: noodles, veggies then sauce. You can use different vegetables if you like something else better.

No Bake Lasagna

This recipe is really good, but kind of expensive.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground Italian sausage
1 medium onion
4-6 garlic cloves
2 cans diced tomatoes
3/4 box of Campanelle noodles
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 t. Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper
1/2 tub Fresh mozzarella balls
1/2 cup Parmesan Reggiano
3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
Fresh mozzarella sliced from loaf
Prego
4-5 leaves fresh Basil chopped

In a oven proof skillet
Brown Sausage in olive oil. Add chopped onion and minced garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, Prego, broth, and uncooked noodles. Bring to boil then reduce heat to medium low. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes until noodles are cooked. Preheat broiler on high. Place top rack 5-6 inches from top. Take noodles off heat add 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and disperse mozzarella balls throughout. Dollop Ricotta cheese on top. Place the sliced mozzarella and sprinkle remaining Parmesan on top. Broil for 5 minutes. Sprinkle on Fresh basil. Serve

Sour Cream Enchiladas

4 Chicken Breast
1 large or 2 small cans cream of chicken soup
1 chopped onion
1 jar green chili sauce or 2 cans chopped chilies

Cook in slow cooker until chicken is done enough to shred. Shred chicken then add:

2 cups sour cream
1 cup homemade salsa

flour tortillas
Colby jack cheese
enchilada sauce

Assemble by placing a spoonful of chicken mix in the center of tortilla with a handful of cheese. Roll up and place in a baking dish sprayed with PAM. Continue stuffing the pan with rolled up enchiladas. I usually can get about 13. Pour enchilada sauce over the top with a generous helping of cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Potato Soup and Breadsticks

Potato Soup

Directions:
Boil 6 cups water, 6 tsp chicken bouillon, 1 ½ heaping tsp each parsley flakes and minced onions, ½ shredded carrot and 8 cubed potatoes, until potatoes are done. Don’t drain.

In another pan, melt 1 cube margarine and add ½ cup flour. Mix well. Add 3 cups milk and heat until thick and creamy. Add it to the other pan and simmer.

Breadsticks

Directions:
Combine 1 ½ cup warm water, 1 TBSP yeast, 2 TBSP sugar and 2 tsp salt in a bowl. Allow the mixture to sit until it dissolves, about 5 minutes. Add 1 ½ cups flour. Mix with electric beater until dough is smooth and elasticy. Add 1 ½ cups flour, stirring with a wooden spoon. If dough is really sticky, add more four so you can handle it. Flour counter and knead dough for 3-5 minutes. Place in a bowl and let rise for 10-15 minutes. Roll out dough in a floured cake pan to ½ inch thick. Cut into 1 inch X 6 inch strips with a pizza cutter. Brush melted butter or mayonnaise on dough, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Let rise for another 15 minutes and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Wild Rice Casserole

1 box Uncle Ben’s Original wild rice, cooked according to package directions
2 chicken breasts, cooked & cubed
1/4 c butter
1/3 c flour
1 tsp salt & pepper
1 c chicken broth
1 c half and half

Melt butter completely and add flour, salt and pepper to make a paste. Add milk and chicken broth and mix well. Pour over rice and chicken. Stir together well. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes.

Chicken Pesto Rolls

1 refrigerated pizza dough crust. ( I recommend Pillsbury the cheap versions are too thin)
1/2 package of cream cheese (softened)
3 tbsp Pesto
1 cup of pre-cooked & seasoned Chicken cubed or shredded
Parmesan Cheese

Roll out pizza dough into a rectangle. Spread cream cheese all over crust. Spread pesto over cream cheese and crust. Sprinkle chicken over crust. Roll into long roll and slice with dental floss into small rolls. Place in a round, sprayed with Pam cake pan. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Serve with Marinara or Alfredo sauce for dipping!

Taco Soup

We also call this food storage soup because most of the ingredients are cans that we have in ours.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground beef or stew meat browned

1 large can diced Tomatoes

1 can Kidney Beans

1 can Black Beans

1 can Chili Beans

1 can Cream style Corn

1 cup home made salsa

1 packet of taco seasoning

1 packet of Ranch dressing mix

Frito chips

Sour Cream (optional)

grated mozzarella cheese (optional)

Dump tomatoes, all beans, corn, salsa, and packets in a large pot. Stir and Cook on medium until soup starts to boil. Add browned meat and let simmer until ready to serve at desired temperature.

Serve over Frito Chips. If desired put a dollop of sour cream and cheese on top.

Italian Chicken

Easy Easy Dinner

1 bottle of Italian Dressing
6-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts (frozen)
1 large can of Italian diced tomatoes
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Angel hair or bow tie noodle

In a 9x13 pan put 1/2 the bottle of dressing then place chicken breasts in pan (I leave them frozen, if you defrosted them before hand it probably wouldn't take as long. That is just an extra step that I never do) Empty remaining dressing over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Add tomatoes over the top and cook for another 20 minutes. Put cheeses over the top and serve over pasta noodles.

Harvest Farfalle Pasta (Tina)

1 box Farfalle Pasta, cooked
1 onion, diced
4 small zucchini, sliced
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
10-12 mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 Tbs. Olive Oil
2/3 c. Chicken Broth
1 Tbs. Cornstarch
3/4 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
Parmesan Cheese
Diced chicken, optional

Boil pasta until cooked al dente. Drain and set aside. In a frying pan, add 2 Tbs. olive oil and brown the zucchini. Set aside. In same frying pan, add remaining 2 Tbs. olive oil and saute onions, mushrooms and chopped garlic. When tender, remove from heat and add tomatoes. Stir together until tomatoes are warmed. In a large bowl, combine pasta and vegetables. Set aside. In the same frying pan on medium heat, add chicken broth and scrape any drippings from the bottom of the pan. While stirring add cornstarch to thicken the mixture. Mixture will be kindof pasty! Remove from heat and add cream. Stir until combined then pour over pasta and veggies. Top with parmesan cheese, chives, fresh basil or any other toppings you might enjoy. This is soooo good!