Swiss Steak

Melissa L.

1-2 lbs Sirloin (trimmed and cut into big chunks)
1 onion
1 bell pepper
2 – 3 cans stewed tomatoes (We like a lot of tomatoes)
Flour for dredging

1. Dredge the sirloin chunks in flour and fry just until lightly browned. (Does not need to be cooked through). Put Sirloin in crock pot.
2. Dice onion and bell pepper then place in crock pot over and around sirloin.
3. Pour stewed tomatoes over sirloin, onions, and bell pepper.
4. Cook on low for 8 hours.
5. Serve with mashed potatoes (my family uses the sauce like gravy…we LOVE tomatoes!)

Mushroom Chicken

Melissa L.

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg. dry chicken gravy mix
1 - 10 ¾ oz. can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
1 4-oz can of sliced mushrooms, drained OR 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup white wine (I use the cheapest stuff I can find). Could use apple juice instead.
Please don't be turned off by the wine...the alcohol cooks out but leaves a yummy, mellow flavor.
1 - 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
egg noodles boiled and drained

1. Put the chicken in a crock pot. Sprinkle gravy mix on top. In a separate bowl, combine the soup and wine and then pour over chicken/gravy mix. Sprinkle with mushroom pieces.
2. Cover. Cook on low 8 hours.
3. During last 30 minutes of cooking time, stir in cream cheese (I cut it into small chunks). Before serving, remove chicken (keeping it warm) and whisk the sauce until smooth.
4. Break up chicken and return to sauce.
5. Serve over egg noodles.

Easy Chicken Cacciatore

Jennifer S.

2 tsp. oil
1 chicken (3-1/2 lb.), cut up (Or use one bag of boneless, skinless breasts, thawed
1 envelope Italian Dressing Mix
1 jar (28 oz.) chunky-style spaghetti sauce
1 small green pepper, diced
6 cups hot cooked ziti pasta

HEAT oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally.

SPRINKLE dressing mix over chicken. Add spaghetti sauce and green pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover.

SIMMER 25 to 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally.
BOIL and drain pasta while waiting for chicken to simmer.

Serve over pasta.

Turkey Mole (or Chicken)

Jessica S.

1 jar mole paste (find in hispanic section of grocery store-dona maria is a good brand)
sugar
1-2 pounds meat cooked

make mole sauce according to directions on jar (you can drain off the excess oil from the mole before you start mixing). heat and stir until paste is melted/blended into the sauce. Add sugar to taste. (you may not need any sugar- just a little goes a long way)

Add cooked meat. mix well. simmer on low heat until heated through.

Serve over mexican/ spanish rice, or with tortillas, sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa guacamole, lettuce etc.

Fluffy & Flaky Biscuits

Michael S.

•2 c. flour
•1 T. baking powder
•1/2 t. baking soda
•1/2 t. salt
•1/2 c. butter, frozen
•1/2 – 1 c. milk

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
2. Quickly grate the frozen butter on a cheese grater.
3. Cut the frozen butter into the flour mixture. You can use two knives to cut in the flour, but I always find my hands are the best tools for this job. It gets done quickly and effectively with little effort.
4. Pour in the milk, starting with just a half cup and adding more as needed until the dough comes together. You want the dough to be soft, but not too soft to handle.
5. Pour the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead for just a minute.
6. Roll the dough into a rectangle. Fold it on top of itself to make 3 or 4 layers. Roll out again and fold into thirds or fourths. Repeat at least one or two more times.
7. For the final rolling of the dough, leave it about an inch thick. Cut out biscuits with a biscuit cutter or glass.
8. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until lightly golden brown on top. Fold remaining dough back together and roll out again. Repeat process until done.
You should get about 8 – 10 biscuits out of this recipe, depending on how big you make them. They rise nice and high and be full of fluffy, flaky layers. It just doesn’t get any better!

Pork Sausage Dressing

Jennifer S.

8 pork sausage links, boiled in 2 C. chicken stock, until no longer pink. Reserve stock, and remove casing from sausage and cut into 1/2" - 1/4' pieces
1 lg white onion THINLY sliced and sweated in one stick of butter
1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning.
Add to the saute pan the seasonings just before the butter is absorbed into the onion. Stir to release aromatic oils. Remove from heat.
1 loaf of bread, broken up into quarter sized pieces (I save ALL my bread ends in the freezer, then thaw and break up). Place in bowl.
Add onion, sausage pieces, and chicken stock. Stir well.
Add 2-3 lightly beaten eggs. Add eggs one at a time so you can gauge the moisture of the dressing.
Place in a buttered 9x9 or in a buttered crock pot. If doing in the oven..Cover with foil. Bake in oven at 350 for 40 minutes then remove foil for 10-15 minutes. Toothpick should come out clean.

If in the crock pot...cover with foil cook 1 hrs on high then 2 hrs on low. Make sure to butter crock or use a baking bag.

Easy Enchiladas

Mileka T.

1 bag defrosted (about 3 min in microwave) Easy Shredded Chicken (recipe on blog)
sour cream
flour tortilla (or corn)
enchilada sauce
cheese

1. mix chicken, sour cream, some cheese (this is not an exact science put as much sour cream and cheese as you like)
2. coat tortilla with enchilada sauce (one side)
3. flip over and put 2 spoons of chicken mix (on non-coated side)
4. roll like a burrito
5. put in greased/foil lined pan (seam side down), repeat
6. pour leftover chicken sauce on top of enchiladas
7. sprinkle cheese

bake @350 20-30 min.

Easy Chicken Bake

Mileka T.

1 bag defrosted (about 3 min in microwave) Easy Shredded Chicken (see recipe posted on blog...I wish I was smart enough to put the link in)
1 large/2-3 regular size cans cream of mushroom
1 bag frozen broccoli florets
1 box stuffing
cheese

1. mix chicken, cream of mush (you can add milk to make it creamier/thinner-1/2 c.)
2. put in greased pan
3. sprinkle frozen broccoli
4. prepare box stuffing
5. sprinkle stuffing
6. sprinkle cheese

bake @350 for 30 min.

Easy Chicken Bake
1 bag defrosted (about 3 min in microwave) easy shredded chicken
1 large/2-3 regular size cans cream of mushroom
1 bag frozen broccoli flourettes
1 box stuffing
cheese

1. mix chicken, cream of mush (you can add milk to make it creamier/thinner-1/2 c.)
2. put in greased pan
3. sprinkle frozen broccoli
4. prepare box stuffing
5. sprinkle stuffing
6. sprinkle cheese

bake @350 for 30 min.

Easy Shredded Chicken

Mileka T.

Frozen chicken in crock pot on low for 8 hours

optional...
onion
garlic
chicken broth

Freeze in sandwich size zip bags.

Use for Easy Shredded Chicken Recipes...posts to follow.

*other easy...easy shredded chicken uses
pizza topping
salad topping
in a cheese quesadilla
covered in gravy on mash potatoes
in a baked potato
etc...get creative!!!

1-2-3 Easy Bread (we hand knead...even my kids can do it...no fail):

Mileka T.

makes 2 loaves

6-8 c. flour

3 c. warm water
2 tb. yeast
1 c. sugar

3 tb. powdered milk
2 tb. oil
1 tb. salt

1. mix all ingredients (except for flour)
2. add 4 c. flour, mix
3. add 1 cup of flour , knead
4. add 1/2 c. flour at a time while kneading until not sticky
5. oil pans, half bread, put in pans, cover with dish cloth
6. rise 20 min (I turn my oven on while I'm putting the bread in the pan and shut it off and put my covered bread pans to rise in the oven...nice and toasty)
7. bake @400 20 min

NOTE:
this recipe is awesome. you can add almost anything with the flour...I add it in before the flour (after step #1-mixing it in with the wet ingredients...wheat germ, flax, dried/powdered mash potato mix, vegetable puree, dry powdered vegetables, get creative!)

Box Cake Cookies

Mileka T.

1 box cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 c. oil/butter

1. mix
2. drop on cookie sheet
3. bake at 350 for 8-10

Spinach Lasagne

Jennifer S.

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 1-lb packets frozen spinach (or use fresh)
7 1/2 instant lasagne sheets
16-oz low fat ricotta cheese
nutmeg
Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a frying pan and gently cook the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes, without browning. Add the spinach and cook until the spinach has thawed and is hot.
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a shallow 13x9 oven proof dish.
Dip two and a half lasagne sheets in hot water for 1 minute, then place on the bottom of the dish. Cover with half the spinach mixture and dot one-third of the ricotta on top, sprinkle with nutmeg. Repeat, then top with the remaining two and a half lasagne sheets, finishing with a layer of ricotta.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.

Mexican Pork

Jennifer S.

This recipe makes a delicious filling for tacos or tortillas. Serve with sides of shredded lettuce, onion, peppers, and chopped tomatoes.

3 pound boneless pork roast
1 pack taco seasoning mix
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 ounce can chopped green chilies, drained
1 cup water

Place pork roast in bottom of slow cooker.
Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over roast.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Break pork apart with a fork while still in slow cooker.

Quick & Easy BBQ Meatloaf

Jennifer S.

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup quick oats, uncooked
1/2 cup onion, chopped finely
1 egg, beaten

Directions:
1 Mix all ingredients except 1/4 cup of the barbecue sauce.
2 Shape into loaf in 12x8-inch baking dish.
3 Bake at 375°F for 45 to 50 minutes or until cooked through. Let stand 5 minutes. Top with remaining barbecue sauce.

Homemade Rice-A-Roni

Jennifer S.

1 cup of brown rice
1 cup of broken pieces of spaghetti
2 tablespoons of butter
2 cups of broth (chicken or beef of your choice)

Melt butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Add spaghetti and sauté until browned. Add rice to skillet. Add broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cover. Simmer until all liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes.

Million Dollar Roast Beef

Jennifer S.

1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/2 cup of apple cider/juice
1 clove garlic, sliced
5 slices of fresh ginger root
4 - 5 pound roast beef

Mix the first 4 ingredients well. Place roast in a Ziploc bag and pour marinade over it. Zip shut bag and place in refrigerator for 24 hours. Turn roast 3 times in the bag during 24 hour period. Remove from marinade and place roast in any size pan that will accommodate the roast and bake, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours in 300ºF. oven. Remove and cool. Slice at 45º angle and cutting slices rather thin. Serves 8

Easy Baked Italian Chicken

Jennifer S.

1 broiler/fryer chicken (3 1/2 - 4 pounds), cut up
1 cup of Italian salad dressing
1 cup of crushed cornflakes
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Place the chicken in a large resealable plastic bag or shallow glass container, add salad dressing. Seal or cover and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. drain and discard marinade. Coat chicken with cornflakes mixed with cheese and place in a greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350ºF. for 1 hour or until the juices run clear. Makes 4 servings

Crispy Chicken Strips/Nuggets

Jennifer S.

3/4 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup of mashed potato flakes
1/2 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil

Flatten the chicken to 1/2 inch thickness, cut into 1 inch strips or nuggets. In a shallow bowl, combine the potato flakes and bread crumbs. Dip the chicken in egg, then in potato mixture. In a skillet, cook the chicken in oil for 4- 5 minutes or until golden. 3 servings

Baked Chicken Breasts

Jennifer S.

8 - 10 boned chicken breasts
1 clove garlic
2 cans of cream of celery soup (or cream of mushroom)
1 pound of fresh mushrooms, sliced

Place the chicken breasts in pan, cut side down. Squeeze juice from garlic into soup and pour over chicken. Add the sliced mushrooms and bake at 350ºF. for 45 minutes. Serve over rice or whole wheat pasta.

Ravioli Casserole

Jennifer S.

One 28 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce
One 25 ounce package of frozen cheese ravioli, cooked & drained
2 cups (16 ounces) of small curd cottage cheese
4 cups (16 ounces) of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

Spread 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce in an ungreased 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Layer with half of the ravioli, 1 1/4 cups of sauce, 1 cup of cottage cheese and 2 cups of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered at 350ºF. for 30- 40 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 5 - 10 minutes before serving. 6 - 8 servings.

Enchilada Casserole

Jennifer S.

1 package of Fritos
3/4 pound of ground beef, crumbled and fried
8 ounces of cheddar cheese, cut up
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cans of enchilada sauce

Put layer of crumbled fritos in bottom of dish, put layer of cheddar cheese, layer of onion, layer of beef. Repeat. Cover with enchilada sauce. Bake in 350ºF. oven for about 30 minutes.

Cheeseburger 'n Fries Casserole

Jennifer S.

2 pounds of lean ground beef
one 10 3/4 ounce can of condensed golden mushroom soup, undiluted
one 10 3/4 ounce can of condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
one 20 ounce package of frozen crinkle cut French fries

In a skillet, brown the beef, drain. Stir in soups. Pour into a greased 13x9x 2 inch baking dish. Arrange the French fries on top. Bake, uncovered at 350ºF. for 50 - 55 minutes or until the fries are golden brown. 6 - 8 servings

Terrific Pork Tenderloin

Jessica S.

2-3 1-lb pork tenderloins
1 tsp season salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 (4oz) can diced green chiles
2 (10oz) cans cream of celery soup
rice cooked

Place tenderloins in sprayed oval slow cooker. Season with season salt and garlic powder.

Combine green chiles and celery soup in bowl and spoon over tenderloins, covering completely. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over rice.
Serves 6-8

Diana's Summer Salad

Diana P.

1 container fresh strawberries, quartered
1 can pineapple chunks, drained well
1 bag broccoli slaw (they will never know its broccoli)
1/2 bottle Poppyseed dressing
Cooked shrimp (optional if you want it as a dinner salad)

Mix all together and refrigerate for at least 2 hrs.....then toss well and serve.

Herb Chicken

Elizabeth F.

¼ cup chopped parsley
1 Tbsp. chopped oregano
1 Tbsp. finely shredded lemon peel*
1 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic (about 3 cloves)
3 Tbsp. butter
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
¼ cup chicken broth*

1. In small bowl stir together parsley, oregano, lemon peel, and garlic. Set aside. Rub chicken with a pinch of salt and pepper.

2. In 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat cook chicken in butter for 6 minutes or until browned, turning once. Transfer to plate. Remove skillet from heat; stir in half herb mixture. Return to heat. Add broth; bring to boiling, stirring to scrape up browned bits. Return chicken to skillet; reduce heat. Simmer covered, 8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and cooked all the way through.

3. Serve with pan sauce if desired; sprinkle with remaining herb mixture. Serve with rice and steamed veggies of choice. Makes 4 servings

*Alternatives
Marinated chicken with lemon, parsley, garlic and salt and pepper first. Also add another quarter cup of chicken broth to thicken and create more sauce. If needed substitute lemon juice for lemon peel, just double number of tbsp.

Crockpot Chicken Chili

Jennifer S.

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes with chilies and garlic, undrained
1 oz. pkg. taco seasoning mix
3 cups water
2 (15 oz.) cans white beans, drained and rinsed

Combine all ingredients in a 4-5 quart crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Stir well so the chicken breaks into small pieces.

Italian Meatball Soup Dinner

Jennifer S.

1 lb. frozen fully cooked meatballs
16 oz. jar marinara sauce
2-1/2 cups water
20 oz. pkg. frozen cheese tortellini
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
tossed salad and Italian bread

In large pot, combine meatballs, marinara sauce, and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, stir in tortellini, and simmer for 10 minutes, until tortellini and meatballs are hot and tender. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Toss salad ingredients together and serve the soup with some Italian bread.

Chicken Manicotti (takes about 2 hrs, so plan ahead)

Jennifer S.

This simple five ingredient pasta casserole recipe for Chicken Manicotti tastes like you spent all day cooking.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
28-ounce jar spaghetti sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
14 uncooked manicotti shells
1/2 cup water
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In saucepan, saute onion in olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add sauce and remove from heat. I usually skip this step, it will save you time and you don't have to use the oil. I just chop up onion and add it to chicken mixture.

In a 13x9" glass baking pan, pour 3/4 cup sauce mixture. Sprinkle chicken thighs with garlic salt and Italian seasoning. Cut into 1" cubes. In bowl, combine chicken with 1/2 cup sauce and 3/4 cup cheese; mix gently.

Fill each manicotti noodle with some of the chicken mixture.

Place the stuffed manicotti in baking dish. Pour water into remaining spaghetti sauce in jar, close jar and shake well. Pour this mixture over filled manicotti shells in baking dish, making sure to coat pasta completely. Cover with remaining 1-1/4 cups mozzarella cheese.

Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 80-90 minutes until pasta is tender when pierced with a fork. 6 servings You can also just cover with foil and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Then just bake as usual.

Mini Pizza

Jennifer S.

1× 16.3 oz can Extra Large Size Refrigerated Biscuits
1 cup Pizza Sauce
8 oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
3.5 oz pkg Sliced Pepperoni
Additional toppings if desired and on hand

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Press each biscuit into a 6 inch round. Place on 2 large or 3 small greased cookie sheets. Top each biscuit with pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until bottoms are a deep golden brown and cheese is bubbly.

Potato and Cheddar-Cheese Soup

Jennifer S.

For a chunkier soup, skip the pureeing and just break up some of the potato with a spoon.*

1/4 pound sliced bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips
1 large onion, chopped
3 pounds baking potatoes (about 6), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
4-1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
6 ounces cheddar, grated (about 1-1/2 cups)
1/4 cup chopped chives or scallion tops

In a large saucepan, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat or, if you don't have 2 tablespoons, add enough cooking oil to make up the amount. Reduce the heat to moderately low.
Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the potatoes, water, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

*Remove half the soup from the pan and puree in a food processor. Alternatively, mash some of the potatoes with a potato masher. Return the puree to the pan. Over low heat, add the cheese and stir until melted. Remove the pan from the heat. Taste the soup and add more salt if needed and pepper to taste. Serve the soup topped with the bacon and chives.

Creamy Ham Fettuccine Recipe

Jennifer S.

This is good with leftover roasted chicken. Or with a shredded "deli roasted" chicken in place of the ham.

1 package (12 ounces) fettuccine
3 cups cubed fully cooked ham
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup heavy whipping cream

In a large saucepan, cook fettuccine according to package directions; drain. In the same pan, add the ham, peas,cheese, cream and fettuccine.
Cook and stir until heated through. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Crock Pot Sloppy Joes

Jennifer S.

2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
12-oz. bottle chili sauce or ketchup
1/4 brown sugar, packed

Preparation:
Cook ground beef in a skillet until brown and crumbly. Drain thoroughly and place in slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover crock pot and cook on low for 3-5 hours until onions are tender. Serve in sandwich buns or on tortilla chips.
Do not do this recipe on HIGH setting, the sugar in the recipe will burn.