Runza Casserole

Runza Casserole

From: My Mom

2 lbs hamburger

2 onions (I use only one)

4 cups shredded cabbage (I buy pre-shredded)

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 tubes crescent rolls

1lb of shredded Mozzarella Cheese  (or cheddar if you do not have mozz)

Brown hamburger and onions. Drain.  Add salt and pepper.  Put shredded cabbage in and steam for about 5 minutes. Make a crust of 1 crescent rolls in a 9x13 inch pan.  Put hamburger and cabbage mix on top of crust.  Add cheese, then use last tube of crescent rolls for the top.  Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees.  Cover with foil last 5 minutes to soften crust.

I make only half of this and put it in a 8x8 pan.  We had this with mash potatoes and fruit.

Creamy Italian Chicken (Slow Cooker Meal)

Creamy Italian Chicken  (SC)

2lbs boneless, skinless, chicken breast

¼ cup butter, melted

8oz container cream cheese and chives, softened

10oz can condensed golden cream of mushroom soup

0.7 oz package Italian dressing mix

½  cup water

Cut chicken breasts into strips and place into crock pot.  In a medium bowl, combine melted butter, softened cream cheese, soup, Italian dressing mix and water and stir unitl blended.  Pour over chicken in crock pot.   Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

We eat this over noodles and serve with some kind of bread and veggie.

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps      From melskitchencafe.com

*Makes 6 wraps*

1 cup cooked rice, warm or at room temperature

1 cup cooked, shredded chicken

1 can black beans, rinsed and drianed

1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts)

1/2 red or green pepper, diced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

juice of 1 lime

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

2 cups shredded cheese (I used a combination of monterey jack and sharp cheddar)

Sour cream (optional)

6 burrito-sized flour tortillas

Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, then arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. (Optional: on some of the wraps, I dotted the cheese with about 1-2 tablespoons of reduced fat sour cream before arranging chicken and rice mixture down the center - it made the wraps delightfully creamy.) Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open. Spray the tortillas all over with cooking spray.

Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange 2 wraps, seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve.

To make more than two wraps at a time, I used my electric grill...

Breakfast Burritos

Breakfast for dinner?!  I actually prefer breakfast at dinner time! 
This has just been one of those weeks...  So tonight it is breakfast burritos (instead of the soup I planned on)!  I need something fast and quick to eat...

Needed:
Scrambled eggs
Tortillas
Sausage or bacon
Cheese
Veggies if you like
Salsa and Sour Cream (optional)

My kids love to be able to make their own, so I just set out everything and let them go at it!  We will be having these with OreIda Mini Tator Tots (a family favorite) and some fruit!

A veggie serving tray is an easy way to have everything ready to set out in front of them! 

Chicken Enchiladas

It is Mexican Night at our House...
Chicken Enchiladas

From Shawnda, my sister-in-law

1pt sour cream

1 can rotel- medium

2 cups or cans of precooked chicken

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 lb cheese (cheddar, Mont/Jack, Colby/Jack, whatever you have…)

1 dozen flour or wheat tortillas

Heat oven to 350º.

Mix soup, sour cream, chicken and rotel in a sauce pan.  Heat slightly.  Place 2 tbs. of mixture in center of each tortilla.  Roll and place each tortilla side by side in backing dish.  Top with remaining mixture.  Finish by topping with cheese.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

Easy and great for those of you who don't care for the red sauce on your enchiladas!

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

From: cooks.com

8-10 potatoes, peeled, cooked, and mashed (no milk)

8 oz cream cheese, softened

8 oz sour cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 tbsp butter

1c cedar cheese, shredded

1 tbsp. chives, dried

Beat cream cheese, sour cream into mashed potatoes.  Add salt and pepper, stir in chives.  Fold in ½ of butter, spread mixture in buttered 9x13 inch glass casserole dish.  Spread remaining butter on top.  Baked uncovered, at 350 for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with cheese and bake additional 10 minutes.

Note: Do not add cheese if you plan to use with gravy.  Can be covered and refrigerated for baking later, but allow extra time if potatoes begin baking from cold. 

***I cut this recipe in half when it is just for our family.

Crockpot Pork Roast/Loin Barbecue

So I am sticking to my theme nights and today is slow cooker day! 

Crockpot Pork Roast/Loin Barbecue

1 pork roast, shoulder, butt, loin
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup coarsly chopped onion (omit if you would like)
1 teaspoon grandulated sugar
1 bottle barbecue sauce, appox. 18 oz

Cook pork cover in water (start with hot water) in crockpot on low 10 to 12 hours.  Pour off water and shred meat; discard fat. (It just falls apart when I take it out of the water.)  Combine barbecue sauce, onions, sugar, and juice of lemon with meat in crockpot and cook on high for 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours.

This is the actual recipe I started with when I started making this meal. 

However, now I just put meat in crockpot, pour water over until covered.  Let it cook on low for 9-10 hours. Drain water.  Shred meat or I just like mine chopped up.  It is really tender when it comes our of the crockpot.  I then either pour sauce on it and serve or just let everyone add their own sauce. 

You can eat it with or without a bun.  We will be having twice baked potato casserole and corn on the cob tonight to go with it! 
I will post the twice baked potato casserole recipe tomorrow for you!

Appetizers for Parties!

With the holidays and football going on around here, I have been preparing many appetizers.  Here are a couple of our favorites:

Artichoke Bread

1/3 cup butter
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
4 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup sour cream
1 French bread loaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the artichoke hearts, Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and sour cream. Stir to blend. Remove from the heat and cool. Slice the bread lengthwise and scoop out some of the center. Spoon the artichoke mixture evenly into the bread shell and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese. Place each half on a baking sheet and cover lightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 5 to 8 minutes or until the cheese melts completely. Cut into slices and serve warm.

Stuffed Jalapeños

15 Jalapeños

1 large block cream cheese

15 slices Bacon  (cut slices in half to make 30)

Slice peppers in half the long way and remove seeds.   Spread cream cheese on jalapenos.  Wrap in bacon.   Cook on cookie sheet for 20-30 minutes at 350.

Sausage Wonton Stars

1 pkg. wonton wrappers

1 pound pork sausage

2 cups shredded Colby cheese

½ medium green pepper, chopped

½ medium sweet red pepper, chopped

2 bunches green onions, sliced

½ cup ranch salad dressing

Lightly press wonton wrappers onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased miniature muffin cups.  Bake at 350 for 5 minutes or until edges are browned.  In a skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no long pink; drain.  Stir in the cheese, peppers, onions, and salad dressing.  Spoon a rounded tablespoonful into each wonton cup.  Bake for 6-7 minutes or until heated through. 

Makes about 4 dozen.

 

Easy Cheesy Chicken Bake

Well, it is only January 2nd and I have already had to change up my meal planning.  Today should have been a slow cooker day, however, slow cooker meals can not be prepared and cooked in an hour...  And being that I have not been to the grocery store; I resorted to looking on the back of a Stove Top Stuffing box and praying I had what it took to make one of their meals.  So much for Theme Nights!  I will get back on track tomorrow...

Easy Cheesy Chicken Bake

1 pkg stuffing mix for Chicken
1-1/2 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1 pkg (14oz) broccoli florets, thawed, drained
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 400.
Prepare stuffing as directed on package.
Combine chicken and broccoli in 13x9 inch baking dish.  Stir in soup, milk, and cheese; top with stuffing.
Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is done and casserole is heated through. 

This was quick, easy, and everyone liked it!
This probably could turn into a slow cooker meal, but it worked well this way and was very easy to prepare!

Theme Nights

I don't know about you, but December always seems to be a difficult month to stay at home and eat.  Which really should be a  month we try not to eat out...  However, with the hustle and bustle and all that comes with holiday preparation, it seems to be the easiest and less stressful way to go. 
So starting January, we are going to get back on track!  I am doing Theme Nights for the week nights.  Meaning:

Monday: Italian
Tuesday: Mexican
Wednesday: Slow Cooker
Thursday: Soups
Friday: Comfort Foods
Saturday and Sunday: We are are going to just go with whatever sounds good...

Hopefully this will get us back on a routine and back to eating at home!    I have done this in the past and it seems to work really well with my winter meal planning.
I am not one to plan exactly what we will eat each night; I plan for the month, so in doing this, I will technically have four Italian, Mexican, ect.  meals to choose from at the beginning of the month... and so forth...