Hamburger Pie

Mashed Potatoes (made from 4-5 potatoes)

1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Dash black pepper

2 1/2 cups frozen cut green beans, thawed

1 10 3/4oz can condensed tomato soup

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare Mashed Potatoes; set aside. In a large skillet cook meat and onion until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Add the salt and pepper. Stir in thawed beans and soup; pour into a greased 2-quart rectangular baking dish or casserole.

Spoon Mashed Potatoes in mounds on bean mixture (or, if desired, pipe potatoes using a pastry bag and a large star tip). Sprinkle cheese over the potatoes. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and cheese begins to brown.  Serve!

Cinnamon French Toast Bake

Ingredients
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cans (12.4 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
5 eggs
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup maple syrup

Garnish
Icing from cinnamon rolls
Powdered sugar
Maple syrup, if desired

Preheat oven to 375.  Melt butter and pour on ungreased 13×9 inch glass dish. Separate cans of dough into 16 rolls reserving the icing for later use. Cut each roll into 8 pieces and add to buttered baking dish.  Beat eggs in medium bowl. Add cream, cinnamon and vanilla and beat until well blended. Pour over cut pieces of cinnamon roll pieces.  Sprinkle with pecans and drizzle 3/4 cup syrup over the top. Bake for 20 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes.  Remove the covers from icing and microwave on medium or 50% power for 10 to 15 seconds. (Should be thin enough to drizzle.) Drizzle icing over the top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with syrup if desired. Yum!

Stuffed Green Peppers

I only make two peppers, but you could easily double this to make four peppers.

2 large green peppers

1/2 pound ground beef

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce, divided

1 cup cooked rice

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 cup mozzarella cheese (Italian blend is great, too!)

Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds. Place peppers in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately place in ice water; invert on paper towels.

Preheat oven to 350.  In a small skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Remove from the heat. Stir in 1 cup tomato sauce, rice, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Spoon into peppers.  Place in an ungreased shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Drizzle with remaining tomato sauce. Top with cheese.  Cover and bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake 10 more minutes or until peppers are tender and cheese is bubbly.  Serve with mashed potatoes for the maximum comfort food effect!

Cayenne Chicken with Avocado Salsa

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, (6 to 8 ounces each)

2 tbs olive oil

1 medium red onion, finely diced

2 tbs fresh lime juice

1 avocado, pitted and cut into chunks

In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne; rub all over chicken.  In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add chicken, and cook until browned on the outside and opaque throughout, 8 to 10 minutes per side. 

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice; set aside. Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into onion mixture; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken topped with salsa.

Beer Bread

I love bread!  Seriously, can never have enough warm bread topped with butter.  This recipe was too easy not to try.  And it turned out great!

1 can of beer (I used Busch Light because that's what we had on hand)
1/4 sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 cups sifted flour (if you don't have a sifter, just spoon the flour into the measuring cup so it's not packed)
1/2 c. melted butter (I used 1/4 cup and it was perfect for me)

Heat oven to 375.  Combine dry ingredients, add beer (I microwaved mine on defrost for about a minute just so it was about room temperature since it had come from the fridge) Mix just until all ingredients are wet.  Over mixing will result in tough bread.  Pour into greased loaf pan.  Pour melted butter over top.  Bake for one hour, until top is golden brown.  Let bread set about 15 minutes before removing from pan, cool for about 15 minutes outside of pan before serving.  YUM!

Tip: If you use a 1/2 cup of butter on top, I suggest putting a cookie sheet on the rack below to catch any overspill of the butter as it bakes. 

Swedish Meatballs

1 pkg Farmrich Italian style frozen meatballs (you can use 1/2 a pkg if serving 2)
3/4 pkg egg noodles
1 tbs olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup flour
4 cups beef broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt & pepper

Prepare meatballs and noodles according to package, set aside.  Heat oil in skillet, sautée the onions & garlic until just about soft and transparent, adding a little more oil if needed. Push the onions to the side of the pan, creating a well in the middle. add the 2 tablespoons of butter. When melted, add the flour and whisk together. Whisk and cook until the flour turns brown, about 2-3 mins. It's ok to mix it all up w/ the onions. Add in the beef broth slowly, constantly mixing to ensure the flour does not leave clumps. Add the cream, mix and bring the sauce to a simmer until a desired consistency is reached. the longer you simmer, the thicker the sauce will get. Taste of seasoning and add salt & pepper as needed.

Add the meatballs in, heat through if needed, serve over noodles.  Enjoy!

Cali Style Turkey Sandwich

Sandwiches are perfect for hot summer nights when cooking is out of the question!  This one is great!

6 slices turkey breast lunch meat
2 slices sourdough bread, toasted
1 ounce herb mayonnaise
1/2 avocado, peeled, thinly sliced
2 slices Monterey Jack cheese

Spread mayonnaise on one slice of bread.  Top with turkey breast, avocado slices, Monterey Jack cheese and second slice of bread.  Take it a step further and toast it in a skillet.  Yum!

Chicken Apple Gouda Smoked Sausage With Rice

1 package Hillshire Farm Chicken Apple With Gouda Cheese sausage links
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups prepared wild or brown rice
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sliced green onion
2 tablespoons candied pecans or walnuts (optional)

Cut sausage into 1/2-inch pieces. Add sausage and bell pepper to a large nonstick skillet; cook, stirring frequently, 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned.

Add chicken broth and cinnamon to skillet; bring to a boil. Stir in prepared wild rice, cranberries and green onion. Cook until heated through. Sprinkle with nuts, if desired, just before serving.

Chicken Monterey

1 1/2 c. flour

1 packet taco seasoning

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 stick melted butter or margarine

3 cup crushed tortilla chips (I like Doritos, but you can use plain)

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Pour flour and taco seasoning in a large bowl with lid and shake to mix. Coat chicken in flour mix, dip in melted butter and then roll in crushed chips; place in a greased baking pan and  bake for 20-30 minutes until chicken is no longer pink in the center.  Serve hot with fiesta corn and rice.

Quick Breakfast Pizza

Love this for Saturday mornings, and it's also good reheated for rushed Sunday mornings.

1 premade pizza crust (I used Boboli thin crust, do not bake first)
2 c. shredded colby jack cheese
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
sausage, cooked and crumbled (I used about a 1/3 a package)
4-5 eggs, scrambled
onions, chopped
green peppers, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spread about half the cheese onto the crust.  Top with remaining ingredients, finishing with other half of cheese.  Bake for about 20 minutes, until cheese is melted through.  Serve hot.

Hoppin' John

I'm obviously on a Cajun kick!  This would make a great dish for Thursday nights when we watch Swamp People.  I got this recipe from a lady I work with, she makes it for our "food days" in the office.  I'm excited to be able to make it for myself anytime I want now.

1 lb Black Eyed Peas (dry)

2 packages Smoked Ham Shanks (they’re meatier than ham hocks but you can use hocks if you want)
1 cup uncooked rice (I don’t use instant rice)
salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste

Wash peas.  Put in stockpot with ham shanks and cover with several inches or more of water. 

Cook til peas are tender (several hours) adding hot water as necessary.  Remove ham shanks and add the salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste.

Make sure there is about three cups of juice in the pot and add 1 cup of uncooked rice. Cover and simmer gently til rice is tender (about 20 min).  You probably could use instant rice but I’ve never made it with it so I don’t know how much juice would need to be in the pan when you add the rice.

Meanwhile, remove the ham from the bones and shred into small pieces.  When the rice is done, return the ham to the pot.  Serve.

Cajun Chicken Breasts

1/2 c. mayo
1-1/2 tbs Cajun spice
1/2 c. shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
2 tbs finely chopped parsley
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 4 oz. ea.)
1/4 c. fresh bread crumbs (I cheat and use the kind from the cannister)

Preheat oven to 425.  Combine mayo, cajun spice, 1/4 cup of the cheese and parsley. Spread on chicken, then sprinkle with crumbs. Bake 20 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; heat 1-2 minutes until cheese is melted.

Crispy Chicken Wraps

I buy the Tyson frozen breaded chicken strips to save time and for easy clean up.  This recipe is so versatile, you can really add whatever you like, or use grilled chicken.  The possibilities are endless :)

4-6 chicken strips
4-6 flour tortillas
romaine lettuce (or baby spinach leaves.  I'm not a fan of iceberg lettuce)
1 tomato (diced)
shredded cheddar cheese (or your favorite)
ranch dressing (also good with southwest ranch)

Bake your chicken strips according to package.  Spread dressing onto tortilla.  Add one chicken strip, lettuce, tomato, and cheese, then roll it up!  Serve.  That easy!