Unstuffed Pepper Bake

1 lb. ground beef (or ground turkey)

1/3 c. onion, chopped

1 1/2 c. peppers (red, yellow, green. orange - whatever colors you choose), chopped (about 2 peppers)

2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1/2 t. garlic powder)

1/2 t. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

1 1/2 c. instant rice

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

1 15-oz. can tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 375. Saute ground beef, onions, peppers and garlic for 10 minutes or until meat is browned and vegetables are tender. Drain off any excess fat and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, rice, Worcestershire sauce and Italian seasoning. Remove from heat; stir in 1 cup of cheese. Spread mixture evenly into a 9" x 13" baking dish and top with tomato sauce and remaining cheese. Bake uncovered 20 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

If you like stuffed peppers, this is a great meal. Easier than stuffing the peppers, but the same great taste. You could make it up in advance and then just pop it in the oven to bake for dinner the next day!

Pork & Sauerkraut

1 pork roast (1/3 lb. per person)

1 bag (or jar) sauerkraut, drained

garlic salt

4 t. black pepper

Crockpot: In a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and brown the roast. Place roast in crockpot. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Add sauerkraut around the sides. Add 1-2 cups of water and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Oven: Preheat oven to 425. Place pork roast in a roaster. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Brown uncovered in oven for 15 minutes. Remove roaster from oven and lower temperature to 350. Place drained sauerkraut around the roast in the pan. Add 1-2 cups of water. Bake 40 minutes per pound.

This is our traditional New Year's Day dinner for good luck for the new year. I always do the crockpot method, but the oven baking instructions could come in handy so I'm including them. We love this so much that I try to make it a couple other times each year and homemade mashed potatoes are a must to go along with the pork and sauerkraut.

Easy Skillet Pasta

1 lb. ground beef (or ground turkey)

1 green pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce

2 c. water

12 lasagna noodles, broken into bite-sized pieces

1 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Brown the meat along with green pepper, onion and garlic in a large saucepan; drain any excess grease. Add spaghetti sauce and water, bring to a boil. Stir in pasta, cover. Cook on medium-low heat 10-15 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and sprinkle cheese overtop; cover. Let stand 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

This is an easy, delicious dinner. It makes about 6 servings or dinner for 4 and leftovers the next day. Last time I made this I didn't have enough lasagna noodles so I used a box of spaghetti noodles broken in pieces instead, could have also used rigatoni or penne probably - very yummy and different enough from plain old spaghetti.

Pizza Bread

Ingredients:

1 loaf frozen white bread dough
3 Tblsp. margarine, melted
1/4 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
3 oz. pepperoni
pizza sauce
other pizza toppings (optional)

Let the bread dough thaw in the fridge overnight. Preheat the oven to 350. Spread dough out flat on a cookie sheet. Melt the margarine. Add the spices to the margarine. Brush 2/3 of the margarine/spice mixture on the pizza dough. Lay pepperoni slices on top evenly over the entire rectangle of dough. Sprinkle all of the cheese on top of the pepperoni. Top with any other pizza ingredients you want. Roll dough into a jelly roll shape and place in center of cookie sheet with seam side down. Brush remaining margarine/spice mixture on top of roll. Bake for 30 minutes or till golden brown. Slice and serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

This is another of my sister's recipes she shared with me. You can use all mozzarella instead of the combination of cheddar and mozzarella if you want. I like making 2 at a time and making one that is just pepperoni and adding mushrooms and onions to the other. These are great to make up in advance and just pop into the oven when you're ready to eat. Good for potlucks too, of course!

Philly cheesesteak braid

Ingredients:

4 portions, frozen sandwich steaks, thinly sliced, cut crosswise into 1/2" strips
2 T. margarine
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 green pepper, large - cut into strips
salt and pepper to taste
2 8oz. cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 egg, beaten

Preheat over to 350. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook and stir steak strips in margarine until no longer pink; remove from skillet. Add onion and green pepper to skillet and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add cooked steak back to skillet; season with salt and pepper. Unroll 1 can of dough into 2 long rectangles. Place on ungreased cookie sheet with long sides overlapping 1/2"; firmly press edges and perforations to seal. Press or roll out to form 7" x 13" rectangle. On a second cookie sheet, repeat with remaining can of dough. Spoon half of meat mixture in 2" strip lengthwise down center of each dough. Use 1/2 cup of cheese on each and sprinkle over meat. Make cuts 1" apart on longest sides of each rectangle just to edge of filling. To give braided appearance, fold strips of dough at an angle halfway across the filling, alternating from side to side. Fold ends of braid under to seal. Brush braids with egg. Bake 16-22 minutes or till golden brown.

I found this recipe in a Pillsbury Bake-Off cookbook. I've made this for card parties and get-togethers, or even for dinner. It looks so pretty and impressive, but it really is simple. You can add mushrooms if you'd like in addition to, or instead of, the green pepper.

Greek Grilled Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

3 Tblsp. red wine vinegar
6 Tblsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tblsp. chopped fresh oregano
1 Tblsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
12 oz. chicken breast strips (fully cooked, fajita chicken strips)
10 oz. (6 c.) romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1 c. grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1/4 small red onion, sliced lengthwise
1/4 c. pitted kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese

Pour vinegar into mixing bowl and whisk in olive oil until incorporated and it thickens. Whisk in oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.
Heat chicken in microwave according to package directions. Immediately transfer hot chicken to the bowl of dressing and toss to coat in the vinegar mixture. Remove coated chicken to a plate.
Add lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, and feta to the bowl of dressing and toss to coat. Remove the salad to a platter or plates. Arrange the sliced chicken over the top. Serve with olives, croutons, and/or lemon slices.

This recipe came from the Panera website originally, but I altered it by using the precooked fajita chicken. You can use 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and grill them yourself if you'd like, but my way makes a quick summer meal. The original recipe also called for adding the olives to the salad mixture but since I'm the only one in our family that likes them, I decided to just serve them on the side. We were surprised at how filling this salad is, and it was a delicious as it sounded.

Taco Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
2 frozen pie crusts, deep dish
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 16oz. can refried beans
1/3 c. taco sauce
24 tortilla chips, crushed
lettuce
tomato
sour cream

Preheat oven to 400. Pre-heat cookie sheet to 400 also. Thaw pie crusts 10 minutes. Prick bottom and sides of crusts with fork. Bake crusts on cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce to 350. Brown ground beef and onion, drain fat. Add taco seasoning mix according to package directions. In small bowl, combine beans and taco sauce. Layer 1/2 of bean mixture in bottom of each crust. Top with 1/4 of meat, 1/4 of cheese and 1/2 the crushed tortilla chips. Using the remaining 1/4 of the meat and 1/4 of the cheese, repeat layers of the meat and cheese. Bake on cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes. Slice into pie wedges and serve with taco toppings like lettuce, diced tomatoes and sour cream.

I love the flavor of the crust with all of the taco ingredients. For our family, after I assemble the pies, I usually bake just one pie for dinner and freeze the other. Then we can have a good, home-cooked meal anytime.   

Braided Spaghetti Bread

Ingredients:

2 loaves frozen bread dough
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 lb. spaghetti
1 lb. mozzarella, cubed
1 egg
parmesan cheese
parsley
garlic powder
Thaw bread dough according to package directions. Brown ground beef and onion, add sauce and set aside. Boil pasta according to package directions and drain. Combine pasta and sauce mixture. Place each thawed bread dough loaf onto a separate cookie sheet and spread and press them out making them into large rectangles. Sprinkle garlic powder or garlic salt on the dough for some extra garlic flavor. Place pasta and sauce along center of dough, dividing half onto each loaf. Place 1/2 of the mozzarella cubes on top of each. Using a sharp knife, make cuts in the dough about 1" apart, coming within 1/2" of the filling down the center. Fold the bottom and top edges over and pinch to seal. Braid the dough cuts over top of the spaghetti and cheese, left over right until all dough is folded over top. Beat egg and brush loaves with it. Sprinkle with parmesan, parlsey and garlic powder. Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 30-35 minutes. Slice and serve.

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It originally came from the website for the company that makes the frozen bread dough but of course I altered it and made it my own. Their recipe just makes one loaf so the first time I made this, we ate every bit of it and wished for more. One might be enough if you served a salad with it or some italian green beans. We just go for 2 loaves now and have some leftovers too. Make sure you pick a spaghetti sauce that you like and would serve normally as regular spaghetti. We like one with a fresh basil flavor. You could make these loaves up the night before and store in the fridge until dinnertime. I think they would make a great dish for company too since you can make them up in advance and just put them in the oven when you're ready to eat. The mozzarella chunks melt and the cheese oozes out through the braid. I made this tonight and it is baking in the oven right now and smells delicious.

Garlic-Lemon Double Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:

4-6 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless halves
8 oz. cream cheese, cut into 1/2" slices
8 oz. cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2" slices
1 c. milk
1 1/2 c. Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 Tblsp. minced garlic
3/4 c. margarine, melted
2 Tblsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp paprika (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly coat a large shallow baking dish with oil or cooking spray. Butterfly each breast by slicing in half horizontally through the center cutting almost but not completely through. Place one slice of each of cheddar and cream cheese in the center of each breast. Close again as if placing between the pages of a book and set aside. Pour milk into a shallow bowl. In a separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Carefully dip each prepared breast first in milk, then in breadcrumb mixture, patting lightly to firmly coat. Place breasts side by side in a single layer in the baking dish, tucking edges under to seal. Microwave margarine in microwave safe dish to melt. Stir in lemon juice and garlic, then drizzle evenly over the chicken. Season breasts with garlic salt and paprika. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until no longer pink in center and juices run clear.

I found this online and tweaked it slightly to my own liking. We tried it and liked it - it's another keeper! It takes some time to prepare but it is really delicious when you have the time. The different cheeses melt together and the combination with the garlic and lemon is unexpectedly good.

Chicken and Stuffing Bake

Ingredients:

4 cups seasoned stuffing mix
3 Tblsp. margarine, melted
4-6 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless halves
paprika
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 c. milk
1 Tblsp. parsley
1 1/4 c. water, boiling

Preheat oven to 400. Mix stuffing, boiling water and margarine. Spoon stuffing across center of 9" x 13" baking dish. Place chicken on each side of stuffing. Sprinkle paprika over chicken. Mix soup, milk and parsley. Pour over chicken. Cover and bake for 40-45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

This was a recipe I collected so long ago I don't remember where I got it! This was the first time I made it and we all really liked it. It was so quick and easy, yet has that great homemade taste.

Spaghetti Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. spaghetti
1 28oz. jar spaghetti sauce
3 eggs
2 Tblsp. margarine
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 Tblsp. parsley
1 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350. Boil spaghetti according to package directions. Brown meat with chopped onion, drain. Add jar of spaghetti sauce to the meat. Put sauce in bottom of 2qt casserole dish and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and add margarine, parsley, parmesan and mozzarella, stir to mix. Add cooked, drained pasta to the egg and cheese mixture, stirring to coat. Carefully put pasta into casserole on top of the sauce. Cover and bake for 20-30 minutes.

We love this recipe - my sister Shari shared it with me years ago. Her version doesn't include onion. Also, instead of a casserole dish she cooks her spaghetti pie in a large skillet and inverts it onto a serving plate and serves it in pie slices. Either way you prepare it, it is delicious. You can use your favorite spaghetti sauce, whatever brand or flavor you prefer. Personally I like a sauce with mushrooms or a chunky garden sauce. I've made the pie up the night before and stuck it in the fridge so it would be ready to bake for dinner the next day so it's another great meal for busy evenings.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:

1 bag extra-wide egg noodles
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can tuna
potato chips

Prepare noodles according to package directions, drain. In casserole dish combine tuna and cream of mushroom soup. Add noodles. Crush potato chips and sprinkle on top, at least enough to cover the noodles. Bake at 350 for 1/2 hour or microwave on high for 12 minutes.

Such a simple dish, but everyone has their own twist - I've even heard of someone adding peas which I think sounds terrible and I totally love peas. I really don't like any other version. This has become a total comfort food for me. My mom used to make it for lunch for my sisters and me whenever school was out for the summer. Now I make it for my daughters and I think about Mom every time I make it. My girls call it "Chip Noodles" and they love it. Mom died 30 years ago and yesterday was her birthday and she would have been 70. I fixed Chip Noodles for dinner and the girls and I ate the whole thing. It makes me happy to think that K and D will someday use this same recipe to share with their kids and they'll think of me.

Crockpot Turkey Breast

Ingredients:

1 small to medium turkey breast
1 stick of butter
salt

Wash and pat dry turkey breast. Season lightly with salt. Place in crockpot with 1 stick of butter. Turn on low and cook for 10-12 hours.

Heat up a jar of turkey gravy and make some stuffing or potatoes and you have a delicious meal, any day of the week.

Miracle Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 15oz. container of cottage cheese (or ricotta cheese if you prefer)
2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 c. parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375. Brown ground beef and onion. Add sauce. In a 2 quart baking dish (I use a 9"x13" glass pan), spread 1 cup of the sauce mixture. Top with 3 or 4 uncooked noodles. On top of the uncooked noodles, spread the cottage cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella, the grated parmesan cheese, and another cup of the sauce mixture. Top with 3 or 4 more uncooked noodles and the remaining sauce. Cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and top with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and let stand 5 minutes to allow the cheese to melt.

You can make this up ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator overnight even, until you're ready to bake it. The noodles soften during cooking - you don't even need to buy the kind that are specially made to be used that way. This rivals any lasagna I've ever had - it has great flavor, it's filling and makes the house smell wonderful. Serve with salad and garlic bread, it works great when you're having dinner guests.

My Mom's Meatloaf

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground beef
7 slices bread, torn/crumbled into small pieces
1 large onion, diced
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbles, diced onion, eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly - your bare hands work best. Divide in half and put into 2 loaf pans. Pat/pack loaf firmly. Bake 1 hour.

The first few times I made this when I was growing up, instead of using loaf pans I divided the meatloaf mixture into the cups of a muffin tin, shortening the baking time to just 20-30 minutes. This isn't your typical meatloaf with tomato sauce or gravy, though my daughter eats it with ketchup. The onion-y flavor is so hearty and a family favorite. This is my husband's favorite meal I make!

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 28oz. can tomatoes (crushed)
1 15oz. can tomato sauce
1 6ox. can tomato paste
water
black pepper, onion salt, oregano, garlic salt, basil

Brown ground beef and onion in large skillet. Put beef mixture in large stockpot. Add tomatoes, sauce, paste and 2 paste cans full of water. Season with the spices to taste. Heat to rolling boil, reduce heat to medium low. Simmer, stirring regularly, for 1 hour until it thickens.

This is my favorite thing that my husband cooks for me. (We joke that part of the reason I married him was for his spaghetti!) It was his mom's recipe that he has made his own - unfortunately he doesn't measure the spices, but everyone's palate is a bit different so you can make it to your liking if you decide to try it. I like it so much that I asked him to fix a double recipe this time so I can take leftovers to work for lunch. I may even freeze some of it so I don't have to wait for the next batch! It has that great homemade taste, there's nothing like it. Boil some pasta and add some bread, you have a fantastic, filling meal that leaves the whole house smelling wonderful.

24-hour Italian Beef

Ingredients:

Beef roast (3-6 lbs)
2 c. water
1 pkg. au jus gravy mix
1 pkg. Italian dressing mix
1/3-1/2 of a 16oz. jar peperoncini


Combine water, gravy mix and dressing mix. Pour over roast in crockpot. Add peperoncini to taste, the more you add the spicier it will be. Cover and cook on low 12-15 hours - put it on before you go to bed. In the morning, shred beef with forks, forming strings. Cook on low an additional 10-12 hours. Serve on crusty Italian rolls. Top with shredded mozzarella or provolone.

My friend Renee' makes a version of this that I love. I decided to try to find a similar recipe. I found this and added the peperoncini for the added spice I was looking for - it is so delicious! It is great for a dinner when everyone is on the run, or when you're having a get-together with friends. It has such a home-y, slow-cooked taste - everyone loves it!

Crockpot Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 28oz. can peeled, diced, tomatoes
1 15oz. can tomato sauce
1 6oz. can tomato paste
2 15oz. cans kidney beans (I use one dark red and one light red)
1 packet chili seasoning mix
1 large onion, chopped

Brown ground beef and onion in skillet on stovetop. Put all ingredients including the prepared ground beef and onion into the crockpot and stir together. Cook on low 8-12 hours. Serve with saltines or oyster crackers, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, even hot dogs - whatever else you like with your chili.

Fall weather is upon us and I'm planning to make chili in the morning for Beggar's Night. It makes trick or treating so easy - dinner is ready when you walk in the door at the end of the workday, each person can eat as they're hungry and still get costumes and make-up on and everything ready for the all the little goblins that will be stopping by. Everyone has their favorite chili and this is my own take on it. It is very similar to what my mom used to make and my family loves it. It's even better reheated the next day.

Onion Soup

Ingredients:

1 large red onion
1 large vidalia onion
1 med-large yellow cooking onion
1 10.5oz. can onion soup, plus 2 cans of water
2 large cans beef broth
pepper

Rough chop all the onions. Combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 8-12 hours. Serve in individual bowls with a slice of provolone melted on top. Make your own croutons or serve with crusty french bread.

There used to be a restaurant downtown that my husband and I would go to for lunch. This is my attempt to recreate their yummy onion soup. My creation is one of my husband's favorite meals! It's another easy meal that is ready for my busy family to eat whenever their schedules give them a minute to sit down and eat it.

Shrimp Scampi Spaghetti

Ingredients:
1 16oz. pkg spaghetti
1/2 stick butter or margarine
salt
2 Tblsp olive oil
1 lb. shrimp, large, peeled, deveined
4 cloves garlic, minced (I use 2 tsp of the prepared minced garlic in the jar)
pinch red pepper flakes
2 Tblsp lemon juice
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions in boiling water. Melt butter and oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Add garlic, pepper flakes, lemon juice and parsley. Cook till shrimp are just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta and put in large bowl. Add the shrimp mixture and toss to coat the pasta. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with grated parmesan.

Mom made this one night when I stopped over. It has 2 of my favorite foods - shrimp and pasta - so I had to have the recipe. She gave the recipe to me and I made it, and I couldn't believe how quick and easy it was, and it makes a great meal even for company - delicious. I make it almost weekly now. Enjoy!