Cheesy Chicken, Bacon and Tater Tot Bake

I made this for dinner. There wasn't any left. I was a lot disappointed as I wanted to plunder some for lunch the next day. :( On the bright side - the family loved it. So that's all that matters! My teammate was Chef Buggsy Mate from the deep woods of northern Wisconsin. She was one of my teammates for the Oct 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. The original recipe calls for making this in a crockpot. I decided to change it to do in the oven. I really love how it turned out. It was perfect!

Cheesy Chicken, Bacon and Tater Tot Bake
1 (32 oz) bag tater tots (I added some extra cuz we like our tots!)
1 (3 0z) jar bacon bits (or use real bacon)
5 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
2 1/2 cups combined monterey jack AND colby AND cheddar cheese - any combination will work
3/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Grease a 9x13 pan with vegetable spray. Layer 1/2 tater tots on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the jar of bacon bits. Sprinkle 1/3 of the combined cheeses over the bacon and tots. Add all the chicken as the next layer. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Top chicken with another 1/3 of cheese. Sprinkle with another 1/4 of the jar of bacon bits. Top with remainder of tater tots. Top with final 1/3 of cheese. Pour milk over the top. Bake uncovered, for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

English Muffin Pizzas

Mom2Rose had this recipe to choose from during my last recipe swap. Donovan actually was the one to make these for dinner. All you need are a few ingredients and you have a kid pleaser, teenager pleaser, adult pleaser and crowd pleaser! These are fun to make for sleepovers and birthday parties.

English Muffin Pizzas
Enough english muffins for the people eating them - approximately 2-3 per person
pizza sauce
mozzarella cheese
pepperoni

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Open the english muffins. Top with sauce, cheese and pepperoni. Be careful not to overdo the sauce as it will make the muffins become soggy on the bottom. Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and muffins are toasted. Cool slightly and serve!

Homemade Hot Pockets

The idea goes to Mom2Rose - my teammate for the June 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. She is from Michigan. Her original recipe I believe uses these as an appetizer. She uses 3 inch circles which I found to be hard to work with. So....I made my circles bigger - but I have an even better idea. Read on....

Homemade Hot Pockets
pie crusts - either homemade or store bought
your favorite fillings such as but not limited to.....
black forest ham, honey ham, pepperoni, chopped chicken, broccoli, etc
your favorite cheeses such as but not limited to...
sharp cheddar, cheddar, pepper jack, monterey jack, muenster, mozzarella, etc.
If you go the pepperoni route you may want pizza sauce as well.
1 large egg, beaten

Roll out your pie crust or lay out the store bought one. Put your fillings and cheese on half of the crust. Pull the other gently over. Brush inside edges of pie crust with beaten egg. Carefully seal edge. Brush top with beaten egg. Bake at 425 until light golden brown. I don't remember how long it took. Maybe 20 minutes? Let cool and cut into 3 wedges.

Tortilla Stack

I found this recipe while we lived in Arizona. Money was super tight for groceries. I think at this time we had roughly $20/week for groceries. Thank goodness for food storage I tell you! I found this recipe in a book from the library called The Crockery Cook.

Tortilla Stack
1 1/2 lb uncooked lean ground beef
1 pint pinto or black beans
8 corn tortillas, each cut into 6 wedges
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
1 pkg taco seasoning
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
sour cream
shredded lettuce
chopped green onion
chopped red bell pepper
sliced olives
peeled and chopped avocado
grated cheddar cheese

Combine soup and taco mix. Set aside.

Spray crockpot with veggie spray. Crumble 1/4 of ground beef into bottom of crockpot Top with 1/4 of beans. Top with 1/4 of tortilla wedges. Spread 1/4 soup mixture over tortillas. Sprinkle with 1/4 tomatoes. Repeat layers until all beef, beans, tortilla wedges, soup mixture and tomatoes are in crockpot. Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours. Spoon onto individual plates. Top with sour cream, lettuce, green onion, bell pepper, olives or avocado if desired. Additional cheddar cheese may also be used.

Macaroni and Cheese

Classic Macaroni and Cheese is the correct name of this so yummy, creamy mac-n-cheese. There was an actual macaroni and cheese cookoff in Portland either this week or last week with chefs from everywhere making their own creations. The requirement - using Tillamook cheese products! You can go to www.tillamookcheese.com then click on the recipes link. From there are many choices to choose from. If you click on the recipe link for Macaroni and Cheese there will be many choices to peruse at your leisure. After having done this myself....I opted to make the below recipe for my family. It was a winner!

Classic Macaroni and Cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. I will tell you what I did to the recipe to make it work for my family. If you want the original - go to the website.

16 oz small elbow macaroni - cook per package directions and drain

3/4 cup breadcrumbs - either homemade or panko
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 TBSP softened butter
Combine these ingredients in a medium size bowl and set aside.

4 cups Colby Jack cheese shredded and set aside

In a large dutch oven melt 3 TBSP butter.
Add:
4 TBSP flour and whisk well. Gradually add 3 cups **whole milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir in:
2 pinches of nutmeg
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (If your family doesn't like spicy - leave out. It adds a nice "kick.")
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Cook, stirring continuously until sauce begins to thicken. About 7 minutes. Remove from heat and add 4 cups shredded cheese. Stir until smooth. Stir in pasta. Pour into 9x13 baking pan that has been sprayed with vegetable spray. Top with breadcrumb mixture. Bake uncovered until cheese is bubbling and the top is golden. Approximately 25-30 minutes.


**On the whole milk...
I don't buy whole milk. I like the powdered milk from the LDS cannery and found out I can make my own - which I did for this recipe. 1 cup powdered milk and 3 cups water in a blender makes the amount of milk needed for this recipe. Just thought you should know that. :) Maybe this helps lessen the fat content - not that you should be worrying about that if you are eating macaroni and cheese in the first place. Enjoy! This makes excellent leftovers as well. Hence the 9x13 pan. This recipe can always be halved.

All-In-One Breakfast

This picture doesn't do justice to the yummy breakfast this makes! I remembered to take a picture when the pan was already half gone! The whole family really enjoyed this tasty casserole on the first day of school back to school breakfast. This recipe comes from Laurlie41 in Indiana. The hardest part about this recipe is actually getting out of bed early enough to have the casserole ready before the kids leave for school!

All-In-One Breakfast
6 English muffins, split in half
1 lb bulk sausage
12 eggs
8 oz sour cream
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies, drained
1 cup cheddar cheese

Arrange english muffins in the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking pan. Overlap as necessary so the muffins all fit. Set aside.
Brown sausage. Drain.
In a large bowl whisk eggs. Add in sausage, sour cream and diced chilies. Mix well and pour over english muffins. Press lightly to thoroughly moisten the muffins.
Sprinkle cheese on top. Cover pan and refrigerate overnight.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes the next morning. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Pizza Casserole

Pizza Casserole
Who doesn't like pizza? Okay - I know there are people who do - but I am not acquainted with any of them. I like this casserole because of the possibilities. I got it from Taste of Home and the boys loved it so much they took it to school the next day for lunch!

3 cups uncooked spiral pasta
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 can (8 oz) mushroom stems and pieces, drained (why not use fresh ones....)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 14 oz jar pizza sauce
3 oz tomato paste
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 3.5 oz pkg sliced pepperoni
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (I just have the kind in the canister. If you have fresh...by all means use it...)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet or dutch oven - cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in mushrooms, tomato sauce, pizza sauce, tomato paste, sugar and seasonings. Drain pasta, stir into meat mixture.
Put half of the pasta mixture in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Add 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Layer half of the pepperoni. Repeat layers starting with the pasta and ending with the pepperoni. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over casserole. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes longer.

**I like the possibilities. If you like meat on your pizzas - add more meat to your layers. If you only like veggies - leave out the meat and add veggies to your heart's content. If you only are a cheese pizza kind of person - just leave out the meat and veggies altogether!

Sandwich Wraps

We had these for dinner tonight. The idea comes from Happyfrog in Oregon. I changed some things in her recipe to make it work for us. I put everything out on the table and let everyone create their own wraps. It was a huge hit! Russell is even taking one to work tomorrow for lunch. I was impressed as I associate wraps as being "girly" lunches.

Sandwich Wraps (per person)
desired amount of leaf lettuce
shredded carrot
2 strips of bacon, cooked and chopped
dash of garlic powder
1/2 cup softened cream cheese
1/4 cup ranch dressing
mustard
lunch meat, your choice
2 slices favorite cheese
1 burrito size tortilla

Mix cream cheese, garlic powder and ranch dressing very well. Add enough mustard to add color. Spread mixture on tortilla peanut butter style. Next add lettuce, carrot, bacon, meat then cheese. Fold up bottom third of tortilla. Roll tortilla up starting on one side ending on the other.

*I didn't think these would be very filling - but one was enough for me! My filling choices were chicken for the meat and provolone for the cheese. :)

Black Bean and Tortilla Bake

We thought this recipe was a great summertime one. Everyone loved the flavors. We served it over rice. Russell especially liked it and wants to know when we are having it again. This recipe comes from spatchcock on recipezaar. This person comes from the Mississippi area.

Black Bean and Tortilla Bake

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin powder

1 8oz can tomato sauce

1 16oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 TBSP chopped cilantro (I didn't have any so didn't use it)

salt and pepper to taste

12 soft corn tortillas

8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded, reserving 2 TBSP

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Add garlic, onions, tomato, green onion, cumin and chili powder. Cook on medium heat until onion is tender. Add tomato sauce and cook 5 minutes more.

Stir in beans, cilantro, salt and pepper.

Spray a 9 inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Layer 4 tortillas, 1/3 cheese, and 1/3 of the bean mixture; repeat 2 more times.

Top with reserved 2 TBSP of cheese.

Bake 20 minutes, covered, then 10 minutes uncovered or until bubbly.

Chicken Quesadillas

Oh my lucky southwestern stars! These quesadillas were such a hit at dinner tonight! I served coleslaw with it and what a perfect side!
Chicken Quesadillas
2 flour tortillas per person
favorite salsa
shredded chicken
sliced or chopped olives
shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. For each tortilla - place one on a non-stick cookie sheet OR a sprayed cookie sheet with vegetable oil. Top with salsa (kind of like you would with sauce and pizza), add shredded chicken, olives and cheese. You can sprinkle with parsley if you like or add chopped cilantro. Top with second tortilla. Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting. Your fingers will thank you.

Coleslaw
Our neighbor gave us this ginormous cabbage - probably 5-8 lbs. It's huge! I used only a very small portion to make coleslaw tonight.
Shredded cabbage
Sauce:
About 1 cup mayonniase
Dash of white vinegar
1 TBSP sugar - or to taste
1 tsp celery seed
Combine sauce ingredients in bowl. This sauce totally goes by taste of the cook mixing it up. I add the ingredients and taste. If it needs more of something I add it. If I like the way it is - I mix it in with the cabbage and refrigerate until time to eat. It's not complicated and very refreshing on a summer day.

Delice Lorraine

We had the most amazing dinner last night. I am participating in the Aussie/ NZ June recipe swap on recipezaar.com. I make recipes from the different people on my team and they make some of mine. This recipe comes from Jen T in New Zealand.

Delice Lorraine (Crepes with cheese & ham filling)

Serves 4-6 so increase as needed

4-6 crepes (made from your favorite recipe)

4-6 slices ham (I used the deli lunch ham)

12-16 TBSP medium cheddar cheese

12-16 TBSP additional grated cheese

4-6 TBSP heavy cream (I used whipping cream - I didn't want it too heavy)

Parsley to garnish

Lay crepes out flat and top with sliced ham. I used two slices ham per crepe as they were very thin. Top with 3-4 TBSP grated cheese. Roll up each crepe so that they resemble a big fat cigar. Place in a baking dish that will hold them in one layer. I spray my pan with veggie spray. Top each crepe with another 3-4 TBSP grated cheese. Finally, pour a TBSP of cream over each crepe. This can all be done in advance. Just place in refrigerator. I baked mine in a 425-450 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Not very long. Just long enough for the cheese on top to melt and start to brown.

**Note - I added asparagus as you can see in the picture. You could experiment with different meat/veggie combinations. Go ahead. Be creative. That's what cooking is all about.