Million Dollar Spaghetti

1 lb. ground beef

1 jar spaghetti sauce

8 oz. cream cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

8 oz. cottage cheese

1/4 cup butter

8 oz. noodles

1 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Boil noodles per package instructions.  Mix together cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese.  Mix very well (I used my kitchen aid.)  While noodles are cooking brown ground beef in skillet and drain off grease.  Once meat is browned add jar of spaghetti sauce and mix well.  Spray bottom of 9x13 pan with cooking spray.  Layer half the noodles on bottom of pan.  Top with creamy mixture, spreading evenly over top.  Layer with the rest of the noodles.  Slice butter into 6 pieces and place on top of noodles.  Top with meat mixture.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with cheese.  Bake another 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

*My creamy mixture didn't spread very well so I just mixed it in with the noodles and it worked just fine!! 

Black Bean Stacks

This is a great meatless recipe option and is really versatile....just throw in what you have on hand or what sounds good to you!

1 Tbsp. oil
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 tsp. cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small can diced green chilies
1 Tbsp. taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup cilantro
Corn tortillas
Shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat oil in skillet.  Add onion, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper and cook until onions soften.  Then add black beans, green chilies, taco seasoning, water, corn and cilantro.  Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook until most of the moisture has been absorbed, 8-10 minutes.

Warm up six corn tortillas in microwave.  Place a corn tortilla on the bottom of cookie sheet, add 1/6 of bean mixture and top with cheese.  Repeat adding a corn tortilla and bean mixture until you have used 3 corn tortillas and 3 levels of bean mixture ending with cheese on top.  Makes 2 stacks.

Top with cilantro, avocado, salsa, sour cream....whatever your heart desires!!

Baked Fried Chicken

This was a  new recipe I tried and everyone loved it so I thought I'd share!  (For those of you that come from THE TEXAS with real good fried chicken you might not appreciate it as much ;))

Soak chicken breast tenderloins (I cut up 3 breasts into strips) in a bowl of milk for 20-30 minutes.

Mix in a gallon size ziploc or large bowl:
1 Tbl. season all salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup flour
2 tsp. paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut 1/2 a stick of butter into a few pieces and place in a 9x13 pan.  Melt butter in preheated oven.

Spread melted butter around the bottom of the pan.  Lightly spray the pan, if needed, to make sure there are no dry spots.

Shake excess milk off of chicken and completely coat each piece with the seasoning mix.  You can either shake the chicken in the bag until coated, or dip each piece in the bowl until coated.

Place each piece of chicken in the pan.  Cook for 15-20 minutes.  Turn each piece of chicken and continue cooking for 15-20 more minutes, or until cooked through.  Enjoy!

Lemon Chicken Linguine

I made this for dinner last night and thought is was so delicious, so I figured that I would share it! It is a very light sauce which is why I liked it so much. It didn't feel as heavy as pasta usually does.  I think it could be really good with just veggies instead of chicken too.

Lemon Chicken Linguine

Cooking time: 35 min

What you'll need:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound linguine or other long pasta shape
• Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

What to do:

1. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat; add the chicken and brown it 3 to 4 minutes on each side.  Remove the chicken from the saucepan.
    
2. Add remaining ingredients, except the pasta and parsley, then bring to a boil and add the pasta. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    
3. Meanwhile, cut the cooked chicken into 2-inch by 1/4-inch strips. Add to the mixture, cover and simmer 5 minutes; stir.
    
4. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole

(Teri Sorensen)

Crust:   1 cup brown sugar

            1/3 cup flour

            1 cup chopped nuts (pecans preferred)

            ¼ cup butter, melted

Sweet Potato Mixture:  3 cups mashed sweet potatoes (can use canned to save time, just drain)

                                    1 cup sugar

                                    ½ teaspoon salt

                                    1 teaspoon vanilla

                                    2 eggs (well beaten)

                                    ½ cup butter, melted

Directions:

1.         Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter in mixing bowl.  Set aside.

2.         Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3.         Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a mixing bowl in the order listed.

4.         Pour mixture into buttered baking dish.

5.         Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture.

6.         Bake for 30 minutes.  Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving.

Larry's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dad’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream together:

1 c. shortening

1 c. margarine

1 ½ c. brown sugar

1 ½ c. granulated sugar

3 eggs

3 tsp. vanilla

Add:

5 ¼ c. flour

1 ½ tsp. salt

1 ½ tsp. baking soda

1 package chocolate chips

Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Butternut Squash Soup

Michele gave me a butternut squash from grandpas garden and I made this soup out of it.  I thought it was tasty! 

2 Tbls. olive oil
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 onion, diced
4 cups peeled and seeded butternut squash, cubed
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in large pot.  Add carrot, celery, onion and cook unitl onions become translucent (3-4 minutes).  Add squash, thyme, broth and salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash is fork tender (20-25 minutes). Use an immersion blender (your bamix!) to puree soup.  You can also let the soup cool slightly and add in batches to a regular blender being careful not to overfill.

We served this with grilled cheese to make it more kid friendly!
Recipe found here.