Spaghetti Casserole

Ugh...I've been sick for the last few days and I don't want to do anything. But, with the TAKS test (Texas' standardized test) next week, I can't miss a day of work. I wasn't able to cook dinner tonight, because I was sleeping. So, its a good thing I made a huge casserole on Tuesday night to hold us over. I found this recipe awhile ago and my husband really likes it. Plus, it makes enough to freeze leftovers.

Spaghetti Casserole

1 - 16 oz. package angel hair pasta

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 - 26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce

2 - 8oz cans tomato sauce

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup (8 oz) sour cream

2 cups shredded colby-monterey jack cheese

Cook pasta according to directions. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until done; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce. Remove from heat. Drain pasta. Combine soup and sour cream. In two, 8 inch square baking dishes, layer half of the meat sauce, pasta, soup mixture and cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes or until cheese is melted.

To use frozen casserole: Thaw in fridge overnight. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking, then bake as directed.

Notes: I think that I will use an extra 16 oz of spaghetti sauce vs. the 2 cans of tomato sauce next time. Also, instead of making 2 casseroles with this recipe, I just made one 9x13 casserole this time. I froze individual portions of the leftovers for my husband to take for lunches.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

This week has been filled with traveling, and therefore little cooking. I have had 4 interviews and 1 job fair lately. It wouldn't be so bad, but its a long drive across Houston during rush hour. I have had one job offer and I think I'll get another this week. I'm trying to hold out for the second offer with Magnolia ISD. Hopefully this week will be better (plus no school on Friday!!!!). Anyway, I've wanted to post these enchiladas for a while. They are so not the traditional enchiladas we are used to, but they are still tasty. My husband really likes them and they are easy to make.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

4 0z. cream cheese, softened

1 tbsp. water

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken

10 flour tortillas

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1- 4oz can green chilies

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, water, and seasonings until smooth. Stir in chicken. Place 1/4 cup of chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla, roll up, and place seam side down in a greased 13x9x2 inch dish. In a bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, milk, and chilies. Pour over enchiladas. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese, bake 5 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted.

By the way...I'm posting this from my couch on my new handy, dandy HP Netbook. I've never had a laptop, and I'm super excited. Hopefully I'll post more often now that I can do it from anywhere in the house (maybe).

Spiral Pepperoni Pizza Bake

I've been pretty busy lately. We recently bought a new house, which happens to be about an hour away from where we currently live. So, we've been spending some of our weekends at the new place, and we'll move there permanently next June. Hopefully, I'll have some pics to post soon. Anyway, I haven't had much time for posting or cooking. This is a recipe I made on Monday.

Spiral Pepperoni Pizza Bake

1-16oz package spiral pasta
2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2-15oz cans of pizza sauce
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
2 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1-3 1/2 oz package of sliced pepperoni

Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, in a large pot, cook beef, onion, salt and pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the pizza sauce, garlic salt, and italian seasoning; remove from heat and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and Parmesan. Drain pasta; toss with egg mixture. Transfer to a greased 3qt. casserole dish. Top with beef mixture, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni. Cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-25 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Notes: You could use spaghetti sauce instead of pizza sauce. Definately salt the pasta while its boiling. I didn't do this, and the pasta layer in the casserole was bland. I used grated Parmesan instead of shredded and the dish came out fine. Lastly, I only used about 3 cups of mozzarella. Four cups just seemed overwhelming.

Spaghetti Hot Dish

I've felt very uninspired lately when making my meal plans. I just can't find any recipes that interest me right now. I think I need to get a new cookbook. Anyway, I made this casserole today because I just couldn't find anything else I wanted to make.

Spaghetti Hot Dish

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 1/2 onions, diced

3 celery ribs, diced

1/4 cup butter

5 tbsp. all purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste

3 1/2 cups milk

2 tbsp. chopped pimientos

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 1/4 cups cooked spaghetti

1 cup finely crushed butter flavor crackers (about 25 crackers)

In a large skillet, cook beef, onions, and celery in butter over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until blended. Gradually add the milk, pimientos, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in spaghetti; mix well. Transfer to a greased 11x7x2 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with cracker crumbs. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.

Mexican Casserole

Seems like I'm just not finding the time to blog much lately. I'm rushed for time right now to finish this so I can watch a movie with my husband. Hopefully, I'll get my Halloween stuff posted soon (just waiting on some pictures). I know I post a lot of mexican food, but I just can't help it. It's so good!!! So, here's another one.

Mexican Casserole

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

1 envelope of taco seasoning

3/4 cup water

1 - 16oz can refried beans

1/2 cup salsa

6 - 6inch- flour tortillas

2 cups frozen corn, thawed (or canned corn, drained)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, cook beef over med heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in taco seasonings and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, combine the beans and salsa. Cover and microwave for 1-2 minutes or until spreadable. Place 3 tortillas in a greased round 2 1/2 qt baking dish. Layer with half of the beef, bean mixture, corn and cheese; repeat layers. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and sour cream if desired.

Notes: Enough Said!

Success!!: Sloppy Joe Casserole

Thank you Taste of Home Casserole Cookbook!!!! I know I can always come to you to make a good dish with leftovers.

Lately, I've had a series of bad experiences in the kitchen. Well, actually, they weren't bad experiences in the kitchen, so much as bad experiences after my husband tasted them. To make a long story (and many arguments) short, my husband has not been fond of the dishes I've made lately. Anyway, after this dish, I asked him how it was, and he said "It was ok," which for me, means SUCCESS!!!!! He even took leftovers for lunch the next day. I know it may seem odd to get excited about a simple "it was ok," but my husband is a picky eater, and anything that he doesn't have a bad opinion about means it was good. I also made a side dish for this recipe. It was very small, and not really worth it. It was called "In a Flash Beans", and while they were done pretty quickly, they weren't much different than if they had come straight from the can.

Sloppy Joe Casserole

(sorry, no picture)

1 lb ground beef

3 cups cooked rice

1-15 1/2 oz can sloppy joe sauce

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 tsp. seasoned salt

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the rice, sloppy joe sauce, corn, and seasoned salt. Transfer to a greased 2 qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Notes: I used 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef and a little more than 3 cups of rice, so I used a slightly larger casserole dish. That's how I got so much left over. Also, the original recipe also calls for 1-4oz can of mushroom stems and pieces, drained to be added along with the rice, sloppy joe sauce and corn. We left that out.

In a Flash Beans

1-15 3/4 oz can of pork and beans

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green pepper, optional

In a large saucepan, combine the beans, bbq sauce, onion, and green pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through.

Veggie Lasagna

Don't knock it till you've tried it. This was a really easy lasagna recipe without any meat. Although, you could very easily add meat to it if you like. I conveniently left out the word "Veggie" from my meal plan posted on the fridge, and my husband never even realized the meat was missing. This recipe is a little different, considering it calls for green beans in the lasagna. But, in my family, we always ate green beans as a side dish with spaghetti, so it wasn't as much of a stretch for me.

Veggie Lasagna

9 uncooked lasagna noodles

1 egg

1 egg white

1 15oz. caton reduced fat ricotta cheese

2 tsp. dried parsley flakes

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. pepper

4 cups garden style spaghetti sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 or 2 cans cut green beans, drained (add as little as one can or as much as two)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the eggs, egg whites, ricotta cheese, parsley, basil, oregano, and pepper; set aside. In a 13x9x2 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray, spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce. Drain noodles; place three noodles over spaghetti sauce. Layer with half of the ricotta mixture, 1 cup spaghetti sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, three lasagna noodles, and the green beans. Top with the remaining ricotta mixture, 1 cup spaghetti sauce, remaining lasagna noodles, spaghetti sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over each. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly and edges are lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Notes: This really was a good dish, but I had to make some changes to it. I went to buy the garden style Ragu spaghetti sauce, but after reading the ingredients, I realized it had mushrooms in it. I swear my husband can smell mushrooms from a mile away, and he hates them. So, I settled for the Ragu Chunky Tomato, Onion, and Garlic sauce. It had great flavor, but it wasn't very chunky, and there was a distinct lacking of veggies in my veggie lasagna, except for the green beans. I think I will definately try this again, but I'm going to saute some green peppers and onions, and add them to the spaghetti sauce.

Baked Chops and Fries

This is a wonderful meal that I thought was going to be a total disaster (it almost was). I think I've worked out most of the bugs though. It is a creamy casserole with pork chops, potatoes, and green beans. What more could you want??? (Sorry, the pictures I took were just too bad to post)

Baked Chops with Fries

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp paprika

4 pork chops (1 inch or thinner, bone in or boneless)

2 tbsp. veg oil

1 can cream of celery (or mushroom) soup

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. dried parsley

4 cups frozen steak fries, thawed

2 cans green beans, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine salt, pepper, and paprika; sprinkle over both sides of chops. In a large skillet, cook chops in oil on both sides until just done (don't over cook). Remove chops and keep warm. Drain skillet, then combine soup, sour cream, milk and parsley in the skillet. Cook and stir until heated through (shouldn't take long). In a greased 11x7x2inch dish, lay the fries in a single layer on bottom. Spread green beans over top of the potatoes. Pour the soup mixture over the green beans as evenly as possible. Top with cooked chops. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 5 more minutes or until meat is tender and vegetables are heated through.

Meaty Cornbread Casserole

Fridays are usually Girls night, so I wasn't expecting to cook tonight. I had planned this recipe for tomorrow, but it had to be used tonight. My sister Lindsey came up to stay with us for the weekend, and we have a big day of fishing planned for tomorrow. This was a good meal for the three of us and we had leftovers. The recipe is from Taste of Home. Everything tastes good with country gravy!!

Meaty Cornbread Casserole

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 lb bulk pork sausage

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained

1 cup water

1 envelope brown gravy mix

1 box Jiffy corn bread mix

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1 envelope country gravy mix

In a large skillet, cook beef and sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in corn, water, and brown gravy mix. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute until thickened. Spoon into a greased 8inch baking dish. Prepare corn bread batter according to package directions; stir in the pepper and garlic powder. Spread over meat mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into corn bread layer comes out clean. Meanwhile, prepare country gravy mix according to package directions; serve over casserole.

Notes: Don't be scared of using both brown and white gravy. The finished product is delicious. You can easily double this recipe. Double all ingredients, except only use 3 cans of corn. Place in a 9x13inch dish and the baking times are the same.