HAM AND CHEESE SLIDERS

These are pretty much my favorite.
From:  http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/04/ham-and-cheese-sliders.html

HAM AND CHEESE SLIDERS

• 24 white dinner rolls
• 24 pieces honey ham
• 24 small slices Swiss cheese
• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• ⅓ cup miracle whip

Poppy seed sauce:

• 1 Tablespoon poppyseeds
• 1½ Tablespoons yellow mustard
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 1 Tablespoon minced onion
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and miracle whip. Spread onto both sides of the center of each roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls and place them into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet. Place very close together.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. You do not have to use all of the sauce! Just use enough to cover the tops. Let sit 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes or until tops are slightly brown and crispy. Serve warm. Note: Sandwiches can be assembled ahead of time. I don't like to do it more than a day ahead because they can get soggy from the mayo mixture.

Pizza Hash Casserole

Pizza Hash Casserole

Ingredients:

Rotini pasta
Spaghetti sauce, 
Cooked and seasoned ground beef
Pepperoni, 
Olives, 
Mozzarella cheese 

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 until warmed through and cheese melted and bubbly.

Easy Outback Potato Soup

Easy Outback Potato Soup
Ingredients:
1 30 oz. Bag of Frozen Hashbrowns
5 cups Chicken Broth
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 onion, chopped
1-2 carrots, chopped
1 8oz. Brick of Cream Cheese

Put first 5 ingredients in crock pot and stir.  Cook on low for 5-7 hours, or high for 3-4 hours.  Add softened cream cheese cut into chunks in the last 30 minutes.

Garnish with grated cheese, bacon bits, green onions, and sour cream.

Cheese Potato and Smoked Sausage Casserole

CHEESE POTATO AND SMOKED SAUSAGE CASSEROLE
From: http://www.food.com/recipe/joleans-cheese-potato-smoked-sausage-casserole-126623

3 cups idaho potatoes, peeled, boiled and cut into cubes when cool, approx. 1 lb
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 lb Velveeta cheese, diced
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 lb skinless smoked sausage ( Eckrich is my favorite brand)
1/8 teaspoon paprika

Directions

Cut skinless smoked sausage in half, lengthwise, and then chop into 1/2 inch "half moon" cuts. Cook in a frying pan for about 15 minutes, turning frequently to SLIGHTLY brown.

Meanwhile, put cooked & diced potatoes in 2 quart casserole. Add cooked meat and give it a gentle toss.

Mix all remaining ingredients (except for shredded cheddar cheese & the paprika) in a saucepan over medium heat until warm, melted and smooth. (Use a whisk and stir constantly.).

Pour white/cheese sauce over potatoes and meat. Sprinkle shredded sharp cheddar cheese on top, and then sprinkle paprika evenly over the top.

Bake in preheated 350°F oven for 35-45 minutes (watch, until golden brown on top).

NOTE: You can substitute: 1/2 lb. hot dogs, sliced into 1/2-inch slices OR 1/2 lb. ham diced into 1/2-inch dices OR 12 oz. can of Spam diced into 1/2-inch dices, instead of the smoked sausage

Witchy Fingers

This year I decided to make my kids a week worth of spooky dinner as a countdown to Halloween.  One of our spookiest dinners this week was these Witchy Fingers.  I used Tyson Chicken's Anytiser Chicken Fingers, baked them according to package directsions and added slices of tomatoes for fingernails.  However, red or green pepper slices would have also made for some wicked fingernails!  The kids loved them!

Cheesy Bacon Chicken

This dinner was both fancy and easy to make.  The bacon and cheese sticks gave it instant kid appeal!

Bacon and Cheesey Chicken

Source: Basic Bites (this website is amazing for basic, practical, family dinners that kids will eat!)

4 slices of bacon
4 cheese sticks
4 chicken breasts
Toothpicks
2 cans cream of chicken
2 cups sour cream (*I personally halved the cream of chicken and sour cream and it was plenty of sauce for the chicken and potatoes)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl combine cream of chick and sour cream. Set aside.
Spray your baking dish with cooking spray.
Wrap a piece of bacon around each cheese stick.
Roll each chicken breast around the bacon and cheese and pin with a tooth pick.
(I like to slightly pound/flatten the chicken breasts to make them roll and stay in place better).
Place the rolled chicken in the baking dish.
Pour previously mixed sauce over the chicken.
Cover and bake for about an hour and a half.

**Mashed potatoes are a great side dish because the extra sauce from the chicken is great on top of the potatoes!

Best Tator Tot Casserole, Ever!

Every kid needs to grow up on a steady diet of Tater-tot casserole, especially kids from Idaho who have to have a side of potatoes with every meal.  And if you are going to go tater-tots, topped with cheddar and bacon is the way to go!

Bacon Cheeseburger Casseroles

From: Kraft Foods Food &Family  magazine Fall 11

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, chopped (I always use less than this)

1/3 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp. yellow mustard

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I use mild.)

8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

4 cups frozen bite-size potato nuggets

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees

2. Brown meat with onions in skillet, drain.  Stir in ketchup and mustard, spoon into 9-inch square baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

3. Top with remainng ingredients.

4. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until casserole is heated through and potato nuggets are golden brown.

Upside-Down Pizza in a Pan

This picture comes from the Family Fun website.  I usually like to take my own picture so that you can see what it really looks like when someone who isn't a professional chef or a professional photographer cooks a meal, but life lately has been craaaaaazy between shuttling kids to piano, football practice, etc. and having Z come home at all kinds of weird hours with his work schedule... so anyways, we made this, the picture didn't get taken, but what matters is the dinner was delicious and EVERY person in my family loved it and wanted seconds.  Here is the recipe...

Upside-Down Pizza in a Pan

From: Disney's Family Fun

*I halved the recipe and it was enough to feed my family of 6, though there were no leftovers, if that gives you any indication of how much to make.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion (My family isn't huge fans of onions, so we did about half of what this called for)

1 cup chopped mushrooms (Again, no mushroom lovers here, these were left out)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds ground turkey, (We used ground beef and it tasted great)

2 (15-ounce) cans Italian-style tomato sauce (I used a 14 oz. can of pizza sauce, worked great)

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 cup chopped pepperoni

1 teaspoon pepper

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 (13.8-ounce) package prepared pizza dough

Directions:

1.Heat the oven to 400°. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the turkey and continue to cook and stir, breaking the meat into small pieces, until it is no longer pink, about 8 minutes.

2.Stir in the tomato sauce, basil, and pepperoni and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add the pepper, then transfer the mixture to a 9- by 13-inch casserole dish.

3.Scatter the cheese on top and layer on the pizza dough. Bake the casserole until the dough is golden, about 20 minutes. To serve, spoon out portions with a large serving utensil.



Bacon, Caesar, and Mozarella Panini's

I have been wanting to try paninis for a very long time... if you know me at all, you will know that this is because I like the sound of the word "Panini".  I saw this fun and easy recipe on Pillsbury and they were so fun ot make and delicious to eat, that I fell in love.  Have to admit though, the kids weren't such big fans... maybe if I threw out the tomatoes?  But it doesn't matter, every now and then moms should get to make something for dinner that they know they will enjoy and not worry about the picky kiddos!

BACON, CEASAR, & MOZZARELLA PANINI

From Pillsbury

INGREDIENTS

1can refrigerated classic pizza crust

4 teaspoons basil pesto (I don't even know what this is?  Needless to say, I sprinkled the sandwhiches with a little basil instead)

1/4 cup Caesar dressing (creamy or vinaigrette style)

8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 8 slices

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

12 slices cooked bacon

2 plum (Roma) tomatoes, each cut into 4 slices

1/4 cup butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray large cookie sheet with No-Stick Cooking Spray. Unroll pizza crust dough on cookie sheet; press dough into 16x11-inch rectangle, pulling dough gently if necessary. Bake 9 to 16 minutes or until light brown. Cool about 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle.

2. Cut cooled pizza crust in half lengthwise and crosswise to make 4 rectangles. Remove rectangles from cookie sheet; cut each rectangle in half crosswise for a total of 8 squares.

3. On each of 4 crust slices, spread 1 teaspoon pesto; set aside. On each of remaining 4 slices, spread 1 tablespoon Caesar dressing. Place 2 cheese slices on each crust slice with Caesar dressing. Top cheese with pepper, 3 bacon slices, and 2 tomato slices. Top with remaining crust slices, pesto sides down.

4. Heat 12-inch skillet or cast-iron skillet over medium heat until hot. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in skillet. Place 2 sandwiches in skillet. Place smaller skillet or saucepan on sandwiches to flatten slightly; keep skillet on sandwiches while cooking. Cook 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until bread is golden brown and crisp and fillings are heated. Remove from skillet; cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons butter and sandwiches.

Malibu Chicken with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

This is a very quick, easy, and inexpensive dinner, not to mention it tastes so good, so an all around winner.  The inspiration from this beauty came from dining at Sizzler and ordering this entree then thinking to myself, that would be so easy to make at home, so here you go...

Malibu Chicken

Source: Me!

1-2 frozen chicken patties per person

2 slizes swiss cheese per person

1 slice of deli ham per person

Cook the frozen chicken patties according to package directions.  Pull out of the oven and top with one slice of deli ham, and 2 slices of swiss cheese.  Place under the broiler in your oven and broil on high for 1-2 minutes until cheese starts bubbling.  Remove from oven and serve with honey mustard dipping sauce.

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Source: Again, me.

Okay, so I never measure out the portions so that I know how to give you the exact amounts on this, but it is something to this effect...

1/2 cup mayonaise or Miracle Whip (I always prefer the tangy zip of Miracle Whip myself)

1/4 cup honey

1 tbsp. dijon mustard (or if you don't like fancy mustard regular mustard will do)

Mix all together well, and remember this is just a guess of how much of each, so if it tastes off, add a little more of each ingredient until it tastes right.

Easy Cheesy Peasy Shepherd's Pie

 Have I ever mentioned my love for the Kraft Food and Family Magazine?  If you haven't you should totally check it out.  They have ideas for the simplest and most delicious meals and can keep coming up with new ideas month after month!  This one came from the Fall Food And Family Magazine and is a great comfort meal, so why am I posting it in the Summer?  It could have to do with the month of June that we had where it rained litterally every day and we rushed home from Tee-Ball games and grabbed ourselves some hot chocolate.  We were in need of some comfort and this Shepherd's Pie hit the spot!

Shepherd's Pie

Source: Kraft

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

2 cups  hot mashed potatoes

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed

1 cup  KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups  frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

1 cup beef gravy

 

Directions:

1. Brown, meat in large skillet; drain.

2. Mix potatoes, cream cheese, 1/2 cup cheddar and garlic until well blended.

3. Combine meat, vegetables and gravy; spoon into 9-inch square baking dish.
4. Cover with potato mixture and remaining Cheddar. Bake 20 min. or until heated through.
 



Mmmmm... hearty meaty goodness!  Guess who ate the most... the 1 year old!

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

To me, homemade chicken nuggets are SO much better than the processed ones!  These were so delicious and easy and every one of my kids ate them!

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Source: All Recipes.com

Ingredients:

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon dried basil

1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/2-inch sized pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, thyme and basil. Mix well. Put melted butter in a bowl or dish for dipping.

3.  Dip chicken pieces into the melted butter first, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place the well-coated chicken pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.



Chicken Chimichangas

 I have been using this recipe for years.  It is seriously one of my favorite things to do to a tortilla.

Chicken Chimichangas

2 cups prepared shredded chicken (there are tons of ways to season and shred chicken, my favorite is probably to let it sit in the crock pot all day with some onion, water to cover, and taco seasoning mix)

1 can refried beans

2 cups chredded cheddar cheese

8-10 flour tortillas

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1.  Prepare and shred chicken.

2.  Heat refried beans.

 3.  Lay out tortillas, spread with warm refried beans, top with 1/4 cup shredded chicken and 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese.

4.  Fold ends of tortillas in and wrap tightly.

5.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees and prepare pan... okay this is the best part, so pay attention.  Cover a cookie sheet with foil, then spread a little less than 1/4 cup of cooking oil all over the pan.  Place the folded tortillas on the pan and bake for 8 minutes, then flip over and bake for another 8 minutes.  The oil makes the tortillas toasty and so good while the cheese gets ooey goey on the inside.  When you are done baking, you can just toss the foil and the pan stayed clean!  You can also make these chimichangas with just beans and cheese or with beef, or pork.

Creamy Ranch Chicken

Creamy Ranch Chicken
From: Delicious Recipes
6 slices bacon, cooked
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 T. flour
2 T. dry ranch salad dressing milk
1 1/4 C. milk
3 C. medium egg noodles
1 T. shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook chicken in a small amount of butter in a large skillet until no longer pink, turning to brown evenly. Sprinkle flour and salad dressing mix over the chicken; stir well. Stir in milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add more milk if too thick. Stir in crumbled bacon.

Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions. Serve the chicken mixture with the noodles and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.

This recipe was seriously so delicious and easy to make, it is a definate do again!

Chicken and Mushrooms with Gravy

This is seriously one of my favorite things to do to a chicken.  I love the combination of the pancake mix coating and the sweetness of the apple juice in the gravy.  Just the smell of it cooking makes me salivate!

Chicken and Mushrooms with Gravy
Source: Rigby 8th Ward HFPE Meeting
4-6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Can Mushrooms, or 1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 Cup Apple Juice
1/2 Cup Water
1 Cube Butter
Dry Pancake Mix (1/2 cup-1 cup)

1.  Coat chicken with pancake mix and brown in a frying pan with butter.
2.  Place chicken in a 9x13 baking dish when browned.  Use remaining butter to saute mushrooms.  Addd in soups, apple juice, and water.  Heat untill well blended.  Pour over chicken.  Cover with foil
3.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until tender.
4.  Serve extra gravy with mashed potatoes.

Pizza Pasta Bake

Pizza Penne Bake

(from www.onedishdinners.com)

Ingredients

1 lb. pasta noodles, such as penne, ziti, mostachioli or other “medium” shaped noodle
3/4 cup pizza sauce
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
About 30 pepperonis, cut in half
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
About 1 cup pizza blend shredded cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Cook the pasta as directed on the package in an ovenproof saucepan or Dutch oven.  Save 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid and then drain.
• To the same saucepan or Dutch oven, add the reserved cooking liquid and the pizza sauce and whisk together.  Then stir in the chopped peppers and halved pepperonis.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the drained pasta noodles.  Toss together.
• Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the pasta and then sprinkle the pizza blend shredded cheese over top.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until cheese begins to melt.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve Pizza Penne Bake and kill that pizza craving!

My Favorite Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Source: (My good friend PPS)

4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup sugar mixed with 1 Tbsp cornstarch

½ cup white vinegar

½ cup chicken stock or water

1 tsp garlic salt

1 Tbsp ketchup

1 Tbsp soy sauce

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1.  Thaw chicken and dip in flour.  Brown in oil. 

2.  Mix remaining ingredients together in a mixing bowl and pour over browned chicken in frying pan.  Heat through for about 5 minutes until mixture is thick and bubbly.

3.  Serve with rice and mixed vegetables.

Kielbasa Wraps

 Sometimes, I get really sick of chicken and ground beef dinners.  It seems like they are the only two meat products that can be used in dinner preparation and there are only so many different things you can do to a chicken!  Every now and then we like to mix it up, espeicially when the name of the meal sounds cool, as in "Kielbasa Wraps", come on, I know you want to say it out loud, try it it' fun!

That said, it is also a cheap and tasty meal.

Kielbasa Wraps

(Kielbasa is the big sausage looking thingy that you get from the meat section, Hillshire Farms makes some good ones.)

1 pkg. Kielbasa (any flavor)

1 cup ketchup

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Tortillas

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

White Rice prepared (enough for 4 servings)

Directions: 

1.  Cut the kielbasa into bite size pieces and brown in a frying pan.
2.  While the kielbasa is browning mix ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and pepper flakes in a mixing bowl.  Add to the frying pan with the kielbasa and heat until thick and bubbling.
3.  Prepare rice according to package directions and mix with kielbasa sauce mixture.
4.  Heat tortillas for 20 seconds in the microwave, fill with kielbasa mixture, and top with cheese.

Country Fried Pork Chops

Country Fried Pork Chops
Recipe Courtesy of: Allrecipes.com
2 eggs
1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 pkg. saltine crackers crushed
3 tbsp vegetable oil

6 thin cut pork chops

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Whisk eggs with garlic powder and onion powder.

3.  Crush saltine crackers in a ziplock bag.

4.  Dredge pork chops in egg and seasoning mix, then shake with saltines.

5.  Heat oil in a skillet on medium high heat.  Fry pork chops for 2-3 minutes on each side.  Put pork chops in a lightly greased baking dish and bake for 45 minutes, turning once halfway through.

Johnny Carino's Bow Tie Festival

 Or you can call them butterflies in creamy sauce, that seemed to get the kids excited to eat!

 This made a HUGE batch in my crock pot, which is great because it will keep the hubby in left-overs for lunch for the next week!

Why use boring pasta when you can get colorful bow-tie pasta!

Johnny Carion's Bow Tie Festival

Source: An LDS church HPFE meeting that I attended

Combine the following in a slow cooker:

4-6 boneless chicken breasts

1 jar alfredo sauce

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can chicken broth

1 pkg. Real Bacon Pieces

3/4 pkg. of dry Italkian Dressing Mix

1 cup swiss cheese, cubed

1/4 stick of butter, melted

Salt and peper to taste

Cook on low 6-7 hours, shredding chicken about 1 hour before finished.  Serve over cooked bow tie pasta.