Disappearing Chicken Casserole

Disappearing Chicken Casserole
from the ezine Real Food 4 Real People

2 1/2 pounds boneless chicken
8 ounces sour cream
21 ounces cream of chicken soup (2 cans)
1 package stuffing cubes (Stove Top)
1/2 cup butter or margarine melted
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded

Coat a 9x13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Place chicken pieces in bottom of prepared pan.  Set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, blend sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and shredded cheese together; spread evenly over top of chicken pieces in baking pan. Spread stuffing mix over top of soup mixture and drizzle melted butter or margarine over stuffing mix as evenly as possible. 

Bake uncovered in a 350 degree F oven for 30 - 40 minutes (chicken must be cooked through- no pink showing). 

To freeze for later use: Cover casserole after butter is added, label, and freeze for up to 3 months. To use, thaw overnight in refrigerator and bake for 30 - 45 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Golden Chicken

Golden Chicken
source unknown (I probably pulled it out of one of my many cookbooks)


6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 stick margarine
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) golden mushroom soup
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup water


Place chicken breasts in a greased 9x13-inch baking pan. In a saucepan, combine margarine, soup, almonds and water. Heat and mix just until margarine is melted. Pour mixture over chicken. Cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour or until done.


**MY NOTES: I use chicken with the bone in it all the time. And I use slivered almonds since, for some unknown reason, I have a huge bag of them in my freezer. I also cover the pan with tin foil (I don't have...well, any... pans with lids and very few of my baking dishes have lids) and make sure it seals very well.

Ham & Cheese Potato Casserole

Ham & Cheese Potato Casserole
from the magazine Simple & Delicious (Oct 2009) from tasteofhome, credited to Kari Adams of Fort Collins, CO

NOTE: THIS RECIPE MAKES TWO (2) CASSEROLES, FIVE (5) SERVINGS EACH. THIS RECIPE ALSO FREEZES WELL.


Ingredients:
2 cans (10 3/4oz each) condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
2 cups (16oz) sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp pepper
2 packages (28oz each) frozen O'Brien potatoes
1 package (16oz) Velveeta, cubed
2 1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham


Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, water, and pepper. Stir in the potatoes, cheese, and ham. Transfer to TWO (2) greased 11-inch x 7-inch baking dishes. **Cover and freeze one casserole for up to three (3) months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 375F degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.


**TO USE FROZEN CASSEROLE: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 375F degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.


MY NOTES: I don't have anything to say about this one except I'm still trying to determine if it needs garlic. Also, more than once I've just cooked that second casserole. When I've done that, I've simply set the second dish in the refrigerator until 20 minutes before the first one is due to come out of the oven. When I take it out of the refrigerator, I set it on the counter and let it come closer to room temperature before cooking it.

Easy Salisbury Steak

Easy Salisbury Steak
source: unknown (I probably pulled this from one of the cook books on my shelf and adapted it into what it is here. I do that a lot.)


1 1/4 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1 (10 oz) can beef gravy
seasoned salt
pepper

In a large bowl, combine beef, flour and egg.  Add a little seasoned salt and pepper.  Mix well. Shape into 5 patties and place in a shallow 7x11-inch baking dish.  Bake uncovered at 350 for 20 minutes; drain off any fat.  Pour beef gravy over patties.  Bake another 20 minutes.  Serve with rice or noodles.



**My Notes: First of all, use whatever size pan you have on hand. After that comment... I highly suggest using LEAN ground beef. The leanest you can find. It's been my experience that if more fatty ground beef is used, the amount of beef used should be increased. If I absolutely do not have or cannot find lean ground beef for a price I'm willing to pay and use ground chuck, I use 2 pounds of meat as most of it is fat and gets cooked out and drained. As to the "seasoned salt", put whatever you want in it. What spices go into this depend on my mood when I'm cooking it. Oh, yeah, and the gravy: use what you have. If you *make* your own gravy or have something other than canned gravy, use it! Just make sure you're using approximately the same amount as the can would add.

Hamburger Noodle Casserole

Hamburger Noodle Casserole
adapted from the recipe at Taste of Home


1 bag whole wheat egg noodles
2 pounds lean ground beef (90% lean)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
1 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese


Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook beef and garlic until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, sugar, salt and pepper; heat through. Drain noodles; stir into beef mixture.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, ricotta cheese and sour cream until blended.

Spoon half of the noodle mixture into a 13-inch x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with cheese mixture and remaining noodle mixture.

Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Yield: 10 servings.


**MY NOTES: I changed this recipe very little. As a matter of preference, I use whole wheat egg noodles, add a little more meat and cheese, and drop the green onions completely. This recipe is so easy that Mister and Girl can cook it with almost no input from me. On nights I actually cook it, I might toss in a few herbs for flavoring (a little parsley, a smidge of basil, etc.) if I remember/feel like it.

Cheeseburger Pasta

Cheeseburger Pasta
adapted from The New Cooking With 4 Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1/2 tsp minced garlic (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder - if using powder, add with soups)
1/3 cup minced onion
1 10.5 ounce can cheddar cheese soup
1 10.5 ounce can tomato bisque soup
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups uncooked shell pasta

Brown ground beef. Add onion and minced garlic and cook with ground beef until softened. Drain any fat remaining. Add soups, water, and pasta. Bring to a boil, cover and turn heat to medium. Cook 10-12 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring often.

Honey Spiced Pork Chops

Honey Spiced Pork Chops
adapted from The New Cooking With 4 Ingredients
serves 6

6 pork chops
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup honey

Grease 9x13-inch baking dish. In small bowl, combine the soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and honey. Place pork chops in dish. Pour mixture over pork chops. Cover and bake at 325F for roughly an hour.


note: this works well with chicken, too

Herb-Roasted Potatoes

Herb-Roasted Potatoes
Serves 6


1/3 cup Dijon Mustard
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
6 medium red-skinned potatoes (2 pounds), cleaned and cut into chunks


Mix all ingredients except potatoes in small bowl. Mix in potatoes and stir to coat them well.  Pour coated potatoes into a greased 9x13x2-inch baking pan. Bake at 425F for 35 to 40 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender, stirring occasionally.

Quick Baked Potatoes

Quick Baked Potatoes
Serves 4


4 large baking potatoes
2 to 3 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
paprika
salt to taste (optional)


Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Brush cut side with butter; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, paprika and salt if desired. Place with cut side down on a greased baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, at 350F for 25 – 30 minutes or until tender.

Mini Cheese Biscuits

[taken from Quick & Easy Weekday Dinners, a Taste of Home publication]



Mini Cheese Biscuits
Makes about 1 dozen


2 cups biscuit/baking mix
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup milk
2 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
1/4 tsp garlic powder


In a bowl, combine biscuit mix, cheese, and garlic. With a fork, stir in milk just until moistened. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 450F for 9 – 11 minutes or until golden brown. Combine butter and garlic powder; brush over biscuits.

Yummy All-Purpose Tomato Sauce

[adapted from Quick, Cheap & Easy Seasoned Tomato Sauce at Hillbilly Housewife.com


2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely minced (or 2 tablespoons onion powder)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 cloves minced garlic
12 oz tomato paste
18 oz filled with water (1 1/2 cans if using a 12 oz can, 3 cans if using a 6 oz can)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in medium sauce pan. Saute onion, minced garlic and garlic powder for no more than two minutes. If using onion powder rather than minced onion, saute for less time. Add tomato paste and 12 oz of water. Stir until tomato paste is smooth. Add remaining water. (If you like a thinner sauce, add more water.) Add remaining ingredients (basil, oregano, sugar, salt), stir through. Cover and simmer for no less than 10 minutes. You may have to add more water if you let sauce simmer for more than four hours.

Lemon Garlic Pork Chops

[adapted from Crockpot Lemon Garlic Chicken]


3 boneless pork chops
1/2 cup lemon juice
10 - 12 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 cup white wine OR apple juice

Season pork chops with salt and poultry seasoning. Put pork chops in crock pot. Mix minced garlic with wine and lemon juice; pour mixture over pork chops. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.


note: this works well with chicken, too (obviously)

Pot Roast (a la me)

[I promised a friend that I'd add this "recipe" to this collection so that he knows how to do it in the future.]

1 pound frozen piece of boneless roast-type beef
1 small onion, sliced, rings not separated
1 pound baby carrots (or big carrots chopped)
2 pound new potatoes (or big potatoes, cubed)
2 cups beef broth (or 1 can cream of mushroom soup, or 1 can cream of anything you like soup)

Line bottom of crock pot with onion rings. Top with a layer of potatoes. Add frozen beef. Surround beef with remainder of potatoes and carrots. Pour beef broth over everything. Put top on crock pot. Cook on HIGH for approximately 6 hours (more or less, depending on if you used more or less beef) or LOW for approximately 12 hours.

Oriental Burgers

[adapted from More Lean and Luscious by Bobbie Hinman and Millie Snyder. ISBN:0-914629-49-2]

1 pound lean ground beef
1 egg
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoon finely minced onion
1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a large bowl, combine beef with remaining ingredients. Mix well. Shape into 4 patties. Place on a rack in a broiler pan. Cook approximately 3 inches from heat until done to taste, turning half-way through.

Ginger-Marmalade Chicken

[adapted from More Lean and Luscious by Bobbie Hinman and Millie Snyder. ISBN:0-914629-49-2]

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken parts
2 1/2 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 tablespoons orange juice (with pulp)
2 tablespoons French or Catalina dressing
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 - 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350F. Place chicken in a shallow baking dish that has been sprayed with a nonstick cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Mix well. Spread evenly over chicken. Bake, uncovered, 45 minutes or until chicken is done.


***note: this is also good using pork instead of chicken