Spinach Lasagna Rolls

I saw this recipe on Skinny Taste and thought I would try it out.  Each roll is 6 WW+  (or 4 WW - old point system) points if you don't add meat.

• 9 lasagna noodles, cooked
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained (I used 3/4 this amount)
• 15 oz fat free ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• salt and fresh pepper
• 32 oz jar spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (I didn't measure this and probably used more than that! ha!)
• I added 2 hot italian sausages, cut up and cooked.  You could also add some shredded chicken instead.  Or just make them meat-less.

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.  Mix in cooked meat, if you like.  Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Rollcarefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with shredded mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.

Mexican Chicken Alfredo

The alfredo sauce is what makes this pasta!  I've tried many mexican pastas hoping they would be delicious but they usually aren't creamy enough-this one is perfect!

1-16 oz. package of spiral pasta
2-3 pieces of cubed chicken breast
1/2 a medium, chopped onion
1 Tbsp. canola oil
2 jars (15 oz. each) alfredo sauce
1 C grated Parmesean cheese
1 C medium salsa
1/4 C milk
2 tsp. taco seasoning

Cook pasta.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken and onion in oil.  When chicken is no longer pink stir in alfredo sauce.  Bring to a boil.  Stir in cheese, salsa, milk and taco seasoning.

Drain pasta and toss with chicken mixture.

You can divide the recipe into 2-8 in. square dishes and freeze one up to 3 months.  Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.  For the frozen casserole, thaw overnight then let it thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Cover and bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.

I combined the whole recipe and cooked it in a 9x13 for 35 minutes and I thought it was fine since the chicken was completely cooked.  YUM!

Now this doesn't look very good, my yellow plates and the dish wash everything out-don't go by the picture!!!

Crock Pot Pulled Pork BBQ

Hey y'all, sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I have a couple of recipes to share now!  I don't have the best pictures for this one, but it is really easy!

What you will need:

A shoulder butt roast (or rump roast)  This 7+ pounder fed 10 with some left over, so just get the size you need.  It freezes well, so you could do that if it makes a lot.

Some spices (Italian seasoning, light season salt, pepper, cumin, etc...)

A few shakes of Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce, if you have it

1/4 cup water

3/4 bottle of BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays - Hickory) But you don't need this until after the meat is cooked.

What you will need to do:

1) Take the meat out of the plastic (gag!  I hate messing with raw meat lol!)

2) Place in large crock pot.  I ended up having to cut off a chunk and squish it in a small opening to get it all to fit.  The lid needs to close completely.  Add your seasonings, Worcestershire sauce/soy sauce, and water here.

3) Cook on high with lid on for 6 hours or on low for 8 hours.  I cooked mine on high for 3 hours and had to leave, so I turned it on low for the next 5 hours and it came out fine.

4) It will cook down A LOT.  When it's completely cooked (6-8 hours), remove from the pot into a large baking dish.  It's best if this can sit in a dish (not crock pot) to cool for about an hour.  The bone should be really easy to pull out with tongs.  This is the nasty part, but fork around and pick out as much fat as you can.  It will probably come off in big chunks.  Keep the meat in pretty big pieces, so that when you mix in the BBQ sauce, it doesn't get too mushy.  Sorry I don't' have a picture of this.

5) Once the fat is removed and you have several large chunks of meat, pour on BBQ sauce and fork around to mix it in.  The meat should be so tender that it kind of just shreds itself as you mix in the sauce.  I used 3/4 small bottle of Sweet Baby Rays and left the remainder out for people to add extra if they wanted.  You can fix this the night before and heat it in the microwave or in the oven (with foil-so it doesn't dry out).

I don't have a great photo of the finished meat, but you can see it in this photo, in the white dish.  Serve with buns and some southern sides!  We made this for our Derby party in Phoenix and it was a hit! :)

Chicken Braid

This is a recipe my mom first got from Pampered Chef but over time I've slightly altered it to our taste!

Ingredients:

2 cans of crescent rolls
2 C chopped/shredded cooked chicken
1 C chopped fresh broccoli
1/2 C chopped red pepper
1 clove of minced garlic
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 C mayonnaise
couple shakes of salt

Preheat oven to 375.

Unroll dough, still sealed, onto ungreased, nonstick cookie sheet, laying it out as a long rectangle.

Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl.

Place mixture down the center of the dough.

Wrap the remaining dough around the mixture, sealing up the ends.

Bake for 25 minutes or until a toasty brown.  Don't undercook, your bottom crust will be gooey ;)

Best Baked Ham and Swiss Sandwhiches EVER

These are great for any party or for lunches at home (They heat up well!). They go fast so I usually double.

Ingredients:
1 stick butter (not pictured)

2 tbsp mustard

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp poppy seeds

Sliced ham ( I use one prepackage ham, Hillshire Farm)

Dozen Hawaiian Sweet rolls (cut in half to make sandwhich)

Package of Kroger sliced Swiss cheese

Need Foil As Well

Mix the first 5 ingredients and cook for 5 mins over medium high heat (It will still be thin when done). Roll out a small amount of foil and assemble each roll individually on its own peice of foil. Cut rolls and put ham, cheese and about 1 tbsp + of sauce on each sandwhich. Wrap up the foil. Put all foil balls on a cookie sheet. Bake for 20mins at 350 degrees.

Cranberry Chicken

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 350

2. mix half of a bottle of Russian dressing, a jar of cranberries and 1 packet of onion soup mix in a bowl

3. place chicken in glass dish

4. pour mixture over chicken

5. bake for 1 hour

I served with steamed carrots and broccoli and sourdough toast but roasted red potatoes are very good with this as well. This is one of Will's favorite dishes.

Tasty Tuna Cakes

Brett and I love seafood, but our budget doesn't really allow for fresh seafood!  So when I came across this recipe on Kraft Foods I had to try it.  And we love it!  I'm just trying to find a great recipe for a sauce now.

Tuna Cakes

Ingredients:

2 cans tuna , drained and flaked

1 package Stove Top Stuffing Mix 

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

3/4 cup  water

1/3 cup Mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. Sweet Pickle Relish

1.  Mix all ingredients and refrigerate for 10-20 minutes.

2. Spray nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. 

3. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out mixture in balls about the size of a lemon.

 4. Fill skillet with scooped out mixture and flatten each one with spatula. 

5. Cook for 3-4 minutes (or until brown) and flip over.   Cook for another 3-4 minutes.

6. Depending on the size you make, it makes at least a dozen, even more.  I store the finished tuna cakes in the microwave until they're all done to keep them warm.

All done!

 

(I may have been doing something else and left them on a little too long, but I promise, still tasty!)  The best part is, they only cost a couple bucks to make!
  

Sweet and Sour Chicken

My mom sent me this recipe the other day when I was in desperate need for a quick recipe to take to a couple with a new baby!  So this recipe makes A LOT.  Definitely enough for 4-6 people.

You will need:

1-1.5 lb thawed chicken breast, cubed

3-4 tbs corn starch

1/2 onion, cut in 1/2 inch pieces

1 red pepper, cut in 1/2 inch pieces

1 yellow pepper, cut in 1/2 inch pieces

2-3 medium carrots, sliced diagonally

fresh sliced mushrooms, I used a whole pack for this large recipe

You can replace or add any of the veggies.  Other options are water chestnuts, bok choy, etc.

For the sweet and sour sauce:

1 can chunk pineapple in it's own juice (use juice and all)

1 cup water

1/4 cup white vinegar

3 tbs ketchup

1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tbs corn starch

crushed red pepper fleck to taste

What you need to do:

1. Cut up yo veggies

2. Cut up yo chicken

3. Put cut chicken in a ziplock bag with 3-4 tbs cornstarch and shake until coated

4. Cook chicken pieces in hot EVOO just until done (about 4 min).  Set aside.

5. Stir fry the veggies in a drop of EVOO until tender.

6.  I didn't take a picture of this, but start cooking your sauce in a separate sauce pan.  Pull all ingredients for sauce in the pot and bring just to boiling, stirring constantly.  Cook 2-3 min.  It will thicken over time.  Then add sauce to tender veggies.

7.  Add chicken to sauce and veggies to heat through.

8. I didn't take a final picture either, but serve a scoop of the mixture over white rice and voila!  Homemade sweet and sour chicken!

I took half of this to the couple with a new baby and we had enough for two meals also.  Like I said, it makes a lot!  My two cents...don't over cook the chicken!  And if your sauce gets too thick, add a tad more water or pineapple juice while it's cooking.

Stuffed Peppers

My sweet sister-in-love Shannon gave me this recipe which she got from her Grandma.  This is the only picture I could find of us that I'm not 8 months pregnant and lookin' like a whale.  It's obviously from my wedding, almost 4 years ago.  She was pregnant with her first baby boy, Jackson :)  Love her!

Ingredients:
4-6 Tri color peppers
1 lb. ground beef, turkey or chicken
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 bags of microwaveable rice (fancy brand, like Old el Paso, not Lipton or Rice a Roni!) apparently it      comes in a can too but I can't find it in Louisville

1 small can of tomato sauce
2 C sharp cheddar shredded cheese
Adobo seasoning (optional-but Adobo makes everything better!)

the essential

the optional

Directions:
-Cut off the tops of your peppers (save for another recipe!).  Clean the inside and outside then boil peppers until "pokeable"  Yes, that is a word.
-Brown meat and onions

-Mix your rice, meat mixture, sauce and cheese (reserve 1/4 C)
-Stuff your peppers and top the with cheese.  Place in a sturdy casserole dish and add a little water to the dish so they don't burn.
Bake on 350 for 25ish minutes, until cheese is melted.  YUM!

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

You will need:

2 Tbs butter (I used EVOO in place of butter)

1lb boneless steak (any cut; I usually buy already thin sliced steak and just cut it into strips or have the butcher cut it for you)

1 medium green pepper, thinly sliced

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced (I didn't use onion)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Hot sauce, optional (I liberally used Louisiana hot sauce)

Sliced provolone cheese (I used Sargento slices)

4-6 Hoagie rolls

What you need to do:

1. Slice bell pepper and onion into thin strips.  Slice steak into VERY thin strips.

2. In a large skillet, melt butter/EVOO over medium-high heat.  When melted and bubbly, add steak.  Stir constantly. 

3. When the meat is about half way cooked (2-3 minutes), add onions and bell peppers.  Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.  Continue stirring until meat is cooked through and onions and peppers are tender.  Try not to over cook the meat or it will be really tough.  I usually turn down the heat to low-medium for the last 2 minutes, so the peppers are more soft, without overcooking the steak.

4. Spoon the meat filling into sliced rolls and add sliced provolone cheese.  Place open-faced sandwiches onto a baking sheet under the broiler for 1-2 minutes on high, or until the cheese is melted and bread is toasted.

5. Serve immediately.

Sorry, I don't have a final picture with cheese melted and all...we gobbled these up as soon as they were done!  Oh, my inlaws were here so we didn't eat all four ourselves! ha!  This is a great, quick recipe and could be for lunch or dinner.  My two cents...one pound of steak is just barely enough for 4 sandwiches, as you can see, so if you are feeding big men, I would get a little more steak.  But if you're making it for two, it's just the right amount with a little leftover!

Chicken Salad

This recipe has been served in our family as long as I can remember. My grandmother came up with it and my mom makes it on a monthly if not weekly basis. And it is YUMMY.

Ingredients:

2 Cans of white chicken breast, drained

Marzetti Dressing

1 cup of sliced grapes

1 cup of chopped pecans

1/2 cup of chopped celery

1/8 cup of chopped onion

Shred chicken with a fork. Pour Marzetti Dressing to get consistency you want. Mix all other ingredients. Refrigerate. It will taste better after being refrigerated for several hours. It is especially good on croissants.

French Dip Subs

OK, barely making the deadline here... sorry about that ladies!

These are a hit at our house, and I often take them to others when providing a meal. It's an easy, go-to slow cooker meal.

Ingredients:

3-4lb sirloin tip roast (any other cut will be tough - yuck!) trimmed of excess fat

1 can beef broth

1 can French onion soup

1 cup water

4-6 ciabatta bread rolls (Wal-Mart sells these, not sure where else...)

4-6 slices Swiss cheese

Salt and pepper your roast and add the beef broth, french onion soup, and water. Set your slow cooker to low and let cook for 6-8 hours. (If you're in a hurry, 4-6 hours on high should do the trick.) Once your roast has cooked to your desired tenderness, take it out of the slow cooker and set on a cutting board to cool for 10 minutes. Slice the ciabatta rolls and layer with cuts of your roast. Place 1-2 slices of Swiss cheese on the slices of roast and butter the other slice of roll. Place under the broiler to melt the cheese and brown the other side of the roll. Once you've created your sandwich, cut in half and serve with the remaining au jous for dipping. Yummy!

I'm making this Wednesday, so I'll add pictures then!

Chicken Enchiladas

1 can enchilada sauce (19 oz)

1 block of cream cheese

1 (8oz.) sour cream

1 can of corn-or 1/2 bag of frozen is what I prefer

2 cups shredded cheese

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

8 soft tortilla shells

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook chicken breasts (boil or on a griddle). Let chicken cool and then shred it. Mix cream cheese, sour cream and 3/4 can of enchilada sauce. Add corn, 1 cup shredded cheese and chicken to the mix. Put mixture in tortillas and roll up (use toothpicks to hold it together). Grease a 9X13 glass dish and place tortillas in the dish (usually holds between 4-6). Drizzle the rest of the enchilada sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with the remainder of shredded cheese. Bake for 20 minutes! The mixture is usually enough for 6-8 enchiladas depending on how full you want them to be!

Yummy Chicken Alfredo and Garlic Bread

So I am addicted to Olive Garden's chicken alfredo dish so I attempted to make it today and turned out perfect! No leftovers even. I forgot to get garlic bread when at the store so I improvised when I got home and it was so yummy!






(Oh and I forgot to take a picture at first so I just did it with my phone, sorry doesn't look all cute on a real plate, no time for that with 2 kids!)




Chicken Alfredo (Serves about 4)


1/2 cup butter


1 pint heavy whipping cream


1 tsp garlic salt


salt and pepper to taste


2/3 cup fresh grated parmesan


1lb box fettuccine noodles (prepared as box says)


2 large chicken breast (boiled)


3oz of cream cheese (pinched into small peices)





Over medium-low heat melt butter, add cream, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Simmer 20-30 mins, stirring constantly until thick. After hot can add the cream cheese to help thicken up some. Remove from heat, add parmesan and mix. Cut chicken into small pieces once done. Mix in fettuccine noodles with the sauce and chicken pieces.








Sweet Garlic Bread


Sweet Hawaiian Rolls (cut in half)


Shredded cheese (whichever your family keeps in the fridge should be fine, ours was colby and monteray jack mix bag)


Garlic Salt


Butter





Spread small amount of butter on roll halves. Top with sprinkle of garlic salt and then cheese. Bake at 350 for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.