Baked Ziti

Hello ladies! Here is a recipe for baked ziti (at the request of Mel!) I have made this for several people and it always gets compliments. It makes a ton, so you will be eating leftovers for awhile :)

Ingredients:

1 box of baked ziti (I use penne pasta because I think it tastes better)

1 onion chopped (I leave this out because my husband is anti-onions)

1 pound lean ground beef

2 (26 oz) jars of spaghetti sauce (I use one giant gar)

6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced

1 and 1/2 cups of sour cream

6 ounces mozzarella cheese

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta, drain

Brown the beef and onion together, once cooked, add the spaghetti sauce and let simmer

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Butter a 9x13 pan and layer as follows:

1/2 of the pasta

provolone cheese (I just completely cover the pasta, I don't go by measurements)

sour cream (again, I just scoop it in and cover the cheese, I don't measure)

1/2 sauce mixture

rest of the pasta

mozzarella cheese (I use a lot of cheese, sometimes the whole bag)

remaining sauce mixture

Top with parmesan cheese

Bake for 30 minutes or until cheeses are melted.

My boys love this and gobble it up.... I think Matthew could be in a ziti-eating contest he loves this so much!

Pork Chops with Country Gravy

This 40-minute, Southern-style classic features a simple gravy technique you can use in a number of other dishes.
Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 chop and 1/2 cup gravy)
Ingredients
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
1 tablespoon butter
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk


Preparation
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour, salt, dried marjoram, dried thyme, and dried rubbed sage in a shallow dish. Dredge pork in flour mixture, turning to coat; shake off excess. Reserve remaining flour mixture.
Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Reduce heat, and cook for 10 minutes or until done, turning pork once. Remove pork from pan; keep warm.
Combine reserved flour mixture and milk in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended. Add milk mixture to pan; place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat, and simmer 2 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Serve with chops.
Nutritional Information
Calories: 252 (34% from fat) Fat:9.6g (sat 4.4g,mono 3.6g,poly 0.8g) Protein:28.9g
Carbohydrate:10.6g Fiber:0.3g Cholesterol:83mg Iron:1.5mg Sodium:584mg Calcium:142mg

Parmesan-Crusted Chicken in Cream Sauce (Kraftfoods.com)

This was really good!!! Enjoy!!
~Tara

2 cups instant brown rice - uncooked
1 can (14 oz.) fat free reduced sodium chicken broth divided
10 Ritz Crackers, finely crushed (I used low fat)
4 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tsp oil (I used Canola oil and added as needed)
1/3 cup Philadelphia Chive & Onion Light Cream Cheese Spread

I served with asparagus.

Cook rice as directed in pkg., using 1 1/4 cups of the broth and 1/2 cup water

Meanwhile Mix cracker crumbs with Parmesan cheese on plate. Rinse chicken in cold water; gently shake excess water. Dip chicken in crumb mixture and coat each side. Discard any remaining crumbs.

Heat oil in large skillet on med. heat. Add chicken - cook 5-6 min. on each side or until golden brown. Place chicken on serving plate and cover to keep warm. Add remaining 1/2 cup broth and the cream cheese to skillet (with crumbs left in). Cook on med. heat just until mixture comes to boil, stirring constantly. Simmer 3 min. or until sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

Asparagus:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lay asparagus on a cookie sheet, spray with olive oil cooking spray or pour olive oil on top lightly. Salt and pepper to liking and cook for about 10 min. To avoid the tough ends break them rather than cut them before cooking. The asparagus will break easily at a natural place where the tough end is gone.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I made this last night and it turned out really good. Jared loved it! I found it on the internet and this is the picture they had - but mine really did turn out just like the picture! It takes a long time but is very simple. For just the two of us I cut the ingredients for the chicken in half but still made all of the sauce and we ended up using all of it.

Sweet and Sour Chicken
Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch first and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes. If you still like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced - about 6-8 minutes. Hope y'all enjoy!

Potato Soup

6 cups cubed potatoes
4 cups cold water
1 cup finely minced celery
1 cup finely minced carrots (Nathan doesn’t add this)
½ cup diced onion
2 teaspoons parsley flakes
2 cubes chicken broth
½ cup hot water
¼ cup flour
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon to taste
¾ lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed
bacon for garnish

Cook potatoes in the 4 cups water until semi-tender (no more than 20-30 minutes). Once semi-tender add celery, carrots, parsley, and onion. Dissolve chicken bouillon cubes in hot water. Add to soup. Put 3 cups milk and flour in a Tupperware container and shake it up to make sure flour is dissolved in milk. Add to soup. Turn on low and let simmer for 20 minutes. The longer you cook it the thicker it will be. Add salt, pepper, and cheese. Cook for 10-15 more minutes until cheese is melted. Stir every 10 minutes or so.

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

Yummy......

¼ C mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. lime juice
½ tsp. ground cumin
1 can (19oz) black beans, rinsed & drained
1 can (11oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 C quartered cherry or grape tomatoes
½ C chopped red onion
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. chopped jalapeno pepper

In medium bowl, blend mayonnaise, lime juice and cumin. Stir in remaining ingredients.
Served chilled or at room temp, with tostatos (scoops are my favorite).
Serves: 4 (or just Erica for a few days....)

One Minute Oatmeal Cookies (No bakes)

1 stick marg.
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 teapsoon vanilla
3 cups uncooked oats

Combine marg., sugar, cocoa, and milk in pan. Bring to boil - boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter and vanilla. Stir in oats. Drop from teaspoon on waxed paper.

Peanut Butter Crispy Treats

1 cup corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups rice krispies or cheerios, or special K (I use cheerios)

Grease 13 x 9 pan. In large pan over low heat stir together syrup, sugar and peanut butter. Stir constantly. Bring to boil. Remove from heat. Add cereal and stir. Press into pan. Let cool.

Derby Pie

2 eggs slightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 stick butter, melted and cooled
1 cup pecans
1 cup chocolate chips
1 teapson vanilla

Combine in order given and mix well. Spread into an unbaked pie shell. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Grilled Peppers with Herbed Goat Cheese (Kelly B)

Grilled Peppers with Herbed Goat Cheese
Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Grilling peppers brings out their natural sweetness, making a delightful complement for tangy goat cheese and fresh basil. An assortment of grilled appetizers starts your celebration with a tasty bang.
Serves 8 as an appetizer
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 (5.5 ounce) package goat cheese with herbs and garlic
2 tablespoons slivered fresh basil leaves
Cut tops off peppers and scoop out insides. Cut each pepper into 4 pieces for a total of 8 pieces. In a bowl, toss the pepper pieces with olive oil, salt and pepper. Heat a grill to medium. Grill peppers for 5 minutes on each side. Remove and spread each piece with goat cheese. Top with slivered basil.

Tomato Bruschetta (Kelly B)

Tomato Bruschetta
Serves 4
1 pound plum tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced (1 teaspoon)
1 small red onion, minced
1/8 cup minced parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
half baguette, sliced 1/4 inch thick

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Combine the tomatoes, garlic, onion, parsley, basil, salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegars in a large mixing bowl to make the bruschetta. Place the baguette slices on a baking pan in a single layer. Bake the slices until just golden, remove them from the oven, flip them, and return to the oven until golden. Serve the warm baguette slices topped with the bruschetta.

Fried Green Tomatoes (Tara)

Fried Green Tomatoes:
canola/vegetable oil
sliced green tomatoes
flour
corn meal or shake n bake
milk or egg

1. poor oil to about an inch deep in a fry pan and turn on
2. mix even amounts of flour and either cornmeal or shake n bake in a medium sized bowl
3. dip tomato slices into milk or egg
4. coat slices in flour mixture until both sides are whitish
5. put slices into hot oil and let sit for about 2 min or until they are light brown then flip and do the same
6. take out of oil and set on paper towels to drain oil

dipping sauce (experimental and don't know exact amounts so do to your own taste)
mayonnaise
garlic powder
ground mustard
basil
lemon juice
katsup
all mixed together - start with small amounts and add until you like the taste.
you can also put a little bit of horseradish in to give it a kick - don't use too much because it can get spicey

Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu (Tara)

Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu
Perdue thin slices and trimmed chicken breasts
swiss cheese slices
sliced ham from the deli
vegetable/canola oil
bread crumbs
toothpicks

1. lay breasts out flat, lay one slice of ham on top then half a slice of swiss cheese
2. fold up sides and hold in place with 1-2 toothpicks so they stay secure to move them around
3. paint oil on outside of chicken roll
4. dip in breadcrumbs so coated on all sides
5. grill on grill for about 10 minutes on each side or until done
Enjoy!

Super Apple Salad (Kelly M. Brown)

Super Apple Salad
2 bags Garden Salad Mix
2 Granny Smith apples (chop shortly before serving)
4 oz. crumbled Blue Cheese
1/2 bag Sea Salt bagel chips (comes in small bag)
1 sm. can sugar roasted pecans (I make my own by putting 1/2 c. chopped pecans
and 1T. sugar in dry skillet on medium high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves)

Dressing:
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 T. poppy seeds
1&1/2 t. finely minced onion
1/4 t. Worchestershire sauce
1/4 t. paprika
Mix sugar and vinegar first, shaking or stirring to dissolve. Add remaining ingredients.

Combine all salad ingredients. Shake dressing and add to salad just prior to serving. Toss well.