Italian Saute

This is a recipe I've had for a long time. I used to make it quite frequently but Shane started complaining about all of my spinach recipes. I'm a big fan of spinach, the rest of my family--not so much. It was nice pulling this recipe out of retirement. I liked it as much as I remembered and no one complained about the spinach.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I put in a lot more than that)
1 0z can tomato sauce
2 T parsley flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 10oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

Directions:
In large skillet cook ground beef and drain off extra fat. Add onion and mushrooms and continue to cook until moisture is absorbed. Add tomato sauce, parsley flakes, garlic powder, basil, oregano, and seasoned salt. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Combine spinach and cottage cheese. Sprinkle 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese over meat mixture. Spoon cottage cheese mixture evenly over meat. Spread remaining mozzarella cheese on top. Cover skillet and simmer 15 min. Serve.

Chicken Tettrazzini

This is a recipe I've been making for years. It's a simple meal to put together that most everyone in my family will eat. The one that won't eat it is vegetarian so she doesn't reallt count.

Ingredients:
2 T butter
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
1 26oz can cream of chicken soup
1 1/4 cup milk
3 cups cubed cooked chicken (I just used one can, we aren't big meat eaters here)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 tsp pepper
4 cups hot cooked spaghetti (8oz)

Directions:
In skillet over medium heat, in hot butter, cook mushrooms and onion until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. In bowl, combine soup, milk, chicken, cheese, parsley, pepper, and mushroom mixture. Add spaghetti; toss to coat. Spoon into 3 qt. Oblong baking dish. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Stir. Sprinkle with additional cheese if desired.

Easy Taco Soup

Ingredients:
1lb hamburger (or shredded chicken)
1 small onion, chopped
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
4 cups water
4 cups spaghetti sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp salt
shredded cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips

Directions:
Brown the hamburger. Place hamburger in crock pot. Add onion, water, spaghetti sauce, taco seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir. Cook on ow 3-4 hours. Serve in individual bowls, top with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream. This could also easily just be made on the stovetop and let it simmer for a little while with all the ingredients.

"MY" kind of potatoes

Today is my dad's birthday. In honor of him I'm posting his original recipe (I think?) for potatoes. When my mom wasn't home to make dinner, this is what my dad would make. Very possibly the only thing he really cooked. Actually, his looked a lot better than mine do. I'm thinking I should have cooked the corned beef longer, I remember his being more browned. My son absolutely loved them, I think he ate half of them himself. They are super easy to make too.

Ingredients:
5 potatoes, sliced
1 can corned beef
1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Add potatoes and onions to skillet. Cook until onions are translucent and potatoes nearly done about 10 minutes. Add corned beef and chop up into small pieces. Cook an additional 5-10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Oreo Dessert

If you love Oreos, you'll love this dessert. And who doesn't love an Oreo?

Ingredients:
1 pkg Oreos
8 oz cream cheese
1 tub cool whip
1 cup powdered sugar
1 stick butter
1 pkg chocolate instant pudding (the bigger box)
2 1/2 cups milk

Directions:
Crush Oreos, reserve 1/2 cup of oreos for topping. Add 1 stick of melted butter to crushed oreos (but not in the 1/2 you've saved for later use). Mix well. Layer in the bottom of 9x13 dish with just a little pressure. Do not pack the Oreos in the crust as this will cause the crust to be too hard to scoop out. Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add as next layer. Make chocolate pudding according to recipe for pie filling (beat with 2/12 cups of milk). Add as next layer. Spread cool whip on as the next layer. Sprinkle with remaining Oreos. Refrigerate one hour.

Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 lb sweet italian turkey sausage
3/4 lb lean ground beef
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6oz) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5oz) cans canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
12 lasagna noodles (I like oven ready)
16 oz ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 lb mozzarella cheese, sliced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Directions:
In saucepan cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Drain out the fat. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, pepper, and 2 Tbsp parsley. Simmer for an hour 1/2.
If you don't use oven ready noodles this would be where you would boil the noodles until al dente and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese (or substitute cottage cheese) with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 tsp salt.
Preheat oven to 375.
To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange noodles lengthwise. over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil. Bake in preheated oven for 25 min. Remove foil and bake and additional 25 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup canola oil
3 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 can pumpkin (2 cups)
2/3 cup water

Frosting:
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1/2 lb powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp Nestle's quik (not vital for the recipe)

Directions:
Sift flour, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and baking soda in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the oil, sugar, vanilla, eggs-one at a time, pumpkin, and water. Add the first mixture to the second. Pour into a Bundt pan you've coated with baking spray (I love Baker's Joy). Cook at 350 for 60-70 minutes
Frosting:
Allow cake to cool. Soften 1/2 pkg (4oz) cream cheese and 1/4 cup butter to room temperature. Cream together with 1/2 lb of powdered sugar and 1 1/2 tsp nestle's quik. Add more powdered sugar if the frosting seems too thin. Frost cake.