Lasagna

I did something the other day that I have never in my life done before. I used a recipe off the back of a box. Honestly. I have never used a back of the box recipe before! I don't know what made me do it. Maybe it was because I didn't have all the ingredients for my Mom's Lasagna, but I did for this one. Or maybe it was because I was eager to try something new. Or maybe...it was both.

I can't tell you how this recipe turned out, taste wise, because I gave it to my dad. Much against my husband's will. However, if the smell wafting through my house while this was baking in the oven is any indicator of how good this lasagna is then it is a mighty tasty dish!

Ingredients...

...1 pkg. lasagna noodles
...1 lb. ground meat, browned
...2 eggs, slightly beaten
...2 c. shredded mozzerella cheese
...1 (30) oz. ctr. Cottage Cheese
...1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
...1 tsp. dried basil
...1 (26 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
...1 c. water

Directions...

In a medium bowl, combine the cottage cheese, 1 c. of the Mozzerella cheese, 1/4 c. of the Parmesan cheese, eggs and basil. Mix well. In another medium bowl, combine spaghetti sauce, water and ground beef. Mix well. In a 9x13 pan spread 1 1/2 c. of the meat sauce. Cover with lasagna noodles. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over noodles, followed by 1/3 of the meat sauce. Repeat layering once, top with noodles and then remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzerella and parmesan cheese. Wrap the pan tightly with foil and bake at 375 for 55-60 minutes. Upon removal from oven, let stand, still covered, for 10 minutes before serving.

Bubble Pizza

This is an interesting take on pizza night. I actually quite enjoy it! Pizza in casserole form! This recipe is an old family favorite, we had this a lot growing up and I have loved it ever since. It seems like lately I've been falling back on a lot of old family favorites, mostly because they are all quick and easy...which is nice on busy nights when I'm too tired to cook when I get home from work (which, considering that I am in my third trimester, seems to be quite often lately...). I also like dishes like this because I can prepare them ahead of time and then just toss them in the oven when I get home and go about other things around the house. Like cleaning.

Except 9 times out of 10 I don't go about cleaning. I go about sitting in the chair with a mug of hot cocoa and watching Friends reruns until the oven timer goes off. And pray the whole while that hubs will offer to do the dishes. One of these nights he will make that offer....I hope...

Ingredients...

...1 lb. ground meat
...2 tubes refrigerator biscuits
...1/2 jar Ragu Sauce
...1/2 green pepper, chopped
...1/2 onion, chopped
...1 can sliced mushrooms, drained
...Pepperoni slices, you choose how many you want
...1 c. shredded cheese

Directions...

Brown the ground meat with the peppers and onions until meat is no longer pink. Drain. Combine in a large mixing bowl with all remaining ingredients and spread in a greased 9x13 casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

To see more great recipes, be sure to check out the Ultimate Recipe Swap going on over at Life as Mom and the Recipe Swap going on over at The Grocery Cart Challenge!

Hamburger Rice Dish

This recipe was my mom's. I don't remember her making it a single once while we were growing up, but I found the recipe card written out in her distinct handwriting in a recipe box one day, so I know that at some point she made it for us and liked it. Truthfully though, this is basically homemade Hamburger Helper. Nothing fancy, pretty basic. In all of it's simplicity however, it was quite delicious. Beats the box off any Hamburger Helper any day. Probably cheaper too, and faster. I'll take it...

Ingredients...

...1 lb. ground meat
...1 can cream of mushroom soup
...1 can cream of chicken soup
...1 c. water
...2 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
...1 c. instant rice
...1 c. celery (not pictured, sorry!)
...1/2 cup onion, chopped

Directions...

Combine all ingredients in an oven safe casserole dish and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

To see more great recipes, be sure to check out Tempt My Tummy Tuesday over at Blessed with Grace, Tuesdays at the Table over at All the Smal Stuff and Tasty Tuesday over at Beauty and Bedlam!

Tuna and Biscuits Casserole

I don't know what it is about tuna recipes, but I just can't ever seem to get them to turn out how I want them to. Which is unfortunate, because I do enjoy tuna. This recipe would be amazingly good as long as you follow the changes that I made, because I followed the orginal recipe, which I found in one of my grandma's cookbooks, to a "t" and it didn't turn out so good.

I think it's because the orginal recipe called to put the biscuits on the bottom of the pan and then cover with the tuna mixture. Which was all fine and dandy, except that the biscuits didn't cook through then. They were still all doughy and gross because they didn't get the chance to bake up being all covered in goo. So as long as you put the biscuits on TOP of the tuna mixture, you should be golden!

Ingredients...

...1 tube refrigerator biscuits
...1 c. milk
...1 can tuna
...1 can cream of mushroom soup
...1 can peas
...2 T. onion, chopped

Directions....

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for the biscuits. Pour into a greased 9x9 pan. Place biscuits on top of the tuna mixture. Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes, until the biscuits are baked through and browned.

To see more great recipes, check out Foodie Fridays over at Designs by Gollum and Food on Fridays over at Anne Kroeker!

Ground Beef Macaroni Casserole

I don't know what it is that draws me to the goulash type recipes. Because I hate goulash. But yet, here I sit once again sharing a recipe with you for a goulash dish.

*sigh* when will I ever learn...

To be fair to this particular goulash recipe, which I found in a hometown church cookbook, was actually was pretty good. I think it was the addition of the cheddar cheese soup... it made it creamier and added some flavor. However, I only liked this recipe the first time around. When it came time to reheat it for leftovers, it was the same as any old goulash recipe I've made, and I didn't like it. So only make enough of this to last for one meal!!

Ingredients...

...1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
...1 can tomato soup
...1 can cheddar cheese soup
...1 T. instant chopped onion
...1 c. macaroni, cooked
...1/2 tsp. sugar
...3/4 tsp. salt
...1/2 c. celery, diced
...1/4 tsp. basil
...dash of pepper

Directions...

Combine all ingredients in an oven safe casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

To see other great potluck worthy recipes be sure to check out the Ultimate Recipe Swap going on over at Life as Mom!

Thanksgiving Leftovers Casserole

I wasn't really sure what to call this one. It is 100% made up by me. I had no clue what I was doing while I was concocting it, I was just throwing random leftovers together. And then I got nervous, because what if it tasted awful and I just wasted all that food? That didn't even end up being a problem...this turned out really good! Kinda sweet, but not too much and lots of good flavor. So I'm really happy with how this turned out.

I may be the only one.

I'm okay with that.

Although hubs did have seconds. And thirds. Just sayin'...

Ingredients...

Totally ignore the crescent rolls and pretend they're not there. Add in leftover mashed potatoes in their place. I don't know what I was thinking when I was staging this photo...

...Stuffing Mix (yes. I used boxed. I ran out of the homemade stuff, and didn't have the time or ingredients to make more...)
...Turkey, shredded or chunked
...Mashed Potaotes
...Cranberries

Directions...

In a large bowl combine together the stuffing, cranberries and turkey. Place into an oven safe casserole dish, and then spread mashed potatoes over top of the stuffing mixture. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until heated through.

To see more delicious recipes, check out Mouthwatering Monday over at A Southern Fairy Tale!

Green Bean Casserole

Welcome to day 3 of my Thanksgiving meal countdown! If you missed the first two days, I made Rice Krispie Treats on day 1 and shared a tutorial for Homemade Mashed Potatoes on day 2!

The infamous green bean casserole. It just epitomizes Thanksgiving, doesn't it? I almost didn't make this to share with you, but I decided at the last minute that I just had to share it. It just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a casserole dish of this sitting on the table! Not only is this super delicious and a true symbol of Thanksgiving, but it's also incredibly simple! So if you are in a last minute bind to make something to share at a potluck Thanksgiving this is a surefire crowd pleaser that will only take you a few minutes to throw together! But don't be surprised if you weren't the only one with this idea!! There are a lot of different versions of this recipe out there, but this is a tried and true version that women, and men alike, have been making for decades!

I did make a few changes to this recipe...so I guess that makes it original to my kitchen! The original recipe says that the cost of this dish (alone!) is $11.25! So with my changes (and having got many of the ingredients for incredibly cheap with coupons) this is actually a very frugal version of the beloved green bean casserole, which is an aspect that I'm sure we all can enjoy!

Ingredients...

...4 cans cut green beans

...2 cans cream of mushroom soup

...1/2 onion, chopped

...1 cup milk (I omitted this. The casserole was plenty creamy and smooth without this)

...1 T. soy sauce

...1/4 tsp. ground black pepper (I also omitted this)

...Rice Krispies

Directions...

In a large oven safe casserole dish combine soup, green beans, onion and soy sauce together until well mixed (include milk and pepper here if you wish). Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with Rice Krispies and return to oven for 5 minutes.

Mom's Lasagna

Lasagna is one of America's favorite Italian dishes! Families all over enjoy a hearty supper together at night over this dish. So it's no surprise that one of my favorite dishes growing up was my mom's lasagna recipe! I've tried various other recipes, but I always come back to this one. I think it's just a comfort food type thing. Not only did my mom make this, but so did my grandma. So when I found the yellowed and well worn recipe card with my grandma's scrolly cursive handwriting recording this recipe, I added it to my "family favorites" recipe box so I can make this very recipe for my own family, and carry on this lasagna through the family.

Ingredients...

no picture, sorry!

...12 oz. container cottage cheese

...2 c. shredded cheese

...2 eggs (beaten)

...1 jar (32 oz.) pasta sauce

...1 lb. ground meat, browned

...lasagna noodles

Directions...

In a medium bowl, mix together cheeses and eggs. In another medium bowl, stir together browned meat and pasta sauce. In a 9x13 pan, spread a small amount of the sauce/meat mixture on the bottom. Cover sauce with a layer of lasagna noodles. Top noodles with 1/2 of the cheese mixture and more sauce. Add another layer of noodles and top that with remaining cheese and sauce mixtures. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover and top with shredded cheese. Continue baking an additional 15 minutes (uncovered).

To see more great reipes, check out Tempt my Tummy Tuesday over at Blessed with Grace and Tasty Tuesday over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam!

Uncle Dan's Tuna Noodle Casserole

I got this recipe from my husband's uncle Dan. Like two years ago. We were all sitting at a family gathering and I was copying down recipes from hubs' grandma's cookbooks when Uncle Dan saw what I was doing and recited this recipe for his Tuna Noodle Casserole to me. I wrote it down and it has sat in my recipe folder ever since. When I decided that I wanted to make Tuna and Noodles last week, I figured I would give Uncle Dan's recipe a shot. Except, when I re-read the ingredients, I about passed out from the fat content! The original recipe called for a stick of butter, bag of cheese and potato chips. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Especially since now that I am pregnant, I'm watching my fat content super closely. I strive to make only meals that are low fat or super healthy. So I put off making it for a few more days until I decided to just tackle it. So I tweaked this recipe. A lot. And guess what! It was delish! So delish that hubs ate it for breakfast the next morning. I did good :)

Ingredients...

...1/2 package rotini or egg noodles
...1 can peas
...1 can cream of mushroom soup
...2 cans tuna

Directions...

Cook noodles according to package directions. Combine cooked noodles with all other ingredients in an oven safe casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

To see other recipes for special diets, check out Ultimate Recipe Swap over at Life as Mom!

French Toast Casserole

We love breakfast food in this house! We have breakfast for supper night at least once per week. I decided that this week instead of the usual waffles or pancakes and eggs/bacon I would switch things up a bit and we would give french toast casserole a shot at glory. I'm super glad I did, this is amazing! Plus, it left my kitchen smelling like french toast for days!

Ingredients...

...5 cups bread cubes (I used my french bread recipe for the bread. you can use whatever you want!)
...4 eggs
...1/4 cup white sugar, divided
...1 1/2 cups milk
...1/4 tsp. salt
...1 tsp. vanilla extract
...1 T. margarine, softened
...1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions...

Grease an oven safe casserole dish and place bread cubes in dish. In a small bowl, wisk together eggs, milk, 2 T. sugar, salt and vanilla. Pour mixture over bread cubes. Stir until bread cubes are all well coated. Dot with butter and let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine remaining sugar and cinnamon together. At the end of the 10 minutes, pour the cinnamon/sugar mixture over the bread cube mixture and stir to coat well. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes.

Tator Tot Casserole

Hubs decided at our most recent Aldi trip that he wanted tator tots in the worst way. So I gave in and got some for him (not that they cost all that much there anyways...). Well, I soon decided that tator tot casserole was my true hearts desire, so I used hubs' tator tots to make casserole. And by the way, he is still bugging me to replace that bag so he has tator tots to eat! Anyways, it was delicious! Just as delicious as I was hoping!

Ingredients...

...1 bag tator tots
...1 lb. ground meat
...1 can carrots
...1 can green beans
...1 can cream of mushroom soup
...1 can cream of chicken soup
...3 T. minced onion

Directions...

Brown ground beef with onion. In a large bowl, stir together carrots, green beans, mushroom soup, chicken soup and browned meat. Spread into a well greased 9x13 pan. Top with tator tots. Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours .

To see more delicious recipes, check out Ultimate Recipe Swap over at Life as Mom!

Simple Goulash

Hubs loves goulash, me...not so much. I just find it far to bland for my tastes, no matter how much I try to doctor it. But this recipe for goulash was not only simple but one that I actually kind of enjoyed. I even considered seconds for a few minutes...but opted not to for the sake of my waistline (not that this is an unhealthy meal. I'm just trying to keep my portions in check.)

Ingredients...

...1 lb. ground meat, browned
...2 1/2 cups egg noodles, cooked
...1/2 onion, chopped
...1/2 green pepper, chopped
...1 can tomato soup, undiluted
...handful of shredded cheese
...3/4 c. water
...1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
...3 tbsp. butter, melted

Directions...

Brown ground meat with onions and peppers. In a bowl, stir together meat, noodles, cheese and soup until well coated. Place in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Combine bread crumbs and butter until a course topping is created. Place on noodle mixture. Bake uncovered at 350* for 35-40 minutes.

My Thoughts...

This was tasty for a goulash (and for it's looks). Hubs gobbled it right up, and even asked for seconds...he's so cute :) I reheated this for lunch today, and added some leftover spaghetti sauce and a little more cheese to it, and that made this casserole much more to my liking. So perhaps the answer to my goulash dislike is spaghetti sauce. And garlic powder. I'm kind of a garlic fanatic.

*blushes sheepishly*

Cheesy Chicken and Potato Casserole

I like easy casseroles. They make life a little easier. This one is great. It's economical (because I know we all have some Betty Crocker potatoes in the stockpile, and some cheap cheese in the freezer...) and tasty (but not so great for the waistline.

Ingredients....

...1 box scalloped potatoes
...4 potatoes, thinly sliced
...shredded cheese
...2 chicken breasts (cut into chunks or shredded)
...3 tsp. vegetable oil
...1 can cream of chicken soup (not pictured)
...1 can mushrooms (not pictured)

Directions...

Before slicing potatoes, cook slighty in microwave to ensure done-ness in the oven (this is crucial. if you don't slightly bake the potatoes beforehand, then you will have crunchy, undone potatoes in your casserole). In a medium pan over medium-high heat, brown chicken until it is white all through. Prepare scalloped potatoes as directed on box. Stir in sliced potatoes, chicken, cream of chicken soup and mushrooms. Bake at 350* for 15 minutes. Add cheese to top of casserole and return to oven for 10-15 minutes.

My Thoughts...

This was just how I like it, ooey, gooey and cheesy. YUM! This is probably not the best for the waistline, but sometimes those recipes are just too darn tasty to pass up! I love any recipe mainly featuring the potato as they're so economical to purchase, and I love the ooey and gooy-ness of cheese added to any dish! This was great!

Corn Dog Casserole

I had a few requests for this one on last week's menu plan...sorry it took me so long to make it!

The Ingredients...

...2 tbs. butter
...2 cups sliced celery (not pictured)
...1 small, yellow onion
...1 package hot dogs
...2 eggs, beaten
...1 1/2 cups milk
...1 tsp. sage
...1/4 tsp. black pepper
...2 (8 oz) pkgs. corn meal mix
...Cheese to garnish

Directions...

Preheat oven to 400*. Over medium heat, melt butter in a large skillet. Saute celery and onions in butter until soft. Set aside in small bowl. Slice hotdogs into quarters, and then into small pieces. Saute in same skillet used for celery/onion. Mix into celery and onion mixture, and set aside one cup of mixture. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, sage, pepper and corn bread mix. Stir well to combine and add in hot dog mixture. Spread into a greased 9x13 baking pan and top with remaining 1 cup of hot dog mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

My Thoughts...

I didn't particularly care for this, I thought it came out pretty dry. The flavor was good and all, but it really could have used something to make it a little less dry. Hubs, however, LOVVEEDD this! He asked me everyday after I made this if there was any left, because he wanted to take leftovers to work. This would be a very kid friendly recipe as well, and is a great alternative to corn dogs in a pinch!

Chicken Broccoli Divan

This was....well...it could use some tweaking. But with the tweaks, this has the potential to be a keeper in my book!

Ingredients...

...Broccoli (the recipe called for 1 lb. I used 1 bag of Steamers plus one head of fresh.
...1 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken meat
...1 (10.85) oz can Cream of Broccoli Soup (I didn't have any, so I used Cream of Chicken)
...1/3 c. Milk
...1/2 c. Shredded Cheese
...1 T. butter, melted
...2 T. bread crumbs

Directions...

Preheat oven to 350*. Boil Broccoli (skip this step if using steamers like I did. Just steam according to package directions). Place Broccoli in bottom of casserole dish. Layer shredded chicken on top. In a seperate bowl, whisk together milk and soup, pour over chicken. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. In a small bowl combine butter and crumbs. Sprinkle over top of cheese. Bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven, or until cheese is bubbly and lightly brown.

My Thoughts...

This was missing something. Spices. When I reheated this for lunch the next day, I mixed in a bit of garlic powder and it really added that missing "something". I think next time I'll add garlic powder and some chopped onion. I also felt that it was missing some sort of a "carb" or "starch" I think next time I will layer some cooked noodles or rice on the bottom before the broccoli. I think that will make this a little more "meal like". I also think that next time I will be stirring the broccoli and chicken into the soup mixture. It just felt too seperated and layered with nothing combined. Otherwise, this is definetely a keeper recipe...it was delish!

Crockpot Mexican Breakfast Casserole

This was good...but you need to follow the recipe...I made the mistake of not doing so, and regretted it! The ingredients...

~ Tortillas (the recipe calls for corn, I used wheat and it tasted fine)
~ 8 eggs
~ 2 cups fat free milk (I forgot to put it in the picture...but I used powdered milk, like I do in all my cooking...)
~ 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
~ 1 (7-ounce) can green chiles, drained (which is what I eliminated, and regretted it!)
~ 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced (I used yellow as it was all I had on hand)
~ 1 tiny onion, diced (I used half of a large onion)
~ 1 cup corn (canned, frozen, fresh...its up to you and what you have on hand!)
~ 1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional...and I did skip this one and didn't miss it)
~ 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (I used table salt)
~ 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

What to Do...

Grease the inside of your crockpot. Put a layer of tortillas on the bottom (I had to tear some to make them fit evenly). In a mixing bowl, combine all of the other ingredients and whisk together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture into the crockpot, on top of the first layer of tortillas. Add another layer of tortillas, and top with another 1/3 mixture. Top with third and last layer of tortillas. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4-5. It will be done when the eggs are fully cooked and the edges have begun to brown.

This is what it looked like all ready to eat! I had to add some taco sauce to it because without the chiles the taste was quite bland. But once I added the taco sauce it was delish! I would definetely recommend this recipe....and will for sure be trying it again! This is a great way to start off my goal of having hot breakfasts on hand each day, as it warms up quite well!