Roasted Sausage and Vegetables

In a large mixing bowl, stir one packet of onion soup mix with 1/4c olive oil and 1/2c water.

Add:
2 lbs. diced potatoes
1/2 lb. diced carrots
1 lb. diced sausage

Stir and put into casserole pan.

Cook at 425 for about 45 minutes, stirring once in the middle.

Serve with a salad.

White Bean Stew

In the crock pot, on low for about 3 hours:

3 cups cooked, diced chicken
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups shredded carrots
2 cans white beans, rinsed and drained, with one can mashed
some seasoning salt
a little brown rice

Chicken Burritos

Put in the crock pot on low:

two still-frozen chicken breasts
a cup or salsa or a can of diced tomatoes
some Ranch salad dressing

Serve in burritos with rice and cheese.

Split Pea Soup

I'd never eaten split pea soup before, but I absolutely loved it--one of my all-time favorite soups now.

Put in crock-pot on high for five hours:

1 lb. dried split peas
2 c diced onions
1.5 c diced carrots
1 c diced celery
2 t garlic
1/2 t pepper
3 chicken bouillion cubes
7 cups of water
2 cups of diced ham

I added a little seasoning salt, too.

Mulligatawny Soup

In the crock pot:

7 cups of broth
2 diced apples
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 onion
5 stalks of celery
2 T butter
3 diced carrots
3 cups diced chicken

In a cup, mix 1/4c flour with 3T curry powder. Add enough water to make a paste and then add to the crock pot.

Cook on low for many hours.

Serve over rice.

Tostadas

I'd never made tostadas before. Everyone loved them--even all three boys.

(1) In a saucepan, mix 1.5 cups of cooked, diced beef with some lemon juice, adobo seasoning, chipotle tabasco, and a can of refried beans.

(2) Layer on a tostada: beef and bean mixture, finely diced lettuce, shredded cheese, and salsa.

Sausage and Zucchini

This was easy:

Saute sliced zucchini, yellow squash, and kielbasa in a little Italian dressing. Serve with homemade flat bread.

Creamy Spinach Pasta

I can't believe my kids ate this! All of them!

1. Cook one pound of whole wheat rigatoni.
2. Cook two bags of spinach until it all wilts. Dice.
3. Mix the spinach and pasta with one jar of alfredo sauce (or homemade alfredo), one can of Italian tomatoes, and one container of ricotta.
4. In a small bowl, smash a cup of crackers along with a bunch of garlic and a little olive oil.
5. Put pasta in casserole pan and top with topping.
6. Bake at 400 for half an hour.

Honey Chicken

bake at 350 for one hour:

six chicken breasts
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup butter
1/4 c mustard
1 t salt
1 t curry powder

Beef Roast

Put in crock pot:

a big old chunk of beef
one can of cola
4 t beef boullion cubes
8 t onion flakes
1/4 t pepper
1 t garlic

Cook until an internal temperature of 165. (I love the probe on my crock pot!)

Chicken Pot Pie

Crust:
1 cup shortening
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold water

Mix shortening, flour and salt. Add water and mix as little as possible. Roll out four crusts.

Pie:

Place in crust:
1 cup cooked chicken or turkey
3/4 cup thawed frozen hash browns
1 cup thawed frozen mixed vegetables

In a saucepan, melt 1/3 cup of butter. Add 1/3 cup of flour. Add 1 and 3/4 cups chicken broth and 2/3 cup milk. Stir until thickened. Pour goo over pie and cover with other crust.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Pasta Fagioli

In the crockpot:

one pound cooked ground beef
20 oz. water
1 cube of beef boullion
three diced carrots
one can of Italian-style diced tomatoes
half a can of spaghetti sauce
one can of white beans
one can of red beans

When cooked, add a little pasta to each bowl.

Chicken and Rice Bowl

Layer for each serving:

brown rice made with a little oil and Adobo seasoning
black beans
pecan-smoked chicken
tomatoes
avocado slices
shredded cheese
cilantro

Yum.

Shepherd's Pie

This is a childhood favorite.

(1) I make mashed potatoes by cooking five pounds of potatoes (skin on) in the crock pot in a half-inch of water on low for six hours, then cutting them in half and scooping out the middle. I add a lump of butter, some milk, Ranch dressing, and salt. I leave some unmashed chunks of potato.

(2) Brown a pound of ground beef and mix in a packet of onion soup mix.

(3) In a lasanga pan, layer ground beef, 1/2 c water, a bag of thawed frozen mixed vegetables, and the mashed potatoes. Spray the top with cooking spray.

(4) Bake in a 300 degree oven for about an hour.

Sausage Casserole

I really liked this.

Layer in a greased casserole dish:

one head of chopped cabbage
two cups of cooked rice
one pound of pork sausage that has been cooked with onion and celery
two cans of tomato soup plus one can of water

Bake at 360 for 40 minutes and then top with a little mozzarella and return to oven to melt.

I guess this is kind of like unstuffed cabbage rolls.

Pasta with Sausage

This was a desperation dinner that turned out pretty well:

Cook one pound of pasta. Near the end of the cooking time, throw in 1.5 cups of frozen spinach. Drain, but not all the way. Add cooked diced sausage (I had spinach and feta sausage) and a can of Italian-style diced tomatoes.

Easy Chicken

Not entirely sure this counts as a recipe, but . . .

. . . put three still-frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot along with half a bottle of salad dressing. Cook on high for five hours. Remove chicken, stir in a bag of frozen vegetables, and cook for about a half hour. Serve over rice.

Lasagna

S. will cook this . . . and then eat half of the pan.

1 pound Italian sausage, cooked
1 container ricotta
2 eggs
1/2 cup Parmesan
1 and 1/2 cups mozzarella
one box uncooked lasagna noodles
one jar spaghetti sauce
two cans diced tomatoes

In a bowl, mix the sausage, sauce, and tomatoes. In another bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Beginning with the sauce, layer the noodles, cheese, and sauce in the pan. Cover with foil sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in a 400 degree oven for one hour and then allow to sit for ten minutes.

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese

This is what I make for the parents when the kids have grilled cheese:

2 slices whole wheat bread
Ranch dressing mixed with Chipotle Tabasco Sauce
sliced purple onion
sliced tomatoes
mozzarella
sharp cheddar cheese

Asian Chicken Slaw

Another one from Family Fun; I don't always put chicken in in.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

* 1 (16-ounce) bag coleslaw mix
* 1 pound cooked chicken, shredded
* 1 bag deluxe stir-fry mix
* 1 cup sliced scallions
* 1/2 cup chopped cashews (optional)

Dressing:

* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons white vinegar
* 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
* 1/2 cup canola oil
* 1 tablespoon sesame oil

1. In a large bowl, toss together the coleslaw mix, chicken, broccoli, snap peas, red pepper, and scallions.
2. In a medium bowl, stir the soy sauce, vinegar, peanut butter, sugar, minced garlic, and grated ginger until well blended. Slowly whisk in the canola oil and sesame oil. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.