Squash Casserole

2 large squash(the green ones)
1c parmesan
1c mayo or miracle whip
1sm onion diced or sliced(depending on if you want big pieces or little)
1 green bell pepper(diced or sliced)
2 eggs, whipped
S&P to taste




1. Slice squash(my hubby actually prefers big chunks, but original recipe is for thin slices), place in pan, cover with water, cook till squishy
2. drain cooked squash in colander place in bowl
3. add all the rest of the ingredients and mix well
4. Spray casserole dish and pour mixture in
5. Cook at 350 degrees for 45minutes or until golden brown on top and mixture is set throughout

This recipe is originally from Mamma Mills and has actually won honorable mention in the Kraft summer recipe contest a few years back. :)

Feta Chicken (All Recipes)

Caren had told me that she makes a Feta Chicken recipe, so I went to All Recipes.com and found one just like it. This was a very easy and great recipe!

6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
6 oz. of feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup italian seasoned breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Place chicken between to pieces of wax paper. Gently pound chicken with flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin until about 1/4 inch thick; remove wax paper. Place 1 ounce of feta cheese in the center of each chicken breast, and fold in half.
Spread two tablespoons of the breadcrumbs in the bottom of a prepared baking dish. Arrange chicken in the dish, and top with remaining breadcrumbs.
Bake 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Strawberry Peach Crisp

If you get the Kraft magazine, this recipe came from Spring 07 issue. If not, here's the recipe. It was very easy and my out-of-town guests loved it so much, I was sorry that I had made a 1/2 batch.

1/2 cup flour, divided
2 cans peach slices, drained
2 cups halved strawberries
3/4 cup, plus 2 Tbsp. firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold butter
3 cups Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds cereal, lightly crushed
1/2 cup thawed Cool Whip

Preheat oven to 350. Remove 2 Tbsp. of flour; set aside. Toss peach slices with strawberries, 3/4 cup sugar and remaining flour in large bowl. Place in ungreased 8-inch square baking dish.

Mix reserved 2 Tbsp. flour and 2 Tbsp. sugar in separate large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add cereal; stir until well blended. Sprinkle over fruit mixture.

Bake 25 min. or until topping is lightly browned. Serve with whipped topping.*



*We served ours with strawberry gelato instead of cool whip & it was great!

Pesto Chango 2

A while back Caren posted some ideas for using Pesto. I had a Rachel Ray moment this week and thought I'd share because it turned out "Yum-mo"!

Sun dried Tomato Pesto Chicken & Pasta w/ Feta

Store bought Sun dried Tomato Pesto (I bought mine in the refridgerated pasta case but you can get it in the canned tomato aisle too.
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Tenders
1/2 Box Mini - Penne Pasta
Feta Cheese, crumbled

Cover the chicken with a few tablespoons (eye-balled) of the pesto and marinate for an hour or two. Then bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Cook the pasta according to package then toss with a few more tablespoons (eye-balled) of pesto.
Place pasta in baking dish and put chicken on top. Sprinkle chicken with feta cheese and bake for 10 minutes to warm the cheese.

I made this for just Patrick and I so if you're cooking for more than adjust the quantities to your liking. Also you can use chicken breasts or a different kind of pasta, too.

Chicken and Spinach Quiche

2 unbaked deep dish pie crusts
4 cup chopped, cooked chicken
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
1 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach cooked & drained
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 eggs slightly beaten
3/4 cup Miracle Whip Light
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp dried basil
black pepper
sprinkle top w/ parmesan cheese

Prick crusts with fork, bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
In a large bowl toss chicken, cheese, spinach and onion. Spoon into crusts.
Stir remaining ingredients together and pour over chicken mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until golden brown*. Remove from oven and let set up for 15-20 minutes.
*Lay a piece of foil lightly over each quiche until the last 15-20 minutes so they don't get too dark. Sometimes they need more than 40 minutes.

This is my Mother-in-Law's recipe. It's really yummy and I usually freeze one of the quiches for later because it makes a lot for 2 people. And although quiche is usually considered a "girly" food, my husband really likes this one. It's more chicken and spinach than egg.

Mexican Steak & Beans (Crockpot Recipe)

1 1/2 lbs. beef flank steak
2 tbs. worcestershire sauce
1 10 oz. can chopped tomatoes with green chilie peppers (Rotel)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs. snipped fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 small green, red, and/or yellow sweet peppers, cut into strips
1 15 oz. can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups hot cooked rice
crumbled queso fresco (optional)

Trim fat from meat. Place meat in a slow cooker. Condition meat with salt and pepper (Not
recipe measurements) and worcestershire sauce. In a bowl, stir together undrained tomatoes, onion, garlic, dried oregano (if using), chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper (recipe measurements). Pour over meat.
Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6-8 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-4 hours.
If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting. Add sweet pepper strips and pinto beans. Cover and cook for 30 minutes more. Remove meat; cool slightly. Shred or thinly slice meat across the grain. If using, stir in fresh oregano into bean mixture.
To serve, spoon rice into soup bowls or into flour tortillas for soft tacos. Arrange meat on rice. Spoon bean mixture over meat. Sprinkle with cheese and additional snipped oregano, if desired.
Additional condiments include, but are not limited to sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, salsa, etc.

Fabulous Chocolate Chip Cookies

In large bowl cream together:
2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup margarine (10 and 1/3 TBSP)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

Beat in:
2 eggs

Stir in:
3 cups flour (more may be added if humidity is very high)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Add:
3 cups chocolate chips

Spoon out onto cookie sheets, keeping balls of dough about 1 inch apart. (You can put up to 20 cookies on a standard sheet) This recipe makes approximately 60 cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for 11 - 12 minutes.

Sunday Brunch Casserole

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 pound sliced bacon
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 12 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dill weed

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings. Crumble bacon and set aside. In same skillet, saute onion and green pepper in drippings until tender; remove with a slotted spoon.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and milk. Stir in hash browns, cheese, salt, pepper, dill, onion mixture and reserved bacon.
3. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 35-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Some Like It Hot Potato Salad

5 lbs red potatoes
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 medium purple onion, chopped
1-2 stalks of celery, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup salad olives, sliced
1 small can black olives, sliced
1 small bottle of bacon bits
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups mayonnaise
salt and pepper

Peel and cube the potatoes. Salt. Boil potatoes until just tender. Drain and place into a very large bowl. Pour boiled eggs over the potatoes. In a separate bowl, mix all other ingredients. Fold mixture in with potatoes and eggs. Add more mayonnaise if necessary. Best when serverd warm.

Crisp Asparagus

1 bunch of fresh asparagus
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
2 tblsp. olive oil

Place fresh asparagus in a shallow glass dish. Sprinkle the olive oil evenly on the asparagus. Do the same for the salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes on 350 degrees on the broil setting (place the glass dish on the top rack). Stir once or twice during the baking process.

Tip: You can add any of your favorite vegetables to the asparagus and add a bit more salt, olive oil and pepper to give yourself more variety.

Chicken Roll-Ups

1 can crescent rolls
4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
italian bread crumbs

Mix onions, chicken and cream cheese together. Spread crescent rolls flat and try to make them as a square. Put 1 tblsp. of the mixture into each roll. Fold and close so that the mixture will not leak out when baked. Place stuffed rolls on a cookie sheet with tucked sides down. Dip each roll-up in melted butter and roll in bread crumbs. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.