Tater-Tot Breakfast Skillet:

My mother-in-law had this huge set of awesome cast-iron skillets that she didn't want anymore, so she gave them to me!!! I had always wanted some, but when I lived at home, we had a flat-surface stove, and whereas I LOVED that stove, you couldn't use cast-iron on them, because it's too heavy.

But! When I moved into my home now, we still have an awesome stove, but it has regular burners.

So I have lots and lots of things I want to try in these awesome skillets now!

This is the first thing that I made in them, and stay tuned, because more will definitely be coming your way!!

This was super fun, and really yummy!

Tater-Tots are always a good idea, and to use them for a crust is genius!

This recipe is really flexible too! It calls for sausage and bacon, but you could definitely just use one or the other if you prefer.

Of course, any kind of cheese you wanted to use would be fantastic!

And add whatever you want to your eggs! I threw in some diced bell peppers and onions, garlic powder, salt and pepper. 

But you could add in so many different things, depending on your taste...mushrooms, spinach, jalapeno peppers, etc., etc.,....the list could go on and on!!!

I hope you give it a try, and enjoy it as much as we did!

Dad, you would love this!!! I can't wait to make it for you!

P.S.

FYI: Breakfast for dinner is what I'm all about, but this also heated up great for breakfast the next day!

1 (32 oz) bag frozen Tater Tots

6 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups shredded cheese

3/4 cup cooked, crumbled sausage

3/4 cup fried, chopped bacon

(I used a cast iron skillet for this, but I'm sure you could use any skillet or even a pie plate or something...just so it has sides, and is oven safe!)

Line the tater tots in a single layer across the bottom of a greased skillet. Then line the outside edges of the pan (which will make a double layer, just around the outside).

Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, salt and pepper. Add a tablespoon of water.

Heat a skillet to medium heat, and scramble the eggs, cooking just until set, because they can finish cooking later. 

Remove the potatoes from the oven. Using the back of a spatula, measuring cup, glass...whatever you have that's flat, gently press the potatoes down, making a more solid, flat layer, like a crust. Make sure to get the ones on the sides too, pressing them into the side, not down. 

Sprinkle with one cup of cheese.

Add eggs and spread out as evenly as you can.

Sprinkle the sausage over the eggs, and cover with the remaining one cup of cheese.

Top with bacon.

Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Let stand 3-5 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!!!

{Crock-Pot Lasagna}

I am a big fan of Lasagna. I am a big fan of Crock-Pots.

However, for some reason, putting those two things together, just didn't appeal to me all that much.

I don't know why, it just didn't sound good.

But thankfully, something made me just break down and try it one week.

And I am so glad that I did!

I think I may actually like it better than our regular, oven-baked Lasagna!

It was fast and easy to put together, and had such a great flavor.
I was worried about the texture being mushy and runny, but it was nice and thick and perfect!

I hope you try it out!

1 pound ground beef

36 oz. spaghetti sauce (about a jar and a half)

1 (16 oz) container cottage cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 & 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 box lasagna noodles, uncooked

2+ cups mozzarella cheese

Brown ground beef until no longer pink; drain well. Mix with spaghetti sauce; set aside.

Mix together cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, and Italian seasoning.

Line a crock-pot with a crock-pot liner or spray with cooking spray.

Spread 1/3 of the meat sauce mixture across the bottom of the crock-pot.

Break a few of the noodles into large pieces to cover the top of the sauce.

Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles.

Sprinkle with a layer of mozzarella cheese.

Repeat layers with 1/3 of the meat sauce, noodles, remaining cottage cheese mixture, and mozzarella cheese. Top with a final layer of noodles, and the remaining meat sauce.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Or

Cover and cook on low for 2 & 1/2 to 3 hours. During the last half hour, sprinkle another thin layer of mozzarella cheese. Cover and cook until noodles are tender when poked through with a fork, and cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve!

Note:
-I used ground turkey in mine, and it worked great!
-I also used a Mexican blend cheese, which gave it more color, and the flavor was perfect!

{Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas}

So, I would like to start out by saying this is a very exciting post for me.

Not only because it's a great recipe that I can't wait to share with you

(although, don't get me wrong, because it definitely is!).

But mainly, 

because this, my friends, is a milestone post in my life! 

THIS, is the very first recipe I am sharing with you being 

MARRIED!!!!!!! 

To my best friend, by the way!!!

AND............straight from MY kitchen!!!

*****Oh.My.Goodness!!!*****

Like, I'm married, y'all!!!!!

 And I have a kitchen!!!!!!!!

That is mine!!!!!!!!

Well, it's Bradley's too, so okay....this is from OUR kitchen, then!!!!!!!!!

WOW!!!!!

I'm trying not to be more excited about that fact, than the recipe itself, but........

YEP!!!

SO not working! 

Sorry!

Married life is just the best, you guys!!!

Anyways!!! 

Attempting to move on now!!

This recipe was great!

I mean, not as great as being married to your best friend but,

like maybe if you didn't have a best friend, then this dish could be your best friend or something!!

It's pretty much that good!!

Pretty much!

I always got Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas at this Mexican restaurant while visiting my brother in New Mexico. I just couldn't get enough of them, they were so good!

But, I have never seen them in any other Mexican restaurant, and I was pretty bummed about that.

But not anymore! 

These were super yummy, and very quick and easy to make!!

If you are looking for super spicy, I would had another can of green chilies.

But if you just want a bare hint of heat, then stick with one can.

Okay, I'll stop talking now so you can go make these!!

And so that I can go eat the last two that we have leftover!!!

And probably also kiss my best friend, too!!!!!!!

I hope you enjoy them!!!

(enjoy the enchiladas, I mean. Because you are so not kissing my best friend, sorry!)

10 white corn tortillas

2 cups shredded, cooked chicken

2 cups shredded cheese, divided

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, divided

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons butter

4 & 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup sour cream

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies 

Note:

-You can use whatever cheese you like. A mexican blend would be fabulous. I used a provolone/mozzarella mix.

-It works great to let your chicken cook in the Crock-Pot. It keeps it really moist and then shreds super easy when it's done.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside.

In a medium bowl,
combine chicken, 1 cup of the shredded cheese, 3 ounces of the cream cheese, and salt and pepper. 

Mix together. Honestly, your hands are going to be your best choice here!

Lay out the tortillas and divide the chicken mixture evenly between all of them. 

Gently roll up each tortilla and place seam side down in prepared pan

(I usually get 8 going down the middle, and then one on each side).

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. 

Add cornstarch and whisk until smooth.

Add chicken broth; cook and stir until it reaches a boil.

Stir in the remaining 5 ounces of cream cheese, and whisk until melted.

Remove from heat; add sour cream and green chilies. Stir until well combined

Pour sauce over the tortillas.

Sprinkle the top with remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes or until hot through and bubbly around the edges.

Place under a broiler for 3-4 minutes, or until the cheese starts to turn golden brown.

Let stand 3-5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!

Chicken Noodle Casserole:

My mom and grandma used to make this casserole all the time when I was little, and it was always one of my favorite dishes! 

I hope you try it and enjoy it as much as we do!

2 large chicken breasts, cooked and cut into small cubes
1 & 1/2 batches homemade cream of chicken soup (click here)
1 can evaporated milk
1 (15 oz.) Jar Cheez Wiz cheese sauce
1 (12 oz.) package spiral pasta
1 & 1/2 cups peas
Crushed cornflakes

Cook noodles according to package directions; rinse and drain. 

Mix together the chicken cubes, pasta and peas in a large bowl; set aside. 

In a saucepan, whisk together evaporated milk, cheese sauce and soup over medium heat until everything is well combined. 

Pour over pasta mixture and stir until evenly coated. Pour into a greased casserole dish. 

Sprinkle generously with cornflakes crumbs (covering the whole top of the casserole). 

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes, or until the center is hot and the pasta is tender. Serve!

Note:
-The amount of cornflake crumbs depends on the size of your casserole dish. The bigger the dish, the more crumbs you will need!!
-You can easily make this ahead of time and refrigerate. You will just need to allow extra baking time, since it will be very cold.

Pioneer Woman's Perfect Potatoes Au Gratin

Warning!

Be prepared for Pioneer Woman Recipe Overload!!!

Thanks to the worlds greatest boyfriend ever (sorry, he's already taken), 

I have not one, not even two, but FOUR of the Pioneer Woman's cookbooks!!

The BIG ones! 

I have always loved her, and I didn't even know she had that many books out!!

So of course I have read them all...cover to cover...and will be dissecting as many as I can, 

to make them gluten-free!

Enter, Perfect Potatoes Au Gratin!! Only a few minor adjustments and it.was.amazing! 

My whole family loved them, and I will absolutely be making them again!

They were super easy to throw together, and would seriously go with anything!

I hope you try them out!

7-8 cups potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons milk

1 can evaporated milk

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 & 1/2 - 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Chopped green onions or dried chives for garnish, optional

Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish; set aside.

In a medium bowl, gently whisk together milks, cornstarch, garlic, salt and pepper until smooth.

Place potatoes in prepared dish and pour milk mixture over the top.

Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake 25 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender when poked with a fork, and they aren't swimming in liquid (there probably will still be some liquid, but the potatoes should not be floating at this point!). 

Sprinkle with cheese and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, or until melted and bubbly!

Sprinkle with green onions or chives, if desired, and serve!!!

Chicken Spaghetti:

My boyfriend has given me some of the best cookbooks over the past few months!
This recipe comes from one of them, and it is awesome!
It did take a little while to put together, but it's not hard at all,
and you get two dinners out of your effort!!
The flavor is really good...if you are more of a "spicy" food loving type of person, you may want to add some chopped up jalapeno peppers, or amp up the cayenne pepper a few notches!
Otherwise, it's a perfect comfort food dish! Cheesy and Creamy!!
I hope you give it a try!

6-8 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1 pound spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces
1 (4 oz.) jar diced pimientos drained
1 small onion, finely diced
1/4 cup green bell pepper, finely diced
2 batches cream of mushroom soup mix (click here)
2 & 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a large skillet, cook the chicken until no longer pink in the center; set aside.
Cook spaghetti according to package instructions to al dente; drain and place in a large bowl.
Add the chicken, pimientos, finely diced vegetables, and 2 cups of cheese to the pasta; use two forks to combine.

Stir together the cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, season salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Add to the pasta mixture and stir until well combined.
Pour into 2, greased baking dishes.

To Freeze:
-place a piece of wax paper on top the casserole, pressing down to actually touch the pasta mixture.
Cover the dish with a lid or foil. Freeze for later use!
Thaw completely and move on to the baking step!

To Bake:
-Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese (honestly, I used more like 1 cup of cheese per pan at this point!).
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until hot through and bubbly.
Serve!

{Taco Lasagna}

I love tacos and I love lasagna, so this recipe just pulled me right it in!
It was so good and couldn't be easier to make.
I was expecting a list of ingredients that I don't always have on hand, but I was pleasantly surprised!
The second time I made it, I had lots of "taco toppings" on the side, for anyone who wanted them. Shredded lettuce, mushrooms, black olives, black beans, onions, chopped bell peppers...it was great!
I hope you try it out!!

12 gluten-free lasagna noodles

1 lb. ground beef

1/4 cup taco seasoning

3/4 cup water

1 (24 oz.) jar Salsa

1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese

2 eggs

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

In a skillet, brown beef until no longer pink; drain. Add taco seasoning and water. Stir until well combined. Add salsa and mix well. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese and eggs until well combined.

Spread about 3 tablespoons of the salsa/meat mixture in the bottom of a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Assemble lasagna by layering 4 lasagna sheets in the prepared pan. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Next, 1/3 of the meat mixture and 1/3 of each of the cheeses. Repeat layers 2 more times.

-Noodles

-Ricotta

-Meat mixture

-Cheeses

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes or until heated through and bubbly, and noodles are tender.

Enjoy!

Note:

-HERE are the lasagna sheets that I like to use.

-You can make this ahead of time of freeze. Allow to thaw before baking according to instructions. 

-It can also be assembled ahead of time and refrigerated overnight, and baked the next day. 

-Don't forget to check the label on your taco seasoning, to make make sure it's gluten-free.

Baked Spaghetti:

I am generally a pretty big fan of spaghetti as it is, but I really love this.
Just a simple twist on spaghetti, yet adding cheese always makes everything even better!
Easy to half, double and/or make-ahead, I hope you give it a try!!

1 package Spaghetti Pasta

1 & 1/2 cups of your favorite Spaghetti Sauce

1 & 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 pound ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

The pasta I like to use, cooks for 7 minutes. For this dish, I cook it for 4 minutes, so that is doesn't turn too mushy when I bake it.

So cook your pasta according to the package directions, just until it starts to bend and curl, but not cooked completely; drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.

In a skillet, brown beef and onion until beef is no longer pink; drain.

In a large bowl, combine meat, onions, sauce and cheese. Mix well. Add pasta and toss to combine. Place in a greased, 9x13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with an additional 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Serve!

Note:

-This could easily be made a meatless dish, by simply leaving out the ground beef, if you wanted.

Baked Chicken & Rice:

I'm typically one for the type of food that is just bursting with all kinds of flavor, a little spicy maybe, unique and different and just anything that is really good!! I just love food, I guess you could say (yes, I do have to exercise)!!!!

But every now and then, I just want something simple, kind of light in the flavor bursting department, but still yummy! 

Enter Chicken & Rice! 

I'm not normally fond of most chicken and rice dishes, but I found this one in my mom's recipe box and decided to give it a try! She said she used to make it all the time, for some reason, I can't remember.

However, I don't know why I can't remember it, because it turned out fantastic when I made it for dinner the other night and I think everyone really enjoyed it! 

I know this, because, for the first time in a long time, there was only a teeny, tiny bit leftover!

I hope you try it out and enjoy it as much as we did!

1 cup long-grain rice (not the minute rice)

2 stalks of celery

1 medium onion

2 batches of cream of chicken soup (see note)

1 & 1/2 cups water

Salt and Pepper to taste

5-6 chicken breasts, cut into strips (see note)

Pour rice into a 9x13-inch baking dish that has been generously coated in cooking spray.

Place celery and onion in a food processor or chopper and pulse until chopped very fine; 

sprinkle over the rice. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream of chicken soup and the water.

Cut chicken into 1 & 1/2 inch strips. Lay flat on top of the rice. 

Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. 

Pour chicken soup mixture over all.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed into the rice and the chicken is no longer pink in the center. 

Note:

-If you are not making this gluten-free, then you can just use 2 cans of cream of chicken soup. If you are making this gluten-free, then click HERE for a fast and easy homemade "can of cream of chicken soup." You will need to make the equivalent of 2 cans for this recipe.

-It may take more or less chicken, depending on the size of the chicken breasts you use. Mine were very small, and 5 was enough. I just laid them across the bottom of my pan, to see how much I would need.

-I've not had this problem, but in the original recipe, there was a note that said if the rice is drying out before you chicken is done, just add small amounts of water every so often until the chicken is done. Make sure all the water is absorbed before you serve it!

Twice-Baked Potato Casserole

 

I love to cook. If I couldn't cook, I don't know what I would do! But, I've run into a problem.

I have found that it's really hard to cook for my family. There are some pretty picky people in this house, and instead of growing out of it, I think it's getting worse and worse!!! But apart from that, I have a really hard time with amounts! I've mentioned before that, according to most recipes, I cook for 4 servings. But there are 7 people here! So I usually start with one amount, look at if for a while and conclude that there's no way it will be enough, so I add in some more. And it never fails that we'll be eating off that dish for days and days! I don't know if I'll ever get it right!

So, as usual, I made too many mashed potatoes for dinner the other day, and I was trying to figure out what to do with them before they went bad. I came across a recipe similar to this, changed it around a little bit to our tastes and it turned out pretty good! It was really fast too, considering I was using potatoes that were already prepared. I've never made Twice-Baked Potatoes, but I've had them at my Aunt's house, and LOVE them! This casserole really tasted like Twice-Baked Potatoes, only it was way less work!!!

I hope you give it a try!!!

 

 

3 cups prepared mashed potatoes (mine were instant! Shhh, don't tell my dad!)

1/2 cup ranch dressing

1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tsp. minced garlic

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

 

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, ranch dressing, and 1 cup cheddar cheese.

In a small skillet, sauté onions and bacon until onions start to brown and get a little tender. Stir in garlic. Add to potatoes and mix well. The potatoes were pretty thick because they were cold, so I used a hand mixer to mix it all together. You could just use a spatula instead, if you wanted.

Pour into a greased baking dish and spread evenly. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Serve!! 

 

Note:

-You could have this all made ahead and ready in the fridge.

Just pull it out and pop it in the oven when you're ready for it!

 

 

Cheesy Rice Bake:

We had a TON of leftover, cooked rice the other day, and I knew we would never eat it all before it went bad. I was trying to figure out what to do with it, and there is surprisingly few recipes out there that use cooked rice! Lots that use uncooked rice, but that wasn't going to help me out!

I stumbled across a recipe similar to this one, and decided to try it. I figured my family wouldn't love it, but they would eat it, and at least we wouldn't have to throw out a ton of rice.

I threw it altogether and stuck it in the oven.

Would you believe that my family loved this stuff?!?!!!

I couldn't believe it! It really tasted surprisingly yummy!! We ate almost the entire pan in one meal! I'll definitely be making this again and I hope you'll try it out as well!

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. dried parsley

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 cup shredded Velveeta cheese (see note)

4 cups cooked rice (see note)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley and pepper. Stir in the Velveeta cheese and rice. Mix until well combined.

Pour into a greased, casserole dish.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake 10 minutes longer.

Serve!

Note:

-The original recipe called for cheddar cheese, not Velveeta cheese, but I don't like the grainy texture that pre-shredded cheddar cheese gives, so I highly recommend the Velveeta. Make sure it is good and cold, and it should shred fairly easily. I did use the cheddar for on top, because I think it works fine like that, but you can do whatever you want.

-My cooked rice was minute rice, but I don't think it would really matter at all what kind you use, as long as it's cooked!

-You don't need a huge casserole dish, but make sure it's big enough, so that your rice mixture does not come to the top of the pan. It bubbles a little while it's baking, and if your dish is too full, it may boil over!

Sweet Potato & Apple Gratin:

 I think I've said it before, but I'm not a huge fan of sweet potatoes. They are like white chocolate to me. I love the idea of them, and so I just keep trying them, thinking that I might eventually like them! Well, it hasn't happened with white chocolate yet, but it worked with this sweet potato dish at least! It was very different from anything I've ever had, and I really did like it! I fixed it for Valentines Day, and my whole family really liked it!
Hope you give it a try!

 

 

 

 

3 tblsp. butter, divided

1 small onion, finely diced

3 tblsp. cornstarch

2 cups chicken broth

dash of salt and pepper

2 & 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled (about 4 medium)

2 gala or golden delicious apples, peeled, quartered and cored

1 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs (click HERE for my recipe)

 

In a medium sauce pan, melt 2 tblsp. butter. Add onion; cook and stir for 6-7 minutes or until golden brown. Whisk in cornstarch, salt and pepper. Gradually pour in broth and whisk until smooth. Simmer until it reaches a boil and thickens slightly. Set aside.

Using and food processor with a slicing blade, or a mandolin slicer, thinly slice the potatoes and apples. In a greased baking dish, layer half of the potatoes and all of the apples. Top with half of the onion sauce. Layer with the rest of the potatoes and finish with the remaining sauce.

Cover tightly with foil, and bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender with poked with a fork. In a small bowl, melt the remaining 1 tblsp. butter. Add cookie crumbs and mix until well combined. Sprinkle over potatoes and bake for 25 minutes more.

Serve!!

 

Note:

-The original recipe said that you could bake it the first time, let it cool and keep it in your fridge for a day or two. Set it out for an hour, top with cookie crumbs and bake until warm through. I did not try this, so I don't know how well it does or doesn't work, but I just wanted to let you know, incase anyone wants to try it!

-We served it with Ham, but I'm sure any Meat main dish would go well.

-The original recipe I think said it served 6-8, but I will half the recipe the next time I make it for my family! It really makes a lot!!

 

 

 

 

 

Bubble-Up Pizza:

My older sister used to make Bubble-Up Pizza all the time and we all loved it! Well, everyone except for mom! I have tried several different ways to make it gluten-free and it just never worked out right. Until, I have found "wonder bread"!!! The bread dough from my Monkey Bread recipe has again been put to good use and it worked perfectly for this make-over Bubble-Up Pizza! We all loved it (even mom!) and I hope you'll give it a try!  

 

 

The Dough Part:

2 & 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

3 tsp. xanthan gum

1 tblsp. Rapid Rise yeast

3 tblsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix (dry)

1 tsp. baking powder

4 tblsp. butter

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup milk

1 egg, room temperature

1 tsp. cider vinegar

2 tblsp. canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla

 

The Pizza Part:

1 & 1/2 cups pizza sauce

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 cup quartered pepperoni slices

2 & 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

 

1. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix all the dry ingredients from the "dough" list, until well combined. Set aside.
3. Put water and butter in a glass measuring cup and microwave just until the butter has melted. Remove from microwave and stir. Add milk, stir. Add egg, cider vinegar, oil and vanilla; whisk to combine.
4. With the stand mixer running (using the paddle attachment), pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Scrap down the bowl if you need to. Allow to mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.

5. Mix together the pizza sauce, garlic, pepperoni and 1 & 1/2 cups cheese in a large, preferably rectangle container (this allows the dough to be spread out more, rather than stacked on top each other, which makes them squish together, and you don't really want that.).

6. Form the dough into 3/4″ balls (I just used a cookie scoop) and place in the container. Stir very gently (so you don't tear the balls apart) until they are evenly coated in the sauce.
7. Pour gently into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
8. If you want to bake it now, you may go ahead and follow the remaining steps. You can also cover the dish with it's lid or plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator over-night or until you are ready to bake it. Follow the remaining steps.
9. Allow the dough to rise for 20-30 minutes in a warm, draft-free place, covering the dish with a clean dish towel.
10. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until dough is no longer "doughy" when a ball of dough is pulled apart. Carefully remove from the oven.
12. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve and Enjoy!

 

Note:

-The Rapid Rise Yeast is very important here. Don't use Active Dry, or it will not rise at all. 

-Sometimes we like to prepare this up to step 8 earlier in the day, then later in the afternoon/evening continue with the remaining steps. This way, a lot of the mess and time is out of the way!

Pizza Bake:

This is such a simple, easy dish. Very fast, but very yummy!

I hope you try it out!!

 

 

1 (12 oz.) box rotini pasta

1 (28 oz.) spaghetti sauce

3/4 cup quartered pepperoni slices

1 cup mozzarella cheese

Additional pepperoni slices

 

Cook pasta according to package directions, just until almost done; drain and place in a large bowl. Add sauce and quartered pepperoni slices and mix well. Pour into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and top with additional pepperoni slices. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Serve!

 

Ham and Pineapple Casserole:

I hope everyone had a nice Easter!

Even though it was cold and snowy here, we still had a wonderful day with family and of course yummy food! Speaking of food, if you're like us, we always have a ton of food leftover from big dinners like that.

This was an awesome casserole for the leftover ham! I am NOT a fan of ham, but I loved this casserole! It was so easy and the flavors were just so yummy!

I hope you give it a try!

1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp. mustard

1/4 tsp. black pepper

3 cups cooked rice

2-3 cups fully cooked ham, cubed

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup chopped green bell pepper, optional

2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Drain pineapple, reserving 1/2 cup juice; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together reserved juice, mayonnaise, mustard and black pepper until smooth; set aside. In a large bowl, toss together rice, ham, onion, pepper, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Pour mayonnaise mixture over rice mixture and stir until well combined. Pour into a greased baking dish and spread evenly. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until heated through. Top with remaining 1/3 cup cheddar cheese and 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Serve!

Note:

-I cut the pineapple chunks in half, so that they weren't so big.

-Next time I will try it with crushed pineapple, because some in my family didn't care for the chunks.

Chicken and Rice Casserole:

With some of the leftovers from our awesome Rotisserie chicken deal, I made this casserole and it turned out super yummy! I was very excited about it, because it didn't use a cream of something soup and it was pretty simple to put together. I hope you give it a try!

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh mushrooms, optional

2 tblsp. butter

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tblsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

3/4 cup milk

6 tblsp. mayonnaise

 2 cups cubed, cooked chicken

1 & 1/2 cups cooked, long grain rice (instant or not, it doesn't matter)

1/2 cup celery, finely chopped

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 tsp. lemon juice

3/4 cup crushed cornflakes

1 tblsp. melted butter

In a large bowl, combine chicken, rice, celery, peas and lemon juice; set aside.

In a small saucepan, saute the onion and mushrooms in butter until onions are tender. Add garlic and stir. Add cornstarch, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Slowly pour in milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in mayonnaise. Pour over chicken mixture and mix well. Transfer to a greased baking dish. In a small bowl, combine cornflakes and butter. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly around the edges and hot through. Serve!!

Need a side with that?

Jello Yogurt Fruit Salad

Strawberry Mousse

Applesauce Jello

Slow-cooker Fried Apples

Chicken Veggie Casserole:

This was great for a chilly day!

It was easy to put together and was pretty yummy!

I hope you give it a try!

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 (15 oz) can of whole potatoes, drained and sliced
4 cups canned green beans
2 cups frozen corn
1 batch of cream of chicken soup (recipe here) prepared and cooled
             or just one can of cream of chicken soup, if you are not making this gluten-free
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Combine the soup, milk, thyme and pepper. Mix well. Add the chicken, potatoes, green beans and corn. Stir until well combined. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until heated through. OR, you can cover the dish, and place in a 200 degree oven for several hours, until heated through and your ready to serve.

Note:
-Feel free to adjust the amounts of each ingredient to your tastes. You can add more potatoes and less veggies, or leave out the potatoes and add more veggies, leave out the chicken....whatever you want!!
-If you are making my recipe for a can of cream of chicken soup, it would be best to make it in advance and chill it for several hours so that it really thickens up. You can make this casserole right after you make the soup, of course, I just like it better after the soup has chilled, but it's not absolutely necessary!
-This is a good dish to make ahead of time, cover and refrigerate until you are ready to bake it. Just allow about 10 extra minutes of baking time, since the casserole will be much colder.

Lasagna:

This lasagna recipe is so easy and delicious! I know you'll love it! We usually make it on a Saturday and then let it bake while we're at church Sunday morning. It's so nice to come home to a meal that is virtually ready! Some people think that lasagna is just too hard and time consuming to make, but it's really not and you can't beat the taste of homemade lasagna. I tried to capture each step that I do, so you can see how easy it really is! Let me know how it turns out for you!

1 (lb.) ground beef
2 jars Spaghetti Sauce
1 (15 oz.) carton Ricotta Cheese
2 eggs
1 box lasagna noodles, uncooked (check out this post here on what noodles I use)
Mozzarella Cheese (the amount varies...depends on how much cheese you like!)

In a large skillet, brown meat over high heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and divide mixture evenly between 3 bowls, reserving about 1/2 cup for later use.
In a small bowl, mix together ricotta cheese and eggs until well combined. Divide evenly between 3 bowls.
In a greased, 9x13-inch baking dish, spread the 1/2 cup of reserved sauce over the entire bottom of the pan.

Layer 3-4 noodles over the sauce.

Take one bowl of the ricotta cheese mixture, and spread over the noodles.

Sprinkle with about 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.

Top with 1 bowl of the meat/sauce mixture.

Repeat layers two more times so that you have 3 layers:

Noodles, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, meat/sauce.

After the third layer, sprinkle with about 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

(mainly for presentation, so if you want more, add more!).

To bake immediately: Pour 1/2 cup water around the edges of the pan. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes, or until noodles are tender (stick a fork through them to test).

To bake the next day: Cover and refrigerate. Cover with foil right before placing in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes more, or until noodles are tenders.

Freezer Meal: Cover assembled, uncooked lasagna with wax paper. Cover with a lid. Place in the freezer for whenever you want it! Thaw, by letting it stand on the counter before baking.

Note:

-You can also set your oven to come on and go off at certain times, so you could always do that with this dish as well, but we recently got a new oven and I can not for the life of me figure out how to make that setting work yet! So we put our lasagna in the oven around 8:30 on a Sunday morning at 190 degrees. We don't normally get home from church until close to 1 o'clock, and it's always about perfect by then. If it's not quite done, bump up your heat a little bit while you're preparing a vegetable or setting the table and it should be done soon. There's only about two times in my whole life that I can remember eating lasagna during the week...it's always been a Sunday thing!!!

Chip Casserole:

Hello! Sorry it's been a while since I lasted posted a recipe! It's been ridiculously crazy around here. Between a week of church camp, a funeral, a big family picnic and two family reunions (all of this happening in the same week, I might add!), I just haven't had time. Plus, to be perfectly honest, I haven't even been cooking!!! We made so much food for all we had going on, that we've been eating leftovers all week!

My mom used to make a version of this casserole when I was younger. It was SO good and we all loved it. But it had SO many ingredients and so much stuff to cut up and everything, that it seriously took all day to make. Therefore, we had it very rarely. I came across this recipe one time and decided to give it a try. It was SO fast and easy and we actually liked it better than the one we used to make! So, I hope you give it a try and enjoy it as much as we do!

4 cups cooked chicken or turkey, cubed
Dash of salt and pepper
2 celery ribs, chopped finely
1/4 cup onion, chopped finely
2 cups Velveeta cheese, cubed
2/3 cup mayonnaise (I use miracle whip)
BBQ Potato Chips (check the label!)

Oven Method:

Combine chicken, salt, pepper, celery, onion and cheese in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Add mayo and stir until everything is evenly coated. Spread evenly in a greased casserole dish. Cover with foil, and bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until hot through and cheese is melted. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes. Lightly crush potato chips and sprinkle over the casserole (we like a lot of chips on ours). Serve!

Crock-pot Method:

Combine chicken, salt, pepper, celery, onion and cheese in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Add mayo and stir until everything is evenly coated. Pour into a crock-pot. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until hot through and cheese is melted, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with lightly crushed potato chips and serve!

Note:

-For the crock-pot, I highly recommend using a crock-pot liner. It helps it not to burn to the sides of the crock-pot and makes clean-up so much easier!