Baked Zita (Lazy Lasagna)

Baked Ziti
Makes 4 servings
8 ounces ziti, uncooked
1/2 pound extra lean ground beef
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cups spaghetti sauce
2 cups cottage cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cook ziti according to package directions. Drain, and set aside.
Meanwhile, crumble meat in a large skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray. Add onions. Sauté until meat is fully cooked. Add spaghetti sauce.
In large bowl, combine cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, and garlic powder. Mix thoroughly. Add cooked ziti and mix well. Spread about 1/3 of the meat, onion, and spaghetti sauce mixture in bottom of prepared pan. Spoon ziti and cheese mixture into pan. Pour the remaining sauce mixture over the top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes.

Macho Nacho Dip (Janet & Greta Podieski)

Macho Nacho Dip from Janet & Greta Podieski 

Recipe

Colossal, multi-layered Tex-Mex nacho dip. Makes 15 servings, about 2/3 cup each

Ingredients

First Layer (Bottom): Full o' Beans

• 1 can (19 oz / 540 ml) white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup light sour cream (5%)
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning

Second Layer: Easy Peasy Guacamole

• 1 cup frozen green sweet peas, thawed
• 1 can diced green chiles
• 3 large avocados
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/3 cup minced red onions
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 teaspoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Third Layer: Dreamy and Creamy

• 1 cup light sour cream (3% to 5%)
• 1 package (8 oz / 250 g) Philadelphia Brand Light Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese

Fourth Layer: Everybody Salsa!

• 2 cups medium salsa
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh cilantro

Fifth Layer: Cheesy Decorations

• 1 cup packed grated light old (sharp) cheddar cheese (4 oz / 120 g)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
• 1/3 cup minced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons minced black olives (optional)

Directions

First Layer (Bottom): Full o' Beans

1. Place beans, sour cream and taco seasoning in the bowl of a mini food processor and puree until smooth. Spread evenly over bottom of 8 x 11 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Cover and refrigerate with plastic wrap while you make second layer.

Second Layer: Easy Peasy Guacamole

1. Place peas and green chiles (with their liquid) in the bowl of a mini food processor and puree until completely smooth. Set aside.
2. Peel and pit avocados and place pieces in a large bowl. Toss with lime juice and garlic. Mash well using a potato masher. Add pureed peas and all remaining ingredients and mix well. Spread evenly over bean layer. Cover and refrigerate while you make third layer.

Third Layer: Dreamy and Creamy

1. In a medium bowl, stir together sour cream and cream cheese until well blended. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over guacamole.

Fourth Layer: Everybody Salsa!

1. Mix salsa and cilantro in a small bowl. Spread salsa over cream cheese layer.

Fifth Layer: Cheesy Decorations

1. Sprinkle grated cheddar evenly over salsa. Top with chopped lettuce, followed by red pepper, green onions and black olives (if using). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours before serving. Serve with multigrain nacho chips.

Granola

GRANOLA 

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1.     Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9x13 inch pan.

2.     In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter or margarine, honey and brown sugar. Stir in the 2 cups assorted chocolate chips, raisins, nuts etc.

3.     Lightly press mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing or serving

REVIEWS:  these are great! i made mine healthier by limiting the butter to 1/2 cup and compensated by adding in 1 jar of baby food bananas. i also omitted the chocolate chips and instead used craisins and raisins. halfway through the bake time, i removed the pan from the oven and pressed the mixture firmly into the pan again. this helped to prevent them from crumbling. yummy!

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Thanksgiving Recipe} 

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

·    2 lbs brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise

·    1/2 lb. of bacon, cut in little 1/4″-1/2″ pieces

·    1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

·    Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1.  In a pot of boiling water seasoned with a tablespoons of salt, cook brussels sprouts for 5 minutes and drain. In a large stir fry pan, cook bacon pieces with onions until bacon is crispy on medium high heat. When bacon is crisp, carefully soak up as much bacon grease possible with paper towels and tongs. Add brussels sprouts to the pan and stir fry everything for 5 minutes or until brussels sprouts begin to brown. Season with salt and pepper and serve. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Recipe} Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

4.0 from 1 reviews

Print

http://savorysweetlife.com/2009/11/thanksgiving-recipe-brussels-sprouts-with-bacon/

PUMPKIN SOUP WITHOUT THE FUSS

PUMPKIN SOUP WITHOUT THE FUSS

serves 4

·      1 tablespoon of butter

·      1 medium onion (chopped)

·      1 tablespoon of brown sugar

·      2 cups of chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

·      1 cup of applesauce

·      1/2 teaspoon of salt

·      1 teaspoon of cinnamon

·      1 can of pumpkin (16 ounces)

·      8 ounces of evaporated milk (You can add up to 12 ounces)

Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add chopped onions and cook for about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add applesauce, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring often.

Add pumpkin and chicken stock and bring to a boil

Reduce the heat and cook 20 minutes. Remove form the heat and stir in enough evaporated milk until it reaches your desired thickness.

Vivian’s Recipe for Chicken Breasts

Vivian’s Recipe for Chicken Breasts

served on platter with tongs

Zarky’s frozen chicken breasts thawed

Cut breasts in half or thirds depending on size – wash and pat dry

Soak in milk for 5-10 min?

Place breasts in seasoned bread crumbs (salt and pepper)

Saute in oil to brown

Bake in oven for balance of cooking

Internet Recipe: Frozen Chicken breasts Thawed, breaded and cooked

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

In a bowl, blend the olive oil and garlic. In a separate bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, and pepper. Dip each chicken breast in the oil mixture, then in the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish, and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture.

Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

SLOW COOKER PORK TENDERLOIN

SLOW COOKER PORK TENDERLOIN  Allrecipes

Ingredients

• 1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
• 1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1.     Place pork tenderloin in a slow cooker with the contents of the soup packet. Pour water, wine, and soy sauce over the top, turning the pork to coat. Carefully spread garlic over the pork, leaving as much on top of the roast during cooking as possible. Sprinkle with pepper, cover, and cook on low setting for 4 hours. Serve with cooking liquid on the side as au jus.

REVIEWS:

WOW! This is the best thing I've ever made in the crock pot! I almost always make a recipe exactly as it states the first time, and then make my modifications. After reading a couple of reviews that complained about it being bland, I decided that I was going to put slivers of garlic in the roast before cooking it. I LOVE garlic, and ended up using half a head (yeah, that's not a typo) throughout the roast. If you've never done it before, all you do is stab the roast and shove a clove or half a clove in the slit. This way the flavor permeates the meat. Anyway, I used LOW SODIUM soy sauce and everything else as stated. It was done and super tender after the four hours, but I cooked it on low for about another half hour then kept it on warm until my husband came home. I decided to add a little corn starch to thicken the juices, and man, was this roast incredible! I could cut the meat with my fork! Everyone should absolutely try this once!

Good, simple recipe which turned out excellent with a few additions. My only major change was in replacing the dry onion soup with a fresh onion, cut in rings.To the cup of water, I added a tsp. of beef stock. My choice of wine was what I had... a Chianti. Other than that, it came down to adding a bit more flavor. I added rosemary, thyme, celery powder, a splash of worcestershire, granulated garlic and parsley. Cook time was right on, and the Tenderloin was "melt in your mouth." Strained the onion into the au jus to thicken the gravy slightly, (which was delish,) and served with mashed potatoes. Thanks for the post, LLAU.

My family loved this dish, even our picky eaters! The recipe calls for it to be cooked for 4 hours on LOW. Reviewers have reported out in a variety of ways on the setting issue. However, I can tell you that it was not done at that setting. I had to jack up the heat to HIGH and dinner was late. Next time, I will cook it for 4 hours on HIGH.