Liz’s Manicotti

Betsy Cannon

1 box Manicotti shells 1 container cottage cheese (regular size) 2 c. grated mozzarella cheese ½ c. Parmesan cheese, grated 1 egg 1# sweet sausage, crumbled and fried until brown, optional 1 jar Prego (Fresh mushroom flavor is yummy.) Ingredients: Mix 1 ½ c. of the mozzarella cheese (saving ½ c. for topping), all of the cottage cheese, the Parmesan cheese, browned sausage, and the egg (can also add 1-2 t. of Italian Seasoning as it makes a good contrast with the white cheeses). Pour half of the spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a greased 9X13” casserole dish. Then take the cheese mix and start spooning and stuffing it into the uncooked Manicotti shells. Line these up in the bottom of the casserole dish. Once all of the shells are stuffed, pour the remainder of the sauce over the stuffed shells. Pour 1 c. water into the sides of the pan (can pour the water into the empty sauce jar, shake it and pour the water into the dish, that way you use all the sauce). Cover with tin foil and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover, add remainder of mozzarella and bake for an additional 15 minutes. (Can also spoon left over cottage cheese mixture on top when adding the remainder of the mozzarella cheese.)

Prosciutto Mozzarella Pinwheels

We made these for Betsy's birthday and they were
soo yummy! It was really easy too.      Sarah Stephenson

Flour, for dusting 1 pound purchased pizza dough (we made our own) 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 7 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced 1 cup coarsely chopped baby spinach (about 1 and 1/2 ounces) 1 tablespoon olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Directions: Preheat the oven to 425 and position a rack on the lower third of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pizza dough into a rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella over the dough. Arrange the prosciutto over the cheese in a single layer. Sprinkle with the chopped spinach, then top with the remaining cheese. Roll the dough into a thing cylinder, gently tucking in the ends. Brush the entire roll with the olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. Place the dough, seam side down, on the baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Cool the roll for 3 to 4 minutes, then use a serrated knife to cit it into 3/4 inch wide slices.

Chickpea Curry

So delicious and so fast. It is like having my 2 favorite
Indian dishes in one! Our kids all loved this. Serve
with rice or couscous. Jill Dorrough

8 medium potatoes, cubed 1/4 cup canola oil 2 medium yellow onions, diced 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon curry powder 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon garam masala 2 teaspoons ground ginger 2 teaspoons cumin 2 teaspoons salt 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup 1 cup cream or milk 2 (12 ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained Directions: Place potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat; simmer until the potatoes are tender (I used my pressure cooker because I was in a hurry). Drain, and set aside. Warm oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook until the onions are soft and translucent. Stir in curry powder, garam masala, ginger, cumin, and salt. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes, stirring. Pour in soup, cream, and chickpeas. Stir in potatoes. Simmer 5 minutes. Number Of Servings:8 Preparation Time:30 minutes

Layered Fiesta Casserole

Barb Creer

1 lb. ground beef 1 green pepper, chopped 1 red pepper, chopped 1 jar (16 oz.) Salsa 1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained 1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen corn, thawed 12 corn tortillas (6 inch) 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese Preheat oven to 375. Brown meat with peppers in large skillet; drain. Return to skillet, stir in salsa, tomatoes and corn; bring to boil. Spoon 1 cup of the meat mixture into 9x13 baking dish, top with 6 tortillas, overlapping as necessary. Cover with half each of remaining meat mixture and cheese; top with remaining tortillas and meat mixture. Cover with foil. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, let stand 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Zucchini Quiche

Wonderful meatless entree
Sarajane Luper

1-2 sleeves of Ritz crackers, ground fine, & add 3 Tbsp melted butter, mix well. Processor works Press into a 9'' pie plate and bake 350 degrees for 10-15 min. Cool completely 1 med onion, chopped 2 cups grated zucchini, drained. Wring out excess water by putting squash in a tea towel, getting as much water out as possible 2 eggs 1/2 c cottage cheese 1 can diced green chiles 1 tbsp flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking powder 2 c grated cheese (any good melting cheese will do) Directions: Saute onion and grated zucchini until softened. Cool a bit. Beat eggs with cottage cheese, flour, salt, & baking powder. Ad sauted vegies. Stir in cheese and gently pour into the baked crust, smoothing the top. Bake 350 degrees for 45 min., or until an knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let rest for 20-30 min before cutting. Number Of Servings:4-8

Baked Ziti

Mark's current favorite - Jill Dorrough

8 oz uncooked ziti pasta (penne ziti rigate) 1 cup ricotta cheese 1 cup mozzarella cheese 3/4 c parmesan cheese 1 egg salt and pepper 1 jar (28-ish ounces) spaghetti sauce - I prefer the $0.88 can of Hunts Traditional Directions: Boil pasta for 11 minutes. Drain and rinse. While pasta is boiling, mix ricotta, salt and pepper, egg, 1/2 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 cup of parmesan in a bowl. Pour 1/2 of spaghetti sauce into bottom of a 2-qt casserole dish (11x7 or the like). Cover sauce with noodles, spread cheese mixture, and pour remaining sauce over the top of cheese. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 c of mozzarella and 1/4 c parmesan over sauce. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes. Number Of Servings:6-8 Preparation Time:15 minutes

Lasagna

James' niece brought this over for dinner one night. It is a delicious twist on the traditional sauce.
Melissa Chandler

2 lbs. hamburger 12 oz. lasagna noodles (cooked) 8 green onions 8 oz. cream cheese 2 cups sour cream mozzarella cheese parmesan cheese 2 cans Hunts or Prego spaghetti sauce Directions: Brown hamburger and add spaghetti sauce. Cook and drain noodles. Spread 1/3 of noodles in pan all in the same direction. Blend green onions, sour cream and cream cheese. Spread 1/3 of green onion mixture over noodles and add a layer of meat. Repeat layers 2 more times with 2nd layer of noodles going in the opposite direction as 1st and 3rd layers. Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes in a 9x13 pan.

Cafe Rio Pork

Sarajane Luper

6-8 thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 1 pork roast. Garlic Powder Onion Powder Wright’s liquid smoke 4 c. El Pinto Green Chile Sauce, mild 1-2c. brown sugar Directions: Put 1 pork roast or 6-8 thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a crock-pot. Sprinkle all over the meat: Garlic Powder Onion Powder Wright’s liquid smoke 1 c. El Pinto Green Chile Sauce, mild Let it cook on low 4-6 hours (6-8 hours for the pork). Shred meat and add 2-3 c. Green Chile Sauce and 1 cup brown sugar. (You may need to add more Chile sauce or brown sugar. It should not be too dry.) Let it cook on low another 30 minutes.

Seasoned salmon

This is our favorite way to prepare salmon but
instead we use the frozen fillets from Costco and
instead of broiling we bbq it. It's fast and easy to
prepare. Our kids will even eat it! We also usually
half the recipe due to the size of our family. Kamy Cannon

6 salmon steaks (or fillets) 1/2 cup butter, melted 2 tsp seasoned salt 2 tsp Italian seasoning 2 tsp lemon juice 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel (we have never used this and it's still delicious) Dash cayenne pepper Directions: Place salmon on a greased broiler rack. Broil 4-6 minutes from the heat for 8-10. Meanwhile, combine the ingredients. Brush som over the salmon. Turn and broil 10 minutes longer or until fish flakes with a fork. Baste with remaining butter mixture. We usually just put it on the grill and immediately put the sauce on then turn over and do the same and leave it on until it's done.

Spicy Sausage and Squash Rigatoni

I love to make pasta. This is one of my most recent
finds...Sarah Stephenson

1 1/2 cups chicken broth 1/2 lb kabocha or butternut squash, cut into 1 inch pieces 1 lb rigatoni 1 Tbsp olive oil 3/4 lb hot Italian sausage, casing removed 1 large onion, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 2 Tbsp whipping cream 2 Tbsp minced fresh sage 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano cheese Salt and pepper Directions: Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan over medium- high heat. Add the squash, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the squash is tender, about 10 minutes. While the squash is cooking, add the rigatoni to the boiling water. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the pasta is tender, yet still firm, about 12 minutes. Heat the olive oil in a deep 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until it is no longer pink, 3-4 minutes. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the squash with its cooking liquid to the skillet. Drain the pasta and add to the skillet along with the whipping cream and sage. Cook, stirring until just heated through, about 2 minutes. Toss with the cheese and pepper to taste, if desired, and serve. Preparation Time:30 min

Stovetop Lasagne

This recipe was in our FoodDay section of the newspaper last week. I tried it, and everyone (even our non-lasagne kids) loved it. 30 minutes and it's done! It doesn't have the beautiful layers, but if you're short on time and not big on fancy, it tastes all the same in the end! Jill Dorrough

1 lb ground beef or italian sausage 2 cans/jars of marinara sauce (I used Hunts cheap-o Traditional) 1/2 chopped onion, or onion powder chopped spinach, as desired 2 TBSP basil 1 TBSP oregano 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp garlic powder 3 cups of shredded cheese (mozzarella or whatever you like in your lasagne) 1 pint of ricotta cheese 8-10 ounces of lasagne noodles (NOT the pre-boiled kind.) Directions: Brown the meat in a large skillet/ 5 qt. chicken roaster pan with the onion. Drain fat, and dump in the 2 jars/cans of marinara, the basil, oregano, salt and garlic powder, and chopped spinach. Stir, bring to a boil. Break up the lasagne noodles into 1-2 inch pieces and add to the mix. Cover and reduce heat, and let cook for about 20 minutes. Then add 1 1/2 c of cheese, stir, and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and place several 2-tsp-sized drops of ricotta all around in the skillet, and then top with the remaining shredded cheese. Cover and let sit for about 5 minutes before serving. Number Of Servings:8

Lasagna

If you are feeling ambitious and have some extra
time, this lasagna is really good. I didn't have any
fennel seed so I don't know how that would
change the taste. It was so good that Casey told
me to put it in the rotation. Kamy Cannon

1/2 lb ground beef 1/2 lb bulk Italian sausage 1 large onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes, undrained 1 can (6oz) tomato paste 1 1/2 cups water 1 cup salsa 2 tsp sugar 1-2 tsp chili powder 1 tsp fennel seed 1 tsp dried oragano 1 tsp dried basil 9 lasagna noodles 1 carton (10oz) cottage cheese 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese Directions: In a large pot or dutch oven, cook beef, sausage, and onion until the meat is browned and onion is tender; drain. Stir in the next 10 ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles according package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. In a greased 9x13 pan, layer a third of the noodles and meat sauce, half of the cottage cheese, a third of the mozzarella and a third of the Parmesan. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles, meat sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes; uncover and back for 20 minutes. Let stand 20 minutes before cutting. Number Of Servings:12

Chili Skillet

Fast and easy. I even tried using ground turkey and Casey didn't even notice. Some other things I did differently; I was worried about it being too spicy for the kids so I didn't put in all of the chili powder and I also didn't put olives in because I'm the only one in my family that likes them. Kamy Cannon

1 lb ground beef 1 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped green pepper 1 garlic clove, minced 1 cup tomato juice 1 can (8oz) kidney beans, undrained 4 teaspoons chili powder (I only used 2 1/2) 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp salt 1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice 1 cup canned or frozen corn 1/2 cup sliced olives 1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese Directions: In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef, onion, green pepper and garlic until meat is brown and vegetables are tender. Drain fat. Add tomato juice, kidney beans, chili powder, oregano, salt, and rice; cover and simmer about 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in corn and olives; cover and cook 5 minutes more. Sprinkle with cheese; cover and cook only until cheese melts; about 5 minutes

Mexican Pizza

This is from Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade
Cookbook. I have never bought Chorizo before, but
it was tasty! The first night we ate them on the
pizza crust but since there is only two of us eating
in our house, a couple nights later we made them
ontop of pita bread. It was still really good, and I
think a tad healthier, although I try not to eat healthy
most of the time. Lindsey Parry

1 pound chorizo 1/2 cup medium salsa 4 (8-inch) premade pizza crusts (recommended: Boboli) 1 can black refried beans 1 package 4 cheese Mexican blend Shredded lettuce Finely chopped tomatoes Chopped tortilla chips Ranch dressing Directions: In a skillet over medium heat, brown chorizo. Add salsa and simmer for 5 minutes. Lay pizza crusts on pizza pan or baking sheet covered in foil. Spread refried black beans over top of pizza crusts. Evenly spread chorizo mixture over beans. Cover in cheese and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and top with lettuce, followed by tomatoes, and then tortilla chips. Place ranch dressing in a resealable plastic bag and snip corner off of bag; pipe over pizzas. Serve hot. Number Of Servings:4 Preparation Time:15 min

Stuffed Shells

Another meal that makes too much for our family so
we freeze the second 9x13 pan before we cook it.
Melissa Chandler

1 pkg. jumbo shells 4 c. Ricotta cheese 8 oz. Mozzarella cheese, shredded 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese 2 eggs 1 T. chopped parsley 1/2 t. salt 1/4 t. pepper 1/8 t. nutmeg (optional) 1 jar (28 oz.) spaghetti sauce Directions: Cook shells as directed on package. Rinse in cold water, drain, separated on a piece of aluminum foil. While shells are cooking, mix cheeses, eggs, parsley, salt, pepper & nutmeg. Cover bottom of 9x13 pan with sauce. With spoon, fill each shell with cheese mixture, place in pan open side down. Cover each shell with remaining sauce, lightly sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil (you can use the same one you cooled shells on). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. If frozen, you increase cooking time to 60 minutes.

Pork Chop and Stuffing Bake

4 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing 
1 1/4 cups water
4 tablespoons butter
4 to 6 boneless porkchops, 3/4 inch thick
1 10 3/4-ounce can cream of celery soup
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions:
1. Prepare Stuffing using water and butter 
according to package directions.
2. Spoon stuffing across center of 13X9 pan. Place 
chops on each side of the stuffing.
3. Stir soup and milk in bowl. Pour over pork chops. 
Cover.
4. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes* or until the pork is 
cooked through. Top with cheese.

* We baked it at 300 for 3 hours and it was pretty 
good...

Number Of Servings:4 to 6

Friday Night Pizza

Makes 2 round pizzas

Ingredients: 1 c. warm water 1 tsp. salt 2 T. oil 2 ¼ tsp. yeast (or 1 packet) 1 tsp. sugar 2 ½ c. flour Directions: Dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar and salt, oil, then flour. Mix, knead, and divide. Let rest 5-10 minutes. Put more flour on the counter and roll out dough. Top with sauce, cheese, and pepperoni or pineapple and ham. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.