Ratatouille

I've heard of ratatouille before... I don't know why I've never tried it, because I LOVE eggplant. Now that Disney has made Ratatouille famous, at least in our house, I thought I'd actually try to make it. I should have done this sooner ~ it is awesome!

8 strips of bacon (you can use more if you're a meat lover, but 8 slices is what I had in my fridge)
1 small onion, sliced
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 large eggplant, sliced
2 medium zucchini, sliced
2 medium yellow squash, sliced
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
4 oz Parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and let cool enough to crumble. Drain grease out of pan, but leave renderings.

In bacon pan, cook onion in the olive oil just until the onion starts to become translucent. Add garlic, bacon, diced tomatoes, tomato paste & salt. Simmer for a few minutes.

Spread 1/2 sauce in a 9x13 baking dish. Layer with eggplant, zucchini, squash & cheese. Repeat layers. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 1 hour or until hot and bubbly.

*I'm fairly confident you could freeze this because everything in it freezes really well. You could also easily make it a vegetarian dish by substituting the bacon with portabella mushroom. Or just take out the bacon and use only the tomato sauce.

Cheesy Potatoes

1 32 oz. package frozen hashbrowns
2 can Cream of Chicken soup
2 cups sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients and pour in a greased 9x13 dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. You can also let the casserole defrost for an hour or two before baking and decrease the baking time to 30-40 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, or 4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
2 cups mixed vegetables
2 refrigerated pie crusts

Boil or steam chicken until done. Dice (or shred the rotisserie chicken). Mix soup, mixed vegetables, and chicken. Place one of the pie crusts in a pie plate and pour the chicken mixture into the pie shell and cover with the second crust. Crimp the edges and make slits in top. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Eggplant has been one of my big pregnancy cravings... and thankfully my 2 year old LOVES it! Eggplant can look a little intimidating, but it really is delicious! And it also freezes like a champ!

1 small eggplant
1 beaten egg
1 Tbsp milk
1/8 cup flour
1/8 cup bread crumbs
2-3 Tbsp cooking oil, or Italian salad dressing
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce
3/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Wash eggplant, and cut cross wise into 1/4" tick slices.

Combine egg and milk, set aside. Combine flour & breadcrumbs (you can also season this, salt & pepper, garlic powder, oregano, etc.), set aside.

Dip eggplant slices into egg mixture and then into flour, turning to coat both sides.

In a large skillet, cook eggplant in hot oil or Italian dressing for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels.

Place cooked eggplant slices in a single layer in a baking dish. Top with spaghetti sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses; repeat layers.

Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

Chicken, Broccoli & Rice Casserole

This is one of my family's favorite recipes. It's quick, it's easy, and a great fall back when I feel like being lazy. It also freezes really well! When I make this, I usually make 2, and throw 1 in the freezer.

It's taken us a while to start eating this again. When our son was born (2 years ago) some wonderful ward members brought us dinner, and we appreciate that service so very much! 4 out of the 5 people brought us this casserole... and enough for 2-3 days of leftovers. Again, we REALLY appreciated having dinner on our table, but after eating chicken, broccoli & rice for 2 straight weeks, I didn't think we'd ever want to look at it, let alone eat it, again. But after a solid year of avoiding it, we started liking it again.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 small white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 Tbsp Italian dressing
1 Tbsp flour
2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 lb frozen broccoli cuts
3 cups cooked rice

Prepare rice according to package directions (remember that 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice = 3 cups cooked rice).

In a medium skillet, cook chicken breasts, onion, & garlic in Italian seasoning. When the chicken is cooked through, add the flour and continue to simmer for 1-2 minutes to cook out the flour taste.

Combine cream of chicken soup, sour cream, cream cheese, broccoli, and 2 cups cheese; mix well. Add cooked rice and chicken. Pour into greased casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until heated through.

*If you like you're broccoli more tender, thaw or bring to a boil before adding to casserole.*

Cheesy Mostaccioli

1 package (16 oz) mostaccioli pasta, cooked
1 1/2 lbs ground beef, browned & drained
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 jar (28 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 can (11 oz) cheddar cheese soup
3 cups (12 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Brown and drain meat.

Add seasonings to meat. Stir in spaghetti sauce and soup. Combine pasta, sauce mixture, and 2 cups of mozzarella cheese in casserole dish. Mix to combine. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Bake for 40 minutes.

Mile-High Enchilada Pie

8 (6”) corn tortillas
12 oz salsa
1 can (15.5 oz) kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers

Prepare foil handles for slow cooker (see below); place in slow cooker. Place 1 tortilla on bottom of slow cooker. Top with small amount of salsa, beans, chicken, & cheese. Continue layering using remaining ingredients, ending with cheese. Cover; cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. Pull out by foil handles.

Foil Handles: Tear of three 18x2” strips of heavy foil, or use regular foil folded to double thickness. Crisscross foil strips in spoke design and place in slow cooker to make lifting of tortilla stack easier.

*This can also be prepared as a casserole in a 9x13" pan. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes*

Breakfast Quiche

26 oz frozen hash browns, thawed (dab off extra moisture with a paper towel)
1/2 cup melted butter
3/4 cup ham/bacon, fully cooked
1-2 cups shredded cheese
10 eggs
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste

In a 9x13" pan, build a crust with the hash browns and melted butter, bringing up the sides of the pan. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

Whip up all the other ingredients and pour over baked hash browns. Lower oven temperature to 35o and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes until golden.

*You can personalize this recipe anyway you like. Add anything that you think would taste good in an omelet, and it will work great with this!*

Sweet Potato Casserole

3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup butter

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, vanilla, eggs, milk, & butter. Mix with electric mixer until smooth. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.

Combine brown sugar, flour, and melted butter into a crumb mixture. Add chopped pecans.

Sprinkle over sweet potato mixture.

Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 20-25 minutes.