Sloppy Joe Casserole

8 oz. shell macaroni
1 envelope sloppy joe mix
1 1/2 lb. lean hamburger
8 oz. can tomato paste
15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 1/4 cup water
8 oz. cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Cook macaroni, drain. Brown hamburger. Add seasoning mix, tomato paste, tomato paste and water to hamburger. In 3 quart dish layer 1/2 macaroni, 1/2 cottage cheese and 1/2 meat sauce. Repeat. Top with cheddar cheese. Freeze at this point or bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. If frozen, either thaw before cooking or increase cooking time to 50-60 minutes.

Veggie Pasta Shells

24 jumbo pasta shells
10 oz. vegetable broth or water
1 carrot, shredded
1 potato, shredded
1 onion finely chopped
2 cups ricotta or cottage cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning, optional
28 oz jar spaghetti sauce

Cook the jumbo pasta shells according to package directions. Rinse, drain and cool. In sauce pan heat broth or water to boiling. Stir in carrots, potatoes, and onions and cook 3-4 minutes until vegetables are tender. Drain vegetables well. Combine with ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan cheeses and egg. Add Italian seasoning. Fill each cooked pasta shell.

Freeze at this point. To cook, either defrost and follow the cooking directions below, or increase cooking time to 45-60 minutes.

Pour 1-2 cups spaghetti sauce on bottom of pan, place the filled shells in the dish, and cover with the remaining spaghetti sauce. Cook at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.

Chicken Roll-ups

3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded
1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 package crescent roll, at room temp.
garlic salt
sliced mushrooms, optional (fresh or canned; maybe around 2 small cans or a couple of cups fresh)
1/4-1/2 cup melted butter
approx. 1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
2/3 cup milk

Mix the shredded chicken with the cream cheese. Add garlic salt to taste and add mushrooms. Fill each crescent roll with the chicken mixture and fold the corners together and pinch the openings closed. Dip each roll in the melted butter then the bread crumbs. At this point you can freeze the rolls, or continue on and cook them. Cook at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the crescent rolls are golden brown. While the rolls are cooking, mix the Cream of Chicken soup with the milk and warm over medium heat. Serve the soup over the rolls.

These rolls freeze well. You can either thaw the rolls before cooking and follow the above cooking instructions, or you can increase the cooking time to 30-35 minutes, or until the center of the rolls are hot.

Pork Roast Burritos

This was also a recipe I got when I had my baby. My good friend brought it to me for lunch and it was so delicious. This makes a ton of food so whatever you don't use can easily be kept in the freezer.

1 small porkroast (approx 5 lbs)
2 23 oz. cans tomato sauce
1/3 c. worchestershire sauce
2/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. ketchup
1 Tbsp. dried onion
salt to taste
1 squeeze of bbq sauce
mozarella cheese, shredded
flour tortillas (the uncooked ones from Costco or Sams are the best. You could also try the recipe Mel posted here.)
cooked rice (1 cup for about 4 burritos)
black or pinto beans
green chile enchilada sauce

Cook the porkroast on low for about 6 hours, or until cooked through. You can lightly salt and pepper it if you want, but it still tastes good without seasoning. Add about 1/2 cup water in the bottom so so it doesn't stick to the pot. It will produce a lot of juices on it's own. When it is fully cooked, discard the juice and shred the pork.

Just before the pork is done (or while you let it cool enough to shred it) combine in a large pot the tomato sauce, worchestershire sauce, sugar, ketchup, dried onion, salt, and bbq sauce. Warm over low-med heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved and it's all well blended. Add the shredded pork to it and let it all warm through.

While the pork sauce mixture is warming, cook the tortillas and rice. Layer in the tortillas the rice, beans, a little bit of mozarella cheese, a couple teaspoons of green chile enchilada sauce (reserve the majority for later) and the pork mixture. Wrap the tortilla and place in a baking dish. When you've prepared all the burritos you need, cover with the remaining green chile enchilada sauce and mozarella cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees, just enough to warm it through and melt the cheese.

White Bread

This is a recipe my mom has been using for years. She got it out of her Betty Crocker cookbook, and the same recipe in my new Betty Crocker is basically the same except for it uses a little butter in addition to these other ingredients. There are lots of bread recipes out there that I want to try but some call for dough enhancer, which I've been unable to find yet. So I needed a recipe that called for things that I already have on hand. I've always been a little scared to try using yeast and making bread but I'm getting braver in my attempts to save money. And when you make the bread you will feel so accomplished! Try it!

2 1/4 cups milk (or water)
3 Tbsp. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Shortening or 1/4 cup oil (the shortening is better)
2 cakes (which equals 2 Tbsp.) yeast
1/2 cup warm water
6-7 1/4 cups flour

In pot on the stove dissolve the sugar, salt and shortening in the milk. Warm it slowly so that you don't scorch the milk. While that's warming, mix together the 1/2 cup warm water and the yeast. I like to use a fork because it kind of breaks up the yeast a bit. Set that aside and let it double in size. When it has doubled, pour the yeast and the milk mixture (make sure the shortening is melted) into your mixer. Turn your mixer on slow-med speed and start adding the flour to the liquid one cup at a time. You may need to slow down the blades as you add the flour so you don't flour the kitchen. :) When you've added about 6 cups of flour, turn the mixer on high and let it knead the dough for a few minutes. This is the tricky part, but you may need a little more flour or that might be just about enough. The dough should not be sticky to the touch and should pull away from the sides of the bowl without sticking. When I made it today I only needed 6 cups. If it needs more flour add it in 1/2 cup increments so that you don't add too much. It will probably need about 10 minutes or so of kneading.

Cover with a towel and set in a warm place until it is double in size. When it has, punch it down into the bowl, then knead in the mixer for about 5 or 10 minutes or by hand. Form into 2 loaves and place in greased bread pans. Let it rise again until double in size which should be about 1 inch above the top of the pan. Bake at 400 for about 20-25 minutes. My mom always said that you know when it's done because it should sound hollow when you tap on it. Enjoy!

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.*

Zucchini Bread

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 beaten egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup finely shredded, unpeeled zucchini
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Grease an 8x4x2" loaf pan. Set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg.

In another bowl, combine egg, sugar, zucchini, and oil. Add zucchini mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in a pre-heated 350 oven for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

*Zucchini freezes really well. I buy it on sale, shred it, and freeze 1 cup portions in zip-lock bags. It keeps its color, and I've stored it up to 9 months with no problems.

10 Minute Ice Cream

1 gallon sized zip lock bag
1 quart sized zip lock bag
1/2 cup 2% milk
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 cups ice
1 Tbsp ice cream/rock salt

In the quart sized zip lock bag, combine milk, sugar, and vanilla. Make sure the bag is sealed tight, and mix together.

In the gallon sized zip lock bag, put the ice and salt. Put in the smaller quart size bag, and again make sure your bags are sealed tight! Shake, squish, etc. the bags for 7-10 minutes until your milk turns into ice cream.

This is great dessert for picnics ~ and a GREAT activity for kids!

Buttermilk Pancakes / Waffles

1-1 1/2 cups water
1 egg, beaten
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Sift together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Combine butter, buttermilk, and egg. Add to flour mixture.

Using a wire whisk, mix together just until incorporated. If you beat the batter too much, you'll need to let it rest before baking. Add just enough water to desired consistency, thinner for pancakes and thicker for waffles.

*You can use all of the batter and freeze your extra pancakes/waffles in zip lock bags. Just pop them in the toaster like EggoWaffles!*

Chili

This is just a basic chili recipe, and I hope to hear of some good variations too.

Chili

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 15 oz. can stewed tomatoes (Italian style is good too--it adds just the hint of italian seasoning that is really yummy)
1 15 oz. can dark red kidney beans
1 med yellow onion (or 1/4 c. dried onion flakes, or 1/4 tsp. onion powder)
1 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 Tbsp. cumin
1/2 lb mushrooms (washed and sliced)
garlic salt to taste
1 lb. ground beef

Brown beef in large pan. Drain fat. Empty contents of tomato sauce and stewed tomatoes in large pot. Drain and rinse kidney beans and add to pot. Mince onion and add to pot. Add garlic salt and taste. It's very important you do this now before adding any other spices because it's much harder to season after this point. Add chili powder and cumin. Cook on low until simmering. Add browned beef and sliced mushrooms. Simmer 1 hour, stirring about every 10 minutes. Don't boil.

This is also a great recipe to freeze.

Whole Wheat Bread

This makes 4 loaves of whole wheat bread. It is easiest to make in a Bosch or Kitchen Aid, but can also be made entirely by hand, you'll just want to knead it a little longer and then let it rest for about 15 minutes before shaping into loaves.

5-6 cups hot tap water
2/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp dough enhancer
2 Tbsp SAF yeast
2 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp vital wheat gluten
12-16 cups whole wheat flour (I like hard-white the best)

Pour warm water into a mixing bowl. Add 6 cups flour, then add dough enhancer, oil, honey, yeast, & wheat gluten. Mix well.

Add 5 cups flour and salt and mix well. Add 1/4 cup of flour at a time until dough pulls away from the sides of mixing bowl.

Knead for about 5 minutes.

Shape dough and place in well greased loaf pans. Let rise until double, 45-60 minutes. Bake in at 350 for 25-30 minutes.