Simple Taco soup

1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 can of corn
1 can bean of your choice (pinto, lima, black etc)
1 can rotel
1 can of water
1 pkg of taco seasoning
1 lb cooked meat of choice (ground beef, turkey or shredded chicken)
2 cups cheese (optional)

Throw in the crockpot until warm or cheese is melted
Serve with chips, extra cheese, sour cream etc!
Yum!!

Meat of your choice and noodle bake

1 8-oz bag of wide egg noodles cooked
2 1/2 cups milk
3 T flour
1 T chicken bouillon granules or 3 cubes
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 cups broccoli cuts thawed (optional or can substitute other veggie)
2 cups cooked meat (ground turkey, shredded chicken, cubed ham or other of choice)
1 cup cheese

Preheat oven to 375
combine milk, flour and bouillon in pan and stir until flour is dissolved.  heat over medium until mixture thickens
Combine all ingredients except cheese in large bowl
Place in casserole dish and top with cheese
Bake for 25mins or until cheese is melted and warmed through

Allow to cool for a few mins and serve with bread and salad

Monterey chicken

Prepare chicken breasts or tenderloins ( your preferred method.....you know I am a oven bag at low temp kinda gal) and place in casserole dish
Smother with BBQ sauce of your choice....I recommend sweet baby rays or famous Dave's)
Top with a can of rotel.....half a can for the faint of heart ;)
Sprinkle cheese and bacon crumbles. Bake At 350 until cheese melts.
Serve with anything because this chicken is so good!!

Ham and Navy Beans

This is a great dish for leftover ham.  Especially a glazed spiral cut ham.  Place desired amount and/or pieces of ham in the crockpot along with one pkg of white navy beans. (that have been soaked as directed)  Add 6 cups of water, 2 tsp of onion powder and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook on high in crock pot for about 5 hours or low for 8 hours (until beans are soft)  I recommend serving with cornbread on a cold day!  Delish!!

Sloppy Joes

1-2 lbs beef
1/2 chopped onion
1 can tmto sauce
1can tmto soup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup ketchup
1 Tablespoon mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp chili powder

*brown the hamburger meet in the skillet or microwave.  Place in crockpot and add all other ingredients.  cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Serve on buns...Yummy! (and way better than the canned stuff)

Teriyaki chicken

1/2 bag of frozen chicken breast tenderloins in the crock pot
sauce: 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
3 T brown sugar
2 tsp minced garlic
Top frozen chicken with sauce and cook on low for about 5 hours
*This will be rather 'salty' tasting so make sure to serve over rice (see side dishes for fried rice recipe)

Chicken pot pie

layer cooked chicken(cubed or shreeded) and 1/2 bag family size frozen mixed veggies in casserole dish (i save other half of veggies for fried rice later in the week!)

cook 1/2 cup diced onion in melted 1/2 cup butter

when onions are soft add:

1 can chicken broth

2/3 cup milk

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp celery seed

1 can cr. of potato soup

-pour mixture over chicken and veggies, top with a double pie crust (you can use store bought if you prefer but my kids weren't having that....or me if truth be told) Cut slits in the crust bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until it starts to bubble.  Serve with rolls.  Simple and delish!

Cheater Chicken Cordon Bleu

Layer bottom of casserole dish with chicken nuggets, patties, popcorn chicken, or any variety of the sort.  Top with diced ham. (I prefer ham 'steaks' for the thicker quality)  Top with swiss cheese or a swiss and provolone combo then top with one can of cream of chicken soup stirred into one cup of milk.  Bake at 350 for 30 mins.

*I'm thinking that next time I'd use shredded chicken and top the casserole with crushed crackers or bread crumbs.  But over all this was ridiculously simple and hit the spot!  and for the picky kids you could always just throw in a pan of plain nuggets next to your dish.  It was good!!  Cheesy and comforting.

Yummy potato soup!

6 potatoes peeled and diced
1 chopped bunch of gr. onion
6 chicken boullion cubes
cover with water and add a pinch of salt

Boil at a medium simmer for about 5-10 minutes then add 1 can cr. of chicken soup, about 3 cups milk(depending on desired consistency) with 1T cornstarch stirred in.  Add about 1 cup of cheese, 1 T minced garlic, 1/2 cup sour cream, and half pound of cooked and crumbled bacon.  Continue to simmer until potatoes are soft.  Serve with warm bread and garnish with sour cream, cheese, or bacon  if you prefer

Turkey Stroganoff Casserole

1-2 lbs ground turkey
noodles of your choice
1 can cr. of chicken soup (can use cr. of mushroom)
1 and 1/2 cups water
1 cube chicken boullion

Cook noodles and drain water.  Brown turkey in pan with chopped onion (optional) and soup, crushed cube boullion, and water.  Paprika and salt to taste.  Serve over noodles. *add peas or gr. beans if you'd like!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg corn tortillas
2 cans of cr. of chicken soup
1/2 small onion chopped (optional)
2-3 cups shredded cheese
7 oz (small can) of salsa verde
4 oz can of green chiles

Broil or bake chicken until cooked ( I prefer cooking bags with a little water!) Shred or cube. Mix soup, salsa verde, green chiles, and chicken in a large bowl.
Tear corn tortillas into 1/3ths (pie shaped pieces) and arrange tortillas on bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Spoon a thin layer of soup mixture over the tortillas and top with cheese. Repeat until mixture is gone. Bake at 350 for about 30 mins or until bubbly

Stir-Fried Beef 'n' Beans

1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 T water
1 tsp ground ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 T veg. oil
1 lb boneless beef sirloin steak cut into 1/4 inch strips
1/2 fresh green beans cut in half
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Hot cooked rice

In a bowl, combine the cornstarch, soy sauce, water, ginger, garlic and 2 T oil until smooth. Set aside 1/2 cup. Pour the remaining marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the beef. Seal the bag and turn to coat; ref. for 25-30 min.
Drain and discard marinade from beef. In a wok or skillet, stir-fry beef in remaining oil for 4-6 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, stir-fry beans, sugar and salt for 15 min. or until crisp-tender. Stir in the beef and reserved marinade. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 min or until thickened. Stir over rice.

Lasagna

boil nine lasagna noodles

warm 5 cups of spaghetti sauce of your choice in a saucepan then add about 1 lb of hamburger meat

mix about 2 cups mozzarella cheese with 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, about 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 T parsley, 1 tsp oregano, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.

layer 9 x 13in pan with meat sauce, lay down 3 noodles, top noodles with cheese mix followed by sauce and repeat . After 3rd layer of noodles is placed in pan cover with about 1 cup of plain spaghetti sauce and top with desired amount of moz. cheese and another 1/2 cup shredded parmesan.

bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. This freezes well. allow to thaw in fridge for 24 hours then bake until center is warm.

Easy Chicken and gravy

Dump half a bag of frozen chicken breast tenderloins into a large "cooking bag." add 1 cup water and a packet of lipton onion soup mix and place in a casserole dish. (follow directions for using the bag....twist tie, cut slits, and so on) Bake on 325 for about an hour an a half.

Keep juices for gravy,
*take about 2 spoonfuls of cornstarch and add to about one cup of water, stir and add to the the chicken juices. bring to a boil and remove from heat. Serve with mashed potatoes and the shedded chicken.

Stuffed Shells

1-2 lb ground beef
small container of ricotta cheese
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp basil
1/8 tsp oregano
3/4 cup spaghetti sauce
1 small box frozen chopped spinach

Boil jumbo shells according to the directions on the box. Cool. Thaw and cook spinach according to the directions. Mix ricotta, spinach, mozz. cheese, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Brown the ground beef, then add basil and oregano to the meat. Stir the meat into the cheese mixture. Pour 3/4 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Stuff shells and place in pan. When the pan is full, cover with desired amount of sauce and top with additional cheese. Bake for about 20 min on 350.
*Easy option for kids is to stuff shells with only meat and cheese!

Cuban Beef

3 lb roast (can be smaller)
1 small onion sliced
2 T olive oil
1 large onion diced
2 garlic cloves
1 bell pepper
4 large tmtos diced or one can of rotel
1 and 1/2 T cumin
2 T tmto paste
1 bay leaf

*salt and pepper roast and brown on both sides in cooking oil in a large pot. Add 2 cups of water and the small sliced onion. Bring to a boil and reduce to med-low heat, cover and simmer for about 1 and half hour or until tender. Shred beef. Heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic, onions, peepper and saute for 5 min. Add tmtos and tmto paste, cumin, bay leaf and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and add beef.

This can be used as a taco meat, served over rice, the filling for potstickers or poured over a salad. Anyway you dish it, it will be delicious!

Macaroni chili

1-2 lbs of ground beef
1 15 oz can of tmto sauce
1 14oz can of diced tomatoes
1 cup kernel corn
1 small diced bell pepper and/or onion
1 pkg of slow cooker chili seasoning
1 cup cooked pasta (rotini or macaroni)
2 cups grated cheese (can adjust to taste)

cook the beef....in crock pot place all incredients except for pasta and cheese. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3. Add pasta and cheese 10 min before serving.

Pizza

1 and 1/2 cup warm water
add 1T sugar to water with one yeast packet, stir to dissolve. Allow froth to form (about 5 min)

Mix about 4 cups flour (I prefer bread flour) with 1/2 tsp salt, add water mixture along with 1T olive oil. Knead until a ball forms. Set in greased bowl to rise for 1 hour.

While the dough is rising I like to make my sauce and prepare toppings.
Sauce: 1 can (15oz) tomato sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and 1/8 tsp basil...stir

*I like to fry up my pepperoni in a pan to give them crispy edges. I also like to sprinkle my pizza pan with cormeal for real pizzeria style!

Once risen, divide dough in half and roll out. Place in pan and build your pizza however you please. Brush crusts with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with garlic powder. Bake at 475 for about 11 minutes.

*Dough can be made ahead of time and stored in a gallon size bag with a little olive oil. It can keep in the fridge for about 24 hours.
*To reheat pizza stick in the oven for a few minutes for just like out of the oven freshness.
* another tip: Sweet baby ray's bbq sauce, shredded chicken, mozzarella cheese and purple onions is delicious!

Southwest Chicken Casserole

Layer corn chips in bottom of casserole dish.
Mix about 4 chicken breasts (shredded) with 1 can of rotel and one can of cr. of chicken soup. (Can double amount if you opt to use more chicken) Pour over chips, top with cheese and bake for about 25 minutes on 350.

Quick Salisbury Steaks

About 1 and 1/2 to 2 lbs of hamburger meat, stir with one packet of Lipton Onion soup mix and 2 eggs.
Form patties in a casserole dish and top with Brown Gravy. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.
Serve with mashed potatoes.