Yummy Sweet Potatoes

I will be the first to admit, I do not like most sweet potatoes! That being said, I loved these! Compliments of my sister, I had to share.

4 cups sweet potatoes (*cooked thoroughly)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs (beaten)
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp softened butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1/2 packed brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
3 Tbsp softened butter
1/2 chopped pecans

Preheat oven 325 degrees.

Mash potatoes & mix in casserole ingredients. Place in 9x13 baking dish.

Sprinkle topping on top and bake until lightly browned.

*I like to cook my washed sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour!

Broccoli Chicken Tater Tot Casserole

2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can milk
4-6 cups broccoli florets (I like fresh)
1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded (bake or throw in the pressure cooker)
1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
Enough Frozen Tater Tots to cover top
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp hot sauce (Tabasco or Chalula) OPTIONAL

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place soup and milk into a large pot over medium heat. Whisk until smooth and heated through, about 5 minutes.

Stir in broccoli and cook for 5-10 additional minutes to soften slightly. Stir in chicken, hot sauce (optional), pepper, garlic salt, and 1 cup of cheese.

Pour mixture into 13x9 inch baking dish. Top evenly with tater tots and remaining cheese.

Cover with foil, bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

You can add 1 teaspoon hot sauce (Tabasco or Chalula); I don't because my little ones have a difficult time with the spicy stuff.

Zucchini Lasagna

One of our summer favorites, I couldn't believe it wasn't on here already...

1 lb. ground turkey

zucchini

spaghetti sauce

cottage cheese

cheese (usually mozzarella, I used colby/cheddar blend because that's what I had)

I don't have amounts because you can make this as little or big as you want!

Cook ground turkey until cooked through. Season it to taste. I used some salt, pepper and some McCormick Grill Mates Roasted Garlic and Herb.

Spray your casserole dish I used my 11X14! slice zucchini thinly and layer on bottom of pan. (I use the zucchini in place of the noodles.) Sprinkle with 1/3 of ground turkey, layer spaghetti sauce, cottage cheese and grated cheese. Repeat with another layer of zucchini, ground turkey, cottage cheese & grated cheese. I had three layers.

Put in 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly and zucchini softens.

Let sit for about 10 minutes and dig in. Mine was quite soupy but absolutely delicious none the less!!

Tolerine

This makes a lot, but it's great for left overs, too!!


2 lbs ground turkey
dehydrated onion, to taste
3 8oz cans tomato sauce
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 to 2 cans diced tomatoes, (I prefer 2, my kids prefer 1)
1 can black olives, sliced
10 - 13oz grated cheddar cheese, use more or less to taste
1 lrg pkg egg noodles (about 7 - 8 cups dry)
salt & pepper to taste


Brown ground meat, onion & salt and pepper. Drain if necessary. Add soup, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes (juice and all); simmer while noodles are cooking in separate pot according to pkg directions.

Drain noodles, put back in pot and pour sauce into the noodles. Add about 8 to 10oz grated cheese & olives. Pour into 10 X 15 pan, sprayed with cooking spray and bake at 350 just long enough to heat through. Top with more cheese, if desired.

Scalloped Potatoes

This recipe really doesn't have any measurements. It really depends on how many I'm feeding as to what size pan I'm using.

Potatoes

butter/margarine

milk

flour

seasonings to taste - salt, pepper, dehydrated onions

cheese (optional)

Spray pan you are using; 8X8, 9X13, or even 10X15.

Grate and slice potatoes and layer in pan in this order; potatoes, dots of butter/margarine, seasonings, sprinkle flour - repeat layers to about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of top of pan.

Pour milk to top layer. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours until potatoes are fork tender.

Sprinkle top with cheese if desired.

**You can use this as a side dish or a main dish. Add browned ground turkey to each layer if you prefer more meat in your meals.

Potato Casserole

1/2 lb. bacon
1/2 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (I used a red bell)
1/2 Tbsp. Creole Seasoning
1/2 tsp. black pepper
6-8 large russet potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (or use 1 can cream of mushroom and one can of cream of chicken)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the bacon in a large frying pan. Remove from the pan and drain all but a few Tbsp. of the grease. (I had already cooked and crumbled bacon from Sam's club, so I skipped this step and used butter)

Saute onions, peppers and spices until veggies are soft.

Add the bacon and potatoes; mix well. Add the soup and mix well.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees covered, for about 40 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking remove cover and add the cheese. Cook until it melts!

Cheesy Chicken Cordon Bleu Rice Casserole

One of my good friends has a fun dutch oven blog. While I was looking through it I came across this recipe. I decided to give it a try and I really enjoyed it. I did season the chicken while I was cooking it with herb chicken seasoning.

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, diced
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
½ Cup diced ham
1 Cup cooked shredded chicken breast
3 Tablespoons butter
¼ Cup flour
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp fresh cracked pepper
2 Cups chicken broth
3 Cups cooked rice
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Cup shredded mozzarella or swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil into a large 5 qt rimmed skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and bell pepper until softened, about 5 minutes.




Stir in garlic, ham and chicken. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Melt butter then stir in flour, salt and pepper until combined. Slowly stir in chicken broth until well combined.

Stir in cooked rice then transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish.

Top with cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cover the dish with foil the last 10 minutes for oozing cheese.


6-8 servings

This is the adjusted version, with half the amount of meat.

My cheese got a little darker than I would have liked at the end, but at least I have it documented for next time. ;)

Enchilada Casserole

One of our family favorites

12 flour tortillas (soft taco size) white or wheat

1/2 lb lean ground beef (I use ground turkey)

1 can enchilada sauce

1 8oz can tomato sauce

1 cup water

1 can refried beans (no fat, optional)

1 1/2 cups sour cream (low fat, optional)

1 cup shredded cheese (can add more to taste)

1 chopped onion

olives optional

9 X 13 baking dish

Cook up ground meat and onion in skillet, add sauces and water, just heat through. (You can add optional olives in the sauce, or just sprinkle on top at the end.)

Spray baking dish with non stick cooking spray.

Lay out the tortilla in baking dish, spread about two Tbs beans, then about a Tbs of sour cream in a line. Add a couple Tbs of meat mixture. My family likes a lot of cheese, so put a layer of shredded cheese here. (For a lower fat version wait to put cheese on top.)

Roll kind of tight, leaving both ends open and line up in dish with seam side down. Continue this procedure until all are rolled and put in the pan.

Pour remaining meat sauce over the top, spreading to moisten all the way to the edges. Sprinkle with cheese to taste. (If you didn't put olives in meat mixture you can sprinkle olives over top.)

Bake in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes until heated through. Cheese melted and edges a little bubbly. Cool slightly

I got this from Dana Thornock's Cooking to be Lean cookbook. You can fatten it up, but we think it's pretty yummy as is!

I make everything big, my pics are for double the recipe in a 11 X 16 pan.

Ship Wreck Casserole

If you like fried potatoes and hamburger, you will love this one. It disappeared pretty fast tonight.

4-6 potatoes
1 medium onion
1 lb hamburger
1 can (or half a frozen bag) corn
1 can tomato soup
1/2 can water
salt and pepper to taste

Brown hamburger and season with either salt and pepper or seasoning salt. I personally go for the seasoning salt. ;)

First the layer of potatoes and second the layer of onion.

Third the layer of hamburger, fourth the layer of corn and then pour over the top the tomato soup mixed with half of the soup can of water.

Cover and bake at 375 for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

I would have got all the vegetables from the garden if the raccoons would have stayed out of the corn. Grrrrr!

The potatoes and onions were wonderful however.

Squash Casserole

I would have to say it wasn't the title that attracted me, but the ingredients did. It ended up being really good. Of course I really like anything that has stuffing with it!

2 lbs. yellow crookneck squash sliced (any summer squash works well)
1 onion, sliced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste (I only salted the squash and onion while steaming)
1 package dry stuffing

Steam squash and onion together. Prepare stuffing according to package directions.

Mix soup, sour cream and cheese together and add squash & onions.

Place 1/2 stuffing mixture in greased casserole dish, cover with soup & vegetable mixture and place remaining stuffing on top.

I tried this in a regular 9x13 casserole dish and it was kind of sparse, so I transferred it to a square 9x9 and it was a little much, so something in between would be best.

Bake at 350 degrees fro 45 minutes.

Hearty Noodle Casserole

This was nice and fast. It is definitely a keeper. My kids loved it and so did I!

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 cup Milk
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mixed vegetables
5 cups medium egg noodles, cooked and drained
1 cup shredded cheese

Stir soup, milk, black pepper and Parmesan cheese together.

Place cooked noodles in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan and pour mixed vegetables over (can be frozen at the time).

Pour soup mixture over noodles and mix a little.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot. Stir. Top with the grated cheese.

This also is great with 2 cups cooked cubed chicken.

Tater Tot Casserole Number 2

So this is a different version of Tater Tot casserole that I came up with this week.

I thought potatoes and pasta sauce wouldn't taste that bad; and I was right.

1/2 lb ground beef
1 (26 oz) can spaghetti sauce
1/2 - 3/4 bag tater tots
grated cheese

Brown ground beef seasoning with salt and pepper. Add spaghetti sauce and pour into a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Layer tater tots on top and bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cover with cheese and bake an additional 10 minutes.

With mine I used left over sloppy joe meat and added the spaghetti sauce. My kids loved it and my husband preferred it over the original Tater Tot Casserole. Me: I like both!

Tater Tot Casserole

1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion (or 1 Tblsp dried onion) cut up
1/2 green pepper
1/2 - 3/4 pkg. Tater Tots
2 cans cream of mushroom (or cream of chicken soup)
1 cup milk
1 cup grated cheese

Saute onion and green pepper together. Set aside and brown ground beef.

Combine beef and vegetables and put in a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Top with Tater Tots.

In a bowl, mix condensed soup and milk. Pour over Tater Tots and top with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.

I sometimes like to change things up a bit, so I will put in one can of cream of mushroom soup and one can of cream of chicken.

I am the type to season the meat while it is cooking no matter the recipe. Do not do this with this recipe. It makes it really, really salty.

Shepard's Pie or Hamburger Casserole

1 to 2 lbs hamburger
1 Tbsp dried minced onion
1 (10 oz) can tomato soup
1 1/2 cups frozen veggies
3 cups mashed potatoes
1 cup grated cheese

Brown hamburger (of course I only used one lb and it was just fine). Add onion. Drain fat off hamburger. Mix with undiluted tomato soup and place in 9 x 13 (or 3 quart) casserole dish.

Cover meat mixture with frozen vegetables. Top with mashed potatoes and then cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. If you want to save it for another time, do not bake and freeze.

My cheese got a little dark; but we actually preferred it this way.

Curry Chicken-Macaroni Casserole

1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (about 5 oz)
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese (about 4 oz)
1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicen or turkey (I used half that)
1 can (4 oz) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1/4 cup chopped pimiento
1 can (10 1/2 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp curry powder

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together all ingredients; pour into ungreased 1 1/2 quart casserole. Cover; bake 1 hour.


Don't forget to cover and make sure you bake for 1 hour; otherwise you end up with crunchy macaroni. I like to cut the meat in my recipes in half. It makes our meals not quite as heavy, yet it doesn't sacrifice the flavor.