Tater Tot Casserole

2 lb bag of frozen tater tots (will not use all)

1 c grated cheddar cheese

1 lb. ground beef

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 c milk

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Cook hamburger; drain. Add soup and milk to meat.

3. Line a 9x9 baking dish with a layer of tater tots. Cover tots with meat mixture, then top that with cheese. Add another layer of tater tots.

4. Cook about 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Serves 6

Comments:  This is one of the easiest dishes ever.  The original recipe called for 2 lbs. of tater tots and a 13 x 9 baking dish.  I used a 9 x 9 and only just over half of the tots.  The original called for ½ lb. of ground beef.  I used 1 lb.  It called for 2 cups of cheese but I only used 1 cup.  It also called for a layer of tots, layer of beef, layer of cheese and repeat the layers.  I did a layer of tots, all of the ground beef, all of the cheese over the beef, and one more layer of tots.  This is a dish even the kids will love.

Pork 'n Dumplins

1 lb. lean, boneless pork chops
1 Tbsp. minced, dehydrated onions
1/2 tsp. Garlic & Herb seasoning
salt & pepper to taste
1 small can of drained English peas
1 1/2 cups self rising flour

Cut pork into bite size pieces.  Place in a pot with about 2 quarts of water, onions and seasoning.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer.  Cook until pork is totally done and soft.  Skim off fat.  Refrigerate overnight.  About 1/2 hr. before serving add water to pot.  You want a 3 qt. pot to be about 3/4 full.  About 1/2 hr. before serving bring the pork and liquid to a boil then turn down to a simmer and add the English peas.  In a large bowl combine the flour and enough water to wet the dough and make it sticky, kind of like the texture of biscuits.  Using a teaspoon, add the dough one spoon full at a time (making dumplings) until the top is covered.  Let these simmer for 2-3 minutes and add another layer pressing the first group to the bottom of the pot (they won't stay there but it will allow you to add more dumplings).  Let simmer and add another layer until all dough is used.  Simmer the pot until the dumplings are done.  The water will thicken slightly as this is done.  Serves 6

Comments:  I love chicken and dumplings but wanted something different.  I spotted a package of boneless pork chops in the freezer that needed to be used and came up with this idea.  The addition of the dehydrated onions was a great idea as was the garlic & herb seasonings.  I used a Tuscan blend that worked perfectly.  When adding your dumplings, don't make them too big because they will rise slightly.  Make them no larger than a walnut when adding them.  Some will break apart and that's ok too.  That is where the thickening will come from.  When you cook the pork, taste it now and then to see how much salt is needed.  I had to add several times before coming up with enough.  And the overnight refrigeration gave the flavors time to blend into the pork.  This is a delicious dish that my food testers loved.

Spinach Squares

1 box (11 oz) pie crust mix
1/3 cup cold water
1 ½ cups frozen, chopped spinach (bag type not box)
1 ½ cups French Fried Onions
½ cup of crumbled, cooked bacon (about ½ lb.)
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup sour cream
5 eggs
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp. Spicy Brown Mustard
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a 13x9x2” baking pan with foil; spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Combine pie crust mix and water in large bowl until moistened and crumbly.  Using a floured bottom measuring cup, press mixture firmly onto bottom of prepared pan.  Prick with fork.  Bake 20 minutes or until golden.  Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.

Layer spinach, French Fried Onions, bacon and cheese over crust.  Combine sour cream, eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper in medium bowl.  Mix until well blended.  Pour over spinach layer.  Bake 30 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Cut into squares to serve.  Serves 8.

Comments:  This is actually a combination of two recipes that I found in a cookbook called Favorite Brand Name 3 Books in 1 – One-Dish; Slow Cooker; Casseroles.  It’s a wonderful cookbook.  The changes I made was to use a frozen pie crust.  I baked it in the hot oven until browned.  I then added the layers (bacon from another recipe).  Cut the eggs down to 4 and the milk down to ¾ cup, since the pie crust was smaller.  I baked it the same.  This dish was so good that I could have eaten the whole thing myself, but I didn’t and shared it with some of my friends.  Using the pie crust it cuts the servings down to 6.  This is a must try dish!

Crescent Grinders

1 Tbsp. olive oil
½ cup red and/or green bell peppers, sliced
½ cup red or yellow onion, sliced
6 Steak-Ums broken into pieces about 1” square
Cheddar Cheese
1 roll (8 count) crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a frying pan heat olive oil.  Add bell peppers and onions.  Saute until limp.  Add steak-ums.  Saute over med. high heat until steak-ums are cook throughout (about 2-3 minutes).  Line a sheet pan with foil sprayed with non-stick spray.  Open crescents and lay out on foil.  Sprinkle heavy with cheese.  Evenly top with meat mixture.  Roll up.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crescents are done and lightly browned.

Comments:  These are simply delicious!  I used a mixture of the red and green peppers.  I found these in Walmart in the freezer section already sliced with the onions already added.  I used about 1 cup of this combination.  The steak-ums work great, but you can also use thin sliced roast beef from the deli or lunch meat dept.  For my cheese I used a Colby-Cheddar Shredded Mixture and put it on heavy.  When adding the meat mixture, you want to pile it on.  When you roll the crescents, it will probably only have one overlap of the crescent point.  Some of the mixture may fall out, just push it back in.  I served mine with a choice of mayo, mustard and/or ranch dressing.

Kielbasa and Hashbrowns (2 ingredient dish)

1 pkg. Kielbasa Sausage
1 carton Idaho Spuds Veggie Hashbrowns

Slice Kielbasa and allow to lightly brown in a non-stick frying pan.  Remove from pan.  Cook Hashbrowns according to package directions.  When done, add the Kielbasa back to the pan and heat thoroughly.  Serves 4

Comments:  The Veggie Hashbrowns by Idaho have red and green peppers in with the potatoes.  I like a little onion so to the potatoes I sprinkled in about 1/2 tsp. of dehydrated onions allowing them to swell along with the potatoes and peppers.  This worked perfectly.  This is a quick and very tasty dish that can be served with a salad and bread for a full meal.  It took about 30 minutes from beginning to end and this includes the time the potatoes are soaking.  Of course, if you don't like peppers or want the real thing, you can stir fry freshly cut and add them to the dish when the meat is added back at the end.

Shrimp Scampi

1 lb. shrimp – peeled and deveined
4 Tbsp. butter
½ lb. spaghetti
1 tsp. minced garlic
¼ cup chicken broth

½ container cream cheese with chives

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Melt butter in a large frying pan.  Add garlic and shrimp.  Cook on medium-high heat until the shrimp is until they begin to curl and become opaque.  Add broth and cream cheese.  Stir until the cream cheese has melted and broth has slightly thickened.  Add to spaghetti and toss until mixed. 

Comments:  I love Shrimp Scampi but wanted to give it a different twist.  That is where the cream cheese came in.  I used large shrimp which I cut in half, but you can use other sizes.  As for the cream cheese, you can add more or less depending on your own desire.  This turned out simply delicious and the sauce coated the spaghetti perfectly.  I also used veggie spaghetti making it a little healthier.

Pull Apart Apple Bread

Non-stick cooking spray
1 can Grands Butter Tastin’ Biscuits (8 count) and 1 small can (5 count)
½ cup oats
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 apple, cored, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
4 Tbsp. butter
4 oz. cream cheese, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a bundt loaf pan with cooking spray.  Place oats, cinnamon and sugar in a processor.  Pulse to grind.  Pour into a small bowl.  Cut biscuits into 1/4s 4 biscuits at a time.  Roll each in oat mixture pressing lightly to coat.  Place in bundt pan.  Top with 1/2 of the apple chunks.  Cut the next 4 biscuits, roll in oats mixture and place on top of apples.  Top with remaining apples.  Cut up remaining biscuits and place on top of the apples.  Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture. 

In a small saucepan combine butter and sweetened, condensed milk, mixing well as butter melts.  Pour half over top of biscuits and apples.  Bake 45 minutes or until biscuits are done.  Add cream cheese to remaining condensed milk mix.  Heat over low until cream cheese has melted and blended with condensed milk.  (It will thicken).  Spoon over biscuits and apples while still hot.

Comments:  This is so delicious! I made this Christmas and passed it out to some of my testers.  They all wanted more.  You can make this smaller by using a loaf pan and only 1 can of biscuits and 1 apple putting down a layer of biscuits, the apples and the remaining biscuits.  The cooking time will still be about 45 minutes due to there not being the bundt pan hole in the center.  If your cream cheese doesn’t melt completely, which is hard to get it to do in the milk, don’t worry about it.  It just adds even more flavor to the bread.  You can add nuts to this too if you want.  I would mix them in with the apples.

Sausage Balls

1 lb. lean sausage
2 cups shredded, cheddar cheese
1 tube (8 count) crescent rolls
2 Tbsp. flour

Mix the sausage and cheese until well blended.  Lay your crescent rolls on a cutting board or piece of parchment paper sprinkled with flour, lightly coating both sides.  With a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the crescent rolls into 1/4" cubes.  Mix into the sausage cheese mix.  Shape into balls and bake 12-15 minutes.

Comment:  I can't take credit for this dish.  I actually found it on the Pillsbury website.  I can say that is is easy and oh so delicious!  You get the flavor of the sausage, cheese and that slight sweet taste of the crescent rolls.

Breakfast ‘Mini-Muffins’

1 14.1 ounce pkg. (2 crusts) rolled refrigerated unbaked piecrust
4 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup milk

¾ cup cooked, crumbled breakfast meat – bacon, sausage, ham, etc.
½ cup finely shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Let pie crust stand until room temp.  Spray 24 1 ¾” muffin cups with non-stick spray.  Unroll pie crusts.  Using a 2.5 – 3” round cutter, cut out pastry.  Press circles into the bottoms of the muffin cups.  Lightly cover the bottom of the crusts with cheese.  Top with about ¾ tsp. of the meat.  Mix the eggs and milk and pour into the crust, filling almost to the top edge.  Bake 13-15 minutes or until puffed and the center is firm.

Comments:  Make sure the meats you use is finely crumbled and the cheese is finely shredded.  You can also use finely chopped shrimp, spinach or broccoli.  I made half of mine using Canadian bacon and the other half with regular bacon.  I also cut my crust circles just large enough to fit the bottom of the muffin cups and very slightly up the side.  Both were delicious!  They are even good cold.

Pork with Mushroom, Onion and Spinach Sauce

4-5 boneless, lean pork chops

Salt & pepper to taste

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or olive oil)

4 tablespoons butter (or substitute oil)

8 small can sliced mushrooms, drained

1 small to medium red onions , thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves , minced

1 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon self rising flour

1/4 cup milk

2 cups baby spinach, tightly packed 

Season the pork chops generously on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Gently place the pork chops into the skillet and cook over high heat for 5 minutes on each side. Do not disturb the pork chops while cooking so that a nice golden brown crust can form.  Carefully remove the pork chops from the skillet onto a large plate.  Add the butter, mushrooms, onion, and garlic to the skillet and stir fry over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until the onions are transparent.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the chicken stock and the flour until no clumps remain.  Add the chicken stock/flour mixture and milk to the skillet, and stir. Add the baby spinach and stir. Cover and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, or until the baby spinach starts to wilt.  Add the pork chops back into the skillet and cover with the creamy mushroom-spinach sauce. Cover with a lid and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the pork chops are fully cooked. Remove from heat. Serve warm, spooning the mushroom sauce over the pork chops.

Ham & Potato Casserole

2 cups peeled, sliced potatoes (about ¼” thick)

1 cup of peas and carrots (frozen or canned (drained)

3 tablespoons butter

2 cups cubed fully cooked ham  

¼  red onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup milk, or more as needed

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Place potatoes, peas and carrot in a large pot and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender. Drain and transfer to a 2-quart baking dish.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir ham and onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer ham mixture to baking dish and mix with potatoes.

Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter in a skillet.  Stir flour in melted butter until smooth. Gradually stir in milk.  Add salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add Cheddar cheese; stir until melted. Pour cheese mixture over ham and potatoes.

Bake in preheated oven until bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes. Allow casserole to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Comment:  This recipe originally called for celery and carrots.  I made the change to peas and carrots.  I increased the amount of onion using red to give it even more flavor and eliminated the bread crumbs that topped the dish.  It turned out easy to make as well as delicious.  You can bet I'll be making this again.  My food testers loved it too.  If you want to add back the bread crumbs you can but I think I would add it during the last 5 minutes and use panko for the crunch.

Ground Beef & Spinach Quiche

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion

1 package frozen chopped spinach or 9 oz. fresh spinach

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup milk

4 eggs

2 Tablespoons self rising flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
pie crust

Cook and drain the spinach. Use a spatula to press it against the sides of a colander and squeeze out most of the water.  Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet. Drain any fat.  Stir in spinach.  In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, milk, eggs, flour, salt and pepper.  Stir in the cheese, spinach, beef and onions. Pour into two greased pie plates with or without crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until the center is set.

Comments:  This recipe called for 2 pie shells, making 2 pies.  I had one deep dish pie plate and used one roll-out shell making it a deeper dish.  With it being thicker I did have to cook it for about 45 minutes but boy was it worth it.  Just a bit of crust and a lot of the delicious filling.  This is a must try dish.

Imitation Crab Pasta Salad

I

3 cups uncooked spiral pasta

1 package (16 ounces) imitation crabmeat, flaked

1/3 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup chopped green pepper

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Toss with crab and vegetables. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over pasta mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Comments:  Of course I made changes.  The original recipe called for celery, bell peppers, low-fat mayo and low-fat ranch dressing.  It also called for 4 1/2 cups of uncooked pasta.  I cut that down to 3 cups, used regular mayo and left out the celery and bell peppers.  Reason - I didn't have any on hand.  Didn't matter.  I also added the cheese which added just another flavor.  My neighbor went out of the country for a few weeks and left me her dill weed plant to watch while she was gone.  I used some if it to make this dish.  The fresh dill was the key to this dish being such a success.  Every bite has you wanting another.  You can't beat this one.

Colorful Coconut Macaroons

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (14 oz.)
1 pkg shredded coconut (14 oz.)

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 pkg mini M & Ms (10 oz.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix milk, coconut and flour until well blended.  Fold in M & Ms.  Drop by teaspoon onto cookie sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes.  Makes about 4 dozen.

Comment:  This can be done using different colors of M&Ms for different holidays.  Example - Green & Red for Christmas, orange for Halloween, etc.  I made some of these using my mini-muffin tin and some by dropping them onto a cookie sheet.  The cookie sheet made the best.  The texture was much better.