Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos

 

My whole family LOVED this recipe from Six Sisters Stuff here.  I used some leftover chicken from a Rotisserie Chicken and some leftover Prime Rib Roast .

1 8 oz package of cream cheese

4 cups meat (chicken, beef or whatever you have leftover)

12 slices of back cooked and crumbled

2 cups of cheese (their recipe called for Monterey Jack, but I only had Colby Jack- what I always have)

1/2 package dry Ranch dressing mix

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Salt, and pepper to taste

20 flour tortillas

cooking spray

salt for the top

Mix filling and fill and roll tortillas tightly.  Place seam side down on cookie sheet.  I make 10 at a time and save the rest of the filling for the next night.  They are best freshly cooked.  Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt.  Cook at 425 for 15-20 min.  Tastes great dipped in Ranch, Sour cream, or Salsa Ranch (equal parts of ranch and salsa).

Mini Meat Loaves

1 cup ketchup

4 TBSP Brown Sugar

1 1/2-2 lbs ground beef (or 1 lb beef, 1/2 lb pork,  or any other combination you like equaling about 1 1/2-2 lbs meat)

1/2 cup bisquick mix

1 egg

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 tsp garlic powder

1 small onion finely chopped

Mix together ketchup and brown sugar.  Mix meat and all other ingredients together.  Add in 1/2 cup ketchup mixture.  Form small loaves/balls… make between 10 and 12 mini loaves.  Place in a 9x13 pan and pour remaining ketchup mixture over the top of each loaf.  Cook at 450 for 20 min. or until thermometer reaches 160 degrees.

I got the idea for this recipe on Betty Crocker’s website here and changed it according to what I had on hand (I didn’t have the onion, but it was still very good).  This is a keeper recipe because it was super easy, very fast and all my kids liked it.  Those are the kind of recipes I’m looking for!

Baked Ziti

This is a recipe a friend shared with me. She got it off of allrecipes.com.  I made a few changes according to what I had in the fridge.  I haven't frozen this recipe, but my friend has and says that it freezes great.  It made A LOT!!  you could split this in half and freeze part of it when you make it.  It calls for a 9x13 pan, you could use 2 8x8 pans and freeze one and eat one.

1 lb ziti pasta, cooked and drained
2 26 oz jars of your favorite pasta sauce
1 lb ground beef
1 med onion (I just used 1/4 cup dehydratd onion this time)
10 slices provolone cheese
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 oz. shredded mozzerella or Italian cheese
mozzerella, parmasen, or italitan cheese to sprinkle on top (whatever and how much you prefer)

Cook ground beef and onion until browned.  Add sauce and simmer for 15 min.  Cook pasta and drain.  Sprinkle a little salt and toss. 

Layer
1/2 Ziti pasta
Provolone cheese slices
Sour Cream spread on top of cheese slices
1/2 pasta sauce mixture
Rest of pasta
 6 oz Shredded Cheese
Rest of Pasta Sauce mix
However much cheese you want sprinkled on top.

Cook at 350 for 30 min.

Enjoy with a beautiful green salad.

Sugar Cookie Bars

These are TO DIE FOR!!!!! We made these for my daughter's baptism and everybody loved them. I found the cookie recipe from mybakingaddiction.com and then used my Grandmother's cream cheese frosting recipe. It was fabulous!

Cookie

1 cup butter (I used salted butter- not margarine)

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla (I use a vanilla that says it is double strength- so it was super yummy)

5 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs mixing after each egg. Add vanilla and mix well. Mix dry ingredients together and add to wet ingredients. Spread on a greased cookie sheet (jelly roll pan with sides- 13X18)

Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes until light golden brown. Cool completely and frost.

Frosting

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 stick of butter (1/4 cup)

1/2 lb. powdered sugar (about 2 cups- add more or less depending on the consistency you like your frosting)

1/2 tsp vanilla

food coloring if you want it colored.

*Side note: We made 3 of these sheet cake cookies and made 4 batches of frosting to go on them, so you may want to double the frosting if you like it thicker. These were great to freeze too. We baked them and froze them and then took them out and frosted them as they were thawing. Great for a large gathering!!!

Turkey Burger Extrodinaire!!

I'm not a burger person. But I'll have to say I am for this recipe. It's made with ground turkey so it's much leaner and the flavor it superb!! Even my kids LOVE this one (with the exception of Alyssa- I think it's a texture thing with ground meat). Kayla will eat a whole burger- bun and all!! They fight over the leftovers the next day. Top it with light mayo, mustard, tomato and spinach instead of lettuce and this will be the HEALTHIEST burger you ever had. I toast the bun in the toaster a second to give it a little crunch. One more note before I get on to the recipe- I know you're on pins and needles waiting- I've tried the super lean (~93%) and the next leanest (~85%) to see if either make a difference in moistness and flavor. They both tasted the same and turned out equally good so you're probably better off to go with the leanest ground turkey you can buy.

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 portobello mushroom top (I buy the ones that are sliced (2 tops in a pkg and sliced lengthwise))- You just use one, but I have a great recipe that I will post that you can use the leftover mushroom top.
1/2 red pepper chopped fine
1/2 onion chopped fine
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic- minced
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
3 TBSP tomato paste
3 TBSP Italian parsley, chopped fine (in the fresh veggie section by the regular parsley and cilantro- use fresh and not dried parsley- you can definately tast a difference)
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix all ingredients together and shape into burgers. I can usually get 5 or 6 burgers. I sized them according to whose eating them (i.e.- I make Savannah a much smaller one than Dad). Remember though- burgers really shrink up when cooked. Place on a cooking sheet and place under broiler- 4 in. from heat. (I haven't yet tried on the grill- I'm always afraid I'll loose some of the burger through the slats) Turn. Cook until meat thermometer is 165. If you don't have a meat thermometer- WHAT KIND OF COOK ARE YOU!! J/K. Really, if you don't have one you really need one. This burger can seem pink from the tomato paste and red pepper. It may seem pink even though it's done and you don't want to keep cooking thinking it isn't done and end up serving a hockey puck for dinner. For the last few seconds- place a slice of cheese on top- we like the round provolone cheese that comes sliced already. Place on your toasted bun with your favorite fixings (mayo, mustard, spinach & tomato are our favs for this burger). ENJOY a great summer cookout with this recipe!!

Easy To Freeze Recipe:
You can double this recipe and freeze the 2nd half. It thaws easy and you have a super quick dinner!

Beef Stoganoff

Forgive this picture, it looks more orange than it should be. I assure you that it is just the lighting.

I had a great Beef Stroganoff recipe a few years back and it has come up missing. I had been wanting to make it but I couldn't for the life of me find my "good" recipe. So, I remembered all of the ingredients that went in it and used the internet to help me come up with the right porportions and came up with this recipe. I think it is just as good as my original recipe.

1 lb. Beef sirloin, cut into 1 inch strips
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 8 0z pkg mushrooms
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup ketchup
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup sour cream
2 TBSP flour
Medium Egg Noodles

Brown meat and set aside. Combine mushrooms, onion, garlic and olive oil. Cook until onion is tender. Add broth and let boil. Add ketchup, W. sauce, salt, pepper and stir. Add cooked meat. Stir flour into sour cream and add to beef mixture. Serve over Egg noodles.

Easy To Freeze:
You can freeze the leftovers or make a double batch and freeze half. It thaws easy and serve over fresh noodles. Another quick idea is to use leftove pot roast meat for the beef.

Cheesy Beef and Spinach Enchiladas

Sorry this isn't the best picture of this dish. It doesn't do it justice. I didn't get a good picture of it until we had almost eaten most of the pan. It is really good though. Even Savannah liked it, which is saying a lot when it comes to enchiladas.

Enchiladas:
1 lb. ground beef
2 gloves garlic
1 1/2 cups frozen cut leaf spinach
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 tsp cumin
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or the colby jack preshredded kind- easier to find)
1 pkg (8 or 10) 8 inch flour tortillas (I try and find a 10 pack because I usually have one that is messed up- breaks- and I like to have a few back ups- then I have an extra tortilla to give Alyssa since I don't think she'd eat these)
1 can (19oz) Old El Paso Red Enchilada sauce (you can use mild or medium depending on you taste. I use mild to make it more kid friendly, but Brady would prefer the medium)

Toppings if desired:
Sour Cream, Salsa, Fresh Cilantro

Cook ground beef and garlic in a skillet until browned. Drain or pat with a paper towel to get off extra grease. Add spinach and cook until it is thawed. Stir in cream cheese, cumin, chiles and 1 1/2 cups cheese and cook until all combined. Spoon about 1/3 cup beef mixture into each tortilla and roll up. Place seam side down in a greased glass baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over rolled tortillas sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min. I cover them for the first 15 min and remove for the last 5-10 min. Put your favorite topping on. This is great with rice or the Texas Caviar recipe that is under appetizers.

Easy to Freeze:
Make and put in a throw away aluminum pan. Cover with foil and the plastic lid and freeze. Note: Let it cool before you freeze or it will sweat.

Sloppy Joes

I wish I could say this is a Family Favorite, but I cannot for the life of me get Savannah to eat Sloppy Joes. However, Kayla can't get enough of them. She'll eat a whole one and want more and want them for 3 nights in a row.

I know some of you may be Manwich people out there, but I never grew up on Manwich so to me making them from scratch is easier than having to remember to buy the Manwich.

2 lbs. ground beef
1 onion chopped
1 1/4 cups ketchup
1/2 cup water
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP white vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground mustard (the dry kind, but I'm sure you could use the wet kind if thats all that you had)
1/2-3/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground allspice (the secret ingredient that makes these so good)

Cook and drain ground beef. Add the rest of the ingredients and put on toasted buns!! Yummy and really fast!!
Easy to Freeze:
Freeze leftovers or make a whole batch and freeze for a busy day.

Beef & Three Cheese Stuffed Shells

MMMMM.... Yummy!!! That's all I can say about these shells! And my kids like them too. Add a green salad and garlic bread or rolls and it's a great meal, even for company!!

24 Jumbo pasta shells, cooked and drained
1 lb lean ground beef
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (28-32 oz)
1/4 cup water
1 8 oz container chive & onion cream cheese
1 bag (2 cups) Italian blend shredded cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
Italian seasoning sprinkled on top

Cook ground beef and drain of grease. Pour 1/3 of the spaghetti sauce in a 9x13 pan bottom. Add the water to the rest of the spaghetti sauce and save for the top of the shells. Mix together the cream cheese, ground beef, 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, parmesan cheese, and egg. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of mixture into each cooked shell and place in pan on top of sauce. Pour the rest of the spaghetti sauce/water mixture over all of the stuffed shells. Top with remaining shredded cheese and sprinkle with Italtian seasoning. Cover with tinfoil and Cook at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Easy to Freeze:
Freeze in an aluminum pan. Cool before placing in the freezer. Thaw before cooking- or if still frozen- double cooking time (that tends to toughen the shells that aren't in the sauce so it's better to cook after it thaws- however, I've done it this way and it still tastes great- just a few tough edges).

Chicken Stroganoff

This is one of our favoite dishes. It is so good!!! A new twist on traditional stoganoff. You can even use leftover roast chicken or turkey (good for the upcoming season).

4 bacon strips
1 lb chicken, cut up
1 med. onion
2 cloves garlic
1 pkg fresh mushrooms (the original recipe calls for 2 cans mushrooms drained, but I detest canned mushrooms.)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp paprika
pepper to taste
1 cup sour cream
2 TBSP flour

In a skillet (I use my big electric skillet for cooking the entire recipe) cook bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towels and drain some of the drippings, reserving 2 tbsp, set bacon aside. When cool enough to touch, cut up into small pieces Cook the chicken, onion, garlic, and mushrooms until chicken is no longer pink. Add the broth, salt, paprika, pepper and bacon back in. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Combine flour and sour cream until smooth; add to the skillet. Bring to boil, cook and stir for 1 minutes or until thickened. Serve over egg noodles or rice, whichever is your families preference.

Easy To Freeze:
Freeze leftovers or freeze a whole batch for a busy day. Another time saver is to buy a roast chicken (already cooked) and remove it from the bone and chop it up.

Birdnest Soup

It's fall and that means SOUP time!! I love soups and this is my all time FAVORITE soup. A little background on the soup: I got the original recipie from my friend Megan Eborn (thanks Megan) and have altered it to our families liking. I have shared it with a few families here in Arkansas and it has become their families favorite soup. I finally made it again when my parents were here so I'd have a picture to show. However, the picture doesn't do it justice. I should have taken one in just a bowl and not the stockpot. It's a fabulous soup non the less.

1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 TBSP olive oil
1 15oz can Itailian Style Stewed Tomatoes
6 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 tsp oregano
salt & pepper to taste
1 15 oz can White Northern Beans
1 15oz can Black Beans
2 chicken breasts cooked and cubed, or 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 cups medium shell pasta

Add the onion, garlic and oil- saute. Add the tomatoes (my husband and kids don't like chunks of tomatoes so I pop the can of tomatoes in the blender for a few spins and blend it up smooth), I use the blender to measure 6 cups of water so I wash out all the blended up tomatoes and then add 6 tsp of chicken boullion granules. Add the bay leaves, oregano and salt and pepper. Add the beans. (If you use chicken thighs, you can pop them into the pot now too, take them out before you add the pasta, let it cool enough to handle so you can cut it up and add it back to the pot after the pasta is cooked.) Let the pot low boil with the lid on for 10 minutes. Add the shells and cook until tender. Add your chicken and remove the bay leaves.
Serve with warm cresent rolls

Just a note about how the soup got it's name. I used to call it Italian Pasta and Bean Soup (kind of long for a 4 year old). When Kayla was 4, she decided that the shells looked like birdnests with little eggs in them (the beans get stuck in the shells). She started calling it Birdnest Soup- so we have stuck with it. It's cute. My girls love this soup and it hearty and good for you. Hope you enjoy it this fall!!

Easy to Freeze:
Freeze leftovers for a busy day. Thaw and reheat.