Sunday, February 3, 2008

Crockpot Lasagna

My friend, Allison, made this for us last night...it was delicious!!

Crockpot Lasagna

1 pound ground beef, browned
4-5 cups spaghetti sauce
24 oz. cottage cheese
1 egg
12-13 lasagna noodles, uncooked overlapping
3+ cups mozzarella cheese

1. Combine ground beef and spaghetti sauce. I add a some Italian seasonings to the sauce.

2. Combine egg and cottage cheese.

3. Layer half of the ground beef mixture, the dry noodles, the cottage cheese mixture and the mozzarella cheese in the slow cooker. Repeat layers.

4. Cover. Cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 6 hours.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Broccoli Ramen Salad

My sweet friend, Shannan, shared this recipe with me several years ago. It is so delicious.

Broccoli Ramen Salad

4 Tbsp butter
1 cup walnuts
2 cups broccoli florets, cut to bite-size
1 head curly leaf lettuce, torn
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 pkg Ramen noodles, crunched (any flavor)

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 red wine vinegar
1/4-1/2 cup sugar

Mix lettuce, broccoli, and onions in salad bowl. Saute ramen noodles and walnuts in butter. Drain well on paper towels. Mix dressing ingredients. Add dressing and walnuts/ramen just before serving. Toss well.

Pizza Dough

I make this in my bread machine.

Pizza Dough

12 oz water
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 pkg yeast (or 2.5 tsp)
1 tsp gluten

Combine all ingredients in bread machine pan. Choose Dough setting on bread machine. When cycle is finished, divide dough in half and roll into 2 pizza crusts. I bake it for about 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees before adding toppings.

*Sometimes I add 3 cups whole wheat flour and 1 cup white. I try to end up with 4 total cups of flour.

Neiman Marcus Bars

Oh my goodness...these are delicious!

Neiman Marcus Bars

1 box Betty Crocker butter pecan cake mix
1 stick butter, melted
1 egg
1 box powdered sugar (1 lb)
1 stick butter, melted
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
chopped pecans, optional

Mix first three ingredients and press into bottom of 9x13 pan. Mix next 4 ingredients and pour over cake mix mixture. Cover with chopped pecans if desired.

Bake at 325 for 55-60 minutes or until done. Cool and cut into squares.

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan

1 lb chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I like to cut each breast into 2-3 smaller pieces
1.5 cups plain breadcrumbs
canola oil
1 package mozzerella slices
1 jar spaghetti sauce (I like Muir Glen tomato basil)
fresh basil, optional
1 lb uncooked spaghetti

Place breadcrumbs in pie plate and coat each chicken breast in crumb mixture. Heat canola oil in heavy skillet and when hot, brown the breaded breasts. Drain well on paper towels. Place chicken breasts in 9x13 baking dish, and cover with mozzerella slices and fresh chopped basil. Pour jar of spaghetti sauce over chicken and cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees. Cook spaghetti while chicken is baking, and serve chicken over hot, cooked noodles.

*Suggested sides--green salad and french bread.

Ranger Cookies

These are the my all-time favorite cookies. This was my Nana's recipe, and I have many happy memories of baking these alongside her in the kitchen.

Ranger Cookies

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup shortening (I use butter)
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
2 cups oats
2 cups bran flakes
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

Cream butter and sugar well. Add other ingredients in order listed. Drop cookies by teaspoon onto baking sheet. Bake at 350 until golden brown.

Lasagna

I've tried a lot of different lasagna recipes, but this is my favorite. I usually double this recipe.

Lasagna

1 envelope spaghetti sauce mix (I like McCormick)
8 oz tomato sauce
16 oz can V-8 juice
1 can whole tomatoes (15 oz), puree in blender
1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
1 box lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 container ricotta cheese
8 oz shredded mozzerella cheese

Brown ground beef, drain. Add spaghetti sauce mix, tomato sauce, V-8 juice, and whole tomato puree. Mix well. In 9x13 dish, layer meat sauce, noodles (uncooked), ricotta cheese, meat sauce, noodles, and rest of meat sauce. Top with mozzerella cheese. Bake at 350 for 1-1.5 hours. Let set for 15 minutes before cutting.

*Bake on a cookie sheet as juices might overflow.
*Cover at first, then remove foil and let cheese brown for 15-20 minutes.