Quesadilla Casserole (Freezer Meal)

I make my freezer meals 2 ways. One way is to just make them all in a 2 day process. Compile my list, shop, and do meat prep. Then the next day I assemble them. The other way I like to do it is over the course of a week or two. I buy the ingredients enough to double the recipes, then I make one for dinner and just double it and put one away in the freezer. Then by the end of about 2 or 3 weeks, you have 10 meals frozen in the freezer ready to go for later. Your meals will do well in the freezer for 2-4 months.
Quesadilla Casserole
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried minced garlic
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
16 oz tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (8 3/4 oz) whole kernel corn, undrained
1 can (4 1/2 oz) green chilies, undrained
6 flour tortillas (8 inch size)
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
1. Brown beef and onion in a large skillet on medium-high. Add tomato sauce, beans, corn and green chilies. Mix well. Stir in all of the spices except the red pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat low and simmer 5 minutes. Add red pepper to taste if desired.
2. Spread 1/2 cup of the beef mixture on bottom of 9X13 pan (sprayed with pam). I like to use the foil pans for freezer meals. Top with 3 of the tortillas, overlapping as needed. Layer with 1/2 of the remaining beef mixture and 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas, beef and cheese.
3. Double wrap with heavy duty foil and label. 
Cooking Instructions: Thaw and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!!
We put sour cream on ours. Guacamole would be yummy on it too.

Layered Enchilada Casserole (Freezer Meal)

I make my freezer meals 2 ways. One way is to just make them all in a 2 day process. Compile my list, shop, and do meat prep. Then the next day I assemble them. The other way I like to do it is over the course of a week or two. I buy the ingredients enough to double the recipes, then I make one for dinner and just double it and put one away in the freezer. Then by the end of about 2 or 3 weeks, you have 10 meals frozen in the freezer ready to go for later. Your meals will do well in the freezer for 2-4 months.

I really love enchiladas. We eat a variation of them every week. My favorite thing about this dish is that I can mix it all in one bowl and layer it and bake. No rolling, no sauce, no specific order. It tastes phenomenal and it makes a really awesome freezer meal. Make one for dinner and make one to freeze. Just double layer it with foil before baking it and freeze. Then just thaw it and bake.
Layered Enchilada Casserole
2 cup cooked, shredded chicken (I just toss a few chicken breasts in the crock pot in the morning to cook)
1 can diced tomatoes, drained (15 oz)
1 can black beans, drained (15oz)
1 tub Santé Fe Blend Philadelphia Cooking Crème
2 cup shredded cheese. ( I used a combo of 3 cheddar and Pepper Jack)
3 flour tortillas (I used 6 inch)
1. Mix the chicken, tomatoes, beans, and cooking crème in a bowl. Combine well.
2. Place a 1/3 cup mixture on bottom of a pie plate or 8X8  freezer pan.  I buy the foil ones. Top with 1 flour tortilla.
3. Top tortilla with chicken mixture and cheese. Repeat layers and end with chicken mixture on top and top with last bit of cheese.
4. Double wrap in heavy aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn.  Label.
Cooking Instructions: Thaw and bake uncovered at 350 degrees 30 minutes or until heated through. 

Goulash (Freezer Meal)

This dish has a funny name, but as a child it was one of my all time favorite meals.  I think all kids love this meal. 
I make my freezer meals 2 ways. One way is to just make them all in a 2 day process. Compile my list, shop, and do meat prep. Then the next day I assemble them. The other way I like to do it is over the course of a week or two. I buy the ingredients enough to double the recipes, then I make one for dinner and just double it and put one away in the freezer. Then by the end of about 2 or 3 weeks, you have 10 meals frozen in the freezer ready to go for later. Your meals will do well in the freezer for 2-4 months.
Goulash
1lb ground beef
1 can tomato soup
6 oz can tomato paste
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni  (I used whole wheat noodles)
2 Tbsp Italian seasoning (more to taste)
1 can (15oz) corn, drained
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1-2 cups shredded cheese (depending on your “cheesiness” preference)
1. Brown Ground beef with onion powder and garlic powder.  Drain.
2. Cook noodles according to package, drain
3. In a large bowl, combine soup, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, noodles and ground beef.  Stir in corn.
4. Transfer to an ungreased 8X8 freezer baking dish and top with cheese.  I buy the foil pans.  Easy peasy and you wont be missing a pan while this meal is in the freezer waiting.
5. Cover with foil.  I like to use heavy duty foil and double wrap it to prevent freezer burn.  Label and freeze.
Cooking instructions: Thaw and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until heated through and melted cheese.

Layered Enchilada Casserole

I love melted cheese.  I especially love it when it is still bubbling and piping hot!

This is another one of those meals where the pictures just don’t do it justice.  I need a food stylist, photoshop, and better eye for food pictures   But, until then….just trust me.  This dish is amazing

I really love enchiladas.  We eat a variation of them every week.  My favorite thing about this dish is that I can mix it all in one bowl and layer it and bake.  No rolling, no sauce, no specific order.  It tastes phenomenal and it makes a really awesome freezer meal.  Make one for dinner and make one to freeze.  Just double layer it with foil before baking it and freeze.  Then just thaw it and bake.
Layered Enchilada Casserole
2 cup cooked, shredded chicken (I just toss a few chicken breasts in the crock pot in the morning to cook)
1 can diced tomatoes, drained (15 oz)
1 can black beans, drained (15oz)
1 tub Santé Fe Blend Philadelphia Cooking Crème
2 cup shredded cheese. ( I used a combo of 3 cheddar and Pepper Jack)
3 flour tortillas (I used 6 inch)
1. Mix the chicken, tomatoes, beans, and cooking crème in a bowl.  Combine well.
2. Place a 1/3 cup mixture on bottom of a pie plate or 8X8 pan.  Top with 1 flour tortilla.
3. Top tortilla with chicken mixture and cheese.  Repeat layers and end with chicken mixture on top and top with last bit of cheese.
4. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.  Let set for about 10 minutes before serving.  YUM!

Tortellini Emilia

I was browsing through some of my old cooking magazines to find recipes to use up leftover Easter ham.  And I found this little gem.  It has tortellini, cheese, and ham (and more cheese), how could I go wrong?!

Tortellini Emilia (Better Homes and Gardens)
16 oz dried cheese-filled tortellini
3 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
2 Tbsp finely chopped shallot
1 Tbsp butter
2 cups half and half or light cream (fat free half and half worked great)
1/2 cup milk
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (to lessen the cost, you can sub in Swiss cheese)
1/2 cup broken walnuts
2 oz prosciutto, finely snipped (this is where you sub in about 1/2 cup finely diced ham)
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook tortellini according to package directions; drain
2. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a medium saucepan cook onion and shallot in hot butter over medium heat until tender.  Stir in half and half and the milk.  Bring just to boiling.  Remove from heat.
3. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks.  Gradually stir about 1 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks.  return egg mixture to saucepan.  Cook and stir over medium low heat about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened and bubbly.  Stir in parmesan cheese, sage, and pepper.
4. Transfer half of the cooked tortellini to a 2-qt baking dish.  Sprinkle with half the Gruyere cheese.  Pour half of the sauce over layer in dish.  Top with the remaining tortellini, walnuts, prosciutto, and the remaining sauce.  Bake for 20 minutes until light brown and bubbly.
Makes 8 servings at 455 per serving with regular half and half.

Bacon and Chicken Pasta

Every week I do a dinner swap with a friend from down the street. On Mondays, I cook enough for two families and take her a meal, and on Tuesdays, she does the same for me. I love getting to try recipes from friends. This one is so good. My husband and toddler ate it with smiles and I made a note to add it to my rotation.

This meal is a crock pot meal (except for the noodles), which makes it very appealing to this busy momma.  We go to therapy 3 days a week for my youngest daughter so I like to have meals I can toss in my crock pot before leaving the house in the morning.  It also leaves more time for playing in the afternoon. 

My friend knows a lot about healthy cooking and how to make nutritious swaps in ordinary recipes.  This recipe originally called for sour cream and pork bacon.  She substituted plain Greek yogurt and turkey bacon.  I will need to try this more often in my recipes. 
Bacon and Chicken Pasta
4 chicken breasts
6 slices of turkey bacon- cooked until a bit crispy (or regular bacon)
1 cup greek yogurt (again, sour cream was the original)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Mix together yogurt, chicken soup, ranch dressing mix, and garlic. Pour over chicken and crumbled bacon in a slow cooker.
Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low 6-8 hours. Shred the chicken and put back in. Serve with pasta, rice or cold with a salad.
*We served the leftovers cold with salad and it was a hit.  A for sure menu staple for my summer*

Sausage Spinach Quiche

I know this has been posted before, but I made it again.  We love it. 

I always make 2 for dinner so that we have plenty of leftovers to fight over share the next morning for breakfast.
I had a mom request a meal that hides in some good greens. I grew up enjoying this recipe. In fact, all of us kids would gobble it up and my mom had to make 4 quiches to feed us all. It is still the recipe my 10 year old brother requests for his birthday dinner every year. And my 2 year old asks for seconds.
Spinach Sausage Quiche
1 pie crust (I use Pillsbury, but you can make your own)
8 oz bulk pork sausage
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
5 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup herb seasoned stuffing mix
1 1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese (6oz)
3 eggs beaten
1 1/2 cup milk
grated parmesan cheese for topping
paprika to sprinkle on top
*Because pie crusts are sold in a package of two, sausage is sold in 16 oz portions and you would need a full 10 oz pkg of spinach, I choose to always double the recipe and make two quiches. You will be glad you did. It is very easy to double*
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Place pastry shell in pie plate and gently poke around the bottom. Bake for 7 min. (Sometimes I find my crusts shrinks and falls to the bottom. No big deal, just continue on….it will still taste amazing)
3. Reduce oven temp to 375 degrees
4. Brown sausage, onion, and garlic. Drain.
5. Stir in spinach and stuffing mix.
6. Sprinkle the 1 1/2 cups cheese in to the cooked pie crust. Top with sausage and spinach mixture.
7. Beat eggs and milk in a small bowl. Pour over ingredients in pie plate.
8. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and paprika. Bake 15 more minutes.
9. Here is the tough part. You need to let it sit for 15 min before cutting. Otherwise you will get a sloppy mess. You may have to go outside so that you don’t stand drooling over the pie plate for 15 minutes.
10. Enjoy!

Quesadilla Casserole

Remember how I told you in THIS post that occasionally I like to try new products from the grocery store?  This is a new product out by McCormick.  It is a little card with small amounts of different spices needed for 1 recipe.  They print the recipe on the back so that you can grab any other ingredients while you are at the store. 
My grammy actually tried this recipe first and called to tell me about it.  She knows I love Mexican food and casseroles.  And let me tell you, this was so fast and easy to whip up, I could have made it for a quick lunch.  And it was REALLY good!!
There is crushed red pepper in here that does give it a kick, but you can leave it out and it is still yummy.  I put it in ours because I like a little spice.

You just need a few extra cans and some ground beef to get this dish started.

Add flour tortillas and a good amount of cheese and you are all set.  (I also tossed in a handful of pepper jack)

Look at that ooey gooey, bubbly, cheesy yumminess

Layers of quesadilla

You all really should add this to your menu next week.  And, if you don’t want to buy the pre-measured spice card, you probably have all the spices you need in your cupboard. 
Quesadilla Casserole
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried minced garlic
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
16 oz tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (8 3/4 oz) whole kernel corn, undrained
1 can (4 1/2 oz) green chilies, undrained
6 flour tortillas (8 inch size)
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
1. Brown beef and onion in a large skillet on medium-high.  Add tomato sauce, beans, corn and green chilies.  Mix well.  Stir in all of the spices except the red pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat low and simmer 5 minutes.  Add red pepper to taste if desired.
2. Spread 1/2 cup of the beef mixture on bottom of 9X13 pan (sprayed with pam). Top with 3 of the tortillas, overlapping as needed.  Layer with 1/2 of the remaining beef mixture and 1/2 of the cheese.  Repeat with remaining tortillas, beef and cheese. 
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until heated through.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!!
We put sour cream on ours. Guacamole would be yummy on it too.

Chicken Cordon Bleu (The Easy Way)

I found this recipe on Pinterest.  It comes from The Girl Who Ate Everything.  She has some really great stuff!  I was very drawn to this recipe when I saw how easy it was to assemble.  Having two little ones does not make it easy for me to spend lots of time at the counter and stove preparing dinner.  It needs to be quick and easy.  This fits the bill perfectly.  And being that my husband and I don’t usually like ham, it was really surprising that we liked this so much.  I will be making this one again for sure.

Look at that delicious sauce.

Layered chicken, ham, bread crumbs and a mouth watering cheese sauce.

Notice the half plate of veggies.  I am trying to add extra nutrients to our dinners.
Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
Source: Mel's Kitchen Café
For the Cordon Bleu:
3 large, thick boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise (to make two thinner chicken breast cutlets; you will have 6 total thin chicken breasts)
12 slices good quality deli ham
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 pound (8 ounces) thinly sliced Swiss cheese. I used 7 sliced from the deli
For the Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (or 1 bouillon cube, crushed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
*Note: Mel saves the heels of her bread and stores them in the freezer until she needs them then grinds them up quickly in a blender or food processor.

Directions:
Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and melted butter. Set aside.
Lay the cut chicken breasts in a single layer in the 9X13-inch dish. Layer each chicken breast with two slices of ham and top with slices of Swiss cheese, layering across the chicken breast to make sure the entire chicken breast is covered with ham and cheese. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the chicken.
Bake the chicken for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through completely, the cheese is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden.
When the chicken is almost done, in a medium saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour, whisking constantly. Cook the flour/butter mixture for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking quickly. Stir in the chicken bouillon granules and salt. Whisk mixture constantly over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken, about 3-5 minutes.
Once the sauce has bubbled and thickened, remove from heat and stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Keep the sauce warm until the chicken is finished baking. If your sauce is too thick, whisk in some more milk. If it's too thin, simmer longer.
Serve each chicken cordon bleu portion with warm sauce. Makes 6 servings. ENJOY!!

Spaghetti Pie

I have been eating this meal since I was just a toddler.  My grandma originally introduced us to this recipe and my mom often made it at home as well.  I like to make this recipe “family size” by doubling it and making it in a 9X13 baking dish.  But you can also use 2 pie plates if you like the actual pie shape the best. 
This is the recipe for one pie

Spaghetti Pie
6 oz spaghetti
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
6 oz can tomato paste
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a pie plate
2. Cook spaghetti according to package and drain.  Mix with butter, eggs and parmesan cheese
3. Brown hamburger and onion.  Drain.  Stir in un-drained tomatoes, paste, oregano and garlic salt.  Heat through.
4. Form spaghetti into a buttered pie plate to make crust.  Spread cottage cheese over crust and fill with tomato mixture.
5. Bake for 20 minutes.  Top with mozzarella cheese and bake 8 more minutes.
Let set 10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Baked Oatmeal Tips and Tricks

Have you all tried my Baked Oatmeal recipe?  I really love it and we seriously eat is almost every week.  My 2 year old gobbles it up.  You can view my original post here. 
Here’s the recipe: *Tips at the bottom*
Baked Oatmeal 5 eggs, beaten 1 1/2 cup oil 2 Tbsp vanilla 4 cups milk Mix well, then add: 1 1/2 tsp salt 2 Tbsp baking powder 2 Tbsp cinnamon 2 1/2 cups packed brown sugar Mix well, then add: 10 cup oatmeal (not quick oats) 2 cups dried fruit (I love the sunmaid fruit bits) Pour into a greased 9x13x2 pan and bake for 55 min at 350. I even bought a special pan just for my baked oatmeal with a lid. We love it and like I said, always in the fridge. Put some in a bowl, reheat in the microwave for 60-80 seconds and serve with milk or half and half! ENJOY! I had a reader let me know that her oatmeal bubbled over and left her kitchen smelling smokey and oily rather than warm and full of cinnamon.  Sad!  So, I thought I would try mixing up my oatmeal and letting it set in the fridge overnight.


It got nice and thick.  Then I poured it into the greased pan and baked it.  It turned out fabulous and no bubbling over.  Give that a try if you are worried your pan may be too shallow.  Do try to bake it in a deep 9X13 pan.  I bought a metal one at Walmart made by Calphalon that has a dome lid as well.  I call it my oatmeal pan

Hide those veggies: A delicious deception

I had a mom request a meal that hides in some good greens.  I grew up enjoying this recipe.  In fact, all of us kids would gobble it up and my mom had to make 4 quiches to feed us all.  It is still the recipe my 10 year old brother requests for his birthday dinner every year.  And my 2 year old asks for seconds. 
Curious, aren’t you?!
Spinach Sausage Quiche
1 pie crust (I use Pillsbury, but you can make your own)
8 oz bulk pork sausage
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
5 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup herb seasoned stuffing mix
1 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese (6oz)
3 eggs beaten
1 1/2 cup milk
grated parmesan cheese for topping
paprika to sprinkle on top
*Because pie crusts are sold in a package of two, sausage is sold in 16 oz portions and you would need a full 10 oz pkg of spinach, I choose to always double the recipe and make two quiches.  You will be glad you did.  It is very easy to double*
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Place pastry shell in pie plate and gently poke around the bottom.  Bake for 7 min.  (Sometimes I find my crusts shrinks and falls to the bottom.  No big deal, just continue on….it will still taste amazing)
3. Reduce oven temp to 375 degrees
4. Brown sausage, onion, and garlic.  Drain.
5. Stir in spinach and stuffing mix. 
6. Sprinkle the 1 1/2 cups cheese in to the cooked pie crust. Top with sausage and spinach mixture.
7. Beat eggs and milk in a small bowl.  Pour over ingredients in pie plate.
8. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and paprika.  Bake 15 more minutes.
9.  Here is the tough part.  You need to let it sit for 15 min before cutting.  Otherwise you will get a sloppy mess.  You may have to stand outside so that you don’t stand drooling over the pie plate for 15 minutes. 
10.  Enjoy!

Chicken Spinach Lasagna

This recipe is one of my most requested.  I made it once for my grandparents and it spread through the family like wild fire after that.  They all call it “Lexi’s yummy spinach lasagna”  And I know it must be good, my two year old asks for seconds of this dish.  Don’t be fooled by the simple ingredients and the spinach, this is really yummy.  I take it to all of my friends after they have babies and they all thank me for delivering the recipe along with it.  Serve with a salad and some garlic bread and you have a winner!
Chicken Spinach Lasagna. (Redbook Magazine, September 2008)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees 1. 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained 2. 2 cups cooked, shredded chickedn 3. 2 cups grated cheddar cheese 4. 1/3 cup chopped onion 5. 1/2 tsp salt 6. 1/4 tsp pepper 7. 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce 8. 1 can cream of mushroom soup 9 1 cup sour cream 10. 4 oz sliced mushrooms 11. 1 Tbsp Cornstarch 12. 1/3 cup Mayonnaise (do not use miracle whip) 13. 6 cooked lasagna noodles 14. 1 cup parmesan cheese 15. 1 cup chopped pecans Mix first 12 ingredients in a large bowl. Put a layer of cooked noodles in the bottom of a greased lasagna pan. Spread half of the chicken mixture over the noodles. Place another layer of noodles on top and spread with remaining chicken mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese then top with pecans and bake for 1 hour. Let cool for 15 min to set before cutting.

Taco casserole

Our little family loves casseroles.  This one was brought to me by my dear friend Sarah after I had Nora.  It is so yummy and easy.

Taco Casserole

1 box twisty rotini noodles, cooked and drained

1 1/2 cups sour cream

Mix together and pour in to greased casserole dish

1 lb ground beef browned and drained

1/4 cup taco seasoning

1 can tomato sauce

Mix together and pour on top of the noodles

Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

Keep up with my current recipes HERE I am always adding new favorites. (find it here first before all your friends find it on Pinterest)