TASTES LIKE LASAGNA SOUP

1 lb ground chuck
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teas. thyme
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1 (32 Oz) box chicken broth
2 (14.5 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
2 teas. Italian seasoning
1/2 teas. salt
2 cups broken lasagna noodles
1 (5 0z) package grated parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
garlic crostni, recipe follows

In a large Dutch oven, combine ground chuck, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and crumbles. Drain well.

Stir in thyme, brown sugar, broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add noodles, and simmer until noodles are tender. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into 8 to 10 ovenproof bowls. Evenly sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Broil soups, 6 inches from heat, 3-4 minutes, until cheese is browned and bubbly. Add a garlic crostini slice on top. Serve immediately.

GARLIC CROSTINI
1 thin French baguette
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves smashed garlic
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut bread into 1/4 inch round slices. Place on baking sheet and brush each slice with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper; place in oven and bake until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Rub each side with smashed garlic cloves.

It was delicious! I will definitely make it again. It is very filling. Dad also liked it. In fact he asked if there was any left the next day.It would be quite easy to cut the recipe in half.

BLT Soup

From: PaulaDeen.com

crisp crumbled bacon
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
1/8 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 1/2 cup fresh or canned chicken broth, heated to a simmer
1/2 cup instant-blending flour
3 cup iceberg lettuce, julienne
2 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup diced green onions
5 slices bacon, diced small


Directions
In a 3-quart pot, cook the bacon over medium heat till lightly browned. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until wilted. Add the butter and stir until melted. Add the lettuce and saute for 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the pot, then stir it in until well blended. Remove the pot from the heat and add the hot chicken broth, tomatoes, nutmeg and pepper. Heat the soup to boiling, stirring constantly, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Add the cream and mix well.

Mix together the mayonnaise and sour cream. Serve each portion of soup with a dollop of mayonnaise mixture topped with crumbled bacon.

Yield: 8 servings Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Ease of preparation: moderately easy

Notes:
It was too bland and needed something. I added garlic power and cheese on top. At the first bite, I was not sure I would like it. But I ended up really enjoying it.

Mini Mac & Cheese

From: http://amberskitchen.blogspot.com/search/label/Pasta

Ingredients

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for brushing
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1 packed cup)
4 ounces deli-sliced American cheese, chopped
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika

Directions- Preheat the oven to 425°- In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the macaroni until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain, shaking off the excess water.-

Brush four 12-cup, nonstick mini muffin tins with butter. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the Parmigianino; tap out the excess.-

In a large saucepan, melt the 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking, until boiling, about 5 minutes. Add the cheddar and American cheeses and whisk until melted.

Off the heat, whisk in the egg yolk and paprika. Fold in the macaroni.-

Spoon slightly rounded tablespoons of the macaroni into the prepared muffin cups, packing them gently. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmigianino on top.-

Bake the mini macs in the upper and middle thirds of the oven for about 10 minutes, until golden and sizzling. Let cool for 5 min­utes. Using a small spoon, carefully loosen the mini macs, transfer to a platter and serve.

MISSISSIPPI MUD CAKE

2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 all-purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 bag miniature marshmallows

Icing:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoon cocoa
6 tablespoon milk
1 (1-pound) box confectioners’ sugar
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 9-inchbaking pan.
Combine the sugar, salt, and flour in a large mixing bowl. Bring thebutter, oil, cocoa, and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Add tothe flour mixture.
Beat together the eggs, baking soda, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add to thechocolate mixture, mix well, and pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 25minutes.
While the cake is baking, make the icing by melting the butter in thecocoa and milk over low heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then removefrom the heat. Stir in the confectioners’ sugar. Slowly mix in the nutsand the vanilla. Take the cake from the oven, and when it cools a bitcover it with miniature marshmallows. Pour the warm icing over the cakeand the marshmallows. Cool the cake before serving.

Prep Time - 30 minutesCook Time - 30 minutesYield - 12 to 16 servingsDifficulty - Easy

Comments:
DeAnna - "Excellent and I will have it for breakfast - maybe I will addsome chocolate sauce on top"
Sue E - "Very good"
Sue C - "Chocolately"
Cindy - "Very good, best when warm or slightly cool"
Doug - "Good"

melted more on top of the warm cake. I looked and my marshmallows were still good, so I am not sure what the problem was. I bet you could useMarshmellow fluff also instead.

BAKED SPAGHETTI

8 ounce uncooked angel hair pasta
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoon Paula Deen’s House Seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon Paula Deen’s Seasoned Salt
1 1/2 teaspoon Paula Deen’s Sweet Italian Herb Blend
2 cup tomato sauce
1 cup water
2 cup canned diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese
2 small bay leaves

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a stockpot, combine the tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, onions,peppers, garlic, parsley, seasoning mixtures, sugar, and bay leaves.Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat and let simmer,covered, for 1 hour. Crumble the ground beef in a large skillet. Cookover medium-high heat until fully cooked, with no pink color remaining.Drain the fat from the meat, and then add the ground beef to thestockpot. Simmer for 20 more minutes. Cook the pasta according to thepackage directions. Cover the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan withsauce. Add a layer of pasta and then a little less than 1/2 of eachcheese; repeat the layers, ending with the sauce. Bake in the oven for30 minutes. Top the casserole with the remaining cheese, return it tothe oven, and continue to cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly,about 5 more minutes. Cut into squares before serving.

Yield: 10 servingsPreparation time: 30 minutesCooking time: 1 hourEase of preparation: easy

comments:
DeAnna - "really good"
Sue E - "I will have to make it"
Sue M - "I like it and I don't even like spaghetti"
Sue C - "I want the recipe"
Stephanie - "I loved it and if my husband can cook it, we will have itsometime"
Doug - "It was good and meaty"
Cindy - "I liked it, but maybe I would use petite tomotoes next time"

I did substitute the Paula Deen ingredients for my own brands, since wedon't have Paula Deen here (that I could find)

Chef Jack's Corn Chowder

From PaulaDeen.com

3 cup chicken stock
2 cup half-and-half
3 cup white corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small celery stalk, diced
1 small carrot, finely diced
1 small onion, diced
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper

Melt 1 stick of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Cook until the roux is lightly browned; set aside to cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, combine the corn and chicken stock in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the boiling stock with the corn (a little at a time) into the skillet with the roux, whisking briskly so it doesn’t lump. Return the skillet to the heat and bring to a boil. The mixture should become very thick. In a small saucepan, gently heat the half-and-half; stir it into the thick corn mixture. Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, cut the remaining stick of butter into large chunks. Add it to enrich the soup, stirring until the butter melts.

Notes:
I skipped the extra stick of butter at the end. It still tasted good. in fact, it tasted FABULOUS!!!! This was also super easy to make.

Apricot Cheese Delight Salad

1 - 17 oz can apricots, drained and chopped (reserve juice)

1 - large can crushed pineapple, drained (reserve juice)

2 - 3 oz pkg orange jello

2 cups hot water

1 cup apricot juice

1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Topping:

1/2 cup sugar

3 T flour

1 egg, slightly beaten

2 T butter

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup whipped cream

Dissolve jello in hot water; add apricot juice. Fold in apricots, pineapple and marshmallows into jello. Chill until firm in a 9 x 13 inch pan or dish. Topping: Combine sugar and flour. Add egg, butter and pineapple juice. Cook over low heat. Stir until thickened. Cool thoroughly. Fold in whipped cream and spread over salad. Cut into 4 inch squares and serve on lettuce leaf.

I used Cool Whip in place of whipped cream.

It was very good and I would make it again.

Marshmallow Brownie

Marshmallow Brownies

1 cup butterscotch chips

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 eggs

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons backing powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups miniature marshmallows

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup choppped walnuts

In a saucepan over low heat, melt butterscotch chips and butter; cool for 10 minutes. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar and vanilla. Add butterscotch mixture; mix well. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to batter and mix well. Stir in marshmallows, chocolate chips and nuts. Spread into a greased 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until brownies test done with a toothpick. Cool before cutting.

I had to put my pan back into the over after 25 minutes. They were really good, but too gooey. Even after another 10 minutes, they were still gooey, but we decided to try them anyway. Here are the results:
Rachel - "Holy Crap, these things are delicious"

Marley - "Love Them"

Quentin - "Too gooey"

Tim - "Marshmellowly brownie-riffic - Cheese approved"

Brandon - "Gootastic"

Doug - "Good"

Cindy - "Delicious"

I will say that they were served on a plate and needed a fork - I thought, but as you can tell, they were definitely a hit!

Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies

From fortheloveofcookies.com

3/4 cups sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
18 large marshmallows, halved
36 pecan halves

FROSTING:
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
4 tablespoons light cream

Sift together flour, salt, soda and cocoa; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar; add egg, vanilla and milk. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Drop by heaping teaspoonsful about 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8 minutes. Do not overbake. Remove cookies from the oven and top each with a marshmallow half. Return to oven for 2 minutes. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool.

Meanwhile, beat all frosting ingredients together. Spread frosting on each cookie and top with a pecan half.

Notes:

I made mine HUGE. I ended up with 17 cookies when the original made 36. I have trouble with "heaping". I could have put an entire marshmallow each. I will make them smaller next time.

I also did not realize that you should put the icing on while the cookies were cooling, so that it could "melt" over the warm cookie. My oven was still warm, so I put the cool icing on the cool cookies and put them in the oven for a few minutes. It did not come out as smooth as the original recipe's photo, but....

The cookie itself is not too sweet. It tastes the best when you have cookie, marshmallow and icing all in one bite!

Tortilla Soup

Sacred Heart 50 Years of Recipes Remembered

1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained

1 jar salsa

1 can tomato sauce

1 can corn (undrained)

1 can black beans (undrained)

1 can kidney beans (undrained)

1 env. Ranch seasoning dressing mix

1 env. Dry taco seasoning

1 c. Minute rice

Throw it all in crock pot on LOW for 4 to 6 hours. Add 1 cup Minute rice 1 hour before done. Add a little water if you like it thinner. Serve over crushed tortilla chips and top with Cheddar Cheese and dollop of sour cream.

This is delicious. My lunch mates were asking what I was eating and how good it looked and smelled. I just realized that we drained all the cans before putting in the crock pot – that explains why it looks more like a stew than soup. Sergey and I both like it very much and it will become a staple in our cooking repertoire.

Presentation – 10. Taste – 10.

Beef and Potato Bake

From the Messiah Lutheran Church, 1986 copyright

4 c. hash brown potatoes, thawed

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1 lb. ground beef

1 pkg. brown gravy mix

1 c. water

1/8 tsp. garlic salt

1 pkg. frozen vegetables

1 c. shredded cheese

1 can French fried onions

In a shallow 1 1/2 - quart baking dish combine potatoes, oil and pepper. Firmly press mixture across bottom and sides of dish to form a shell. Bake uncovered, for 15 minutes.

In a skillet brown beef, drain. Stir in gravy mix, water and garlic salt; bring to boil. Add mixed vegetables, reduce heat to medium and cook 5 minutes.

Stir in 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 can oinions. Place in potato shell. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and onions and bake 5 minutes longer.

I doubled the recipe for my family. I wish I would not have, except Shieva really liked it. But you never know how something is going to go over. I would have had it for left overs, but I started my diet the next day. Doug and I like it, but the boys were not that keen on. They are such picky eaters. I think because it had peas in it. Kyle liked it also. Very easy to make.

Mandarin Orange Salad

1/2 c almonds
1 c celery, chopped
3T sugar
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 head romaine lettuce
1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 head fresh spinach

Dressing:
1/2 t salt
1 T parsleydash of pepper
2 T sugardash of Tabasco
2 T white vinegar
1/4 c olive oil

Spray a piece of wax paper with Pam. In saucepan cook almonds and sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and almonds are coated. Spread on prepared paper and let cool. (I used parchment paper.)

Mix all dressing ingredients and chill. Mix celery, onions and lettuces. Add almonds and oranges. Pass dressing. (I poured on each salad myself.)

There were 4 testers at my home. As Kristina suggested comment cards were passed out. Here are the comments:

Kristina: Presentation - 10 Taste 8.5 Love the mandarin oranges in it. Great flavor

Jessica: Rating: 6.5 I don't like nuts but it was good I never imagined oranges would taste that good on a salad

Chuck: Presentation - 10 Taste - 9-10 very good

Patte: Presentation - 10 Taste - very good. I will definitely make this again.

Pineapple Cake

From: Sycamore Presbyterian Church Cookbook

2 c sugar

1 (No 2) can crushed pineapple and juice

2 c flour

1/2 c nuts (I used pecans)

2 eggs

1/2 c coconut

2 t baking soda

Icing:
1/2 c margarine

1 c powdered sugar

6 oz cream cheese (I used 8 oz. What would I do with 2 oz?)
1 T vanilla (This seemed like a lot. I used less)

Mix sugar, flour, eggs, soda and pineapple and juice together. Do not use mixer. Fold in nuts and coconut. Bake in greased 13 x 9 inch pan at 350' for 35 minutes.

Icing: mix margarine, cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix well with beater and spread on hot cake. (Next time I will leave cake cool.)

Kristina: Presentation: 9 Taste: 9.5 Excellent taste, nice & moist, like the nuts in it. Serve with milk or coffee

Jessica: Taste: 9 Icing was good! Cake tasted like carrot cake. Good cake I'm not a fan of nuts but still good. I don't like pineapple cake. I'm glad it tasted like carrot cake. Very moist.

Chuck: Presentation: 10 Taste: 10+ Excellent

Patte: Presentation: 8 Taste: 9 I am going to make this cake again. Very good. Does taste a lot like carrot cake, but less ingredients.

I am sure Jessica meant the pineapple cake I make with angel food cake mix when she said she did not like pineapple cake.

Creamed Chicken and Broccoli with Herbed Cheese Popovers

From: Sycamore Presbyterian Church Cookbook

1/4 c butter

3/4 c milk10 oz frozen chopped broccoli

1 c sour cream drained well

1 c chopped cooked chicken

1 T finely chopped onion

1 hard cooked egg, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

grated Cheddar cheese

2 T all purpose flour

Herbed Cheese Popovers

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, onion and garlic and saute until broccoli is crisp-tender (3-4 min.). Blend in flour. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and slowly stir in milk. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly; boil 1 minute.
Reduce heat to low. Add sour cream, chicken and egg; heat through but do not boil. Spoon into warm popovers. Sprinkle with cheese.
This recipe works well using low calorie margarine, 1/2% or 1% milk and low calorie sour cream for those who wish to reduce calorie intake.

Herbed Cheese Popovers

2 eggs, beaten to blend

1/2 t salt (optional)

1 c milk

1/2 t crumbled dry thyme

1 c all purpose flour

1/4 t crumbled dry sage

1/2 c grated sharp Cheddar cheese

1/4 t crumbled dry basil

Position rack in lower third of oven. Generously grease 12 cup muffin tin or 12 (5oz) custard cups. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until blended; batter may be lumpy. Fill cups 2/3 full. Place in cold oven. Turn oven on to 450'. Bake 30 minutes without opening oven door. Remove from oven, turn oven off. Puncture 4 sides of each popover down into pan at right angle. Return to oven, close door and dry 10 minutes. Unmold and pull apart to open.

Kristina: Presentation: in popover 8.5 Taste: 8

Jessica: Taste: 7.5 It tastes a lot better than it looks. It looks like broccoli vomit!

Chuck: Presentation: 7.5 Taste: 6.0

Patte: Presentation: 1 Taste: 7.5

*Notes:

Would not make this again. This was my second try at making popovers. Several years ago I made them and they did not turn out well. This time they burned. I don't think they should be this dark and they should be higher. I made biscuits to serve with the chicken dish instead. I was in a hurry so I used Walmart biscuit mix. Another mistake. I will always use Bisquick from now on. The chicken dish tasted a lot better than it looked. I cooked the broccoli too long so it had a definite green tinge to it. I also chopped the chicken too fine. This recipe is very time consuming.

Ho Ho Cake

Cookbook: Sacred Heart 50 Year's of Recipes Remembered page 198

Very Easy and SOOOOO tasty. It does not taste EXACTLY like a Ho Ho, but it's really close!

1 package devil's food cake mix (and ingredients to make it)
3/4 c. sugar
1 stick (1/2 c.) margarine, softened
2/3 c. vegetable shortening
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat free)
2 t. vanilla
Pinch of salt
1 (16 oz.) container ready to spread chocolate frosting

Prepare cake batter according to directions. Turn into a greased an floured jelly roll pan (10 1/2 x 5 1/2 x 1 inches) and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. (I baked mine for 10 minutes because my pan was slightly larger. It turned out perfectly.)

Cream filling: Combine sugar, softened margarine, vegetable shortening, condensed milk, vanilla and salt. Beat 10 minutes until fluffy and light. Spread onto cooled cake. Frost with ready to spread frosting that has been softened in microwave (25-30 seconds). Pour part of frosting on cream filling and spread, repeating until entire cake is frosted. You may have to re-melt frosting as it sets up quickly. Best when refrigerated.

*Notes
It is very sweet. Cut small pieces.
I did not have enough chocolate frosting to reach the edges. I think that was because my pan was larger.

Crockpot Beef and Noodles

Page 109 of the Sacred Heart 50 Years of Recipes Remembered cookbook.

This was soooo easy. It took me about 2 minutes to put the ingredients in the crockpot and 15 to boil water and cook noodles. Pie? No, this was easier!

1 lb. sirloin tips (we used stew meat)

1 can mushroom stems (we skipped this)

1/4 c. diced onion

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Desired amount of salt and pepper

3 T. sour cream

1 (12 oz.) bag of egg noodles

1/2 c. milk, if needed

Place first 5 ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Add sour cream to mix, and stir to combine.

Prepare noodles as package suggests; drain water, leaving noodles in large pan. Pour crockpot mixture over noodles and toss to coat. If needed, add milk to moisten and heat over low heat for 5-10 minutes.

Serve with peas and bread.

*Notes

I put the noodles in the crockpot and mixed them with the beef mixture. It seemed easier.

I did not need the milk.

I did not serve with peas.

Darren had some red rice left over. So he added that to the noodles and meat mixture. He liked it!