Dinner in a Pumpkin

1 sm to medium pumpkin
1 onion, chopped
2 TB Veg oil
1 1/2 - 2 pounds ground beef
2 TB soy sauce
2 TB brown sugar
1 can sliced mushrooms
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 C rice, cooked
1 can water chestnuts, diced

Cut of lid of pumpkin and clean outside.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook onion in oil and and add hamburger until brown.  Add soy sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms and mushroom soup.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Add uncooked rice and water chestnuts.  Fill pumpkin and place on cookie sheet.  Replace the top of the pumpkin and bake for 1 hour or until the inside is tender.  The pumpkin is delicious to eat along with the filling.

Creamy Baked Spaghetti

1 pound spaghetti
1 pound lean ground beef
24 oz spaghetti sauce
8 oz cream cheese room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cottage cheese
2 cloves garlic
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray baking dish with non-stick spray. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook spaghetti 1 minute less than package instructions.  Drain water from pasta. While spaghetti is cooking heat a large skillet and begin browning ground beef. Drain fat and add marinara. Simmer until spaghetti is ready.  In medium bowl combine sour cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese, and garlic until creamy and smooth.  Put half pasta in 9x13 pan, then layer 1/2 creamy mixture, then meat sauce.  Repeat twice.  Top with cheddar cheese.  Bake for 25 minutes.

Sweet Ham and Swiss sliders

16 White Dinner Style Rolls, cut in half

24 slices Honey Ham

16 slices Swiss Cheese

1/4 C Mayonnaise

1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

8 Tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 Tbsp poppy seeds

1/4 C brown sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°.

On a rimmed baking sheet place bottom half of dinner rolls and top with 1 1/2 slices of ham and 1 slice of swiss cheese. Spread about 1 tsp of mayonnaise on each top-half of roll and place on top of ham and cheese. You want the rolls to be snug together, kissing just a bit so the sauce can soak up into all of the nooks and crannies.

In a small bowl combine the mustard, melted butter, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds, and brown sugar. Mix until combined and evenly pour over the assembled rolls. Cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Bake covered with foil for 10 minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the tops are browned, and cheese is good and melted.

Mini Chicken Pot Pies

Baking Mixture:

     1/2 Cup Milk
     1/2 C Original Bisquick Mix
     2 eggs

Chicken Mixture:

     Frozen Peas and Carrots
     Canned or leftover chicken (Precooked)
     Grated Cheese


Heat Oven to 375.  Spray 12 regular size muffin cups with cooking spray.  Mix baking mixture in medium bowl until well blended.  Spoon 1 Tbsp baking mixture into each muffin cup.  Top with about 1/4 C Chicken mixture.  Top with 1 Tbsp. baking mixture.  Bake about 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from pan and rest on cooling rack for a few minutes. 

Other options include:

Mini Cheesburger Pie - ground beef, onion worchestershire sauce and shredded cheese
Breakfast Bundle - sausage, eggs, onion, and/or hashbrowns
Pizza - your favorite meat, toppings, and cheese

Think of all the options - you can be as creative as you want.

Crock Pot Italian Chicken

CROCK POT ITALIAN CHICKEN

found recipe at: Stick A Fork In It

• 2-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (thawed or frozen would work.  I used frozen chicken tenders and it still turned out perfect!)
• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 pkg. Italian dressing seasoning
• rice or pasta

Place chicken in crock pot.

Mix softened cream cheese, cream of chicken and Italian Seasoning together and dump evenly over chicken.

Cook on high for 4-6 hours or until chicken is fully cooked and tender.

Serve over rice or pasta!

Cheeseburger ~n~ Fry Casserole

2 lbs lean ground beef
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed golden mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
1 pkg (20 ounces) French fries


In a skillet, brown the beef, drain. Stir in soups. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Arrange French fries on top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until the fries are golden brown. Yield: 6-8 servings

Bryan's Famous Steak Marinate

This has been Bryan's top secret recipe for a long time.  With his permission I am posting it.  This is the original recipe -- we have tweeked it a bit to make his special steak marinate.  You may wish to do the same.

Steak Sauce Marinate

10 lbs meat

　
3 C soy sauce
1/4 C Fresh Ginger - peeled and sliced thin
1/4 C garlic chopped
2 tbs red pepper
1 tbs black pepper (course)
1 ½ C cold water
2-3 C brown sugar
1 tbs. Powdered mustard
2 C chopped red onion
1 tbs. Garlic powder
Mix and marinate for 2-3 days.

Monday Meat Pie - Aunt Cindy

　
Ingredients:½ cup chopped onion
1 tbsp shortening
1 lb hamburger
2 medium carrots cooked and sliced
2 cups cooked cubed potatoes or 1 can of veg-all
4 ounces (1 cup) shredded cheese
½ cup mayonnaise
1- 10 3/4 ounce or 1 1/4 cup beef gravy
1- 14 ounce pkg corn bread mix (I just use recipe on container of cornbread)
　
Directions:In saucepan cook hamburger and onion togther until brown.  Add cooked potatoes & carrots.  Combine mayo, & beef gravy. Heat till bubbling.  Add 1/2 of the cheese and pour into a 9 x 13 casserole dish.  Prepare corn bread mixture add remaining cheese spoon over hot meat mixture. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or till cornbread is browned.
　
　

Sweet and Sour Chicken Wings

3 lb. chicken wings, cut into 3 sections
1 c. white sugar
1 c. white vinegar
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Accent
2 tbsp. catsup
1/2 c. chicken stock
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1/8 tsp. ginger
Separate chicken wing into two portions. Cover wing tips with water and boil for stock. Discard tips. The other (2) sections sprinkle with garlic salt and roll in cornstarch. Dip in 4 beaten eggs. Brown in hot oil. Place in shallow baking pan and cover with sauce.
Combine the sugar, vinegar, salt, Accent, catsup, chicken stock, soy sauce and ginger. Heat until sugar melts. Pour over browned wings and bake 1 hour at 350 degrees, uncovered.  I make the sauce and use it for dipping for other recipes.

Shoyu Chicken - Nan

2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 cup Aloha Shoyu (less salty than Kikkoman)

Layer chicken thighs in a 9 x 13 pan.  Pour sauce over them.  Bake at 350 for about 1 hour.  Thicken sauce if desired.  Serve over rice.  This is the best Teriyaki chicken you will ever taste :)

Hamburger Pinwheels

Biscuits:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup shortening

3/4 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).  In a large mixing bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening with fork or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Pour milk into flour mixture while stirring with a fork. Mix in milk until dough is soft, moist and pulls away from the side of the bowl.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 30 seconds until flour until no longer sticky. Roll dough out into a large circle.

In small bowl combine:

1 can vegetable soup concentrate

½ - 1 lb. raw hamburger

Spread mixture over dough. Roll up like a cinnamon roll. Cut into slices about ½ - 1 inch thick. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown (about 15 - 20 minutes). While baking make a sauce of either 1 can golden mushroom soup and ½ can water or cream of chicken soup and water. These re-heat well and are delicious cold as well.  You can even use bisquick for the biscuits.

Zucchini Casserole - Jamie Olsen

Ingredients:
1/4 C. chopped onion (or a few shakes of onion powder) 4 C. sliced, peeled zucchini ( I just add 2 big zucchini's) (make sure you don't get cucumbers by mistake!!) 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 8-oz pkg. herb-seasoned stuffing mix 1/2 C. butter or margarine, melted 1 C. sour cream 1 1/2 C. shredded cheese ( I like about 2 cups)

Directions:
Cook onion and zucchini in boiling water for 5 minutes or until tender; drain. In bowl, combine soup, sour cream, and shredded cheese. In a separate bowl, make stuffing according to package directions; stir in butter or margarine. Spread half the stuffing over the bottom of a baking dish; spoon on the zucchini and the soup mixture. Top with remaining stuffing. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or bubblng. So, yummy. Great with salad and tall glass of cold milk! Enjoy.

Best Beef Stroganoff

1 1/2 pound beef stew meat
Dried onion flakes or real onion
Pepper
2 cans beef consomme
1/2 C flour
1/2 C bread crumbs
2T lemon juice and water to equal 1/2 C
1 C sour cream

Put meat in a crock pot and sprinkle pepper and onions over the meat.
Add bread crumbs and beef consomme.  Simmer 5-6 hrs. Thicken with flour.  When you are ready to serve add 1 C sour cream. Serve over rice or noodles.

Coconut Shrimp - Lori Bonner (Macey's Little Theater)

1 cup flat gingerale
1 c self-rising flour
1/4 tsp baking powder per cup of flour
2 c sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 tsp course salt
12 jumbo shrimp (1 lb)
vegetable oil for frying
Dipping Sauce (follows below)

Dry cleaned shrimp on paper towels.  For the batter, use an electric mixer to combine the gingerale, flour, 1/2 c of the coconut and salt in a medium sized bowl.  You may cover and refrigerate this up to 1 hour.  Preheat oil in a deep pot or fryer to 350 degrees.  Use enough oil to completely cover the shrimp.  Pour remaining coconut into a shallow bowl.  Dip one shrimp at a time into the coconut and roll it around to coat it well.  Fry about 4 shrimp for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels briefly before serving with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce:

1/2 c orange marmalade (western family)
2 tsp. stone-ground mustard (course)
1 tsp prepared horseradish
dash of salt

Combine inredients in a small bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour for the best flavor.

Outback Steak - Lori Bonner (Macey's Little Theater)

2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
1/8 tsp coriander
1/8 tsp tumeric
Dash ground cumin

Combine all ingredients into a small bowl

2 high quality steaks
Butter for frying (may need a bit of oil to prevent burning)

Season both sides of the steaks generously with the seasoning mix.  Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  Add a generous pat of butter and immediately put the steaks on top of the butter.  Sear until lightly browned.  Use tongs to lift the steaks.  Add another pat of butter and sear the other side.  Turn heat down to medium and continue cooking adding additional butter as needed until it reaches desired doneness.  For rare done, don't turn down heat after searing, just cook until outside of meat is dark brown.

This turns out delicious.  I haven't tried it on the grill, but I bet it would be good.

Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:
Potatoes, Carrots ,Pea's, Onion Flakes, Garlic Salt ,Boneless skinless Chicken Breast, Cream of Chicken Soup ,Water, Baking Powder Biscuits -bake or buy frozen

Directions:
Layer ingredients in order listed: Potatoes washed and cut into large pieces, Carrots, Onion Flakes, Raw Chicken sprinkled with Garlic Salt.  Spread Cream of Chicken Soup on top of Raw Chicken. Add about 1/2 can water. I add more water if needed to make it saucy. Cook for about 4 hours in crock pot. When the chicken is done break it into pieces with two forks. When the dish is almost done I add the peas and then I bake the biscuits. To serve split the biscuits in half. Spoon the casserole on top of the biscuits. This is easy and soooo delicious.

Best Baked Beans - Aunt Cindy

1/2 - 1 1/2 # ground beef

1 large onion

1/2 lb bacon

1/2 c brown sugar

1/3 c white sugar

1/4 c catsup

1/2 c bbq sauce

2 tbsp molasses

2 tbsp mustard

1 15 oz can pork n beans

1 15 oz can kidney beans

1 15 oz can lima beans

Brown hamburger, onion, and bacon. Drain. Mix the rest of the ingredients. Do not drain the beans. Bake 350 for 1 hour or longer depending on how thick you want them.  Stir occasionally.

Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden)

1 lb. Italian Sausage
2 large Russet Baking Potatoes sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices
1 large Onion, chopped
1/2 can. Oscar Meyer Real Bacon Bits (these are less fatty than real bacon)
2 cloves garlic minced
2 C. Kale or Swiss chard chopped
2 cans Chicken Broth
1 qt. Water
1 C. Heavy Whipping Cream

Remove casing from sausage and saute in saucepan with garlic and onion. Place potatoes, chicken broth, and water in pot, and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. Add sausage, bacon, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper to taste, and simmer for another 10 minutes. Turn to low heat, add kale and cream. Heat through and serve.  I sometimes thicken mine with cornstarch because I like it a little thicker

White Bean Chili - Temple Mortenson

6 - 10 oz cans white beans and broth
1-10 oz can chicken broth
1 med, fine chopped onion
2-3 garlic clove or 1/2 tsp powder
2 tsp oregano
3 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp pepper
4-4oz cans mild diced green chilies
4-chicken breasts, equal to 4 C cooked cubed chicken

This recipe fits a large crock pot, can be cut in half to fit a small one.
Combine all of the ingredients in a large crock-pot, w/o the chicken and broth.  Because I don't drain the beans or chilies I start with one can of broth, if it is not soupy enough then add the 2nd can.  I put 4-5 frozen chicken breasts (depending on the size) in the crock-pot at the same time.  Do not add salt.  Stew all day or night on low 8-10 hours or on high for a shorter time, till chicken is cooked.  Remove chicken breast, cube then mix in with chili.  If you like your chili thick it can be thickened with a water cornstarch mix.  Serve with white tortilla chips, and top with shredded cheese or sour cream.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms - "The Roof Restaurant"

Ingredients:

1/2 c. diced red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c. unsalted butter
1/2 c. diced yellow squash
1/2 c. diced zucchini
1/2 c. diced eggplant (I leave this out)
1/4 c. diced Roma tomatoes
1/4 c. tomato puree (I leave this out)
Salt & pepper to taste
6 Portobello mushrooms
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 c. Asiago cheese 

Directions: 

Remove the stem and ribs from the Portobello mushrooms then lightly brush mushroom with olive oil. Saute onion and garlic in the butter until onion begins to brown. Add the squash, zucchini, and eggplant and sauté until the squash is tender, but don't let it cook too long. I chop up the mushroom stems and add them to the saute.  Add the Roma tomatoes and the tomato puree. Adjust the flavor with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

Spoon about ½ cup of the squash mixture into each mushroom and sprinkle with Asiago cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese become golden brown.