Recipes by Kimberly:
Easy Potato Casserole
2 lb pkg of shredded hashbrowns (thawed)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 pint of sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. melted butter
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
Mix all together and pour into a 13x9 casserole dish. Bake at 350 for about 1
hour and 15 minutes.
notes:
(1) defrosting is over-rated
(2) I always add garlic and onions to serve for a group of adults, but kids
seem to like it plain.
(3) on top before I bake I crunch corn flakes and drizzle melted margarine
Night Before French Toast Casserole
1 long, think (10oz) loaf of french bread
8 large eggs
1.5 cups milk
1.5 c cream (light or coffee cream)
4 tsp sugar
0.75 tsp salt
1 TBS vanilla
2 TBS butter
dash of nutmeg
dash of cinnamon
Grease a 13x9 glass pan
Cut bread into 1 inch slices. Arrange in 1 layer in pan.
In large bowl beat eggs with remaining ingredients except butter.
Mix well and pour over bread.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
To bake - uncover and dot bread with butter. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes at 350, until puffy and lightly browned.
Spaghetti Pie
1 pound cooked spaghetti noodles
2-4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese
about 3 cups of your favorite lasagna stuffing (the ricotta cheese mixture)
your favorite spaghetti sauce
Mix together the eggs and the noodles until all of the noodles are
coated. Take 2- 9" pie pans and place the spaghetti noodles in them arranging somewhat like a crust. Be sure to go up the sides of the pan. Spread the lasagna mixture on top. Spread spaghetti sauce on top. Top with mozzarella cheese.
Cook covered with aluminum foil for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.
Cut into wedge shapes and serve.
Lasagne Filling Variations
The basic lasagna filling recipe goes like this:
16 oz. ricotta cheese
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
pinch salt
To that I've added:
1- 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, drained and squeezed dry
pinch of nutmeg
But what I do now is put in the spinach and nutmeg and then take out 8 oz of the ricotta cheese and put in:
1 block (roughly 8 oz) of extra firm tofu
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Mash the tofu with a fork and then blend thoroughly with ricotta and then with remainder of the filling ingredients.
Rock Salt Chicken
Season whole chicken as desired (we use just salt and pepper rubbed on the outside but sometimes I remember to go cut some rosemary from our bush outside , wash it, and shove it under the skin and in the cavity).
Line a baking dish with foil and place a 1/2 inch layer of rock salt (buy a box of it in the baking section with the other salt). Place chicken directly on top of the salt. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place in oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on size of chicken. No, that's not a typo - it's 500 degrees.
Chicken with Rice and Yellow Tomatoes
2 boxes Rice a Roni or similar type side dish
approx 2c. cooked cubed chicken
1 large can (28 oz) whole yellow tomatoes
1/4 tsp thyme
In a very large frying/sauce pan, cook up the rice dishes cutting back on the total water by 1.25 cups. Add thyme, cooked cubed chicken, and tomatoes. I crush the tomatoes with my hand as I put them in the pan.
Cook until done following the directions for the rice dish.
Crockpot Creamy Chicken with Onions, Bell Peppers, and Tomatoes
5 chicken thighs (I used frozen ones)
1 package dry Lipton Onion Soup mix
1/2 c water
1 sliced onion
1/2 bell pepper, diced largely
12 cherry tomatoes, pricked with a knife
3/4 c sour cream
Dump everything except the sour cream into the crock pot. Stir every
hour or so. Cook until the onions are soft (about 3 hours on high). When everything is cooked, turn crockpot off and let it cool about 1 hour (not necessary if you use the fat free sour cream) and then add the sour cream (if you add it to the hot mixture, it might curdle). Stir to make a creamy sauce.
Serve over bow tie pasta or baked potatoes.
Frozen Fruit Smoothie
4 medium size ice cubes (about a handful; smaller cubes are better; 1 c. crushed is best)
1/2 banana - you can slice and freeze it ahead of time or use it at room temperature
4 frozen strawberries or 1 c. sliced frozen strawberries (sliced are cheaper)
1/2 c. frozen blueberries
2 scoops of pineapple sherbert
orange juice to the 2 cup mark on the blender
Mix until done. It's easier said than done though - you've got to get rough with the blender to make sure everything is mixing up well. When most of it's mixed, put it on the highest speed and let it blend thoroughly for about 60 seconds. Makes about 16 oz. (one serving).
Try adding different fruit - cut small if frozen. And frozen is better because then your smoothie stays frozen longer.