Natalie's Cheesy Potatoes

Here is a recipe for some delicious and fairly easy cheesy potatoes.

Cheesy Potatoes

Serves 8

You will need:

• 1 bag of frozen Potatoes O'Brian (with peppers and onions)
• 1 Can of Cream of Chicken
• 16 oz sour cream (low fat)
• 10 oz Velveeta (cut into small cubes)
• 1/2 stick of butter, divided in half and melted
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups of corn flakes

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2: Mix together potatoes, cream of chicken, sour cream, Velveeta, 1/4 cup butter. Pour into an ungreased 9x13 baking dish

Step 3: Bake mixture in a large baking dish for 30 minutes

Step 4: Mix corn flakes and remaining 1/4 stick of butter and use to cover the baked potato mixture.

Step 5: Return to oven for another 10 minutes. Watch to make certain the corn flakes don't get too browned.

Serve and enjoy!

Swiss Steak

Another comfort food from my childhood that got the thumbs up from the boyfriend so I figured I would share it through this forum.

This is a crock-pot item which might be one of my top 5 kitchen items.

Serves 4
You will need:

• 1.5-2 lbs steak (sirloin and round steak work well)
• 3 - 10.5 oz cans of tomato soup (or one large, family size can)
• 3 green bell peppers, sliced into rings
• 3 onions, sliced into rings and separated
• 1 teaspoon of ground pepper
• Mashed potatoes (optional)

Pour one can of soup into the bottom of the crock pot, add the ground pepper, and stir. Place steak in the pot and then cover with the green pepper and onion rings. Pour remaining two cans of soup over the top of the onions and peppers. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 or until the steak pulls apart when tested with a fork.

Serve with mashed potatoes and enjoy.

Simple Clam Chowder

(Picture to Follow)

With a cold winter having settled in for 6 more weeks (at least) I've been looking for some good comfort foods. I remembered that growing up my parents always made a very flavorful and soothing clam chowder so I got the following recipe from my mom.

Simple Clam Chowder
Serves 4 to 6
You will need:

• 1 can Cream of Celery
• 1 can Cream of Potato
• 3 cans of Minced Clams (DO NOT strain)
• 10.5 oz heavy cream (refill one of the soup cans)
• 3 medium sized potatoes, diced and boiled
• ~1/2 cup imitation mashed potatoes

A: Peel and dice potatoes. Place in a medium sized pot and cover with water. Bring to boil and cook potatoes until they are slightly firm when tested with a fork (or till desired texture has been achieved). (Depending on the size of the diced potatoes, this should take between 5 and 12 minutes of steady boiling.)

B: At the same time, in a medium sized pot combine the cream of celery, cream of potato, minced clams with juice, and heavy cream. (You can add the boiled potatoes to this mix at any point as soon as they are ready.) Simmer over low heat until it becomes liquidy. Be sure to constantly stir the mixture so as not to scorch the cream. Once a liquidy state is reached, slowly stir in imitation potatoes until a desired thickness is reached.

C: Serve with oyster crackers and enjoy!

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

I love pumpkin desserts but am usually hesitant to make cheesecake because I do not own a springform pan so when a friend found this recipe I was a little hesitant to undertake it but it was very delicious and more importantly very easy (BONUS: no springform pan necessary!). It's from Kraft Foods but wanted to share it with those who enjoy this blog and the foods that experiment with.


Serves 16

You will need:

• 25 Ginger Snaps, finely crushed (about 1-1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped Pecans
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
• 4 pkg. (8 oz. each) 1/3 less fat Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• Dash ground cloves

Step 1: Heat oven to 325°F

Step 2: Mix crumbs, nuts and butter; press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 13x9-inch pan.

Step 3: Beat cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each just until blended. Remove 1-1/2 cups batter. Stir remaining sugar, pumpkin and spices into remaining batter.

Step 4: Spoon half the pumpkin batter into crust; top with spoonfuls of half the plain batter. Repeat layers; swirl with knife.

Step 5: Bake 45 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Easiest Fruit Cobbler

This is the easiest berry cobbler recipe ever. The cake mix contains enough sugar to sweeten this dessert without adding any additional ingredients.

You will need:
1 Yellow Cake Mix
1 Stick of butter (1/2 cup)
6 cups of berries (fresh, canned, or frozen)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Pour the frozen berries in the bottom of a 9 x 13 Pyrex dish. Sprinkle the cake mix over the frozen berries. Cut the stick of butter into small tabs and distribute over the top of the dry cake mix. Bake for 45 minutes until the filling is bubbly and the topping is lightly brown.

Options for berries: blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, cherries, peaches, apples, any combination of these, or anything else that you feel like experimenting with :)

Parmesan Fondue

This is a fondue recipe that I got from my sister. It is so fast and easy to make, not to mention quite delicious.

Parmesan Fondue
Serves 4 to 6
You will need:

• 1 1/2 cups cold milk
• 2 (8oz) cream cheese blocks, cubed
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

In a large saucepan (or your fondue pot if it is stove-top safe), cook and stir the milk and cream cheese over low heat until cheese is melted. Stir in Parmesan cheese slowly. Add in the garlic powder, cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to a fondue pot or mini slow cooker, keep warm. Serve with bread cubes, apples, ham, pepperoni, etc.

3 bean salad

An easy recipe that's a great side item. I got this from my new aunt.

You will need:
1 can green beans
1 can wax beans
1 can dark kidney beans
1/2 c thinly sliced onion
1/2 c olive oil
2/3 c wine vinegar
1/2 t Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c sugar
1 clove garlic finely diced
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Thoroughly mix all ingredients except beans and onion. In a separate bowl combine beans and onions. Pour liquid mixture over beans, chill and enjoy.

Bruschetta

This is one of my FAVORITE appetizers. It's pretty easy and very delicious!

You will need:
1 loaf French bread, slide
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 large fresh tomatoes, diced
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Step 2: Arrange bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. In a bowl, mix the onion, garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, oregano, basil, and parsley. Gently toss in the tomatoes. Top bread slices with the tomato mixture. Sprinkle with feta and Parmesan cheese. Drizzle with olive oil.

Step 3: Bake 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is melted and bread is lightly toasted.

Lemon Snowflake cookies

These cookies are from the Blue Owl Restaurant in Kimmswick, MO. This is one of the best dessert restaurants (and regular food) I've ever been to.

You will need:
1 box lemon cake mix
2 cups Cool Whip (thawed)
1 egg
Powdered Sugar

Mix first 3 ingredients together. The dough will be very runny. In a separate bowl with powdered sugar, drop in about a tablespoon of dough and shake the bowl around to coat the dough ball. Remove the coated dough from the powdered sugar and place on a cookie sheet. Space cookies about 3 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce

This sauce is absolutely wonderful.

Times:
Prep: 30min Cook: 20min Ready in: 50min

Serves 8
You will need:

2 large red bell peppers
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup fresh basil
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups half-and-half
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
4 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Preheat broiler. Lightly coat the red peppers with olive oil. Grill peppers under the broiler until the skin is blackened, and the flesh has softened slightly. Place peppers in a paper bag or resealable plastic bag and cool for approximately 45 minutes.

Step 2: Remove the seeds and skin from the peppers (the skin should come off the peppers easily now). Cut peppers into small pieces.

Step 3: In a skillet, cook and stir the garlic, basil, and red peppers in 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes, so that the flavors mix.

Step 4: Place the hot mixture in blender and puree to desired consistency. Return puree to skillet, and reheat to a boil. Stir in the half-and-half and the Romano cheese; cook and stir until cheese melts. Add the butter and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Step 5: Pour over your desired pasta noodle and enjoy!

Asian Beef and Noodles in the Crockpot

I am trying to use my crockpot more to make easy delicious meals. I looked around and found a recipe I wanted to try on a blog my sister emailed me.

Asian Beef and Noodles
Serves 4
You will need:

• 2 - 16 oz packages frozen stir fry vegetables
• 1 - 1 1/2 pounds beef sirloin or other lean steak, cut into 1" cubes
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle stir-fry sauce**
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 packages ramen noodles, broken
• 3 or 4 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup hot water

Coat a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker with cooking spray (this makes clean up a breeze!). Place one package frozen vegetables in the bottom and top with cubed meat. Pour on top stir-fry sauce, broth, and red pepper.

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 -5 hours About 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, pour in the other vegetable package, the hot water and the ramen noodles(discard the spice packets). Stir noodles and green onions into meat mixture. Cover and let stand 20 to minutes. Stir before serving. This can be kept on warm for 1-2 hours.

**Note about sauce** I used General Tso sauce because it has far less sodium than your regular soy sauce based sauces. It was delicious and I highly recommend it as it lowers the sodium quite a lot!

Chicken Potpie Casserole

This is a fast easy way to enjoy Chicken Potpie without a ton of calories. This recipe is adapted from Rachel Ray.

Chicken Potpie Casserole
Servings: 4 to 6
You will Need:

• 2 T olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped finely
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 12 or so baby carrots, sliced thin
• salt and pepper
• 8oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 2 T flour
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 T finely chopped parsley, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus 2 T for topping
• 6 to 8 slices of Italian bread, cut 1/2 inch thick

Arrange oven rack to the lower third of the oven and preheat for 400 degrees.

In a Dutch oven (or other skillet that can go from the stove top to the oven), heat 2 T olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots and salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes or until carrots are tender, but crisp. Increase the heat to medium high. Add in the chicken broth, mushrooms and peas. Cook about 6 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on top and stir until well combined. Stir in the heavy cream and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken parsley and Parmesan. Season with more pepper if desired.

Smooth the mixture into an even layer. Place bread slices on top in a single layer. Brush bread with olive oil and sprinkle with 2 T Parmesan and additional parsley. Bake until crispy, about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Menu

I have a bunch of recipes that I need to find the time to post. In the meantime here is what we are making for dinner this week:

• Crock pot Asian beef and noodles
• Italian stuffed shells
• Caesar chicken with veggies and orzo
• Chicken and cheese enchiladas
• Chicken potpie casserole

The asian beef and noodles is in the crock pot right now. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Spider Web Cookies

When my original plan for dessert at our formal Halloween dinner party failed, I had to come up with a new plan and fast! Enter the Amazing Bakerella. I found these cute cookies on her blog and decided to make them, but with peanut M&Ms to make my spiders. They turned out adorable :)

Spider Web Cookies
Serves 6 to 12 If you make sure your husband doesn't eat them all ahead of time.
You will need:

• 1 package Betty Crocker Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix
• 1 can of chocolate ready-made frosting
• 1 can of vanilla ready-made frosting
• orange and green peanut M&Ms found in the bags for Halloween
• Toothpicks
• Resealable plastic bags
• icing dye to tint white icing for the legs
• black gel icing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients for cookies as directed on the package. Use a medium sized cookie scoop or a large spoon to get similar sized cookies. You want to end up with about 12 cookies. Place the cookie dough on a baking sheet. Bake for about 7-8 minutes or until they are just set up in the middle. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

After the cookies have cooled, spread chocolate frosting on the top of each cookie. Fill a resealable plastic bag with about half the vanilla icing. Snip a tiny hole (about the size of a toothpick) out of the bottom of one corner. Pipe on three concentric circles of white frosting for each cookie. Start in the middle with the smallest circle and work your way out (this way you don't drag through the icing). Take a toothpick and beginning in the center, drag it lightly through each circle. Repeat all the way around the cookie until you have formed your "web".

Place a green or orange M&M on each web where you want your spider to be.

Take the remaining white frosting and separate it into two bowls. Tint one frosting with orange icing color and the other with green. This takes a bit of guessing to get the color you want. Just remember that a tiny bit of icing tint goes a LONG ways. :) Fill two resealable bags with the orange and green frosting and snip off a teeny tiny corner of each. Pipe eight small legs of the coordinating color around each M&M. Use black gel icing to add eyes to your spiders. Enjoy this spooky treat!

Cheese ball

My mom is the queen of winging it and using what she has to make delicious foods. This cheese ball is her recipe and is very delicious. Some would say that my family is famous for making this for holidays and parties. It is very delicious!

Cheese ball
You will need:

• 1 - 8 oz block of cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 an onion finely chopped (more or less depending on how strong of an onion it is)
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 to 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Assorted crackers

Using your hands or two spoons, mix together the cream cheese, garlic, onion and Worcestershire sauce. After it is thoroughly mixed slowly mix in the shredded cheese, about a 1/2 cup at a time. If you put it all in at once it will not distribute evenly. Form into a ball, cover and chill for at least an hour. The longer it sits (say overnight) the better married the flavors will be. Enjoy!

Chewy Pizza Bread

This is a quick and easy pizza to make in the summer when you have loads of fresh basil on hand. It is also tasty in the cooler months, but the fresh basil is the best! This is modified from Betty Crocker.

Chewy Pizza Bread
Serves 4
You will need:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup beer (regular or non alcoholic)
• 1/2 cup tomato pasta sauce
• 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• chopped fresh basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray an 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in beer just until the flour is moistened. Spread the dough evenly in the pan.

Stir the Italian seasoning into the tomato pasta sauce. Spread the sauce over the dough. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out of the center clean. Sprinkle basil over the top. Slice and serve warm!

Apple Chipotle Pork Burritos with Chipotle Sauce

These pictures SO don't do this meal justice because it is FABULOUS and my photography skills aren't so much...

Anyway these burritos are really good and really easy to make. The burrito recipe comes from Gourmet Sleuth. The proportions I'm giving are for a single batch that makes about 4 small burritos; I personally have only made a double or larger batch.

Makes 4 burritos.
You will need:

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons pureed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1/4 pound pork loin, cut in small squares
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 apples, peeled
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 6 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Step 1: Adobo Sauce
To prepare sauce, in a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, mayonnaise, and chipotle peppers until smooth. You can add more adobo and peppers to taste. Chill until serving.
(I've included a picture of the can for the chipotle peppers since this isn't a standard item. This can be found in the Mexican Food section at most grocery stores.)


Step 2:
Heat oil* in a frying pan and fry pork until slightly golden . Remove pork and soak oil using paper towels. Add apple, onion and garlic to the frying pan and cook until glazed for 3 minutes.
*(You do not need additional oil if you increase the proportions of this recipe)

Step 3: In a bowl, combine pork mixture, add cilantro with 4 tablespoons of chipotle sauce so that it does not dry out.


Step 4: Heat tortillas on a flat griddle and fill each tortilla with one tablespoon of cooked pork at a time until the tortilla is half full. Fold both ends and roll the tortilla. You can serve these with the chipotle sauce on the side as well :)

This Adobo Sauce is also very good with other items like chicken, chili or other items that could benefit from a gentle spicy kick!

Michelle's Artichoke Dip

It is really hard to find a good artichoke dip recipe. Several recipes that I have tried have been too thick or too bland. This recipe was given to me by my sister, Michelle. It is so delicious that you will have a hard time not eating the whole pan by yourself!

I served this up during cocktail hour at our recent Halloween dinner. Enjoy!

Artichoke Dip
Serves 1 to 6 :)
You will need:

• 1 can (14 oz) Artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped
• 1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained*
• 3/4 c Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 c mayonnaise
• 1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 clove garlic, minced

*To thaw and drain the spinach - unwrap frozen spinach and place in a strainer. Run cold water over it until it completely thaws. Press on spinach to drain extra water. Place spinach on a towel or paper towels and roll in the towel to absorb excess water.

Preheat oven to 350. Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Spoon into 9 inch pie plate or an 8x8 baking dish. Bake 20 minutes or until heated through.

If you want the cheese to be golden on top, put under the broiler for a minute or two. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn!

Serve with crackers or tortilla chips. I love the blue corn tortilla chips we served it with!

Quick, Cheap & Easy Pad Thai

This is a quick and cheap way to make a version of Pad Thai. I almost always have these items on hand which makes it even better!

No meal complete without meat? Stick around after the recipe.

Pad Thai
2 servings
You will need:

• 2 packages Maruchan ramen (doesn't matter what flavor, you won't be using the seasoning)
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 to 3 T creamy peanut butter (I use Jif reduced fat)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice.
• Zest of one lime
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• dash of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 tsp freshly chopped cilantro (optional)

In a 2 quart saucepan, boil 3 cups water. Add in the ramen noodles (don't add seasoning!). Cook for two minutes then drain. Set noodles aside. Return saucepan to stove. Over low heat, melt peanut butter, stirring constantly. You want to get it to this consistency:
Once you get it all melted and creamy stir in lime juice. Stir until well combined. Sauce will become thicker. Stir in garlic, chili powder, lime zest and red pepper flakes if desired. Add ramen back to the pan. Toss noodles until coated. Serve into bowls and top with green onion and cilantro if desired.

Need meat? grab one pound unbreaded chicken breast tenders and two eggs. Cut the tenders in half crosswise. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Cook the chicken in a bit of oil in a skillet preheated over medium-high heat, 4 or 5 minutes until browned. Stir in eggs. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until eggs are cooked. Serve in your Pad Thai!

Stove-Top Lasagna

Love lasagna, but hate how long it takes? Tired of the same old boring spaghetti? Looking for a quick delicious way to get in your veggies? Look no more! This is a dish modified from good old Betty Crocker. If you don't have the Quick & Easy cookbook (30 minutes or less), you should run out and buy it. This dish is super fast and easy. What could be better than that you say? Well, I will tell you. It only takes one pan! Hooray.

For those of you interested in a vegetarian option, you can substitute Morning Stars' new Italian Sausages.

Stove-Top Lasagna

4 to 8 servings

You will need:

• 1 pound bulk sausage (I use hot and spicy, but you can also use Italian)
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 package (8 oz.) sliced mushrooms (I prefer baby bellas, they cook better)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cups uncooked pasta (this time I used skinny lasagna noodles and broke them up. You just want something a little bit hearty. Things like elbows or shells will just break apart)
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 jar (26 to 30oz.) chunky tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups Italian blend cheese or Mozzarella

Cook sausage and onions in a DEEP 12 inch skillet or a 4 quart Dutch oven over medium high heat. Stir occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink. Stir in peppers and mushrooms. Let cook until peppers start to soften and mushrooms start to cook.

Stir in remaining ingredients, except cheese. Heat until boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until pasta is tender. Turn of heat. Stir in 1/2 cup to 1 cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese.