Cheesy Chicken Lasagna

Holy mother of destruction this is tasty! I used "No Boil" noodles because its what I had on hand, but the original recipe here calls for cooked noodles. So simple. Soooo good. Add a side salad and a hunk of warm toasty bread with butter and call it a night.


2 (12 oz) cans evaporated milk (not fat-free)
1 (1 oz) pkg. dry Ranch dressing mix
3 C. cubed, cooked, chicken
1/8 tsp pepper
1 (16oz) lasagna noodles, cooked (I recommend reducing it to 8 oz to 12 oz)
1 1/2 to 2 C cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 to 2 C mozzarella cheese, grated

Cook the chicken and noodles first at the same time. Once noodles are done–rinse in cold water and set aside (it keeps them from sticking together). Combine evaporated milk (don’t use fat-free version) and Ranch dressing in a 3 quart heavy saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently until dry ingredients are dissolved. Stir in chicken and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, 25 minutes (don’t do any less), stirring frequently. Layer half of lasagna noodles, poultry sauce, and cheese in well-buttered 9×13 pan. Repeat layers again. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Mama's Beef Vegetable Soup

One of the many dishes my mom will be remembered for forever, this soup is like a warm hug from the inside out.

And it freezes well! As witnessed today when I didn't have time to cook something from scratch and found the leftover treasure in my freezer like a hidden little prize in a Cracker Jack box.

This recipe was given to me with a pinch here, and a dab there so pardon if my dictation is not completely clear. Follow along as best you can and use your own pinches and dabs, but always remember to cook with love. ;)

Ingredients:

2-3 lbs. beef chunks (depending on how much soup you want to make)
Potatoes (5-6 medium or more to suit)
*peel, cube and cook potatoes but not completely done
Macaroni -about a cup or so if desired
1 can green beans
1/2 can of corn
1 can of peas and carrots
**note: you can also use a bag of frozen mixed vegetables instead
1 large and 1 medium cans diced tomatoes
1-2 ribs of celery to suit
1 medium or 1/2 large onion

Brown the beef chunks in oil, brown on both sides, then place in stockpot with some beef bouillon cubes or granules (2 or so). Simmer over medium-low heat covered until tender. Cook potatoes and drain. Cook macaroni (if using) to al dente and set aside. Add veg to stockpot. Add tomatoes with juice last.

Add a dash of sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce to broth, and Mrs Dash to taste. Simmer all together on medium low until flavors are blended.

Cauliflower Cheesy "Bread" Sticks

Cauliflower Cheesy "Bread" Sticks

I cannot say enough about how AWESOME these are. And I hate cauliflower, for all intents and purposes. But here's the thing: there's not even a hint of caulifloweriness in this - they taste exactly like cheesy garlic breadsticks! My only suggestion for you is that this recipe does not make a big or thick batch, so double or triple the recipe.
You can find the original recipe here.

Ingredients

¼	of a large head of cauliflower “riced”
1	tsp. olive oil
2	cloves garlic, minced
1	large egg (white), lightly beaten
½	cup mozzarella cheese
½	tsp. dried Italian herb seasoning, divided
	Marinara Sauce for dipping

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 9×5” loaf pan (recipe called for loaf pan but I used a lasagna pan) with parchment paper and spray it with cooking spray.
To “rice” the cauliflower, use your cheese grater. When you’re done, you should have about 1.5 cups lightly packed. Place the riced cauliflower into a microwavable bowl and microwave until softened, about 5 minutes depending on your microwave (no need to add any water).
While that is cooking, heat the oil in a small skillet over low heat and add your garlic until softened. When your cauliflower is softened, add the garlic mixture, lightly beaten egg white, Italian seasonings, and 3/4 of the mozzarella. Stir and mix well, then spread onto your prepared pan.
Bake until they start to turn golden brown; about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the loaf over so the bottom side is now on top and add the remaining cheese and a sprinkle more of the Italian herb seasoning. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden.
Cool (until they harden slightly) and cut into pieces and serve hot or warm. Heat up marinara sauce and serve.

Black Bean-Corn-Salsa Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Black Bean-Corn-Salsa Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 4  baking potatoes 
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup chopped onion 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 
• 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained 
• 1 1/2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn (or if canned, drained)
• 1 1/2 cups favorite salsa
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) reduced-fat shredded cheese

1. 1. Pierce potatoes with a fork. Microwave on HIGH 10 minutes, turning and rearranging potatoes after 5 minutes.
2. 2. While potatoes cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, garlic, cumin, and chili powder; sauté 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add beans, corn, and salsa; cook 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
3. 3. Split potatoes lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side. Fluff insides with a fork. Spoon about 1 cup bean mixture over each potato. Top each potato with shredded cheese - I like Colby Jack.

Easy Peasy.


I think the secret of deliciousness is my all time favorite salsa - from Mr. Paul Newman (coincidentally also black bean and corn variety)

Bacon Cheeseburger Potstickers. Oh my!

I searched high and low for this recipe and finally decided to just combine all of them and make it my way. These potstickers are OUT OF CONTROL good but they are also time consuming. The prep work takes a while, but the cook time is very quick. I suggest making them all up well ahead of when you'd like to serve them and refrigerate.

You'll need wonton wrappers, block cheddar cheese (note: do not use shredded cheese, it will give you nothing but a hot mess), onion, A1 Sauce (or your favorite steak sauce/ marinade), ground beef, bacon and ketchup.


Filling:
- 1.5 lb. ground beef + 2 tbsp A1 Sauce + 2 tbsp ketchup + 1/2-3/4 cup diced onion + generous salt. Mix all in a bowl.
- 4 strips of bacon. Chop and sautee ’til crisp, let cool, and throw into the rest of the filling.
- Cheddar cheese cut into chunks (1/4″ x 1″) to fit into the wrapped dumpling.

Constructing:
- Scoop filling (including cheese chunk) with a small spoon, place on center of dumpling wrap.
- Dip finger into a bowl of water, run finger across top half of wrap in an arc motion. Bring bottom half to seal dumpling.
- Wet fingers again and pleat the dumpling, 4 times is usually enough. Make sure your dumpling is SHUT as best as you can.
- When you set this down put a little pressure on it so it has a fat bottom. Repeat until you are out of filling.

Frying:
- This will take a few batches. Put a thin coating of oil (canola works, I used leftover fat from the bacon) as the pan is heating to a medium-high.
- When oil is hot, set potstickers in pan standing up. Do not touch for 3-4 minutes until bottoms are golden brown.
- When browned on bottom, pour a little bit of water (like 1/4-1/2 cup). The pan will sizzle, cover pan with a lid right away and do not lift. This will steam the dumplings and cook the inside filling all the way. Do not lift or your dumplings will die. Turn down heat to medium-low.
- After 4-5 minutes, uncover and turn off heat. I like to let it sit a little while longer so the water evaporates completely.
- Flip your pan onto a plate and you will see the golden brown bottoms of your potstickers.

This is what gives it its name and one of the most satisfying parts of eating one. The best part about this particular Western twist is that the cheese inside melts and hardens onto the dumpling skin mimicking the crunchy bottom of the potsticker. The beef should be savory from the A1 and the bacon just puts it over the top.

Make these for your friends and family and you will be loved.