Sicilian Meat Roll

This was very good but VERY meaty. I haven't been eating as much meat lately so for me I only needed half of one slice.

Ingredients
2 slightly beaten eggs
3/4 cup soft breadcrumbs
1/2 cup tomato juice (or 1/4 c. tomato sauce and 1/4 c. water mixed)
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 lbs lean ground beef
6 slices fully cooked deli ham, thin
1 3/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
1Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2In a large bowl combine eggs, bread crumbs, tomato juice, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic.
3Stir in ground beef, mixing well.
4On foil, pat meat mixture into a 12x10 inch rectangle.
5Arrange ham slices on top of meat, leaving a 3/4 inch border around all edges.
6Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups cheese over ham.
7Starting from a short end, carefully roll up meat, using foil to lift and guide; seal edges and ends. 8Place roll, seam side down, in a 13x9x2 pan sprayed with Pam.
9Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until it reaches 170 degrees and juices run clear.
10(Center of meat roll will be pink because of the ham.) Sprinkle remaining cheese over top of roll; return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
11Remove to a platter to serve.

Bean and Kale Soup

I thought this was quite good. The leftovers were finished the next day but possiblyjust because it was the only heat and eat option I gave. I threw in a lot of baby spinach that I wanted to use up too and instead of getting the blender messy I just smashed up some of the beans with a fork.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cups raw kale, chopped (remove spines)
4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth, divided
2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans or navy beans, undrained, split
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons Italian herb seasoning
salt and pepper
1 cup chopped parsley
shredded parmesan cheese
Directions
1In a large pot, heat olive oil.
2Add garlic and onion; saute until soft and the onion is transparent.
3Wash the kale, leaving small droplets of water. Saute, stirring, until wilted and a lovely emerald green, about 15 minute.
4Add 3 cups of the broth, reserving 1 cup, 2 cups of the beans, reserving 1 cup, all of the tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper.
5Simmer 5 minutes.
6In a blender or food processor, mix the reserved beans and broth until smooth.
7Stir into the soup to thicken it nicely.
8Simmer 15 more minutes.
9Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with chopped parsley and shredded parmesan.
10Serve with a nice loaf of crusty bread to soak up all the yummy broth!
11For Vegetarian use the vegetable broth.

No Bake Chocolate PB Bars

These are realllly good! It says to refrigerate at least an hour and they came out of the pan okay but after being in the fridge overnight they did MUCH better:)

From the Pillsbury site:

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Estimated Times:
Preparation - 15 min Cooling Time - 1 hrs refrigerating Yields - 60 bars (5 dozen)

Just beat, melt, stir, and refrigerate...these bars are that simple.
Ingredients:
2 cups peanut butter, divided
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels, divided
Directions:
GREASE 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

BEAT 1 1/4 cups peanut butter and butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in 1 cup powdered sugar. With hands or wooden spoon, work in remaining powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs and 1/2 cup morsels. Press evenly into prepared baking pan. Smooth top with spatula.

MELT remaining peanut butter and remaining morsels in medium, heavy-duty saucepan over lowest possible heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Spread over graham cracker crust in pan. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until chocolate is firm; cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

Hearty Mexican Spaghetti

This was from Mandi's week and she also made it so you can see hers here. Mine doesn't look nearly as nice because I used ground turkey...I'm on a mission to use up everything in my kitchen and this worked to use the turkey. I also had macaroni instead of spaghetti noodles so used those too:)

Hearty Mexican Spaghetti Recipe #129025
From: Recipezaar.com
SERVES 8
12 ounces spaghetti, uncooked

1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix

1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey

14 1/2 ounces tomatoes, canned, diced in sauce, undrained

22 ounces whole mexicorn whole kernel corn, undrained (with red and green peppers)

1 (7 ounce) can diced green chilies, undrained

1/2 cup green onion, sliced

1/2 cup Mexican blend cheese, shredded
Break spaghetti in half and add to simmering water in large pot or Dutch oven. Cook until tender. In large skillet brown ground beef or turkey. Add taco seaoning mix, undrained tomatoes and corn, green chilies, and onions. Over medium heat cook until heated thru, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and place in large bowl. Add meat mixture and toss lightly. Sprinkle with cheese, serve.

Ham Casserole

We loved this! Will be a staple of using up leftover ham in the future:)

6 potatoes, peeled and sliced
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups grated Cheddar
1 cup leftover ham, cubed
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
In a Dutch oven cover peeled, sliced potatoes in water, cover and bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes ONLY. Drain and place in a buttered or non stick sprayed 2 quart casserole.

Sprinkle ham over potatoes.
In a saucepan place 3 tablespoons butter and melt.
Add flour, salt, and pepper and stir. Cook over low heat stirring constantly. Add milk.
When the mixture thickens, add the cheese and cook until it starts to bubble.
Pour sauce over the potatoes in casserole.
In a bowl combine bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons melted butter.
Sprinkle these over top of casserole and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until bubbly.
Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Chowder

I decided to add a little extra creole seasoning to this and shoulda skipped it...talk about heartburn for the pregnant woman! This was good though:)

Ingredients:

• 6 slices bacon, diced


• 1/2 cup diced celery


• 2 cups potatoes, small dice


• 1 cup diced onion


• 1/2 cup diced carrot


• 3 tablespoons flour


• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth


• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning or seasoned salt


• 1 cup corn kernels


• 1 1/2 cups half-ahd-half


• 1 1/2 to 2 cups diced cooked chicken


• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes


• salt and pepper, to taste

Fry bacon in a large saucepan or Dutch oven; remove to paper towels to drain. Add butter to bacon drippings, if necessary, to make 3 tablespoons. Add celery, potatoes, onion, and carrot. Saute, stirring constantly, until onion and celery are tender. Stir in flour until well incorporated. Add chicken broth and seasoning or seasoned salt, stirring to blend well. Cook, stirring, until thickened. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes. Add the diced chicken and corn; simmer for 7 minutes longer, until vegetables are tender. Add half-and half and tomatoes. Heat through and taste. Add salt and pepper, as needed.
Serves 4 to 6.

Cottage Cheese Salad

This was good! I would have liked some nuts in it too:)

COTTAGE CHEESE SALAD
1 (16 oz.) container cottage cheese
1 (3 oz.) pkg. lime Jello
1 (20 oz.) can fruit cocktail, drained
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 c. miniature marshmallows
1 (9 oz.) container frozen dessert topping, thawed
Whip cottage cheese with mixer until fine. Beat dry Jello into cottage cheese. Add remaining ingredients. Mix together and pour into bowl. Chill until firm. Serve in bowl.

PB Cookies--3 Ingredient

I've seen this recipe around for years and read reviews so knew what to expect...they are a very different cookie and very very easy! Justin(2 1/2 years old) helped me with these:)

1 cup white sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg

Mix and drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 6-8 minutes. Do NOT overbake...they will be very soft.

Pesto Pizza

This was soooo yummy! I chose this for our meatless night this week. I didn't make the pesto like this has directions to do--instead I used a jar of pesto from the store. And I used our pizza oven instead of the regular oven.
Also I tried a new crust that I got off of Mandi's blog here and we LOVED it. Going to start using it now as our regular crust! (recipe also below)

Pesto Pizza
Ingredients
1 cup prepared pesto sauce (ingredients and directions included)
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
pesto sauce
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (need a big bunch of parsley)
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup pine nuts
Directions
1
Place the following in blender: parsley, grated parmesan cheese, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic cloves (use garlic press)and blend until smooth.
2
PREHEAT OVEN 425F DEGREES.
3
Spread the Pesto Sauce on a 12 or 14 inch pizza crust.
4
Place spinach on pesto sauce.
5
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over pizza, then sprinkle the sharp cheddar cheese.
6
Top with sliced tomatoes, then sprinkle the feta cheese all over the pizza.
7
Bake about 15 minutes or until the mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese are melted, and the crust is crisp and golden.

Breadmaker crust
1 cup water

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. sugar

2 tsp. yeast

After the dough has risen in the machine, grease a 14" pizza pan or baking pan. Stretch the dough to fit. Spread your favorite sauce, sprinkle on grated mozzarella (and Cheddar if you like), add toppings, and bake at 450 for 15 - 20 minutes.

White bread

This made a good bread with a soft crust. The inside was very airy and went very well with our soup. With all the yeast it did touch the top of my bread maker for a bit but that was the only problem with it:) There's nothing like that fresh bread smell on a cold day!

1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 (.25 ounce) package bread machine yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons if you keep a jar of yeast like I do)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

Place the water, sugar and yeast in the pan of the bread machine. Let the yeast dissolve and foam for 10 minutes. Add the oil, flour and salt to the yeast. Select Basic or White Bread setting, and press Start.

Zuppa Toscana

 *6/18/10 I grew swiss chard this year specifically for this recipe and finally got to try it today!  Fabulous!  I also made it more frugal by using homemade yogurt instead of cream.  It was a lighter version but still good:)

I got this recipe from the zaar and then read all the reviews and followed some of the suggestions. This is absolutely awesome and I highly recommend trying it:) I've never used kale before so this was another first for me too!
This is supposed to be a copycat of an Olive Garden soup but I don't normally order soups at restaurants so I'm not sure if it is a copycat or not.

1 lb Italian sausage (I used mild)
4 large russet baking potatoes, sliced in half,and then in 1/4 inch slices
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 can oscar meyer bacon bit (I used about 6 slices crumbled bacon)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups kale or swiss chard, chopped (used kale and lots more than 2 cups)
1 LARGE can chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream


Remove casings and cook sausage in a skillet. Set sausage aside.
Cook onions and garlic with a little olive oil in the same skillet.
Place onions, garlic, potatoes, chicken broth in pot, and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.
Add sausage and bacon.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer for another 10 minutes.
Turn to low heat.
Add kale and cream.
Heat through and serve.

Ham and Spinach Quiche

This was sooooooooooo good! Even Corrine ate it and she's my egg-hater!

Deep Dish Ham and Spinach Quiche(6 servings)
1 9" deep dish frozen pie crust
5 slices sandwich ham - chopped (I used regular cubed ham--two handfuls)
1/2 of an onion - chopped
1/2 package frozen spinach - thawed and drained (I used the whole package)
2 Tablespoons ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded Italian 5 blend cheese
1 cup milk
6 large eggs
salt and pepper - to taste

Preheat oven to 400.In a bowl, combine all ingredients.Pour into deep dish pie crust and bake for 1 hour.

Breakfast Bake

I really didn't expect to like this...I've made the recipes with bread and eggs before and the whole wet bread thing didn't work for me but this didn't have that texture at all!!

1 can (8oz) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 pkg (8 oz) smoked ham, chopped (deli-type lunchmeat)
6 eggs
1/2 c milk
1/2 t pepper
1 c shredded cheddar
1 c shredded mozzarella

Heat oven to 350*. Unroll dough in a 13x9" dish, press to cover bottom of dish, firmly pressing holes and seams together to seal.
Sprinkle ham over crust. Beat eggs, milk and pepper with whisk until blended. Pour over ham. Top with cheeses.
Bake 25 mins or until center is set

Pinto Bean Bake

We have a lot of leftover ham from Christmas so this was the first thing I made. Then we froze the rest so we'll be having ham recipes all month.
This was okay...nothing awesome but an inexpensive way to use some of the ham up:) This came from southernfood on about.com

2 cups dried pinto beans
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
1 cup sliced onions
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
8 to 16 ounces cubed cooked ham
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons dried mustard
1/2 cup reserved bean cooking liquid
Preparation:Following package directions, cook pinto beans until tender. Drain beans, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid. Add bacon drippings to a skillet over medium heat; add onion and green pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Layer cooked drained beans, onions and peppers, and ham in a 2-quart casserole. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over the mixture. Bake at 325° for 1 hour. Serves 6.

Cheesy ham and hashbrown casserole

We had this Christmas morning and it was SO good. Definitely would make this again...throw it together and come back after the presents are open and the wrapping paper is all picked up:)
Shar found this one (update) her post can be found here.

INGREDIENTS

1 (32 ounce) package frozen hash brown potatoes

8 ounces cooked, diced ham

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of potato soup

1 (16 ounce) container sour cream

2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, mix hash browns, ham, cream of potato soup, sour cream, and Cheddar cheese. Spread evenly into prepared dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly brown. Serve immediately.

Peanut butter cup cookies

Another recipe from Shar. These were yummy and so pretty! Her post about them is here.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup chocolate chips
2 squares (2oz) unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups (plus 2 tbsp) flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cups finely chopped almonds
36 or so (a bag) of miniature peanut butter cups (frozen)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine chocolate in bowl and microwave for approx 2 min. stir.. until melted
cool slightly.
Combine sugar, butter in large bowl. Beat. Add eggs, salt and vanilla. Beat.
Add chocolate and mix by hand.
Stir in flour, b. soda and shape into 1-1/4 inch balls. Roll in finely chopped almonds. place on an ungreased cookie sheet
Bake for 8-10 min.
Immediate press "unwrapped" frozen peanut butter cup in the centre of each cookie. don't touch them once you've pressed the p. cup inside.. leave to solidify

Sweet N Sour Meatloaf

We all LOVED this meatloaf! I think Lissa originally sent it a long time ago on the recipe group but I know lots of people have made it and liked it too. I'm not putting a picture...it looks like meatloaf with a red sauce:)

Sweet and Sour Meatloaf
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 eggs
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoon prepared mustard
Preheat oven to 350degrees
In large bowl, combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, eggs, onion, and 1/2 of the tomato sauce. Mix together and place into a loaf pan. Push meatloaf down into pan forming a well for the sauce around the edges. Bake for 40min. Meanwhile in a small saucepan over med heat combine the remaining tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, sugar, and mustard. Bring to boil and remove from heat. After meatloaf has cooked 40min remove from oven and pour sauce over top. Return to oven and bake for 20 more min.

Stuffed Shells

This was soooo good! I used more spaghetti sauce than it called for but it definitely still could have had more...a whole jar at the very least but we like our Italian food with lotsa sauce:) I'll make this again for sure.

Ingredients

12 ounces jumbo pasta shells

1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded (Reserve 1/4 cup)

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

2 lbs ricotta cheese

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon dried parsley

8 ounces spaghetti sauce (jarred or homemade)

fresh basil, chopped, for garnish

Directions1In an 8 quart pot, bring water to a boil and cook shells for 8 minutes or until al dente. 2Drain and cool immediately with cold water.

3Drain and place open side down on paper towels.

4In a medium bowl, combine the rest of ingredients except the spaghetti sauce.

5Reserve the 1/4 cup of Mozzarella.

6Place a thin layer of spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a 12 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish.

7Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

8Spoon the cheese mixture into each pasta shell and place open side up, in a single layer, in prepared pan.

9Pour the rest of sauce over the stuffed shells.

10Loosely cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.

11During last 5 minutes of baking, remove foil and sprinkle remaining Mozzarella cheese on top. 12Bake 5 more minutes.

13Garnish with fresh chopped basil.

Eggnog Kringla

I made these as one of my gifts and while we ended up eating most of them one neighbor did get a plate of them:)

These are not a super sweet cookie but the are really really good!

Eggnog Kringla
Makes about 60(made about 45 for me)
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup butter (do not use margarine)
1-1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup dairy or nondairy eggnog
sifted powder sugar
ground nutmeg

In large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and nutmeg. Set aside. In large mixing bowl, cream butter, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg and mix well. Add the flour mix and eggnog alternately to the sugar/butter mix. Cover and chill at least 4 hours.
Dough may still be sticky but it is a soft dough.
Preheat oven to 350F. Take out half the dough at a time (leaving rest in the fridge). On a lightly floured surface, take one tablespoon of the dough and roll into a rope shape (about 1/2 inch thick and 8 inches long) On an ungreased cookie sheet, place the rope in a loop, cross one end over the other. Make the shape slightly oval. Bake 6 to 8 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. Remove cookies and cool on wire rack. While still warm, sprinkle tops with powdered sugar and nutmeg.

Hot dog muffins

I didn't get a picture of these... It ended up making 18. I thought they were good but everyone else thought they were awesome:)


Ingredients
2 (8 1/2 ounce) packages cornbread mix
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
5 hot dogs, chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions
1Combine mix and brown sugar, add eggs and milk stirring only until moistened.
2Stir in drained corn, hot dogs, and cheese. Batter will be thin.
3Fill paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full.
4Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until tops are brown.
5Serve immediately or refrigerate.