Mini Lasagnas

This recipe was so good and so easy! It took me about 20 minutes to put them together and another 20 to bake. You can make them in a muffin tin, or a petite loaf pan like I did here. I used Trader Joe's Organic Marinara sauce and they turned out great, I will definitely be adding this recipe to my dinner menus.

Mini Lasagnas

1 jar marinara sauce
1 lb. ground beef
12 wonton wrappers (for muffin tin, or 8 egg roll wrappes for petite loaf pan)
8 oz. shredded mozzarella
4 oz. parmesan cheese
4 oz. ricotta cheese
basil or flat leaf parsley for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 375.
Brown ground beef in skillet, drain and return to pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour in marinara sauce and heat on low while cutting the wonton wrappers.
If using the muffin tin, cut wonton wrappers with the top of a drinking glass or biscuit cutter, just so it's about the right size to fit in the muffin cup. There will be two layers of the wonton wrapper so you will need to cut 24 circles, or 16 rectangles if using the petite loaf pan.
Spray pan with cooking spray. Beginning from bottom, layer one wonton wrapper, mozzarella, ricotta (I just grabbed the ricotta with my fingertips and pressed into pan), parmesan, meat sauce, wonton wrapper, mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, meat sauce, a little more mozzarella and parmesan. Bake 18-20 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted.

Homemade Sloppy Joes

I've recently found the blog Our Best Bites and I've been having so much trying out their recipes! This is one that is so good, I've already made it 3 times. I serve the meat mixture on homemade rolls, but any good, soft roll will do. I've used ground hamburger and ground turkey and they both taste great! I also like to add in at the end before serving about half a cup of sliced black olives (slice them yourself, the ones that come sliced already have a really funny taste) and 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.

Homemade Sloppy Joes
adapted from Our Best Bites

1 lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey
Seasoning salt to taste
1 medium onion, minced
1/2 green pepper, minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
3/4 c. ketchup
1 tsp. mustard
3 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/3-1/2 c. water to reach desired consistency
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 hamburger buns or homemade rolls

Stovetop Instructions:
Brown ground beef with onion, green pepper, and garlic. Season to taste with seasoning salt. Add in mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Combine tomato paste and water and add to hamburger mixture. Add more water if desired. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve on hamburger buns.

Crockpot Instructions:
Brown ground beef with onion, green pepper, and garlic. Season to taste with seasoning salt. Transfer to slow cooker. Add in remaining ingredients and combine well. Cook on low for 3-4 hours and serve on hamburger buns.

Freezer Instructions:
Brown ground beef with onion, green pepper, and garlic. Season to taste with seasoning salt. Transfer to a freezer-safe container. Add in remaining ingredients and combine well. Freeze. When ready to cook, transfer to a slow cooker and cook on low to 3-5 hours. Serve on hamburger buns.

Grilled Cheeseburger with Green Chile Sauce

I have been craving hamburgers lately! And then the Food Network had a special on them so I went online and printed out some of the recipes they featured. This cheeseburger recipe came from Bobby Flay. The homemade green chile sauce is really, really, good!

Grilled Cheeseburger with Green Chile Sauce

2 lbs. ground chuck (80-85% lean)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 slices provolone or monterey jack cheese
4 good quality buns (I like using homemade or ciabatta rolls)
green chile sauce (recipe follows)
Romaine lettuce
4 thick slices tomato

Heat grill to medium heat. Form meat into 4 8 oz. patties and season each burger on both sides with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Grill until charred on both sides and cooked to desired doneness.
Place 2 slices of cheese on each burger, at the same time cut buns in half and place cut side down on grill to toast. Close BBQ lid and grill until cheese is melted and buns are toasted, usually takes just a few minutes. Place burgers on buns and top with green chile sauce and lettuce, tomato, and mayo.

Green Chile Sauce:

1 poblano chile (they are big and green)grilled, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/2 medium white onion, grilled and chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 Tbs. fresh epazote (it's an herb) or 1 Tbs. fresh cilantro chopped
1/4 c. cold water
1/2 Tbs. honey
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

I grill my onions and pepper at the same time that I put on the burgers. I rubbed olive oil all over the pepper and onions and grilled until they had grill marks on them and were soft to the touch.

Combine all ingredients in blender, blend until smooth.

Best Lasagna from PW

I know this takes a little time to prepare, but after the mountain of dirty dishes and the sore feet, you can sit down to a delicious dinner, and think Yes! It was worth it! I don't make homemade lasagna very often (I like Stouffers frozen meat lasagna!), but when a recipe claims to be the best I have to try it, and I can honestly say this is the best homemade lasagna recipe I've ever tried. Very meaty and cheesy, and if you're going to make this for a dinner with family or friends, I would highly recommend preparing it the day before and refrigerating it until ready to bake the next day, that way you won't have all of those dishes to do right before company comes.

The Best Lasagna

1 lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 pound hot breakfast sausage (I always use the Jimmy Dean that comes in the 1 lb. tube)
2 cloves minced garlic
2 14.5 oz. cans whole tomatoes
2 6 oz. cans tomato paste
1/3 c. chopped fresh flat leaf Italian parsley
1/3 c. chopped fresh basil
1 tsp salt
8 lasagna noodles
1 Tbs olive oil
3 c. lowfat cottage cheese
2 beaten eggs
Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb. sliced mozzarella (You can shred your own but sliced is so much more convenient! I would not recommend using the pre-shredded kind)

In a skillet combine the beef, sausage, and garlic cloves. Cook until brown, draining off half the fat. Pour in cans of whole tomatoes (with juice) and tomato paste, parsley, basil, and salt. Mix together thoroughly and simmer, uncovered.

In the meantime, boil lasagna noodles. Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1 Tbs. olive oil to water. Cook the noodles "al dente" (I cooked mine for 8 minutes). When noodles are finished, drain, rinse with cool water, and lay flat on aluminum foil.

Mix together cottage cheese, eggs, 1/2 c. parmesan cheese, and 2 Tbs. parsley and 1/2 tsp salt.

Preheat oven to 350.
Set up your "assembly" line: meat mixture, 1 lb. sliced mozzarella, cottage cheese mixture, and lasagna noodles. Spray a 9X13 pan with cooking spray.

Place four noodles on bottom, overlapping edges. Spread half of cottage cheese mixture over noodles. Place 1/2 lb. of mozzarella cheese slices over that, overlapping if you need to. Spread a little less than half of the meat mixture over the mozzarella and then repeat; noodles, cottage cheese mixture, mozzarella, and meat. Sprinkle parmesan cheese generously over the top and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

I served this with my homemade breadstick recipe, I think I posted it on this site last year around May or June.

Better Than Chili's Fajitas

My friend Stefany had my family over for dinner last night and she made these amazing fajitas. The marinade is awesome and gives so much flavor to the steak and chicken. I think these are the best fajitas I've ever had!

Better Than Chili's Fajitas

Marinade:
1/4 c lime juice
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp liquid smoke flavoring
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
4 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or 1 lb. sirloin steak

Marinate the chicken or steak at least 2 hours or overnight in fridge (the longer the better). Grill chicken/steak over medium high flame for 4-5 minutes on each side until cooked through. Cut into thin strips.

In the meantime mix together:
1/2 tsp lime juice
2 T water
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
dash of salt and pepper
1 T olive oil

Place in a large skillet and add:
1 large white spanish onion (cut into strips)
1 green pepper (cut into strips)
1 red pepper (cut into strips)
Cook until slightly blackened. Add the chicken strips and serve on warm tortillas and top with sour cream, cheese, guacamole, etc!

Thanks Stefany!

Southwest Fajitas

Okay, so I know the pic looks a little strange, but believe me, this is awesome! It is one of my all time favorite dinners to make. It's kind of like a southwestern gyro, so good! I love serving this with homemade salsa and guacamole.

Southwestern Fajitas

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. flank steak, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 c. sliced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
3/4 c. plain yogurt
5 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 c. corn (canned or frozen)
1 square or 1 tsp chicken bouillon flavoring
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add steak, onion, garlic, and peppers; saute for 6 minutes. At this point I drain off the excess liquid. Add yogurt and cream cheese; stir until cheese melts. Stir in corn, bouillon, pepper, and cumin. It may not look smooth and creamy right now, but it will after you cover and cook on low for 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro and serve in corn or flour tortillas with lots of cheese and guacamole!

Meaty Nacho Dip

This dip is so good! Sometimes I just crave it so I'll make up a batch. It's cheesy, and meaty, and spicy (but not too spicy :)
I love making it on Super Bowl Sunday!

Nacho Dip

1 lb. Jimmy Dean regular sausage
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can Rotel (original)
1 large block Velveeta cheese

Brown sausage and drain.
Cut up velveeta into cubes and place in slow cooker. Pour sausage, soup, and rotel over top. Turn slow cooker on low heat and cook for 2-3 hours until cheese is melted and it's hot! Tortilla chips or soft pretzels go good with this.

Slow Cooker Southwest Chili

I have been making this chili recipe for years, it's the best! It is so easy to put together, the taste is very mild so kids (and adults that don't like hot food) will love it too.

Southwest Chili

1 1/2 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
2 cans tomato soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg. Chili Seasoning (McCormick)
1 regular size can pinto beans
1/2 c. sliced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can corn, drained

Combine hamburger meat, soups, tomatoes, chili seasoning, and pinto beans. Turn slow cooker on low and let cook for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally if possible. 1 hour before serving add the onion, garlic, and corn. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, and corn chips. Makes enough for about 6-7 people. If you want it a little spicier, you can add 1/2 a bell pepper, sliced, when you add the onion, garlic, and corn.

Taco Salad

This is a quick and easy dinner that my husband loves. It usually makes enough to have again the next night!

Taco Salad

Shredded lettuce

Taco meat (1 lb. ground turkey cooked and seasoned with taco seasoning)

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

sour cream

salsa

1 recipe guacamole (see below)

flour tortillas, soft taco size

cooking spray

aluminum foil

Preheat oven to 350.
Make four aluminum foil balls, about 2 or 3 inches wide. Place on baking sheet. Place 4 tortillas in microwave for about 30 seconds to soften. Remove and spray on both sides with cooking spray. Drape tortillas over foil balls, push down on sides to form an upside down bowl. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until light brown and crisp all of the way through. Let cool. Repeat if desired, recipe will make about 8 individual salads (plus enough leftover meat to make the kids tacos if they don't want the salad! :)

Layer lettuce, meat, cheese, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. It's easiest to place in a bowl and then crunch everything together to eat. It would also be delicious to add olives, fresh tomatoes, and green onions!

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Thanks Elly (my mother-in-law) for this recipe! I made it in the slow cooker this morning so it cooked while we were at church and when we came home, as soon as walked in the door, there was this delicious aroma. It was great, I got rave reviews from our dinner guests!

Spaghetti Sauce

1 c. finely chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. sugar
1 small can tomato paste
1/4. tsp salt
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
3 Tbs. chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried
28 oz. (2 cans) diced tomatoes, plain or Italian style, undrained
2 Tbs. chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, or 1/2 tsp dried
1 pkg. (tube) of Jimmy Dean regular sausage (optional, you could also use ground beef or ground turkey)

Brown sausage and drain fat.
Turn on slow cooker to low heat. Add sausage and remaining ingredients, stir well. Let cook on low 4-6 hours. Right before serving, check consistency. You may want to add a little water if it is too thick. This made enough to cover 1 whole pkg. of spaghetti noodles.

It's great served with my garlic breadstick recipe that I posted in May.

Sloppy Joe Calzones & Roll Recipe

This is comfort food at it's best, hamburger with lots of cheese surrounded by a yummy homemade roll, does it get any better than that? I made the dough to go over these calzones but they would also be good inside a good store bought roll, or you can buy the refrigerated buttermilk biscuits and roll them out.

Sloppy Joe Calzones Filling

1 lb. hamburger or ground turkey

1 packet Sloppy Joe seasoning (I use McCormick)

1 small can tomato paste

1 can olives

about 1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Brown hamburger in saute pan and drain. Add back into pan, add the tomato paste, seasoning, and water per the seasoning packet instructions. Let simmer about 5 minutes. Chop about 3/4 of the can of olives into large chunks, add to hamburger mixture.

If you'd like to use a homemade roll recipe, here is mine, I use it for cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, etc.

Homemade Roll Recipe

1 Tbs. active dry yeast

1/3 c. warm water (not hot!)

1 c. milk

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 c. butter

about 5 cups flour

1 egg

1/2 c. cold water

Place the yeast in the bottom of a small bowl, add warm water on top and stir to combine. Cover and let sit 10 minutes.

In saucepan combine milk, butter, sugar, and salt over medium heat. Heat until butter is melted, do not boil. Remove from heat and let cool.

In large bowl, or Kitchenaid fitted with a dough hook, combine 2 cups of flour, the egg, and the cold water. Add the warm milk mixture and mix, then add the yeast mixture. Add the remaining flour until a soft dough forms, knead for 6 minutes. Place in a large bowl, cover it, and let rise 1 hour.

Punch dough down and cut into two balls. Working with one ball at a time, roll out to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into desired circle size (I used a 4 1/2" round biscuit cutter). Place big spoonfulls of meat mixture onto dough circles, top with a generous helping of shredded cheese. Top with one more layer of dough. With a fork, crimp edges and poke two holes in the top of each calzone. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes. Brush with butter and sprinkle Chili powder on top.

I was able to make eight 4 1/2" calzones, or I usually get about 18 dinner rolls out of it.