Porcupine Skillet

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef 
• 1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
• 1 1/2 c. hot water
• 3/4 c. uncooked rice
• 1 (16 oz) can tomatoes
• 1 c. shredded cheese
• 1 small can mushrooms (optional, I don't normally add these)

Instructions

• In a large skillet, crumble beef and brown.
• Drain and stir in onion soup mix, water, tomatoes (optional mushrooms).
• Add rice and stir.
• Cover and cook on low heat for 25 minutes or until rice is tender.
• Sprinkle with cheese, melt and serve.

Cheesy Garlic Scallop Potatoes

Ingredients:


1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup sour cream

1 cup milk

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 1 1/2 quart or larger casserole dish with butter or nonstick spray.
Layer half of the potato slices in the bottom of the casserole dish. Dot with half of the butter cut or pinched into small pieces. Arrange half of the garlic over the potatoes. In a seperate bowl mix the sour cream and milk until smooth. Pour half over potatoes. Sprinkle one cup of Cheddar cheese over the layer, and season with salt and pepper. Repeat layering of potatoes, garlic, sour cream/milk and Cheddar cheese. Season again with salt and pepper if desired.
Bake for 1/2 hour in the preheated oven, then sprinkle the Parmesan or Romano cheese over the top. This will create a semi-hard cheese crust. Continue baking uncovered for another 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender when tested with a fork.

Comments:

I was pretty surprised by these potatoes. Every scalloped recipe I've tried in the past called for flour in some way. I think when I do the next one I might try a different cheese like Mozarella or pepperjack even just to give it a bit of kick. Also adding in things like bacon would taste good too.

Crescent Casserole

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup pasta sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside. In the same skillet, saute the onion, garlic and green pepper in oil until crisp-tender. Stir in the beef, pasta sauce, oregano, salt and pepper; heat through.
2. Spread mashed potatoes in an 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Top with beef mixture; sprinkle shredded cheese.
3.Unroll crescent dough. Separate into four rectangles; arrange rectangles over the casserole. Bake at 375 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until top is browned.

Comments:
This was super yummy! Was sort of like a goolosh or shepards pie. Very filling and perfect for a cool rainy day.

Beef Taco Bake

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 cup Salsa
1/2 cup milk
6 flour tortillas or 8 corn tortillas, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup shredded cheese


Directions:
Cook beef in skillet over medium heat until beef is browned stirring to separate meat. Pour off fat. Add soup, salsa, milk, tortillas and half the cheese. Spoon into 2 quart shallow baking dish. Cover and bake at 400 for 30 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Anniversary Chicken

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup teriyaki basting sauce
1/2 cup Ranch-style salad dressing
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 (3 ounce) can bacon bits
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, and saute 4 to 5 minutes each side, until lightly browned.
Place browned chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush with teriyaki sauce, then spoon on salad dressing. Sprinkle with cheese, green onions and bacon bits.
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Chicken Pot Pie

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup lard (shortening)
6 tablespoons cold water

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups cooked chicken, chopped
3 carrot, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen carrots
2 tablespoons fresh garlic


DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Cut in lard until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough in half and shape into balls. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Roll one ball out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place bottom crust in pie plate. Roll out top crust and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C.)

In large skillet cook chicken, carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Cook until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are becoming soft. Add peas and carrots. Cook until warm through.

In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Blend in flour, salt, pepper. Gradually stir in chicken broth. Cook, stirring constantly until smooth and thickened. Stir in chicken mixture. Mix well and pour into bottom pie crust. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown, and filling is bubbly.

Comments:
This was sooo good! The filling makes enough for 2 pans so I made 2 batches of the dough. Also on the pans I coated with egg white and then parmesan cheese on the inside and then egg white brushed on the top dough as well. Make sure to get the dough even when spread out and not too thick. We will definitely be makign this again in the future.

Sweet Potato-Marshmallow Casserole

Ingredients:
3 ½ to 4 pounds fresh sweet potatoes, scrubbed well
¼ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup evaporated milk or heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Pinch ground mace
Pinch ground cloves
¼ cup finely chopped toasted pecans
3 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Bake the sweet potatoes on the foil-lined baking sheet until a thin, pointy knife inserted in the center meets no resistance, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Once cooled, remove the skins and mash until smooth. (If you have a potato ricer, this works well in helping to remove any stringy fibers, as does a food mill.) In a large bowl combine the potatoes (you should have about 4 cups), sugar, evaporated milk, butter, orange juice, vanilla, salt, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace and cloves and beat until smooth. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the chopped pecans. Arrange the marshmallows in an even layer over the top and bake until the marshmallows are lightly browned, 35 to 45 minutes. This can be made a day ahead, covered, and refrigerated, then returned to room temperature and baked 35 to 45 minutes before serving.
Makes 8 to 10 servings

Comments:
I'm told this was very good as well. it had a nice flavor too it. Just be sure to get the sweet potato completely mashed up as having chunks throws off the texture.

One Dish Chicken Bake

INGREDIENTS
1 (6 ounce) package chicken-flavor stuffing mix
1 1/2 cups hot water
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup milk

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl combine the seasoning packet from the stuffing mix with the hot water and butter. Let stand until butter melts. Stir in the stuffing crumbs, just to moisten, and let stand for 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Place the chicken down the center of a 8x12 inch baking dish. Mix together the soup and milk and pour mixture over the chicken. Spoon some of the stuffing over the chicken breasts, then spoon the rest along the sides of the chicken. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and the juices run clear.

Comments:
Before pouring the soup over the chicken I sprinkled them with garlic salt and thyme. Then put shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the soup before putting on the stuffing. It turned out really good. The stuffing will look a bit mushy but it tastes really good. I put this together last minute tonight and we all enjoyed it.

Chicken Biscuit Potpie

INGREDIENTS
1 2/3 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup biscuit/baking mix
1/2 cup milk
1 egg

DIRECTIONS
In a bowl, combine vegetables, chicken, soup and thyme. Pour into an ungreased deep-dish 9-in. pie plate. Combine biscuit mix, milk and egg; pour over chicken mixture. Bake at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Comments:
Made this for a friend as an "after baby meal" and was told it was very good. I did add just a bit more veggies than it called for to give it more filler but it still turned out great. Also added just a bit of shredded mozzarella in between the veggies and the biscuit mix.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1.5lbs boneless chicken breast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
1/2 green pepper chopped
1/2 red pepper chopped (not the flakes)
1/2 orange pepper chopped
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
garlic salt as needed for flavor in flour


DIRECTIONS:
Place flour & garlic salt in a large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat. In a large skillet, brown the chicken in oil; transfer to an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish.
Drain skillet, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings. In the drippings, saute peppers until tender. In a bowl, combine the ketchup, water, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper; add to vegetables. Bring to a boil. Pour over the chicken. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Serve over rice.

Comments:
This dish is absolutely amazing! It tastes a lot like a sweet & sour chicken. We served it over rice and it was just like having chinese for dinner but for much cheaper.

Mommy's Surprise

Ingredients:
1lb lean ground beef or ground turkey
2 cans french cut green beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 bag tator tots or tator rounds
1/4 cup milk

Directions:
Brown ground beef or ground turkey. I usually add chopped onion and oregeno for seasoning. Once completely browned drain any grease. Spread in bottom of ungreased casserole pan. Drain water from green beans and in seperate bowl mix green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and milk. Spread this over the meat in the casserole dish. layor tator tots on top of green bean mixture in rows. Bake in oven 30-45 mins at 350 until soup is bubbly and tator tots are browned.

Comments: The casserole food saves very well. Just be sure to freeze the casserole before you vaccuum seal it so the tator tots are not turned into mashed potatos. For variations we also used corn instead of grean beans and added cheddar cheese before putting the tator tots on.

Broccoli Bake

Ingredients:
1 pkg frozen chopped broccoli
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup cream of mushroom soup
1 egg beaten
1 1/2 cup grated cheese
1 cup crushed crackers

Directions:
Cook broccoli according to package directions. Drain well. Mix mayo, soup, egg, and cheese. Stir in broccoli. Pour into buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle with cracker crumbs. Bake at 325 for 30mins.

Chicken Nugget Casserole

Ingredients:
1 package frozen chicken nuggets
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 can spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning

Directions:
Place chicken nuggest in a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Top with spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese and Italian seasoning. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until chicken in heated through and cheese is melted.