Spinach Cheese Ravioli

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:
*1 bag (about 25 oz.) frozen cheese ravioli, thawed (I use four-cheese ravioli)
*1 jar (26 oz.) Prego Traditional pasta sauce
*1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
*1 cup water
*1 box (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
*Italian seasoning (I use Pampered Chef Italian blend)
*1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
*1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pour about half of the Prego in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Top with ravioli.

In a medium bowl, combine the rest of the Prego, tomato sauce, and water.  Stir well.  Top the ravioli with spinach.  Pour the Prego/tomato sauce mixture over the spinach.  Sprinkle with Italian seasonings.  Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Teriyaki Wings

I adapted this recipe from a recipe in one of my mom's cookbooks.

Ingredients:
*2 1/2 lbs. chicken wings
*1 onion, chopped
*1 cup soy sauce
*1 cup brown sugar
*1 teaspoon minced garlic
*1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

Directions:
Preheat oven to broil.  Rinse chicken and pat completely dry with paper towels.  Place chicken on a broiler pan with some water underneath, and broil for 10 minutes, flipping about half way through.   Remove from oven.

Transfer wings to a crock pot.  In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger.  Stir in onion.  Pour sauce over chicken wings in the crock pot.

Cook on high for 2 hours.  Stir wings half way through to coat.  Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Transfer wings to a baking dish and pour as much of the liquid on them as you want.  I usually pour all of it.  Bake uncovered for 1 hour.

Kristen's Noodles Ona Loa

This is my cousin, Kristen's, recipe.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
*vegetable oil
*1/2 lb. medium egg noodles
*3 Tablespoons soy sauce
*2 cups chicken broth
*1 garlic clove, minced
*2 teaspoons sugar
*1 teaspoon salt
*dash of black pepper
*2 green onions, chopped

Directions:
Heat enough oil in a skillet to cover 1 inch of the bottom.  Heat on medium heat.  Toss in a raw noodle.  If it sizzles and bubbles immediately, the oil is ready.

Toss the noodles in one handful at a time.  Keep in the oil for just a few seconds until golden brown and use a spatula/strainer to remove from oil.  Place on a paper towel lined plate.  Repeat until all noodles are fried.  Drain oil thoroughly from skillet.  The noodles will be crispy.

Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet, except for the green onions, stirring well.  Stir in the noodles.  Cover and simmer on medium-low heat until noodles are soft and most of the liquid is absorbed.  Sprinkle with green onions.

Asian Coleslaw

This is my husband's co-worker, Shelly's, recipe.  It's a great side dish for Asian entrees as well as BBQ entrees.  It's a great thing to bring to a pot luck dinner.

Ingredients:
*1 lb. shredded cabbage coleslaw mix
*1 package (3 oz.) chicken Raman noodles
*1/2 cup sunflower seeds
*1/2 cup sliced almonds
*4 green onions, chopped
*1/2 cup olive oil
*3 Tablespoons white vinegar
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*2 Tablespoons sugar
*1/2 teaspoon black pepper
*1 Tablespoon soy sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Place sunflower seeds and almonds on a cookie sheet.  Toast for a few minutes.  Take out as soon as you smell them.  Set aside to cool.

Crush Raman noodles.  Set aside the seasoning packet for later.  In a large bowl, combine cabbage, Raman noodles, toasted sunflower seeds and almonds, and green onions.

In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, salt, sugar, black pepper, soy sauce, and seasoning packet from the Raman noodles.  Whisk together well.

Immediately poor dressing over salad.  Toss to coat.  Chill until ready to serve.  When ready to serve, stir well beforehand.

Kristen's Asian-Marinated Grilled Fish

This is my cousin, Kristen's, recipe.  My two year old son kept asking for more when we made this.

Ingredients:
*1/4 cup honey
*3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
*2 teaspoons finely minced orange zest
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 1/2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
*1 teaspoon dried basil
*2 Tablespoons soy sauce
*1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
*4 frozen fish fillets, thawed (tilapia, salmon, etc.)
*canola oil
*salt to taste
*black pepper to taste

Directions:
Whisk together honey, orange juice, zest, garlic, mustard, basil, soy sauce, and sesame oil.  Place the fish in the marinade, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Remove the marinated fish from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking to allow to come to room temperature.  Shake off excess marinade, and discard marinade.  Blot the fillets dry with paper towels.  Coat with canola oil.  Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the grill pan to medium-high.  Spray with cooking spray.  Place fillets on grill pan and cook for about 3 minutes.  Flip fillets over and cook for 3 more minutes until fish is flaky.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

My husband made up this recipe a few years ago.


Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:
*2 lb. frozen hash brown potatoes (the cubes), thawed

*about 34 frozen chicken nuggets
*8 oz. fat-free cream cheese
*3/4 lb. honey ham, cubed
*2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese, divided
*2 lb. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
*2 cans (10 3/4 oz. each) cream of chicken soup (98% fat-free)
*1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high for 20 seconds.  Stir to soften.  You don't want it melted--just softened.  Microwave further in 10 second increments if needed.  Once softened, stir in cream of chicken soup and black pepper.  Set aside.

Line the bottom of a very deep 9 x 13 baking dish with the hash browns.  Top with the ham.  Top with the frozen chicken nuggets.  Pour half of the cream cheese mixture over the ham.  Use a rubber spatula to spread evenly.  Top with 1 cup of the Swiss cheese.  Top with broccoli.  Pour remaining cream cheese mixture over broccoli and spread with a rubber spatula.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until bubbly.

Taco Soup

Ingredients:

*1 to 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
*1 yellow onion, chopped
*1 packet taco seasoning
*1 packet dry Ranch dressing seasoning
*1 can whole kernel corn
*1 can golden hominy
*1 can pinto beans
*1 can kidney beans
*1 can Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chiles)
*1 can diced tomatoes Mexican style
*1 can water
*tortilla chips
*shredded 2% cheddar cheese
*avocados, chopped

Directions:
Brown ground beef with onion.  Drain.  Place in a large stock pot.  Pour taco seasoning and Ranch seasoning on top of the meat.  Stir well.

Add corn, hominy, pinto beans, kidney beans, Rotel, and diced tomatoes.  Do not drain any of the cans.  Add all the liquid from all the cans.  Stir well.  Stir in the can of water.

Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for at least 2 hours.  Stir occasionally.

To serve, place tortilla chips in the bottom of a bowl.  You can crush them up if you like.

Top with the soup.

Top with cheese and then avocado.

Shrimp and Pancetta Pizza

This is from Pillsbury Bake-Off Prize Winning Recipes, Collector's Edition Volume 2.

Ingredients:
*1 package (4 oz.) frozen cooked salad shrimp, thawed
*1 Tablespoon olive oil
*1 garlic clove, finely chopped
*1 can (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust
*4 slices cooked bacon, chopped (bake on 400 for 20 minutes)
*1/2 cup Alfredo sauce
*1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
*1 Roma tomato, seeded and finely chopped
*3 Tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a medium bowl, mix thawed shrimp, oil, and garlic until coated.  Set aside.

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Unroll dough and place on cookie sheet.  Press out to 14 x 9-inch rectangle.  Bake 6 - 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.

Spread Alfredo sauce over partially baked crust.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Bake 6 - 10 minutes longer or until edges are golden brown and cheese is melted.

Top pizza with shrimp, bacon, and tomato.  Bake 3 minutes longer or until shrimp is hot.  Sprinkle with parsley.  Cut into squares.

Special Turkey Sandwiches

This recipe is from Taste of Home's Light & Tasty Magazine October/November 2006 issue.

Ingredients:

*4 oz. fat-free cream cheese
*1/2 cup finely chopped spinach leaves
*1/4 cup finely chopped basil leaves
*1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
*1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
*1/2 large red onion
*2 Tablespoons red cooking wine or red wine
*8 slices wheat bread
*3/4 lb. thinly sliced deli turkey
*8 slices tomato
*8 lettuce leaves (Romaine)

Directions:
In a small skillet, cook onion in wine until tender.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese, spinach, basil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese until well blended. 

Place the bread on a metal pan.  Top four slices with turkey.  Spread the cream cheese mixture on the remaining four slices of bread.  Broil 3 minutes. 

To assemble sandwiches, layer red onion, tomato, and lettuce over the turkey.  Top with the cream cheese slices.

Sweet Potatoes

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
*4 sweet potatoes
*margarine to taste
*3 Tablespoons brown sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place potatoes on a metal baking dish.  Bake for 1 hour.  Remove from oven.  Lower oven temperature to 250 degrees.

Slice potatoes longways down the middle.  Scoop out the insides of the potatoes and place in a bowl.  Discard the skins.  Stir in brown sugar.  Add margarine to taste.  Place back into the oven on 250 for 15 minutes.

Four Vegetable Slaw

This is a recipe from Rachel Ray.  It originally calls for cucumbers to make it "Five Vegetable Slaw", but everyone in my family hates cucumbers, so I took them out and called it "Four Vegetable Slaw".

Ingredients:
*1 package (1 lb.) shredded cabbage (I bought "coleslaw mix" that had shredded cabbage, carrots, and purple cabbage)
*1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
*1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
*4 green onions, sliced
*2 limes, juiced (equal to 4 Tablespoons lime juice)
*1/4 cup honey
*3 Tablespoons canola oil
*salt
*black pepper

Directions:
Combine vegetables in a bowl.  In another bowl, prepare dressing by whisking together the lime juice, honey, and canola oil.  Pour dressing over vegetables.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Honey Lime Chicken Sandwiches

This recipe is from Rachel Ray. We will add Monterrey Jack cheese to ours next time and toast the bread.  We serve this with Rachel Ray's five vegetable slaw (but we use only 4 of the veggies, so we call it "four vegetable slaw").  That recipe is directly under her sandwich recipe on the link above labled "five vegetable slaw", or you can see my recipe here.

Makes 4 sandwiches
Ingredients:
*1 lime, juiced (equal to 2 Tablespoons lime juice)
*2 Tablespoons honey
*1 rounded teaspoon cumin
*2 Tablespoons olive oil
*4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*1 teaspoon blended coarse salt and black pepper
*cooking spray
*1 cup tomatillo salsa (I buy jarred HEB tomatillo salsa)
*lettuce leaves (like Romaine)
*Roma tomatoes, sliced
*2 avocados, sliced
*4 crusty rolls (I used 4 wheat kaiser rolls)
*4 slices Monterrey jack cheese

Directions:
Combine the first five ingredients in a bowl.  Sprinkle chicken with the salt and pepper blend.  Place chicken in the bowl with the marinade.  Make sure all sides are coated and set aside for 10 minutes.

Heat a skillet over medium heat.  Spray with cooking spray.  Pan fry chicken, 6 - 7 minutes per side, until no longer pink.  Slice chicken at an angle into thin slices. 

Meanwhile, pre-heat oven to broil.  Place sandwich bottoms and tops on a metal pan.   Place cheese on the bread bottoms.  Broil until bread is lightly toasted and cheese is melted.  Remove from oven.

Pile chicken on top of the sandwich bottoms.  Top with tomato slices, and avocado, and then lettuce.  Spread tomatillo salsa on the sandwich tops.  Place tops on top of the sandwiches.

Herb-Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables

I found this recipe on the kraft foods website.  I used eggplant, zucchini, carrots, asparagus, and onion.  Next time, I will leave out the eggplant and use different colored bell peppers instead.

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:
*8 cups assorted vegetables, chopped (asparagus, zucchini, carrots, onion, different colored bell peppers)
*2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
*1/4 cup olive oil
*2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
*1 teaspoon salt
*1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine all ingredients, except for the Parmesan, in a large bowl.  Mix well to coat all the vegetables.  Put in a large baking dish.  Bake on 375 for 40 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Pulled Pork

 This is the same recipe that my husband uses for brisket.  We made this in the form of pulled pork sandwiches one year for the Sr. High Mission trip, and the kids were licking their fingers at the end and asking for more.

Ingredients:
*1 whole pork shoulder
*1/4 cup black pepper
*1/4 cup paprika
*1/4 cup turbinado sugar (also called "sugar in the raw")
*2 Tablespoons salt
*2 teaspoons dry mustard
*1 teaspoon cayenne
*1/4 cup hot water
*KC Masterpiece Original BBQ sauce (it's a dark, sweet sauce and not that vinegary, which is great with this recipe)

Directions:
To make the dry rub, mix all the ingredients in a bowl, except for the pork.  Rub the pork all over with the dry rub.  Put the pork in the refrigerator overnight to marinade.

The next day, preheat the oven to 250 degrees.  Put the pork on a broiler pan with some water on the bottom part (underneath the metal tray that the pork sits on).  Bake for 7-8 hours until the temperature is between 195 and 200 degrees.  Remove from oven, and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Place the meat in a very large bowl.  Using two forks, pull the pork into pieces.  Pour 1/4 cup hot water over the meat and stir.  Cover with foil, and put in the oven on warm until ready to serve.

Serve with BBQ sauce on the side or with buns and BBQ sauce to make pulled pork sandwiches.

Crock Pot Beef Fajitas

 Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:
*2 onions, sliced
*2 green bell peppers, sliced
*1 yellow red bell pepper, sliced
*1 package HEB raw seasoned beef fajita meat
*1/2 cup water
*HEB fresh baked wheat flour tortillas
*shredded 2% cheddar cheese
*guacamole
*pico de gallo (I buy HEB pico in the produce section)

Directions:
Place fajita meat in the crock pot.  Top with onion and bell pepper.  Pour water over it all.  Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours.

To assemble fajitas, spoon beef and onion/pepper mixture onto a tortilla.  Top with cheese, guacamole, and pico de gallo

Croque Monsieur Sandwiches

When I go to La Madeline, I almost always order a Croque Monsieur.  I attempted to re-create this sandwich, and it turned out awesome.

*Makes about 6 small sandwiches

Ingredients:
*cooking spray
*light margarine (to spread on bread)
*1 fat French or Italian loaf of bread, sliced (I used 12 slices.  I did not use the very ends of the loaf because they were too small)
*1 clove garlic, peeled and cut in half
*2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
*2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
*1 1/2 cups skim milk
*large pinch of salt
*pinch of black pepper
*pinch of nutmeg
*1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese (about 6 oz.), divided
*1/4 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
*12 oz. thin sliced honey ham (I buy the thin kind in a container in the lunch meat section)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a metal pan with cooking spray.  Rub garlic all over both sides of each piece of bread.  Spread margarine over each piece of bread on both sides.  Toast in the oven for several minutes on each side, until lightly toasted.  Remove from oven and set aside.  Keep the oven on 400.

Make the bechamel sauce--Melt the unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat (I used about 2 1/2 on my electric stove).  Once it starts to bubble, add the flour.  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until smooth.  Pour in the milk continuously but very slowly, whisking constantly.  Whisk constantly until the sauce thickens.  When the sauce starts to bubble from boiling, then the sauce will be as thick as it is going to get.  After a few minutes of cooking, I turn the heat up to 3 to get the sauce to start to bubble.  Remove from heat as soon as it starts to bubble.  (When it boils, it will be at its thickest.)

Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Stir.  Add the Parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup of the Gruyere cheese.  Stir well.  Set aside.

Top half of the slices of bread with ham.  Using 1 cup of the Gruyere cheese, top the ham evenly.  Place the other pieces of bread with no ham and cheese on top of the ones with ham and cheese to form sandwiches.  Spoon the bechamel sauce over each sandwich, dividing evenly.  It's nice to have some run down the sides a bit.

Bake on 400 for 5 minutes.  Turn the oven to broil and broil for about 4-5 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

Whole Grain English Muffin Pizzas

My mother-in-law introduced me to these years ago.  My husband grew up eating these little pizzas.  They are so delicious!  English muffins are naturally low in fat, which is an added bonus.

Makes 12 pizzas








Ingredients:

*1 package whole grain English muffins
(usually 6 per package), spit in two
*1 jar pizza sauce
*12 slices part-skim mozzarella cheese
*pepperoni slices

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spoon pizza sauce on each muffin.  Spread out.  Top with cheese and then with four pepperonis each.  Over lap the edges of the pepperonis so that you can put a toothpick in the center of the muffin to keep the pepperonis from sliding off the cheese in the oven.

Bake 12 minutes on 425.  Turn the oven to broil.  Bake 2 more minutes or until the pepperoni starts to curl and is crisp.

Mexican Chicken Lasagna

When I was in seminary I was a Pampered Chef consultant part-time.  This is my adapted version of a Pampered Chef recipe.

Makes 8 - 10 servings

Ingredients:
*2 Tablespoons light margarine
*1 medium yellow onion, chopped
*1 package fat-free cream cheese (8 oz.)
*1 Tablespoon cilantro, chopped
*2 cups shredded 2% Monterrey Jack cheese, divided (8 oz.)
*1 large can mild enchilada sauce (28 oz.) or two small cans (14 oz. each)
*12 corn tortillas
*3 1/2 cups diced traditional Rotisserie chicken (I buy the pre-prepared Rotisserie chickens that are hot from the grocery store--usually near or in the produce section right when you walk in the store).  You can leave the skin on or off.)
*1 cup shredded 2% cheddar cheese






Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat a medium skillet over medium heat until hot.  Add margarine.  Once melted, add onion, and saute until transparent.  Set aside to cool.

Place cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high for 30-45 seconds or until very soft.  Stir so that it is all melty and soft.

Add cilantro to cream cheese.  Stir well.  Add 1 1/2 cups of the Monterrey Jack cheese.  Stir well.

In a 9 x 13 baking dish, poor just enough enchilada sauce in the bottom of the dish to coat.  Spread around so that all parts are lightly coated.  Pour the remaining enchilada sauce in a medium mixing bowl.

To assemble lasagna, dip the tortillas in the enchilada sauce one at a time as you prepare the layers, making sure that they are completely covered in sauce.  Shake off excess.  Start by place four tortillas in the bottom of the baking dish.  You may have to tear the last one to fill in the gaps.  Scoop half of the cheese mixture on top of the tortillas.  Use a rubber spatula (the very tip) to mash the cheese mixture down and spread.  (Using the extreme tip is the easiest way to spread it without the tortillas coming up.)  Top with 1 1/2 cups of the chicken.  Top with 1/3 of the onion.  Repeat the layers using 4 more tortillas dipped in enchilada sauce, 1 1/2 cups of chicken, the rest of the cheese mixture, and half of the onions left.  Repeat layers one last time using the last 4 tortillas, the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken, and the rest of the onions (you will not have a cheese mixture layer).  Pour the remaining enchilada sauce on top if there is any leftover.  Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until heated through and bubbly.  Let stand 5 minutes out of the oven before serving.

*Note:  If you have the Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker, you can microwave this dish instead of baking in the oven!  Once the lasagna is assembled, use the lid that came with the Deep Covered Baker to cover.  Microwave on high for 12-15 minutes or until the center is hot.  Let stand 10 minutes.  This doesn't work with just covering it with plastic wrap.  For some reason, it only works with the Deep Dish Baker and lid that it comes with.

Pork Chop Casserole

This is another recipe from one of my mom's cookbooks.  It's from Taste of Home's Mom's Best Meals.  The original recipe called for normal chicken broth and 1 teaspoon of salt, but it was too salty.  We loved everything else about it, though.  Below is my adapted version to bring down the saltiness to a normal level.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
*3/4 cup all-purpose flour
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/2 teaspoon black pepper
*6-7 boneless pork chops (3/4" to 1" thick)
*2 Tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
*1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of mushroom soup (98% fat-free)
*2/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
*1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
*1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
*1/2 cup fat-free or light sour cream, divided
*1 can (2.8 oz.) french-fried onions, divided

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Rinse pork chops.  Pat dry.

In a shallow bowl, combine flour, salt, and pepper.  Dredge pork chops.  Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat.  Cook pork chops just long enough to get browned on both sides.  Place pork chops in a single layer in a 13" x 9" baking dish.  Set aside.

In a bowl, combine soup, broth, ginger, rosemary, and 1/2 cup sour cream.  Pour over chops.  Sprinkle with half of the french-fried onions.

Cover and bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.  Top with remaining onions.  Return to the oven and bake uncovered for 10 minutes.

Pigs in a Blanket (Hot Dog Style)

Here's another easy dish for "sandwich nigh"t at our house.  I also make this with little smokies sausages with no cheese and slice each crescent roll triangle in half for breakfasts or as party appetizers.  By keeping the crescent triangles whole and using hot dogs instead of sausages and adding cheese, this dish is turned into an easy kid-friendly supper.

Makes 8 pigs in a blanket

Ingredients:
*1 can reduced-fat crescent rolls (8 rolls per can)
*2 slices reduced-fat cheddar cheese
*4 all-natural beef hot dog links

Directions:
Preheat oven to designated temperature on crescent roll can.

Place hot dogs on microwavable plate.  Pierce with a fork three times (on ends and in the middle).  Microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds on power level 5 to partially cook them.  Cut each hot dog in half horizontally.

Slice each piece of cheese in half.  Then slice each half in half vertically so that there are now 4 long strips per piece of cheese.

Separate dough into 8 triangles.  Place one piece of cheese in the middle of the dough triangle vertically, running from the base of the triangle up to the point.  Place 1 hot dog link on the larger end of each triangle horizontally (running parallel with the base of the triangle).  Roll up, starting at the big end, the base.  Bake according to crescent roll can directions.*

*Note:  It always takes longer to bake in my oven when I cook something inside the crescents.  You may have to increase your cooking time so that the dough on the bottom gets cooked all the way through.  I usually have to increase the oven temperature by 25 degrees for a couple of minutes at the end.

Judy's Flank Steak

This recipe is from Recipezaar.com, which no longer exists.  It was recipe #54991.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
*1/3 cup white wine or white cooking wine
*1/4 cup soy sauce
*1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
*1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
*1/4 teaspoon black pepper
*1 Tablespoon canola oil or vegetable oil
*1 1/2 Tablespoons honey
*1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
*1 small onion, chopped
*1 1/4 lb. flank steaks

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients, except for the steaks, in a bowl.  Whisk together well.

Place steak in a gallon sized zip lock bag.  You may have to cut in two if it does not fit.  Pour marinade into the bag.  Seal the bag tightly, getting as much air out of the bag as possible.  Lay flat in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours, but no longer than 24 hours.  Turn the bag over every now and then to distribute marinade.

Preheat oven to broil.  Remove steak from marinade.  Strain out onions.  Discard marinade, but keep onions.  Place steaks on a broiler pan with water at the bottom.  Put onions on top of steak.

Broil in the oven (make sure it's all the way heated) 6 inches from the heat.

For medium-rare to medium steaks, broil 6 minutes per side.  For medium to medium-well steaks, broil 8 minutes per side (just turning once).

Remove from oven.  Take steaks off the hot broiler pan, and put onto a plate to rest for 5 minutes before serving.  Slice into several steaks to serve.

Mexican Corn Casserole

This is my mom's recipe.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

*1 small onion, chopped
*3 Tablespoons margarine
*2 cans cream style corn
*1 package (6 oz.) Mexican corn bread mix
*1 cup shredded 2% cheddar cheese
*1 egg, slightly beaten
*cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Saute onion in margarine in a skillet over medium heat until tender.  Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together corn, cheese, and egg.  Stir in corn bread mix and onions.  Make sure the onions are not hot so that the egg does not cook.  Mix well. 

Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.  Pour corn mixture into the baking dish.  Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 15 minutes uncovered.*

*Note:  When it is done, the consistency will be that of corn casserole, not of corn bread.

Crispy Tacos with Ground Turkey

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:
*1 lb. ground turkey
*1 package taco seasoning
*2/3 cup water
*crispy taco shells
*shredded 2% cheddar cheese
*2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
*shredded lettuce
*guacamole (optional)
*salsa (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325.  Brown turkey in a skillet over medium heat until no longer pink.  Drain fat.  Place cooked turkey back in the skillet.

Pour taco seasoning over turkey.  Pour water over turkey.  Stir well.  Bring to a simmer.  Simmer 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat taco shells in the oven at 325 degrees for about 6 minutes.  Assemble tacos in the taco shells with meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, salsa, and guacamole.

Oven Beef Brisket

My husband makes this.  He uses the same dry rub that he uses for pulled pork.

Ingredients:
*1 beef brisket
*1/4 cup black pepper
*1/4 cup turbinado sugar (also called "sugar in the raw")
*2 Tablespoons salt
*2 teaspoons dry mustard
*1 teaspoon cayenne

Directions:
The night before, combine all ingredients in a bowl, except for the brisket.  Rub the brisket with the dry rub all over.  Place in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, take the brisket out of the refrigerator.  Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Place the brisket on a broiler pan with some water at the bottom (underneath the metal part).  Bake for 8 hours.

Remove from oven, and let it rest for 30 minutes before slicing.  Slice and serve with BBQ sauce on the side.

Cheesy Potatoes

This is a spin off of my mom's cheesy potatoes.  A couple of the ingredients are no longer made, so I played with the recipe until I got it just right.  This dish is one of my absolute favorites.

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:
* 5 lb. bag Russet potatoes, washed, peeled, and sliced into rounds then halved
*salt
*black pepper
*Pats of margarine + 3 Tablespoons, divided
*1 small yellow onion, chopped
*1 small green bell pepper, chopped
*4 oz. jar of pimentos, drained
*1/2 cup skim milk
*1 package (8 oz.) 2% Velveeta, cubed
*1 package (8 oz.) Mexican Velveeta, cubed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place potato slices in a 11" x 13" baking dish.  Salt and pepper to season.  Liberally dab margarine pats all over the top of the potatoes.  Cover with foil.  Bake for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, saute onion, bell pepper, and pimentos in the 3 Tbs. of margarine over medium heat until tender.  Set aside.

About 10 minutes before the hour is done for the potatoes baking, combine the cheeses with the milk in a microwavable bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap tightly.  Microwave in 4 minute increments on power level 4, stirring in between, until cheese is melted.

Remove potatoes from the oven.  Discard foil.  Spread onion mixture evenly over the top of the potatoes.  Pour cheese on top evenly.

Bake uncovered for 10-15 more minutes until the bubbly.

Oregano Zucchini and Squash

This recipe is from Taste of Home's Comfort Food Diet Cookbook.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
*2 Tablespoons olive oil
*2 summer squash, sliced in circles (all slices need to be the same thickness)
*2 zucchini, sliced in circles (all slices need to be same thickness as squash)
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 teaspoon oregano
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Once hot, add the oil.  Add the squash.  Saute for 4 minutes.  Add zucchini, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Saute until veggies are tender.

Meatball Sandwiches

This recipe is from Taste of Home's Diet Cookbook.

Makes 4 sandwiches

Ingredients:
*1/4 cup egg substitute like Egg Beaters
*1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
*1/4 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
*2 garlic cloves, minced
*1/2 teaspoon onion powder
*1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
*1/2 teaspoon dried basil
*1/4 teaspoon black pepper
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*1 1/4 lb. lean ground beef
*4 cups pasta sauce
*4 wheat hoagie buns
*4 slices low-fat mozzarella cheese
*shredded Parmesan cheese
*cooking spray

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine egg substitute, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, onion powder, oregano, basil, pepper, and salt.  Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.  Shape into about 20 meatballs.

In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, brown meatballs.  Drain.

Place meatballs in a sauce pan.  Add pasta sauce.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.

Split hoagies.  Put cheese on one side of the bread.  Broil in the oven until cheese is melted and bread is lightly toasted.

Spoon meatballs and sauce onto hoagie rolls.  Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Colorful Veggie Bake

Yum, yum, yum, yum.  Both my husband and I were not that excited about eating this beforehand.  I thought it sounded good when planning the meals, but on the day of actually cooking it, I was just disinterested.  We ate this with Zesty Italian chicken, which also didn't seem that exciting at the time.  I almost decided to just pick up fast food, but then stayed strong and decided against it.  As soon as I took this dish out of the oven, my opinion changed.  It really is so colorful, just like the name, and just looking at it sparked my appetite.  It was gooooooooooooood!  The zesty Italian chicken was amazing, too, and I'm very glad that I decided to cook dinner this night instead of running out to get something.  We will definitely be making this dish a lot in our house from now on.   At first I thought it would not be enough cheese and almost added more, but it was perfect as is.  What a great way to get my two year old (and my husband and I) to eat a variety of vegetables and to love them.

I got this recipe from another one of my mom's cookbooks, as most of my recipes are.  I love looking through all her cookbooks when I visit.  It's from Taste of Home's Mom's Best Meals.

Makes 8-10 servings

Ingredients:
*2 packages (16 oz. each) frozen California blend vegetables (carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower)
*8 oz. 2% Velveeta, cubed
*6 Tablespoons low-fat margarine, divided
*1/2 cup wheat Ritz crackers, crushed (about 13 crackers)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare the vegetables according to the package directions.  I use the microwave directions.  Drain.  Place half of the vegetables in an ungreased 11" x 7" x 2" baking dish.

In a small saucepan, combine cheese and 4 Tablespoons of the margarine.  Stir over low heat until melted.  Pour half over the vegetables.  Repeat layers.

Melt the remaining margarine in a small microwavable bowl.  Toss with cracker crumbs.  Sprinkle over the top of casserole.  Bake uncovered at 325 for 20-25 minutes or until the crackers are golden brown.

Zesty Italian Chicken

I had this dish at my friend Sara's house in February.  She printed out the recipe for me, but somehow I have never been able to remember where I put it.  This was my attempt to re-create it.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
*6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
*1 bottle Italian salad dressing, divided
*1 gallon size zip lock bag
*6 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese (1 Tbs. per chicken breast)

Directions:
Place chicken breasts in the zip lock bag.  Pour salad dressing into the bag, reserving 1/2 cup.  I just eyeball this.  Put the remaining 1/2 cup salad dressing back in the refrigerator for later.  Tightly close the zip lock bag, removing the air.  Move the chicken pieces around with your fingers on the outside of the bag, making sure that all the pieces are covered in the salad dressing.  Place in the refrigerator.  Marinate 3 hours up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Using a fork, remove chicken pieces and place in a glass baking dish.  Discard marinade.  Pull out the reserved 1/2 cup salad dressing from the refrigerator.  Pour over chicken.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, uncovered.  Remove from oven and top each chicken piece with Parmesan cheese (1 Tbs. on top of each piece).  Put back in the oven, and bake for 10 more minutes.