Parmesan Roasted Green Beans

Another adapted recipe from Pinterest. I let mine get a tad too brown.  It wasn't pretty and bright green, but they tasted delicious.  I got my son to eat this too.  He'll eat anything if it has Parmesan cheese all over it.

Ingredients:
*cooking spray
*1 lb. fresh green beans, ends snapped off.  Make sure they are completely dry.
* 1 Tablespoon olive oil
*pinch of kosher salt
*fresh ground black pepper to taste
*1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
*3 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan

Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2.  Place the dry green beans in a gallon size Zip Lock bag.  Pour in the olive oil.  Close the bag, letting out all the air.  Using your fingers on the outside of the bag, move the green beans all around so that they all get lightly coated with the olive oil.  Open the bag and dump in the kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.  Close the bag again like before and move the green beans all around so that the seasonings are evenly distributed.
 
3.  Spread the green beans out on the baking sheet so that none overlap.  Roast for 10 minutes in the oven.

4.  Remove from the oven.  Shake the pan so that the green beans turn.  Return back to the oven for 5 minutes.

5.  Remove from oven.  Top with Parmesan.

Roasted Tomatoes with Basil and Parmesan

It's always hard to find a side dish to go with Italian dishes, other than a green salad.  I get tired of that.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and adapted it a tad.  The family loved it.

Ingredients:
*olive oil flavored cooking spray
*4 tomatoes, sliced to 1/4 inch slices
*1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
*1/4 cup provolone cheese, shredded
*3 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
*1 teaspoon dried oregano
*1/2 tsp salt
*ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with the olive oil flavored cooking spray.  Place tomatoes on the baking sheet.

2.  Top each tomato slice evenly with Provolone, then basil, Parmesan, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Spray the top of each tomato slice with the olive oil cooking spray.

3.  Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the tomatoes are tender.

Sneaky Vegetable Spaghetti Sauce

My four year old is in a vegetable rut.  He will only eat the same vegetables over and over, and not many of them are green:  carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, sweet potatoes, corn, roasted green beans (sometimes) and canned Lasueur peas.  I invented this spaghetti sauce recipe as a way to get him to eat more green vegetables without being able to see them or taste them!  This sauce is chock full of zucchini and chopped spinach.  The particular sauce that I add the vegetables to also has more than 1 full serving of vegetables per half cup.  Because of the particular flavor of this jar sauce, there is not a hint of spinach or zucchini taste.  Sneaky, sneaky...


Ingredients:
*1 jar Robusto! Ragu Parmesan & Romano spaghetti sauce
*2 Tablespoons olive oil
*2 zucchini, chopped
*1/2 box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Directions:
1.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the olive oil.  Once hot, add the zucchini and spinach.  Saute until the zucchini is very tender.  Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

2.  In a food processor, pour in the jar spaghetti sauce and the spinach/zucchini mixture.  Process until smooth and no chunks of vegetables remain.

3.  Pour into a pot.  Cover, and heat on medium-low heat until hot.  Serve over angel hair pasta.

Spaghetti Pizza Casserole

My mom gave me this recipe.  I'm not sure where she got it from originally.

Makes 9 servings

Ingredients:
*cooking spray
*1 package (7 oz.) angel hair past
*1/2 cup Egg Beaters or 2 eggs (1 egg = 1/4 cup Egg Beaters)
*1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
*1 lb. lean ground beef
*1 yellow onion, chopped
*1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
*1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped
*2 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
*1 jar (26 oz.) Prego Traditional spaghetti sauce
*1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
*1 teaspoon dried basil
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
*1/2 lb. sliced button mushrooms
*1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.  Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.  Drain.  Immediately rinse with cold water in the colander to prevent the pasta from sticking together.  This will not make your pasta cold...don't worry.  Make sure the water is all drained out.  Transfer the pasta to a large bowl.

2.  In the large bowl, add the Egg Beaters and Parmesan.  Toss.  Spread evenly into the baking dish.  Set aside.

3.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Brown the ground beef, onion, and bell peppers until the meat is no longer pink.  Drain.  Return the skillet back to the heat.  Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute.

4.  Stir in the spaghetti sauce, Italian seasoning, basil, salt, and ground black pepper.  Spoon over spaghetti.  Top with mushrooms and then mozzarella.

5.  Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Cattiatore

I recently discovered the Pioneer Woman on the Food Network.  She has had her own blog for some time now, and I cannot get enough of it.  Everything that I have made of hers is outstanding.  This is the Pioneer Woman's Chicken Cacciatore exactly.  If you have never been to her website, then do it now!  Her stuff is amazing, and her posts are very entertaining.  I love her!  Click here to get her recipe.  Her final version is much prettier than mine, and she explains everything perfectly.

Braising the chicken...I was so proud of myself!

The yummy sauce I made...thanks Ree for teaching me how to do this!

Pesto Chicken Pizza

I created this recipe a few days after I ate at Mellow Mushroom.  I had a pizza there that had an olive oil and garlic base instead of a traditional tomato sauce base.  It was delicious, so when I saw pesto marinated chicken breasts at HEB, I thought they would be great on an olive oil and garlic base pizza.  My husband doesn't care for a pesto spread on anything usually, much less pizza, because the flavor is very intense, so I thought this would still give the pizza a pesto taste without blowing him away with pesto flavor in every bite.  He loved it, and so did my son.  If you don't have an HEB near you, you can buy jar pesto (or make your own), and spread the pesto all over raw chicken breasts and marinate for 24 hours before making this pizza.

Makes 9 slices

Ingredients:
*a good extra virgin olive oil
*salt
*black pepper
*1 bulb of garlic (Yes, the whole thing, don't worry)
*cooking spray
*1 package of HEB pesto chicken breasts (I use 2 out of the 3 chicken breasts and freeze the last one)
*1/2 cup to 1 cup of water
*1 tube Pillsbury thin crust pizza dough
*1 bag (8 oz.) part-skim shredded Italian blend cheese (mozzarella, Romano, Parmesan, etc.)
*1 bag fresh pre-rinsed spinach leaves
*about 20 grape/cherry tomatoes (The HEB brand calls them "champagne tomatoes"), quartered

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Roast the garlic--Remove most of the the outer skin peel off the bulb of garlic, but leave enough skin to keep the cloves all together.  Cut about 1/4" off the top of the garlic bulb (the side with the pointy skin).  Place on top of a foil sheet, with the cut side facing up.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle the tops with salt and black pepper.  Wrap the foil over the top, making a foil pouch.  Seal.  Place the foil pouch in a baking dish.  Roast in the oven for 35-45 minutes until soft.  Open the foil to let the garlic bulb cool.  When it is cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic out of the bulb into a shallow bowl.  Mash well.  Pour about 1/4" olive oil over the garlic into the bowl.  Season with salt and black pepper.  Stir well.  Set aside and let the garlic infuse the olive oil for at least 20 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, keep the oven on 400 degrees.  Place a pizza stone or cookie sheet in the oven so it can get hot.

Meanwhile, cook the chicken:  Heat a medium skillet over medium-low heat.  Once hot, spray with cooking spray.  Immediately place the chicken breasts in the hot pan.  Cook about 7 minutes per side until no longer pink inside.  When you flip the chicken, spray the pan with cooking spray again.  About 1 minute after flipping, start adding the water to de-glaze the pan and make a glaze.  When the pan starts to get dry again, add more water.  Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and drizzle with the glaze.  Set aside to let cool.

Meanwhile, roll out the pizza dough into a rectangle on the pre-heated pizza stone or cookie sheet.  (If using a cookie sheet, make sure you spray it with cooking spray first.)  Pre-bake the crust on 400 degrees for 5 minutes.

While the crust is pre-baking, slice the cooled chicken into thin slices, and then cut each slice in half lengthwise.  Set aside.

Brush the garlic infused olive oil onto the pre-baked crust liberally.  Using a fork, spread the mashed roasted garlic evenly on the crust.  Pour the remaining olive oil over the quartered tomatoes in a bowl.  Season with salt and black pepper.  Stir well.

Spread chicken evenly onto pizza crust.  Top with spinach leaves.  I use about half of a bag.  It cooks down a lot.

Top evenly with the Italian blend cheese.  Top with the garlic infused marinated tomatoes.

Bake on 400 degrees for 6 to 10 more minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Chicken & White Bean Bruschetta Bake

Looking for a FAST weeknight meal?  And I mean FAST?  This is it.  This recipe is from Pillsbury Bake-Off Prize Winning Recipes, Collector's Edition, Volume 2.  There are so many good recipes in this magazine.  I adjusted the amount of balsamic vinegar in my version below as well as how I season the chicken.

Makes 4 servings at 1 1/2 cups each

Ingredients:
*cooking spray
*1 can (19 oz.) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
*1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, drained
*1 package (6 oz.) refrigerated cooked chicken breast strips, cut into 1-inch pieces
*Olive Oil flavored cooking spray
*Italian seasoning
*1/2 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1 can (11 oz.) Pillsbury refrigerated original bread sticks
*2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Italian cheese blend (I use 2%)
*1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a 13x9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.  Place chicken in a medium bowl.  Spray with olive oil cooking spray, and stir to coat.  Sprinkle Italian seasoning on chicken, and stir to coat evenly.

In a large bowl mix the tomatoes, chicken, balsamic vinegar, and salt.  Add the beans and mix gently.

Unroll the dough and separate into 12 bread sticks.  Cut each bread stick into 4 equal pieces.  Stir 1/4 of the bread stick pieces at a time into the bean mixture until all are mixed in.  Stir in 1 cup of the cheese.  Spoon the mixture into the baking dish, gently smoothing the top.  Top evenly with the remaining cheese.  Sprinkle with basil.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and the top is golden brown.

*Note:  I usually serve this with either oven-roasted asparagus or my garlic and white wine sauteed asparagus.

Garlic and White Wine Sauted Asparagus

Makes 2-4 servings

Ingredients:
*1 bunch asparagus
*2 Tablespoons butter
*salt
*black pepper
*3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
*white wine

Directions:

Rinse the asparagus and pat dry with paper towels.  Take one asparagus and holding it by the ends with each hand, bend the asparagus until in breaks naturally.  Throw the bottom part away.  Line the top of the snapped piece of asparagus up with the rest of the tops of the other asparagus.  Use the snapped asparagus as a template to cut off the rest of the ends of the other asparagus.  Discard ends.

Heat a skillet on medium heat.  Add the butter until melted.  Add the asparagus to the pan and season with salt and pepper.  Saute for a few minutes.  Add the garlic and saute for one minute.  Add a splash of white wine to deglaze the pan.  Saute until the alcohol cooks out--a couple of minutes.

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.

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.

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.

Pesto Shrimp Pasta Toss

This is a recipe from a Taste of Home cookbook that my mom has.  It's light, healthy, and refreshing.  It's great dish for a warm spring or summer evening.

Makes 8-10 servings

Ingredients:
*13 oz. uncooked whole grain linguine
*2 lbs. frozen deveined, peeled shrimp (thawed)
*1 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed*, and cut into 2-inch pieces
*1 medium yellow summer squash, sliced
*1 cup baby carrots, halved lengthwise
*1 Tablespoon low-fat margarine, melted
*1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
*1/4 teaspoon salt + a dash
*1/2 cup prepared pesto (I use jar pesto from the grocery store)
*1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
*cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450.  Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray.  Combine asparagus, carrots, and squash in the casserole dish.  Drizzle with margarine.  Toss to coat.  Sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning and the 1/4 teaspoon of salt.  Toss to coat.  Bake for 45 minutes, stirring twice.

Towards the last half of the vegetable cooking time, cook the linguine according to the package directions, adding the dash of salt to the boiling water.  Add the shrimp during the last minute to minute and a half.  Drain the linguine and shrimp and transfer to a large serving bowl or back to the empty pot.

Add the vegetables and pesto to the pasta.  Toss gently.  Add the Parmesan cheese, and toss gently.

*Note:  To trim asparagus, bend 1 asparagus until it snaps in two.  Throw away the bottom, thick part that snaps off.  Line the snapped asparagus next to the rest of the asparagus, and using the snapped one as a template, cut the rest of the asparagus bottoms off.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

 We got this recipe off of Recipeezar years ago.  We make this sauce every year on senior high mission trip with our church.  My husband and I always go together as cooks.  This recipe makes a lot of sauce.  We usually freeze 1/2 to 2/3 of it to use months later for another easy spaghetti meal or to make lasagna.  Since it makes so much, it actually ends up being cheaper to make my own sauce than to buy spaghetti sauce from the store.  It's also healthier since it's not processed, not to mention it tastes like you're in Italy.  My husband and I traveled to Italy in 2005, and this sauce brings us back there every time we have it.  It makes the house smell amazing while it is cooking, too!  It's a great meal to make for a Saturday or Sunday supper since it sits on the stove all day cooking.

Makes 2-3 recipes worth

Ingredients:
*2 lb. extra lean ground beef (96/4)
*1 large yellow onion, chopped
*4 fresh cloves garlic, crushed or minced
*1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes (with juices and all)
*2 cans (6 oz. each) tomato paste
*2 cans (15 oz. each) tomato sauce
*2 cups water
*3 teaspoons dried basil
*2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
*1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
*1 teaspoon salt
*1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
*1/4 teaspoon black pepper
*1/4 cup red wine (Cabernet) or red cooking wine

Directions:
In a large stock pot, brown the beef and onions over medium heat.  Add all other ingredients.  Stir well.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  I usually simmer it for at least 4 hours, though.  The longer it sits on the stove, the better it tastes.

Italian Burgers

This is my best friend Stef's recipe and one of my family's favorites.  We made it on a senior high mission trip with our church to Gulfport, MS to do Hurricane Katrina relief.  Stef was a cook for that trip with my husband and me.  She has since moved three hours away, and every time I make this dish, I think of her and all the fun we had together on that trip.

Makes 4 burgers (1/4 lb. each)

Ingredients:
*1 lb. lean ground beef (we use 96/4)
*1 small jar of spaghetti sauce--you'll need 1/3 cup + some to pour over each burger at the end (I just use Prego Traditional--you don't need anything fancy for this recipe.  The burgers speak for themselves.)
*3 Tablespoons onion, finely chopped
*4 slices Provolone or reduced-fat Mozzarella cheese
*4 wheat hamburger buns or 8 slices Italian bread

Directions:
Preheat oven to broil.  Pour all of the spaghetti sauce, except for 1/3 cup, into a small saucepan.  Cook on low to warm the sauce.

Meanwhile, mix beef, the reserved 1/3 cup spaghetti sauce, and onion in a medium bowl.  Form into 4 patties.

Place patties on a roasting pan filled with some water on the bottom to catch the grease drippings.  Broil approximately 3 inches from heat for 6 minutes.  Turn patties.  Broil 6 more minutes.  Top each patty with a slice of cheese and broil just until cheese is melted and the beef is cooked.  (Since there is spaghetti sauce in the patties, it will look a little pink even when it is well-done.  12 minutes should produce a well-done burger.)  Remove patties from oven.

Place hamburger buns or Italian bread slices on a cookie sheet.  We spray each slice with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray.  Broil just until lightly toasted, watching it carefully so that the bread does not burn. 

Place a hamburger patty on a piece of bread.  Top with some spaghetti sauce and then another slice of bread.

Poblano Florentine Casserole

Mexican or Italian?  This dish has elements of both.  This is from Pillsbury Prize Winning Bake-Off Recipes, Collector's Edition, Vol. 2.

Makes 9 servings

Ingredients:
*5 fresh poblano chilies
*cooking spray
*1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese or Chihuahua cheese
*1 cup 2% shredded Mexican blend cheese
*1/3 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
*2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
*1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
*1 box (9 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to drain
*1 can (12 oz.) Pillsbury Grands! Jr. Golden Layers Butter Tastin' refrigerated biscuits (10 biscuits)
*1 can (10 oz.) mild enchilada sauce

Directions:
Set oven to broil.  Broil poblanos whole on a cookie sheet with the tops of the peppers 2 inches from heat for about 10 minutes, turning frequently with tongs until all sides are blackened and blistered.   Place chilies in a zip lock bag.  Seal bag.  Let chilies steam 15 minutes.

Heat oven to 350.  Spray 8-inch (2 quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix Monterey Jack and Mexican cheese blend.  Reserve 3/4 cup for topping.

In another medium bowl, mix ricotta, garlic, cumin, and spinach.  Stir shredded cheeses (except for that 3/4 cup).  Set aside.

Wearing food-safe plastic gloves, peel blackened skin from chilies.  Cut open chilies, remove stems, seeds, and membranes.  Cut each chile in half lengthwise into 2 pieces.  Pat dry with a paper towel.

Separate dough into 10 biscuits.  Separate each biscuit into 2 thin layers.  Flatten slightly.

Pour half of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of the baking dish.  Place 10 biscuit layers on the sauce, cutting biscuits if necessary to fit.  Top with 5 chile halves.  Spread spinach mixture over chilies.  Top with remaining 5 chile halves and remaining biscuit layers.  Pour remaining enchilada sauce over biscuits.

Spray a sheet of foil with cooking spray.  Cover baking dish with the foil with the greased side down.  Bake 55-60 minutes or until thoroughly heated and bubbly around edges.

Sprinkle with reserved 3/4 cup shredded cheeses.  Bake uncovered 5-8 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Cool 10 minutes before cutting.

Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches

This is my best friend Stef's recipe.  I have tried many different recipes for this, and I always come back to this one.  It's the best.  Her recipes are usually the best versions of the things out there.  Even my two and a half year old son cannot get enough of this dish.  I normally do not care for pepperocinis, but once cooked down into this dish, they add an interesting zippy flavor.

Makes 8 sandwiches



Ingredients:
*3 1/2 lb. boneless beef chuck roast (chuck roast shreds really easily)
*1 cup pepperocini pepper juice from a jar of pepperocinis
*1 pkg. dry Italian dressing mix (She uses Good Seasonings brand, but I recently tried an HEB store brand, and it tasted the same.)
*1 pkg. dry brown gravy mix
*jarred sliced pepperocinis to taste
*garlic powder
*wheat hoagie rolls
*8 slices low-fat mozzarella cheese or provolone cheese

Directions:
Place roast in a crock pot.  Sprinkle liberally with garlic powder and rub all over.  Turn it over, and repeat.

In a small bowl whisk pepperocini juice with the Italian dressing mix.  Pour over the beef.  Add sliced pepperocini peppers to taste.  Cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Preheat oven to broil.

Just before serving, uncover the crock pot, and shred the meat with two forks inside the crock pot.  Mix in gravy mix, cover, and cook for about 5-10 minutes more.

Meanwhile, split hoagie rolls with a knife lengthwise down the middle.  Place hoagie rolls on a cookie sheet.  Place a slice of cheese on one side of each of the hoagie rolls.  Broil hoagie rolls just until the cheese is melted and the bread is lightly toasted.  Watch carefully because this will happen quickly.

Spoon Italian beef mixture on one side of the hoagie roll to eat.

Creamy Spinach and Tortellini

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

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
*18-20 oz. refrigerated or frozen cheese-filled tortellini
*2 Tablespoons olive oil
*1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
*3 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
*1 package (9 oz.) frozen chopped spinach
*1 cup cubed seeded Roma tomatoes
*1/4 cup fresh chopped basil (MUST be fresh!  I use dry basil all the time, but this recipe specifically needs fresh.)
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/2 teaspoon black pepper
*1 cup heavy whipping cream
*1/4 - 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:
Cook the tortelinni to desired doneness according to the package directions. Drain.  Cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until hot.  Add the onion and garlic, and saute until tender.  While this is going on, cut a slit (about an inch long) in the top of the spinach package to vent.  Thaw by microwaving it on high for 2-3 minutes.  DO NOT DRAIN THE LIQUID FROM THE SPINACH!

Once the onions are tender, add the spinach with the juices.  Add the tomato, basil, salt, and pepper.  Stir occasionally, and cook for 5 minutes.  Stir in cream and parmesan cheese.  Cook just until the mixture comes to a boil.  You may have to gradually increase the heat to bring it to a boil.  Stir frequently to prevent the cream mixture from burning on the bottom.

As soon as it boils, reduce the heat to low.  Stir in cooked tortellini.  Cook an additional 4-5 minutes on low heat or until thoroughly heated through.

Pizza Bubble Ring

This is a recipe out of Pillsbury Bake-Off Prize Winning Recipes, Collector's Edition, Volume 2 magazine.

Servings: 20

Ingredients:
*6-8 Tablespoons margarine, melted
*1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
*1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
*2 cans (12 oz. each) Pillsbury Grands! Jr. Golden Layers refrigerated flaky biscuits
*40 slices pepperoni or turkey pepperoni
(about 3 oz.)
*8 oz. mozzarella cheese slices (not shredded), cut into 20 pieces (I cut the slices into fourths, so I had just a few more than 20 pieces.  The more cheese the merrier.)
*1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
*1 1/4 cups pizza sauce, heated
* Ranch salad dressing (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.  Spray a bunt pan with cooking spray.  In a small bowl, mix the melted margarine, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.

Separate 1 can of dough into 10 biscuits.  Hold one biscuit in your hands, and use your fingers to press and stretch it out into about a 3-inch round.  Place 2 pepperoni slices in the center, one on top of the other.  Top each with a slice of mozzarella cheese.  Bring edges of dough up around the filling, and press the edges to seal.  Roll in the butter mixture, and place in the pan.  Repeat with all the rest of the biscuits in that can.  When you are finished with 1 can, it should look like this:

Sprinkle with half the Parmesan cheese.  Separate the other can of dough into 10 biscuits and repeat the above process.  Place them on top of the 1st layer.  Sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan cheese.  If there is any butter mixture left over, pour it on top.  When you are done with the 2nd can, it should look like this:

Bake 33 to 38 minutes or until deep golden brown.  Cool 5 minutes.  Gently loosen the bread from the side of the pan.  I used a butter knife.  It should loosen fairly easily.  Place a large plate upside down on top of the pan.  Holding the plate firmly onto the pan, flip the pan so that it is upside down, and the plate is now on the bottom facing up.  Remove the bread from the pan.

Pinch off pieces to serve.  Serve with warmed pizza sauce or cool Ranch salad dressing.  This goes great with a green salad.