Lazy Day Lasagna

1 12 oz container cottage cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 eggs

½ cup chopped parsley

1 tsp. onion powder

½ tsp. dried basil leaves

½ tsp. pepper

1 32 oz jar spaghetti sauce

¾ pound cooked ground beef

12 uncooked lasagna noodles

¼ cup water

Grated Parmesan cheese

In large bowl, mix first 7 (first group) ingredients until well blended; set aside.  In medium bowl, mix together spaghetti sauce and meat.  In 12x8x2 baking dish, spread ¾ cup meat sauce.  Layer 4 uncooked noodles on top of meat sauce.  Spread with half of cottage cheese mixture and 1½ cups meat sauce.  Layer 4 more uncooked noodles on top of meat sauce.  Spread with remaining cottage cheese mixture.  Top with remaining 4 uncooked noodles and remaining meat sauce.  Pour water around edges of casserole*.  Cover tightly with lid.  Bake in 375 oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more or until noodles are tender.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.  Serve with Parmesan cheese. 

*If freezing, do not add water.  After removing from freezer, add water around edges.

"Deli Sub" Pizza

8 servings

1 package crescent rolls
1 package cream cheese
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
2 cups finely shredded lettuce
4 ounces shredded ham
2¼ ounces shredded cheddar cheese
2¼ ounces shredded Swiss cheese
½ cup finely diced onion
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/3 cup Italian dressing
2 ounces sliced black olives

Preheat oven to 450. Spray a rimmed 9x13 cookie sheet. Gently pat rolls into pan. Bake 5-7 minutes. Cool on wire rack. In small bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, and mustard. Spread evenly over cooled crust. In large bowl, combine lettuce, ham, cheeses, olives, onion, and tomato. Add Italian dressing and mix gently to coat. Sprinkle lettuce mixture over crust. Chill until ready to serve.

Chicken Fajita Pizza

4 - 6” flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped tomato, seeded
1/4 cup olive slices

Heat oven to 350. Place tortillas on cookie sheet; sprinkled 2 T cheese on each. Bake 4-5 minutes or until melted. Toss chicken with salsa; spread on tortillas. Toss peppers with remaining cheese; sprinkle over chicken mixture. Bake 7-10 minutes or until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted. Top with remaining ingredients.

Enchilada Lasagna

This recipe is a mix between an Enchilada Stack and Mexican Lasagna. It was super easy to make in the Crock-Pot. I'm going to post the recipe as a I made it for dinner, but below add suggestions for how I would change it next time I make it. Please be sure to read the notes under the recipe.

1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1 small onion, diced fine
1 large can red enchilada sauce
6 large flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese

Once meat is browned and drained, return to pan and add onion. Allow to cook another 1-2 minutes. In the meantime, spray the Crock with cooking spray. Add a couple spoonfuls of enchilada sauce to bottom and spread into an even layer. Add remaining enchilada sauce to meat and onion mixture, stirring ingredients together. Layer a tortilla on top of the sauce in the crock. Layer enchilada mixture. Repeat the layers twice more. Add cheese on top of sauce layer, then another tortilla. Repeat until out of ingredients. Add cheese on top. Allow to cook in Crock on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. To serve, try cutting the lasagna into pieces then scoop out. Top with ingredients you'd put on enchiladas (sour cream, jalapenos, taco sauce, salsa, etc.) Could serve with refried beans or Spanish rice for sides.

Notes: Making it this way was too acidic for me, so I recommend finding something to cut the enchilada sauce back a bit. Maybe combining with some sour cream or a can of tomato soup would help.

If everyone in the family enjoys refried beans, olives, or Spanish rice, it would be good to add these to the layers. It would make it more filling and eliminate the need for side dishes.

Adding cheese to each layer would make it yummier (I didn't, because we didn't have enough).

You could also substitute shredded chicken or pork for the ground beef. Any meat will do as long as it is cooked before adding it to the layers. If making chicken enchiladas, I would recommend using 1 small can of enchilada sauce and 1 can of cream of chicken soup.

Cheesy Baked Potato Soup

I whipped this up for dinner last night in the Crock Pot and it almost fed 5 adults with large servings. It's been too hot in Southern California to want to use the oven or stove, so the Crock is coming in handy. Triple digits in late-September is definitely not cool!! The previous night, I made Enchilada Lasagna which I will be posting immediately after this.

1 stick salted butter (or unsalted butter and 1/2 tsp salt)
1/2 medium onion, fine dice
12-14 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-2" chunks
2 Tbsp or 3 cloves minced garlic (I used the jar kind)
1 small can chicken broth or 1 3/4 cups water with 2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups milk
1 can cheddar cheese soup
2 tsp garlic salt (or garlic powder if it has enough salt)
2 Tbsp dried parsley
bacon bits, to taste
Shredded cheddar cheese

I think I used a 4 quart Crock Pot and it was about 2/3 full when done. Cut butter into pats and place on bottom of crock. Turn on high and cover with a lid to melt the butter. Peel and dice potatoes while waiting. Once butter has melted, add onion and garlic. Stir together then add potatoes. Next add chicken broth, 1 cup milk, and pepper. Stir until all potatoes are coated. Reduce heat to low and cook for 4 hours (or keep on high for 2 hours). Add cheddar cheese soup and let cook on low for another 1 1/2 hours (or high for 45 minutes). Using a potato masher, mash the larger chunks of potatoes to get a smoother consistency. Add another cup of milk, garlic salt/powder, parsley, bacon bits, and stir well. If you are going to eat this immediately, I would recommend adding shredded cheese then serving. Since we ate in shifts, each person added cheese to their bowl before eating.

Since this is designed as a baked potato soup, it would be appropriate to garnish with sour cream, more bacon bits, chives or green onions, and shredded cheese. It's a matter of personal preference.

Grilled Pineapple Chicken Tenders

1 cup pineapple juice
½ cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup light soy sauce
2 pounds chicken breast tenders

Skewers

In small saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients but chicken. Remove from heat just before mixture comes to a boil. Place chicken tenders in medium bowl and cover with pineapple marinade. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Preheat grill for medium heat. Thread chicken lengthwise onto wooden skewers. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill tenders for 5 minutes per side or until juices run clear.

You may also add bell peppers or onions to skewers for kabobs.

Enchiladas

1 package tortillas
1 tablespoon of margarine (or extra virgin olive oil)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 fresh glove of garlic, minced (or equivalent from a jar)
1- 4 ounce can diced green chiles, drained
1/2 cup sour cream
1- 10 3/4 ounce can condensed cream of chick soup
1 1/2 cups cubed skinless chicken breast
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup milk

*measurements do not have to be exact :-)

Remove tortillas from fridge and heat oven to 350. Cook chicken with onion and garlic in margarine or olive oil. Stir in chiles, sour cream, and soup. Mix well. Set some sauce aside (without meat). Add 1/2 cup of cheese. Warm tortillas, fill with chicken mixture, and roll. Place seam side down in a sprayed baking dish. Mix reserved sauce with milk and spoon over rolled tortillas. Top with remaining cheese. Bake 30-35 minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbly.

*For beef enchiladas, use burger instead of chicken and enchilada sauce or tomato soup in place of cream of chicken soup.

I often use mild enchilada sauce in place of soup for chicken or beef enchiladas. Given that, I don't add the milk and I reserve enchilada sauce only to top the enchiladas before baking.