Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

This dish was so delish and warmed us right up. It is one of the recipes I pinned on Pinterest. It was really easy to make. It reminded me of broccoli cheddar soup at Panera. I served this dish with some biscuits.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
1 c chopped carrot
1 c chopped celery
1 tbsp minced garlic
4 c chicken broth
2 large baking potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp flour
1/2 c water
2/3 c milk
2 c chopped broccoli
2 heaping cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Melt butter in large soup pot. Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute over medium heat until tender.
2. Add garlic and cook 1-2 additional minutes.
3. Add chicken broth and potatoes, bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender.
4. Mix flour with water. Add to soup and simmer until slightly thickened.
5. Add milk an broccoli and cook until broccoli is just tender and soup is heated through.
6. Stir in cheese. Allow to melt. Serve.

Recipe courtesy of Lulu the Baker via Pinterest

Taffy Apple Salad

This side dish we gobble up every Thanksgiving and Christmas in our family. The fruit and nut combo make a great side addition to you holiday meal!

Ingredients:

1 large can chunk pineapple in juice, drain and save juice

1 1/2 TBS vinegar

1/2 c sugar

1 egg

1 TBS flour

2 c chopped apple

2 c mini marshmallows

1 1/2 c peanuts (dry roasted, no skins)

8 oz Cool Whip

Directions :

1. To pineapple juice, add: vinegar, sugar, egg and flour. Mix well.

2. Boil the juice mixture until thick. Cool. (Sometimes I do this part the night before to really ensure the mixture is cool.)

3. Add cooled mixture to cool whip and mix.

4. Add apples, pineapple, nuts, and marshmallows to mixture in a large bowl. Turn with a spatula or large spoon until blended.

5. Chill for an hour.

Recipe courtesy of Patty Wills

Baked Parmesan Garlic Chicken and Roasted Potatoes

This wonderful and easy dish I made for dinner tonight thanks to Pinterest. :) I served with steamed broccoli to balance out this meal. It will be a recipe I will be repeating. The chicken was tasty and the potatoes were scrumptious. Hope you try it. You won't be disappointed!


Chicken-
Ingredients:
6 chicken breasts
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 package of Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
1/2 tsp of garlic powder

Directions:
1. Preheat over 400*.
2. Mix cheese, dressing, and garlic powder.
3. Moisten chicken breasts with water; coat with cheese mixture. Place in a shallow baking dish.
4. Back 20-25 minutes until chicken is no longer pink in the center.

Recipe courtesy of momswhothink.com via Pinterest.


Potatoes:
Ingredients:
baked potatoes
Lawry's Seasoned Salt
Parmesan cheese
butter

Directions:
1. Cook a pierced potato in the microwave until it's soft all the way through...about 6-7 minutes, flipping over every 2 minutes.
2. Cut the potato in half. Then cut the half into squares. Don't cut all the way through, just down to the skin.
3. Season with butter, parmesan cheese, and Lawry's seasoned salt.
4. Broil for 10-15 minutes in oven on the middle rack.

Recipe courtesy of iowagirleats.com via Pinterest

Mini Sheperd's Pies

I'm addicted to Pinterest! It has brought me to so many new recipes to try (in addition to ideas for classroom, decorating, entertaining, etc!) This dish I found on Pinterest that was pinned from tasteofhome.com. What's great about this dish is that not only is it very tasty, you can freeze half the batch too!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 3 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/3 cup chili sauce or ketchup
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/4 cups water
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1-1/4 cups mashed potato flakes
• 1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
• 1 tube (12 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
• 1/2 cup crushed potato chips
• Paprika, optional

Directions:

• In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute or until tender; drain. Stir in the chili sauce, vinegar and salt; set aside.
• In a small saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil. Pour into a small bowl. Whisk in potato flakes until blended. Beat in cream cheese until smooth.
• Press 1 biscuit dough onto the bottom and up the sides of each of 10 greased muffin cups. Fill with beef mixture. Spread potato mixture over beef. Sprinkle with potato chips; press down lightly.
• Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with paprika if desired. Serve immediately, or cool before placing in a single layer in a freezer container. Cover and freeze for up to 2 months.
• To use frozen pies: Thaw in the refrigerator for 8 hours. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 15-18 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 5 servings.

Recipe courtesy of www.tasteofhome.com via Pinterest

Parmesan Bowtie Skillet

I'm not exactly sure where I got this recipe from. I found the recipe on the back of some scrap paper that I copied down from somewhere. I found it with all my cook books this weekend while packing. I thought I'd try this dish and add some hot Italian sausage to spice it up. ;) Brian, my food critic, said it was definitely a repeater.

Ingredients:
3 cups of bow tie (farfalle) pasta, cooked and drained
1 14oz jar of spaghetti sauce
1/2 c ricotta
1/2 c mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 package ground Italian sausage (I used hot)

Directions:
1. While I cooked the pasta, I browned the sausage. Drain and set aside.
2. Combine cooked pasta, spaghetti sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese in a skillet. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and add sausage.
3. Cook ten minutes.
4. Remove from heat. You can sprinkle with extra mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese depending on your liking.

Serving suggestion: Garlic bread and/or a side salad

Makes enough for leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Italian Sausage Soup

This dish is a perfect meal for these cooler months that are approaching. It made a lot so there were plenty of leftovers. My friend Tracey got this recipe from her friend Kelly. Thanks for passing it along to me! It was a big hit in our house. The recipe calls for mild Italian sausage, which I used. I think next time I make it, I'll try hot sausage. We like the kick the "hot" give us. :)

Ingredients
1 lb of mild (or hot) Italian sausage
1 medium onion chopped
1 medium green pepper chopped
28 oz can of crushed tomato
2- 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
2- 8 oz cans of water
3 chicken bullion cubes
3/4 tsp of garlic salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1 TBSP parsley
3/4 cup of macaroni noodles
shredded mozzarella cheese


Directions:
1. Brown sausage, pepper and onion. Drain.
2. Stir in the remaining ingredients except the noodles. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Add macaroni. Cover and simmer 10 more minutes.
4. Serve and top with cheese. YUM!!!!

Auntie Sherry's Spaghetti Sauce

This great Italian dish was created by my Aunt Sherry. She would always make this for our family when we were on vacation together. Julie and I called it "Auntie Sherry's Restaurant" when we were little. It just became a tradition to always have it one night for dinner. This year, it was fitting to make it for my mom's birthday since Sherry isn't here with us today. It was up to my sister and me to figure out how to make it. Since the directions below don't have "exact" amounts. Sherry would just add the spices and taste. It turned out delicious!!!!!!! I hope you enjoy it and think of Auntie Sherry when you make it!!!!


Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb ground chuck
• 1/2 onion
• 1 large jar of Ragu original spaghetti sauce (30 oz)
• 1 can stewed tomatoes (15 oz)
• 1/2 can of tomato paste
• 1 tbsp sugar
• oregano
• garlic powder
• basil
• salt
• pepper

Directions:
Saute chopped onion and ground chuck in a large skillet with salt & pepper until meat is brown. Drain. Add jar of Ragu, stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and "lots" of oregano, garlic powder, and basil. Simmer for about 1/2 hour to 1 hour.


Recipe courtesy of Aunt Sherry