Easy Pizza Pasta Casserole

A little twist on pizza. We really liked it...serve it up with a big green salad. YUM!Recipe from: food.com

• 1 cup cooked ground sausage
  
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 1 quart spaghetti sauce
• 8 ounces rotini pasta, cooked and drained
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• sliced pepperoni

Cook garlic in a little olive oil. Stir in pasta, spaghetti sauce and 1 cup cheese. Place mixture in a greased 9x13x2 inch baking pan. (I used my round corningware pan) Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Top with pepperoni. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until heated through.

Chicken Fajita Crescent Braid

Sometimes when I do my couponing, I get Pillsbury Crescent rolls for really cheap and can use them to do some quick meals when I need them. I needed a quick meal and found I had all of the ingredients to make this one with minimal effort (at least I didn't think it was too much work) The flavor was great. Serve this up with a big green salad. Yum. Sorry this is a poor picture:

John's Rating: 8 ("almost 9")

Recipe from: food.com

1 (8 ounce) can Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations refrigerated flaky dough sheet
2 small boneless chicken breasts, cut into small strips
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped (I used dried)
1/4 cup salsa (I used my canned salsa and I think I used more than the 1/4 cup)
2 cups monterey jack cheese
1 Heat oven to 375°F. Spray cookie sheet. Unroll dough onto cookie sheet (I used my pampered chef bar pan); press to 8x12 inches.

In 10-inch skillet, add chicken; stir in chili powder, salt and garlic; cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Add onion and bell pepper strips; cook 2 to 3 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink in center and vegetables are crisp-tender.

Spoon chicken mixture in 4-inch strip lengthwise down center of dough. Top with salsa; sprinkle with cheese. With scissors or sharp knife, make cuts 1 inch apart on long sides of dough within 1/2 inch of filling. Alternately cross strips over filling; press edges to seal.

*Can brush top with Brush with egg white. (I did not)

Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

This is another great way to get John to eat some green beans. It makes a great side dish and is super easy to put together. I served this as a side dish on Thanksgiving last year and plan on making it again this year.

Recipe from: Kraft Foods

2 pkg. (16 oz each) frozen green beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8 oz Velveeta cheese, thinly sliced or cut into cubes
1 1/2 cups hot water
1/4 cup butter
1 pkg. (6 oz) Stove Top Stuffing

Heat oven to 350.

Combine beans and soup. Top with velveeta.

Put water and butter in a bowl and microwave until butter has melted. Stir in stuffing mix until moist. Spoon over bean mixture.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through.

**You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Just add a few minutes to the bake time. (Great for Thanksgiving!!)

Herbed Turkey

I loved the flavor of this Turkey....I will definetly be making it this way again!! It was really good to eat the garlic on top of the turkey as well. I served mine with some garlic herbed potatoes and garlic tender green beans. I'm looking forward to using the leftovers :)

1 turkey
1/2 cup butter
1 small clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1/4 to 1/3 cup dried Rosemary

Soften butter and mix in garlic and Rosemary.

Rinse turkey and place in roasting bag. Carefully separate the skin from the meat and spread butter mixture between the skin and meat.

Seal bag, punture 6 holes and bake at 350 until done.

Coconut Cream Pie

This is the best coconut cream pie! Mmmm....

Recipe from: Favorite Family Recipes

1 1/2 c. half-and-half
1 1/2 c. coconut milk (a little less than 1 can)
2 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. corn starch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. flaked coconut, toasted
1 tsp coconut (or vanilla) extract
1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked

Topping:
Ok...I know it's strange, but I don't like the homemade whipped cream, so I just used Cool Whip, so if you want the recipe for the real stuff...click here.

In a medium saucepan, combine half-and-half, coconut milk, eggs, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Bring to a boil over LOW heat (using a double-boiler works best), whisking constantly. When it starts to boil a little bit and thickens up to about the consistency of a thick pudding, remove from heat. Stir in 3/4 cup of the coconut and the coconut (or vanilla) extract. Pour into pie shell and chill for 2 to 4 hours, or until firm. While pie is cooling, whip together topping ingredients with electric beaters. When pie is completely cooled, top with whipped topping and sprinkle on remaining toasted coconut.

Fresh Tortillas

It's sure nice to be able to make tortillas for dinner that are fresh tasting and don't require a special trip to the store.


Recipe from: food.com

2 cups flour (you can get creative with your flour choices like whole wheat, spelt, soy, or a mixture of flours)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable shortening or 1/4 cup vegetable oil (I use canola oil)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup warm water (may possibly need to add more, up to 3/4 cup) or 1/2 cup milk (may possibly need to add more, up to 3/4 cup) (I used water)

Sift the flour, salt & baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Into the dry ingredients cut in the shortening, or add oil if you are using this option, & mix to combine. Add the milk or water, working the liquid into the dough until a sticky ball forms.

Wrap in plastic and let rest for at least 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 8-10 balls (for small tortillas) or 6-8 balls for larger ones, cover them again with the damp cloth.

Lightly dust a counter or pastry board w/flour & roll out each ball of dough into a circle or oval approximately 1/4" thick. If you want nicely rounded tortillas, trim off any ragged edges & discard. Don't roll the dough out more than once or the tortillas will be tough.

Heat a dry griddle or heavy skillet over high heat for 5 minutes. Cook the tortillas 30 seconds on each side or until the dough looks dry & slightly wrinkled & a few brown spots form on both surfaces. Do not over cook or they will be hard.

Wrap each tortilla in a damp tea towel to keep warm as you cook the other tortillas. Place cooked ones wrapped in the damp towel in a low 200 oven to keep warm, while I am cooking the rest. Serve warm.~~.

Our Favorite Breadsticks

John said this is his "favorite" breadstick and my kids were all super excited about these as well. I loaded on the garlic, but we all loved it!
John's Rating: 9Recipe from: Favorite Family Recipes

1½ cups warm water

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. yeast

Let that sit for 5 minutes. Then add:

3½ cups flour

1 tsp Salt

Mix until smooth then let raise for 40 minutes. Roll out dough into a large square on a floured surface. Brush with melted (real) butter mixed with garlic (I think I used 6-8 cloves, finely chopped) and then sprinkle with kosher salt. Fold in half and cut into 1 inch strips. Twist and place on a cooking sheet. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes to raise. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately after baking, brush with more garlic butter and sprinkle with kosher salt and grated parmesan cheese.

Serve with marinara, alfredo sauce, or ranch for dipping.

*Dough also makes a great pizza dough, just roll out into a large circle, add your favorite toppings, and bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Scotchies

I really liked the pumpkin and the oatmeal in a cookie together, but I think I'd swap out choc. chips for the butterscotch chips next go round for my personal taste.

Recipe from: Make and Takes

1 1/4 cup cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.

2. Whisk flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. Beat butter, sugar and brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Add egg and vanilla extract. Next, add in pumpkin and mix until combined.

4. Slowly add in flour mixture. Stir in oats and butterscotch chips.

5. Drop dough by the tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies are set and golden. Remove cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.