Manicotti

12 large manicotti
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese , divided
2 cups ricotta cheese
6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 (26ounce)jar prepared spaghetti sauce, divided (I have used Prego or made my own)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese or romano cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 13×9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions(be sure to not over cook, they need to be a little chewey for easier stuffing). Carefully remove each shell and rinse with cool water. Let pasta dry on paper towels.
3. For the filling, in a large ziplock bag (seriously!), put in 3 cups mozzarella with the ricotta and fresh basil. Seal the bag tightly. Smush the bag around with your hands until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed (it’s a nice stress reliever too!).
4. Snip off the bottom corner of the ziplock bag (the point is to have the hole a tad smaller than the manicotti opening, where you can just barely slip it into the shell). Use this method to squeeze the cheese mixture into each manicotti.
See, that wasn’t so bad! ;).
5. Spoon 2 cups spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dish. Arrange stuffed pasta over sauce. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over top of pasta. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
6. Bake manicotti for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the Parmesan; bake for 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

White Cheddar Chicken Pasta

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon dried mustard
1 tablespoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb rotini pasta
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 onion (diced)
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
8 ounces white cheddar cheese (grated)
2 cups milk
1/2 tablespoon thyme
1/2 tablespoon oregano
crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
Parmesan cheese

Step 1: In a small bowl mix together mustard, thyme, salt and pepper. Sprinkle evenly over both sides of the chicken breasts. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken breasts and cook on both sides until golden brown and the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees. Remove from the pan and slice into strips.

Step 2: Cook rotini pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add flour and mix well with the butter to combine. Add wine, garlic, onion, and Dijon mustard. Cook about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and slowly add milk stirring to combine. Cook until the mixture begins to chicken. Add white cheddar cheese and stir in into it has melted.

Step 3: Drain noodles and transfer them to a large serving bowl. Mix in white cheddar cause, add the chicken and toss until well combined. Season with thyme, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Top with parmesan cheese while serving.
(Makes 6 Servings)

Lasagna Roll-ups

Sauce-
1/4 lb ground beef
2 tablespoons onion (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 (16 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 dash cayenne pepper (or more to your taste)

Filling-
1 1/4 cups small curd cottage cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley (minced) (or 1 tsp. Dried)
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
8 lasagna noodles (cooked)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Step 1: In a large skillet cook ground beef, onion and garlic until the beef is no longer pink. Drain any excess fat from the pan. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt and cayenne. Simmer for 10 minutes. Spread half of the meat sauce on the bottom of a greased 8” baking dish.

Step 2: In a bowl combine cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, parsley and onion powder. Spread ¼ cup of the cheese mixture evenly over each lasagna noodle. Roll up and place seam side down in rows in the baking dish. Top with remaining sauce.

Step 3: Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. About 5 minutes before the dish is finished cooking remove from the oven and top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Return to oven and cook until cheese has melted.

Donna’s tip: Double the recipe and freeze half in a foil disposable pan.

Better-than-Ever Cheesy Meat Lasagna

3/4 lb. extra-lean ground beef (or sausage)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 large tomato, chopped
1 egg
1 container (16 oz.) BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN 2% Milkfat Low Fat Cottage Cheese
1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
9 lasagna noodles, cooked
1 pkg. (7 oz.) KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided

HEAT oven to 375°F.
BROWN meat with garlic and oregano in large saucepan. Stir in spaghetti sauce; simmer 5 min., stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in tomatoes. Mix egg, cottage cheese and Parmesan.
SPREAD 1/2 cup meat sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; top with layers of 3 noodles, half the cottage cheese mixture, 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1 cup sauce. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles and sauce; cover.
BAKE 30 min. or until heated through. Top with remaining mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, 5 min. or until melted. Let stand 5 min. before serving.

MAKE AHEAD- Assemble lasagna as directed. Refrigerate up to 24 hours. When ready to serve, bake, covered, at 375°F for 40 min. or until heated through.

Apricot Lime Pork Chops

4 pork loin chops
salt and pepper
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup apricot jam (or any kind of jam you’d like)
1/4 cup lime juice

Rinse pork an pat dry; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a large skillet. Cook pork over medium heat for 8-10 min per side. Stir together jam and lime juice and pour into skillet. Cook for 5 min. or until pork is nicely glazed.

Breaded Parmesan Chicken

1/2 cup finely crushed herb-seasoned stuffing mix or Italian Bread Crumbs
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried parsley
3 tablespoons butter
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (or two breast fillets, cut thinner)

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.In a small shallow dish combine the stuffing mix, cheese, parsley, curry powder and seasoning. Mix together.
3.In an 8x11 inch baking dish, melt the butter/margarine in the microwave. Dip the chicken breasts in the stuffing mixture, coating both sides of each breast.
4.Place chicken in baking dish and sprinkle any leftover stuffing mixture over the chicken. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, then turn chicken pieces over and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Top with slice of Mozzarella Cheese and let melt in oven a few minutes. Serve with Pasta and spaghetti or marinara sauce. Enjoy!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” cubes)
Flour
4 egg yolks
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
Oil
3 firm tomatoes (cut into 1 inch chunks)
2 onions (cut into 1 inch chunks)
1 green pepper (cut into 1 inch chunks)
1 can pineapple chunks (reserve juice for sauce)

Sweet and Sour Sauce-
1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Step 1: Mix egg yolks and soy sauce with a bit of water. Roll the chicken in flour, egg, and then flour again. Deep fry the chicken in batches for 2-3 minutes, and drain on paper towels.

Step 2: Stir fry pepper and onions for about 1 minute so they are still crisp and colored. Remove from pan and set aside.

Step 3: Make sweet and sour sauce by mixing vinegar, sugar, salt, orange juice, pineapple juice, and ketchup. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Mix 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch in 1/8 cup of juice and stir in until thickened.

Step 4: Add tomato and pineapple chunks to the sauce and heat thoroughly. Pour mixture gently over chicken. Pour your peppers and onions on and serve. (best served while chicken bits are crispy and vegetables are crunchy still)

Orange Chicken

Orange Sauce-
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest (grated)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ginger root (minced)
1/2 teaspoon garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons green onion (chopped)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Chicken-
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-1/2” cubes)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 eggs (beaten)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Oil (for frying)

Step 1: Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dip chicken in egg mixture and shake in flour mixture to coat. Deep fry chicken in batches at 375 degrees in a deep fryer (or use a wok) until completely cooked.

Step 2: Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine 1 ½ cups water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, and onion. Bring to a boil.

Step 3: Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and if desired add red pepper flakes and garnish with green onions.

Hawaiian Haystacks

2 10-ounce (283-g) cans cream of chicken soup
1/2-1 cup milk or water
2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
5 cups cooked rice
toppings of your choice (may include grated cheese, pineapple, mandarin oranges, peas, green peppers, tomatoes, coconut, chow mein noodles, celery, cashews, green onions, olives, slivered almonds, water chestnuts, etc.)

Combine soup and milk or water in a saucepan. Add the chicken and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until heated through.

Place a serving of rice on each serving plate. Pour chicken gravy on top. Stack ingredients of your choice on top of the rice.
Makes 8 servings.

Creamy Italian Chicken

4 boneless chicken breast halves
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
1/2 cube butter
½ cup water
4 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)
1 can condensed Cream of chicken or mushroom soup
1 4 ounce can mushroom stems and pieces drained (if you don’t like mushrooms, drain and chop finely or put in food processor – can’t taste them!)

Place chicken in bottom of crock-pot. Combine salad dressing mix and water. Pour over chicken. Cube butter into crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours. Pull chicken out of crock pot and cut into bite size pieces (might be able to cut chicken up before putting in crock pot – haven’t tried that, and recipe didn’t say.) In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and soup until blended. Stir in mushrooms, pour over chicken. Cook one hour longer, or until juices run clear.
Serve over whole wheat pasta. (delicious!)

Indoor BBQ Ribs

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: about 6 1/2 hours
Yield: 6 servings

• Cooking spray
• 2 lbs boneless country-style pork loin ribs
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tsp jarred chopped garlic (or chop a garlic yourself)
• 6-oz can pineapple juice
• 2/3 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/3 cup plum jam/or pomegranate or berry jelly

1. Coat a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Arrange the ribs, sliced onion, and chopped garlic in the cooker. Pour pineapple juice over ribs.

2. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or High 3-3 ½ hours.

3. Drain the cooking juices. Remove onions from the slow cooker and discard them. In a small bowl, stir together the barbecue sauce and the plum jam. Pour over the ribs and spread so that the ribs are evenly covered with sauce.

4. Cover and cook on high for another 30 minutes.

Black Bean Burgers

1 cup frozen mixed veggies, thawed
1 small onion, chopped
½ cup chopped sweet red pepper
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. cold water
2 Tbsp. mashed potato flakes
¼ cup quick oats
3 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. nonfat dry milk powder
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp pepper
4 tsp. veggie oil
6 Kaiser Rolls, split
2 cups shredded lettuce
¾ cups salsa

In a large microwave sale bowl, combine the mixed veggies, onion and red pepper. Cover and microwave on high for 2 minutes. (I like to puree them after they are cooked to help nervous vegetable eaters not freak out.) Coarsely mash ¾ cup black beans. In a bowl, combine the cornstarch and water until smooth; stir in the mashed beans, potato flakes, oats, flour, milk powder, eggs, salt and pepper. (I like to add garlic powder to the mix too.) Stir in veggie mixture and remaining black beans. Shape into six thick patties. In a large nonstick skillet, cook patties in oil for 4-5 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Serve on rolls with lettuce and salsa. (You can also add tomato, avocado, cheese or whatever. Use your imagination. I would recommend a quality thick bun as these burgers are hefty.)

Tamale Pie

Fry 1 lb. of ground beef with 1 onion, 1 glove of garlic, 1 bell pepper all chopped fine. Add 1 lg can of whole tomatoes, cut in quarters, add 1 can corn, 1 can whole black olives. Add spices: 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. ground coriander, 1/4 tsp. oregano, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, 1 1/2 tsp salt.
Cook slowly for 15 minutes.

Mix in a seperate bowl: 1 cup yellow corn meal, 1 cup milk, 3 beaten eggs.

Then add corn meal to beef mixture, mix well. Pour into large deep casserole pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Easy Tamale Pie

2 pounds hamburger
1 large onion, chopped
1 bunch celery tops, chopped
2 large cans tomatoes with liquid
2 cans whole kernel corn with liquid
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 can olives, whole, chopped or sliced
Salt and pepperr
3-4 tablespoons chili powder
(May add garlic or green peppers, if desired)
2 cups grated cheese (jack, cheddar, or parmesan)

Brown hamburger in large pan. When almost done, add onion and celery. When onion and meat are done, then add tomatoes, corn, cornmeal, olives, chili powder, and part of the grated cheese. Add salt and pepper. Mix together. Pour into greased casserole and top with grated cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until cheese bubbly. -Juanita Sannar

Chicken Stroganoff

4 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 ½ soup cans water
6 mushrooms, sliced
2 green onions, sliced
Sour cream, large dallop
Parsley flakes
Pepper to taste
Pasta-I think egg noodles work the best, but rotini, or shells is good, too.

Empty soup cans into crockpot. Add water, then whisk.
Add mushrooms and green onions. Add chicken breasts. Turn crockpot on low, cover and simmer all day.
A few minutes before serving, cook pasta. Stir into the crockpot sour cream, parsley, and pepper. Serve by spooning chicken stroganoff over pasta. -Juanita Sannar

Chicken Enchiladas

1 cooked chicken or chicken breasts (approx 3 lbs), shredded or cubed
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 (4oz) can green chilis
Salt to taste
Approx 18 flour tortillas, soft taco size
1 small bottle green taco sauce
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

Mix chicken, soup, sour cream, green chilis, cheese, and salt in a large bowl.

On a plate, dip both sides of each tortilla into a mixture or ½ taco sauce, ½ hot water. Place 2 tablespoons mixture onto tortilla. Roll and put into a greased baking dish (both ends of tortilla will be open). Sprinkle grated cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes 18-20. -Juanita Sannar

Rice Krispy Chicken

Rice Krispies (crunched)
1 cube melted butter
Chicken pieces

Dip chicken in melted butter, then dip in Rice Krispies. Put in casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes (until brown). -Juanita Sannar

Stuffed Zuchini Boats

5-6 small zucchinis
½ cup carrots, thinly sliced
½ cup celery
½ cup onion
½ cup mushroom
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups cooked rice
2 cans mushroom soup
1 pound ground beef
1 cup cheddar cheese
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

In a large saucepan, sautee carrots, celery, onions, and mushrooms in oil. Cut ends off of each side of the zucchini. Cut in half and cut the half length wise. Scoop out seed with a mellon baller.
Blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes. Place in 9x13 pan, sprayed with Pam. Brown hamburger and cook rice. Add veggies and two cans of mushroom soup. Stuff each zucchini.
Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until heated thoroughly. -Barbie Squires

Creamy Italian Chicken

4 boneless chicken breast halves
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
1 cube butter
1/2 cup water
8 ounces cream cheese
1 can condensed cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup undiluted
1 - 4 ounce can mushroom stems and pieces drained

Place chicken in bottom of crock-pot. Combine salad dressing mix and water. Pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours. In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and soup until blended. Stir in mushrooms, pour over chicken. Cook one hour longer, or until juices tun clear. Serve over pasta.

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 1/2 pound boneless pork shoulder roast netted or tied
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell's condensed French onion soup
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
12 round sandwich rolls or hamburger buns

Heat the oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add pork and cook until brown on all sides. Stir ketchup, vinegar and brown sugar together in a 5 quart slow cooker. Add pork roast and turn to coat. Cover and cook on Low for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours until pork is fork tender.

Remove from cooker and place on cutting board. Let stand 10 minutes. Using two forks, shred pork and return to cooker. Divide the pork and sauce mixture among the rolls.