Aunt Jan's Sweet Potatoes

I got this recipe from friend, Heather, several years ago and can not say enough about it. It's actually her aunt's recipe. It's wonderful, delish, a heart attack in a casserole, but ohhhhh, so tasty! Since I'm making three double batches of these for the family party tonight and realized that I'd never posted it here on the cooking blog, it is time! One suggestion. Read through the recipe before you make it so that you get it right! I always double this recipe and put it in a 9x13" pan..

3 cups cooked sweet potatoes, mashed
1/4 c. sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup butter, melted
1/2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 c. flour

Combine potatoes, sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, salt, eggs, 1/2 cup butter, milk and vanilla. Place in buttered 2-quart casserole pan. Combine remaining butter, brown sugar, nuts and flour. Spoon over potatoes. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Cordon Bleu Pasta

Here's a homemade version of a huge local favorite from Firehouse Pizzaria.  Our friends, Greg and Neal, brothers, are the owners of one of the best restaurants in the valley. We've loved this dish since the day they opened!  Serve it with some french bread and salad...you've got a feast!  It's a great "man" food, and also great for women at a shower.  You'll love it too!

(I'll replace this photo with my own asap!)

1 16 oz. bag penne pasta, cooked till almost done

2 15 oz. jars of Alfredo Sauce  (I use Cheesy Ragu flavor)

sliced fresh mushrooms (I use a large box from the produce section)

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 - 2 cups diced ham  (diced finely)

1 - 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken

cooked, chopped bacon, if desired ( Not bacon bits.)  (And trust me, you desire!)

2-4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Saute mushrooms, green onions in butter, adding the ham, chicken and  bacon.  Pour one jar of Alfredo sauce and cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan.   Add and mix the pasta with the remaining ingredients into the pan.  Pour the second bottle of Alfredo over the mixture and cover in shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for half an hour.  Enjoy!   

Easy Stroganoff Casserole

It was one of those nights... it was dinner time before I had time to think about dinner. When I looked inside, I discovered a fridge full of nothing. And so, this little meal came to pass. I had no sour cream, but I did have an unopened Ranch Dip that needed to be used. I had no sliced beef, but I did have a freezer bag of cooked ground beef. Why not? I had no cream but I did have cream of mushroom soup. By the time the noodles were boiled, the table was set and dinner was ready to serve. We ate every bite and the kids asked if we could have it for dinner again tomorrow. I think it was it hit! Is this how lasagna was discovered?

1 pound hamburger, browned with garlic and onion to taste

1 16 oz. carton of Ranch flavored Dip (I'm sure that sour cream with a package of ranch dip would do the same trick.)

1/2 cup ketchup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

3/4 of the soup can of milk

1 small bag of petite frozen peas

lots of salt and pepper

about 4 cups of homemade style egg noodles

1 large pot of boiling salted water

Mix all of the ingredients in a large saucepan or fry pan. Heat until bubbly. Add the peas last. Cook the egg noodles in the pot of boiling water, drain well. Pour the sauce over and mix with the noodles. Enjoy!

Baked French Toast Strata

This recipe was a huge hit with the entire family. Lately, I've seen several recipes that were similar and actually had a version of baked french toast last weekend. This one was pretty quick and easy and yet tastes like something that you've worked for hours on. It's a must try! And best of all, it can be made the night before and just baked when it's time to eat. It'd be a great Christmas morning meal!

1 loaf French bread

8 large eggs

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

1 1/2 cup milk

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Dash salt

Tear french bread (I used half Sara Lee multigrain bread and half french) into pieces that are about the size of a large marshmallow. Cover the bottom of a well buttered 9 x 13" pan. Combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a blender and mix until blended well. Pour mixture over the bread slices. Cover the bread totally and use a spatula to make sure that it's saturated completely with the milk-egg mixture. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. (I made it and only waited an hour or so before baking. It was just fine.)

Topping:
1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Spread topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes at 350 until puffy and golden. Serve with maple syrup. Enjoy!

Summer Garden Casserole

We made this simple and healthy casserole at our Relief Society Activity Night as a group, then each of us brought one home for dinner tonight. All of the women loved it and I can't wait to bake mine this afternoon. It's a great way to use some of the zucchini that gets piled up during the harvest season of the year! Loved it and it's so versatile. There were no specific amounts to any of the ingredients. It's a "little of this and a little of that" type recipe.

Layer loosely in the pan...(enough to cover the layer below)
chopped zucchini (quartered lengthwise then sliced)

chopped carrots (quartered lengthwise, then sliced)

salt and pepper to taste

frozen corn or fresh corn cut off the cob

about 1/2 cup uncooked rice

finely chopped onion

browned hamburger (cooked with onions and peppers or how you like it...mine had garlic too)salt and pepper again to taste

Pour tomato juice over the entire thing (don't make things float, but add enough that it will moisten everything in the pan). Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours at 350 degrees. Enjoy!

Funeral Potatoes

Funeral Potatoes are called funeral potatoes because they are the staple at every LDS funeral I've ever attended! Denise calls them Party Potatoes. We just call them good!

8 large potatoes (boiled or baked, then chopped into bitesize or smaller pieces)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups sour cream

2 cups grated cheese

1/2 cup green onion chopped

2 tbsp. butter

Sprinkle salt to taste over the potatoes and then pour the remaining mixture over the potatoes. Do not mix. Cover with corn flakes and more cheese. Bake at 350° till bubbly

OR

Toss all ingredients (plus 1 soup can of milk) in the crockpot and let them cook all afternoon, then add more cheese at the end. Leave out the cornflakes. Different, but my family prefers them MUCH more than the baked way! Either way, Enjoy!

7 layer Chicken Casserole

This is a great meal to serve on a night that you don't have lots of time to spend in the kitchen. Ten minutes in prep time and your out of the kitchen while it bakes! Very tasty!

Layer 1: Pour half a bag of your favorite tortilla chips (or Fritos) into a greased 9x13" pan.
Layer 2: Spread about 3 cups of cooked, chopped chicken over the chips.
Layer 3: Pour one can of chicken and Wild Rice soup over that.
Layer 4: Pour one can of Mexcian spiced tomatoes over the soup.
Layer 5: Add 2 cups of shredded cheese. (I use more.)
Layer 6: Cover with the rest of the chips.
Layer 7: Add two more cups of shredded cheese on top of this.

Cover with foil, that has been sprayed with Pam and bake for 40 minutes at 350. Serve with salsa, sour cream and guacamole, if desired. Enjoy!

Dorito Casserole

Another quickie Mexican casserole, this one from Carol's kitchen. I keep browned ground beef with chopped onions and garlic in my freezer all the time, so this is a dinner in minutes but it tastes like you've been slaving away! I can't wait to try this one with shredded chicken too!

1 bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos (My friend Erin has tried it with Fritos too!)
1 16-oz. Sour Cream
1 small jar of Salsa (about 2 cups)
Ground beef, browned, as much as desired
Shredded Cheese (Colby-Jack or Cheddar are great!)

Cut a tiny slit in the bag of chips to let the air out of it. Lay the chip bag on the counter and crush the chips completely into tiny pieces. Pour half the bag of chips into the bottom of a 9x13" baking pan. Next, layer the ground beef on the chips. Mix the salsa and sour cream and then, cover the meat with this mixture. (Next time I make it, I mix in a can of black beans and some frozen corn.) Cover with shredded cheese. Pour the remaining half of the bag of chips over the casserole and bake at 350 until it is heated through (about 20 minutes). Enjoy!

Funky Hotdogs and Mac

Here's a fun treat/dinner for the kiddos! Not my idea, but suggested on my email group. Just slice and then stack the three hotdog slices at a time and thread three spaghetti noodles into them, then slide them along the noodle, spacing them equally. Boil, as usual. cooking along with extra noodles. I added my own homemade cheese sauce over them, but you could do spaghetti sauce or just about anything. Another friend suggested using meatballs instead of hotdogs. Quick and fun for the kids. Enjoy!

Enchilada Casserole

I can honestly say that in my thirty two years of marriage, I've opened and cooked one and only one Hamburger Helper. HOWEVER, I do love the concept of a quick and easy meal that can be whipped up in minutes. This recipe is one of those. So, here's our most favorite Homemade Version of a Hamburger Helper type skillet casserole!

Ground Beef, browned with onions, peppers and garlic (or however you brown your own)

3 Tbsp. Taco Seasoning (or one packet if you don't buy it in bulk)

1 small bag of frozen corn

1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup

2 cups salsa

Tortilla Chips

lots of cheese

1 can of drained, rinsed black beans, if desired. (Gracie doesn't like beans, so I serve them on the side.)

(This is a "do it to your own taste" type recipe...if you like a lot of meat, use it. If you like more cheese, add it.) Add the taco seasonings to the browned meat in a large skillet. Mix in well. Then add the remaining ingredients, adding the chips and cheese last. Stir the chips in, breaking them up a bit, if needed. (I use about a quarter to a half a bag of plain Doritos or Sanita or Mission Chips. This is the perfect way to not waste all those crumbs and broken chips at the bottom of the bag! I never throw them away anymore!) Stir the chips in well and then, cover with cheese. (Or smother, if you prefer!) Heat thoroughly. Put a lid on the skillet for about five minutes and turn the heat down to low. The chips absorb the liquids and it becomes the perfect quick and easy casserole. Serve with guacamole or sour cream and more salsa, if desired. If you used pre-cooked ground beef, like suggested below, this is a less than ten minute type recipe! Enjoy!

The most important tip to this recipe is... pre-cooked ground beef! We get our beef from the Corbridge Ranch, so it's rare that I have to buy ground beef, but whenever I do, I buy the biggest package available. Then, whenever I brown hamburger, I brown a ton of it. Only one time of chopping onions and/or peppers and garlic. I do it all at the same time and store it in Zip-Lock Freezer bags. It goes straight from the pan to the freezer. When I need a meal in a jif, I pull out the ziplock back and half the work is already done for me!

Chicken Divine

This quick and easy version of chicken divan is a most requested recipe in our home. It's a great way to put leftover chicken to use! The amounts for chicken and broccolli vary because I use whatever I have. This meal can be prepared in less than fifteen minutes, which makes it a favorite to cook as much as a favorite to eat! Enjoy!

2-4 cups chopped, cooked chicken

4-6 cups fresh or frozen broccolli (A large bag of frozen broccolli is perfect!)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 soup can of milk

1/2 cup mayonaise

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. - 1 tbsp. curry (to taste... for us the more the better!)

1 tsp. black pepper

2 cups shredded cheese (I use colby-jack)

3 slices of bread, toasted and shredded, if desired

Steam the broccolli to give it a head start in baking. In a large bowl, mix the soups, milk, mayo, curry and pepper. Stir in the cooked chicken, brocolli and cheese. Top with bread crumbs and more cheese, if desired. Cover and bake at 350° until bubbly (about 30 minutes).

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

No food photo today but I wanted to share what my friend, Charith, brought to me during my recovery from the surgery. She called it "comfort food" and I can completely agree. (I'm sharing a photo of something else that brings me comfort instead!) I asked for the recipe and she kindly shared. I'll be making this one again for sure!

1 6.2 oz package Fried Rice flavored Rice-a-Roni, cooked. (Cook the Rice-A-Roni using 1 Tbsp. oil)

4 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 cup reduced fat sour cream

1 10.75 oz. can reduced fat cream of chicken soup

36 crushed Ritz crackers

6 Tbsp. (3/4 of stick) butter, melted

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 375°. Spoon the rice in an even layer over the bottom of an 11x7 inch baking dish. Combine the chicken, sour cream and chicken soup in a medium bowl. Mix well. Spoon this over the rice. In the same bowl, combine the crackers and melted butter. Scatter this over the chicken mixture. Sprinkle the poppy seeds evenly over the top. Bake until it is bubbly and the crackers have lightly browned. Serve immediately.