October Meals

Ham & Cheese Braid - Angie

Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole, Bran Muffins & Orange Julius - Cheryl

Creamy Baked Penne - Debbie

Poppyseed Chicken - Julie

Chicken Tostada Upside Down Bake - Kim Rogers

Zupa's Tomato Basil Soup - Michele

Kielbasa with Beans - Michelle Williams

Lasagna - Sheri

Crock Pot Corn Chowder - Stacey

Creamy Baked Penne

1 12-16 oz pacakge Penne Pasta

2 TB Oil

1 Cube Chicken Buillon

1 Cube Garlic or 1 garlic clove

8 oz Cream Cheese

1 Can Tomatoes with Green Chiles

2 cups cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook penne noodles according to package directions 7-9 Minutes.

Drain pasta, then add base, and 1/2 cup cheese, mix in pan.

Put in 9x13 casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Cover with aluminum foil so pasta doesn't dry out.

Cook for  15 min or long enough  for cheese to melt

Orange Julius

½ C Sugar

½ C Milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 6oz. frozen orange juice concentrate

3-4 C Ice cubes

1/3 C Powdered milk

1 C Water

Combine everything in a blender and serve immediately.  Add more or less liquid & ice depending on desired consistency.

Bran Muffins

2 c Bran Flakes

2 C Boiling water

2 ½ C Sugar

1 C Oil

4 Eggs

4 C Buttermilk

4 C Kellog’s Bran Buds cereal

5 C Flour

5 tsp Baking soda

1 ½ tsp Salt

Pour boiling water over bran flakes; set aside to cool.  Beat sugar and oil.  Add eggs and buttermilk.  Sift together the rest of the dry ingredients.  Stir gently with everything else just until combined.  Store in Tupperware in fridge. Don’t ever stir it again!  The batter will keep in the fridge for 6 weeks, and makes about 4 dozen muffins.  Bake muffins at 375 for 20 minutes.

Chicken Tostada Upside Down Bake

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
4 small or 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, shredded and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper
1 can diced tomatoes, fire roasted is great with this recipe
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
2 sm cans sliced olives
1 packet ranch dressing seasoning packet (optional, but really tasty)
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cumin
Pinch of kosher salt and pepper
1/2 Cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 can Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, in the sheet form if possible
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s Garlic Salt with Parsley
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Heat oil in dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat.  Saute onions for 5 minutes then add in garlic; cook for an additional 1 minute.  Add chicken, tomatoes, corn, black beans, olives, ranch seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper.  Stir and cook for 5 minutes, until heated through, then stir in cilantro.  Pour into a 9×13 inch baking dish that’s been sprayed with non stick cooking spray.  Place Crescent Roll sheet over top of chicken mixture, brush lightly with olive oil and season with garlic salt.  (If you are using the regular crescent rolls, unroll then and press perforations together with fingers then place over chicken).  Bake for 20 minutes, until just starting to brown.  Top with cheese and bake for an additional 15-18 minutes or until cheese is melted and crescent dough is cooked through.  Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
2.  Serve with shredded lettuce and sour cream if desired (not pictured, but really good!)
8 servings

Zupa's Tomato Basil Soup

1-14oz. can of chopped tomatoes

olive oil

salt & pepper

1 stalk celery, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 c. chicken stock

1 bay leaf

2 tbs. butter

1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

1/2 c. heavy cream

Strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet.  Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, roast in 400 degree oven until caramelized, about 15 - 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add celery, carrot, onion, and garlic, cook until softened, about 10 minutes.  Add the roasted chopped canned tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken stock, bay leaf and butter.  Simmer about 15-20 minutes.  Remove bay leaf. Add basil and cream.  Puree with a hand held immersion blender until smooth. 

makes 4 - 3/4 c. servings

Kielbasa with Beans

½ pound hamburger

½ green pepper, chopped

½ onion, chopped

½ pound Kielbasa sausage sliced 

7 oz diced tomatoes

5 oz RoTel (reg.)

2 (16oz) cans pinto beans, drained

1 (28 oz) can baked beans 

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook first 3 ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink.  Remove from pan, and drain.

Brown sausage in pan; drain and return to pan.  Add hamburger mixture and everything else except the cheese.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.  Stir in cheese.

May serve with tortilla chips or corn chips.  My husband likes sour cream and green onions on top.  I like it with a slice of whole wheat toast.   Our kids like it anyway they can get it.

Lasagna

Meat Sauce
1 lb lean ground beef- cooked
2 - 6 oz can tomato paste
1 - 15 oz can tomatoes, blended
1 Tbs basil
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp salt
1 box lasgna noodles

Cheese Sauce
1/2 c parmesan cheese
3 c. small curd cottage cheese
2 eggs
2 Tbs parsley
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt

You will also need:
mozzerella cheese - shredded

1. Mix all meat sauce ingredients together (after cooking and draning the meat) in skillet.
2. simmer 20 minutes
3. While meat sauce simmers, boil noodles
4. mix cheese sauce ingredients in  bowl.
5. Spray 9x13 baking dish/cake pan with cooking spray/
6. Layer in this order:
 - noodles to cover bottom of pan, 1/2 of meat sauce, 1/2 of cheese mixture
 - layer of nooles, rest of meat mixture, rest of cheese mixture
7. top with shredded mozzerella
8. Refridgerate overnight if you are making it ahead.
9. When ready, bake at 350 until cheese is melted and begins to brown along edges.

*recipe can be halved for a square pan

Crock Pot Corn Chowder

3-4 oz bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbed
2 1/2 lbs potatoes, NOT peeled, diced in 1/4 inch cubed (I use Yukon Gold)
32 oz frozen kernel corn
1 medium/large sweet yellow onion, finely chopped
3/4 c chopped celery
6-8 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
32 oz (4 cups) chicken stock
16 oz (2 cups) half and half or heavy cream
salt and pepper

1. Combine all ingredients EXCEPT half & half in the slow cooker.
2. Cook on low for 10 hours or high for 6 hours.
3. Blend about half the soup using an immersion blender (or just scoop it into your upright blender then return to slow cooker).
4. Add half & half or heavy cream and continue cooking, uncovered, for about another 15 minutes, until heated through. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve and enjoy!