Italian Beef and Spinach Pasta Casserole

Another great find on Pinterest. That recipe used chicken breasts, but I wanted a beef casserole so I used 1lb hamburger sirloin instead. I also used a container of the new Philadelphia cream cheese Italian herb cooking cream instead of chive cream cheese.

This was a huge hit with all of us-

Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake
8 oz uncooked rigatoni
1 T olive oil
1 c chopped onion
1 (10 oz) pack frozen spinach, thawed
3 c cubed, cooked chicken breasts
1 (14 oz) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
1 (8 oz) container Philadelphia chive & onion cream cheese
½ t salt, ½ t pepper
1½ c shredded mozzarella cheese

Prepare rigatoni according to pkg directions. Spread oil on bottom of 11x17 in baking dish; add onion in a single layer. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or just until tender. Transfer onion to large bowl, set aside.

Drain chopped spinach well, pressing between paper towels. Stir in rigatoni, spinach, chicken, & next 4 ingredients into onion in bowl. Spoon mixture into dish & sprinkle evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake covered at 375 for 30 minutes; uncover & bake 15 more minutes or until bubbly.

Walnut, sweet potato, and cranberry bake

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-potato-cranberry-bake/

I love sweet potatoes- especially during the holidays. Walking through HEB yesterday they were giving samples of this recipe and I fell in love! Made it today for Thanksgiving dinner.

The chef at HEB said to drain the liquid off after baking the 1st time. Put liquid in pot to simmer with brown sugar and pecan mixture until it carmelizes a bit- then put on top to bake last 10 minutes.

P.s. I used canned yams (like the HEB chef did) and they did fine.

Ingredients
4 large sweet potatoes
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup orange juice
TOPPING:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons cold butter or margarine

Directions
Place sweet potatoes in a Dutch oven; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40-50 minutes or until tender. Drain. When cool enough to handle, peel potatoes and cut into 1/4-in. slices. Place half in a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish. Top with half of the cranberries, brown sugar and butter. Repeat layers. Pour orange juice over top.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. In a bowl, combine the walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon; cut in butter. Sprinkle over sweet potato mixture. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes longer or until topping is golden brown.

Nutella hot cocoa

Another fabulous Pinterest find...

1 cup milk
2 tsp nutella

Mix/heat over medium heat until warm enough

Enjoy!!!

It is delicious!

Chicken/Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

The flavorings used in this enchilada casserole are similar to the ones I used in my beef enchilada casserole...when I make a chicken enchilada casserole I use more green chiles and sour cream sauce...I thought this looked interesting on Pinterest because it was a mix of the two-

This was a huge hit for all of us!  Danny liked that it wasn't "too saucy."  I would omit the sour cream in the layer you cook- it curdled a bit and I didn't like the texture (and I love sour cream!).  I would just serve it on the side to put on top.

http://www.sweettreatsmore.com/2011/10/chicken-black-bean-enchilada-casserole.html

Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything; recipe from Allrecipes

2 cups diced or shredded chicken breast meat (or for extra lazy days use a rotisserie chicken)

½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4.5 oz) can diced green chili peppers, drained
1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 (8 oz) container sour cream

Preheat the oven to 375°. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and spray with vegetable cooking spray. Sauté chicken with cumin and coriander until chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the cilantro, black beans, and green chili peppers.

Spread half of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of an 11x7 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Place 4 tortillas over the sauce, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas, and sprinkle with half of the cheese and half of the sour cream.

Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over the cheese, and make another layer of tortillas. Layer the remaining chicken mixture over the tortillas.

Cover dish with a lid or aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.

Remove the cover, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and dot with sour cream. Continue cooking, uncovered, for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Savory Shepherds Pie

I love Shepherds Pie...probably stems from my time spent teaching in London... This was a good recipe and easy to make.  I usually make mine with lamb meat, but this time I was cooking for a crowd and making a casserole to freeze, so I used ground sirloin.  I also always leave my frozen veggies uncooked, because we like ours a little crunchy when we eat it.

http://www.midwestliving.com/recipe/meat/savory-shepherds-pie/

Makes:6 servings
Prep: 20 mins Bake: 40 mins at 400°F Stand: 10 mins

View Nutrition Facts

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter or margarine
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon dried fine herbs, crushed
• 3 cups cubed cooked beef or lamb
• 1 10 ounce package frozen mixed vegetables*, cooked
• 1 8 ounce can small whole onions, drained
• 1/2 cup rose wine or beef broth
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups seasoned mashed potatoes
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour. Gradually stir in milk and fines herbes. Cook and stir over medium heat until sauce thickens and bubbles. Stir in meat, vegetables, onions, wine, and pepper. Pour into a 2-quart casserole. Spoon mashed potatoes around the edge.
2. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle top with cheddar cheese and bake about 10 minutes more or until mixture is bubbly and potatoes are brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

• Note: * Save some time by substituting a package of frozen peas for the mixed vegetables and omit the precooking. Just stir in the frozen peas.

Crock Pot Baked Apples

Very, very yummy...semi-healthy (at least healthier than an apple pie) and they were a HUGE hit with everyone at our Thanksgiving dinner.  We served them with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with some of the leftover sauce in the crockpot. 

I prepared/cored the apples and soaked them in orange juice over night- that only added to the hint of orange you get from the liquor.  Make sure they don't over cook!  I'd say 2 hours in a "newer" crockpot is enough-

http://skinnychef.com/recipes/baked-apples

Makes 6 baked apples

Ingredients

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons trans-fat free margarine
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 Gala or Macintosh apples, cored
1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider
2 tablespoons orange liquor (optional)

Directions

Preheat a large crock-pot on high heat and preset it for 3 hours. In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, walnuts, margarine, and cinnamon. Fill the apples with the filling and place them in the crock-pot. Pour in the apple juice or cider and the liquor, if using. Cover and cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours on high heat until the apples are soft and begin to collapse.

Cinnamon Rolls in the Waffle Iron

http://ahensnest.com/2011/09/waffled-cinnamon-rolls-recipe.html

These were a huge hit!  Very easy and quick to make- the cleanup wasn't as fun, but worth it!  We will try can bisquits next :)