Scott's Festival Chili

We had this Halloween Night.  Yum!

ingredients

• 2 C onions -- chopped
• 2 garlic cloves -- minced
• 1/2 C water
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 C prepared Mexicann-style red salsa
• 2 red and/or green bell peppers -- chopped
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans -- drained and rinsed
• 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes -- with juices
• 1 11-ounce package frozen corn kernels
• salt to taste
• Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce to taste

directions

In a covered soup pot, cook the onions and garlic in the water on high heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Add the cumin and coriander and stir on high heat for a minute. Stir in the salsa and bell peppers, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the black beans and tomatoes; simmer for 10 minutes. Add the corn and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Add salt and Tabasco to taste.

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

This was in the Taste of Home magazine a few months ago.  If you like buffalo/blue cheese combo, this is such a good dish!  This kids picked at it, but I was expecting that one.  Here is the original recipe. 

I originally prepped and assembled this on a Saturday, thinking to just heat it up after church on a Sunday.  But then we had to change plans, so I ended up putting it in the freezer for almost a month, and it did thaw and heat up well.

Photo from Taste of Home

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1-1/2 pounds ground chicken
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 celery rib, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 bottle (12 ounces) buffalo wing sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 9 lasagna noodles
• 1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
• 1-3/4 cups (7 ounces) crumbled blue cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup minced Italian flat leaf parsley
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 cups (12 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded white cheddar cheese

Directions

• In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add the chicken, onion, celery and carrot; cook and stir until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes longer. Stir in the tomatoes, wing sauce, water, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions; drain. (I just use the "no-cook" noodles)
• In a small bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup blue cheese, parsley and egg.
• Spread 1-1/2 cups sauce into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Layer with three noodles, 1-1/2 cups sauce, 2/3 cup ricotta mixture, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 2/3 cup cheddar cheese and 1/3 cup blue cheese. Repeat layers twice.
• Bake, covered, at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-25 minutes longer or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Cheese Manicotti

This one was delicious, not too difficult, and a great affordable vegetarian option.

You will need:
8-10 manicotti shells
1 lb cottage cheese
1 T parsley
1 egg beaten
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 cup parmesan
1/2 cup mozzarella
1 jar spaghetti sauce
extra parm and mozz to sprinkle on top

Cook pasta shells until al dente and cool.  Mix filling ingredients together and spoon into shells.  Place in baking dish and cover with sauce and extra cheeses.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30 min until hot and bubbly.

PW's Baked French Toast

• FRENCH TOAST
• Butter, For Greasing
• 1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
• 8 whole Eggs
• 2 cups Whole Milk
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
• Topping
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 1/2 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• Freshly Grated Nutmeg, Optional
• 1 stick Cold Butter, Cut Into Pieces
• Warm Syrup, For Serving
• Butter, For Serving
• 1 cup Fresh Blueberries, For Serving

Preparation Instructions

For the French toast: Grease the baking pan with butter. Tear the bread into chunks, or cut into cubes, and evenly distribute in the pan. Crack the eggs in a big bowl. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover the pan tightly and store in the fridge until needed (overnight preferably). Or you can make it and bake it right away---delicious no matter what!
For the topping: Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and some nutmeg in a separate bowl. Stir together using a fork. Add the butter and with a pastry cutter, and mix it all together until the mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
When you're ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the casserole from the fridge and sprinkle the topping over the top. Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture or for 1 hour-plus or more for a firmer, crisper texture.
Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with warm pancake syrup and sprinkle with blueberries.

PW's Easy Potatoes Au Gratin

• 4 whole Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed Clean
• 2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
• 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 cup Whole Milk
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Freshly Grated

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Smear softened butter all over the bottom of a baking dish.
Slice potatoes, then cut slices into fourths.
In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, minced garlic, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes.
Repeat this two more times, ending with the cream mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and really bubbling. Add grated cheese to the top of the potatoes and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Pioneer Woman's Mashed Potatoes

• 5 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes
• 3/4 cups Butter
• 1 package (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened
• 1/2 cup (to 3/4 Cups) Half-and-Half
• 1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Black Pepper

Preparation Instructions

Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. When they’re cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.
Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients.
Turn off the stove and add 1 ½ sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about ½ cup of half-and-half. Mash, mash, mash! Next, add about ½ teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and ½ a teaspoon of black pepper.
Stir well and place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.
Note: When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.

Baked Penne with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes

I've been using this recipe for a while.  LOVE it, but realized that if I were going to wait for a picture to get it posted on the blog, I might not ever share it with you.

It makes 2 8-inch square pans.  One for now.  One to freeze for later.

I'll type the recipe as I got it (Real Simple, Sept. 2010), and in parentheses put my own take on it.

1/8 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped. (If buying from Fred Meyer, I just use the whole jar.  Now that I'm using a Costco size jar, I used 3/4 cup.)
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
2 28-oz can DICED tomatoes
       (Or, as I have in the pantry, 6 14.5-oz cans of diced tomatoes instead of the
         3 28-oz cans that are listed in the recipe)
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
1.5 pounds penne (or other similar pasta)
10 oz baby spinach
4 cups mozzarella, grated
1/2 c grated Parmesan

Put oil in large saucepan (large skillet) and heat over medium heat.  Add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.  Add crushed tomatoes.  Break up the whole tomatoes by cutting them with scissors in the can or with your hands.  Add to saucepan, along with the vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta for 1/2 the recommended time.  The pasta will continue to cook while it bakes.  Drain the pasta.

(Now, since I have only 1 pasta size pan, I have changed the directions for assembly to resemble how I do it.)

When the sauce is done simmering, pour it into the big pasta pan (note: make sure the pasta is still draining). Put the spinach in, and stir until wilted.  I usually have to do this in batches, or else the spinach overflows.  NOW, add the pasta, and stir until mixed.  It's a very careful endeavor, as the pot is FULL.

Split 1/2 the pasta mixture between the two 8-inch square baking dishes, so that they are 1/2 way full.  Sprinkle each with 1 cup of the mozzarella.  Dividing evenly among the dishes, top with the remaining pot of pasta mixture.  Sprinkle each with 1 cup of the remaining mozzarella and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan.

To eat tonight: Bake at 400 degrees, until bubbling and beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

To freeze and cook later: Freeze unbaked pasta, tightly sealed for up to 3 months.  To cook, thaw the pasta and bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees until heated through, bubbling, and beginning to brown, 25 to 30 minutes.


Update from Suzanne (1/25/12):

I made this last night and the adults really enjoyed it.  The kids weren't huge fans of the spinach or the tomato chunks, but picked around it and still ate the noodles.  It makes two really heaping 8x8's, so I think you could easily split it into three dishes and get another meal out of it.

Before baking, and still need to spread the cheese.

Final product

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

You will need:

1 package tortillas

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2 T butter

1/2 onion minced

1 small can diced green chiles

4 oz cream cheese, softened in microwave

1 cup mozz cheese grated

1/2 cup half n half

Directions:

Melt butter in a skillet and cook onions until soft. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add chicken, chiles, and cream cheese. Mix well. Place a large spoonful in each tortilla and wrap. Place in a greased baking pan. Pour half n half over the top, then sprinkle cheese. Bake at 375 for 20 min.

Directions:

Chili Casserole

Yeah, I forgot to take a picture.

1 bag Fritos - dump in 9x13 pan and crush with a cup. This makes the crust.

Pour the rest of the ingredients evenly onto the crust:

• 2-3 cans chili. I used 3 different varieties. Was a little heavy on the chili - if you want to taste the Fritos more, use 2 cans.
• 1 small can corn, drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 cups grated cheese.

Bake at 375 for 40ish minutes.

Possible toppings: sour cream, avocado, fresh tomatoes, romaine lettuce (for a more of a salad feel).

I'm told that this freezes really well, too.

Berry French Toast Bake

(I have a few crazy children who don't like berries, so I didn't put them over the entire thing.)

12-1" slices French bread (stale is better)
5 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup brown sugar (divided)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 c pecans (or walnuts)
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cups berries (I used mixed, but anything works)

Place bread in a greased 9x13.

In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, 3/4 cup brown sugar, vanilla and nutmeg. Pour over the bread. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking.

Sprinkle nuts over mixture. Combine remaining brown sugar and butter and drizzle over the top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with berries and bake 10 minutes longer, or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Mia's Enchiladas

The above is the view pre-baked. Here's what you'll need:
1 1/2 ground beef
1/2 onion
3 cups shredded cheddar
1 1/2 cups sour cream (DON'T use lite or fat free... that would ruin the whole thing!)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 small can sliced olives*
2 T chopped parsley*
1 small can diced green chiles*
*Any of these can be omitted if they are not to your liking
1 package (about 10) burrito size tortillas

2 cans enchilada sauce

Brown ground beef with chopped onion. Drain and put in a large mixing bowl.

Add all other ingredients (except tortillas of course), EXCEPT hold out one cup of cheese and only add one half can of enchilada sauce. (Save 1 1/2 cans for later)

Spray bottom of a LARGE baking dish, then pour in some enchilada sauce until the bottom is covered. Microwave tortillas until they are warm. Assemble each enchilada by placing 1-2 large scoops of filling into tortilla. Spread evenly and roll. Place about 10 in a pan. Cover with the remaining enchilada sauce. Bake at 350 for 30 min. Sprinkle last cup of cheddar over the top for the last five minutes.

Overnight Blueberry French Toast

This recipe comes from The Ashley Inn in Cascade,ID. The hotel looks big and modern on the outside, but inside is full of quaint & beautiful antiques. Each room is decorated in a different theme. They are famous for their breakfast buffet. This dish was so delicious that I have to admit I went back for 2nds (and 3rds). I asked for the recipe and they were gracious enough to mail it to me.

12 slices day-old bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup fresh blueberries (OK to use frozen)
12 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup maple syrup

1. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. arrange half the bread cubes in the dish,
and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the cream
cheese, and top with remaining bread cubes.
2. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla & maple syrup. Pour over the bread
cubes. Cover & refrigerate overnight.
3. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 25-30 minutes more, until center is
firm and surface is lightly brown.


SAUCE: Start when there is about 20 minutes left on casserole timer:

1 cup white sugar
2 Tbl cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup fresh (or frozen) blueberries
1 Tbl butter

In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3-4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup blueberries. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes until the blueberries burst. Stir in the butter. Pour over the baked french toast.

OVERNIGHT EGGS

A GREAT WAY TO MAKE A YUMMY BREAKFAST AHEAD OF TIME IS TO MAKE THIS DISH ALONG WITH THE OVERNIGHT ROLLS. WE OFTEN MAKE BOTH FOR HOLIDAY MORNINGS OR WHEN WE HAVE COMPANY. A FRUIT SALAD ROUNDS OUT THE MEAL.

2 CUPS MILK
1 DOZEN EGGS
1 TSP DRY MUSTARD
8 SLICES WHITE BREAD (I USE A LIGHT WHEAT BREAD)
1 POUND COOKED SAUSAGE, CRUMBLED & DRAINED
3/4 # GRATED CHEDDAR CHEESE (I USUALLY USE A LITTLE LESS)

REMOVE CRUSTS FROM BREAD & CUBE BREAD.
BEAT MILK, EGGS, & DRY MUSTARD TOGETHER

LAYER IN 9X13" PAN:
BREAD CUBES
SAUSAGE
GRATED CHEESE
EGG MIXTURE

MAKE THE NIGHT BEFORE, COVER WITH FOIL, & REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT.
TAKE FOIL OFF IN THE MORNING.
BAKE AT 350 FOR 1 HOUR
IF MAKING WITH OVERNIGHT ROLLS, PUT EGGS IN FOR 1/2 HR, THEN ADD ROLLS AND FINISH COOKING THE OTHER 1/2 HOUR.

IF YOU HAVE A LARGER CROWD, JUST INCREASE THE INGREDIENT AMTS.
(THIS TOO IS A VERY FORGIVING RECIPE :)

Overnight Rolls

Overnight Rolls

Mom has made these for Christmas morning as long as I can remember. They are so simple to make and tasty! A real kid pleaser, too.

• Rhodes frozen white rolls. You'll need 24, but the packages come in bigger or smaller amounts.
• 1 small package butterscotch pudding mix. (Recipe officially calls for "cook and serve," but instant will work, too.)
• 1 cube margarine or butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 chopped walnuts or pecans (I usually skip so the kids will eat them)
• 1 tsp cinnamon

1. Put frozen rolls in the bottom of a bundt pan, in one layer.
   
2. Sprinkle dry pudding mix over the rolls
3. Melt butter and sugar together and pour over the rolls
4. Sprinkle with nuts and then cinnamon
5. Cover with towel and let rise overnight. (I've also turned the oven to warm, then turned it off and put the rolls inside and they are ready in a few hours.)
6. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. If they start getting too dark cover with foil.
7. Invert onto a plate and enjoy!