Easy Manicotti

I adapted this recipe from allrecipes.com.
Everybody in this house LOVES this recipe.

1 pound ground hamburger or sausage
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 (16 oz) jar spaghetti sauce
12 manicotti shells
Italian seasoning & ground pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add manicotti shells to boiling water & cook about 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Brown the hamburger or sausage; drain and keep hot.

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, 1 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, Italian seasoning, pepper, and the hamburger/sausage.

Stuff noodles with cheese and hamburger/sausage mixture; place in 13x9 baking dish. Pour sauce over top of noodles and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Thin Egg Pancakes

We love thin pancakes at my house. (Except for my husband, who detests almost all things breakfasty.) I got this recipe from "Taste of Home's 2000 Quick Cooking Annual Recipes" (page 137) cookbook which I got from AAL.

I need to remember to DOUBLE this recipe the next time I make it.

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5 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
Salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Add milk. Stir in flour and sugar just until blended. Add butter, salt, and pepper. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into a hot greased 8-in skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove and keep warm. Repeat.

Yield: 1 dozen

Parmesan Chicken

This recipe comes from "Taste of Home's 1999 Quick Cooking Annual Recipes" (page 78) cookbook.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 pound)
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cub grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Flatten chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and basil. In another bowl, beat the egg. Dip chicken into egg, then coat with crumb mixture. In a large skillet, brown chicken in butter and oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.

Yield: 4 servings

Super Easy Nachos

This is my own recipe! I know ~ amazing, right?!

Fajita Meat - you can get it in a bag at Sam's
Tostitos Scoops
Cheddar Cheese

First, cook the meat (microwave will work but I prefer the skillet).

While that's cooking, lay out your chips on a microwave-safe plate (or cookie sheet, if using oven.)

Cut the meat into small enough sections to fit inside a chip and put a piece in each chip.

Shred the cheese over the chips.

Cook in microwave for 30+ seconds until cheese is melted. You can also put it in the oven at 350 until the cheese is melted ~ less than 5 minutes! I prefer it in the oven.

Yyyyuuuummmm!

You can also put refried beans in the chips before microwaving.
And, of course, you can also add salsa after.

Speedy Southwest Salad

1 pkg (10 oz) ready-to-serve salad greens
1 can (15 oz) whole kernal corn, drained
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup picante sauce
1 cup broken tortilla chips
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced tomatoes

Place greens in large salad bowl. Top with corn and beans.

In a small bowl, combine the salad dressing and picante sauce; spoon over vegetables.

Sprinkle with tortilla chips, cheese, and tomatoes.

Serve immediately.

(6 servings)
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I have no idea where I got this recipe but Steffi and I both like it.
No one else will try it. Wimps.

It makes quite a lot so I normally only make this when we go to a pot luck.

But, really, I could eat this every week!

UPDATE: I got this recipe from TASTE OF HOME.

Recipe - Lasagna

I found this recipe on the back of the Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Grain Lasagna noodle box and modified it slightly. We love the whole grain noodles!

1 lb ground beef

3 cups (26 oz) spaghetti sauce

1 1/2 cups water

1 3/4 cups ricotta or cottage cheese

2 cups (8oz) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I use Sam's Italian 4-cheese blend)

1 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 1/2 boxes Ronzoni lasagna, uncooked (the recipe calls for 9 noodles but I end up using just over a box)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown meat; drain. Add spaghetti sauce and water; simmer about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together ricotta, 1 cup mozarella, Parmesan, eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Pour about 1 cup sauce mixture into bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Arrange UNCOOKED pasta pieces over sauce (I make sure to cover the entire surface with the lasagna); cover with 1 cup sauce. Spread one-half cheese filling over sauce. Repeat layers of lasagna, sauce, and cheese filling. Top with layer of lasagna and remaining sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.

Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil; bake another 10 minutes.

Let lasagna stand 10 minutes before cutting.