Cheddar Broccoli Rice Cups

(found recipe on FaceBook)

2 cups cooked rice 1 10-oz. box frozen, chopped broccoli, thawed and excess water squeezed out3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided1/4 cup Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing 2 eggs, lightly beaten1/2 teaspoon saltPepper to taste

Place cooked rice in a large bowl and let cool slightly. Add the remaining ingredients, using only 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese, and stir until combined. Transfer mixture to eight well-greased muffin cups and top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees or until tops are lightly browned and edges are starting to get crispy.




 I tried this last night. All of the adults liked it. Stephanie would rather eat just broccoli because she loves it. Hayden and Meredith would rather eat plain broccoli even though they hate it. Phil refused to vote because he hates broccoli and this. I thought it was really good though and since I do most of the cooking, we'll probably have it again!

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.

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

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.