This is a great casserole to make on a Sunday and have easy leftovers to heat up all week long!

Ingredients:

• 2 small broccoli heads, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 4 small ribs celery, or 2 large ones, chopped
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 16 oz bag of wide egg noodles

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, chop veggies and put in a large bowl- keep broccoli separate and place in a pot, fill with water and steam until broccoli turns bright green.
3. Mix all veggies excluding broccoli with the cream of mushroom soup and cheese. Add broccoli and noodles when they finish cooking. Mix all together well. 
4. Put combined mixture in a 13×9 baking dish.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups brown rice
• 1 c sliced carrots
• 1 c frozen peas
• 1 c chopped mushrooms
• 2 ribs celery, 4 if small ribs
• 1 medium white onion, sliced
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp soy sauce 

Note- I like a lot of veggies, you can use less if you want to.

Optional- shrimp or chicken to add for a bigger dinner

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to package direction- I like to use a rice cooker. This should take about 45-50 min.
2. In the meantime, chop veggies and rinse in a strainer and place in a bowl. Keep onion separate.
3. In a large pot, sautee onion in 1 tbsp olive oil for about 5 minutes, until it becomes translucent
4. Add in other veggies. Make sure not to overcook the veggies.
5. While the veggies are sauteeing, scramble 3 eggs in a small saucepan. When they are finished cooking, take them off the heat.
6. Add the rice into the pot with the veggies when its finished cooking. Add the scrambled eggs, then the soy sauce. Mix well. 

This casserole is so delicious- and the best part of it is that it is HUGE, so you will have leftovers forever!

Ingredients:

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 4 oz cans chopped green chiles
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 12 oz can red enchilada sauce
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup of half and half
• round yellow corn chips
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese

Sides:

• 1 can sweet golden corn
• 1 can black beans
• 1 box Spanish rice
• Sliced tomato
• Sour Cream
• Avocado
• Your favorite salsa

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, cover chicken breasts with water, add 1 tsp of salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and and simmer for approximately 1 hour.
2. When chicken finishes cooking, remove from saucepan and cool on a platter. Make sure to save the broth.
3. When the chicken is cool enough, cut it into bite site pieces and set aside.
4. In a large pan, sautee the onions in olive oil. Add in the green chiles, then the enchilada sauce, then one cup of chicken broth, then the chili powder.
5. Heat through and stir until its bubbly. Add 1/2 cup of the cheese to the mixture, then the half and half. Turn off the heat- you want the cheese to not quite melt. Add in the chicken and mix well. 
6. Cover the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish with one layer of corn chips. Pour half of the enchilada mixture on the chips. Cover with 1/2 of what is left of the cheese. Make another layer of corn chips over the cheese and then pour the remaining enchilada mixture on top. Cover with the rest of the cheese.
7. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes- do not overcook!
8. Start the rice just after you put the casserole in the oven, it usually cooks for about 20-25 min.

Serve with your choice of sour cream, salsa, rice, avocado, sliced tomato, corn, and beans.

This dish is good hot or cold. Eat it hot for dinner and then cold for lunch the next day. Very yummy! This is also a pretty quick meal- start to finish is about 45 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1 16 oz box rotini pasta
• 1 6 oz container of pesto
• 2 cups chopped mushrooms
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. In a frying pan, combine chicken and 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook for approximately 30 min, or until chicken starts to brown.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, about 12 minutes.
3. At the same time, sautee the onion in 1 tbsp olive oil for about 5 min, until it becomes translucent. Add the zucchini and mushrooms. If you need more olive oil, add 1 tbsp more.
4. When the pasta finishes cooking, strain it and add it to the veggie mixture.
5. Add the chicken and then the pesto to the mixture of pasta and veggies and mix well.
6. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

These cookies are a yummy treat during the fall and especially during Thanksgiving time! It’s good that this recipe makes a lot of cookies- my boyfriend has been known to eat 10 in one sitting!

• Prep time- 20 min
• Cook time- 13 min
• Yields- A lot of cookies- about 75!

 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 16 oz can pumpkin
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 c chocolate chips
• 1 c chopped pecans

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. 
• Add pumpkin, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix together at a medium speed.
• Add chocolate chips and pecans. 
• Using a tablespoon for each cookie, drop batter onto cookie sheets. 
• Bake for 13 minutes until edges brown.
• Cool on wire cookie rack and then store in tupperware.

Rasberry & Russian Cream Jello Mold

 

If the words Jello mold don’t really conjure up visions of an incredibly tasty and classy dessert, you obviously haven’t had this one.  My mom has to make two every year- one that goes on the table at Christmas dinner and another for just me and my sister to eat in the days after.  Serve it as a dessert or as a sweet addition to your dinner.

 

Ingredients:

 

• Four 3oz packages of raspberry Jello
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• One 10oz package of frozen raspberries (thawed and strained)
• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• ½ cup warm water
• 1 cup half and half
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla

 

Instructions:

 

Raspberry layer- Dissolve raspberry gelatin mix in boiling water.  Add lemon juice and fruit.  Pour mixture into a 6 cup mold and refrigerate until firm (I usually just leave it overnight).

 

Russian Cream layer- In a mixing bowl dissolve unflavored gelatin in the warm water.  In a pan, heat the half and half and sugar over low heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring regularly.  Add cream mixture to gelatin and add sour cream and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  Pour over chilled raspberry layer and chill again until cream layer is firm.

 

I recommend using a plastic mold for this because the Jello will slip out easier when it’s done.  If it sticks, just run a knife around the perimeter of the mold until it loosens.