Pork Chop and Rice Casserole

Pork Chops and Rice Casserole

Ingredients

* pork chops

* 2 cups uncooked minute rice

* 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup

* salt and pepper to taste

* * * * * * *

directions

* * * * * * *

- preheat oven to 350 degrees

- season the pork chops with salt and pepper

- in a saute pan, brown the pork chops

- in a casserole dish, combine soup and rice

- place browned pork chops on top of the rice mixture

- cover with foil

- Bake for 45 minutes

Cheesy Taco Casserole

Taco Casserole from Pillsbury

Look at the cheesy goodness. This dish is so good and a great way to stretch out a family meal. We had enough leftovers for lunch the next day plus it was rather inexpensive to make.

Ingredients
1 package refridgerated biscuits
olives sliced
cheddar and mozzerella cheese grated
1 lb hamburger meat
whatever veggies you want - mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning (or make your own)
1 cup hot sauce or salsa

*Preheat oven to 350
*Cut biscuits into smaller pieces to fit into dish and coat with hot sauce or salsa
* Sprinkle half the cheeses over top with the olives
*Bake in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes
* While baking - saute the onions and veggies in a pan until cooked
* Add the hamburger and brown until done
* Add the seasoning
* Pour over the top of the cheesy biscuits
* Add another layer of cheese
*Bake another 8 minutes or until cheese is bubbly

Serve immediately



Yum

Pioneer Woman's Stovetop Macraroni and Cheese

I keep seeing this over and over on different blogs. The pictures make me want to drool. Seriously. I usually eat mac and cheese out of a little box and the one time I made homemade macaroni and cheese it was not so creamy - but still good. This looked so creamy, that I knew the next one I'd try would be this one.

Ingredients
4 cups dried macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 heaping teaspoons dry mustard
1 egg, beaten
1 pound cheese, grated (I used half cheddar and half monterey jack)
1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (more to taste)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cook macaroni in a pot until done
Drain and set aside
In a large pot, melt butter and add flour in gradually
Stir together for five minutes
Pour in milk and mustard and stir until smooth
Cook until the sauce thickens
Reduce heat and stir in the egg until smooth
Add cheese and stir until melted
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the macaroni into the sauce and stir to combine

Serve immediately

or you could top it with cheese and bake it, but really serve immediately.

Chicken Sausage Pasta Bake

I wanted to make something easy for my inlaws. My husband and I make baked ziti all the time, so when I saw this recipe, It sounded easy, but different twist on what we normally do. It changes it up without being risky.

When I pitched the chicken sausage bake to my husband.. He didn't seem too enthused. He said - do you really think its safe to experiment on my family? Why not try it another night with just me?

So I said we'll its basically the same thing we always do, but it uses chicken sausage instead, so it shouldn't be too horrible. If anything it will be edible. Just not as good as the other.

Anyways, so he agreed... but he said we should nix the spinach and onions that was in the recipe, just in case since his dad didn't really care for either. So no big deal. If you want to add those back in, go for it. We didn't use them, but I'll probably add them in the next time I make this... and yes, there will be a next time. It was good!! It was just as good as the baked ziti that I normally make. I thought it was a refreshing change.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 c. vodka (optional)
1 onion chopped
1 can whole tomatoes with juice - slightly crushed with hands
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup heavy cream

10 ounces baby spinach

1 pound rigatoni or penne

12 oz smoked chicken sausage (I used 4 links)
6 ounces of fontina cheese - shredded

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to al-dente. Add spinach until it is wilted. drain and put back in the pot.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet. Saute the onions until they are translucent. Stir in the garlic. Remove from heat. Add the vodka. Return to heat and cook until almost evaporated.
• Stir in tomatoes and oregano. Cook the tomatoes until they are falling apart - about 10 minutes.
• Add cream. Cook until warmed through. Add salt and pepper.

• Add tomato sauce and sausage to the pasta pot. Stir to combine.
  
  

  
  
• Add half to a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with half the fontina cheese. Add the rest and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and the parmesan cheese.
• Bake until browned and edges are crisp - about 30 minutes.

Baked French Toast

We love french toast. We just don't make it that often. That could be because we don't really cook breakfast too often - and when we do - its eggs and toast or eggs and potatoes, or we use our awesome waffle iron to make some humongous waffles. I must say my waffle iron was a gift from my husband about a year after we'd been together. It was a weird christmas gift. I know we were talking about getting one.. luckily it wasn't my only christmas gift that year.

Anyways, back to French Toast. I had seen some recipes for baked french toast and it intrigued me. It sounded easy enough. I worried about the direction to "let sit it in the fridge overnight" would make it soggy. I guess I would find out.

Ingredients
5 eggs lightly beaten
1 cup half and half
1/2 loaf french bread - cut diagonally into 1" slices
1/2 cup of milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup of butter - melted
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons cinnamon

• In a large bowl - whisk together eggs, milk, cream, cinnamon and vanilla
• Dip bread slices into the mixture
• Place in a greased 9x13 pan and refridgerate overnight
  


• Preheat oven to 350
• Take pan out of the fridge to take some of the chill off
• In a small bowl - mix hot melted butter, brown sugar and maple syrup.
• Spoon sugar mixture over the bread.
  


• Bake 40 minutes
• Let stand 5 minutes before serving
  

Verdict? - We both thought it was soggy. Maybe it was the fact that I used french bread? Maybe I should have used a thick solid bread. Maybe it was because it soaked overnight. Either way. I'm going to try again tomorrow to see if not letting it soak overnight makes it any less soggy. Either way,it was edible. Just not our cup of tea. We like moist, but not so much that it falls apart in your mouth.

If that doesn't work, I'm going to change the bread.