Cheesy Noodle Bake

Ok here is another Pioneer Woman recipe that I have somewhat adapted to our taste. Ree Drummond may be my new favorite chef! Louie and the boys were VERY skeptical of this one and actually said... "is this a casserole?" (with disgust). I didn't have high hopes for it when I put it in the oven because it seemed so plain. Much to their surprise they LOVED it! Louie said he would definitely eat it again and the boys agreed. Yay! Super easy meal! I served it with french bread :)

 

Photo courtesy of http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/07/freezer-cooking/ 

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 pound Ground Chuck
• 1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream (I did a little less as the boys hate sour cream)
• 1-1/4 cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese (you could replace this with ricotta cheese)
• 1/2 cup Sliced Green Onions (less To Taste) (I actually didn't put any green onion)
• 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese (I love cheese so I used a very generous "cup")

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients. I added 1/2 cup water at this point while the noodles cooked... it looked like it needed a little more sauciness to me haha (is sauciness a word?)
Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.
To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. I used a 13x9 pan and only had enough noodles for one layer. Next time I will double the recipe! Also since me and Landen don't eat beef I did about a third of the pan without the meat sauce. Next time I will pour a bit of tomato sauce over our portion. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted. I only baked ours for about 13 mins...
Serve with crusty French bread.

Asian Grilled Chicken & Crockpot Baked Potatoes

My mom and sisters have been making this chicken marinade for years, but for some reason this is my first time.  It's super easy and very tasty.  Best of all, you only need 3 ingredients.  Equal parts Soy Sauce (we use low-sodium), Sprite & vegetable oil.  I know the Sprite seems weird, but trust me. Combine the chicken and marinade in a big Ziplock bag.  I would put the bag in a bowl or dish (just in case it leaks you won't get it all over your fridge). You'll want to let it marinade for a few hours.  You can even put your chicken in frozen (like me) and put it all in the fridge the night before.  Then just take out of the marinade and grill. I used tenders so they would grill up super fast. Delicious!

This brilliant idea is courtesy of Skip To My Lou.  How have I never thought of this before?!  You just clean your potatoes, wrap them in foil, and put them in the crockpot on low for 8 hours.  They are ready when you come home from work / school.  Brilliant!  They were perfectly done.

We topped them with a mixture my sister, Lori, introduced our family to.  It's like potato crack for OJ - he gets excited just knowing it's going to be around.  All you do is take all the things you would normally top a potato with and mix it all together:  butter, sour cream, cheese, green onions (optiomal), salt and pepper.  You can make it ahead of time and put it in the fridge.  It'll be ready for you when you get home also.

Ham and Potato Casserole

Even though Connie invented these ;)  I got this recipe from Six Sisters Stuff.  In my family we always called these "Funeral Potatoes" but it never had ham and my mom always puts crumbled potato chips on top (very yummy). I've made this twice now and LOVE it!  (I really like using the stuffing mix on top.  Any excuse for more stuffing.)  I haven't actually tried this in a crock pot.  I baked it in the oven.  Also, the second time I made it I only had Cream of Mushroom soup and no ham.  It was still really good!

(Penny wanted to use a picture of HER plate)

Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Casserole
Ingredients:
1 (30 oz) package frozen hash brown potatoes, cubed or shredded (I used frozen shredded)
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1 (10.75 oz) can reduced fat cream of chicken soup (like I said, if you only have cream of mushroom, it will still taste great!)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (I'm sure anything would taste good - we used the Kraft blend that has 4 different kinds of cheddar...so good)
2 cups cooked chopped ham (ham leftovers are perfect for this recipe!)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (6 oz) package, herb-seasoned stuffing mix (I bought the Stove Top in the canister)

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Combine hash browns, dried onion, salt, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, cheese, and ham and place in slow cooker. Sprinkle stuffing mix over top, then drizzle melted butter over stuffing. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high 2-4 hours.

Or spray a 9x13 and bake at 350 for 45-60 min. 

Banana Pudding Poke Cake

For OJ's birthday this year we decided to try something different.  This cake is made up of some of OJ's favorite desserts:  yellow cake, banana pudding and Nilla Waffers.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it a try.  It is the easiest, tastiest dessert I've tried in a long time!

Whisk 2 packages of banana instant pudding with 4 cups of milk for 2 minutes.  Let it sit in the bowl for another 2 minutes, then pour over the cake.  Spread it out evenly to make sure it gets into all the holes.  Place cake in refrigerator until the pudding is completely set

Spread Cool Whip evenly over the pudding just like frosting.
 

Top with crushed Nilla Waffers and you are ready to eat

As you can tell, the Birthday Boy LOVED it!  It's our new family favorite!

Pioneer Woman Meatball Subs

Ok So I have a new favorite cooking show... The Pioneer Woman. She makes the best looking food and it all seems pretty simple and quick. Tanner asked if I could make her meatball subs for dinner tonight so I did! They were delicious (according to Louie and the boys since you know I dont eat meat! haha) There were a few things I altered but here is her recipe:

 

Ingredients

• 1 pound Ground Chuck Or Ground Beef
• 1/2 cup Panko Or Other Bread Crumbs
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced (I used 1/2 tsp already minced garlic)
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (I didn't have this I just used a tiny bit of butter to saute the onions)
• 1/2 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 1 jar (large) Marinara Sauce
• 12 whole Dinner Rolls (or Slider Rolls) (I used dinner rolls for the little boys and regular sub rolls for me Louie and Hunter)
• 4 slices Provolone Cheese, Cut Into Four Wedges Each ( I used shredded italian cheese because thats what I had on hand)

Preparation Instructions

Mix meat with bread crumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, and milk. Knead together with hands. Roll into heaping tablespoon-sized rolls.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook for one minute. Add meatballs between the onions and brown for one minute. (You might have to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your skillet.)
Pour in jar of marinara; shake pan gently to mix. Put on lid and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
When ready to serve, cut each dinner roll in half. I spread a little garlic butter over the sub rolls and toast them under the broiler for about 3 minutes. This just makes them extra delicous!Place a wedge of Provolone on the top and bottom of each roll. Spoon a meatball (or meatballs) with the sauce onto the bottom bun; top with the top bun.
Serve immediately!