Tracey's Tasty Meat Loaf

This meat loaf recipe originated with my sister who adopted a recipe from her mother-in-law. Then I searched around the internet a bit for tidbits that I might add that sounded good (like cheddar cheese, shredded carrot and horseradish)... and so here it is.


Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup bread crumbs
3 or 4 shredded baby carrots
1 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp horseradish
2 T parsley
1/2 tsp dried sage


Topping:
1/4 cup ketchup
2 T brown sugar
1 tsp dry mustard


Instructions:
Mix together list of ingredients into a large bowl. Form into a loaf and place in a loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until meat thermometer reads 160-170 degrees. At 45 minutes, mix topping ingredients together and spread on to the meat loaf. Bake another 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Cherry "Dump" Cake

In the past month, this recipe has come up twice during recipe conversations so I thought it was time to try it out! What's great is that it is so nice and simple! A mom at my mom's group mentioned it and then my sister suggested I try it too. Some make it with pineapple, but I decided to do mine without.


Ingredients:
1 can cherry pie filling
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Open can of cherry pie filling and "dump" it into a 9 x 13-in pan. Spread it evenly on the bottom.
• Open yellow cake mix and pour it onto the cherry pie filling.
• Slice the stick of butter and randomly place the butter pats across the top. To be technical, I was able to fit 5 rows of butter with 4 pats across.
• Bake for 50 minutes and enjoy!
  

OK, so I just finished making this and have some ideas. Don't try to put it in a smaller pan (like I did). There is too much cake mix for a smaller pan. I'm not sure if that affected my cake (because I had to transfer it into a bigger pan), but it wasn't as incredible as I expected. I may like this better with the pineapple. I also think it would be delicious if I added a scoop of vanilla ice cream! It was good, it just wasn't as incredible as I'd heard......I'd be interested to know how it turns out for you if you try it!

"Lasagna Mac"

Well, this one's right off the back of the box of the Kraft Mac & Cheese! But WOW is it YUMMY! Probably because it's so cheesy. Being a Wisconsin cheese head myself, that's right up my alley. Last night, I was just going to make a basic meal of mac-n-cheese with cut up hot dogs, but then I saw this recipe on the back of the box but below I tailored it a bit. I had all the ingredients and it sounded good, so that was our dinner. We only had a little left over, so I made more today for lunch! J just loved it and ate his entire helping.


















Ingredients:
1 box (14 oz) deluxe mac and cheese dinner (we used Kraft's sharp cheddar with cheese sauce)
1 lb ground beef
1 jar (14 oz) spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
*minced garlic
*chopped green pepper

* = my additions


Instructions:

• Prepare the mac & cheese as directed on package including mixing in the cheese sauce.
• At the same time, brown the ground beef. Add garlic and green pepper. Once the meat is no longer pink, drain and add spaghetti sauce. Let simmer for 5 or 10 minutes.
• Alternate a layer of the meat sauce and a layer of the mac & cheese. Repeat layers and then top with the shredded cheese.
• Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Enjoy!

Grandma's Rice

The picture doesn't do this justice. I love casseroles, especially ones with rice and ground beef. This one I found a few months ago and made it tonight to bring to a friend who is a new mom. The recipe can be found at allrecipes.com but after making a few of my own modifications (like omitting olives and bacon), I'm writing out the details here.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup chopped onion (I used dried minced onion)
1/2 cup shopped green pepper
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 bag frozen corn
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt (optional) - I omitted
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tsp melted butter

Instructions:

• Cook the beef, onion and green pepper in a large skillet over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
• Stir in the cooked rice, tomatoes, corn, chili powder, garlic powder and (optional) salt. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
• Add 1 cup of cheese, stir until melted.
• Transfer to a greased baking dish (I used 9 x 13-in). Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Toss bread crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle over the top.
• Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

We like eating this with french bread. Enjoy!

Quick Chili Powder

I was making a recipe today and found out I didn't have any chili powder. I did a little searching on the internet and found a quick way to make it with my own ingredients.

Ingredients:
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp garlic powder


Instructions:
Mix everything together and store in an air-tight container.

Upside Down "Pizza"

So this definitely isn't a gourmet meal, but it worked great when I didn't have much in the house. I didn't make it to the grocery store before dinner, so I needed to find a recipe that would use ground beef, spaghetti sauce and cheese. I had cheese in little star shapes that I got for J, but he didn't really like them so I used them up. It was fortunate that I also had crescent rolls, because that really made the recipe.

My husband really liked it. I was thinking there wasn't much too it; just spaghetti sauce with meat with a thin dough crust, but he said the main thing is it tasted good. It was good and we both had seconds. My son was not at all into eating tonight, so I couldn't find out if he liked it or not.

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com so you can click on the link or follow the instructions below.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 T chopped or minced garlic
1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded cheese (mozzarella or cheddar)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (8 ounce) can crescent rolls

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Brown beef, onion and garlic in sauce pan over medium high heat. Once browned, drain fat and stir in spaghetti sauce.
• In a 9 x 13 baking dish, spread a layer of sauce. Top with 1/2 the cheese and 1/2 the Parmesan, add another layer of sauce and then the rest of the cheese.
• Top with crescent rolls, pinching the seams together.
• Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Sweet, Sticky, Spicy Chicken

I saw this recipe on a blog I visit called Live, Laugh and Love. I am including a link to the recipe on her website, and also writing it out below. Visit Julia at Live, Laugh and Love.

So I have found really tasty chicken like this at Chinese restaurants, but I never looked for a recipe to make myself. I love this combination of ingredients for the sauce with the brown sugar, soy sauce and garlic especially. This is a keeper! So when I made this, the sauce never actually thickened so I took 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with a little water and then mixed that into the sauce. After a few minutes, it thickened up quite nicely. This was really yummy and reminded my husband and I of some of the great chicken dishes we've had at our favorite Chinese restaurants.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon garlic (chopped or crushed)
3 tablespoons hot sauce
1-2 pounds chicken breasts or strips (I used chicken breasts)

*optional: Add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon corn starch with water to the sauce if it doesn't thicken



Instructions:

• Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
• Brown the chicken on both sides.
• Pour the sauce over the chicken.
• Simmer, uncovered until the sauce thickens (about 10 minutes).

We made ours with rice and broccoli but my husband thought it would be great with pea pods added too. Enjoy!

Tasty Roast Chicken Vegetable Soup

I recently picked up a whole chicken that we had a few meals from. It was time to figure out what to do with the carcass. I did a google search, and after investigating several I finally found what I was looking for at The Boston Globe.

When you click the link, you'll see the entire recipe. There is a recipe for the broth and there is a recipe for the vegetables that later get mixed in with the broth.

Here were my personal additions:
BROTH:

• I added about 2 tablespoons of olive oil for flavor.
• I added about 1 tablespoon of crushed garlic, also for flavor.
• I added various spices (some parsley, some Spike seasoning and some McCormick Garlic Herb chicken seasoning - maybe 1 teaspoon each.)

VEGETABLES:

• Instead of button mushrooms I just used pre-sliced white mushrooms.
• I also added about 7 or 8 small (cut up) red potatoes I pre-cooked in the microwave for 6 minutes.
• I added about 1 cup of egg noodles.

Hope you enjoy it! Another cold-day comfy meal.

(Slow Cooker) Pork Rib Ragu with Pasta

**I forgot to take a picture, so this picture wasn't mine! Mine wasn't as fancy and didn't have the Parmesan on top.**

I have been looking for some good slow-cooker recipes now that it's fall and I have a new one I tried. I got this from the Fix it and Forget it slow cooker series. This was awesome! I haven't made something in a while that's just wowed me. It wasn't even that amazing, it's just that the flavors really blended well together and I just love pork ribs. The meat was so tender. My son is a pretty picky eater and he ate more of his dinner this time than he has in a while.

Ingredients:
3 t vegetable oil
2 carrots, diced
2 pieces celery, diced
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1.5 to 2 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs
1 cup beef broth
2 T tomato paste
1 can (28-ounce) crushed tomatoes
1-1/2 t Italian seasoning
1/2 t pepper and salt
1 box bow tie pasta

Instructions:

• In large skillet, heat half of the oil over high heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Cook stirring frequently about 5 minutes or until browned. Remove from skillet.
• Add the rest of the oil to the skillet and the pork ribs. Cook about 5 minutes until browned turning once.
• Transfer pork ribs to 5-quart slow cooker. Top with the vegetables.
• In a small bowl, combine beef broth and tomato paste. Stir and pour over the ribs.
• Stir in crushed tomatoes and half of the Italian seasoning and pepper.
• Cook for 7 hours on low or for 5 to 5-1/2 hours on high. (I cooked mine for 5-1/2 hours on high.)
• Skim off any fat and remove pork ribs with a slotted spoon. Set aside. Stir remaining Italian seasoning, remaining pepper and the salt into the cooking liquid. Shred the pork into bite-sized chunks or smaller and add to the cooking liquid.

Serve ribs with sauce over bow tie pasta and enjoy!

Picture credit: msianinlongisland.com

Shortcut Pumpkin Bread

I got this recipe out of my November "Parents" magazine. I've never made pumpkin bread before, and this sounded like a quick and yummy way to make it. I decided to do store bought frosting, although you could do homemade. Mmmmm....this was so good! It tasted like cake. It was moist with a light pumpkin flavor.

Ingredients:
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup mashed bananas
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom (this was my addition)

Instructions:
*Prepare the yellow cake mix according to package directions but omit the water.
*Stir in the pumpkin and banana.
*Add the cinnamon and cardamom
*Mix and blend until no lumps
*Pour into a 9" greased loaf pan
*Bake at 375 for 50 minutes.
*Allow to cool and add frosting if desired

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

Over the Halloween weekend, I made some devil's food cupcakes for the kids. I forgot to pick up vanilla frosting which I usually just buy, so I decided to make my own. I used a basic cream cheese frosting recipe that I modified for quantity. This was more than enough for 24 cupcakes and I had some left over too.

Ingredients:
1 (8 oz) package of softened cream cheese
1 stick softened butter (1 cup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until creamy.
Stir in vanilla extract.
Slowly add powdered sugar.
Beat until creamy smooth.

Use as frosting for cakes, cupcakes or your favorite sweet bread (like banana, pumpkin, or zucchini).

Yummy Slow Cooker Pot Roast

'Tis the season for slow cooking! I have been meaning to get more use out of my slow cooker and finally did it. I hope to be doing a lot more of this during the cold weather months. I decided to start with pot roast, which was one of my favorite comfort meals that my mom would make when I was little. Hers was just delicious! So I visited several different sites on the internet and came up with this recipe. It really turned out well. I cooked it on high, but ended up cooking it for 5 hours so the meat would be extra tender.

(I forgot to take a picture so I used one that looked like it with a link below.)


Ingredients:
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
1 can cola (I used Coke)
2-3 pound roast (I used a bottom round roast)
1 bag mini red potatoes
1 bag mini carrots

Directions:
Place the roast in the slow cooker.
Pour the rest of the ingredients on top.
Cook on high setting for about 4 hours or low setting for 8 to 10 hours. (The longer you cook, the more tender the meat will be.)

Photo credit: Trisha

Mom's Pork Chops

I love this recipe! It is simple yet very tasty and something my mom used to make when I was a girl. It's basically making a very tasty gravy for your pork chops which works really well over rice. (Here I decided to have mashed potatoes with it.) Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 6 loin pork chops
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 1/4 cup water with 2 T flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 2T finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 T ketchup
• 1 garlic clove
• Optional: small dash of cream or milk
  

Preparation:

*In large skillet, brown pork chops.
*Once browned, add 1/2 cup water, the onion, ketchup, garlic and bouillon.
*Cover and let simmer for 30-40 minutes until chops are tender. Remove chops.
*In small bowl, combine flour and 1/4 cup water.
*Slowly add to cooking liquid stirring constantly.
*Cook until thickened.
*Stir in sour cream (and dash of cream or milk) but do not let it come to a boil.
*Serve sauce over chops on bed of rice.

Enjoy!!!

Chicken Spaghetti

This is a recipe I got out of the Wisconsin State Journal and decided to try it. The picture isn't mine but this is almost exactly what it looked like when done (except for the red pimentos). My family likes spaghetti and I thought this would be a nice new twist. It turns out it was a real hit! My son is in a season of being a very picky eater and I watched him gobble this down. He finished it all and asked for seconds! I can't remember the last time he's done that. He usually has 3 bites and says "all done mommy". So this will be a keeper.

Ingredients:
*Spaghetti noodles (amount would depend on # of people eating)
*2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
*2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
*1 small onion, finely diced
*1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper
*Seasoned salt to taste
*Black pepper to taste
*1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (this gives it a nice kick)
*About 3 cups cut up and cooked chicken breast

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook spaghetti according to directions, drain but KEEP 1/2 cup pasta water and set aside. In a large bowl, combine cooked spaghetti, soup and 1-1/2 cups of the shredded cheese. Stir in onion, bell pepper and cayenne pepper (I actually threw my onion and green pepper in with my chicken to cook it a bit before mixing). Mix well. Add chicken and some of the reserved pasta water (as needed) and mix. Spoon into a 9 x 13 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes and serve. Hope you enjoy it!

Picture credit: Kids Eat the Darndest Things

Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Do you ever get in the mood for some good chocolate chip cookies but you really just want a few, not a whole batch? That was me today. I searched around and found a small batch recipe but doubled it for mine. This is fun to make with your little ones. My son loved helping me stir. Here is the doubled recipe:

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Adapted from Small Batch Baking.

5 T butter (room temp or microwave soft)
4 T brown sugar
4 T granulated sugar
1 egg, well beaten
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 cup plus 4 T flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Cream the butter and sugars, mix in the eggs and vanilla, stir in the dry ingredients, then the chips. Bake at 375 for 8-11 minutes. This made about 15 small to medium-sized cookies.

Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

My husband got this recipe from a lady at work who was really thoughtful after I had our baby and wasn't able to cook much. After sitting around for a couple years, I finally made it! It was pretty good too and so easy to make. Here are the details....

Ingredients:
Cut up cooked chicken (1 to 2 pounds)
1 large jar cheese whiz
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 packages frozen broccoli
1 small diced onion
1-2 cups of rice

Cook broccoli as on package directions. Cook rice. Mix all the ingredients together. Put in a casserole dish and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Parmesan fondue

Last night, I went to a fondue party for my Titus mom's group. They asked me to make a cheese fondue and I found this recipe which looked really good. It ended up tasting even better than it looked. I was told afterwards that my fondue was the favorite among the moms. The consistency was great with bread, not too hard or stringy yet not too mushy or runny. Just the right sponginess is the word I'd use.

Ingredients
* 1 1/2 cups milk
* 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cubed
* 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
* 1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cubed

Directions
In a large saucepan, cook and stir the milk and cream cheese over low heat until cheese is melted. Be careful so the cheese does not burn. Stir in Parmesan cheese and garlic salt; cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to a fondue pot or mini slow cooker; keep warm. Serve with bread cubes.

Baked Ziti; 3 cheese with chicken

This dish is kind of like macaroni and cheese with chicken but with ziti instead of macaroni. I like the white cheeses in it too.

Ingredients:
1 (16oz) package ziti pasta
1 lb boneless chicken breasts
1 jar Alfredo sauce
1 (8 oz) sour cream
1 (15 oz) ricotta cheese
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup parsley
1 1/2 cup mozzarella

Cut up chicken breasts and cook in pan. Cook ziti. Drain and mix chicken, ziti, alfredo and sour cream. Spoon HALF of the pasta/chicken mixture into a 9 x 13 dish. Stir ricotta and next three ingredients; spread over ziti. Spoon remaining ziti over ricotta mixture and then sprinkle the top with mozzarella. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown crust. Enjoy!

Chocolate Elvis Smoothie

Ingredients:
*Milk
*Ice
*Cut up bananas
*Peanut butter
*Chocolate syrup

As far as how much of each ingredient, it's purely up to your taste. You may like yours really "banana-y" or chocolaty, etc. so it's fun to experiment with how much of each. I read that you're always supposed to put the liquid ingredients in first, then the solids. I used the "chop", "blend" and "puree" features on my blender.

YUM! I love this one when I'm craving some chocolate. It's better than a candy bar!

"Mug" Cake *great to make with kids*

I got this recipe from a friend. It is a mini cake that's made in a large coffee mug. It turns out to be similar to a sponge cake since the cake itself is really moist and springy. It says chocolate chips are optional. I used them in mine and I had a bite of a piece without the chips and it was a little bland, so the chips are good to add.

Ingredients:

• 4 T flour
• 4 T sugar
• 2 T cocoa
• 1 egg
• 3 T milk
• 3 T oil
• 3 T chocolate chips (optional)
• Small splash of vanilla extract
• 1 large coffee mug microwave safe

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract and mix again. Put mug in microwave and cook for 3 minutes. The cake will rise over the top of the mug but don't be alarmed. Allow to cool a little and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT!

Beef Broccoli Mushroom Pie

This is another Bisquick recipe and it turned out well. It could use a little extra kick of "something" (maybe garlic) but I couldn't figure out exactly what. Anyways, my husband had seconds so that's always a good sign.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound beef cooked, drained
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• 1 (9 oz) box broccoli cuts, thawed
• Sliced mushrooms (we like fresh)
• Salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup Bisquick or baking mix
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Heat oven to 400. Grease 9' pie plate. In bowl, mix beef, onions, broccoli, mushrooms and spoon into pie plate. In bowl, stir bisquick, milk, sour cream, eggs, salt and pepper until well blended. Pour into pie plate and top with Swiss cheese. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until knife in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Ravioli Lasagna

This recipe was fun since it's a lot like lasagna but much quicker and easier. Yet still tastes like lasagna.

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 3 cups favorite spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 container ricotta
• 1 package frozen chopped spinach
• 1 (30 ounce) package frozen cheese or beef ravioli
• 6 ounces shredded mozzarella
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375 and spray sides of 13 x 9 dish. Stir sauce and water in a large bowl. Spread 1 cup sauce mixture in dish. Top with half the ravioli. Next mix 3/4 cup mozzarella with the ricotta and spinach. Then spread on top of the ravioli and top that with 1 more cup of the sauce mixture. Top with the remaining ravioli and cheese mixture and finally the rest of the sauce. Cover dish with foil. Bake for 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Uncover dish. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Dijon Pork Chops

This was a nice and simple recipe that was very tasty.

Ingredients:

• Dijon mustard (I used honey dijon)
• 5-6 pork chops
• bread crumbs
• canola oil

Spread dijon mustard on both sides of the chops. Coat in bread crumbs and pan fry in a little canola oil 3 to 5 minutes per side or until 155. This goes well with green beans and red potatoes with dill butter.

Beef Stroganoff Casserole

This is a Betty Crocker recipe using Bisquick, but you can also use a generic "baking mix" version. It turned out really well when I used fresh mushrooms instead of canned. We liked this one.





Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (3/4 oz) package mushroom gravy mix
• 3/4 cup water
• fresh sliced mushrooms, broken into small pieces (as many as you desire)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup bisquick
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 small bell pepper cut into rings

Heat oven to 400. Grease an 11 x 7 x 1-1/2 dish. Cook beef and onion over medium heat. Stir in gravy mix (dry), water and mushrooms. Cook 1 to 2 minutes while stirring until thick. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream. Spoon mixture into baking dish. In small bowl, stir bisquick, milk and egg. Spread gently over beef and top with bell pepper rings. Bake 18-22 minutes until topping is golden brown. Wait 5 minutes before cutting.

African Peanut Soup

This is a recipe I found on the internet for a "soup swap" being hosted by my Mom's group at our church. It had 13 wonderful reviews and it sounded really good. I tasted the soup and liked it. I'll have to make this another time to have it as a meal (since I gave it away).

Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 large red bell peppers, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes with liquid
1 (12 or 14 oz) container of chunky salsa
8 cups chicken broth or stock (can use vegetable also)
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t chili powder (optional)
2/3 cup extra crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Cook onions and bell peppers until lightly browned and tender, stirring in garlic when almost done to prevent burning. Stir in tomatoes, salsa, chicken stock, pepper and chili powder. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Stir in rice, cover and simmer for another fifteen minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in peanut better until well blended and serve. (You can serve this with a dollop of sour cream in it.)

Spinach Parmesan Pie

I've found some Bisquick recipes that have been fun to try and this one sounded good and it was. It could also work with feta, but I just used the cottage cheese and Parmesan.

Ingredients:
1 T butter
4 medium green onions
chopped garlic
10 oz. package of frozen spinach
1/2 cup small curd cottage cheese
1/2 cup Bisquick mix
1 cup milk
1 t lemon juice
1/4 t pepper
3 eggs
3 T Parmesan cheese
1/4 t nutmeg

Heat oven to 350. Grease 9" pie plate. Melt butter in skillet on high. Cook onions and garlic in butter 2-3 minutes or until onions are tender. Thaw/drain spinach and stir in. Spread mixture in pie plate then spread the cottage cheese on top. Stir bisquick, milk, lemon juice, pepper and eggs until blended. Pour into pie plate; sprinkle with Parmesan and nutmeg. Bake 35 minutes until knife placed in center comes out clean. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

Quinoa/Millet Muffins

I am part of a MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group in the Madison area. We rotate bringing treats and I made this recipe for the group. I first had these muffins at my baby shower where one of the ladies made this with millet. I discovered millet is very hard to find in a regular grocery store (many of the co-ops and whole foods-type stores carry it) so I went with quinoa instead. These muffins are excellent. They have just enough sweetness to them and a good flavor. You know you're eating muffins that are good for you.



Ingredients:
2/3 cup ground quinoa or millet. (I had to grind mine using a coffee grinder.)
1/3 cup ground flaxseed (I used flaxseed meal)
1 egg
1 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 T honey
1/4 cup melted butter
1-1/2 cup white or wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375. If not using baking cups, spray muffin tin with cooking spray. Mix sugar, egg, add quinoa/millet, flax, yogurt, honey and melted butter. Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add gradually to the wet ingredients. Stir until moist. Spoon into muffin cups (batter will be very thick & sticky). For large muffins, bake 16-17 minutes. For mini muffins bake for 14 minutes.

Chicken Primavera Pie

Lately I've been making a lot of Bisquick recipes. They are fairly easy and something different for a change. This is one of my favorites.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups cooked chicken
• 1 (10 oz) package of frozen asparagus cuts, thawed & well-drained
• 1 cup frozen mix, bell peppers & onions, thawed & well-drained
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup Bisquick
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs

• Heat oven to 400. Grease 9-inch pie plate. Layer chicken, asparagus, bell peppers/onions and cheese in pie plate. Stir remaining ingredients until blended. Pour into pie plate. Bake 30-35 minutes or until knife in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.