A few recipes...

Every Tuesday and Wednesday I make dinner for friends. Today one of them called me and asked me to give her a few recipes. Well, this is they... (oh, and yeah, they make me dinner on mondays, and thursdays...I am nice, but that is WAY nice, and I am not that! :) )


Beef Noodle Bowl
From Kraft Magazine
Takes about 30 minutes to make
serves around 4 adults
(Normally, I don't like their recipes, but this is good, in-fact, a family favorite!)

8 oz linguine
3 cups broccoli florets
3 medium carrots peeled and sliced
2 tsp veggie oil
1 pound sirloin steak cut into strips
1/2 cup italian dressing (it recommends kraft, but $$$$ ha ha, I use what I buy, which is the cheap stuff!)
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce (I use my yoshidas sauce- it is LOTS tastier than teriyaki! Buy it at sams!)
1 tsp ground ginger

-cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli and carrots to the cooking water for the last 2 mins.
-meanwhile heat oil in skillet add meat cook until browned on all sides. then stir in dressing teriyaki, ginger; cook until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.
-Toss pasta and meat mixture in large serving bowl and EAT! (I really just mix in the pan, then I have less dishes, who isn't a fan of that...besides Martha Stewart! And if I had 'people' I probably wouldn't care either....)


Italian Meatball Subs
Um, this is a crockpot meal. It takes 4-8 hours. I did do it in the oven in like 2 hours, but not as tasty as in the good ol' CP!
serves 8 adults

Meatball ingredients
1 pound beef
1 cup italian breadcrumbs
1/2 cup FRESH parmesan cheese
1 tsp parsley
1 garlic clove
1/2 milk
1 egg

Mix all ingredients together, and make little meatballs. Put the meatballs somewhere...I put them on a cookie sheet, but don't worry, you don't pre cook them! Oh, and I use a cookie scooper for this step, but if you like to eyeball it, go for it. This is my least favorite part of making these! I hate touching raw meat! It makes me ill!

Sauce Ingredients (hold on to your pants, this is TOUGH!!)
1 can tomato sauce (I use the 14 oz can)
1 29 oz can of italian crushed tomatoes...or if you are a tomato putter upper, grab a quart of them! They taste WAY BETTER!!
1/2 cup FRESH parmesan cheese
2 envelopes spaghetti sauce seasoning

Mix these low sodium ingredients together, and then put a little in bottom of your CP...then layer a layer of meatballs, then some sauce, then some more meatballs.  Make sure sure sure to finish with sauce! My CP usually only has ONE layer of meatballs.
Plop the lid on, and let that bad boy to his work. 8 hours on low, 4 on high.
I hope that you are out of your house while these are cooking! They smell so good!


Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Takes like 30 minutes to prepare it
from Melskithchencafe.com

Serves 6 to 8

Topping:
4 slices white sandwich bread, torn into quarters (I used a long forgotten bread bowl tucked in the back of the freezer – thawed it in the microwave before using)
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
3 pounds russet potatoes (about 4-5 medium), peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup heavy cream or milk
6 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded, about 2 cups
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat and sliced thinly
9 ounces deli ham, chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

For the topping, process the bread and butter in a food processor until coarsely ground. Set aside.

For the filling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, making sure the oven rack is in the middle. Place the potatoes, 6 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are partially cooked, about 2 minutes (don’t overcook because they will continue to cook in the oven!). Carefully drain potatoes, or remove them with a slotted spoon, and transfer them to a bowl. Set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until the onions are softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute (this helps cook out the flour taste in the roux). Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and the cream or milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking often, until slightly thickened (if using milk instead of cream, you may have to cook longer for it to thicken up a bit). Off the heat, whisk in the Swiss cheese, Dijon, and cayenne pepper until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until ready to use.

Toss the potatoes with half of the sauce and spread into the bottom of a lightly greased 9X13-inch baking pan. Layer alternating pieces of the chicken and ham over the potatoes, overlapping as needed. This is not a scientific procedure, just make sure that the chicken is in a single layer (not on top of each other) so that it cooks thoroughly. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the chicken and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the casserole is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes (add about 5-7 additional minutes onto the baking time if baking it after it has chilled in the refrigerator for more than a couple of hours). Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

And there you have it!! Enjoy!