Layered Taco Bake

I had bought one of those kits that was supposed to make something similar to this, but I was really disappointed with the kit. It just contained some tortillas, taco seasoning, and a very small packet of nacho cheese that would barely even cover one layer. So, I re-created the recipe, making some additions, which made it much better.
It doesn't make a lot, so I would recommend making two of them if you are feeding a family.

Layered Taco Bake

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef

¼ cup water

1 packet taco seasoning

1 cup salsa

1 small onion, chopped

½ cup diced tomatoes

½ cup jalapeno slices

Shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

3 (8 inch) tortillas

Directions

Brown ground beef, drain. Add water, taco seasoning, salsa, and most of the onions and jalapenos, leaving aside a few for topping. Cook and additional 5 minutes, or until beef mixture thickens and is well heated through.

Place one of the tortillas in an ungreased pie pan. Top with a later of the beef mixture, then a layer of cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining onions, jalapenos, and tomatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, and serve.

Individual servings may be topped with desired extra toppings, such as lettuce, sour cream, additional salsa, etc.

Crock Pot Ravioli

I found a recipe for Crock Pot Ravioli on Pinterest, and decided to try it today, with my own adaptations. It was very easy, and very good. This is definitely something I will be making again soon.

Crock Pot Ravioli

Ingredients

2 (25 oz.) jars of pasta sauce

1 (14.5 oz.) can of petite diced tomatoes

1 small onion, chopped

1 can of condensed cheddar cheese soup

2 teaspoons garlic powder

½ tsp. pepper

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, plus more for topping

1 (25 oz.) bag frozen ravioli- you can use meat or cheese filled, but I used cheese

Directions
Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. In a separate bowl, combine all ingredients except ravioli. Stir well. Spoon ⅓ of the sauce into the slow cooker, top with ⅓ of ravioli. Repeat layers three times. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours. Serve with each individual serving topped with additional shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bisquick Bacon Egg Cheese Casserole

This is a recipe my mom has been making since I was a child. I have varied the amounts of certain ingredients a bit, but basically I make it the same way. It makes a great breakfast casserole, but we usually have it for dinner. It is also a great way to use leftover ham if you use that in place of the bacon.

Bisquick Bacon Egg Cheese Casserole

Ingredients

3 cups Bisquick

1 cup cold water

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

½ lb. Bacon- cooked and crumbled, or 1-2 cups of chopped ham, whichever you prefer

4 eggs

½ cup milk

½ tsp. salt

Directions

Heat oven to 425. Grease 9x13 baking dish. Mix Bisquick and water until soft dough forms. Beat vigorously 20 strokes. Gently smooth into ball on floured cloth-covered surface. Knead 10 times. Pat into dish, pressing up ½ inch on sides. Top with cheese. Sprinkle with bacon. Mix remaining ingredients, pour over top. Bake for 20 to 25 min.

Spicy Crock Pot Chicken Spaghetti

This is a recipe that was partially invented by my husband. He doesn't cook much, mostly because I take over in the kitchen since it's a hobby for me, but when he tries, he can cook pretty well. He decided he wanted to cook for me one evening. Since I love both spaghetti and chicken parmesan, he decided to come up with a chicken spaghetti sauce that he thought I would like. The spicy part he added because he likes spicy things. I ended up adapting his recipe by adding some small tweaks and adapting it for the Crock Pot, since I love the way chicken falls apart and is tender when slow cooked.
If you are not a fan of spicy things, but you think the idea of chicken spaghetti sauce sounds good, make the recipe just as is, except eliminate the crushed red pepper.

Spicy Crock Pot Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients

1 jar pasta sauce

½ of an 8 oz. jar sun dried tomato pesto sauce

2 tsp. Garlic powder

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 tsp. Crushed red pepper

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 tsp. Sugar

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Directions

Stir together all ingredients except chicken in Crock Pot. Place chicken breasts in sauce and cover with some sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Shred chicken with a fork and stir so shredded chicken blends thoroughly with sauce. Serve over prepared spaghetti noodles or other pasta of your choice.

Homemade Chicken & Dumplings

Homemade Chicken & Dumplings

Ingredients (For broth)

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

2-3 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

Ingredients (for dumplings)

3 cups four

¾ tsp. salt

¾ tsp. baking soda

5 Tbsp. shortening

1 cup milk

Directions

In a Dutch oven, stir together chicken broth, water, cream of chicken soup, onion, celery, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Add raw chicken breasts. Bring to a boil, cook until chicken breasts are cooked all the way through. Reduce heat to medium. Remove chicken breasts, shred, and return to pot.

In the meantime, mix flour, baking soda, and salt together in bowl. Cut shortening into flour mixture with your fingertips. Add milk ¼ cup at a time, and stir until a ball of dough just begins to form, being careful not to over-mix. Roll out the dough onto floured surface that you don’t mind cutting on. Roll about ¼ inch thick. Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into strips, then cut across the other way to form rectangles about 1-2 inches wide. Drop dumplings into simmering chicken mixture. Cover and simmer for about 20 min., or until dumplings are cooked through.

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

I adapted this a bit from a recipe I found for a baked potato casserole. It turned out to be a great side dish, but it is hearty enough it could also be served as a main dish. 

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

Ingredients

5 large baking potatoes

1 cup evaporated milk

¾ cup sour cream

¼ cup butter or margarine

1 tsp. Garlic powder

1 tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Pepper

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

4 green onions, chopped

Real bacon bits

Directions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Poke holes in potatoes with a fork, wrap in foil, and bake for one hour. After taking potatoes out of the oven, reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Leaving the skins on, mash potatoes with a fork. Add the evaporated milk, sour cream, butter, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and one cup of the cheddar cheese. Mix together with a hand mixer. Do not overmix. The consistency should not be creamy like mashed potatoes, but thicker. Spread potato mixture in a 9 x 13 baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Top with remaining cup of cheese, chopped green onions, and bacon bits. Return to oven and bake for 5 addition minutes.

Stromboli Bake

Stromboli Bake

Ingredients

2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls

1 lb. Italian sausage

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 (14 oz.) jar pizza sauce

1 package sliced mozzarella cheese

Pepperoni

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread one package of crescent rolls across the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Place the Italian sausage, onion, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning in a skillet and cook until sausage is browned. Spread sausage mixture on top of the crescent rolls in the 9 x 13 baking dish. Next, cover the sausage mixture with a layer of pepperoni. Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the top of the sausage/ pepperoni. Lay the cheese slices over the top of the pizza sauce until completely covered. Spread the second package of crescent rolls over the top of the cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil, then bake for an additional 20 minutes.