Baked Hungarian Goulash

My grandma gave me this recipe from one of her friends-it has sour cream, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese, whats not to like? Sorry this is from memory, so not a fabulous write up of a recipe;)

Ingredients:
8oz or so of pasta/noodles-we used mostacholi last night because it was on sale for 46 cents a box!
1 pound ground beef
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons butter
1 can tomato sauce (15-16oz)\
8oz-1 block cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
(the original recipe called to add green onions to the sour cream mixture, but I forgot to buy them)
Shredded cheddar cheese to top casserole

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil water and cook pasta to al dente. Drain.

Chop Onion and saute in butter until transparent and soft. Add ground beef, and garlic, continue to cook until browned. Add tomato sauce, and simmer until it thickens a bit.

While that thickens, soften cream cheese and combine cream cheese and sour cream.

In a casserole dish, layer noodles, sour cream mixture, then a layer of sauce. Repeat one mote time. Top with shredded cheese and bake for 25 minutes or so until the cheese is nice and gooey.

Enjoy!

Prosciutto, Spinach, and Pasta Casserole

I had wanted to use Prosciutto in something sooner than later, so when I came across this casserole, I thought it might be good! It was. I enjoy spinach in things like this too. You can find the recipe here. I made some changes which you can see below. No time for blogging-have to go enjoy this perfect weather! LOVE IT.

Ingredients
2-1/2 cups dried bow ties
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups half and half
1-1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 a bag of fresh baby spinach or so...
4 ounces prosciutto, cut into thin bite-size strips
1 can of Italian style diced tomatoes

Directions
Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain; rinse pasta with cold water. Drain again.

In a large saucepan cook onion and garlic, covered, in hot butter about 5 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and anise seeds. Add the milk and chicken broth all at once. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Stir in the cooked pasta, spinach, and prosciutto. Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart casserole.Top with the drained diced tomatoes and top with some more Parmesan cheese.

Bake, UN-covered, in a 350°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through. Let stand about 5 minutes. I then broiled for a few minutes to melt the top all wonderful:)

Finished product!


Dinner...

Smoky Chicken and Cheesy Potato Casserole

I am still loving on my casseroles....so tonight I made a new one. I found a recipe somewhere, but then I didn't really follow it at all...so here is what I did...It turned out pretty good. It needed a little more salt than I thought...but I liked the chicken...I need to think of a veggie to add to it. It was still good though...typical comfort food! Really easy, which is always nice.

Ingredients
1 can cream of chicken with herbs condensed soup
8 oz sour cream
6 oz smoked sharp cheddar cheese
1 package frozen hashbrowns defrosted completely-the diced kind
3 cups of rotisserie chicken shredded and cut into bite size pieces
Minced onions, onion powder, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, season salt (to taste)
Corn flakes to top

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together-except cornflakes. Spread in a generously buttered 9x13 baking dish. Top with crunched up corn flakes and bake for 1 hour.

Tuesday nights dinner!

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Kevin's mom makes this and it is soooooooooooo delicious! :) One of my favorites. Lucky for me, she gave me the recipe. After Kevin and I went running tonight, we made this quickly and devoured it even faster! Yummy. We do add chicken to make it a whole meal, but you can do it either way. Last night I didn't cook dinner because we met up with Kevin's parents for dinner at Longhorn in Lawrence, which was really good too-especially their onion-ring type appetizer.

Anyway....

Ingredients
1 package frozen chopped broccoli (I used the baby florets tonight, because they are my favorite)
1 small chopped, diced up onion
1 cup cooked minute rice (I used brown tonight to try and act healthy...:))
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup cheese whiz
Butter to saute with
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 can cream of chicken soup
Chicken breasts-I just grill up in a pan and dice it up
Sharp shredded cheddar cheese and paprika to top with

Directions
Saute broccoli and onion in butter. Cook rice and chicken. Blend soup, cheese whiz, and milk. Combine well. Add rice, broccoli, and chicken also. Put mixture in a buttered 9inch square pan or casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese and paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cindy always doubles this recipe and bakes for 35 minutes:) It is soooooooooooo good.

Look at all that cheese!!!


This was worth not eating out on a Friday:)

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese Ham Bake

I am still going strong on my casserole kick, although I am thinking tomorrow I might mix it up a little:) Kevin really likes ham, and one of my favorite foods when I was a kid was mac n' cheese, and I still love to this day, so when I saw this casserole, I thought it might be a good fit! You can find the original recipe here http://www.bhg.com/recipe/pork/creamy-macaroni-and-cheese-ham-bake/. It turned out really delicious! It was a 2-serving meal each:)

Ingredients
1 7.25-ounce package macaroni and cheese dinner mix
1-1/2 cups cubed cooked ham or chopped cooked chicken
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, I used sharp cheddar(6 ounces)
1 cup cream-style cottage cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped onion-I used minced onion/onion powder from my spice cabinet to make it easier...
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup soft bread crumbs-I mixed them with a bunch of seasonings for more flavor
1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare macaroni and cheese mix according to package directions, except do not add salt to water. Stir in ham, 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, the cottage cheese, sour cream, onion, and pepper. Transfer mixture to an ungreased 1-1/2-quart baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and, if desired, parsley; stir in melted butter. Sprinkle over macaroni mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese.

Bake, uncovered, about 30 minutes or until mixture is heated through and crumbs are golden. Makes 4 servings.

It looks a little weird in color-but it was really good!

Ta-Da!

Baked Beef Ravioli

Tonight for dinner I tried another new casserole recipe...my obsession. Since Spring is on its way, I have taken it upon myself to start tanning (I really don't need any comments on this, thanks though!) and start going back to the gym (which I hate every minute of). So dinner is getting later and later at night, which I HATE! I like a nice early dinner so my food can settle before my early bedtime of 10pm. You can find the original recipe here http://www.bhg.com/recipe/beef/baked-beef-ravioli/. I only made a few small changes....and I just put the ravioli in the pan, and poured the sauce over top, because my skillet ran out of room! Get ready for another new casserole recipe tomorrow! I am off to bed:)

Ingredients
2-9-ounce packages refrigerated cheese-filled ravioli
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 10.75-ounce can condensed tomato soup
4 oz cream cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (6 ounces)
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
salt and pepper to taste
EVOO

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cook ravioli according to package directions; drain. Return to pan; cover and keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook ground meat, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Stir in tomatoes, cream cheese soup, basil, and oregano. Gently stir in cooked ravioli.

Transfer mixture to an ungreased-I drizzled EVOO in the bottom- 3-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until heated through. Makes 8 to 10 servings.I wish I would have cut this in half-whoops:)

Finished Casserole...


Not too bad!

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Tonight for dinner I made a new casserole-I seem to be obsessed with casseroles....it was some good comfort food! I enjoyed it, although I think it could have been spiced up some more...not sure how. I will definitely eat the leftovers though! Can't go wrong with noodles of any sort! I looked up a bunch of recipes online and just mixed them all together..it worked out well:)

Ingredients
12oz wide egg noodles-cooked according to pkg. (I use a mix of whole wheat and white)
3 tablespoons butter
3-5 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
2 chicken breasts
1 small onion
4 cloves of garlic
Parmesan Cheese
salt, pepper

For topping
2 tablespoons butter
Seasoned bread crumbs (I seasoned my own with a BUNCH of spices, just anything I grabbed out of the pantry!)

Directions
Cook pasta according to package and set aside. In a large skillet cook chicken until done. Season with salt and pepper, etc...Pull chicken out of the skillet and set aside (after cool enough cut into small pieces). In same skillet melt 3 tablespoons of butter and add diced up onion and garlic, cook until soft. Add flour and whisk together and let it brown, and the flour to cook. Slowly add the milk, chicken broth, chicken soup, sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Let the mixture thicken and combine well. After bubbly, add the chopped chicken to the mixture.

Butter a 9x13 pan and put the noodles in the bottom. Pour the sauce over the top. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on casserole.Then mix butter and breadcrumbs and sprinkle that on top. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes until breadcrumbs are toasted!


Finished Casserole


Delish!

Green Bean Casserole

I LOVE Green Bean Casserole, it is no longer just for holidays in the Kinley-Spreer household. I make it pretty often. I cannot get enough. Tonight I made Green Bean Casserole and threw a roast in the crock pot with some potatoes, package of onion seasoning, an onion, beef broth, garlic, and random other seasonings. I love doing that, although then my hands smell like garlic and onions all day at work! I wish I would have had some carrots, too. Run that crock pot all day and have a moist, seasoned, super easy supper. That is why I decided to focus on the green beans for this post! You can find the original Campbell's recipe here http://www.campbellkitchen.com/RecipeDetail.aspx?recipeId=24099. Yum, yum yum, and of course, a Thanksgiving and Christmas must-have!

Ingredients
1 can Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup milk
Dash ground black pepper
2 cans green beans
1 1/3 cups French's French Fried Onions

Directions
Stir the soup, milk, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 1/2-quart casserole. Bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the bean mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining onions. Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

Mmmmmmm.....

Easy Taco Bake Casserole

For some reason, I am obsessed with this Taco Bake...it has cream cheese and sour cream so that is probably why. I can't remember where I found this one, but I remember I did cut it in half, which is more than enough for us, with lots of leftovers, and I added refried beans to the recipe. Kevin would rather it be made with rice, which I bet is possible, and you could add salsa or rotel in place of the tomato sauce, but I like it just the way I make it. Maybe I will get adventurous and try some new ideas next time I make it!

Ingredients
8 oz/half bag or box of shell pasta
1/2 pound of ground beef or turkey (mine is never a perfect amount)
1 8oz can of tomato sauce
8 oz brick of cream cheese
1/2 cup to 1 cup of sour cream
1 package taco seasoning
1 can refried beans
Shredded cheese for top-I use sharp cheddar or mexican blend

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta as directed and drain. While pasta is cooking, brown ground beef and add taco seasoning and tomato sauce, then simmer until combined and pasta is done cooking. Also soften and combine cream cheese and sour cream mixture. I microwave the beans as well during this time which makes them easier to spread. Spray a 9x9 pan or larger if you are making a bigger batch. Put drained pasta in the dish first, then layer beans on top, then cream cheese/sour cream mixture, then pour ground beef/tomato sauce/taco seasoning mixture on top of that, then cover in shredded cheese and bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes when cheese is nice and melty! Yummy, and super easy.