Miracle Lasagna

From:  Tanya Purcell (2009)

1 (45 oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce with meat
**(I add my own 1 lb. hamburger cooked with 1 medium onion and 1 minced garlic clove)**
6 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 (16 oz) container cottage cheese
3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1. In 2 qt. baking dish, spread 1 c. sauce
2. Top with 3 uncooked noodles, 1/2 cottage cheese, 1 c. mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and 1 c. sauce.
3. Top with remaining noodles and layer again.
4. Cover and make at 375 degrees for 1 hour.  
5. Remove cover, top with remaining cheese and cook until cheese is completely melted.
6. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting

Baked Beef

From:  Tanya Purcell (2009)

3 lb. stew meat; cut into very small pieces
2 cans golden mushroom soup
3/4 can water
1/2 pkg. dry onion soup mix
Fresh mushrooms; saute (optional)
** I also add 1 cup mini carrots**

Cooked Rice; enough for your family
Chow mien noodles (optional)

1. Brown stew meat on top of stove for just a few minutes.  
2. Combine soups and water, then mix in meat, carrots and mushrooms
3. Bake in 375 degree oven for 1 1/2-2 hours to make sure the meat is well done.
4. Serve over cooked rice.  Can top with chow mien noodles.

Oven Baked Bacon

I wish someone told me about this long ago!! We don't eat a lot of bacon, but I hate making it when we do because it's SO messy. This takes the mess out of bacon.....


Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Line a pan (that has edges) with foil
Bake bacon for 15-20 min. or how crispy you want it.

That's it. Nice and simple, the bacon stays flat, there's no splashes to wipe up, and the foil cuts cleaning in half!

Sweet Pork Burritos or Salads (Costa Vida Style)

Tried these, LOVE them, and they are so much cheaper than a trip to the restaurant! It makes a TON (like 12-15 burritos) so you can freeze some for later too. Also, it ends up being between $1.50-$2.00 per burrito verses $6.99 in the restaurant! These are very similar to the real thing, which would have been nice to have this recipe in TX since they don't have a Costa Vida or Cafe Rio in San Antonio!!

To make a Sweet Pork Burrito...

Add the following to your tortilla

1. Black or Pinto Beans (we just bought Bush's Black Beans in a can)
2. Cilantro Lime Rice (recipe below)
3. Sweet Pork (recipe below)
4. Green Chile Enchilada sauce (just buy a can from the store)
5. Mozzarella Cheese (We used the Mexican Blend Cheese from Kraft)

Smother with additional sauce and cheese if desired.

Put it in the oven or microwave to melt the cheese.

And on the side (if you want to):

Green Leaf Lettuce

Pico de Gallo

SWEET PORK MEAT:

4 lb. pork roast (make sure it's the butt/rump roast)

I made the roast the day before to cut back on time the day of making these

2 cups brown sugar

1 (12-14 oz.) jar salsa

1 can Coke (12 oz.)

Place roast in crock pot, fill half way with water and cook for 6-8 hours on high

Discard water and shred meat; return to the crock pot

Combine sugar, salsa, and coke in a separate bowl.

Add mixture to the meat in the crock pot.

Cook an additional 3 hours. Stir occasionally.

CILANTRO LIME RICE:

2 cups rice

4 cups water

1/2 cup lime juice

chopped cilantro (use about 1/4 of the bunch)

Add everything to a pot and cook according to package directions

***SALAD***SALAD***SALAD***SALAD***

Do everything you did above, except instead of making a burrito, add it to some green leaf lettuce and make the following dressing...

TOMATILLO RANCH DRESSING

In a blender combine:

1 Buttermilk Ranch Mix packet

2 cups mayo

2 cups buttermilk (or 1 cup sour cream and 1 cup milk)

2 tomatillos

1 jalapeno, seeded

1/2 - 1 bunch cilantro

1 Tbs lime juice

1 clove garlic, crushed

(I didn't add garlic and it still tasted YUMMY!!)

Scalloped Potatoes

From:  Shayna Bahr

4 large un-peeled potatoes
1/4 c. butter
1 T. minced onion (can use dehydrated)
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 c. shredded cheddar

1. Thinly slice the potatoes and place in a greased casserole dish.
2. In a small saucepan, melt butter and add onion, salt, pepper.
3. Cover and bake at 425 degrees for 30-45 minutes until tender.
4. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and cover just to let cheese melt.

Chicken Parmagian

From: Christine Nelson

Here is my very easy chicken parmigian recipe.

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
Oil (veggie, olive, whatever you have!)
Mozzarella Cheese
Parmigian Cheese
PREGO Traditional Spaghetti sauce (okay, so you can use whatever kind of sauce you like, but this is my favorite)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

First take the four chicken breasts and tenderize it.

Next mix the egg and milk in a bowl big enough to fit each chicken in. In the other bowl poor a shallow layer of bread crumbs. Heat on medium a good amount of oil in your skillet (you want the oil to come half way up the chicken breast).

Now you are ready to fry! Dip each chicken breast in the egg/milk mixture, then the bread crumbs (both sides, get it nice and covered) then into the pan. I cook mine about 7 minutes on each side. After that place the chicken in a 9*13 baking pan and cover with Mozzarella cheese. Repeat with each breast until they are all done.

Now, cover the chicken breast (that already has melted mozzarella on it) with your spaghetti sauce, making sure to cover the whole thing. The add more mozzarella cheese and some parmigian cheese. Bake for 30 minutes (or until heated through and cheese is melted).

Yum, yum yum....
.

Twilight Punch

From:  Christine Nelson

Red, fruity punch, smells like Bella, looks like her blood too... :).

Ingredients:
2 liter bottle of ginger ale
64oz Cranberry Juice
46oz Pineapple juice (look for the big cans of juice)
12 oz can Frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
12 oz bag frozen strawberries or raspberries or mix of both

1. Start with all ingredients cold, refrigerate 24 hrs prior to mixing. 
2. Mix everything together in a bowl and add the ginger ale last.

The recipe will fill 2 extra large pitchers or 4 regular pitchers. You can also add more ginger ale, water, and/or ice to taste.