Crescent Beef Casserole

Submitted By: Taste of Home Test Kitchen Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 25 Minutes Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 6

"Cover and refrigerate leftover tomato puree for up to 1 week. Use it to make spaghetti sauce."

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound lean ground beef 1 cup diced zucchini 1/4 cup chopped onion 1/4 cup chopped green pepper 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 cup tomato puree

1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes 1 cup crumbled feta cheese 1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside. In the same skillet, saute the zucchini, onion and green pepper in oil until crisp-tender. Stir in the beef, tomato puree, oregano, salt and pepper; heat through.
2.	Spread mashed potatoes in an 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Top with beef mixture; sprinkle with feta cheese.
3.	Unroll crescent dough. Separate into four rectangles; arrange three rectangles over the casserole. Bake at 375 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until top is browned. Roll remaining dough into two crescent rolls; bake for another use. Note: I did not have tomato puree, so I used a large can of diced tomatoes and put them in a blender for a couple of seconds.  I also added some garlic when I was cooking the veggs and then I added some chili powder to the large skillet for a little more flavor.

Mel's Banquet Chicken

Mel’s Banquet Chicken

Ingredients:

5 Chicken breasts

6 garlic cloves or minced

½ c craisins

¼ c green olives

¼ c capers

3 bay leaves

¼ red wine vinegar

¼ c olive oil

2 T. oregano

Coarse salt, dash

Fresh ground pepper, dusting

½ c brown sugar

½ c cooking wine ( I used apple juice instead of cooking wine)

2 T cilantro 

Mix all seasoning in pan.  Add chicken.  Bake at 350 F for 50-60 minutes. I would check after 30-40 minutes because the last time I made this I burnt it.  This chicken is super delicious when it is not burnt:)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip (and Bean!) Cookies

This recipe is from Self Magazine online. I made these for you guys a while back but you didn't know there were beans in them! :)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup drained great Northern, cannellini or any white beans, liquid reserved
3 T butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk-chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
3. In a blender, process oats until finely ground but not powdery.
4. Combine oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
5. In a clean blender, puree beans and 2 T. reserved bean liquid until smooth.
6. Combine bean puree, butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in separate bowl and beat well.
7. With mixer on low speed, beat in oat and flour mixture.
8. Stir in chocolate chips by hand.
9. Drop batter (by the tablespoon) onto baking sheets.
10. Bake 15 to 17 minutes until centers are firm and edges are lightly browned.
11. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Chicken Crescents

Ingredients:
1/2 tea. pepper
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
4 tea. butter, room temperature
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
2 pkgs. crescent rolls
Melted butter
Bread crumbs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix pepper, cream cheese, and butter in a bowl.
3. Add chicken and mix.
4. Drop a small ball of chicken mixture on wide end of uncooked crescent roll.
5. Roll up.
6. Dip roll in melted butter and roll in bread crumbs.
7. Bake for 20 minutes.

Slow Cooker Vegetable Minestrone

Ingredients:
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
4 cups tomato juice
1 T dried basil leaves
1 tea salt
1/2 tea dried oregano leaves
1/4 tea pepper
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 cups uncooked rotini pasta (4 1/2 oz.)

Directions:
1. In a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker, mix all ingredients except pasta.
2. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or until vegetables are tender.
3. Stir in pasta.
4. Cover and cook on high for 15 to 20 minutes or until pasta is tender.

Southern Cherry Salad

Ingredients:
1 can crushed pineapple (drained thoroughly)
2 cans cherry pie filling
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 large tub of Cool Whip
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:
1. Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Chill.
3. Serve cold.

Slow Cooker Chocolate Mud Cake

Ingredients:
1 c. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
6 T. butter
2 ounces semisweet chocolate (or 1/3 c. chocolate chips)
1 c. sugar (2/3 c. and 1/3 c. added separately)
3 T. plus 1/3 c. Dutch-processed cocoa
1 T. vanilla extract
¼ t. salt
1/3 c. milk
1 egg yolk
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 ½ c. hot water

Directions:
1. Coat the inside of a 2 ½-5 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. (Note: the cake’s cooking time and final appearance will vary with crock pot size.)
2. Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Melt butter and chocolate on the stove or in the microwave.
4. Whisk together 2/3 c. sugar, 3 T. cocoa, vanilla, salt, milk and egg yolk.
5. Add the melted chocolate, the flour mixture and the last whisked items all together.
6. Spread the batter evenly in the slow cooker.
7. In a medium bowl whisk together the remaining sugar (white and brown), cocoa, and hot water, until the sugar is dissolved.
8. Pour the mixture over the batter in the slow cooker.
9. Cover and cook on high for 1-2 hours.
10. Even when the cake is done it will be very moist and floating on a layer of molten chocolate. You will know when the cake is ready when nearly all of the cake is set and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pot.
11. When it is done, turn off the power and remove the lid (be careful not to let condensed steam from the lid drop onto the cake). Let cool for 25 minutes.
12. Serve with whipping cream or vanilla ice cream.

Vegetable Pizza

Ingredients:
2 pkg. crescent rolls
11 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup mayonnaise
1 pkg. dry Ranch dressing
3/4 cup each: chopped or grated carrots, green peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, green onion

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Press both packages of rolls into a 15x11 pan (cookie sheet).
3. Bake rolls for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely.
4. Beat cream cheese and then add mayonnaise and dressing mix.
5. Spread mix over cooled crust.
6. Put veggies over dressing mixture and press in so it sticks.
7. Refrigerate and serve.

Breakfast Danish

Ingredients:
2 (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 pkg. crescent rolls
1 egg yolk
1 tea vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spread 1 package of crescent rolls on the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
3. Mix cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla with beaters.
4. Spread cream cheese mixture over rolls in 9x13.
5. Cover cream cheese mixture with 2nd package of rolls.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly brown.

Optional Glaze:
Combine 1 cup powdered sugar and enough milk for glaze. Drizzle over hot danish.

Egg Casserole

I adapted this from a recipe I got from my Grandma. The original recipe has cubed ham in place of the vegetables, but I've grown quite fond of the veggie version. Feel free to use different vegetables but this is the one I made for Conference Breakfast.

Ingredients:
1 dozen eggs
1/2 tea salt
2 cups sour cream (full fat, otherwise the eggs get watery)
Dash pepper
2 cups shredded cheese
2 bell peppers (use different colors for a more interesting dish), chopped
Asparagus, blanched and chopped
1 small white onion, chopped
Tomato, seeded and chopped

Directions
1. Saute peppers and onion until slightly soft (not brown) and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
3. In a bowl, beat eggs, sour cream, salt, and pepper until foamy.
4. Fold in 1 1/2 cups of cheese.
5. Mix in all the vegetables.
6. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
7. Dump in egg mixture.
8. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
9. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until cooked through.
10. Serve with sour cream and/or salsa.

Magleby's Syrup

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 T corn syrup
1 cube butter or margarine
1/2 tea vanilla
1/2 tea baking soda

Directions:
1. Boil sugar, buttermilk, corn syrup, and butter for 3 minutes in medium saucepan.
2. Let the mixture simmer for another 3 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and mix in vanilla.
4. Stir in baking soda.
5. Serve over French Toast or Pancakes.

Orange Syrup

Ingredients:
1 cup butter and/or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice concentrate

Directions:
1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan.
2. Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
3. Bring mixture to a soft boil.
4. Stir in orange juice concentrate until dissolved.
5. Serve over French Toast!

Somphien's Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:
a couple swigs of rice vinegar
touch of sugar
Add water if too much vinegar


Directions:
cut up a cucumber and add dressing (vinegar and sugar). Tastes really good with shrimp or crab. Sauté the shrimp in olive oil until it turns pink and add a little of salt and pepper.

Somphien's Stir Fry

Ingredients (add however much you want):
olive oil
garlic
meat or tofu (fried tofu taste better)
carrots
broccoli
onions
whatever veggs you want to add
oyster sauce
soy sauce
pepper
sugar


Directions:
put olive oil in pan and heat up and add some garlic
add meat or tofu and mix
add stalks of broccoli and carrots or veggs that need to cook longer: keep uncovered
add broccoli and onion and then add oyster sauce (2 big spoonfuls). Let veggs cook down and then add some soy sauce, pepper and sugar. Mix and cook until your veggs are done. Keep adding ingredients until you like the taste.

Herb Chicken

Ingredients:
6 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
¾ Cup butter
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ Cup fresh chopped parsley
1 Cup herb-seasoned stuffing mix
¼ tsp. dried sage
¼ tsp. dried thyme

Directions
Rinse the chicken breasts and pat with paper towels to remove moisture. In a small bowl combine all ingredients except chicken. Stir together until well blended. Place each chick breast in herb mixture and pat it on to form a crust on both sides. Place in a 9x13 and bake for 45 mins at 325.

Lemon Rice

SERVES 3 -4 (change servings and units)
Ingredients
1 cup long grain rice
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 pinch salt
1 large garlic clove
2 teaspoons lemon zest, freshly grated
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley

Directions
1Place rinsed rice in the rice cooker bowl of your rice cooker.
2Add the chicken stock and salt; stir to combine, then place the garlic in the center on top of the rice.
3Close the cover and set for the regular cycle.
4When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, add the lemon zest, butter, and parsley; stir to combine.
5Close the cover and let the rice steam for 10 minutes.
6Fluff the rice with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon.
7This rice will hold on Keep Warm for 1-2 hours.
8Before serving, remove garlic and discard.
9Serve hot.

Lemon Chicken