Fiesta Ravioli Bake

Wow so long time no post. I've actually made a ton of different recipes and hopefully I'll get around to sharing all of them, but I just haven't had the time to actually post them yet. This is a super easy, last minute recipe that everyone will love, even Frank who usually hates ravioli really liked it and as long as you use a mild salsa and enchilada sauce it's not at all spicy so even the kids will love it. Hope you enjoy!

I know you love my half cheese picture:)

1 can of corn, drained
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 jar of salsa I use Herdez, I tried La Victoria this last time it was no good
1 10 oz can enchilada sauce
1 25 oz. pkg. of frozen beef raviolis
2 c. cheese

Cook Ravioli according to package. Combine everything else in a 9x13 dish. Add ravioli and cook at 350 for 20 minutes.

Grandma Bailey's Zucchini Casserole

This comes from a new favorite blog of mine called cookingwithkrista.blogspot.com. She's got a lot of fun recipes and so far so good. I don't have a picture for this one as it wasn't the prettiest casserole and I didn't put cheese on mine and therefor looked very different from hers so I just didn't think it benefited to have a picture. Anyway don't let that deter you from trying this because it was really good. Parker gobbled his up, zucchini and all, and Frank even commented that it was good which doesn't happen too often. If you have picky eaters she recommended peeling the zucchini first, but I figured that probably took most of the healthiness out of it and for my family they're going to like or dislike it no matter what color it is, but it probably works better for older kids. Anyway with all that said if you have some extra zucchini this summer this is a great casserole to try as well as this chicken zucchini casserole.

1 lb ground beef
1 onion chopped
salt, pepper, and garlic to taste (you can tell this is a grandma's recipe as there's not a lot of measuring:)
2 zucchini, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped you can also use a can of tomatoes
16 oz sour cream or I used 2 cans cream of mushroom but a combination of both would probably be great
box of croutons (I used Marie Calendar's butter garlic)
cheddar cheese to top casserole

Cook ground beef and onion until no more pink. Drain grease. Add zucchini and tomatoes and bring to boil (because I used fresh tomatoes there wasn't much liquid to boil so I added just a tiny bit of water, not even a 1/4 c. you may want to cook longer if using canned tomatoes just cook out some of the liquid) Reduce heat and cover and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile spread croutons evenly in a greased 9x13 pan. After 10 minutes stir in sour cream or cream of mushroom and pour over croutons. Top with cheese and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

This makes a good size casserole and doesn't really taste as good the next day, so I suggest if you have a smaller family to either cut it in half or she said she even freezes the other half, just cover with plastic wrap and then tin foil.

Special Delivery Chicken

Better known as Poppy Seed Chicken, this is another easy recipe with very few ingredients. This is great served over noodles, rice, or like we do baked or boiled potatoes. I know not every one has poppy seeds in their seasoning drawer, but trust me once you have them you'll use them more than you would think, and hopefully you'll make this recipe more than once as well.

2 cans cream of chicken
1 c. sour cream
2 t. poppy seed
4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/4 c. melted butter
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a greased 9x13 casserole dish. In a separate bowl combine crackers and butter, sprinkle over casserole. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25 minutes. Serve over noodles, rice, or potato.

Sausage and Rice Casserole

So don't write this recipe off until you hear me out. This recipe comes from my recipe group that my friend Ryanne Walker does once a month. This was probably the most popular dish that night. It sounds totally strange with the almonds, chicken noodle soup, and rice, but trust me it's really good and relatively easy, but you do have to plan ahead because it takes an hour and a half to cook. Anyway I hope you enjoy it as much as we did:)

Ok so this looks kind of like a Rice-a-Roni, but I promise it's much better and worth the extra time:)

1 lb bulk pork sausage (I used Jimmy Dean's Regular pork sausage, the kind that comes in a tube)
1 onion, minced
4 c. water
2 pkgs. dry chicken noodle soup mix (such as Lipton or you can use store brand)
1 c. uncooked long grain rice
1/2 c. slivered almonds-I've made it without and it's still good, but it does add a fun extra texture

Cook sausage and onion until sausage is no longer pink. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil and add soup mixes and allow to cook for a couple minutes. In a greased 9x13 pan add sausage, rice, soup, and almonds. Cover and allow to cook at 350 for an hour and a half.

Tex Mex Chicken and Rice Casserole

This recipe was simple and good, but beware because it makes a lot! I think if I were to make it again I would only use the rice vermicelli and keep out the extra rice or at least cut it in half. Also when I make it again I will use a can of tomatoes with green chilies instead of fresh tomatoes and canned green chillies I wasn't a fan of the fresh tomatoes in this, maybe because they were store bought tomatoes with not much flavor but it just wasn't my favorite, and if your family is sensitive to spicy food just cut back on the chili powder to maybe 1/2-3/4 Tablespoon. Other then that this is a super easy delicious casserole. Sorry I forgot to take a picture, we were so hungry and it looked so good we just kind of dove in, hopefully if I'm good I'll take a picture of the leftovers.

1 medium onion chopped
2 T. butter
1 pkg. chicken vermicelli
1 c. long grain white rice
28 oz. chicken broth
2 1/2 c. water
4 c. cooked chicken
4 medium tomatoes chopped, or 1 can tomatoes with green chilis
4 oz. can green chilies
2 t. basil
1 T. chili powder- or according to your family's taste
1/4 t. cumin
1/4 t. pepper
1 c. cheese- We didn't put this on, I think in order for this to be good it would have to be mixed into the casserole, but the recipe says to melt it on top at the end, so whatever sounds good to you

Saute onion in butter. Add rice and chicken vermicelli and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add broth and water (if your not adding extra rice I would cut out the 2 1/2 c. water.) Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover with lid. Allow to simmer on low for 20 minutes. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Mix in remaining ingredients. Bake covered at 425 for 20 minutes. Depending on when you add cheese the recipe says to remove the tin foil and add cheese and cook another 5 minutes, but again I think it would be better to mix in with the rest of the casserole.

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Lasagna

I've kind of slacked with posting, but to be honest I haven't made anything worth posting. I made another Rachael Ray roll over meal which was jerk chicken that didn't turn out that great for us, but fortunately the rollover meal a pasta dish using the leftover chicken was really good, but I figured most probably wouldn't want to make the first meal just to get the second, right? This recipe for the Chicken Tortilla Lasagna is not a new one in our house, to be honest it really wasn't even planned. I had no clue what I was going to make and this is what Frank suggested so..voila here it is! This can be a little spicy so if you have kids you can cut back on the taco seasoning and use a mild enchilada sauce. The original recipe calls for sour cream and since we're not big sour cream fans I switched it for cream of mushroom. If you do like sour cream just switch it out with an 8 oz. container or even half of each if you want. It also calls for 2 9 oz. packages of frozen southwestern-seasoned chicken strips, thawed and diced but I choose to just cook about 3 chicken breasts in the crock pot instead. Anyway use whatever works for you or what fits your family's taste.

This would probably look much better to most of you with more cheese, but I'm just funny like that sorry:)

1 10 oz Old El Paso enchilada sauce
3 cooked chicken breasts shredded
1 can cream of mushroom
1/2 c. sliced green onions
1 T. taco seasoning
8 corn tortillas torn in half
2 c. Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
2 c. tortilla chips
1 large tomato diced
2 T sliced olives-optional

Spread 1/4 c. enchilada sauce in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Mix remaining enchilada sauce with cream of mushroom, taco seasoning, 1/2 of green onions, and chicken. Arrange half of your corn tortillas on top of enchilada sauce. Then top with half of chicken mixture, and 2/3 c. cheese. Repeat layers ending with chicken and cheese on top. Cover with foil and and cook at 375 for 30 minutes. Uncover and layer chips, tomatoes, olives, remaining onions, and remaining cheese. Bake another 5 minutes to melt cheese.

Pepperoni Pizzazz

So I have to admit that I'm a little intimidated after going into my husband's work and finding out so many people actually read my blog. They have all been giving my husband grief about me making and packing his lunch and dinner, little do they know what my house looks like:) I know I kind of spoil him in that respect, but he works his butt off especially lately by going back to work every night for another 5 hours of work, but most of all I truly enjoy cooking and trying new recipes so don't think I cook all this food JUST for my husband:) Anyway this recipe is super easy and if you love pepperoni pizza you'll love this!

Obviously picture with cheese:)

8 Oz cooked penne, or rotini
1 28 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 package (8 ounces) sliced pepperoni
1/2 8 oz. pkg mushrooms sliced
1 green pepper chopped
1 small onion chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/8 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 t. oregano
1 can 8 0z tomato sauce
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Combine 2 1/4 c. spaghetti sauce, pepperoni, mushrooms, onion, parmesan, garlic, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, oregano, and cooked pasta. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Mix remaining spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce and pour over pasta mixture. Cover and cook at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with mozzarella and cook another 5 minutes until melted.

Crunchy Chicken Casserole #2

Just like crock pot meals, you can always use a new casserole recipe. This is another recipe I found on Recipe Zaar. The original recipe called for mayo, but the thought of mayo in a casserole grosses me out, and I can actually say that because I've tried it once. I'm sorry if I offend anyone with this comment, but mayo in a casserole is just wrong. Dips, dressings, and sandwiches yes, casseroles no; but that's just my opinion. Anyway for those of you who like mayo in casseroles please don't let it stop you from trying this recipe. I have to admit, my husband didn't love this one the first time I made it, I think the water chestnuts were a little different for him and like a lot of men he wants only meat and potatoes. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with meat and potatoes, but I like a little more variety than that. Anyway if your willing to take the risk, this is a really good casserole if your like water chestnuts:)

2 c. chicken, cooked, and cut into bite size pieces (I prefer to cook my chicken in a crock pot, but I've also heard of people baking all the chicken they're going to use for the week and then freezing it, either way works great)
1 c. sliced celery
1/2 onion chopped
2-3 Tb. butter
2 c. cooked rice
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom ( I've even used cream of celery which is really good as well)
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1 can sliced water chestnuts, chopped so less noticeable for those who are not fans:)
3/4 c. crushed corn flakes

Saute onions and celery in 1 Tb. butter. In greased 9x13 pan combine soups, rice, almonds, water chestnuts, and sauted onions and celery. Melt remaining 2 Tb. butter and mix in corn flakes. Sprinkle corn flakes over top and cook uncovered for 30 minutes at 350.

Crunchy Chicken Casserole

I got this recipe at my little recipe exchange group. It was one of my favorite casseroles there and it's super easy so I hope you like it!

3 c. cooked chicken breasts, cut into chunks (I cooked 2 chicken breasts)
3 c. chow mein noodles ( you can find these with all the Chinese food)
3 c. diced celery
1 small onion chopped
3/4 c. salted cashews
3/4 c. chicken broth
2 cans cream of mushroom
1 can cream of chicken
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients reserving 3/4 c. of the chow mein noodles. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake covered at 325 for 45 minutes. Sprinkle reserved 3/4 c. noodles on top and cook another 10 minutes.

Leftover Ham Casserole

I always have a hard time with using up left over ham. I usually choose between ham fried rice, breakfast burrito, or the heavenly ham casserole I shared with you earlier. This time I thought I'd venture out and make up my own concoction. It came out pretty good, but I still think I will change it up a little if I make it again. So once again, I'll tell you what I did make it with and how I'd change it if I were to make it again, because if you remember I don't make a lot of the same recipes more than once.

1 c frozen petite peas
1 can cream of celery
2-2 1/2 c. cooked macaroni
1 small onion, diced
1 1/2 c. chopped ham
1/2 c. milk
1-2 c. cheese- on my husband's half of course:)
pepper to taste

Combine everything in a greased 9x13. Cover and cook on 400 for 30 minutes.
If I were to do this again I would use broccoli instead of peas just to add more flavor and substance, and I would add a can of cream of chicken so it would be a little more creamy. And if you really wanted to go crazy (life on the edge I know:) Add buttered bread crumbs on top.

Heavenly Ham and Potato Casserole

I'm not going to lie this is not what I made last night, because what I made last night was a total flop, and since today is my birthday I won't be making dinner tonight either! Last night I made ravioli using left over won ton wrappers. Honestly I kind of made this one up. I read that you could make ravioli using won ton wrappers, and you can, but I probably should have read more into it and I would have realized they only need to cook for 2 minutes! Woops! Anyway, all that said I still don't think it was worth the effort when you can just go to the store and buy the frozen ones which I still think probably taste better. Although I didn't make this casserole last night, I did make it earlier this week and it's one meal I do on a fairly regular basis because me and my husband both enjoy it. It's kind of a spin on a Utah classic funeral potatoes, so if you like those I'm sure you like this one as well. So again let me know what you think!

Not the prettiest picture, but definitely tasty!

6-7 medium sized red potatoes quartered(no need to peel)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 cup chopped ham
2 cups of cheese
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup bread crumbs (I just chop up the ends of a loaf of bread)

Boil potatoes for 12-15 just until tender. Pour into greased 9x13 casserole dish. Mix next 6 ingredients and mix in with potatoes (I just make it all in the pan.) Then mix melted butter and bread crumbs and sprinkle over casserole. Cook at 350 for 45 minutes.

FYI- You should have enough potatoes to fill your casserole dish up about half way, if not just cut back a little on the cream of mushroom. Enjoy!