Cheesy Beef and Noodle Bake

Cheesy Beef and Noodle Bake

I’ve been going through my 9,873 cookbooks and deciding on what to make as a new to me meal at least once a week.  I cobbled together a few of the casseroles that I found and came up with this recipe.  This was super simple, and delicious.  I can’t wait to make it again.

Here’s how I make it:

Fry your beef with onions until cooked through…..

Meanwhile, boil your noodles….

Drain the beef and onions  – add in your tomatoes and green chilis…..

Pour over the tomato sauce…..

Mix together……

Then add in your cream cheese…..

And your sour cream……

Mix again…..

Add in your drained egg noodles….

Mix…..

Add in some shredded cheese and mix…..

Top with more cheese and bake for 20 minutes until bubbly….

Et voila!

This is SO good.  Denton has already requested that it be doubled next time for many leftovers……

I think I’ll add green or red peppers for the crunch and color next time too.

 

You can find my other recipes here.  Do you need a new baking dish?  Tonight I used my red cast iron dutch oven to make this entire meal – except for the boiling noodles, which if I had thought it through I would have done first and saved myself a pot to wash.

Here’s the handy dandy printable:

Cheesy Beef and Noodle Bake

Cheesy Beef and Noodle Bake

A cheesy casserole with lots of beef, egg noodles, tomatoes and green chilis that is easy, simple and delicious. And also fast!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 dutch oven (or 1 pot to boil your noodles and a baking dish that can go in the oven)

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups egg noodles
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 cup diced onions
  • 10 ounce can of tomatoes and green chilis (like rotel)
  • 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
  • 3 ounces cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup shredded cheese

Instructions
 

  • Boil your noodles and set aside.
  • Fry the ground beef and onions until the beef is no longer pink; drain.
  • Put the rest of the ingredients into the pot and stir everything together.
  • Top with more cheese and bake for 20 minutes.
  • Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes and serve with a salad and garlic bread. Yum!

Cherry and Pineapple Dump Cake

Cherry and Pineapple Dump Cake

I made this for Denton’s birthday a few weeks ago and we ate the entire thing in two days.  It is a keeper!

Here’s how I make it:

Mix a can of cherry pie filling with a can of crushed pineapple together in a baking pan.

As you can see, I couldn’t find my can of crushed pineapple, so I diced up some pineapple rings I had instead.  It worked just fine!  Use what you have people.

Next sprinkle an entire box of cake mix over the top of the fruit mixture…..I used Duncan Hines Classic Yellow cake mix, but I’ve also used others, just use what you have and have a taste for!

Cut up an entire stick of butter and place all over the top of the cake mix……Cherry and Pineapple Dump Cake

And bake.  It’s so, so good!  And easy too.

Dump cakes are the best.  Let me know what you think.cherry pineapple dump cake

You can find all of the my other dessert recipes here.  Do you need a new baking dish?  Here are some that I think are lovely.

Here’s the handy dandy printable.

Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert

Ingredients
  

  • 1 (21 ounce can) cherry pie filling
  • 1 (20 ounce can) crushed pineapple
  • 1 box cake mix
  • 1 stick butter

Instructions
 

  • Mix together cherry pie filling and crushed pineapple in a baking dish.
  • Sprinkle the cake mix over the top of the filling.
  • Cut the butter into pats and place over the cake mix.
  • Bake at 350* for about 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
  • Enjoy!

Mississippi Pot Roast

Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe


I have made this several times now and it is always delicious.  I make it specifically to eat on buns, rolls, or as Denton likes it, on tortillas.  Any way you eat it, it’s yummy!

Here’s how I make it:

I love chuck roast for this and my normal Sunday dinner type roast that I make.  But if you don’t have a chuck roast, just use what you have.  

I put the roast in the bottom of my slow cooker, sprinkle on the ranch dressing package, slice the butter and scatter it around and throw in around seven or eight peperoncini’s.

Cook it on low for seven to eight hours, or as I normally do – about four hours on high. Shred everything in the pot and serve however you deem best.  Anyway you serve it, it’s going to taste divine.

NOTE:  Yes, I know that most recipes call for au jus to go into the pot too.  I can never find it at my store, so I just leave it out!  Mississippi Pot Roast Let me know what you think!

Here’s the handy dandy printable.

 

Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert

Ingredients
  

  • 1 (21 ounce can) cherry pie filling
  • 1 (20 ounce can) crushed pineapple
  • 1 box cake mix
  • 1 stick butter

Instructions
 

  • Mix together cherry pie filling and crushed pineapple in a baking dish.
  • Sprinkle the cake mix over the top of the filling.
  • Cut the butter into pats and place over the cake mix.
  • Bake at 350* for about 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
  • Enjoy!

Chicken and Yellow Rice Recipe

Chicken and Yellow Rice Recipe


This is another one of my very simple recipes that I’ve made for years.  I originally got the recipe from Denton’s Mama when we first got married.  If you need supper on the table in about 30 minutes, which will fill everyone up and not cost the earth, AND taste delicious, this recipe is for you.

 

chicken and yellow rice recipe

 

Here’s how I make it:

First I fry my chicken with a little bit of butter and olive oil.  With salt and pepper.  You DO NOT HAVE TO DO THIS.  I do this (1) because Liv doesn’t eat meat.  You can boil the chicken in the water that you are going to cook the rice in and it will save you this step. Denton actually prefers the chicken boiled.  He loves the way it tastes.  But I don’t want to have to make two batches of separate rice, so…..You do you.chicken and yellow rice recipe

You can use any kind of yellow rice from the store.  This is what I had in my cabinet.  I have used this one – Vigo, I have also used Mahatma, Zatarains, Goya, Knorr, and I just saw this one on amazon which comes in bulk.  I’m going to give it a whirl too.  I can’t tell the difference in any of them.  But as I always say, you do you.  And then everyone will be happy.One note:  if you do take the time to fry the chicken separately, it will give it more flavor, but the rice has a lot of flavor to begin with, so it’s really not necessary.

I follow the directions on the rice packets and boil it until it’s delicious….

And then I chop the chicken and add it to the rice and it’s ready to eat!  I always separate enough for Liv to have at least a couple of meals with her Tofu.  It’s her favorite.  She asked for this to be her birthday meal this year.

At Denton’s request, I always serve this with my coleslaw.  And at my request, I always make cornbread muffins to go with it.chicken and yellow rice

It’s absolutely delicious.  Let me know what you think!chicken and yellow rice recipeHere’s the handy dandy printable.

 

chicken and yellow rice

Chicken and Yellow Rice

Cook Time 30 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 (9)ounce packages yellow rice
  • 3 TBSP butter
  • 3 chicken breasts

Instructions
 

  • Saute your chicken OR boil it in the water you are going to cook the rice in.
  • Cook the rice per the instructions on your package with the butter.
  • Dice up the chicken and add to the cooked rice. And enjoy!

Notes

If you want to make this recipe vegetarian, just use Tofu or your choice of veggie protein in place of the chicken.

Easy and Delicious Baked Ravioli

Easy and Delicious Baked Ravioli

If you need an easy and delicious, QUICK meal, this is it.  It’s also just different enough that I can get away with it being something new.  Yay!  Best of all, it’s only FOUR ingredients.

Here’s how I make it:

As always with all of my recipes, if you don’t have something, say ricotta cheese, substitute something else.  I like cottage cheese in bakes like this.  If you don’t have spinach and cheese ravioli, use what you have.  I like this though because it gets more veggies inside us without sacrificing the taste.  This was excellent and I’ll definitely keep it stocked in my freezer from now on.  I HIGHLY recommend the Rao’s marinara though.  Yes, it costs the earth for a spaghetti sauce, but it also tastes amazing, and it doesn’t give everyone in my house heartburn.  Which is worth a gold piece or two.  Right?  Right.

Pour about 1/3 of your spaghetti sauce in the baking pan….

Put down a layer of ravioli…..  Get out your handy dandy scooper….

Put down a layer of ricotta (or cottage cheese)……  The scooper just makes everything more tidy, which makes my heart happy….

Sprinkle over some shredded cheese….

Add another layer of spaghetti sauce….

More ravioli and ricotta…..

More shredded cheese……

And just keep doing that until you are happy or you run out of supplies, OR your pan is completely full.  You do you, boo.Baked Ravioli

Bake until golden brown and bubbly.  I don’t mind that the ricotta doesn’t spread much, but if you do, just smear it about with a rubber spatula.  But I don’t have time for that…. YUM.
Serve with my favorite garlic bread.  And a giant salad.  More salads Tracie……

ravioli bake

And voila!  Here’s the handy dandy printable.

Easy and Delicious Ravioli Bake

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 (24 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce (we LOVE Rao's)
  • 1 (30 ounce) bag frozen ravioli
  • 1 (16 ounce) container ricotta cheese (or whatever yummy cheese you have on hand, like cottage cheese for instance)
  • 1 cup (or more) of shredded cheese

Instructions
 

  • Pour a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of your baking pan...
  • Add a layer of frozen ravioli
  • Then use a scooper to add a layer of ricotta cheese
  • Sprinkle with shredded cheese
  • Repeat the layers until you are happy or you run out of ingredients....
  • Ending with shredded cheese on the top.
  • Bake in a 400* oven until golden brown....
  • Serve with your favorite garlic bread and a giant salad! Enjoy!

Easy Green Bean Casserole

Easy Green Bean Casserole

Do you have a favorite easy green bean casserole recipe?  This is mine.  It’s super easy, fast and it tastes delicious.

Here’s how I make it:

Start with all of your ingredients:  I like the French style green beans, a can of cream of mushroom condensed soup, soy sauce, milk and French fried onions…..

Drain your green beans….

Add the can of soup…..

Then add a half of can of milk…..

A teaspoon of soy sauce….

As much black pepper as you can stand.  For me it’s a LOT.

Mix that all together…..

Add in half OR all of the French fried onions.  Just remember that you’ll want to add more to the top later.  So maybe you should buy two…..

Pour into a greased baking pan and bake for 20 minutes until its hot and bubbling.  Then put on the rest of your French fried onions and bake for another 10 minutes.

Or until it looks like this.  YUM.Easy Green Bean Casserole

And voila!  Here’s the handy dandy printable.

Easy Green Bean Casserole

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cans french style green beans, drained
  • 1 (10.5 ounce can) cream of mushroom condensed soup
  • 1/2 can milk
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper, or more to your taste
  • 1 or 2 (6 ounce bags) french fried onions

Instructions
 

  • Mix everything EXCEPT your reserved french fried onions together and pour into a greased baking dish.
  • Bake at 350* for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly.
  • Sprinkle the reserved french fried onions over the top and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
  • If you can wait for it to slightly cool, do that. Then enjoy!

Easy Green Bean Casserole

 

Baked Chicken and Rice

Baked Chicken and Rice

My Aunt Mary Jane posted the original recipe for this meal on her Facebook page.  It looked delicious so I decided to give it a try.  We’ve had it a few times now, and we all really like it. I will post the link to the original recipe down below, but keep in mind that I altered it quite a bit……

Here’s how I make it:

The very first change I made was to substitute long grain rice for the box mix the original recipe uses.  I didn’t have the box mix and I ALWAYS have plain long grain rice on hand.

Next I used two packages of onion soup mix.  You can use whatever floats your boat, but I used the great value brand.

I only use ONE packet of the soup mix with the rice, save the second one for sprinkling on the chicken on top. 

One can each of cream of celery and mushroom condensed soup….

Use the cans and fill them with water – around 3/4 full each…..

Here is where you can choose your protein.  We love chicken, but Liv doesn’t eat it, so I’ll show you how I make my life easier….

Chop the chicken in to bite sized pieces….

I also chop tofu for Liv…..baked chicken and rice

Also a side note that’s important, spray your baking sheet with your favorite oil spray.  I live on the wild side and normally don’t do this, but it WILL stick if you don’t.  Ask me how I know….

After mixing the rice and soup mixture well and putting Liv’s tofu into her own small baking dish, I pour about one cup of of this over her tofu and her dish is ready to bake.

Add the chopped chicken to the rest of the rice mixture….

Pour into the baking dish…..

The original recipe called for the whole chicken pieces to be laid over the rice-soup mixture.  It was fine this way, but your dish will stretch WAY farther if you chop up the chicken.  Also, when you sprinkle a spoonful of the onion soup mix over the chicken it is very intense and Denton and I thought it was too much.  However, Hayden loved it like that.  So, not only is this for aesthetically pleasing results after it bakes, but Hayden can eat this piece of chicken, hahaha.

The teaspoon of onion soup mix from the second packet.  You will have a lot left over for the next time you make this.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for around 35 to 40 minutes.

Liv’s dish with tofu….

Our dish with chicken!

And voila!  Supper is complete.  Here’s the handy dandy printable.

Baked Chicken and Rice

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course

Ingredients
  

  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 cups long grain white rice
  • 1 (10.25 ounce) can of cream of celery soup
  • 1 (10.25 ounce) can of cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 1/2 soup cans water
  • 1 box onion soup mix (2 packets)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350*. Spray your baking pan with your favorite oil spray.
  • Combine rice, both cans of soup, water and one packet of onion soup mix together and mix well.
  • I always slice my chicken breasts across long ways, because they are always so large. Save one half of one of the breasts to nestle on top of the rice mixture after you pour it into the baking pan. Cut the other chicken breasts into bite size pieces.
  • Mix the chicken into the rice mixture and pour into the baking pan. Place the remaining chicken breast on top of the rice mixture and sprinkle a teaspoon of the second packet of onion soup mix on top of the chicken. Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Until the chicken is cooked through.
  • Enjoy!

Baked Chicken and Rice

You can find the original recipe here.

Pasta Primavera

If you need a quick and easy meal that also happens to be meatless, you are going to love this Pasta Primavera!  It is delicious.  Denton talked about this for two days and asked me to make it again immediately.  He loved it!

You could also add in whatever meat you like and it would be delicious too.  You just won’t be able to eat it on a Meatless Monday.

Here’s how I make it:

Pasta Primavera Start out with your favorite pasta – I wanted Farfalle for some reason – and whatever vegetables you have on hand.  Literally.  You can use anything that you love and want to add.  I will say that next time I will leave out the peas, we just didn’t like them in this dish, but use whatever floats your boat.I like to shave my carrots for salads and when I want them to cook at the same time as other veggies that don’t take forever to cook.  Plus they are pretty this way.

We all love squash…..And zucchini ……I almost never buy red onion, but wanted to try it for this recipe specifically and I’m so glad that I did.  It was awesome.Green pepper……Add it all to a deep pan and sauté…..

Meanwhile boil your pasta until al dente…You’ll also need parmesan cheese.  I would normally use the shaved kind but we ate it all and this is what we had….

I also added a couple of heaping tablespoons of my favorite minced garlic to the sautéed vegetables….

At the last minute I added some grape tomatoes so that they didn’t turn into mush…..

And frozen peas, which I will leave out next time.

But man oh man, this was delicious just by itself.Sprinkle over your cheese…Make sure to keep back some of your pasta water to loosen the sauce in your pan….
Dump in your pasta….
Mix everything together….And voila!  Supper is complete.

Pasta Primavera

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 8 people

Ingredients
  

  • 16 ounces pasta
  • vegetables of your choice
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  • 2 TBSP minced garlic

Instructions
 

  • Chop all of your vegetables.
  • Boil the pasta until al dente.
  • Saute all of the vegetables until tender.
  • Add the garlic, parmesan cheese and tomatoes if you are adding them.
  • Add the cooked pasta and pasta water if needed.
  • Stir everything together and serve!

Pasta Primavera

Pulled Chicken Recipe

Pulled Chicken Recipe


Today I’m sharing another “recipe” that I hesitate to call a recipe.  It’s so simple and easy, but at the same time, delicious and tasty.  I call it pulled chicken and you can use it for many, many things.  Our favorite way to eat it is on buns.  But, you can also put it in taco shells, tortilla shells, over rice, whatever your heart desires.

Pulled Chicken Recipe

Here’s how I make it:  Start with raw chicken.  It can be chicken breasts, chicken thighs or even a whole chicken.  This time I used three boneless chicken breasts that I pulled from the freezer and they were still partly frozen when I put them into my slow cooker.

Pour over your favorite barbecue sauce….

Cook on low for four to six hours or high for two to four.  It actually depends on how much chicken you put in your crockpot.  Here I used three boneless chicken breasts and I cooked them on high for two hours and they were perfect.

Like this.  Yum!  Next I drain off all of the liquid.  You can leave part of it in with your chicken if you want, but my people like it with a dryer consistency.  Do what you want with your chicken!

Shred it up.  An easy peasy way to do this is to use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to do your shredding for you….

Pour in more BBQ sauce…..

Our all time favorite – Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet ‘n Spicy.Then serve it up however you want it.  Tonight it was on buns for us.

Delicious!  Here’s the handy dandy printable.

 

Pulled Chicken Recipe

Pulled Chicken Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound raw chicken
  • 1 cup barbeque sauce (or as much as you want)

Instructions
 

  • Place the raw chicken in the slow cooker
  • Pour over sauce
  • Cook on high for two hours
  • Pour off excess liquid
  • Shred the chicken
  • Cover chicken with more BBQ sauce
  • Add to buns, rice, or whatever your heart desires and enjoy!

Sauerkraut and Weenies Recipe

SauerKraut and Weenies

Here is a recipe for Sauerkraut and Weenies that belongs in the category of, “It’s Not Really a Recipe”.  We have made this in my family for 1,000 years.  Or at least all of my life.

Here’s how I make it:

This is totally up to what I have on hand.  Most of the time I use regular hot dog weenies, but on this day I only had smoked sausages.  Same goes for the sauerkraut.  Sometimes I use canned, glass jarred, or like today the bagged stuff.  Sauerkraut is good!

Chop your weenies into rounds…..

Pour them into a frying pan…..

Stir as they cook until they are the desired doneness.  This is perfect for Denton, but I like mine more browned like you’ll see below, but it DOES discolor your sauerkraut later…..Sad face from Denton, he likes his sauerkraut to stay white….

Put in as much sauerkraut as you want I usually just cover the weenies…..

Simmer together until everything is heated…..

And enjoy!  Preferably with soup beans and salmon….. Here’s the handy dandy printable.

 

Kraut and weenies

Sauerkraut and Weenies

Ingredients
  

  • 1 package weenies
  • 1 can, bag, or frozen portion sauerkraut

Instructions
 

  • Chop your weenies into bite size pieces.
  • Fry until they as brown as you would like. You can also just warm them through.
  • Drain the sauerkraut and sprinkle over the weenies.
  • Warm the sauerkraut through, stirring into the weenies.
  • Serve and enjoy! Preferably with soup beans and salmon.