Ham & Swiss Casserole

Tonight I tortured the family with a new recipe and it went better than expected--despite issues with a particular ingredient.  You see, the original recipe calls for cream of celery soup. This particular soup is persona non-gratis in this house, no one likes it. I am willing to bet even the dog would turn up her nose to this creamy toxicity.

As I was leaving the house this afternoon to pick up Miss M from school I took a quick peek over at my storage shelves in the garage. From the driver seat of the mom-mobile it appeared we had the cans of cream of mushroom I planned as a substitute. I made a point of my quick check because I was planning to brave the commissary after picking up the littlest Wheeler. (We survived the trip to the commissary because I gave Miss M the job of crossing things off mom's list.)

After returning home and putting away the groceries I decided to start dinner. Out to the garage I go to retrieve my cream of mushroom soup. A quick look to the bottom of the can I discover that soup expired in 2010! Yikes! Peel the label off for the Campbell soup points for the PTO and back out to the garage for the last can of cream of mushroom soup. Checking the bottom of that soup I learn it expired in 2011. Growling I remove that label for the PTO and stomp out to the garage. My choices now are cheddar soup or cream of chicken. I grab both cans of the cheddar soup, surely one of those has yet to expire. Wrong. One expired in 2011, and the other in 2009. Not only is throwing four cans of soup in the garbage sad, but add to it the fact that at least one of those cans of soup made the move from Utah to South Korea and then back again. I really need to 1) come up with a better system rotating can goods, 2) check expiry dates on can goods BEFORE the packers come to pack us for a move, and 3) check them again when unpacking. I suppose the best option would to channel my friend Denise, she makes her own cream of *fill in the blank* soups for use in casseroles.

After the great soup massacre, my only choice was to use cream of chicken. That soup is a common one used around here so I KNEW none of those were expired.  I did worry about how the cream of chicken soup would taste in a ham dish. It proved to be a mute point as I received a thumbs up from Hero and a double thumbs up from Miss M.

Below is the recipe, as always changes and thoughts are in red.

Ham & Swiss Casserole

• 8 oz. package of egg noodles (The egg noodles in our commissary are in 12 oz. pkgs, so I just used the whole package.)
• 2 cups cubed ham (I found my ham in the meat section already cut, the packages were 8 ozs., so I used two for this recipe.)
• 1 can cream of celery soup (After discovering almost all of my "Cream of" soups had expired, the only option left was to use cream of chicken, turned out just fine.)
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese.
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 1/2 cup diced green pepper (I only had red, yellow, and orange in the crisper, so I used the orange one.)
• 1/2 cup diced onion

1. Boil the noodles according to the directions on the package. Drain, rinse and set aside. 
2. In a bowl mix together the soup, sour cream, pepper, and onion.
3. Grease a 13"x9" baking dish, I use Pam and just spray the pan while on the inside of the open door of the dishwasher this way the next time I run the dishwasher any over spray is washed away. Just make sure your dishwasher is empty of any clean dishes. 
4. Layer the bottom of the pan with half the noodles.
5. Add half the ham and then half the cheese.
6. Spread half of the soup mixture. 
7. Repeat with the second half of ingredients. 
8. Bake uncovered at 350*F for 30 to 45 minutes until heated through. 

Final thoughts: This made a rather large casserole for my small family. In the future I will make this dividing the recipe into 2-8"x 8" pans--one for that night and the other for the freezer. Keep in mind that when reheating frozen pasta it tends to get mushy, so under cook the pasta just a bit to help prevent this. Also, instead of layering the ingredients I will mix them with half the cheese, putting that into the dish and then topping with remaining cheese. By layering we found that some of the noodles on the bottom and around the edge became hard and not that yummy lasagna corner hard either. I might even add a vegetable such as peas or broccoli the next time. The final change I will make is using perhaps two cans of soup or adding just a bit of milk to make sure there is enough sauce to coat all the pasta. 

Enjoy!

Potatoes and Sausage

I am back. Back to menu planning, back to torturing trying new recipes on my family, I am back. Last week I tried this recipe for spicy chicken stew. It was a crock pot recipe, and it did make the house smell scrumptious. However, it was not received well, even the dog turned up her nose. After dinner the rest of the dinner was bid a farewell into the garbage disposal. It is very rare around here that a fail goes straight down the drain without passing go, without becoming a science project in the refrigerator.

Tonight's new recipe was a much bigger hit. In fact, I got the green light from Hero to try it again with chicken instead of sausage. (He'd rather I not cook sausage at all, but Mama loves sausage so he tolerates it on occasion.) When I first came across this recipe in a grocery check out recipe magazine there was an ingredient and a step that threw me off for a bit, but it proved to be a pleasant surprise. As always, my thoughts, and changes to the recipe are in red. Since I doubled the recipe that is the way I will share the recipe with you.

Potatoes and Sausage

• 1 pkg. Kielbasa, sliced into 1-inch pieces, I like to use the skinless variety
• 1 medium onion, cut in half and sliced
• 1 medium sweet bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces, I completely forgot this ingredient and it still tasted delicious
• 8 red potatoes cut into fourths, I left the peels on, removing any eyes or blemishes on the potatoes
• 4 cloves of garlic chopped
• 4 TBsp olive oil, I just used the canola I had in the cupboard
• 1/4 tsp salt, I didn't measure and I probably put in closer to 1/2 tsp
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, again, I didn't measure and probably used closer to 1/2 tsp
•  1 TBsp of dried thyme, I didn't measure this either, just eyeballed it in my palm
• 1 TBsp of dried rosemary, I didn't measure this either, just eyeballed it in my palm
• 1/2 C. heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. I used a mortar and pestle to crush up my dried herbs. 
3. Mix all the ingredients, except for the cream, in a bowl. Then pour into a greased 2-qt. casserole dish.
4. Bake covered for 45 minutes.
5. Stir in the cream, mix well, continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes until potatoes are cooked and most of the cream is incorporated. 

This casserole fed my family of three with some left overs. Meghan and I each had a small portion, while Hero had a couple of servings. I think this would feed a family of six with no left overs, but be sure to have plenty of sides just in case. The next time I make this I think I will substitute the sausage for cut up chicken breasts, and I will try using my favorite seasoning, Cavender's Greek Seasoning. 

Enjoy!

Lunch Lady Bars

Earlier this spring I was trolling the internet for recipes when I stumbled upon this glorious recipe that is a combination of oatmeal, peanut butter, and chocolate. Merely reading the ingredients, I KNEW I was addicted. This recipe has all the right elements. The perfect marriage of flavors that were meant to be together, this recipe is quick, easy, and makes enough to take half the pan to a party while leaving the other half at home for you to devour.  The girls at Six Sisters' Stuff do not disappoint, and this recipe is no exception.

In fact, this recipe is so delish that my friends and I have re-dubbed it, "Soccer Mom Crack." I know that is not a very nice name and is right up there with "Slutty Brownies" on the offensive food titles...but I warn you and you will be HOOKED.

When I make this recipe I do deviate a smidge from the recipe. I use quick oats because that is what the hubs prefers in baked goods, and I use a bit more peanut butter in the base layer. Additionally, I use more peanut butter in the middle layer. I do not bother measuring it out, instead, I simply slather the peanut butter on. When it comes to the chocolate frosting, I am LAZY, therefore, I use the pre-made stuff. It takes about two cans of the frosting to cover my bars.

I have made this recipe twice this week for parties. Unfortunately not a single bar is left for me to include a picture.

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

Who knew? Who knew, I could have something so yummy one might think it came from a restaurant in my own home, certainly not I.

Tonight I was puttering around in the kitchen, preparing to pan fry our turkey mignons when a thought struck me. Biscuits, I wanted biscuits for dinner. However, I didn't want ordinary biscuits. I NEEDED wanted biscuits with a hint of garlic, biscuits filled with cheddar goodness.

I gathered up some ingredients:

• baking mix, we had Jiffy brand on hand. I found that Jiffy tastes as good as that brand in the big yellow box, but is about a dollar cheaper.
• milk
• garlic powder
• cheddar cheese

1. Measure out baking mix according to recipe on box. Since we are a small family, I halved the recipe.
2. Add some garlic powder. I did not measure it out, just sprinkled it on. 
3. Mix the garlic and baking mix together.
4. Grate your cheese and add to the mixture. I simply cut a hunk of cheese about the width of two fingers off my 10oz. block, probably about 1 oz.
5. Add required liquid. My baking mix called for milk. 
6. Stir 
7. Spoon onto cookie sheet. I use my Pampered Chef stoneware so I do not worry about my baked goods sticking. If I were to use my metal cookie sheet, I would have used parchment paper to line my pan first.
8. Bake as directed

My recipe made 6 biscuits. Miss M ate three biscuits, so definitely a hit with the kid.

Enjoy

Hero's Never Fail Method of Overnight Oatmeal

Since MY post on overnight oatmeal was such a flop, I decided to ask Hero how he makes his overnight steel-cut oatmeal. Here is what he said:

1. Follow the directions as far as measurements for the amount of oatmeal you want to cook on the packaging.
2. Boil oatmeal for 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat, cool.
4. Place in fridge overnight.
5. To reheat in the morning place your oatmeal in a microwave safe container--nuke it.
6. Top as desired.

I KNOW this method works, because he does this often so he can have a good breakfast as this momma does not do mornings.

Enjoy!

French Fried Onion Crusted Chicken

This recipe is a mix of two separate recipes--one from the back of a French Fried Onion container, and the other torn out of a magazine. This is a recipe to which I do not have or use specific measurements--please do not ask for them because I do not have them.

Preheat oven to 425F

You will need:

• Mayo of choice, we happen to use the brand mentioned in the above photo
• Chicken breasts, we use boneless and skinless. I imagine you can use whatever chicken pieces you prefer, just be sure to research cooking times for the specific chicken you use.
• Garlic cloves, for this recipe I used two cloves. Use more or less depending on individual taste.
• Shredded parmesan cheese, tonight I used Kraft's romano and parm blend. 
• French fried onions
• Panko bread crumbs

1. I mixed about one cup of mayo with about two palmfuls of the cheese and the garlic cloves which I had pressed through my garlic press in a shallow pie pan.
2. Next I poured about 2 cups of the French fried onions into a zip-loc bag and crushed them.
3. Then I mixed my crushed onions with about 1 cup of Panko bread crumbs into a second shallow pie pan.
4. Dredge your chicken into themayo mix, covering each piece generously. Then dredge the mayo-covered chicken in the onion-panko mixture.
5. Place chicken onto baking sheet, I like to use my medium stone bar pan from Pampered Chef.
6. For chicken breasts bake at 425F for 20 minutes. The chicken breasts I had where HUGE, so the twenty minutes was PERFECT. If you have smaller pieces you will really need to check the temperature of your chicken so that it does not become a hockey puck. I recommend taking your meat out about 5 degrees less than the recommended temperature and allowing your meat to sit (tented with foil to stay warm) for about 10 minutes. The carry over cooking will bring your meat up to the safe temperature and you will be less likely to over cook your meat--therefore, making it dry.

We had roasted vegetables, Korean strawberries, and the left over baguette I made to go with Monday's spaghetti--all very yummy. 

Enjoy

Roasted Vegetables

Mr. Wheeler LOVES roasted vegetables, a fact I have just recently learned after almost 12 years of marriage. Tonight I made roasted vegetables, and tonight I took the easy way out.

• 2 medium sized red potatoes (remember we are a small family of three)
• 2 medium sized red onions
• 2 carrots
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 packet of Lipton's onion soup mix
• splash of olive oil

1. Wash your potatoes, cut them into similar sized chunks. Place potatoes into a zip-loc bag, or if you prefer a bowl that will be large enough to mix all your ingredients.
2. Peel onion. Leave a smidge of the root attached so that when you cut your wedges your onion maintains its shape. Cut onion into wedges, I cut each of my onions into 6 wedges. Add to cut potatoes.
3. Peel (or not depending on preference) carrots, cut into similar sized chunks. My carrots were like me, short and squat, so I cut them in half. Then I cut the bottom halves into half again and the tops into fourths. Add to other cut vegetables.
4. Peel garlic and add to other vegetables. I have taken to buying my garlic already peeled, it is just easier for me since we use a fair amount of garlic in our house.
5. Sprinkle vegetables with soup mix, add enough oil to coat vegetables evenly. I love to use a zip-loc bag for this step because then I can close it up and give it to Miss M to shake it up. She LOVES to help in the kitchen.
6. Spread coated vegetables on baking sheet. 
7. Bake at 350F for at least 45 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Tonight I baked them at 350F for 25 minutes and then at 425F for 20 minutes when I added my chicken to the oven. Turned out great.

Enjoy!

Mini Meat Loaves

I  have an obsession with love recipes, recipe blogs, cookbooks. Many hours are easily spent trolling the Internet for the next new recipe to try--the next recipe my family will enjoy. When we first arrived in South Korea and moved into our home we did not have fast Internet, I was using my cell phone as a hot spot. It worked, but not as fast as my mind switches gears. Therefore, I discovered the cookbook section at the library on base--much to my husband's delight. See, book checked out of the library means that (1) I didn't spend money and (2) it eventually has to go back and thus keeps my cookbook obsession under control. One day while perusing the shelves I stumbled upon Betty Crocker Quick & Easy Cookbook, I swear promise, I saw the heavens part, a ray of light shone down on this enormous spiral bound book and just dared me to take it home. To appease the culinary gods I checked out that immense cookbook and about 4 of her best friends. Why only 9? Because the library has a limit on the number of books you can check out once and I had to let the kid get a few books too. *sigh*

Anyway, from that book I stumbled upon a few recipes I would be willing to use my family as guinea pigs for--this is one of them. I made them for the first time a few months ago. We ate them for dinner one night and I froze the rest into packages of three for future meals. Now three months later we are out of mini meat loaves in the freezer, so, it's what's for dinner tonight. As always my thoughts and changes are in red.

Mini Meat Loaves

Prep Time: 10 minutes  Start to Finish: 30 minutes  

6 servings(2 loaves each) My husband can eat two loaves, Meghan and I share a loaf.

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
• 1 lb. lean ground beef (at least 80%) since this recipe also has ground pork I spent the big bucks and got the really lean ground beef
• 1/2 lb. ground pork 
• 1/2 cup Original Bisquick mix 
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup) (I don't know where they found their small onion, but I have NEVER come across a small onion that only yielded a 1/4 cup when chopped...just saying)
• 1 egg
• Garlic....must have garlic, I minced two cloves for this amount. Tonight I will be doubling this recipe and will most likely do four to five cloves, but we love our garlic.

1. Heat oven to 450*F. In small bowl, stir ketchup and brown sugar until mixed; reserve 1/4 cup for topping. In large bowl, stir remaining ingredients and remaining ketchup mixture until well mixed.
2. Spray 13 X 9-inch pan with cooking spray. (I just take my cookie sheet and cover it with tin foil so when I am done cooking I can toss the foil. I know wasteful and increasing my carbon footprint, but as I have already said a couple of times--I am lazy.) Place meat mixture in pan; pat into a 12 X 4-inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise down center and then crosswise into sixths to form 12 loaves. Separate loaves, using spatula, so no edges are touching. Brush loaves with reserved 1/4 cup ketchup mixture.
3. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until loaves are no longer pink in center and meat thermometer inserted in center of loaves reads 160*F.

Tonight I am going to serve this with garlic mashed potatoes, I TOLD you we love our garlic, and either a salad or green beans. I also have some lovely Korean pears, I might cut one of those up...my mouth waters just thinking about it.

Enjoy!

Beans and franks bake

We had this for dinner the other night and it was almost a hit with everyone, Phillip wasn't too fond of having the corn bread on top. The extra casserole I put in the freezer does not have the corn bread batter on top, we will baking corn bread separately.

I got this recipe from a "Taste of Home" cookbook that you can find at the checkout counter. I love those and used to have a serious addiction to collecting them. I have managed to cut my impulse to buy new cookbooks drastically much to my husband's delight.

Yields: 2 Casseroles (4 servings each) (This casserole fed my family two meals)

• 2 packages (8-1/2 ounces each) corn bread/muffin mix (the recipe doesn't say this, but be sure you have the ingredients needed to mix the corn bread and follow the directions on the package.)
  
• 1 can (28 ounces) baked beans(I did not have baked beans on hand so I just used Pork n' beans, I am glad I did because if I had used baked beans it would have been too sweet for my family)
  
• 4 hot dogs, halved lengthwise and sliced (I used a whole package of hot dogs and just sliced them, we like hot dogs)
  
• ½ pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
  
• 1 cup ketchup
  
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
  
• ½ cup chopped onion
  
• 2 cups(8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  
• The recipe does not call for this…but we like a little bit of mustard in our baked beans, the next time I make this recipe I will either put in a couple of tablespoons of prepared mustard or about 1 teaspoon of dry mustard in the mixture.
  

1. Prepare corn bread batter according to the package; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the beans, hot dogs, bacon, ketchup, brown sugar, and onion. Transfer to two greased 8-in. square baking dishes. Sprinkle with cheese; top with corn batter.
   
2. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Bake the second casserole, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
   
   
   To Use Frozen Casserole: Remove from the freezer 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until heated through.
   

Cheddar Turkey Bake

Cheddar Turkey Bake

Another wintry day, another casserole…

This is another "Taste of Home" recipe.

Yield: 2 Casseroles (4-6 servings each)

• 2 cups chicken broth
  
• 2 cups water
  
• 4 teaspoons dried minced onion
  
• 2 cups uncooked long grain rice
  
• 2 cups frozen peas, thawed
  
• 4 cups cubed cooked turkey ( I used two breasts)
  
• 2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
  
• 2 cups milk
  
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups finely crushed butter-flavored crackers (about 60 crackers) (I just used crackers we had in the house, the wheat Sociables. It took about one full sleeve of crackers per casserole.)

1. In a large saucepan, bring the broth, water, and onion to a boil. Reduce heat. Add rice; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat; fluff with a fork.
2. Divide rice between two greased 9-in. square baking pans. Sprinkle each with peas and turkey. In a bowl, combine the soup, milk, and salt until smooth; pour over turkey. Toss the cracker crumbs and butter; sprinkle over the top.
   
3. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months (if you vacuum seal your casserole after it is frozen it will last longer). Bake the second casserole, uncovered, at 350F for 35 minutes or until golden brown.
   

To Use Frozen Casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Bake uncovered, at 350F for 45 – 50 minutes or until heated through.

Enjoy!

While we enjoyed this recipe I will be making the following changes the next time I make this recipe:

• I will use three cans of soup instead of two, and keep the milk at 2 cups
• I will be bringing some more flavor to the party with some garlic powder and a few shakes of pepper sauce into the soup mixture.  We love flavor in this house, bland is a bad word!
• Instead of layering the rice, meat, peas, and soup I will be mixing them in a large bowl and then dividing it between my two pans.
• I will be adding some shredded cheese, most likely cheddar to the mixture.
• Lastly, Phillip thinks it would taste better if made with chicken or pork.

Smoky Potato Skillet Casserole

Smoky Potato Skillet Casserole

This is another "Taste of Home" recipe.

• 1 package (16 ounces) smoked sausage links cut into 1-inch pieces (I used Turkey Kielbasa…because, well I love Kielbasa)
  
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
  
• 1 TBsp butter
  
• 2 cups water
  
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 package (5-1/4 ounces) au gratin potatoes (the recipe encourages the use of other flavors, so I am using cheesy scalloped potatoes)

1. In a large skillet, sauté the sausage, celery, and onion in butter until vegetables are tender. Stir in water, milk, and contents of sauce mix from potatoes; bring to a boil.
2. Stir in potatoes. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring once.
   

Enjoy…this is a new one for us, so I will have to let you know how it is received in this house. I am sure I will like it, what is not to like about sausage, cheese, and potatoes. My family on the other hand tend be a bit choosier.

Couple of days later…….

Even though we all ate it, Phillip and I agreed that this is not a favorite recipe and will not be used again. Maybe your family will enjoy it more than we did.

Chicken Stuffing Casserole

Chicken Stuffing Casserole
"Taste of Home" recipe
Yields: 2 Casseroles(6 servings each)

• 2 packages (6 ounces each) chicken stuffing mix
• 2 cans(10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1 cup of milk
• 4 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 2 cans (8 ounces each) mushroom stems and pieces, drained (canned mushrooms are food non gratia in this house, so I just rough chopped a couple handfuls of button mushrooms)
• 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Prepare stuffing mixes according to package directions.  Mean while in a large bowl, combine soup and milk; set aside.  Spread the stuffing into two greased 8-in. square baking dishes.  Layer with chicken, corn, mushrooms, soup mixture, and cheese.
2. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months.  Cover and bake the second casserole at 350F for 30 - 35 minutes or until cheese is melted.
3. To use frozen casserole:  Remove from the freezer 30 minutes before baking(do not thaw).  Bake at 350F for 1-1/2 hours.  Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through.

This is tonight's dinner, so I will let you know how it goes.

Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Chimichangas

I got this recipe from the Taste of Home, Healthy Cooking, Dec/Jan. 2009 issue.

Prep: 20 min. Bake: 20 min. Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast (I used the Tyson Southwestern Chicken strips, and chopped them up a bit)
• 1-1/2 cups picante sauce, divided
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 2/3 cup chopped green onions, divided
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 6 flour tortillas (8 inches) (we use whole wheat, we prefer them and can not tell the difference between the white and wheat.)
• 1 TBsp butter, melted
• 1 can your favorite refried beans. The recipe does not call for this, but we find that we like the chimichangas better with the beans. Our preferred refried bean is the Rosarita refried beans with black beans. I only used about 1/3 to 1/2 the can making the chimichangas, so I just heated the rest and served them as a side dish.

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine te chicken, 3/4 cup picante sauce, cheese, 1/4 cup onions, cumin and oregano. If using refried beans, spread a spoonfull down the center of the tortilla. Spoon 1/2 cup mixture down the center of each tortilla. Fold sides and ends over filling and roll up. Place seam side down in a 15in. x 10in. x 1in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Brush with butter.
2. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Top with remaining picante sauce and onions.

I served Mexican Rice as a side dish with this.

Mushroom Bolognese

Serves: 6 Prep: 7 min. Cook: About 10 min.

Even Miss M loved this recipe...but then again she loved pasta. I got this recipe from an Eating Light magazine, I know this issue is from around 2005, but I don't recall the specific issue.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. rigatoni pasta
• 10 baby carrots (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 1-1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1 pkg (5 ounces) shiitake mushrooms
• 1-1/4 lb ground turkey (optional) (Hero doesn't do ground poultry, so I used ground beef and it was yumm-o)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (I used beef broth)
• 1 medium yellow squash, qartered lengthwise, sliced
• 1 jar (26 oz.) marinara sauce

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water as package directs.
2. Meanwhile put carrots and onion in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add carrots, onion and mushrooms; cover and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, 4 minutes or until almost tender.
4. Add turkey, if using and cook, breaking up clumps, 3 minutes or until no longer pink. Stir in wine and squash; boil 1 minute.
5. Stir in marinara sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes or until squash is tender. Pour over drained pasta; toss to mix.
   

Makeover Baked Potato Soup

Holy Hannah! This was a super easy dinner to make! I got this recipe from Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking magazine, the April/May 2008 edition. I have a subscription, and it is by far my favorite magazine. Phillip and I were decided the night I made this that this would be a great soup for once I make it to the mushy foods phase after my WLS.

Prep: 30 min. Cook: 20 min. Yield: 8 servings(2 quarts)

Ingredients:

• 3 medium potatoes
• 5 bacon strips, diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup, plus 3 TBsp all-purpose flour, divided
• 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 to 1-1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce (we like spicey so I used the upper measurement of pepper sauce....whew....next time I will cut it back some)
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (we don't like sharp, so we I used mild, and it was still yummy, go with what your family likes)
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions, white portion only
• Additional parsley, cheese, green onions, crumbled cooked bacon, optional

Directions:

1. Scrub and pierce potatoes; place on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 8 to 12 minutes or until tender, turning once. (The next time I will make this I will boil the potatoes whole in skin, like for a potato salad, the morning or night before.)
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels.
3. In the drippings, saute onion until tender. Stir in 1/4 cup flour; cook and stir for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. Gradually stir in broth. Add the parsley, garlic, basil, salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining flour with milk until smooth; add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.
5. Peel and cube potatoes; add to soup. Add bacon. Cook and stir until heated through. Add cheese and green onions; stir just until cheese is melted. Garnish with additional parsley, cheese, green onions and bacon if desired.
   

Southwestern Skillet Chilli

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 18 minutes Servings: 6(1-cup)

I got this recipe from another one of my famed grocery checkout stand cookbooks, this one by Land O Lakes. This recipe reinforced my family's opinion on garbanzo beans(chick peas), next time I will be substituting white navy beans, we like those.

Ingredients:

• 1 TBsp butter (the recipe specifies a particular brand, but to me butter is butter...it's all good)
• 12 ounces boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces (we only use chicken breast in this family, it was still good)
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed, drained
• 1 (14-1/2 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 (8 ounce) tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/8 ts garlic powder

Directions:

1. Melt butter in 10-inch skillet until sizzling; add chicken. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occassionally, until lightly browned (5 to 7 minutes). Stir in all remaining ingredients. (I added my seasonings first and toasted them slightly in the pan before adding the rest of the ingredients.) Continue cooking until mixture comes to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook until flavors are blended(10 to 15 minutes).