Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas

This is a combination of Nana and me getting a great recipe together for chicken enchiladas. Tried a little of this and that and came up with this:

 6-8 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 16-20 oz. Can Green Chiles (whole)
1 28 oz. Can Green Chili Sauce
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 8 oz. Can El Pato Mexican Tomato Sauce
1 sm package frozen corn
3 Doz. Corn Tortillas
Mexican Blend of 4 cheeses or a blend of Monterey Jack and Longhorn (cheddar)
1 4 oz. Can Sliced Black Olives

Sour Cream with a dash of paprika for Garnish
1 Bunch Green Onion for Garnish

Grill or Boil chicken breasts and cube or shred. In a large bowl add the green chili sauce, soup, corn and el pato. Drain the green chiles and cut into chunks. If you can find 505 brand diced green chiles they are the best. Add them to the bowl and stir well. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Ladel a small amount of sauce mixture into dish and spread thin. Take a tortilla and lay flat. Place some chicken, some cheese and a little sauce in the tortilla and roll up. Place fold-side down in the casserole dish and repeat until dish is full. Add any remaining sauce over the top and a layer of cheeses.Sprinkle the black olives evenly over top of cheeses and bake at 350º for about 45 minutes. Garnish with sour cream and chopped green onion. Serve with shredded lettuce and tomato, chips and salsa and even some Boracho or Refried Beans for a side.

No current pics, but will try and get some next time I make these wonderful enchiladas. I made several big pans of them along with several pans of beef enchiladas for a funeral a while back. Summer's friend Hope. Her mother passed away and their minister would not allow them to have the funeral in his church. So sad. We put together a nice service for Hope's Mom at our park (while we were still living in our Pomelo house) and our family did the dinner afterward. Kevin sang, the girls and I sang and there were some remarks from Grumpy. We have lost touch with Hope through the years, but we were happy to be of service to her in her time of need.

Stacked Beef Enchiladas

 Another dish from the kitchen of Gramma Dorothy. Our family has come to know and love enchiladas made this way and it is frequently requested for Christmas and birthday dinners. You can use any red enchilada sauce you prefer, I am still looking for the perfect one myself.

2# lean ground beef
2 lg. onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 8 oz. can El Pato Mexican Style tomato sauce
2-3 doz. corn tortillas
2 28 oz. cans red chili sauce or red enchilada sauce
1/2 C. butter
1/2 C. flour
1 sm. can sliced black olives
Mexican Four Cheese blend or a mix of Monterey Jack and Colby

Garnish:
Sour cream with a dash of paprika
Green onion for
Shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes

Dice the onion, but reserve half for assembling the enchiladas. In a skillet over med/hi heat brown half the diced onions, garlic and ground beef. When good and browned add in the el pato and mix in well. Remove from heat. In a saucepan add the red chili sauce. In a small mixing bowl melt the butter (in the microwave is fine) and whisk in the flour. Drizzle into sauce mixture and allow to thicken. If it gets thicker than you like, thin with more el pato or tomato sauce depending on how hot you like your sauce. Remove from heat. Place 4-6 tortillas in a quart size freezer zip lock. Leave it unzipped. Put in the microwave for about 40 seconds to soften tortillas. (You can also dip them in hot oil for a second or two, but this adds more calories and fat).

On an oven proof plate ladle a small amount of sauce. Maybe a couple tablespoons. Lay a tortilla flat on the sauce and add a thin layer of meat, more sauce, a layer of cheese and some diced onion. Repeat layers until the desired amount (per persons order) is achieved. Top layers with a corn tortilla, more sauce, cheese and a few olives. Put into a 350º oven to bake for about 10-15 minutes. You can stack on both oven racks. I sometimes put more diced onions on the tops of the people who like onions to distinguish those from the people who prefer no onion on their enchiladas before putting them in the oven. In New Mexico they add a fried egg to to the top, but I’ve never eaten them that way. Remove with hot pads and serve. I use cloth placemats to protect my table from the hot plate, but trivets, or dishtowels or even a hotpad under the plate would work too. 
Garnish with sour cream and chopped green onions, lettuce and tomato. Serve with chips and salsa and maybe a side of mexican corn.

This pic of Daron enjoying his enchiladas at the cabin seems to be the only pic I can find of this dish. I will try to remember to take pics next time I make it and update.

Spinach Mushroom Quiche

My Visiting Teaching partner and I decided to have a little luncheon for our ladies in May to celebrate Mother's Day and do something a little different for a change. I volunteered to do the main dish since I've been wanting to try making a quiche. I love quiche and every time I have a piece somewhere, I think "I should go home and try making one". I finally did. I found a couple of recipes on Pinterest that looked promising and gathered ingredients. I made two different kinds for our little luncheon and got some feedback. Here is what I came up with after some experimentation and recipe refining.
Crust*:
Will go into 10” deep pie or tart dish

• 2 1/2 cups of flour 
• 1 cup of cold shortening 
• 1 cup of cold butter 
• 1/2 tsp of salt 
• 1/2 cup of cold water or chicken stock 

 Filling:

• 8 oz. fresh mushrooms 
• 1/2 t. minced garlic 
• 1# baby spinach 
• 1 sm sweet onion (optional) 
• 5 large eggs 
• 1 C. cream or whole milk 2-3 oz. feta cheese 
• 1/4 C. grated parmesan 
• 1/2 C. shredded mozarella 

• salt & pepper to taste 

 In a large pot, put about 2” water and all the spinach. Place over med/high heat. When water begins to boil cook spinach 3-5 minutes, or until tender and is down in volume. Remove from heat and pour into collander to drain. Drain well. Layer several paper towels and transfer spinach to further drain on the paper towels. Set aside.

In a food processor combine flour, shortening, butter and salt. Pulse until you have a pea-like texture. 4-5 pulses. Drizzle in the water or chicken stock through the spout while pulsing a few more times. Dough should come together in a ball. Take out and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for about 30 minutes. Slice mushrooms and mince the garlic. Dice the onion. Place a skillet over med/high heat and add a couple tablespoons light olive oil. When oil is hot add in the onions and saute a minute or two. Add the mushrooms and the garlic and saute until tender. Salt and pepper and allow the moisture to cook out. When mushrooms are slightly browned, remove from heat and drain onto paper towels.

Remove pie dough from fridge and flour a surface for rolling. Roll out the dough to fit pie or tart dish. Place dough into dish and flute the edges.

In a medium bowl, or your food processor combine the milk and the eggs. Whisk or pulse until well blended. Spread out the well drained spinach in the pie crust. Sprinkle the feta cheese and the parmesan over the top of spinach. Spread the mushrooms over the top of the spinach and cheeses.(These next two pics are of the crust-less version I made first.)

Pour the egg/milk mixture evenly over the top and sprinkle the mozarella over the top. I like to sprinkle a little paprika over the top.

Place on the bottom rack of a preheated 375º oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Transfer to middle rack and reduce oven temp to 350º and bake for 20-30 more minutes until the center is set. Remove from oven and allow to rest for about 10-15 minutes before serving. Slice and serve warm. It is good at room temperature too.

Some variations:
1) Substitute small brocolli florets for the spinach (cooked and drained) Add some cheddar to the mix.
2) Substitute roasted and well drained sliced green chile for the spinach.
Add some diced green and red peppers, (cooked and well drained) instead of the mushrooms.
Add some colby or monterey jack instead of the feta and top with a few sliced jalapenos.

*This quiche can be made crustless, just spray your pie dish with cooking spray. It is good this way and cuts down a little on calories and time.

The key to a good quiche seems to be well-drained ingredients so as not to add unnecessary moisture resulting in a runny filling. Also, I learned whole milk or cream does make a difference in the way the filling sets. I added an extra egg since my pie dish was deep dish as well as a tad more of everything to fill it up nicely. More cheese can never hurt, right?

We served our quiche with the wonderful Strawberry/Citrus Salad already posted on this blog. I did the crust-less version of the spinach mushroom and the broccoli version in a crust for our ladies. It all got rave reviews but everyone seemed to like the spinach mushroom better, but with a crust. I made it that way for my Mother's Day dinner and loved it. Now I can't wait to try the green chile one. It was fun to do and fun to serve.

Quiche isn't hard at all.

Nana's Sunday Roast

Sunday roast dinner. Growing up I remember this most often on Sunday. I would see Nana in the kitchen before church browning the roast to put in the black roaster pan she got in germany. She had two sizes of that pan. One big and one little. She used the big one most of the time. The inside of that pan was blue I think. Great pans. Her meat choice was a rump roast or a sirloin tip roast. I don't think I ever saw her cook a chuck roast. Most of the time they were rolled up and tied with string. Not so much anymore.

The first time I tried to do a roast for dinner was in Provo, UT my freshman year at BYU. Nana got the phone call (back when it was long distance and expensive). "Mom, how do I start a roast?" She walked me through it and I hung up convinced it would be easy. It was, but I let the oil get too hot and we had a little fire in the pan. Glad my roommate knew to put a lid on it to smother it. Wonder how she knew that? LOL. After the fire drama was over I managed to get the roast in the oven.

Nana's method:
First, salt, pepper a little granulated garlic is nice and rub seasonings into the roast on all sides.



In a frying pan big enough for your roast to sit in, put about 1/4 C. of whatever cooking oil you like. Turn on medium/high heat. Doesn't take long to heat up.



Now brown the roast on all sides. It only needs 30 seconds to a minute,(no more) on each side. This process simply seals in the juices for a more moist roast. Crock pot roasts don't usually need this step but I do it anyway. It seems like it just tastes better.



Place the roast in your pan. Nana always used a little round or oval raised rack to set the roast on in the roaster. This allows the liquid in the pan to get under the roast and keeps it from burning on the bottom. Add a cup or so of water or beef stock or just throw in some bouillon cubes with your water. She always put a peeled onion in at the side of the roast to add flavor. In later years she would add a couple sections of garlic also. Papa likes to eat a little of the roast onion.



Nana would now add a number of peeled carrots around the roast. Carrots take longer than potatoes to cook, so she put them in on the bottom and then after about an hour she would add in peeled potatoes. Just writing this makes me hungry for her tender roast, with roast potatoes and carrots. Such memories.

Set the oven to 325º and roast for 4-6 hours. If you have a meat thermometer the internal temperature should be 160ºF for medium/well. 170ºF for well done.
If you are using the crockpot allow about 8 hours on high for a medium to large roast.
I cut my carrots in half lengthwise for cooking in the crock pot since they have a harder time getting done.

Broccoli Cheese Chicken

I tried this recipe out last week and everyone liked it. I remember Stacie making this for her family in years past and thought it would be a good menu item. I followed Stacie's recipe except I didn't grill the chicken (no guys were home and I don't know how to grill), and I used fresh broccoli because I didn't have the frozen kind. Oh, and I at least doubled the recipe (and maybe a little more) because we like leftovers for lunches.



Getting the chicken ready to saute. I probably should have cut the chicken up a little smaller, but it was good anyway. I used the wonderful garlic infused oil I got from Bob and Syd. The chicken was pretty darn good just on it's own. Very tasty.

1 cube butter
1 med. onion, diced
1 10 oz. pkg. chopped broccoli
1 1/2 C. uncooked minute rice (don't use regular rice!)
1 c. diced, cooked chicken (grilled is best)
1 c. milk
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 oz. velveeta cheese
salt and pepper to taste
 
Saute onion in butter, then mix in broccoli and rice till coated with butter.  Add remaining ingredients, except chicken, and stir till cheese has completely melted.  Add chicken.  Put into lightly greased casserole dish and bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Some more of the ingredients as I got ready to put this all together.




I took the chicken out and set it aside after it was done.



I grew out of the pan, so after I knew the rice and the broccoli were well coated with butter, and the velveeta was melted, I transferred it all to a big bowl. Then I mixed in the soup and milk until everything was well mixed and then transferred it all to a baking dish.



We all loved the casserole. I think I might try it with real cheese next time, and top it off with a scant layer of cheese because I am not a huge fan of velveeta. And for Grumpy and I, I will not increase the recipe. It would be plenty just the way it is for us.

After talking to Summer, we think either buttered bread crumbs or maybe even crushed up canned french fried onions would be good on top.

Really a good dish for big families too. The broccoli was awesome, and we liked the chicken sauteed too. I really should learn to grill one of these days.

The All Time Favorite…Mac & Cheese

I remember when Grumpy and I were dating and I decided to make him dinner. I asked him what he wanted to eat and he said Macaroni and Cheese. I was pretty shocked, but went and got a couple of boxes of Macaroni and Cheese. When he arrived for dinner and saw I had made boxed mac & cheese he was very rudely amused. I asked him what he expected and he said you know - cook the noodles and make a sauce and it goes in a casserole pan to be baked in the oven. I didn't know these things as we never had mac & cheese at our house. (Papa was not a fan of pasta dishes in those days). So I decided to learn to make "real" mac & cheese. Found a recipe for a basic cheese sauce and came up with one of our families favorite comfort foods. It is the number 1 requested item for birthday dinners, hands down. I will be making this for Ryker on Sunday for his birthday dinner, so thought I would post the how to. I no longer use a recipe, so went online to find a basic cheese sauce recipe and tweaked it to be what I do. I usually make Mac & Cheese in an oversized casserole pan, like a lasagna pan as leftovers are never a problem. 

Fill your baking pan up to a generous half full of your dry macaroni. Regular size elbow roni works, but we have found we like the larger elbow roni pasta. Put your water on to boil and pour a little olive oil in it. Boil the noodles until tender. Remove from heat and rinse throughly in cool water. Return noodles to your large pasta cooker, or put them in a large bowl. Set aside. 

Make the Cheese sauce. The recipe below will make enough for a normal 9x9 cake pan size. Adjust the quantities according to the size pan you are making.

Basic Cheese Sauce Recipe 

Yield 2 Cups (I double this and then some for our large pans of Mac & Cheese)

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black or white pepper
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup grated mild Cheddar Cheese

Preparation:

Melt butter; remove from heat. Stir in flour and seasonings. Gradually add milk, stirring until well mixed. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Cook for 5 minutes longer; add cheese. Stir until smooth and well blended. If you want a thicker sauce increase flour, if a thinner sauce is required add more milk
Makes 2 cups. I always put in a bit more cheese than called for. I like a cheesy sauce. 

Pour Sauce over noodles and mix well. If the sauce is fairly thick, I sometimes add a little water to get it consistency I like to bake. Spray your baking dish with Pam or some kind of cooking spray. I put half the noodles in the pan and layer a generous amount of grated cheese on top. The rest of the noodles go in and a really generous layer of cheese tops it off. Bake at 350º uncovered for about 30 minutes. I sometimes let it bake a little longer to get a lightly browned, crispier cheese on top. 

The other shocker that night at dinner long ago with Grumpy was to find that he liked ketchup on his mac & cheese. I couldn't fathom that, but then again don't knock it 'til you try it. I have grown very attached to my ketchup and roni. All our kids and many of our grandkids are fellow addicts. Grumpy graduated to salsa instead of ketchup which is not bad, but I like the ketchup still. 

Of course we must have frozen peas with Mac & Cheese because that is just how it's done. Still and forever I suppose. Nana used to like to come over and eat when I made this. I think even Papa Kanaga likes this now. Gramma Dorothy still makes her version (the one she grew her family up on) of Mac & Cheese for the many times she takes dinner in to people. I'm happy I get to make this for Ryker, and all the other grandkids who love their Mac & Cheese. 

Nana's Fried Chicken

Ahhhh, Nana's fried chicken. So many memories of her wonderful fried chicken. I remember her old square sunbeam electric frying pan. She would pack it up, along with potato salad, chocolate cake, and some bread and off we would go to cook lunch at the barn for Papa when he was farming in Queen Creek. Everything went on a table he had up in the barn and she would fry chicken. When it was done, she would make her wonderful chicken gravy and we would tear up a piece of bread and put that milk gravy over the top. Holidays like the 4th of July, Easter, Father's Day, etc. were often fried chicken with all the trimmings. She made awesome mashed potatoes too. I made fried chicken today for our house full of sickies. It is the second most often requested birthday dinner from the grandkids. I found myself thinking of Nana's advice when I was learning how to make fried chicken, so I thought I would post her tried and true method.

She would start with a cut up frying chicken. We most often use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but I still think chicken tastes better when I do it with the bones in it. She would do a whole batch of legs once in while as Papa really likes dark meat.

Of course the chicken was always washed clean and salted and peppered. Then she would get out a paper sack, put about a cup of flour in it and drop a few chicken pieces in it. Gather up the top of the sack, and shake it a few times. Now coated in flour, put it in a skillet with some hot oil in it. I now use extra virgin olive oil, Crisco Vegetable Oil, or whatever else you like will do. I put the heat on medium and let it heat up before putting the chicken in. I also use a bowl with flour in it, or even a ziplock to dredge the chicken in as paper sacks are hard to come by these days. I occasionally put a little powdered garlic in with the flour for our tastes.

Nana always said to brown the chicken light brown on both sides and then put a lid on the skillet so the inside of the chicken would get done. I assume the steam created by the lid on would cook the chicken through. Don't put it all the way on the pan though. Set it cock-eyed so there is still air getting into the pan. If the lid goes all the way on, too much steam is created and the crusty part of the chicken comes off in the pan leaving you with naked fried chicken. Not good. As she acquired good pans, she moved from the electric skillets to a good stainless steel frying pan with a heavy bottom. The chicken really browns well in those kinds of pans, and some are even called chicken fryers.

She always said to make sure the chicken is on the fire for at least 30 minutes so it is done all the way through. If the chicken is done, but not as brown as you want it, take the lid all the way off and let the chicken get brown. I turn it often so both sides get really brown.

I love all the little crunchies that get left in the pan that make the gravy so good. Once the chicken is all done and out of the pan, turn the heat up a little and if you need to deglaze the pan, now is the time. Just put a little water in the pan and it will loosen all the crunchies that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan. I use the dredging flour to add to the chicken drippings. Brown the flour good and add some milk. I keep adding flour and milk (sometimes some McCormick Chicken Gravy Mix I keep on hand for more chicken flavor) until I get enough gravy to make me happy. Milk will thicken the gravy and water will thin it. If you have the quantity you need, but it is too thick, just add a little water. Salt and Pepper it and you are done.

I have made many memories over the years with my kids and fried chicken. I know it has been on many a lake trip, many 4th of July dinners, lots of Sunday dinners and is very often the choice of grandkids for their birthday dinner. Today it was comfort food for the sickos in the house that are trying to get better. I wish I had thought to take some pics, but I didn't.

Simple stuff. I love that it is something she taught us to love. I will never forget those days eating chicken for lunch with my dad on the farm. She always went "to the trouble" to do those things for us.

Swiss Steak

Tracy called me for this recipe yesterday, and I realized I hadn't posted it. I took the photos a while back, but never got around to the post. Sorry Tracy, here it is now…



An all time favorite for the clan. This recipe came to us from my in-laws long ago and far away. Through the years we have come to love it, especially for the “special” dinners. Nana always liked to be our guest when I made this. I don't have the exact quantities down, but I will approximate. Things can always be adjusted to the way you like your food. I generally buy top round for the meat, but london broil works as well as many other cuts. In the original recipe the meat was cut into large pieces, like a serving of steak. I always ended up cutting it into small pieces for the kids, so I just started cutting it in small bite size pieces to begin with. We decided we liked it that way, so I still do that. I usually make this in a small electric roaster, but a crock-pot would work just fine. Grumpy was nice and did all the cutting for the photos here.




The onions should be cut into 1/2" rings. I have cut them thinner, and cut the rings in half but it is just your preference. If you have about 5 lbs. of steak, cut at least 3 good sized onions. I use regular yellow/brown onions, but mayan sweets are good also. Again, personal taste.



In a large skillet, drizzle some canola or light olive oil and bring up to medium heat. Dredge steak in flour and brown in skillet. The meat doesn't have to be done inside, just browned on both sides. When browned transfer to roaster or crock-pot. When all the meat is browned, place the onions in the skillet and saute until nice and brown. They should be tender but not overdone. Add onions to roaster or crock-pot. I have been known to add a little fresh minced garlic to the onions. Our family loves garlic and so I put about 3 cloves (chopped fine) in.

For the 5 lbs. of steak, you will need about 2 quarts of canned whole tomatoes, cut up. I have also used some the tomato mix Tracy and I canned and it is good in Swiss Steak. Pour off the water in the jar or can of tomatoes, but save in case you need the liquid. Cut the tomatoes up to the size you like and add to the roaster. Check to see how much liquid you have. If it seems a little dry for simmering for a couple hours, add some of the tomato juice back in. Consistency should be like a thick stew. Salt and Pepper to taste. I like a good amount of tomatoes, so if you think it needs a few more add until you like the ratio and consistency of your mixture.



Simmer for about 2 hours on medium to low setting. We like our Swiss Steak over rice, so I make a batch of rice in the rice cooker. I got used to the rice in Okinawa when we lived there and the closest thing I can find to that here is the Calrose or SunWest (fancy) brands that I can get at Costco, or even Smart and Final. It is a short grain variety and we like the flavor. I'm sure any rice would be fine - whatever you like. Grandma Dorothy serves her steak in larger pieces so it's like a piece of steak with a thick sauce on it. They have baked potatoes as their side. It's all good.

If you think it needs thickening toward the end of cooking time, just add a little Ultra Gel. It is the easiest to work with. Another way is to make a flour and water (or beef stock) mixture like you would for gravy and add that. It would need to simmer for a while to thicken with that mixture.

I hope you enjoy this dish, it is great for winter nights and to take in to people. It is also something you could make from your bottled/canned food in your pantry.

Crazy Aunt Charleen

We called her that because she was. It is a term of endearment for us as she has a special place in our hearts. Talented, sweet, musical, and very much like her mother, Opal. It was always an adventure to visit her in Colorado. After college graduation Grumpy and I were stationed at Lowry AFB in Denver,Colorado for 6 months. We had quite the trip getting there with 3 small children in the car for 2 days. Not the most fun I ever had. Upon our arrival there Papa’s sister Charleen had dinner waiting for us. It was so very nice, and oh so appreciated. The casserole has come through the years with us and is now a favorite of our children and grandchildren. She also had fresh strawberries for us that night. We dipped them in sour cream and then into brown sugar. Also a family favorite. Thanks to Aunt Charleen, we have these good things on our tables still.


The Noodles…
Charleen’s Casserole
I especially like that it is meatless for lighter summer meals. Ingredients can be varied and encompass many left-overs for a new dish. Great for a side, or for the main course.

Extra wide egg noodles, or noodles of your choice. Quantities are for 9x13 pan. Cook noodles until tender and rinse. Set aside.


The Vegetables…
In a pan, sauté:

• 1 ea. Green, Red, Yellow Pepper (chopped)
  
• 1 Onion (chopped)
  
• 2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
  
• 3 Carrots (sliced about 1/8”)
  

Optional Vegetables to add or substitute: Corn, Green Beans, Broccoli, Zucchini, Fresh Spinach, mushrooms, it’s all good.

The Sauce…
In a large mixing bowl combine:

• 2 Regular Cans Cream of Chicken Soup (1 can if you like your sauce thicker, or if you want to thin with milk.)
  
• 1 Regular Can Cream of Celery Soup
  
• 1 8 oz. Can Tomato Sauce (or El Pato Sauce for a spicier taste).

Optional Cream Soups are Mushroom, Cheese, and any others your family likes.

Finishing…
When vegetables are tender, add to sauce and mix well. Fold in noodles and at least 8 ozs. of grated mild cheddar and 8 ozs. of another kind of cheese (sliced thin or grated). Pepper Jack, Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, whatever you like or have on hand. Toss in 1 1/2 C. Frozen Peas and mix well.


Spray casserole dish with PAM and pour mixture into it. Top with more cheese if desired, or even bread crumbs work fine. Bake uncovered at 350º for 30 - 45 minutes depending on how brown you like the top. Serve with Garlic Toast or any number of things.


This casserole has feed many a family that needed dinner brought in and I love for the summer. It is easy and fast and kids generally like it. There are lots of possibilities with it, so use your imagination and make your favorite things in it.

I have a PDF version of this if anyone is interested. Just leave a comment with your email address.

My Favorite Lasagna

This lasagna recipe has been with us since 1978.
As the story goes…
Grumpy and I were stationed in Okinawa, Japan and I had gone back to Arizona to have R.B. When it was time to return to Okinawa, R.B. was about 6 weeks old. It was the trip from hell. I had three little girls and a newborn to wrestle, the Air Force dependent travel policies to contend with and some major budget concerns. I won't go into the details, but by the time I got back to Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa I had been traveling (or trying to) for 2 weeks. I was frustrated, tired, and “on the edge”. Grumpy had moved our things into a nice house in Awase and it was good to finally be somewhere. As we straggled in the door it was nearly dinner time and I wasn't sure what was in the house. Grumpy went in the kitchen and pulled this wonderful lasagna from the oven complete with garlic bread and a salad from the fridge. I was amazed. He said his new commanding officer's wife, Ellen Stellmar had provided the dinner for us. I started crying and I don't think she ever knew how deeply I appreciated her dinner. “Thank you” just didn't cover how nice it was. She was a wonderful woman. I am grateful for all the really great people we rubbed shoulders with in our Air Force experience. Very tender memories of them all. I've used this recipe all these years and it is a family favorite.

The Meat Sauce…
1# Italian Sausage or lean ground beef
1 clv Garlic (minced)
1 lg Onion (diced) (optional)
1 Tb. Basil
1 Tb. Parsley Flakes
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1-1# Can whole tomatoes (cut up)
2-6oz Cans (1 1/3 C.) tomato paste

The Cheese Mixture…

3 Cups Cream Style Cottage Cheese (or Ricotta, or a mix of the two)
2 eggs (beaten)
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
2 Tb. Parsley Flakes
1/2 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese

Cooked Noodles…
10 oz. Lasagna noodles cooked al dente. Rinse in cold water and allow to drain. I always lay the uncooked noodles in the pan I'm using (x2 for 2 layers) to make sure I have enough noodles. I throw in a couple of extra just for fun.

Mozzarella…

1# Mozzarella cheese (grated). Of course more cheese is never bad. I have used the fresh mozzarella sliced on one of the layers and it turned out really well.

Preparing the layers…

Brown meat with minced garlic and (optional) diced onion . Drain off excess fat. Add next five ingredients for the meat sauce and simmer uncovered until sauce is thick stirring occasionally (about 30 minutes). 

Combine the cheese mixture ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir well.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and layer:
half the cooked noodles
half the cottage cheese mixture
half the mozzarella cheese
half the meat sauce

Half the noodles, half the cheese mixture:


I used fresh mozzarella in the first cheese layer and it was good. I used regular grated mozzarella on the next cheese layer and it was a good combo. Just ignore the spots of meat sauce. I goofed and got a little meat sauce in before I realized it was the cheese layer. Oooops.


The last layer of meat sauce (good thing, cuz the dish was full)


As an option you can layer some fresh spinach leaves on top of the mozzarella and under the meat sauce. It is really good if you like a little spinach. 

Repeat layers and top with a layer of grated parmesan if desired.



Bake in moderate oven (350º) uncovered for 30-45 minutes.
Let stand 15 minutes to set before serving.

Serves 12

Picture is from our Mama's and Papa's dinner on my blog. I added a spinach layer to it this time and it was really good. A little more watery than usual, don't know if it was from the fresh mozzarella, or the spinach, or both. I didn't mind though as a little juicier is okay with me. (I'm a saucy gal)
Lots of fond memories with this Lasagna recipe. Thanks to a sweet woman who went out of her way to make life a little easier. She left quite an impact on our lives with her lasagna. You just never know…

Christy's Chicken & Spinach w/ Cheese...

You will need:
1 piece of chicken per person
1 bag of stick pretzels (for crushing)
2 eggs
2 cups mozzarella cheese with sun dried tomotoes & basil
2 big bunches of spinach
2 Tablespoons Flour
2 Tablespoons butter
2 cups milk

DIRECTIONS:

Put the pretzels into a ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin. Put the pretzels into a shallow bowl. Crack the eggs into a bowl; dip the chicken into the eggs and then into the pretzel mixture, covering completely. Put onto a greased baking sheet/pan. Cook at 350 degrees for about 35-45 minutes.

Sauce: Melt butter in medium saucepan, add flour and stir. Slowly add in milk while always stirring, so no lumps. Add cheese and keep stirring until it bubbles and gets thicker, then take off of the burner.

Spinach: Put some butter in a pan and add spinach, stirring until all cooked.

Presentation: Put spinach on a plate, then chicken, then sauce on the top!

Chili

Chili is one of my all time favorites! Nate, not so much...but I make it anyway! Here's the latest...

1 large can of pinto beans
1 regular can of white beans
1 large can of kidney beans
1 regular can of stewed tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
1 1/2 TBS chili powder
1 large sauteed onion
1 large sauteed green pepper
1 lb. of ground beef
garlic (or garlic salt/powder) to your preference
1/2 bag frozen corn (or canned if you like it)
sour cream
shredded cheese
diced onions
fritos corn chips

Sautee the onions, peppers and garlic. Add in the ground beef, salt and pepper while cooking. Add in the chili powder (I used about 1 1/2 tablespoons) Add the pinto beans, kidney beans and white beans, as well as the tomatoes, tomato paste and corn. Let simmer for about 30 minutes. Top with the shredded cheese, sour cream, onions and fritos! Soooooo Good! Would post a picture but we ate it all up!

Beef Pot Pie!

Talk about comfort food! This was so yummy and it gave me a reason to try making pie crust again! Successfully, I might add!!! I will put the recipe for the crust and what I did for the filling, but you could fill it with whatever!
Nana's Pie Crust
(Recipe for 2 full crusts, top and bottom)
4 1/2 cups of flour
1 1/2 cups of cold shortening
1 cup of cold butter
1 tsp of salt
3 TBS of sugar
1 cup of ice water
Mix all ingredients together, using dough hook, just until "balled up" or to where it will stay in a ball if you form one. Divide into 4 pieces, 2 larger for the bottom crusts and 2 slightly smaller for the top crusts. Roll out on floured surface. Place bottom crust into pie dish. Add filling. Add top crust and crimp the edges together to seal. Brush the top crust with evaporated milk and sprinkle with sugar (if making a sweet pie) if not just the evaporated milk. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes until golden brown. Cover the edges with foil if beginning to burn before done baking.
Filling:
1 lb of beef, cubed (roast, leftover steak, etc)
1 cup of baby peeled carrots
4 large red potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup of frozen peas
Salt, pepper, garlic, lipton onion soup mix
3-cups of water
1/2 cup of flour
Cook the beef in a skillet, seasoning with salt, pepper, garlic, lipton onion soup mix, or whatever you like. Reserve the drippings to make a quick brown gravy by mixing 3-4 cups of water and 1/2 of flour, then add the mixture into the drippings and stir often while bringing to a boil. Add beef along with the remaining ingredients into the gravy and stew on med-low heat until the veggies are almost tender. Pour into pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Individual Meatloaf Balls...

A different way to make meatloaf... Originally Granny's or Nana's Cheesy Meatloaf Recipe only seperated into individual servings!

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs lean hamburger meat
2 cups italian bread crumbs (more if needed)
2-3 eggs (to make everything stick together)
1-2 green peppers chopped
1 large yellow onion chopped
1 can tomato sauce (or alternate sauce for top of meatloaf)
1 large brick of mild cheddar cheese
1 cube butter (1/2 cup)
garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste


In a large mixing bowl add together meat, garlic powder, salt & pepper, green peppers, onions, eggs, and bread crumbs.

Cut the block of cheddar cheese into large cubes. Pull off a chunk of meat mixture and place on the cutting board. Put the cheese right in the middle. Take another chunk of mixture and cover the cheese, like a big meatball. Place the meatloaf balls in whatever pan you are cooking them in side by side on top of 1 cube of melted butter.

Once all of your meatloaf balls are in the pan, pour whatever sauce you choose or the tomato sauce over the top. If you have a pan that sits on top of your counter like this (electromade??? not sure what it's called) then put the lid on and it will cook for about 45 minutes to an hour on about 350 degrees. Just check the centers to make sure cooked through. If using your oven, then I would say to set at about 350 degrees for the same 45 min to an hour.

The cheese melts inside and everyone gets their own cute little meatloaf. This was Kevins spin on Granny's cheesy meatloaf!

We all love the burned bottom side of the meatloaf and the cheese burns a bit too! Growing up we all fought over that part...

The gravy that you make from the drippings is a little bit of a cheese flavor also, but I add in some beef boullion and it's awesome beef gravy because it's diferent than the same old thing.

YUMMMMMMM!