Hamburger Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef

3 cups thinly sliced potatoes (either peeled or with thin skins)

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 can cream of mushroom soup

3/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1 tsp. hot sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an 11 x 7 (2 quart) glass baking dish. In medium skillet, cook the onions and ground beef until done. Drain the grease. Add milk, soup, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Stir together with burger.  Layer half of the potatoes, soup mixture and cheese. Repeat with the rest of the potatoes, soup mixture and then the cheese. Sprinkle with green onions.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the potatoes are tender.

Breakfast casserole muffins

Ingredients:

8 oz. breakfast sausage

8 eggs

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon paprika

6 Thomas’ English Muffins, coarsely chopped

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup diced green onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 12 cavity muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.

Cook the breakfast sausage in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it up and crumbling it until it’s no longer pink. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, dry mustard and paprika. Add the coarsely chopped English Muffins, cheese, green onions and cooked sausage to the bowl, stir to combine. Let mixture sit for 10 minutes before filling up the muffin cups evenly.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the eggs are set and cooked through. Run a knife around breakfast cups to remove from the muffin tin and enjoy warm.

*If desired, package up the breakfast cups in a zipclose bag and store in fridge. Reheat one cup at a time in the microwave before eating.

One Pan Cheesy Smoked Sausage & Pasta Skillet

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb Hillshire Farm Smoked Turkey Sausage, sliced

1 cup diced onion

1 Tbsp minced garlic (about two fresh cloves)

2 cups Chicken Broth

1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup milk or heavy cream

8 oz dry pasta (any small pasta will do)

1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each

1 cup shredded Cheddar-Jack cheese

1/3 cup chopped scallions, for garnish

Add olive oil to a 4-5 quart sauté pan over medium high heat. Add onions and sausage and cook until lightly browned. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.

Add chicken broth, tomatoes, milk, pasta, and seasonings. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until pasta is tender.

Turn off the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cover for about five minutes to allow cheese to melt. Top with sliced scallions and serve.

Makes about 4 servings.

Chicken Tator Tot Bake

Ingredients

¼ cup 2% low-fat milk

1 cup low-fat sour cream

1 (10 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 can of corn, drained

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked & shredded

16 ounces frozen tater tots

1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine milk, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, corn and chicken in medium size pot.  Place on stove top over medium-high heat.  Stir and heat until ingredients mix well; about 3-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup shredded cheese. salt and pepper.  Pour mixture into 9X12 glass baking dish.

Sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese over mixture.  Place tator tots on top of mixture.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove aluminum foil and continue to bake for 15 minutes uncovered.

This was a nice twist on your classic tator tot casserole. I used pre diced chicken chunks from the deli.  Mine turned out a little salty.  It was very good but definitely on the salty side.  Possibly because I had the chicken strips that are packaged?  If you use real chicken breasts I think it would be better.  

No bake pumpkin oatmeal cookies

Guest blog by Stephanie Eyanson

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C. white sugar

1/2 C. brown sugar

3/4 C. butter

2/3 C. milk

3 ½ C. quick cooking oats

1 tsp. pumpkin spice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 box pumpkin spice instant pudding mix

In sauce pan mix sugars, butter and milk. Bring to boil.  Boil 2 min. Remove from heat.  Add pudding mix until completely combined.  Add in pumpkin spice vanilla and oats.  Stir to combine then let stand for 5 minutes. Use a cookie scoop to put them on the wax paper. Store in airtight container.

The verdict?  Simple and amazing.  

Fiesta chicken

Review by Lyndee:

Ingredients:

2 cups grilled chicken breast (or 2 cans of chicken breast chunks)

2 cups medium shell pasta (cooked)

2 cups cheddar/jack shredded cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can Rotel

½ cup milk

1 can diced chilies (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix all ingredients except cheese.  Pour into a 9x13 pan, cover with cheese and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. 

My oven was full of other things when I was making this so I decided to just do it as a stove top recipe.  I halved the shredded cheese and used some velveeta to make it creamy.  I opted not to use the diced chilies and I’m glad I did.  This has some good kick to it with just the rotel.  Mine was a bit soupy but it was really good.  This is super easy to make via skillet or baking, I’m sure.  Kid and husband friendly quick recipe for dinner.  

Hunters dish casserole

Review by Lyndee

Ingredients:

6 medium baking potatoes (peeled and diced)

1 bag steamfresh corn

1 pound ground beef or turkey

1 can cream of mushroom soup

¾ cup milk

Salt & Pepper to taste

Boil peeled potatoes until they are easily pierced with a fork.  Meanwhile, brown your burger in a pan.  I cook mine with some chopped onions and minced garlic. Microwave corn according to directions on the bag.  You could also use a can of corn, drained.  Once done, drain the potatoes.  Add milk, cream of mushroom, burger and corn.  Stir together.  Salt and pepper to taste while the mixture heats on medium heat.  Once, heated through, serve warm. 

This is one of my favorite childhood recipes.  It’s cheap and easy to make, filling and very tasty.  My picky husband even liked it.  Feel free to add a slice of cheese or dash of hot sauce to your bowl of goodness if you want a little kick.  

UV Candy Bar Vodka Recipes

Review by Lyndee:

UV Vodka released their new flavor recently and Melody and I were elated to see that it was “candy bar”.  Chocolate and caramel flavored vodka.  Naturally we rushed to the store to acquire a bottle and see what we could come up with.  We tried what they had suggested online and also some other variations.  Truth is, and I say this with a tear in my eye and a dry throat, we didn’t love it.  The caramel overpowers the chocolate.  We couldn’t find a mixer that was excellent with it besides the creamy ones.  And for anyone counting calories, that’s a dangerously slippery drinking slope. 

We tried it with:

Diet Pepsi

Diet Pepsi and milk

Diet Pepsi, milk and Kahlua

My homemade Irish cream

Diet Pepsi and my homemade Irish cream

Our favorites were mixing it with the Irish cream or milk, Kahlua and diet Pepsi.  For my tastes, it would probably be better used in shots rather than a full drink.  Or with ice cream.  That would be awesome. 

Fear not, we will continue to attempt other recipes that don’t include cream until that bottle is gone.  And as always, we will pass it along to you.