Chicken Parmigiana my way

6 Breaded chicken pieces from bag in freezer, thawed
1/2 cup Oil
32 oz spaghetti sauce
2 Tablespoons Butter (or margarine)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
8 ounces Mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded

Heat oil in skillet until hot, quickly brown chicken on both sides, remove to shallow baking dishes. Simmer spaghetti sauce in same skillet for 10 minutes until thickened. Stir in butter. Pour over chicken, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, cover with mozzarella cheese, and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes longer.
I like to serve this meal over cooked spaghetti noodles.

Hammy Cheese

1lb. Smoked Ham (find these by the bacon), dice
2 lb. pasta (shells & rotini are a few faves)
16 oz. Shredded Cheese, we like Jack & Cheddar
1/4 cup milk
Salt
Pepper
Season-All (or Old Bay seasoning if you are from the Mid-Atlantic/East Coast)
2-4 TBsp. butter
1/4 cup (homemade) bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta until just tender. Drain. Dice ham, add to pasta & mix in large bowl. Butter the bottom of baking dish. Mix cheese & milk in a bowl, pour over pasta & ham. Mix in salt & pepper to taste. Place mixture into buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with season-all (or old bay), then bread crumbs & finally a pat or 2 of the butter.Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes depending on your oven. This makes enough for 2 dinners for 4 people.

Ham & Hashbrown Bake

1 lg. bag frozen hashbrowns (approx 2 lbs)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese, divided
1 8-oz carton of sour cream
2 cups diced ham

Mix all ingredients together, reserving 1 cup of cheese to the side. Pour into greased 13x9 inch casserole dish; cover with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 90 minutes.

Pizza-Stuffed Meatloaf

1 1/2 lbs. ground meat (beef, turkey, or a combination of the two)
1 1/2 c. quick oats or breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 c. pizza sauce
2 t. each salt, Italian seasoning and garlic powder
2 t. Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
12 - 15 slices pepperoni
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Combine the ground meat, oats or breadcrumbs, egg, pizza sauce and seasonings.
2. In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the green pepper, onion and mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Press half of the meatloaf into the bottom of a loaf pan.
4. Spread the cooked veggies on top of that. (If you don't like this combination of veggies, you can use any of your other favorite pizza toppings.)
5. Layer the pepperoni on top of the veggies.
6. Add 1/2 c. mozzarella on top of the pepperoni.
7. Press the remaining 1/2 of the meatloaf mixture into the pan.
8. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil. (At this point, you can put the meatloaf in the refrigerator until an hour before dinner or just bake and eat.)
9. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until meat is fully cooked.
10. Let meatloaf rest at least 5 minutes before cutting.

Artichoke Chicken

(If you like artichoke dip, you'll like this according to the posters on BBC)
1 (14-oz) can water packed artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or use fresh minced garlic)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (sliced in half to create 8 thin pieces)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, mix together the artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic powder.
Place chicken in a greased baking dish, and cover evenly with artichoke mixture.
Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear.

Notes: Results would probably be best with regular mayonnaise, but reduced fat works well also. Fat-free is not recommended. Bake on an upper rack so the topping will become browned. Also, season fillets with salt and pepper, as well as added pepper to the mixture. Add a can of mushrooms. Lightly sprinkle the top with mozzarella cheese, which think improved the dish! Make sure you squeeze out the moisture from the artichokes using paper towels, or a kitchen towel.

Stuffed Zucchini

6 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup minced green pepper
2 tsp oregano
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 (10-3/4 oz) can condensed tomatoe soup, divided
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

-wash zucchini, remove pulp from halves, leaving a 1/4 inch shell, chop pulp and set aside
-cook ground beef, onion, garlic, green pepper, and oregano in hot oil until meat is browned and veggies are tender.
-stir in zucchini pulp, 1/4 cup tomato soup and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan.
-fill zucchini halves with mixture
-place shells in a large baking dish, spoon remaining soup over zucchini.
-sprinkle with remaining cheese
-cover and bake @ 375 for 30 minutes, uncover and bake 5 min more

Cheesy Ziti

1 lb Ziti noodles
(1/2 lb ground Italian sausage)
1 Tbsp butter or olive oil
1 Tbsp flour
1-2 cups of milk
1 tsp Italian seasonings
Salt/Pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

1. Cook ziti noodles according to package instructions. Drain and place in 9×13 baking pan.
2. In skillet, make a homemade white sauce using butter or olive oil, flour and milk. Add Italian seasonings, salt and pepper and parmesan cheese to the white sauce. Let cook until desired consistency.
(2.5 If you wish to add Italian sausage to this recipe, simply brown the ground sausage and drain off any liquids. Add the browned sausage in with the pasta in the baking dish.)
3. Pour homemade white sauce of the ziti noodles in the baking dish. Stir sauce through the noodles (and sausage). Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, allowing cheese time to melt!

Pizza Wraps

6 Tortillas
1/2 jar pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce
Pepperoni
Mushrooms
1/2 Green Pepper, thinly sliced
2 cups shredded cheese

1. Preheat oven 350. Lay tortillas flat. Spread on pizza sauce. Layer 1-2 rows of pepperoni and sliced green peppers. Sprinkle with cheese, leaving room to roll.
2. Roll up tortillas and place snugly into 8×8 dish. Cook about 10 minutes so cheese melts.

Modify ingredients based on what everyone wants.

Vanilla Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

2 cups flour (half whole wheat and half regular works well)
1 TB baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
4 TB melted butter
1 cup skim milk
1 egg, slightly beaten (or egg substitute equivalent)
1 TB vanilla extract

Preheat oven to bake at 350ºF.
Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners, or grease them, then set aside.
Blend all dry ingredients in medium mixing bowl.
Blend milk, egg and vanilla in small bowl.
Add milk mixture to medium mixing bowl, combining ingredients just until nolonger dry.
Add melted butter and blend well.
Spoon batter into muffin tins, and bake 18-20 minutes, or until tops begin to brown.
Check muffins after 15 minutes.

BBQ - cuz it's summertime!!!

Barbeque Rub

2 cups sugar (I use superfine)
1/4 cup paprika
2 t chili powder
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 cup salt
2 t black pepper
1 t garlic powder

Combine all ingredients and use as a rub for any barbeque meat. Yields about 3 cups.