::Taco Bake::

::Ingredients::

- 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef, browned

- 1 cup chopped onions

- 1 (14.5 oz.) can tomato sauce

- 1 (14.5 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I have used black beans)

- 2 teaspoons chili powder

- 8 ready to eat taco shells 

 - 2 cups light Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

- 1/2 small head iceberg lettuce. coarsely chopped

- 1 or 2 medium tomatoes, diced

::Instructions::

Cook ground beef and onions in skillet over medium heat until beef is no longer pink. Drain fat.

Stir in tomato sauce, beans, and chili powder.

Break each taco shell in half at fold. Arrange shell halves on bottom and sides of 13x9-inch baking dish.

Spoon meat mixture evenly over taco shells. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake in 350F oven for 15 to 20 minutes until hot and cheese is melted.

Top with lettuce & tomatoes

1. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

::Pecan Pie Bar::

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

::Crust::
1 box of yellow cake mix - (reserve 2/3 cup for filling).  Mix with 1 stick unsalted, melted butter and press into 9" x l3" pan.  Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

::Filling:::
Use 2/3 cup cake mix (reserved above), 3 eggs, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1-1/2 cups brown sugar (I used light brown).  Mix filling and pour on top of crust.

::Topping::
Sprinkle with 1-1/2 cups chopped pecans.  Bake for another 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

::Easy Divinity::

::Ingredients::

- 2 1/2 c. sugar
- 1/2 c. light corn syrup
- 1/2 c. water
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 c. chopped pecans

Mix first 4 ingredients in a 2 quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat; cook without stirring until temperature reaches 265 degrees. Beat egg whites in a large bowl until stiff peaks form when beater is raised. Beating constantly on high speed of electric mixer, slowly pour hot syrup over egg whites. Continue beating until small amount holds soft peaks when dropped from spoon. Mix in vanilla and nuts. Drop by teaspoon onto wax paper. Yield: about 50 pieces.

::Veggie Casserole::

- 1-16oz. bag fancy frozen veggies or 1-16oz can Veg-all, drained
- 1 c. chopped celery (I do not put this in mine)
- 1 c. chopped onion
- 1 c. grated sharp cheese (it's better if you add more)
- 1/2 c. mayo
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup
- 1 stick of margarine
- 2 packs or (20) Ritz crackers

Cook veggies until tender, drain and season (if using Veg-all cans, open
cans and drain).  Mix all ingredients, rinse soup can with a little water.
Mix 2 cups Ritz crackers (crumbled) with 1 stick melted margarine.  Cover
top of casserole and bake at 400 degrees until brown.  (Check after about
20 mins, check the center and see if it feels done)

::Country Fried Steak::

::Ingredients::
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds cubed steak
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon each-garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper
- black pepper to taste
- additional salt and pepper to season meat
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1 package of pepper gravy

::Directions::

Cut each cubed steak in half and season lightly with salt and pepper.
In flat bowl, beat eggs and milk.
In a separate plate, mix flour with seasonings.

For each steak:Coat in flour mixture.
Dip in egg mixture.
Coat in flour again.
Dip in egg again.
End with another coating of the the flour and set aside.
Repeat.
Heat oil in a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium high heat.  Fry 3 pieces of meat at a time until they get golden brown and turn over to cook the other side.  Drain over a wire rack.  Serve warm and slathered in pepper gravy

::Chicken and Roasted Garlic Lasagna::

::Ingredients::
- 2 cups roasted chicken, shredded

- 2 bulbs of roasted garlic OR 1 TBS. minced garlic
- 1/4 sweet yellow onion, diced finely
- 5-6 baby bell peppers, diced finely (I used red & yellow)
- 6-7 fresh basil leaves, chopped
- Dried oregano, to taste
- salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

::Other Ingredients::
- 1 (32 ounce) container ricotta cheese (I used part skim fat)
- 1 egg
- 5-6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
- Dried oregano, to taste
- Fresh nutmeg, grated, to taste

- 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp of Parmesan cheese (divided)

- 9 whole wheat lasagna noodles, cooked per instructions
- mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Roasted Garlic and Basil Marinara

Prepare the roasted garlic.
Place the shredded chicken, roasted garlic, diced onion, diced bell peppers, chopped basil leaves, oregano, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste on a large cutting board. Chop all the ingredients together and mix thoroughly.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a large 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, add ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, fresh chopped basil, nutmeg, oregano, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Combine until mixed thoroughly. Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles per instructions then drain.
Layer a 9 × 13 inch baking pan with just enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Lay three lasagna noodles in the pan. Spread some of the ricotta mixture on the noodles, then spoon some of the chicken mixture on top and sprinkle with a bit of mozzarella; spoon some sauce over the cheese; repeat layering. Finish with a layer of noodles and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, remaining 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of basil or oregano. Bake covered in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

::Stromboli::

:Ingredients::

- 1 pre-made pizza dough OR canned biscuit OR crecsent rolls

- 1 package of shredded mozzarella cheese

- 1 package of sliced pepperoni

- 1 jar of pizza sauce

- 1 jar of marinara sauce for dipping

::Directions::

First, find a surface and roll out the pizza dough. It should come in a can like cinnamon rolls you’d bake, so just spread it out thinly out of the tube. If you want to make things easier for yourself, you can do this right on the foil covered baking pan so you can prevent spillage when you transfer it onto the pan.

After you have the dough laid out, spread out the sauce & pepperoni slices over the dough leaving a half inch from the side. Add the fillings if you want, spreading it as thickly or as thinly as you’d like, depending on how full you want to be. Top it off with a sprinkling of the cheese.

Now, the vital part of stromboli, the rolling of the dough. Very carefully, beginning from the right side, pull the dough tautly over the ingredients and roll. Stuff may fall out as you get to the end, but it doesn’t matter. You can eat it. When you’re done, transfer it on to the foiled baking pan if you haven’t already. Center it, then pinch the roll’s edges. Spray with some cooking spray, and top with parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Cut diagonal slashes across the top layer of the roll, not too big, with a pretty sharp knife. This will prevent gross air bubbles from ruining your dish.

Preheat your oven to 400F degrees. Put it in the oven, and set the oven’s timer to 12 minutes. Check on the stromboli, and if it’s golden brown take it out. Leave it in for a few minutes if it doesn’t look crispy and still has that whitish doughey appearance.

Slice and serve with Marinara sauce.