Mom's Spanish Rice

 

This dish is a favorite from my childhood. I have no idea where my mom got it or why it is even called Spanish rice, but she's been making it for forever and our family loves it. It is kind of a funny recipe and really isn't anything like the spanish rice you are probably used to, but give it a chance. When I married my husband he thought it was the strangest thing, but now he loves it. The bacon really makes this dish spectacular. We always ate it as a main dish instead of a side dish and always with a can of green beans, but for you skeptics out there you can serve it as a side dish. :)

Mom's Spanish Rice

recipe from mom

3 cups cooked white rice (I'll do a half white and brown sometimes)

6 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled (save a little bacon grease to cook onion)

1/2 onion diced

1 can tomato soup condensed

Shredded cheddar cheese

*Salt and pepper to taste (we always just seasoned our own portion to taste after it was cooked)

Cook rice. Cook bacon and leave some bacon grease in skillet or griddle, however you cook it. Cook the diced onions in the bacon grease until translucent. Mix the 3 cups cooked rice with the tomato soup. Throw in  the crumbled bacon and onions.  Mix together until combined. Spread into a casserole dish, fits nicely into the smaller than 9x13 size. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until cheese is melted.

Porcupine Meatballs

I wish I had a better picture of my beloved meatballs! The darn things would not come in to focus. Oh how we LOVE these meatballs. They are one of my top 5 favorite meals of all time, no kidding! You will be amazed just how easy they really are. If you have heard of the Lion House, (probably Lion House rolls), then you know that this recipe is going to be good. So trust me, trust Lion House, and try these meatballs!

Porcupine Meatballs
slightly adapted from Lion House

1 to 1 1/4 lb ground LEAN beef *I like to use lean in meatloaf and meatballs
1/3 c uncooked rice
1/2  c finely diced onion
1/4 c water
1/2 tsp salt
Dash pepper
2 can tomato soup (condensed)
1 tsp chili powder
1 c water

Combine beef, rice, onion, 1/4 c water, salt, and peper. Shape into one inch balls. Makes around 15-18. In a large skillet blend soups, chili powder and 1 c water and bring to a boil. Add meatballs to skillet. Cover, turn down heat a bit, and simmer gently for 1 hr. I like to peek on them occasionally, but you don't need to even stir. Serve over rice!!!

Stuffing Topped Pork Chops

I grew up eating plain pork chops with a side dish. I rarely eat just a plain piece of meat anymore. I'm not even a steak eating kind of girl! Don't get me wrong, I love all meat, I just like it "jazzed" up a bit. :) Just like this recipe here, take a plain ol' pork chop, throw some stuffing and mushroom sauce on top and voila!!! Perfection. Life as a Lofthouse once again has posted another great recipe, such a great blog. These were easy, easy, easy and yummy, yummy, yummy. Enjoy!

Stuffing Topped Pork Chops
Recipe by The Food Nanny via Life as a Lofthouse

6 boneless Pork chops (3/4 inch thick)

1 package (6 oz) pork or chicken Stuffing mix  

Salt & Pepper

Onion Powder

1 tablespoon Canola oil

1 (10.75 oz) can Cream of Mushroom soup

1/3 cup Milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the stuffing according to package directions. Set aside. Season the pork chops with salt, pepper and onion powder. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Brown the pork chops on both sides. You don't need to cook them through, they will cook thoroughly in the oven. Just give them a nice color on each side, couple minutes. Arrange the chops in a 9x13 baking dish. Spoon the stuffing evenly over each pork chop. Mix the soup and milk together, and then pour over the chops. Cover with foil, and Bake for 40 minutes.


Linked up with Melt in Your Mouth Monday!

Cheesy Hash Brown Potatoes

You may know these potatoes by funeral potatoes, or au gratin potatoes (what we call them at my house), whatever you call them, I call them delicious! No Easter in my family is complete without a helping of these potatoes! My mom makes these with baked and cubed russet potatoes, but I love the simplicity of using hashbrowns. You can whip this up in no time flat! A real crowd pleaser for sure. We eat this as a main dish all the time.

Cheesy Hash Brown Potatoes

1 package (28 oz) frozen shredded hash browns
1 pint sour cream (about 2 cups)
2 cups medium or sharp cheddar
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2-1 onion diced (just depends on how much you like, green onions would be yummy too)
2 T butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 cups crushed cornflake crumbs

Melt butter in a skillet and cook onions until translucent. Set aside. Combine cream of chicken soup and sour cream in large bowl. Mix well. Add onions and cheese until combined. Add defrosted hashbrowns and stir until combined. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour into greased 9x13 casserole dish. Sprinkle cornflake crumbs on top! Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until bubbly!

Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad

This is a great salad for lunch, but filling enough for dinner. The dressing really is amazing. You can lighten this salad up by using grilled chicken and light mayo. Try it out!

Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad

DRESSING:

3 Tbsp Honey

1 1/2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar

1/4 C Mayonnaise

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

1/8 tsp Sesame Oil

SALAD:

Lettuce--Romaine, Iceberg, Spinach

Shredded carrots

Red Cabbage

Mandarin Oranges

Chow Mein Noodles

Shredded Cheese--optional

Slivered Almonds--optional

Jicama--optional

Spicy Sticky Chicken Wraps

 

If you have been to Winger's, the restaurant, you've probably had these before or have at least heard of them. Well, I have never had them, and now I know I have really been missing out! I saw these on Life as a Lofthouse's blog, and they looked so easy and yummy that I tried them out. So so glad I did. I loved them so much, that I ended up eating them for the next 4 days, yep, you heard me. I couldn't get enough of them. They were so easy to heat up for lunch, and they tasted just as good as the first day I had them. They are spicy, but not too much where it is distracting. They're perfect in every way!

Spicy Sticky Chicken Wraps
adapted slightly from Life as a Lofthouse

6 tablespoons Franks Original Hot Sauce *has to be Frank's!

3/4 cup Brown Sugar

4 tablespoons water

1-25oz bag of frozen breaded chicken fingers (you can buy chicken fingers from the deli too)

10 Flour Tortillas (the size that comes in 10 count)

Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Tomatoes, chopped

Lettuce, chopped

**the sauce was enough for the entire bag of frozen breaded chicken fingers. So if you aren't using the whole bag that night, just save the leftover sauce and have leftovers for lunch tomorrow or dinner the next day! 

If using frozen Chicken fingers, start by baking the amount you want to use for dinner (we used 1 per wrap, 2 if they were short chicken fingers), in your oven, according to package directions. In a medium saucepan heat the hot sauce, brown sugar and water over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and sauce is heated thoroughly. About 5-10 minutes. Place cooked chicken fingers in a large tupperware. Pour in the sauce. Seal shut with the lid and shake to coat all chicken fingers with the sauce. Place one or two sauce-coated chicken fingers, depending on their size and length, onto the tortilla. Add desired amount of cheese, lettuce and tomato. Wrap up and serve!  You can even dip them with ranch if you'd like, but they're so delicious by themselves.

**Remember to save the remaining sauce for leftovers!

Linked these up on

Tuna Noodle Casserole

 I have always wanted to make a tuna casserole, and when I saw one on Can You Stay For Dinner, I knew it was time to try it out! It was just as yummy as it looked, and was super easy to boot! We don't eat a lot of fish in our family, but I like to have a little bit of fish a few times a month. Now we have one more option to choose from! 

Tuna Noodle Casserole

adapted from Can You Stay For Dinner?

1lb box of rotini pasta. *I used the multi colored ones for fun

2 cans tuna, drained and flaked with a fork

2 cups peas, fresh or frozen

1/2 onion diced fine *optional, remember you're also using fried onions for topping. we just like onions!

2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 cup milk

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2-3/4 teaspoon garlic powder *I thought a full teaspoon was too much

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 small can french fried onions finely crushed

Get your pasta cooking. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Combine tuna, and peas *and onion, in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the soup, milk, cheese, garlic powder, and pepper, and pour over the top of the tuna, peas and onions. Stir to combine. Add noodles and stir until noodles are coated evenly. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the french fried onions evenly over the top and bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes.

Linked these up on

Lasagna Roll-ups

These were a fun take on regular ol' lasagna. The original is meatless, but I like some meat and onion in my lasagna so I added those of course. I thought it was a little dry with just the one jar of spaghetti sauce with my additions, so next time I will use 2 jars! It really was good and the whole family enjoyed a hearty, nutritious meal.

Lasagna Roll-ups
adapted from CJane 


10 lasagna noodles, cooked and dried
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
15 oz fat free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and fresh pepper
1 jar spaghetti sauce *I think 2 is needed if doing meat lasagna, 1 was too dry
1 1/2 cups mozzarella, shredded
1 lb ground beef *optional
1/2 cup onion *optional
2 cloves garlic *optional

Preheat oven to 350°. Brown ground beef, add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. Pour 1 jar of sauce into ground beef mixture and mix evenly. Set aside.* Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour a bit of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. 

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Then spread a layer of the spaghetti sauce/ground beef mixture on top of the cheese. Sprinkle mozzarella on top. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle remaining sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with remaining mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

 Another casserole from The Pioneer Woman that we love! It is creamy, delicious and easy to prepare! Enjoy!

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

adapted from The Pioneer Woman

3 cups uncooked spaghetti, break into 2 inch pieces

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed*

1 quart chicken broth (low sod), set 1 1/2 cups aside for later

1 green pepper, diced

1 jar pimentos diced

½ onion, diced

1 tsp. Lawry’s season salt

Pepper

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper *optional

*Pioneer Woman cooks her chicken by boiling a whole chicken in a pot and then pulling the meat off the bones and using that water for her noodles. I prefer to just cook my boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or tenderloins, in a little olive oil and season them with salt and pepper and use chicken broth to cook my noodles. It doesn't matter what method you prefer to use, just cook 2 cups of chicken and dice them up! :) 

Preheat oven to 350. Break spaghetti into 2 in. pieces until you have 3 cups! Cook spaghetti in half water/half chicken broth. Dice green pepper, onion and chicken while noodles are cooking. Drain noodles and pour into large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients. Then pour 1 ½ c chicken broth into mixture. It should be creamy and smooth. Pour into a casserole dish and bake for 40 min.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

  

This is from none other than The Pioneer Woman. She doesn't do casserole type things very often, but when she does, they are always amazing. I really enjoyed this one. It is SO super easy and delish! I made a couple changes based on the comments she received, and I loved how it turned out.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake
adapted from The Pioneer Woman

1 1/4 pound ground beef

1 can 15-ounces tomato sauce

1/4 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces, weight egg noodles

1/2 cups sour cream

1 1/4 cup cottage cheese, small curd

1/2 cup green onion, sliced 

1 small can diced black olives

1 cup sharp cheddar, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef in a large skillet. (While browning ground beef, you can begin to boil your water for the egg noodles.) After ground beef is browned, drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/4 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients. Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Now stir in your green onions and diced olives. Add to noodles and stir until noodles are coated evenly.

To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.

Deep Dish Pizza

I saw this delicious looking pizza at My Homemade Life. I had to have it right then and there! It was just as yummy as it looked, and I love that! It was also very easy and fun to do! You can really play around with it and make it your own! This is what we ended up doing and we loved it! It is so filling and delish! There isn't a "pizza sauce" on this, but it totally works with just the tomatoes. More like a deep dish cheesy pizza bread! Whatever it is, I love it.

Deep Dish Pizza Pie

adapted from My Homemade Life

20 rolls frozen (I used Rhodes rolls)

1lb Jimmy Dean Regular sausage 

1 (14 ounce) can fire roasted with garlic, diced tomatoes and slightly drain *you may use plain if you want, just add garlic

1 c. diced mushrooms *I'm a mushroom lover so I used 1 1/2 cups

1/2 c. diced onions 

1/8 tsp dried oregano *more if desired

1/2 Tsp basil 

Dried parsley, a few shakes

2 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese

1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese, *I used Kraft's crumbly parm, but fresh would be nice. 

Olive Oil

*2 cloves garlic (if not using fire roasted with garlic tomatoes)

Other optional ingredients for your pizza pie!:

*sliced olives

*green peppers, diced

*pepperoni
*bacon

First and most important, thaw your dough overnight in refrigerator. I just threw the whole bag of 20 rolls in the fridge and the next day they were ready to go! Easy! It's the remembering to do that is the hard part!


Grease casserole dish with olive oil. Place thawed rolls in dish. Let raise somewhere warm for 1 hours (til doubled about). I turned the oven on with a casserole dish full of water, to 170. Then turned the oven OFF, then I put the rolls in the oven over the casserole water dish. 


Close to the 1 hour mark of your dough rasising, you can begin to brown sausage with onions and green peppers (if you used them). Then halfway through cooking, throw in the mushrooms and garlic (if not using fire roasted with garlic). Also add in your 1/2 tsp basil, couple shakes parsley, and oregano.


When rolls are doubled, (make sure to take them out of the oven), preheat the oven to 350. Spread sausage veggie mixture over your raised rolls evenly. The rolls will start to deflate, don't worry, you want them to do that. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the sausage. Now place your tomatoes on top, evenly. Then pour leftover tomato juice from can on top evenly (there isn't much). Sprinkle the mozzarella on top! Bake 30-40 minutes. (Mine baked for 30, but I think next time I'll let it go for 5 more minutes, to brown up that mozzarella more! Rolls should be baked through.

I linked this up at Potluck Sunday!

Easy Pleasin' BBQ Meatloaf

My sister sent me this recipe from Kraft Kitchens. I was unsure at first just because I already had a great recipe from Lion House cookbook, but this Kraft's recipe has turned out to be my favorite! It is just too easy, and the stuffing mix really adds so much flavor and the perfect texture! This meatloaf comes out perfect and moist every time. The family loves it.

Easy Pleasin' Meatloaf

adapted from Kraft Kitchens

2 lb lean ground beef

1 box (6oz) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for chicken

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup water

1 cup BBQ sauce, divided

*optional 1/2 onion, diced

Preheat oven to 375. Place ground beef, stuffing mix, water, eggs, *onion and 1/2 cup barbeque sauce in large bowl. Mix ingredients until well combined. Shape into loaf in a greased casserole dish, *Or broiler pan to catch extra fat drippings. Place in oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take meatloaf out and top with remaining 1/2 cup barbecue and spread over meatloaf evenly. Place back in oven for another 30 minutes.

Best Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

I am really not kidding you when I say this is the best pot pie you will ever eat. Just promise me that you will try it at least once! Once is all you need though, because it will keep you coming back for more. Such a delicious comfort food. It is creamy, and full of flavor! It requires a few pots and pans and a bit of prep work, but it is worth it, oh so worth it. We LOVE this dish!

Best Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
made it my own, with a little help from allrecipes.com

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
• 1 cup sliced carrots *You can just use 2 cups of the frozen pea/carrot combo, but I do prefer the taste of fresh carrots over frozen. It sure is a big time saver though!
• 1 cup frozen green peas 
• 1 cup peeled and cubed potato *or 1 cup frozen hashbrowns southern style (the cubed kind)
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1/3 cup butter 
• 1/2 of an onion chopped
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth *Use the chicken broth that you cook the veggies in, save it don't drain!
• 2/3 cup milk

• 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts 
• 
  
• In a skillet cook your chicken and season with salt and pepper and a DASH of poultry seasoning. When chicken is done, let set until cooled and cut into cubes. During all of this this you can get your chicken broth boiling. Boil 3 cups of chicken broth in a saucepan. When it reaches boiling, throw in your peas, carrots, potatoes, and celery. Boil for about 15 minutes, or until veggies are soft. Put a bowl under the strainer to catch your chicken broth and drain the veggies into the strainer. DON'T throw the broth away!!! 
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Now in another large skillet over medium heat, cook onions in 1/3 cup butter until soft and translucent. Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, poultry seasoning and celery seed. Slowly stir in the chicken broth that you have set aside and the milk. Simmer over medium low heat until thick. Now pour the veggies and cubed chicken into the sauce and mix until combined.  
• 
  
• Pour mixture into prepared pie crust. Cover with a top pie crust. Seal the edges and cut away the excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape. I then brushed the top of the crust with milk to add color, but you could do an egg wash or nothing at all! Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 15-20 minutes before serving.

***A few tips! I have doubled this recipe and frozen one of the pies. The frozen pie came out perfectly when it was cooked! (Just lower the temperature to 325 and cook for an hour). The other tip I could give you is cutting the vegetables and cooking the chicken the night before. It saves you SO MUCH time and dishes for the next day.

Linked these up on

Tortellini Sausage Soup

  This soup is hearty and delicious. No need to say more! It got great reviews and we will be making it again soon!

Tortellini Sausage Soup
adapted from Our Best Bites


1 lb. italian sausage

4 cloves pressed garlic
1 onion, diced
5 cups chicken broth 
3/4 c. apple cider or apple juice 
1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. sliced carrots
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano (originally recipe called for 1 tsp, but I don't like oregano)
1-2 medium zucchini, grated (I only used 1, but if there is room for 2 add 2!)
8-10 oz. package cheese tortellini (fresh or frozen)
2 Tbsp. dried parsley (yes, that's two tablespoons)
Parmesan cheese grated for garnish

Begin cooking sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently. If your sausage is pretty fatty, you'll want to drain it when it's about halfway cooked. Meanwhile, chop onions and garlic and add to the sausage. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and your sausage is cooked. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, juice, chicken broth, carrots, oregano, and basil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Add parsley and zucchini and simmer for another 15 minutes or so. Add the tortellini and cook until tender, and then serve with bread and freshly-grated Parmesan.

Chicken Cacciatore

Recipe adapted from the New Better Homes and Garden Cookbook (the red checkered one)

4 Chicken Breasts
1/4 Cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
2 Medium Onions, sliced in rings 1/4 inch thick
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 14.5 oz cans Tomatoes
8 oz. can Tomato Sauce
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. dried Oregano or Basil (I used basil because I love it)
1/2 tsp. Celery Seed
2 Bay Leaves
1/4 cup Chicken Stock

Brown chicken in skillet with hot oil.  Remove chicken and add the onions and garlic.  Cook until tender but not brown.  Return chicken to the skillet.  Combine tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, basil, celery seed, and bay leaves.  Pour mixture over chicken and onions.  Cover and simmer 30 minutes.  Stir in chicken stock.  Cook uncovered for 15 more minutes.  Remove bay leaves and serve.

I thought this dish would be delightful over Angel Hair Noodles and it was!  This dish made my house smell like I was a professional Italian chef!  Here is what I'd do differently next time:

• Make sure your meat is completely thawed before trying to brown it.  If it's still slightly frozen it won't brown very well but the water will thaw and just steam the meat and in the end it will over cook and become chewy like mine did. 
• Try using tenderloins instead of breasts. 
• Because of the mistake in bullet #1 we ended throwing out the chicken but saving the sauce.  It is a good marinara sauce if you like tomatoes and onions, which I do.
• Let the onions start to cook and become tender for a minute or two before adding the garlic.  You don't want the garlic to burn and become bitter but you don't want crunchy onions in the end either.
• Separate the onion rings as you put them in your pan.  Otherwise it is alot harder to do with a spoon and they slide all over the pan.
• Make sure your stove can keep a simmer on low.  Still learning what my stove personality is and I turned it down and walked away but when I came back to check on it the simmer had gone :(
• I have a spaghetti squash that I need to use (replacing the noodles) and I think it would go well with this sauce.  Another way to pack in another veggie for kids to try.

Enjoy!