Macaroni and Cheese Casserole

Melissa G (Linda Larsen is the lady who submitted it to the website originally)

I found this recipe online at

http://busycooks.about.com/od/pastacasserolerecipes/r/macandcheese.htm

Five ingredients, including frozen peas and refrigerated Alfredo sauce, make this pasta entree casserole recipe super easy.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups penne or medium shell pasta
• 16 ounce jar four cheese Alfredo sauce
• 1 cup frozen baby peas
• 1 cup soft whole wheat bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 1-1/2 quart glass casserole with cooking spray and set aside.

In large pot, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente, drain and return to pot. Add alfredo sauce and peas to drained pasta and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is combined, about 3-5 minutes.

Place in prepared dish and top with a mixture of soft bread crumbs and melted butter. Bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes or until casserole is bubbling and bread crumbs are browned.
Serves 4-6.

Turkey Dressing/Stuffing

From Heather's Grandmaw, Wilmalene J.

This is part 9 in the Thanksgiving recipe series.



-4 cups crumbled cornbread
-2-1/4 to 2-½ c. torn dry white bread (I usually tear and set out on cookie sheets overnight to dry)
-1 regular carton chicken broth
-1 cup chopped celery
-1 cup chopped onion
-½ stick melted butter
-2 teaspoons sage (rubbed)
-Salt and pepper to taste
-3 eggs
-½ teaspoon poultry seasoning

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 2 qt. baking dish. In a large bowl, combine cornbread, bread, and broth. Mix will (to a soupy consistency) and let stand 15 minutes. Add celery, onion, butter, sage, salt, and pepper. Toss lightly to coat evenly. In a small bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Fold into bread mixture. Place dressing in dish. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes until top is golden brown.


(Double this recipe for a 9”x13” dish)

Pineapple Picnic Salad

Heather S

This is part 4 in the Thanksgiving recipe series.


-1-20 oz. can crushed pineapple (undrained)
-1-20 oz. can pineapple tidbits (drained)…also, can use mandarin oranges for a slightly different taste (undrained)
-1 small package instant vanilla pudding
-1-8 oz. Cool Whip
-1-8 oz. package cream cheese

Stir (undrained) crushed pineapple with softened cream cheese. Stir in pudding and mix well. Fold in pineapple tidbits (or mandarin oranges), drained and Cool Whip.

Chill and serve.

Broccoli Rice Casserole

Heather S

This is part 3 in the series of Thanksgiving recipes.


-1 cup chopped celery (optional, but I use it)
-3 tablespoons butter (used for sautéing later in recipe)
-broccoli (the recipe calls for 1-2 boxes, I use about 1 small bag and about a quarter or half of another small bag. I buy the frozen kind, then just cook it as directed on the package)
-1 can cream of chicken soup
-1 can evaporated milk (I don't remember how many ounces, but it's about the same size as a soup can).
-1 jar of Cheese Whiz (they have one that is 8 oz., but I use the bigger size up from that one, approximately 15 oz.).
-1 cup chopped onion
-3 cups cooked rice (regular rice and not instant)


Cook rice as directed on package. Cook broccoli as directed on package over the stovetop until soft and then drain. (Sometimes, I cut the broccoli up a little smaller with kitchen scissors, just because some of it is in pretty big chunks.) Sauté onion and celery in butter. Add soup and evaporated milk to onion and celery. Add cheese whiz to onion, celery, soup and milk mixture...let simmer about 1 minute. Put broccoli, rice and cheese mixture in bowl and stir a little. Pour into a 9x13” pan. Cook for 30-40 minutes at 350°.

Depending on how many you are cooking for, you can divide this into two dishes. I sometimes freeze half of it before I cook it. You can thaw it in the fridge for about 24 hours and then cook it as usual.

Leftover Chicken and Rice with Red Curry and Turmeric

From Terri

Start with leftover cooked chicken. Using a frying pan, give it a once-over with olive oil spray, and add a dash of Red Curry and Turmeric. Then add this to any previously cooked rice dish that you have heated in the microwave oven. For this dish tonight I used a country rice medley, and then I added more Red Curry and Turmeric, to taste. I usually use about a few pinches of Red Curry and about 1-1/2 tsp. of Turmeric. If it is dry, then add a bit of olive oil or butter. When you are done with this quick meal, you will have a dinner that is dramatically different than the left over(s) you started with. Most won't recognize it as the dish it once was, and it will be memorable.

As alternatives, you can use regular curry, add salt and pepper or add a dash of ginger if you like.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole
Heather S

-3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes (yams)...(I usually do about 1 large sweet potato for every cup the recipe calls for)
-2 eggs
-stick of butter
-1/2 c. sugar
-1 t. vanilla

-Wrap sweet potatoes individually in foil. Place on a baking sheet (sometimes they leak, and you don't want that at the bottom of your oven!). Bake at 400 degrees for about 1.5 - 2 hours.
-Once the potatoes are finished baking, I let them cool for about 10-15 minutes. They are still really hot, but it helps melt the butter really good. I put the stick of butter in the bottom of my mixing bowl.
-Peel potatoes (cut ends of, cut a slit the length of the potato, and peel the skin off.)
-Place potatoes in mixing bowl, on top of stick of butter.
-Once butter is melted, mix all of the remaining ingredients in. Beat with a mixer on low-medium speed. It won't take long for the mixture to be creamy.
-Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

(This recipe calls for an 8x8 pan. However, I generally double the entire recipe and cook in approx. a 9x13 pan. If you do double this, you'll want to make sure to double the topping recipe also.)

Topping:
1 c. chopped pecans
1/3 c. flour
1/3 c. melted butter
1/2 c. brown sugar

Use mixer to mix all ingredients together. Sprinkle on top of sweet potato casserole and return to oven at 350 degrees for another 15 minutes.