by Donna | May 28, 2013
Here is another potential five-minute-prep meal that my family loves! This is a good family night treat in lieu of getting take out pizzas.
Pre-cooked/pre-made chicken*
Shredded cheese of your choice
Flour tortillas
Garlic flavored non stick cooking spray (or melted butter with garlic)
Optionals: Onions and peppers (sometimes I have these pre-cooked and frozen with my meat; sometimes I don’t use them at all)
*I usually use fajita chicken I have in my freezer from freezer cooking—but any already-made chicken will work in a pinch, such as store bought fajita chicken strips, rotisserie chicken chunks, or even canned chicken {drained}. You can also stick a couple of boneless breasts or thighs in a half a cup of broth and cook in micro until done and use that meat. Of course, you could make Beef Crisps with roast beef or hamburger crisps with taco flavored ground beef.
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| Unbaked Fajita Chicken Crisps—These broil REALLY fast, so watch them closely! |
1. Lay flour torts out on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Spray the tops of the torts and broil them under the broiler until tanned and somewhat crispy (twenty to sixty seconds—watch carefully!).
2. Remove torts from oven and sprinkle with chicken (and veggies, if desired) then shredded cheese.
3. Put pan back under broiler until cheese is bubbly (one minute or so–watch carefully!).
4. Cut in fourths and serve with sour cream, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, black olives, etc.
Note: This is a good way to use up leftovers–and can be made lower carb than many other Mexican dishes because it only uses one tortilla each and you can really top it with a lot of protein and veggies. Also, for lower cards, use the Carb Balance tortilla shells.
by Donna | May 23, 2013
OR
I have made many hash brown casseroles through the years. I have two favorites, for sure–one with cream and cottage cheese (that doesn’t have the sour cream taste, for those who do not care for sour cream) and one with sour cream. Both are cheesy and delicious!
Here is the sour cream one….with variations–cooking it in a crock pot (great to go with bbq’ed food when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen in the summer) and one for “mega” cooking—ten times! 🙂 These potatoes freeze wonderfully–and are one of my most often-made freezer foods because I love having side dishes to pull out of the freezer.
- 2 lbs. frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted (see last ingredient for more butter)
- 1/2 cup chopped onion or green onion OR 2 TBSP dried minced onion
- 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
- 1 pint (2 cups) sour cream (regular or light)
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese or Colby cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups crushed corn flakes and 1/4 cup (half stick) butter for topping
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees if baking (and not crocking or freezing.
2. Grease or spray a 9×13″ pan or baking dish; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine thawed hash browns with 1/2 cup of the melted butter, pepper, salt, and chopped onion, blending well.
4. Add in the soup and sour cream, then the cheddar cheese, mixing everything well.
5. Spread mixture evenly into a 9×13″ baking dish.
6. Mix remaining 1/4 cup melted butter and the crushed corn flakes together and sprinkle over top of casserole. 7. Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 50 to 60 minutes regular or 40 mins convection.
8. If using the crock pot, turn all ingredients into greased large crock. Cook on low for six to eight hours, stirring halfway through. Remove lid for last hour or so to thicken. Omit topping or add near end.
I made twelve of these—half for my friend’s graduation party and half for my freezer. Are you ready for this recipe times twelve (well, six for most folks!)?
Here are some tips for the expansion:
1. You will need a huge bowl! I used to make this much in a huge rubbermaid tub with rubber gloves to keep from freezing my hands while I mixed. This time I used my gigantic bowl and did the recipe half (six times each) then repeated. (The recipe below is for six….seldom do people have freezer space for twelve!)
2. This is one of the simplest freezer recipes to make times six (like below) or more–or to even make twelve 8 x 8 dishes out of (using the multiples of six given below). Thus, if you are only feeding four or five of you, you can make the recipe below (six times for a 9×13). Then divide it evenly among twelve 8 x 8 pans.
3. When you are done mixing all of the ingredients, just take big handfuls (or glass measures full) and dollup into each freezer pan. Cover. Label (see below). And freeze!
4. Labels: Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole
Thaw. Bake at 350′ for 50 to 60 mins,
uncovered. (40 to 50 convection.)
Sprinkle cracker crumbs or
Corn Flakes that you have
crushed into melted
butter over last 10 mins.
TIMES SIX for six 9 x 13 foil pans:
6 (2 pound) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
6 sticks butter
3 cup chopped onion or 12 TBSP dried minced onion
6 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
6 (16 ounce) container sour cream
48 ounces shredded Colby cheese
1 1/2 tsp pepper
6 tsp salt
12 cups Corn Flakes and 1 1/2 cups melted butter (for topping)
by Donna | May 21, 2013
Two Choices:
Choice One:
1 box Jiffy Cornbread Mix
1 box Jiffy Yellow Cake Mix
1 can cream style corn
1/4 cup water
1/2 stick butter, softened
2 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
Choice Two:
2 boxes Jiffy Cornbread Mix
1 box Duncan Hines Butter Golden Cake Mix
2 cans cream style corn
1/2 cup water
1 stick butter softened
5 large eggs
2/3 cup milk
1. Combine boxes of mix in large mixing bowl.
2. Mix all ingredients with mixer or in Kitchen Aid type of bowl/mixer.
3. Pour into 8 x 8 for top recipe or 9 x 13 baking pan spayed with non-stick cooking spray.
4. Bake 20 to 25 mins for 8 x 8 and 32 to 36 mins for 9 x 13 in preheated 350 degree oven, uncovered.
by Donna | May 16, 2013
4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz cream cheese
1 jar Kraft Old English cheese spread
1/4 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp onion salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 green pepper chopped finely (or more or less)
a few green onions chopped finely (or more or less)
1. Cream the cream cheese in mixer.
2. Add Old English cheese spread and mix it.
3. Add all seasonings and chopped veggies.
4. Add shredded cheese and mix until shape-able.
5. You can shape now if not too soft or refrigerate and shape later and roll in nuts or bacon bits or ham bits.
People LOVE this cheeseball!
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by Donna | May 16, 2013
6 cups of Rice Krispies
1 C light karo syrup
1 C sugar
1 1/2 C peanut butter
6 oz. butterscotch chips
6 oz. chocolate chips
1. Pour Rice Krispies into large pan.
2. In saucepan, mix Karo and sugar. Bring just barely to a boil, stirring constantly.
3. When it just starts to boil, add peanut butter and mix it in.
4. Take mixture off the heat and pour over Rice Krispies. Mix together.
5. Spray 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
6. Press mixture into pan, but do not pack down too hard.
7. Melt chocolate chips and butterscotch chips on medium heat in microwave, stirring every thirty seconds. Do not overheat!
8. Spread melted chips over bars.
9. Cool and cut.
by Donna | May 16, 2013
These are better than your average peanut butter cookie. We prefer the milk chocolate taste of stars on them rather than kisses. These go quickly on holiday trays.
5 ¼ cups flour 1 ½ cups peanut butter
3 tsp soda 3 eggs
1 ½ tsp salt 6 TBSP milk
1 ½ cups sugar 3 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed 3 pkgs Hershey’s kisses or stars
1 ½ cups shortening/butter (we use ½ Crisco and half real butter)
1. Cream butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar.
2. Whisk eggs.
3. Mix milk, eggs, and vanilla in separate bowl.
4. Pour milk mixture into creamed mixture, and mix.
5. Combine remaining ingredients (except kisses) in another mixing bowl.
6. Add to mixing ingredients until well blended.
7. Shape dough into balls, using a rounded teaspoon for each.
8. Roll balls in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
9. Bake for 8-11 minutes convection; 10-13 regular.
10. Top each cookie immediately with a kiss, pressing down firmly so cookie cracks around the edge.
