Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan ~ by Sarah

Why, hello, Richelderfers' Recipes!  Long time no post!  

Tonight I made something worthy of posting, so I want to make sure I can find the recipe again in the future.  I wanted to make something in crock pot, so after searching Pinterest for awhile, I found something that I thought everyone in the family would enjoy.  And we definitely did!  This was super good and super easy.

Here is the recipe and directions and then I'll give my tips:

Ingredients: 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 1/2 teaspoon oregano 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 slices mozzarella cheese 24 oz jar marinara sauce
Directions: Pour olive oil in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place beaten egg in a shallow bowl. Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan, oregano, garlic powder, pepper, and salt in a second shallow bowl. Dip chicken breasts in egg and then in bread crumb mixture, coating both sides. Place breaded chicken in the crockpot and top each with a slice of mozzarella. Pour marinara sauce over chicken. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

**My two cents:

• Four hours in the crock pot was too long because the chicken basically fell all apart and was a little shredded when I pulled it out.  I'm not sure how to remedy this.  Maybe less time?  I think next time I make it I will use the crumb recipe and then bake it in the oven and will add the sauce before serving.  (First I'll simmer the sauce to heat it up.)
• It's almost not enough sauce, so next time I'll probably use two jars.
• I served it all over spaghetti noodles and it made it even better!

P.S. I can't post a picture because I didn't take one and the website I got it from won't let me steal theirs.  Here's the link to the site if you want to see it: http://www.mostlyhomemademom.com/2013/07/crockpot-chicken-parmesan.html#_a5y_p=1050189

Manicotti Italian Casserole ~ by Sarah

I found this on AllRecipes.com and it was a big hit with my family.  So delicious!  And easy, too!

*I have no idea why it is named this...it doesn't really resemble manicotti at all!


Ingredients:
1 pound rigatoni pasta
1 pound ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage (I used "Hot" and it wasn't too spicy at all)
1 (8 ounce) can mushrooms, drained OR 1 package fresh mushrooms, sauteed
2 (32 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 pounds shredded mozzarella cheese
thinly sliced pepperoni


Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Pour in rigatoni, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and set pasta aside. Meanwhile, brown ground beef and Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. With a slotted spoon, remove beef and sausage to a large bowl. Stir mushrooms, spaghetti sauce, and cooked pasta into bowl and mix with meat.   Pour mixture into large baking dish.  Sprinkle cheese and pepperoni over the top. Bake in preheated oven until the cheese is brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Frank's Redhot Buffalo Chicken Dip ~ by Sarah

Cousin Amy brought this to Thanksgiving as an appetizer and we all loved it!  Serve it with bread, crackers, celery, and/or carrots...it will be a hit!

INGREDIENTS:
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup blue cheese or ranch salad dressing
1/2 cup FRANK'S® REDHOT® Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce or FRANK'S® REDHOT® Buffalo Wing Sauce
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cans (12.5 oz. each) SWANSON® White Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained

DIRECTIONS: HEAT oven to 350°F. Place cream cheese into deep baking dish. Stir until smooth. MIX in salad dressing, Frank's RedHot Sauce and cheese. Stir in chicken. BAKE 20 min. or until mixture is heated through; stir. Garnish as desired. Serve with crackers or vegetables.

Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich ~ by Sarah

This is a recipe from my Pioneer Woman cookbook.  I have been wanting to try it for awhile now, but I was scared of all the butter.  It didn't disappoint--this is amazing!  

Ingredients
1 whole large onion
2 sticks butter
2 pounds (to 3 Pounds) cube steak
Lawry's Seasoned Salt
lemon pepper (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
½ cup (approximately) Worcestershire Sauce
Tabasco sauce, so taste
4 whole French/deli rolls

**Note: I also added fresh mushroom slices to the onion when it was cooking and grated mozzarella cheese to put on top of the meat when the sandwich was assembled.

Directions:
Slice onions and cook in 1/4 stick butter until soft and light brown. Remove and set aside.

Slice cube steak against the grain. Season with Lawry’s, lemon pepper, and pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter over high heat (in same skillet) until melted and beginning to brown. Add meat in single layer. Cook one side until brown, then flip and cook until brown, about a minute on both sides.

Add 1/2 cup (at least) Worcestershire sauce, 5 to 6 shakes Tabasco, and 2 tablespoons butter. Add cooked onions. Stir to combine.

Butter halved French rolls and brown in skillet.

To assemble, lay bottom half of French roll on plate. Place meat mixture, followed by a spoonful of juice from the pan.

 *This is a Pioneer Woman picture.  I was too lazy and too hungry to photograph my own.

If you want to see step-by-step instructions with pictures every step of the way, go here: 

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/marlboro_mans_f/

Serve this to a man in your life--he will be over the moon!

Lasagna ~ by Sarah

I have had this recipe for years.  I believe it is Aunt Elaine's that Mom got from her years ago.  I was really surprised when I got my Pioneer Woman cookbook and the same recipe was in there.  The only difference is that PW adds fresh herbs (totally worth it!) and hot breakfast sausage (also totally worth it!).  Grandma Shirley had this on Sunday night and she says it's the best lasagna she's ever had!

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
salt
10 oz. lasagna noodles
1 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 lb. hot breakfast sausage
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 14.5-oz. cans whole tomatoes (I cut them up with kitchen scissors before using them)
2 6-oz. cans tomato paste
freshly ground black pepper
10-12 fresh basil leaves
1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 c. low-fat cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese (she uses the finely grated stuff in a can, I always buy the shredded)

Directions:
In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the hamburger, sausage, and garlic until brown.  Drain excess fat.  Add the tomatoes with their juice, tomato paste, salt, and pepper.  Stir together well.  Simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Chop basil and parsley.  Add half of them to the meat mixture.  (You can use dry herbs, but it's not as good!)

While meat is simmering, combine cottage cheese, eggs, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and the other half of the herbs.  Also while the meat is simmering, boil the noodles according to package directions.

In a 13x9-inch pan, layer 4 lasagna noodles on the bottom, overlapping them slightly.  Spoon half the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles and spread it out evenly.  Sprinkle half the mozzarella cheese on top of the cottage cheese mixture.  Spoon just under half of the meat mixture on top of the cheese and spread evenly.  Repeat the process beginning with another layer of noodles, then cottage cheese mixture, mozzarella, then meat.  Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes--until bubbly.  Allow to stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

*Pioneer Woman picture. I forgot and it didn't last long!

Vegetable Lasagna (With Meat) ~ by Sarah

It's lasagna--without the carbs! I got most of this recipe from my ground beef cookbook, but I changed it quite a bit to more closely resemble the regular lasagna I make. You can add or subtract vegetables as you wish. My kids don't usually eat spinach, zucchini, or mushrooms, and they ate them in this. They had no clue they were in there! It was really, really good!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 jar marinara sauce
1 can Italian stewed tomatoes
1 package sliced mushrooms
4 zucchini or 2 zucchini and 2 yellow squashes, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
2 T flour
1 to 2 cups fresh spinach
2 T chopped fresh basil
16 oz. small curd cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
shredded mozzarella cheese  (I used reduced-fat and it was fine)
shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Brown ground beef and onion over medium-high heat.  Season as desired.  If you have Italian Seasoning, dump some in!  Drain.  Add marinara sauce, stewed tomatoes, and mushrooms.  Mix well (I used the spatula to chop the mushrooms into smaller pieces) and simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes.

 While the meat is simmering, grease a baking dish and layer the bottom with zucchini and yellow squash.  Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon flour.

In a small bowl, combine cottage cheese with beaten eggs.  Add 1 tablespoon fresh basil.  Pour half of the mixture over the zucchini and squash and spread evenly.  Add a layer of half of the meat sauce, then another layer of zucchini and squash with 1 tablespoon flour.  Spread the second half of the cottage cheese mixture over that.  Sprinkle with as much spinach as desired.

Spread with the last of the meat mixture.  Add as much Parmesan and mozzarella cheese as desired.  Sprinkle with remaining basil.  Bake at 375 degrees about 40 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.  Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

As you can see, it's pretty watery due to all the vegetables.  The flour is to help that, but the more veggies you use, the watery it will be.  It didn't bother us, though!  This is nice because it doesn't require a side dish.  I baked some garlic bread, but that was it!  A meal in one!

Cowboy Calzone ~ by Sarah

I love calzone--something about all that pizza dough just does it for me.  This is a Pioneer Woman recipe I've been wanting to try and it didn't disappoint!  The calzone are huge--and very filling!  This recipe may seem like a lot of work, but it's really very easy and didn't take much time at all.  This makes 8 calzone...

Before you make the calzone, you need to make the pizza dough:
Ingredients:
1 t. or 1/2 packet active dry yeast
4 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. kosher salt
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Directions:
Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a bowl.  Sprinkle the yeast over the water and set aside.  Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.  With an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle the olive oil until just incorporated.  Gently stir the yeast/water mixture and then drizzle it into the flour/oil mixture; mix until the dough forms a ball.  (You can also mix by hand until the dough comes together.)  Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl.  Toss the ball of dough in the bowl and turn over to coat in oil.  Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel and set in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours, or cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Now it's time for the calzone:

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. hot breakfast sausage

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 onion, finely diced

1 can Rotel

8 oz. ricotta cheese

1/2 c. grated mozzarella cheese

1/2 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 egg, beaten

salt and pepper, to taste

olive oil for brushing

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  In a large skillet, combine the sausage and hamburger with the onion.  Brown over medium heat.  Drain the excess grease.  Pour in the tomatoes and chilies.

Stir to combine, and cook for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.  In a bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and egg.  Add a dash of salt and pepper.

Add the cooled meat mixture to the cheese mixture and stir gently to combine.

Divide the pizza dough into 8 equal-sized balls.  With a rolling pin on a floured surface, roll each ball into a 6-inch circle.  Place 1/8th of the meat/cheese mixture in the middle of each circle.

Fold half of the circle over the other half, gently pressing to slightly spread and flatten the filling inside.  Press a fork along the edge to seal closed, then transfer to a greased baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.  Brush the calzone with olive oil.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.  Transfer the calzone to a basket or wrap individually in foil.

I like a little sauce with my calzone, so I served these with marinara sauce for dipping.  Delicious!

Ravioli ~ by Sarah

I'm not exactly sure where I came across this recipe, but for the last couple of years, it's been a favorite in our house.  It is SO fast and easy to prepare!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef, browned
1 jar marinara sauce
18 oz. ravioli, cooked and drained (I used 4-cheese today, but I usually buy spinach and cheese to sneak more nutrients in!)
1 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 T. Parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions:
Mix meat and sauce in large bowl.  Add pasta and 1 cup mozzarella.  Mix.  Spoon into casserole dish.  Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly.