Crescent Calzones

1/2 lb bulk Italian pork sausage or ground beef
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1/4 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
Italian seasoning


Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or spray cookie sheet.
In 10-inch skillet, cook sausage and garlic over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.
Stir in bell pepper.
On greased cookie sheet, unroll dough and separate into 4 rectangles; press each into 7x4-inch rectangle, firmly pressing the perforations to seal.
Spread 1 tablespoon sauce on half of each rectangle to within 1 inch of edge.
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over sauce; top with one-fourth of the sausage mixture.
Fold dough over filling; firmly press edges with fork to seal.
Brush top of each with egg.
Sprinkle each calzone with Italian seasoning.
With fork, prick top of each to allow steam to escape.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until deep golden brown. Immediately remove from cooke sheet. Serve warm.

Buffet Beef Casserole

1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 pound ground beef
1 tsp salt
dash ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
4 green onions, sliced
8 ounce package spiral noodles, prepared
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish. 
Saute the garlic in the oil for a few minutes. 
Crumble in the ground beef, and add in the salt, pepper and sugar. Cook until the beef browns, then add the tomato sauce and simmer 20 minutes. 
In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream and onions. 
In the prepared casserole dish, layer one-half of the noodles, one-half of the cream cheese mixture and one-half of the meat sauce. Repeat the layers. 
Top with the Cheddar cheese and bake uncovered for 20 minutes. 

Chicken Tenders with Pita Coating

(Weight Watchers recipe)


1/2 cup egg substitute
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups Parmesan, Garlic Herb-flavored pita chips (such as Stacy's)
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
8 chicken breast tenders
cooking spray
1/2 cup tomato-basil pasta sauce


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
Heat a large baking sheet in oven 5 minutes.
While baking sheet heats, combine egg substitute and pepper in a shallow dish. Combine chips and Italian seasoning in another shallow dish. Dip chicken in egg mixture, dredge in chip mixture. Coat preheated baking sheet with cooking spray and place chicken on pan.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until done. Serve with pasta sauce.  

Pork Chops with Pineapple Salsa

(Weight Watchers recipe)

1/2 cup bottled chunky salsa

2 green onions, chopped

1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained

1 Tbsp canola oil

4 (4 oz) boneless lean center-cut pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)

Combine first 3 ingredients in a bowl, set aside

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. 
Add pork chops to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until brown. 
Add salsa mixture to pan; simmer uncovered, 8 minutes or until pork is done. 

Hot Bean Dip

1 (9 oz) can bean dip (or half a 16 oz can refried beans)
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 (1 oz) package taco seasoning mix
1 cup chopped green onions (with green tops)
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
20 drops Tabasco sauce


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together and bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot with tortilla chips or corn chips. 

Baked Potato Soup

8 slices bacon
1 cup diced yellow onion
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups hot chicken broth
4 or 5 cups, peeled and sliced baked potatoes (5 medium-large)
2 cups half-and-half
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sliced green onions (include green tops)
Garnishes: cooked, crumbled bacon; grated Cheddar cheese; chopped fresh parsley 


In Dutch oven, cook bacon until crisp; remove bacon, reserve drippings. Crumble bacon and set aside. 
Cook onion in reserved drippings over medium-high heat about 3 minutes or until transparent. 
Add flour, whisking until smooth or until mixture just begins to turn golden. Add chicken broth gradually, whisking until liquid thickens. 
Add potatoes and next 7 ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. (Do not allow soup to boil.) 
Add grated cheese and scallions. heat until cheese melts completely. 
Garnish each serving with bacon, Cheddar cheese and parsley. 


Serves 8

Introduction

I love trying new recipes but hate when I love one and can't remember where I got it from. This blog is a place I can document recipes I want to remember and try again. Feel free to try them out yourself!