Simple Sausage Lasagna

I was intrigued by a lasagna recipe that didn't require cooking the noodles in advance. The original recipe didn't make enough meat sauce to do three layers, so I to add a 2nd jar of pasta sauce. Consequently, I modifed my recipe card as well. I cut back on the mozzarella out of concern for my arteries but overall it turned out well.

Gidget's Rating: 4 stars

Corn & Two-Bean Chili

This recipe was initially called CHIPOTLE Corn & Two-Bean Chili. I really don't see the justification of buying a large container of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce when the recipe only calls for 1 tablespoon of it, so I left it out. I may have added a dash of cayenne pepper instead, but regardless it turned out pretty well!

Gidget's Rating: 4 stars

Hearty Chicken Casserole

Personal Observations: This was a tasty dish. It's more labor intensive than I would have liked as it took a LONG time to get the sauce to thicken (might be attributed to my saucepans though). I liked it enough to keep the recipe but don't know how often I'll make it!

Gidget's Rating: 4 stars

Cheese-Topped Beef Bake

Personal Observations: Not all pasta is equal. This is an important lesson. I couldn't find medium shell pasta at my local grocery store, so I substituted a tube pasta no realizing that the resulting quantity of pasta could fill two of those 13x9x2 baking dishes. That's a lot of pasta.... So, be careful when substituting. Otherwise this was pretty tasty -- more fat than I want to know about, but tasty.

Gidget's Rating: 4 stars

Cajun Meatloaf

Personal Observations: I've had this one for a long time but never tried it out. So, when I was searching for something to make with ingredients I had on hand, this was the only dish that qualified. I was leery but it isn't too bad. I learned that using too lean of a beef makes for a very dry meatloaf so I'll have to use a fattier beef next time. Also, it needs some cheese!

Gidget's Rating: 4 stars

Ground Beef Potpie

Personal Observations: This still needs some tweaking. I used a box of instant mashed potatoe flakes as a substitute for the mashed potatoes and increased the beef broth to a full can (14 oz?). It turned out okay although it was rather...thick. :) I also need to buy some marjoram! Also, I think we can dispense with the pie pastry sheet since it tastes funny when it's not homemade. I didn't really add much to the dish anyway and the potatoes & carrot are enough carbs to balance the protein.

Gidget's Rating: 4 stars

Italian Beef Stew

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. beef cube steak, cubed
1 c. water
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 small potato, peeled and cubed
1/2 c. sliced fresh carrot
1/2 small onion, cut into thin wedges
1/2 small sweet red pepper, chopped
1 t. onion soup mix
1/2 t. Italian seasoning
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/2 c. frozen peas

In large saucepan coated with nonstick cooking spray (or olive oil), brown the meat over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the water, tomoato sauce, potato, carrot, onion, red pepper, soup mix, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes.

Stir in peas; simmer 15 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender.

Yield: 2 servings

Personal Observations: Okay, let me get this off my chest -- cube steak is about as useful as ground beef. While trying to "cube" it, I could hardly get it to even stay together! If I make this again, I will seriously consider finding a substitute meat... Secondly, the prep for this dish is much more than I had anticipated and the steak was done way before I had even gotten the first vegetable chopped! Bad timing on my part and dinner took forever to finish. It even got to the point where I just "estimated" how much veggies I had cut. I'm sure many were more than what the recipe called for but I was tired, darn it!

Also, I made a vow after making this recipe. I solemnly swear to NEVER again double a "Cooking for 2" recipe until I have first tried it in it's original form. Holy cow! I don't know where I sent wrong, but my attempt to have 4 servings instead of 2 turned into 8 servings! Needless to say, I'm tired of eating this stuff.

Gidget's Rating: 4 stars, due to the preparation requirements!

Peppered Meatballs

Meatball Ingredients:
1/2 c. sour cream
2 t. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
2-3 t. pepper
1 t. salt
1 t. dry bread crumbs
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

Sauce Ingredients:
1 c. sour cream
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2 t. dill weed
1/2 t. sugar
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. garlic powder

In a large bowl, combine the sour cream and Parmesan cheese. Add pepper, salt, bread crumbs and garlic powder. Crumble the meat over the mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place meatballs on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes or until no longer pink; drain.

Transfer the meatballs to a 1 1/2-quart slow cooker. Combine the sauce ingredients; pour over meatballs. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or until heated through.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen (2 cups sauce)

Personal observations:
I drooled over the meatballs themselves but the sauce wasn't my favorite. I think the dill component was a little too much so I'll have to tweak that the next time. Also, given that I grind my own peppercorns instead of purchasing already ground pepper, the amount of pepper needs to be...well...reduced. Unless one likes their meals accompanied by tears... Fortunately I did take it easy on the pepper but I think I still went overboard. :)

Gidget's Rating: 4-5 stars, since the sauce needs modification.

Smothered Chicken Italiano

All the excitement for a rather bland dish.

Ingredients:
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. salt, divided
1/4 t. pepper, divided
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz each)
2 t. canola oil
1 c. part-skim ricotta cheese
1 c. crushed tomatoes
4 slices part-skim mozzarella cheese

In a small bowl, combine oregano, garlic powder, 1/8 t. salt, 1/8 t. pepper; rub over chicken. In a large nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, brown chicken in oil for 3-4 min. on each side.

Transfer to an 11x7x2-inch baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Combine ricotta cheese and remaining salt and pepper; spoon over chicken. Top with tomatoes.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Top with cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and chicken juices run clear.

Serves 4.

Personal Observation: Add more spices. Seriously. Next time I'll double the oregano and put half in with the ricotta to add more flavor and/or add Italian flavored stewed tomatoes instead of plain crushed tomatoes.

Gidget's Rating: 3 stars with potential for 4.

Turkey Enchilada Casserole

Pretty darn good, but don't eat it if you have a stomach ulcer or a sensitive stomach.

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 jar (16 oz) salsa
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) Mexican stewed tomatoes
1 t. each: onion powder, garlic powder, and ground cumin.
12 corn tortillas (6 inches)
2 c. (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese, divided

In a large nonstick saucepan coated with nonstick cooking spray**, cook turkey, green pepper, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Stir in the beans, salsa, tomato sauce, tomatoes, and spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 min.

Spread 1 c. meat sauce into a 13x9x2-inch baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Top with six tortillas. Spreak with half of remaining meat sauce; sprinkle with 1 c. cheese. Layer with remaining tortillas and meat sauce.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 min. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5-10 min. longer or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Personal Observations: Do not substitute flour tortillas. I can attest that they turn gooey in the casserole. Not a fan of corn tortillas, I think next time I'll leave out the tortillas and mix in corn chips AFTER baking.

**I opt to use olive oil in these situations.

Gidget's Rating: 4 stars.