Mozzarella Cheese Dip

Here is one of my favorite appetizers to make.  It is super easy and I always have every ingredient on hand.  That way I can throw it together really quickly and it keeps really well too.

Mozzarella Cheese Dip
16 oz mayonnaise (I only use Miracle Whip)
16 oz sour cream
2 Tbl Parmesan cheese
2 Tbl parsley flakes
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp accent seasoning salt
dash garlic salt
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix everything together and refrigerate overnight.  Serve with pretzels or club crackers.

Enjoy!

4 Cheese Fettuccine (2 ways)

I made one of my all time favorite fettuccine recipes tonight.  I made one to take to a family who needs some help getting over the 1st trimester of a pregnancy and one for my family.  I made the one I will take according to the directions.  I made the one for my family according to the way my kids will eat it :)  I have learned my lesson with mushrooms and try to do all that I can to eliminate it.  Because I will see most if not all on the plates after dinner is over.  They are nothing if not predictible.  But my oldest was mad when I took ours out of the oven.  "It doesn't look like the one you are taking to that family".  Why???  Well, I made ours without mushrooms and with shrimp.  Their's is with chicken. 

Now I will tell you that this recipe is not for the faint of heart.  It is packed full of all the bad stuff for you.  I go all out when I make this because I make it so rarely.  So why not splurge on the calories every once in a while.

Here you go!  Hope you enjoy!

4 Cheese Chicken Fettuccine

Chicken Fettuccine

8 oz fettuccine
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg cream cheese, cubed
1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 1/2 cups cooked and cubed chicken
Topping:  1/3 cup bread crumbs, 2 tbl butter, melted & 2 tbl grated parmesan cheese

Cook fettuccine according to directions.  Meanwhile in a large skillet, combine soup, cream cheese, cream, soup, butter and garlic powder.  Once cream cheese is melted and stir in cheeses; cook and stir until melted.  Add chicken and heat through.  Drain fettuccine and add to the sauce. 
Transfer to a shallow greased baking dish.  Combine toppings and sprinkle over top.  Cover and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.  Uncover and bake 5-10 more minutes until brown. 

Shrimp Fettucicine

My Shrimp variation:

Change soup to cream of chicken.  Omit mushrooms.  Exchange chicken for shrimp and bake according to directions as above.

Garlic Parmesan Bread

I wanted to make something quick and easy to go with the ribs my hubby was making for dinner.  I had found this recipe and wanted to try it out.  It was super simple and oh so yummy.  My family and our guests inhaled this bread and I was told I have to make it again for sure. 

Garlic Parmesan Bread
1 can of refrigerated Grands biscuits (not the flaky layers)
1 stick of butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian Seasoning

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees and place your stick of butter in the bundt pan and let it melt while the over preheats.  Meanwhile, cut the biscuits in fours.  Toss the biscuits with the Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic to coat in a separate bowl.  When the butter is melted, add the biscuits and top with any remaining cheese/garlic remnants in the bowl. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes until the biscuits are browning.  Turn over onto a plate and serve!

Enjoy!!!!

Taco Casserole

I made several meals with my second attempt at once a month cooking and one was this taco casserole.  I pulled it out of the freezer at noon and threw it into the over still a little frozen.  I did lengthen the time to accommodate the frozen factor.  But it was wonderful.  My kids loved it and it was wonderful left over for lunch the next 2 days.  I added some sour cream and tomato's to garnish it and it was perfect.  It was so easy to make and I am going to make this a staple for my freezer plus even a meal to share with someone who needs one.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!!

Taco Casserole

9 oz Tortilla chips, crushed

1 lb cooked & drained hamburger or sausage

2 cups cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons Taco seasoning

2 cups beef broth

1/4 cup flour

In large skillet, brown ground beef. Stir in taco seasoning. Sprinkle flour over top. Stir to combine. Stir in broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer until sauce thickens. Grease 9×13 inch baking pan. Place 1/2 of crushed chips across bottom of dish. Layer with half the meat sauce and then half the cheese. Repeat layers: chips, meat, cheese. If cooking right away, place in 325° oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until bubbly.

If making as a freezer meal, do not bake. Instead, cover with foil, label, cool, and freeze. On serving day, thaw casserole and follow baking directions, adding up to 10 to 15 minutes baking time, depending on how cold or frozen the casserole is at the start.
Serve with toppings.

Breakfast Casserole

I love making casseroles. I always want to find something that I can throw together quickly in the morning to give us a healthy start to the day.  I found this and wanted to try it right away.  Seems like I am always trying something new.  This is a lot like a recipe I have but I think that it only uses one package of crescent rolls and it only bakes for 25 minutes.  Plus, I bought frozen Jimmy Dean sausage crumbles that are already cooked for you.  It cost me 30 cents more than the roll.  Totally buying those again for my freezer.  Talk about a time saver!!!

Breakfast Casserole
1 lb sausage, browned and drained
5 eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 package of crescent rolls
1 tsp garlic powder

Brown sausage and drain the grease.  Or you can use the precooked crumbles I found in the frozen food section at the grocery store.  Roll out the package of crescent rolls in a 9x13 baking dish.  Seal seems and spread to cover the entire bottom.  Place layer of sausage on top.  Mix eggs, milk and garlic together and pour over top.  Top with Cheese.  Cover with greased foil and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.  Let stand about 5 minutes and serve.

AMAZING!  We had company and ate the entire pan before church on Sunday.

Tomato and Basil

I think the correct name for this is Caprese Salad but my family calls it tomato and basil.  We tried it at a friends house this time 2 years ago in NY and we make it ALL the time.  My oldest loves it and its perfect on hubbys silly "modified atkins" diet/lifestyle he's making me nuts over.  Anyway, we make it all summer and it's perfect with everything and even on burgers.  I have found the presliced mozzarella at Sam's Club pretty inexpensively.  But I normally buy it at Aldi's because it's cheap there and we eat it ALL the time!!! 

Hope you enjoy it as much as my family does!!!

Tomato and Basil
1 package mozzarella cheese ball
1 ripe tomato
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
basil


Slice mozzerella and place on a plate with a lip.  Slice tomato and place each slice on top of a slice of cheese.  Sprinkle basil to cover tomatos.  Wisk vinegar and olive oil and pour over top of tomato/cheese slices.  Serve immediately!!!