Meal Planning with Connie

Creamy Cheesy Pasta Bake If you like, double this recipe and bake it in a 9x13-inch baker. It keeps well for several days and reheats beautifully in the microwave. We love leftovers!  Or, you can double the recipe, eat one now and stick one in the freezer for later! Creamy Cheesy Pasta Bake 8 ounces uncooked pasta (I like penne.) 1 pound ground beef 1 large can spaghetti sauce 8 ounces cream cheese 2 tablespoons milk 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 – 1 ½ cups shredded Italian blend cheese 1 small can French fried onions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 9x9” baker with cooking spray. Cook pasta according to directions on the package. Drain and set aside. Brown ground beef; drain. Add spaghetti sauce to skillet; heat through. Combine pasta and sauce. Place cream cheese and milk in a microwave-safe container. Heat and stir until smooth. Add Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese to cream cheese/milk mixture. Assemble ingredients in baking dish in th...

This is another of my at-least-it's-better-than-going-through-the-drive-thru recipes.  For a more healthful dish, choose reduced-fat soup, 2% cheese and fat free sour cream! Taco Casserole This colorful dish is yummy garnished with a dollop of sour cream! Taco Casserole For a larger group, double this recipe and bake in a 9x13. 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken (from your freezer, rotisserie or canned) 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 cup salsa 1 can Southwestern Style Mexicorn 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend 6 corn tortillas sour cream Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Combine first 4 ingredients; set aside. Cut each tortilla into 4 wedges. Layer half of tortilla wedges in prepared pan. Top tortillas with half of chicken mixture. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Repeat layers. Cover tightly with foil and bake until hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream. Variation: Substitute 1 pound of browned ground beef...

This is one of those super quick dishes that I make when time is really tight. My kids do love it and often request it! If time permits, I am going to try to share some of my "this-is-at-least-better-than-running-through-the-drive-through recipes" over the next few weeks, since that is about the only kind of cooking that is happening at our house right now! Ground Beef Stroganoff Ground Beef Stroganoff Serve with a green veggie or salad and drop biscuits or Texas Toast. 1 pound ground beef 1 small onion, chopped (optional) 2 packets brown gravy mix 1 can (14.5-ounces) beef broth 1 can drained mushrooms (optional) ½ cup sour cream Sauté ground beef and onion until meat is done and onions are tender; drain well. Add brown gravy packets and beef broth. Bring to a boil; add mushrooms. Lower heat to simmer, and add sour cream. Serve over hot noodles or rice This is also good spooned into baked potatoes and sprinkled with shredded cheese!

This recipe is great for those nights when time is really short! It is also a great way to use leftover meat! You'll just need to add desired amount of your favorite barbecue sauce. You can make the barbecue from left over chicken or pork or beef roasts. You can also use a commercially prepared container of meat, such as Lloyd’s or Corky’s. Picking up 1½ pounds of meat from your favorite bbq joint is another great option! Zapping your potatoes in the microwave will help this meal to come together quickly. Here is my favorite way to make baked potatoes in the microwave: Best Microwaved Baked Potatoes Begin by setting your regular oven to 450 degrees.  (You're going to bake the potatoes for few minutes in your regular oven after microwaving to help crisp the potato skins!) While oven is heating, wash and scrub baking potatoes well. (Russets work best for baking!) With a fork, pierce the skins of the potatoes in several places. This will allow steam to escape and prevent ...

Logan loves Sloppy Joes and would eat them everyday! I have tried to come up with a few ways to use this meat mixture that will offer a bit of variety.  Here are couple of ways to serve Sloppy Joes that I have previously shared: Traditional Sloppy Joes on a Bun Sloppy Joe Pizza Here are a few other ideas: Use Sloppy Joe meat as a topping for baked potatoes. Sprinkle with cheese, chopped green onions and a dollop of sour cream. Use Sloppy Joe meat as a topping for nacho. Spoon meat over tortilla chips, sprinkle with shredded cheese and zap in the microwave for a few seconds. Spoon Sloppy Joe meat onto a tortilla, sprinkle with shredded cheese, add a dollop of sour cream, and roll up. Spoon Sloppy Joe meat into a taco shell. Serve with lettuce, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese and sour cream. Add an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce to Sloppy Joe meat and ladle over hot pasta. Serve with French bread and a salad. Get creative with your Sloppy Joe recipe. Here is a Tex-Mex versi...

  Fiesta Cornmeal Biscuit Casserole Yum! Fiesta Cornmeal Biscuit Casserole We like this served with a dollop of sour cream! 1½ pounds  ground beef 1 packet taco-seasoning mix 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce 1 (16-ounce) can  kidney beans, un-drained 1 (11-ounce) can Mexicorn, drained 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided Cornmeal Biscuits (recipe below) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a large skillet, sauté ground beef until done; drain. Add taco-seasoning mix according to package directions, except use the ¾ cup water. Add the kidney beans and corn; bring to boiling. Meanwhile, make Cornmeal Biscuits. Spoon hot meat mixture into prepared baking dish and top with 1½ cups of the cheese. Place biscuits on top of hot mixture and bake for 20 minutes or until biscuits are done. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup of cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes. Cornmeal Biscuits 1½ cups baking mix ½ cup yellow cornmeal (I use ½ cup of Jiffy...

Creamy Pasta Casserole I wouldn't exactly call it 'cooking,' but I can make noodles.  That means I can boil water, put the pasta in and wait until it's done.  ~Devon Werkheiser  There is a simple and yummy recipe, Spaghetti a la Philly, found inside the Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese box right now. The addition of cream cheese provides a nice little change to regular, old spaghetti. Here is a link to the recipe on their website: http://recipes.kraftrecipes.com/Spaghetti-A-La-Philly-recipe I tweaked it just a bit to suit our tastes. Here is my take on it: Creamy Pasta Casserole 1 bag (12-ounces) penne pasta 1 pound lean ground beef 1 jar (24-ounce) spaghetti sauce 4 ounces cream cheese, cubed 1 cup shredded cheese of choice (cheddar, mozzarella, Italian blend) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cook pasta as directed on package. While pasta cooks, brown meat in large skillet; drain. Return meat to skillet and stir in sa...

My sweet friend, Susan, recently prepared and delivered a delicious meal to our family! The food was so yummy and was a real blessing to us during a very difficult time! The Ground Beef Noodle Casserole was a big hit with everyone at our house! It traveled and refrigerated really well. All I had to do at suppertime was pop the casserole into the oven and heat it up! Susan brought it in a disposable pan, leaving me with no need to return a dish! How thoughtful! Along with the entrée, Susan provided a crisp bagged salad, Pepperidge Farm Five Cheese Bread (our favorite Texas Toast!) and her yummy Rice Krispies Candy , that she also thoughtfully remembered us loving! Everything was delicious and provided a much needed and appreciated break from the kitchen! More importantly, Susan's kind deed provided us with a sweet memory of her love for our family! "Friends are the most important ingredient in this recipe of life."  ~ Unknown Ground Beef Noodle Casserole Susan was ki...

B acon Spaghetti Casserole I made this dish last night for supper. It got thumbs up from all. The bacon adds a nice twist to this baked spaghetti dish. In a hurry? Skip the baking step; plate noodles, top with sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bacon Spaghetti Casserole 8-ounces dried spaghetti, cooked according to package directions 8 slices bacon, chopped 1 pound ground beef 1 small onion, chopped 1 small green pepper, chopped 1 (26.5 to 32-ounce) container spaghetti sauce 1 cup shredded cheddar or Italian cheese blend Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, crumble and set aside. Pour bacon grease from pan, but leave bacon bits and residue. Brown meat, onion and pepper in pan where bacon was cooked; drain when done. Return cooked beef mixture to skillet; add spaghetti sauce and bacon. Simmer ten minutes. Pour sauce over cooked spaghetti noodles, tossing to coat well. Spoon mixture into pr...

Popover Pizza Casserole This recipe, with its popover-like crust, is quick to prepare, especially if you have pre-cooked and frozen your ground beef or pork. Since I had packages of both in my freezer, I used a half pound of each. The combination was really good. I freeze my meat in heaping 2 cup portions, which is about a pound. If I don't need the full pound, a quick tap of the package on the counter will break the package contents in half. Remove the needed portion and immediately return the remainder to the freezer for another use. Popover Pizza Casserole 1  pound ground beef or pork sausage or a combination of the two 1  cup chopped onion 1  cup chopped green sweet pepper 1 cup fresh sliced mushroom(or a small can of sliced mushrooms) 1 clove garlic, minced 1 (3-1/2-ounce package) sliced turkey pepperonis, halved ( Kitchen shears make quick work of this chore. ) 1 (16-ounce) jar pizza sauce 2  eggs 1 cup milk 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup...

Very Easy Shepherd's Pie This is a great way to use leftover mashed potatoes! Very Easy Shepherd's Pie 1 pound ground beef, browned and drained 1 packet brown gravy mix, prepared according to packet directions 3 -4 cups mashed potatoes (fresh, left-over, frozen or instant) 1/2 - 1 cup cheddar cheese, optional Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a deep dish pie pan, or other small baking dish, with cooking spray. Mix gravy with browned meat. Pour meat mixture into pie plate. Top with mashed potatoes. Bake until bubbly, 20 minutes or so. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven long enough to melt cheese.

  Dough Burgers Dough burgers are popular in our neck of the woods. Phillips Grocery in Oxford has received national acclaim for their top-secret-recipe dough burger. I ate two while I was staying at the hospital with my dad recently! It is the nearest restaurant!  When Larry and I were newlyweds and living in New Albany, we loved going to Latham’s for their yummy version of this delicious sandwich. Several other area cities also offer well-known versions of this unique burger. Tupelo’s Johnny’s Drive-In has the "Johnnieburger," and Corinth even has a festival named in honor of their dough burger, affectionately known as “The Slugburger.” Here in our own dear Pontotoc, we love the "Wonderburger" at Butcher Block! Dough burgers supposedly originated during the Great Depression. Adding flour was a great way to stretch hamburger meat. While possibly born out of necessity, it has remained a part of the Southern diet due to its delectable taste. I’ve eaten my share ...

Our Favorite Meatloaf Our Favorite Meatloaf I think all Southern cooks have their favorite meatloaf recipe, usually their mom's or grandmother's. This is our favorite. It is just one I've tweaked over the past 20-plus years. It fairly fills a 9x13-inch baking dish. I sometimes cook half of the mixture in an 8x8-inch baking dish and freeze the other half. I really like cooking the individual meatloaves. I usually cook four of the mini loaves and freeze the four. One of my favorite meals is this meatloaf served with Smashed Potatoes , green beans and homemade biscuits. 2 pounds ground beef 1  teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with onions and pepper, undrained 1 cup quick-cooking oats Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Mix all meatloaf ingredients well. Shape into a loaf and place in prepared baking dish. Topping: 1 cup ketchup 4 tablespoons br...

This hearty little dish really hit the spot on this cold, wintry night. I had everything I needed to make it in the freezer and pantry. Having the ground beef already cooked and in the freezer was a great help in getting this on the table, too.  The kids and Larry love this! I served it with a loaf of fresh baked homemade bread! Yum! For a super easy version of this dish, cook noodles and top with heated canned or jarred chili. Add a tablespoon of Italian seasonings when you heat the chili, if you like. There are several more healthful varieties of canned/jarred chili available. Serve with a loaf French bread or Texas toast from your freezer.   Chili Spaghetti Chili Spaghetti 1 lb. ground beef 1 c. chopped onion 1/2 c. chopped green pepper 1 packet taco or chili seasoning 1 tablespoon Italian seasonings 1 (16 oz.) can tomato sauce 1 - 2 teaspoon sugar (optional) 12 oz. package spaghetti or fettuccine noodles, cooked and drained Shredded Mexican blend cheese for ...

This is yummy, y'all!!  It is the perfect size for our family, but it can be easily doubled and baked in a 9x13 for larger families or planned leftovers.  I love that you don't have to boil the noodles - just dump them in the pan dry.  Do be sure to spray the baking dish well with cooking spray.  You can use any noodles you like.  The recipe calls for egg noodles. We like mini lasagna noodles. Just use what you have on hand.   You can also use spaghetti sauce instead of the pizza sauce if you like.  Or, make your own easy pizza sauce by combining: 2 - 8 ounce cans tomato sauce 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasonings 1/2 tsp Garlic salt 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)   Easy Pizza Noodle Bake   Easy Pizza Noodle Bake 3 c. uncooked wide egg noodles 1 lb. ground beef, browned 1 (16 oz.) jar pizza sauce 1 c. water 3/4 tsp. salt Dash of pepper 1 teaspoon sugar (optional) "Toppings" of choice - pepperoni, Canadian Bacon, green peppers, on...

This was a quick and easy little dish that got great reviews from the kids and Larry! Another keeper!! My frozen pre-cooked ground meat really comes in handy for dishes like this! I did make a few changes to the original recipe.  I'll post both versions. Chili Topped Ziti and Easy Focaccia Bread Here's the version with my modifications: Chili Topped Ziti 1 pound lean ground beef 1 onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 (16 ounces) jar pizza sauce 1 can Mexi-corn, drained 2 teaspoons cumin 2 teaspoons chili powder 1/4 cup ketchup salt and pepper to taste 16 ounces dry ziti pasta 1/2 cup shredded cheese Brown ground beef, onion and garlic until the meat is no longer pink; drain on paper towels. Return to pan and add pizza sauce, corn, cumin, chili powder and ketchup; mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low for 30 minutes. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Pour in the pasta and cook according to package directions; drain. Serve ...

This was a HUGE hit with my gang.  Everyone wanted seconds!  Definitely a keeper!!  I think you could coat a crock pot liner with cooking spray and layer all this (except the shredded cheese) in your crock pot. You could probably use only one jar of pizza sauce, when cooking it in the crock pot.  I'd think you'd need to cook it on low for 6 - 8 hours. Remove lid, sprinkle with cheese, and allow to melt. I served this with garlic bread.  A serving of Super Easy Caesar Salad would be nice, too! Potato Pizza Pie Potato Pizza Pie 4 – 5  cups peeled and thinly sliced potatoes (I used a mandoline.) 1 can (11 ounces) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted 1/2 cup milk 1 pound ground beef 1 medium onion, chopped 2 (16 ounces) jars pizza sauce 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese ( I used 2% cheddar. ) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.Set aside. Prep...

I did a bit of cleaning out of leftovers from the fridge and freezer. We had leftover Larry Burgers from Saturday. For a nice change, I made a little chili to top these. Larry loves chili cheese burgers! We sprinkled ours with a bit of 2% low fat cheese. Chopped green or red onions are also a tasty topping for this chili, which has a tiny sweetness to it. If you prefer your chili tangier, just omit the sugar and ketchup. In the freezer, we had a bag with a dab of fries and a bag with a handful of mozzarella sticks. I threw all these in the oven to have as sides. I also found a small stack of graham crackers, a part of a bag of mini marshmallows and a few milk chocolate chips in the pantry. I used all these ingredients to make Easiest Indoor S'mores . Chili Cheese Hamburger Chili for Topping Hamburgers/Hot Dogs 1 pound ground chuck 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 six ounce can tomato paste 1 cup water 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard 1 table...

Country Stew and Cheesy, Buttery Corn Muffins This recipe was inspired by one in Slow Cooker Simmering Favorites . This is one of our September Giveaways ! Be sure to register! Since Larry was off today, I made this for lunch. Larry and I really, really liked this!! The Cheesy, Buttery Corn Muffins went really well with it! Great comfort food!! For supper, Logan ate with the friends. Larry and M.C. cooked a frozen pizza, and I attended our homeschool co-op moms' night out! We ate at Margarita's Grill in Tupelo. The food was delicious and the fellowship was fun and encouraging!! We always have a great time! Country Stew I made a couple of minor changes to this recipe. I used 3 cups of frozen mixed veggies instead of the carrots and peas, and I substituted a 16 ounce can of beef broth for the water. I sauteed my meat for a few minutes in my cast iron Dutch oven for a few mintues, threw in the other ingredients, brought everything to a boil for about 15 minutes an...

“There is nothing like soup. It is by nature eccentric: no two are ever alike, unless of course you get your soup in a can.” ~Laurie Colwin, 'Home Cooking' (1988) Since we cleared out all our leftovers yesterday, I threw this soup on this morning for our lunch. The kids really liked it. I thought it was pretty good, too. I just kind of made it up as I went along. If you have ideas that would make it better, please share them! Cheeseburger Chowder with Hamburger Bun Croutons Cheeseburger Chowder with Hamburger Bun Croutons 1 pound of ground beef 1/2 cup of chopped onions 2 cups diced potatoes (You could use cubed-style frozen hash browns.) 1 cup frozen corn 1 can chicken broth 1 can cheddar cheese soup 1 soup can of half-and-half (I used fat-free. You could use milk.) 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard salt and pepper, to taste 1 - 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used a cup of 2% cheese.) Brown ground beef with onions. Drain. Add potatoes, corn and broth. ...