Hamburger Gravy

Do you remember having this in grade school? I didn't till I saw it on a blog {can't remember where} and then it brought back a flood of school day cafeteria memories!! This was one of my favorites!

1 lb. hamburger
1 sm. onion, chopped ~ I just used about a tablespoon of minced
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. water
1 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Mashed potatoes ~ I just whipped up some instant

Brown hamburger and onion. Stir in flour. Add water and cook until thickness you prefer. Add Kitchen Bouquet to color, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve on mashed potatoes.
As always I doubled this and my potatoes! The kids loved it, except Justin, but what's new!! Served along with corn, and hot rolls!! It's a keeper!! Went so fast I didn't even get a picture!!

German Chocolate Cheesecake

My sister called me this morning for this recipe and I realized I hadn't put it on here!! This is my FAVORITE dessert of all time! I seriously can eat the whole pan!! And it's not really a cheesecake, but that's what we've always called it and that's what it'll always be to me!!
Crust:
1½ c. flour
1½ sticks butter ~ melted
¼ c. sugar
1 c. chopped walnuts ~ you could leave these out if you're not a nut fan!
Mix all together and spread into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
Bake @ 450º for 10-12 minutes, until golden around edges.
Cool completely.

Mix together: ~ {I usually double this mixture}
1 8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar
1 8 oz. cool whip
Spread over cooled crust.

2 small instant chocolate puddings...mix together as directed on package with cold milk.
Pour over cream cheese mixture.
Let pudding set up 10 minutes or so and top with another 8 oz. cool whip!
Garnish with additional walnuts or shaved chocolate!! Sooo good!

Chicken Pot Pie

This was very good!! I remember as a kid though picking off the top of my chicken pot pie and that's exactly what my kids did...all of them!! But it was easy to throw together and the taste was so yummy on a cold fall day! John really liked it! I got the recipe from Everyone's Gotta Eat! She has a lot of things I want to try!!

Filling:

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken

1/2 cup onion

2 cups mixed frozen vegetables

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of celery soup {just realized I left this out on accident and it still tasted great!}

1/2 - 3/4 cup chicken broth

Combine and place in lightly greased 13x9 baking dish.

Crust:

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour (recipe below)

Combine and pour evenly over filling.Bake at 350° for about 1 hour or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.

Self-rising flour ~

2 cups flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Combine. Makes about 2 cups

Again I doubled the filling of soup and veggies, except the onions, and added about four potatoes, cubed ~ I always remember pot pie having potatoes! Then I made the crust as directed and poured over the top! I also did use a little bit bigger casserole dish that I have since I doubled it to hold everything and not have it bubble over everywhere! It was a filling meal in itself so I just served it along with root beer floats...a drink and dessert in one!!

Tater-Tot Beef Casserole

This recipe comes from CopyKat Recipes. They have a bunch of copycat recipes they post from different restaurants and such. This one I think is just a family favorite budget stretcher! It was very easy to throw together and the family loved it! The following recipe is exactly as it comes from their site. I added a few notes at the end!

1 lb. Ground Beef
3 T. Minced Onion
2 T. Italian Seasoning
1 t. Garlic Powder
1 t. Onion Powder
2 C. Shredded Hash Browns, thawed
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
½ C. Milk
1½ C. shredded cheese (Velveeta tastes best)
Frozen Tater Tots
Brown the ground beef with the onion, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder; drain fat. In a large mixing bowl, combine hash browns, soup, milk, and cheese, stirring well. Add ground beef. Place in a greased 2 QT casserole dish. Place tater tots in a single layer over entire casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, or until thoroughly heated and tater tots are crispy.
I served this with a dollop of sour cream on top and Cookie Salad {go to salads on the side bar for recipe}. As always I doubled it and used a 9x13 casserole dish. I also didn't get what they meant by "Velveeta works best" so I used 1½ C. shredded cheddar and 16 oz. of Velveeta processed cheese, cubed it, and added it to the mixture of hamburger and everything else!! It melted and was very cheesy! It was a very filling meal and will make great leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Hal enjoyed every bite!!

French Bread Rolls

This comes from Good Food, Good Fun recipe blog which she got from Kitchen Cafe ~ which is where the beautiful picture is from also! They were very easy to make but I made my dough balls a little big and had rolls the size of hamburger buns!! They were stiil very good and we used them the next night for the pulled pork sandwiches, which you must try by the way!!

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 12-14 equal pieces, and form into round balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth (or greased saran wrap), and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake for 12-13 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Pork Chop Potato Casserole

Jace had to "read a recipe" and prepare it all by himself for Teen Living!! I found this recipe on a blog and then couldn't find it again so I googled the name and found it at Taste Of Home recipes! It's basically Heavenly Potato's with pork chops on top!! Still it was a good recipe for him to follow and he did great!! I "hovered" just a little {I really try not to but it's an OBM ~ over bearing mother ~ thing} but he browned the chops, mixed and put everything together, and even cleaned up!! It was a good meal and you could see pride in his face as he ate!

8 pork loin chops
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 package (26 ounces) frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 can french-fried onions, divided ~ I only added onions to half the casserole

Directions: Sprinkle pork chops with seasoned salt. In a large skillet, brown chops on both sides in oil. In a large bowl, combine the soup, milk, sour cream, salt and pepper; stir in hash browns, 3/4 cup cheese and half of the onions. Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Arrange pork chops on top. Cover and bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with the remaining cheese and onions. Bake, uncovered, 5-10 minutes longer or until meat juices run clear. Yield: 8 servings.

We had green beans, Grands biscuits, and he also whipped up the Orange Fluff Salad! I am so proud of him!! Good job J!!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I got this recipe from my dear friend Allison and it went so fast I didn't get a picture!! Good, flavor, very tender, easy, and so yummy!! And as always I doubled everything to feed the gang and have some leftovers!!

3-lbs. boneless pork shoulder
1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Mushroom Soup
Mix ~
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 T. hot pepper sauce
8 hamburger buns
In slow cooker, arrange pork. Combine remaining ingredients except rolls and pour over pork; turn to coat. Cook covered on LOW 8 to 10 hours or HIGH 4 to 6 hours until pork is tender. Remove pork; reserve juices. With fork, shred pork, then stir in to reserved juices. Serve on buns.
I had made homemade French Bread Rolls Sunday, they turned out more like hamburger buns ~ they were huge ~ so we had it on those with a slice of Swiss cheese on top of the pulled pork! The heat of the meat melted the cheese and it was soo good!! We had fries and jello to complete the meal!!

Chicken Cashew Casserole

This is a family favorite!!

1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped celery
2 c. chicken
¾ c. rice ~ uncooked
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
½ T soy sauce
1 can chicken broth
1 c. cashews
Chow mien noodles

Saute onion and celery in a little butter until tender. Mix together remaining ingredients in a large bowl and pour into a greased casserole dish. Cover with Chow mien noodles. Bake @ 350º for 25 minutes.

Lemonade Chicken

This was so yummy! Kinda like sweet and sour chicken! But make sure to use the exact amount of lemonade...I used too much and it was a little "lemonady"!! It comes from "Good Food, Good Fun" recipe blog!! She has alot of good recipes! And as always I doubled the recipe for leftovers!! Didn't get a picture...it disappeared so fast!

4-6 chicken breasts
¾ lemonade concentrate
3 T. ketchup
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. vinegar
2 T. cornstarch
2 T. water
Minced onion, salt, pepper,garlic powder, and thyme to taste!

Put chicken in crock pot. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over chicken. Cook for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Before serving remove chicken, shred with forks, return back to sauce and serve over rice!

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pkg. cream cheese ~ softened
5 T. butter ~ softened
2 t. vanilla
2 c. powdered sugar

Mix together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Add powdered sugar, mix until smooth! Use to frost cinnamon rolls, sugar cookies, or cupcakes!

Taco Salad

This is just your ordinary taco salad, but "Real Mom Kitchen" made her own "taco bowls" and I thought they were so quick and easy! And the kids, even the boys loved them! And it kicked up the ordinary taco salad with crushed corn chips on the bottom!

4 flour tortillas (8-inch)
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkt. (1¼ oz.) taco seasoning mix
4 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese
1 large tomato, chopped
¼ cup ranch dressing

HEAT oven to 425°F.
CRUMPLE 4 large sheets of foil to make 4 (3-inch) balls; place on baking sheet. Place 1 tortilla over each ball; spray with cooking spray. Bake 6 to 8 min. or until tortillas are golden brown. (Tortillas will drape over balls as they bake.)
MEANWHILE, cook meat with taco seasoning mix as directed on package.
FILL shells with lettuce, meat mixture, cheese and tomatoes just before serving. Drizzle with dressing.
I made 8 taco bowls and used 2 pounds of ground beef. I also added olives, taco sauce, sour cream, and of course ya can't forget the ketchup. The kids ate their "bowls" after the filling was all gone just like chips along with some salsa! Serve along side the best fruit dip ever with cantaloupe and strawberries! Another winner at the Russell homestead!!

Cold Spaghetti Salad

This is my new favorite salad, my aunt made it for our 4th of July picnic and I just foundered on it! It's basically a pasta salad except with spaghetti! I found this recipe at Cook.com but I'm sure you could add or take away what you want!

1 pkg. thin spaghetti {I used Ronzoni's whole wheat thin spaghetti}
Cook spaghetti as directed on package. Rinse and set aside to cool for a bit.

Mix together...
1 jar Wishbone Italian dressing
1 pkg. Good Seasons Italian dressing
1/2 jar Salad Supreme spices by McCormicks ~ {this makes it taste so good}

Then add:
2 tomatoes, cut up
1 onion, cut up
1 green pepper, cut up ~ {didn't add this...green peppers are nasty}
sliced cucumber~ {added 2 of these...love these}

Let marinate overnight. Serve cold! Wish I would've taken a picture..it was yummy, yummy, to my tummy!

Mini Ham and Cheese Rolls

These were so yummy and fast to fix! Almost as good as the Mini White Castle-like Sliders she makes. They come from the Big Red Kitchen: Mini Ham and Cheese Rolls as does the picture.

2 T. dried minced onions
1 T. prepared mustard (I used Dijon)
1 T. poppy seeds
1 stick melted butter
1 dozen dinner rolls or 2 dozen party rolls- {I used the King's Hawaiian rolls found by the deli meat and cheese}
1/2 pound ham
1/2 pound thinly sliced Swiss cheese
Preheat oven to 325°. In a small mixing bowl mix onion, mustard, poppy seeds, and melted butter. Leaving the dinner rolls intact, slice them open so that you have one solid top and bottom. Place the bottom half on a baking sheet or in a 9x13 inch baking pan, the pan size will depend on choice of rolls. Line the bottom half of the rolls with cheese slices and ham. Return the top part of the rolls and drizzle the butter mixture evenly over top. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Now use a sharp knife and separate the little sandwiches. Place on a pretty platter and serve immediately.

Note- These can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, may require 5 more minutes of baking. Also can be prepared ahead and frozen. Defrost in refrigerator overnight and bake as directed. I love keeping a pan of these in the freezer for emergencies. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds.
I served these with green salad, chips, and grapes! A great summer meal!

Powdered Sugar Glaze

1 T. butter
1 c powdered sugar
½ t. vanilla
1½ to 2 T. milk
pinch of salt

In glass dish, melt butter in micro, add remaining ingredients. Start with the 1½ T. of milk and gradually add more if needed to get glaze consistency. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Mountain Dew Cake

This recipe comes from "Real Mom Kitchen" as does the picture. She has lots of great recipes. Thought I could get my boys to eat a "bundt cake" if they knew it had Mountain Dew in it ~ well they had a bite and said..."it doesn't taste like mountain dew"! But I loved it!! It had such a great lemony-citrus flavor and it was so moist! I think the Mountain Dew added great flavor! I also made a quick powdered sugar glaze and drizzled it over the top! Definitely be making this again...who cares if the boys didn't like it...they're spoiled anyway!! Try it...

1 box lemon cake mix

1 box {3.4 oz.} lemon pudding mix

1 can {12 oz.} mountain dew

½ c. vegetable oil

4 large eggs

Preheat to 325º degrees. Lightly grease and flour the bundt pan. In a large bowl combine cake mix and pudding mix. Add oil, eggs, and mountain dew. Beat at medium speed with hand mixer till the batter is smooth. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool completely. Can drizzle with powdered sugar glaze if want to.