Patio Baked Beans

I found this recipe in my good old Star Valley Cook Of The Week Cookbook. Aaron's grandmother's twin sister compiled this book years ago. It was the book my mom had and I used as a kid learning to bake cookies. I love to cook out of this book as much for the nostalgia as the yummy things I find there.



1 can tomato soup (concentrate)
1 can red kidney beans
1/4 c brown sugar
1 T prepared mustard
1 lb hamburger
1 medium sized chopped onion
4 or 5 strips cooked bacon*

Brown the hamburger and onion lightly. Season with salt and pepper and combine all other ingredients with hamburger. Put the bacon strips on the top. Bake uncovered 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.

When I made this I did not read the directions very well so I left the bacon uncooked. It cooked while baking and added a lot of flavor to the beans - however it was not done enough for my liking. Next time I will cook the bacon lightly.

Cranberry Chicken

1 can whole cranberries
8 oz. french dressing
1 packet Lipton onion soup mix
Chicken - breasts or tenders

Place chicken in baking pan. Mix cranberries, dressing and soup mix together and pour over chicken. Bake for 1 hour.

Salisbury Rice

1/2 onion, sliced
3-5 mushrooms, sliced
1 lb hamburger
2 brown gravy mix packets
3 cups water

Brown hamburger in large pan. Set aside. Using the same pan saute' onions and mushrooms. Mix gravy packets with water and add to pan. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Add mead to mixture and reduce heat. Simmer on low heat for 5-10 minutes. Serve over rice.

Chicken Rolls

canned chicken
crescent rolls
cream cheese
cream of chicken soup
sour cream

Preheat oven to 350*. Drain chicken and mix with cream cheese. Separate crescent rolls and add about 1 tablespoon of chicken mix to each triangle. Roll up and place in baking pan. In separate bowl mix soup and sour cream. Pour over rolls and bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Variation: Fill rolls and bake without soup mixture. Heat soup mixture in saucepan and serve over hot rolls.

**I use what I have on hand for this recipe. If I have onions or celery I will chop and add to the chicken mixture. Also, if I don't have cream cheese I will use mayonnaise and if I don't have sour cream I'll simply omit it from the recipe.

Pepperoni Pasta Casserole

1 (16 oz) curly noodles
1 can spaghetti sauce
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 pkg. pepperoni
Mozzarella cheese
Italian seasoning

Place cooked noodles in 9x13 pan. Mix spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce together and pour over noodles. Add pepperoni and italian seasoning on top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake @ 350 for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted. If I am in a hurry I will add all ingredients to a large pan and simmer until heated through and then add cheese and let melt.

Baked Chicken Lasagna Rolls

2 cups skim ricotta cheese
1 1/4 c Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 t garlic powder
3/4 c chopped fresh parsley
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
2 cups shredded baked chicken breasts (or rotisserie chicken)
8 cooked lasagna noodles
1 1/2 cup tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 375*. Mix first eight ingredients, reserving 1/4 c of mozzarella for baking, set aside. Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on countertop. Lay noodles flat atop plastic wrap, top each noodle with a layer of ricotta mixture and 1/4 cup chicken. Starting at one end, roll one noodle at a time. Fill the bottom of a baking dish with 1/2 cup of tomato sacue. Lay rolls seam-side down, cover with ramaingin tomato sauce, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake @ 375 for 20 minutes.

Philly French Dip Sandwich

Roast Beef
Green Pepper
Onion
Brown gravy mix
Rolls

Chop and saute onion and pepper in a little butter. Add to prepared roast. If only making a few sandwiches I use roast beef from the deli - it also works well to cook a whole roast and shred the meat. Mix gravy packet according to directions (use 2 packets if using a whole roast) and pour over meat, onions and peppers. Slit rolls in 1/2, toast and spread with cream cheese. Add meat mixture and enjoy.

Kids Casserole - the original recipe

Hamburger, browned
Large can spahgettiOs
1 can chili con carne
1 can tomato soup
1 can corn, drained
1 T taco seasoning

Mix all together and add Ceddar cheese on top. Cook in microwave for 15 to 20 minutes. Top with crushed Doritos.

Kids Casserole

Hamburger, browned
1 can chili
1 can tomato soup
1 can corn, drained
1 T taco seasoning
spaghetti sauce (for this I like to use 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can tomato sauce and 1 packet of Spaghetti sauce mix)
1 1/2 cup instant rice

Cook rice according to package directions. In seperate pan mix remaining ingredients. Heat through. Add cooked rice and serve.

I have to admit that this recipe sounds a little, well, gross. The first time I tried it was actually out of morbid curiousity because I didn't think that putting those ingredients together could actually be good. Well, I was pleasently surprised and it's now one of our favorite meals. I did make some adjustments to the original recipe so I've included that too - you can decide which you like better.

Chicken Alfredo

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cube butter
1 pkg italian dressing mix
1/4 c water
4 oz. (1/2 pkg) cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c water

Cut up chicken and cook in butter, dressing mix, and water. Whisk together cream cheese, soup and water. Add to chicken and heat. Serve over linguini (or spaghetti) noodles.