Winter White Lasagna (Rachael Ray)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 1/2 pounds sweet Italian chicken sausage, removed form the casing (see tip below)
1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken stock
A generous dash fresh nutmeg
1 box oven-ready lasagna noodles
4 cups shredded Italian Four Cheese blend

Preheat oven to 375F.

Place a large skillet over medium high heat with EVOO, about 2 turns of pan. Add the sausage to the pan and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until the meat is crumbled and golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook until golden brown, 5-6 minutes. Season the mixture with salt and freshly ground pepper and reserve.

While the meat is browning up, place a large saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and cook it for about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and chicken stock and bring the sauce up to a bubble. Add in the nutmeg and season it with salt and freshly ground pepper , then simmer until the sauce thickens, 3-4 minutes.

Assemble the lasagna by ladling a small amount (about 1/2 cup, just eyeball it) of the sauce into the bottom of a 13x9" baking dish. Lay three of the lasagna noodles over the sauce and top them with about 1/3 of the meat-mushroom mixture. Top with about 1 cup of sauce and about 1 cup of shredded cheese (about 2 generous handfuls). Make two more layers of the lasagna using three lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the meat-mushroom mixture, 1 cup of sauce and 1 cup shredded cheese for each layer. Top the lasagna with the last three noodles, remaining sauce and remaining shredded cheese.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly.

* This is such a super yummy change from regular lasagna! My whole (extended) family loves it when I make it!

* You can find chicken sausage at Kroger in the meat case. They have a couple different kinds that work for this recipe - Tomato Basil & Italian. They sometimes have it in their discount meat section, which saves you a lot of money, so definitely check there, but make sure you use the sausage within a day or so because it can go bad fast!

Taco Pizza

1 lb ground beef
1 pkg taco dinner (includes hard shells, taco seasoning, and taco sauce)
12-inch ready to use pizza crust
1 can refried beans
1 to 2 cups Mexican cheese
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 large tomato, chopped

Heat oven to 400
Brown ground beef with taco seasoning as directed on package of taco dinner. Spoon refried beans onto pizza crust. Spoon ground beef on top of refried beans. Top this with cheese.
Place directly on oven rack.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.
Top with lettuce and tomato. Crush taco shells, sprinkle over pizza. Drizzle with taco sauce.
*I have made this with or without the refried beans. Tastes yummy either way!

Marinade

1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 TBS honey
2 TBS white wine vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ginger
GREAT for pork chops and chicken!

Herbed Egg-Cheese Casserole

1/4 c. Butter
1/4 c. Flour
3/4 tsp. Dried Italian Seasoning
12 oz. Can Evaporated Milk
2/3 c. Milk
2 c. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
18 Hard Boiled Eggs, sliced thin
8 oz. Bacon, cooked and crumbled
Parsley
1 c. Bread Crumbs
1/4 c. Melted Butter

1. Grease a 9x13 pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt 1/4 c. butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and Italian seasoning.
3. Stir in evaporated milk & milk all at once. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Then cook and stir for 1 more minute.
4. Remove from heat and and slowly add shredded cheese, stirring after each addition until melted. Set aside.
5. Layer half of the hard boiled eggs and bacon on bottom of pan. Sprinkle with parsley to taste.
6. Pour half of the cheese mixture evenly over the egg mixture.
7. Repeat layers.
8. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle crumb mixture over layers in pan.
9. Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, or until heated through.

*I only use the dozen eggs that we colored for Easter, & it turned out fine.*

*I had to thin the cheese sauce down with some extra milk.*

Manicotti

1 pkg. Manicotti shells
1-2 jars spaghetti sauce (depending on how much sauce you prefer)
2 eggs
1 15oz ricotta cheese
4 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1 Tbs. dried parsley (or ¼ cup fresh)

Cook manicotti shells according to package directions, drain and lay flat on tin foil to cool. Be careful that they do not touch while they cool, or they will stick together. Cover bottom of greased baking dish with a thin layer of sauce. In a large bowl, beat eggs, ricotta, 3 cups mozzarella, ¾ cup Parmesan, and parsley. Fill each shell with cheese mixture and place in baking dish. Top shells with sauce and remaining cheeses. Cover

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, remove foil and bake additional 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Bubble Up Pizza Casserole

This is one of those recipes that is totally customizable.

So I'll give you the general idea, and you take it and run!

Onion Powder
Garlic
Basil
Pepperoni
2 cups Italian Blend Shredded Cheese
15 oz Refridgerated Biscuits (the kind in the tube), quartered
16 oz(+or -) Tomato Sauce (Pizza Sauce, Spaghetti Sauce,etc)

• Mix together sauce, spices, "toppings", 1 cup cheese.
• Add the quartered biscuits and stir to coat.
• Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and top with remaining cheese.
• Cook at 350 for about 30-45 minutes. (If the cheese starts to brown, cover with foil, or just add it at the end for the last 10 minutes)

We tend to use pepperoni as our "topping", but you could do mushrooms, olives, ground sausage/beef, green peppers, whatever your family likes!

Mini Calzones

6 sticks string cheese
1 package refrig Pillsbury bread-stick dough
1 cup Marinara sauce
Pizza Toppings (optional)

Cut string cheese in half and then wrap breadstick around the cheese. Tuck in the edges and seal. Cook at 400 degrees, 9-10 minutes or until light brown. You can wrap in mushrooms, pepperoni, other toppings. Serve with sauce.

Sizzlin Chicken Skewers

1/3 cup hot water
1/4 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup lite soy sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. GREY POUPON Honey Dijon Mustard
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 12 thin strips
MIX water, barbecue sauce, peanut butter, soy sauce, cilantro and mustard in medium bowl with wire whisk. Refrigerate half of the mixture to use as a dipping sauce. Pour remaining mixture into large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken; seal bag. Shake gently to coat chicken. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours to marinate.
PREHEAT grill to medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto 12 skewers in ribbon fashion; discard any remaining marinade in bag.
GRILL 5 to 7 min. or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with the reserved dipping sauce.

Crockpot Mexican Chicken

4 skinless/boneless chicken breast halves
1 pkg reduced sodium taco seasoning mix
1 cup salsa
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup light sour cream
Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Add the chicken breasts. Sprinkle with taco seasoning and salsa. cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. When ready remove the chicken from the pot. place about 2 tablespoons of corn starch in a small amount of water and stir well. Stir the cornstarch mixture in to the salsa sauce. Stir in the sour cream. Let the sauce warm up and shredd the chicken. I have served it over white rice or in soft tortilla shells with your choice of topiings.

Pepperoni Spinach Quiche

1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 large sweet red pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 cup sliced pepperoni, cut into strips
1/4 cup half and half cream
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
dash pepper

Separate crescent dough into eight triangles; place in an ungreased 9-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom (I used a pie pan) with points toward the center. Press onto the bottom and up the sides to form a crust; seal seams. Set aside.

In a small skillet, saute red pepper and garlic in oil until tender. Remove from the heat. In another small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; stir in red pepper mixture. Pour into crust.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Yield: 8 servings

Courtesy of Taste of Home Magazine.