My Big Five

Hi, this is Jonathan's mom. My friend Ellen has a blog and is searching for her readers' "Big Five" recipes-the easy ones that you make a lot. She's asking people to put them on their own blogs so that she can link to them. I'm excited about the results as I may get some new yummy, easy recipes. So, I'm posting mine here. (And, the next time I'm invited to be in a recipe exchange, I won't have to ruin the chain because I can just copy what I have here.)

So, here are my Big Five. I'm not proud that I have one with Velveeta in it, but oh, well...people like it. :) You can watch Ellen's blog for other people's recipes (and entertainment, too.)

Cheeseburger Hoagies
A modified Pampered Chef recipe-it’s easy to make a bunch of the meat mixture and save it for later when you don’t have time to cook. It looks yucky but tastes great.

1 pkg pita bread
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 c chopped onion (dehydrated works fine)
1 garlic clove (either pressed or dehydrated minced)
1/4 c ketchup
2 t yellow mustard
4 slices American cheese

Brown and stir turkey, onion, and garlic. Stir in ketchup, mustard, and cut-up cheese until cheese is melted. Remove from heat.
Toast pitas lightly and cut in half. Fill with meat mixture-you can add lettuce and tomatoes as desired.

Santa Fe Chicken Soup
A modified Fix It and Forget It recipe

4 whole chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 small onion, diced (dehydrated works fine)
15 oz can whole-kernel corn, undrained
15 oz can kidney beans, undrained
15 oz can black beans, undrained
10 oz can Rotel tomatoes, undrained
14 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed
1/4 c milk

Place all ingredients in Crock Pot, stir. Cook on low for 3-4 hrs. until cheese is melted. Don’t let it boil. Tastes great with tortilla chips!

Amy’s Chili

1 c chopped onion
1 c chopped green pepper
1 lb ground turkey or beef
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
28 oz diced tomatoes
6 oz tomato paste
1 T chili powder
3/4 c water
Brown mean, onion, and pepper in skillet. Put all ingredients in Crock Pot and stir. If you have more beans or tomatoes on hand and want to fill up your Crock Pot, include them, too. Cook on low for around 6 hours. Tastes great served with cornbread or tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Mom’s Easy Lasagna

1 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 c chopped onion (dehydrated works fine)
1 clove minced garlic
32 oz spaghettie sauce
3/4 c water
8 oz lasagna noodles (whole wheat work, too)
1 lb ricotta or cottage cheese
1/2 c parmesan cheese
1 T chopped parsley
3 c grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375.
Brown meat, onion, garlic in large skillet. Mix in spaghetti sauce and water.
In separate bowl, mix ricotta, half of the parmesan, and parsley.
In 9x13x2 dish, put in these layers: sauce, noodles, cheese; sauce, noodles, cheese; sauce.
Cover and bake at 375 for 1 hr. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining parmesan.
Let stand 10 minutes and enjoy!

Amy’s Enchilada Casserole

1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 chopped onion
2 T chili powder
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cans (4 oz each) choppen green chiles
1 can (8 oz) enchilada sauce
1/4 t garlic powder
12 corn tortillas
1 lb grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350.
Brown meat, onion, pepper, and chili powder in large skillet; drain. Remove from heat and add all remaining ingredients except for cheese and tortillas.
In 13x9x2 dish, layer tortillas, meat, cheese; tortillas, meat, cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 min.