Archive for June, 2009
Phoena’s Awesome Holiday Fruit Salad
1 can of fruit cocktail (drained)
1 bag of mini-marshmallows (you probably won’t use the whole bag)
1 container of whipped topping
Cinnamon seasoning (optional, but it won’t be awesome without it)
Mix them all together and serve.
I LOVE to make a huge Thanksgiving dinner (even if it’s just for the two of us) and no Thanksgiving is complete without this! This is almost the easiest part of the whole dinner! (Cranberries are the easiest part.)
Credits: Old family recipe.
Phoena’s Awesome Spinach Lasanga
(Another big recipe, but we’re big on leftovers. You may want to halve it. YOU figure out how to do that!)
Even my husband, who claims he hates spinach, likes this. I guess all the fattening cheese and alfredo sauce hides the spinach taste!
8 oz frozen chopped Spinach, thawed
13 oz Alfredo Pasta Sauce
4 tbsp milk
9 dry lasagna noodles
3/4 c Ricotta cheese
1 egg
3 oz of canned mushrooms
1/2 c mozzarella cheese (shredded)
Preheat to 350.
For novice cooks, you’ll find the Ricotta cheese in the dairy case with cottage cheese. It’s in a similar tub. Add Ricotta cheese to thawed spinach. Beat an egg and add that to this mixture.
In a separate dish, mix the alfredo sauce with the milk.
Spread half the alfredo sauce on bottom of casserole dish. Place three uncooked noodles on top of the sauce. Spread half the spinach mixture on top of the noodles. Sprinkle with half the mushrooms. Place three more uncooked noodles on top. Spread the rest of the spinach mix, mushrooms on top. Three more noodles on top and then spread the last of the alfredo sauce on top of that. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 50-60 minutes.
CREDITS: I think I got it from allrecipes.com.
Phoena’s Awesome Meatball Sub Casserole
This is for 6-8 people, so halve it or be prepared for leftovers the next day. (Hubby likes the leftovers!)
1/3 c chopped green onions
1/4 c Italian seasoned bread crumbs
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound hamburger
1 loaf of Italian bread or something similar
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 c mayonnaise
1/4 tsp pepper
8 oz of sliced mozzarella cheese
28 oz of spaghetti sauce
1 c water
(The original recipe warned against using fat free or light mayo. Personally, I don’t like mayo much at all, so I use half the recommended amount and used Miracle Whip.)
Cut the bread into 1 inch slices. Mix onions, bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Add the (uncooked) hamburger and mix well. Shape into meatballs and cook at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes until they are no longer pink. (Pink = bad.)
Mix the softened cream cheese with the mayo and pepper. Place the bread slices into a casserole dish. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the bread. Sprinkle half the cheese over the cream cheese mixture and bread. When meatballs are done, mix them with the spaghetti sauce and water. Pour this mixture over the bread and sprinkle with more cheese.
Bake for 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
CREDITS: Apparently I got this from the “Quick Cooking March/April 1999 Magazine.”
Phoena’s Awesome Mexican Manicotti
I love this recipe, but it’s big (so either halve the recipe or be prepared for leftovers). Also, you’ll need to plan a day ahead for this recipe so it’s a little more detailed and time consuming than most of my recipes.
1 pound of hamburger, browned
1 can refried beans
2 ½ tsp chili powder
1 ½ tsp of dried oregano
1 pkg (8 oz) manicotti shells
2 ½ c water
1 jar (16oz) picante sauce
16 oz sour cream
4 oz of shredded cheese
¼ c green onions, chopped
Sliced black olives (optional, but I love them!)
The night before (or early the morning of) combine the (cooked) hamburger with the refried beans, chili powder, and oregano. Spoon them into the manicotti shells until the shells are full (slightly time consuming) and then place each filled shell into a baking dish.
Combine the water and picante sauce and then pour over the shells. Cover the baking dish with tinfoil and place in the fridge overnight or all day. They need to sit for several hours but not more than 36 hours.
Later, remove from the fridge and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cover with cheese, green onions, olives and sour cream and then let it cook another 5-10 minutes or so until the cheese melts.
Enjoy!
CREDITS: I have no idea where I got this recipe, but probably some magazine or recipe book.
Phoena’s Awesome Mexi-Mini Pizzas
1 can of Grands (or similar) biscuits (8 biscuits)
Refried beans
Salsa
Sliced black olives (optional, but I love them!)
Shredded cheese of your favorite variety
Sour cream
So here’s what you do. Put the biscuits on a greased baking sheet. Punch them down to flatten them out a bit. Cover each with refried beans, then salsa, then sprinkle the black olives and cheese on them. Cook at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or so. Top with sour cream if desired and eat! This is enough for two or three people.
You’ll have extra refried beans and salsa because you won’t even use half a can/jar of either. But maybe you’ll want to make more Mexi-Mini Pizzas later in the week!
CREDITS: I don’t know. I stole the idea from some recipe magazine.
Phoena’s Awesome Milk Shakes
1 packet of Carnation Instant Breakfast (whatever flavor)
1/2 of fruit (your choice)
1 cup of milk
2-3 ice cubes
Cinnamon to taste if desired
Usually I use bananas as the fruit, but sometimes I like to use peaches or mango, depending on the flavor of Instant Breakfast I have. Banana goes well with anything — Rich Milk Chocolate, Classic Chocolate Malt, Strawberry Sensation, or Classic French Vanilla!
Dump all the incredients in the blender and mix it up until smooth! Serves 1 and it’s a great breakfast on the go!
Credits: I found this recipe on the back of the Canation Instant Breakfast packet.