Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

This week Gayle asked us to share our favorite recipes for The Grocery Cart Challenge: Recipe Swap, so here's one of mine. :)

Ingredients

8 ounces rotini pasta

1 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (plumped first by soaking in warm water, then drained)

1 green pepper-chopped

1 red pepper-chopped

1 can sliced black olives

1 small red onion-chopped

1 bottle Ken's Steak House Lite Sun-Dried Tomato salad dressing

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook pasta according to directions, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. While pasta is cooking, chop sun-dried tomatoes, peppers and onion into very small pieces. Mix with drained olives. Drain Rotini and rinse with cold water for about 3 minutes.

Mix pasta with tomatoes, peppers, onion and olives. Put in the refrigerator for about 1/2 an hour. Add salad dressing and mix well. Add Parmesan cheese and mix well. Serve immediately.

Rotini Casserole

This is a great recipe for nights when you only want to spend a few minutes in the kitchen, with minimal clean up.

Ingredients:

2 cups rotini pasta
1 pound lean ground beef
1 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sugar
2/3 cup shredded, reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
In a large nonstick skillet, cook ground beef until beginning to brown, about 8-9 minutes. Drain any excess fat.
Add remaining ingredients except cheese and pasta and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 6-7 minutes or until beginning to thicken. Fold in cheese and toss with pasta. Enjoy!

Broccoli Casserole

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 can cream of celery soup, undiluted
2 eggs, beaten
2 pkgs (10 oz each) frozen chopped broccoli, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1 stick butter melted
Crushed Ritz Crackers (one sleeve)

PREPARATION:
Grease a 2-quart casserole and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise and soup, mixing well. Stir in the eggs and broccoli. Add the onion, Cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper. Pour into casserole dish. Now mix together the melted butter and Ritz crackers, and sprinkle on top.
Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.
Serves 8 and it's oh so yummy!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:
¼ to ½ cup BBQ sauce of your choosing (Bullseye Original is good)
1 cup chopped cooked chicken
½ cup chopped red onions
½ cup chopped green pepper
2 cups mozzarella cheese

For the crust, you can make your own, or use 1 (13.8-oz.) package of Pillsbury Classic Pizza Dough.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll and stretch the dough out to about ¼ inch thickness. Place your shaped pizza crust on a cookie sheet or pizza pan. Top with the rest of the ingredients, in the order given. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the crust is browned and the cheese is bubbling. Enjoy!

Hamburger & Potato Casserole

A great "cheap" meal

I found this recipe someplace on the Internet, but couldn't find the link to it after looking for a very loooong time , so I apologize to the author in advance. My boybarians all love this one!

1 lb. ground beef
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
2 lbs. of potatoes (sliced in full circles)
2 cups shredded cheese

Brown the ground beef and season as you wish. While beef is cooking, bring the potatoes to a boil in a separate pot. The goal here is to cook them until fork tender, but not completely done. Drain both potatoes and ground beef. Combine them with cream of mushroom soup and sour cream in a 9X13 baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are done. Sprinkle with cheese and continue baking until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Crockpot Beef Stew

Ingredients:
1 package (1 oz.) Lawry's ® Au Jus Gravy Mix
5 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 1/2 cups baby carrots
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 package (0.88 oz.) Lawry's ® Brown Gravy Mix
2 cups frozen peas

In crockpot whisk together Au Jus Gravy Mix and 2 1/2 cups water. Place potatoes, onions and carrots in crockpot; add beef stew meat. Cover and cook on LOW for 9 to 10 hours. During last 30 minutes of cook time, increase temperature setting to HIGH, stir in Brown Gravy Mix, cover and finish cooking. Turn slow cooker off and stir in peas.

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

BISCUITS

4 cups flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup oil
1 ½ cups milk

Sift dry ingredients together. Work in oil with pastry cutter. Add milk slowly as you mix. Dough will be firm but not tough. Roll out ½ inch thick and cut. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 12 biscuits

GRAVY

1 pound bulk sausage (Jimmy Dean mild or hot)
¾ cup milk
3 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 dash pepper
1½ - 2 cups milk

Brown and thoroughly cook the sausage first. Then in a small container with a lid, put the ¾ cup milk, flour, salt, and pepper. Place lid on and shake well to mix. Add this to the sausage pan and stir with a wisk. Then add the additional milk (1½ - 2 cups). Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes more, or until it's smooth and creamy. Serve sausage, and gravy over biscuits.

Menu August 3rd - 9th

Sunday -Paula Deen's Chicken Bog , mixed greens

Monday-Taco Salad Bowls

Tuesday-Breakfast for Dinner: Scrambled eggs, Biscuits and Sausage Gravy, melon balls

Wednesday- Ham and Cheese Bow Ties , green beans
Thursday-Crockpot Beef Stew , rice, salad
Friday-BBQ Chicken Pizza , salad
Saturday-Hamburger & Potato Casserole, broccoli w/cheese

You can visit other blogs participating in Menu Plan Monday here hosted by Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie. :)

The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

This week Gayle over at the Grocery Cart Challenge is looking for our favorite potluck recipes. This is my contribution, and my all time favorite dish to bring along...

Hashbrown Potato Casserole

1 bag 32 oz. frozen shredded hash browns (completely thawed)
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 stick butter
1-2 cups crushed corn flakes

Melt 1/2 stick of butter and pour into 9x13 casserole dish.
In a large bowl mix shredded cheese, soup, sour cream, onion, salt and pepper. Mix well. Fold in hash brown potatoes. Pour mixture into 9 x 13 dish.
Melt 1/2 stick butter, and mix with crushed cornflakes. Sprinkle over the top of casserole.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until golden brown.