Tortilla Soup

1 can (10 1/2 oz.) condensed chicken with rice soup, undiluted
1 1/3 c. water
1 c. salsa
1 c. canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. frozen corn
1 c. frozen diced cooked chicken
1 tsp. ground cumin
Crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese, and sour cream

In a large saucepan, combine the first eight ingredients. Cook over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes or until heated through. Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream.

*If you want, you can cut tortillas into strips and bake them for a few minutes to make homemade tortilla strips. Yum!

Yield: 5 servings
Prep/total time: 10 minutes

Taste of Home Simple & Delicious Cookbook

Mini Shepards Pies

12 biscuits from the can (recommended brand: Grands)
2 tablespoons oil
1 pound ground beef
1/2 onion, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves, chopped*
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped*
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup beef stock
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 cup leftover mashed potatoes
1 tablespoon granulated garlic powder
2 tablespoons granulated onion powder
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425*.
2. Spray a 12-count muffin pan with cooking spray. Mold biscuits to shape each muffin mold. Par-bake biscuits for 6 to 8 minutes until light golden. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat add oil. Add ground beef and brown. Add onions, pepper, salt and garlic and allow to cook together.
4. Mix in flour to meat and stir together until consistency is pastey. Add beef stock to pan. Stir in vegetables and herbs at the last few minutes. Mix all together.
5. Reheat mashed potatoes in microwave for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in granulated garlic and onion powder.
6. Spoon equal amounts (approximately 2-tablespoons) of warm potatoes on bottoms of each par-baked biscuit. Then top with equal amounts of beef mixture (approximately 2 tablespoons).
7. Finally top with equal amounts of cheddar cheese on each pie. Return to oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is melted and browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before popping individual pies out with a knife.

Yield: 12 pies

Foodnetwork.com

*I used dried spices.
**I found that I had a ton of extra meat mixture. Because I had a lot of extra potatoes, too, I layered the extra potatoes, meat, and cheese in a square baking dish and put it in the oven with the mini pies. You could also probably half the meat mixture.

Easy Cheesy Bread

2 "Papa Pita" - Pita Wraps (you can buy a pack of 10 for $1.99 at Costco - Scott loves making "personal" pizzas with these)
2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
Italian Seasoning
Onion Powder
Garlic Salt
Butter

Preheat over to 450* F. Thickly spread softened butter over each pita. Sprinkle with italian seasoning, onion powder and garlic salt to taste. Evenly spread 1 cup of cheese on each pita. Sprinkle a little more italian season over cheese. Bake in oven for 10 min., or until cheese is bubbly. Serve with marinara dipping sauce. Serves 2.

*I've made other slow cooker meals, but these have been the best. There are a whole bunch of easier slow cooker recipes that look pretty good at the kraftfoods.com website: http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/search/SearchResults.aspx?searchtext=slow+cooker&u2=slow+cooker&scope=all&start=1&rsort=

Darcey Pett

Lasagna--Fast!

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
24 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
1 egg
1 lb. ricotta cheese
1 lb. cottage cheese
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried oregano
9 lasagna noodles
4 c. (1 lb.) grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. water
Grated Parmesean Cheese

Preheat oven to 400*F.

Brown ground beef, drain fat. Stir spaghetti sauce into beef. In a large bowl, mix egg, ricotta, cottage cheese, basil, and oregano. Place 3 lasagna noodles in bottowm of 13x9x2-in. pan. Spread 1/3 of meat mixture over noodles. Spread 1/2 of cheese mixture over meat. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Place 3 noodles on top and repeat above steps. Add remaining 3 noodles on top and cover with remaining meat and mozzarella. Pour 1/4 c. water around edges of pan and cover with foil.

Bake 1 hour or until noodles are tender. Sprinkle with grated Parmesean cheese.

*This lasagna is great--it is faster than most lasagna because you don't have to cook the noodles first.

Megan Hambly

Swiss Cheese Chicken

5 chicken breasts, cut in half
Swiss cheese (1 piece for each chicken breast) (You can just ask the deli for about 10 pieces of chicken)
1 large can cream of chicken (or two small cans) (I usually buy the "family size" can)
1 c. milk
Bread crumbs
Butter

Butter casserole pan. Put chicken in the pan. Put one piece of cheese on each piece of chicken. In a separate bowl, mix cream of chicken and milk. Pour mixture over top of chicken. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Cut small pieces of butter and put them over the top of the casserole. Cover with foil.

Bake at 350* for 45 minutes. Take foil off for last 15 minutes.

This recipe is so delicious and super easy. It is really good to serve it over rice. The recipe can be halved, but we usually make the whole thing because it saves well as leftovers. We are having it for dinner today :)

Megan Hambly

Chili Egg Puff

10 beaten eggs
1 lb. grated cheddar cheese (I know, it's a ridiculous amount, but needed)
2 small cans green chilies
1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lb. grated Monterrey jack cheese
1/3 c. butter
Cubed ham
1 t. baking powder
1 pint cottage cheese (2 cups)

Mix all together and bake at 350* for 45 minutes in a 9x13 pan (It may take a little longer to bake...)

Kim Perry

Double Cheddar Hash Browns

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of onion soup, undiluted
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
1 pkg (30 oz.) frozen shredded hash browns
2 c. (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. crushed cornflakes

1. In a large bowl, combine the soups
2. Stir in hash browns
3. Pour in greased 2 1/2 quart baking dish
4. Sprinkle with cheese and conrflake crums.
5. Cover and bake at 350* for 50 minutes. Uncover; bake for 10 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Serves 8

French Bread Pizza

I loaf French Bread
3 cups spaghetti sauce
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 c. grated mozzarella cheese
Canadian Bacon

Assembled the day it is served. Freeze sauce, cheese, and Canadian bacon in separate Ziploc bags. Wrap bread in heavy foil. Freeze

To prepare for serving, thaw. Preheat oven to 550* or broil. Layer sauce and toppings on bread. Place on baking sheet and bake until cheese it melted.

Turkey Bacon Melt

3 strips lean turkey bacon (each cut in half)
1 whole-wheat English muffin, split
2 thick slices of tomato
2 slices reduced-fat cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400*F.
2. Cook turkey bacon according to its package directions.
3. Place the whole wheat English muffin halves face up on a baking sheet. Top each with a slice of tomato. Layer with cheese and top with 3 half slices of cooked bacon.
4. Place in the oven and bake for 3-5 minutes, until cheese it melted and bubbly.

Yield: 1 serving
Prep time: 15 minutes

Ham and Cheese Egg Casserole

2 cups frozen diced potatoes
1 cup cooked lean ham, diced
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 green onions, sliced
1 1/4 cup egg substitute
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 325*F.
2. Lightly coat a 9" x 13" baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Layer potatoes evenly on the bottom of the dish; top with ham, mushrooms, and onions.
4. In a small mixing bowl, beat egg substitute and skim milk with a fork or whisk until well blended.
5. Pour egg mixture over ham and vegetables in baking dish and top with cheese.
6. Bake until eggs are firm and top is lighlty borwned, approximately 40 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 50 minutes