Pizza Mufins

I didn't have a pizza crust and tonight is Friday so in our house it is pizza night so I decided to use up some biscuits that I had in the fridge. This recipe is so super easy and can be adapted to whatever your families favorite pizza toppings are!

Grands homestyle Biscuits (There were 8 in the can)
Pizza Sauce (I made my own: 2 cans tomato sauce, 1 can tomato paste and italian seasonings)
Ground Beef (I used about 1/4 lb.)
Pepperoni (I used 5 pieces)
Mozzarella Cheese (I used about 1 tablespoon per cup)

I don't have exact measurements of the sauce cause I had some pizza sauce left over in the fridge.

Brown the ground beef and drain. Add desired amount of beef into sauce, chop up the desired amount of pepperoni and add to beef mixture. Heat till warm.

Separate each biscuit and flatten out with your hands, spray each muffin cup with non-stick spray and put a flattened biscuit into each cup. This is your crust so the dough should come up a little over the top.

Fill each cup with pizza sauce and top with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and cheese is melted.

Lickety Split Lasagna Stoup

My mom gave me this recipe years ago when Lexi was first a fan of Rachel Ray. The original title was soup but to get Lexi to eat it we told her it was a Rachel Ray recipe (but it's not) and it was called a stoup (which is a term Rachel uses). She loves it and asks for it many times during the winter.

1 lb. lean ground beef
2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings
1 (15 oz. ) can tomato sauce
2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans low sodium beef broth
1 1/2 c. water
1 TBLS. brown sugar
2 c. mini lasagna noodles or any pasta you like
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 c. finely shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown ground beef in dutch oven or stockpot; drain. Add diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Stir in beef broth, water and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and add mini lasagna noodles or pasta. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Garnish each bowl with mozzarella cheese. Makes 6-8 servings.

Fruity Baked Oatmeal

This is my favorite breakfast food!
This recipe is from Taste of Home.

3 c. quick cooking oats
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. milk
1/2 c. margarine, melted
Fresh or frozen fruit enough to equal 1 1/2 c. (I have used diced apples, frozen strawberries, pineapples, blueberries, craisins, raisins). You can use whatever fruit you like!

In a large bowl combine oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl combine eggs, milk and margarine; add to dry mixture. Stir in your fruit.
Pour into an 8 inch square pan coated with non-stick spray. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool, cut into squares, cover and refrigerate.
When ready to eat, put 1 serving in a bowl with a little milk and warm up in microwave.

Farmhouse B-B-Q Muffins

The first time I made these my daughter thought they were the funniest things, now she just gobbles them up!
This recipe is from Taste of Home.

1 tube (10 oz.) refrigerated biscuits
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 c. ketchup
3 TBLS. brown sugar
1 TBLS. cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Separate dough into 10 biscuits; flatten into 5 inch circles. Press each into the bottom and up the sides of a greased muffin cup; set aside. In a skillet, brown ground beef; drain. In a small bowl, mix ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar and chili powder; stir until smooth. Add to meat and mix well. Divide the meat mixture among biscuit lined muffin cups, using about 1/4 c. for each. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from tin and serving. Makes 10 servings.

Ultimate Party Meatballs

These are awesome appetizers!
I found this recipe in a magazine.

16 oz. bottle of Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce
12 oz. bottle Heinz Chili Sauce
2 lb. bag frozen, pre-cooked meatballs

Combine both sauces in a medium pan. Cook over medium heat stirring until smooth. Put meatballs in slow cooker and pour sauce over the top. Stir until all the meatballs are coated with sauce. Cook on high 4 hrs or until meatballs are hot.

*I use store brand cranberry sauce and chili sauce and it tastes just as good*

Cheesy Potatoes

These potatoes are requested for every holiday!

1 pkg. frozen Obrien hashbrowns (no onions or peppers)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
1 stick of margarine, melted
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Bread crumbs

Combine soup and sour cream, add potatoes, cheese and margarine. Stir until well combined. Put in a 9x13 pan coated with non-stick spray. Sprinkle bread crumbs lightly on top (I never measure, you just want a crunchy topping). Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Auntie Gwen's B-B-Q

This is Lexi's favorite sloppy joes!!
This recipe was given to me years ago by my good friend Gwen Couch.

2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 c. ketchup
4 TBLS. vinegar
1/2 c. water
1 TBLS. yellow mustard
1 TBLS. sugar

In a skillet brown ground beef and drain off grease.
Combine the rest of the ingredients and stir until combined. Add sauce to beef in skillet and cook on medium heat until hot. Serve on hamburger buns.

Chili Cheese Dip

This is always a favorite at parties!

2 cans chili with no beans
1 lb. velveeta cheese, cut into chunks

In a medium pan heat chili and cheese and cheese is melted. Transfer to crock pot to keep warm. Serve with tortilla chips.

Hot Fudge Cake

This dessert was a big hit with the family!
I found this recipe on Taste of Home's website.

1 3/4 c. packed brown sugar, divided
1 c. all purpose flour
6 TBLS. unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. 2% milk
2 TBLS. butter/margarine, melted
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 3/4 c. boiling water

Coat crock pot with non-stick spray. Mix 1 c. brown sugar, flour, 3 TBLS. cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in milk, butter and vanilla. Mix until well blended. Pour into crock pot.
Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
In small bowl, combine remaining brown sugar and cocoa; stir in boiling water. Pour over batter (do not stir). Cover and cook on high 3 1/2 to 4 hrs or until toothpick inserted near center of cake comes out clean. Serve warm with ice cream!! 6-8 servings

*I made this with semisweet chocolate chips and thought it was too bitter. Next time I will try it with either milk chocolate chips or peanut butter chips*

Chicken & Stuffing

This is my ultimate comfort food!

This is one of my mom's recipes and has always been one of my favorites. It is easy to make and sure to be a favorite with your family.

1 1/2 lbs. of cooked and diced chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. sour cream
16 oz. bag frozen mixed veggies
1 pkg. chicken stuffing mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare stuffing according to package directions and set aside.
Mix soup, sour cream, veggies and chicken and put in a 9x13 pan; top with the prepared stuffing.

Bake 30 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Makes 6 servings.