As you all know, I love easy recipes that taste great. I know many of you will have a full house this Sunday, or will go to a full house, and may be looking for a dish to share with family and friends as you cheer on your favorite Super Bowl team.

I recently discovered a blog I love to visit every once in a while for great recipe ideas and good writing. Here are a few recipes shared on Ree Drummond’s blog in the Tasty Kitchen portion. The theme of this post was Game Day Grub. Whether you’re rooting for the Saints or the Colts, I think you’ll be able to agree on one thing this Sunday – these recipes make for some happy football fans.

Who will you root for on Sunday?

Baked Sweet Onion Dip

Ingredients

• 8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese (Very Softened)
• 1 cup Mayonnaise
• 1 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 cup Minced Sweet Onion
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• Crusty Bread, Crackers

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, place softened cream cheese. The cream cheese must be very, very, soft (like spreadable butter) to allow all ingredients to blend evenly together. If your cream cheese needs to soften more, place in the microwave for a few seconds.

2. Add mayo, Parmesan cheese, onions and fresh cracked black pepper to soft cream cheese till everything is mixed thoroughly.

3. Place mixture in ramekins or any oven-safe dishes. Bake slowly, for about 30-45 minutes for all ingredients to cook together. When the top crust is brown, almost burnt-looking, then the dip is ready. The darker brown the crust of the dip becomes, the better the flavors are cooked.

4. Serve with your favorite bread and crackers.

And … who could have a Super Bowl party without great sandwiches?

Pulled Pork Pockets

Ingredients

• 1 can (16.3 Oz. Can) Flaky Canned Biscuits (Pillsbury’s Grands® work well)
• 3 cups Pulled Or Roasted Pork, Chopped
• 1 whole Egg White
• 1 teaspoon Water
• 1 Tablespoon Your Favorite BBQ Seasoning/rub
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder

1. Preheat your oven to 350º.
2. Whisk the egg white and water together in a small bowl and set aside.
3. On a floured work surface, roll each biscuit into a six-inch round.
4. Place about 1/3 cup of the pork on one half of each round and sprinkle it with a dash of the seasoning. Fold the exposed half of each round over the filling and pinch and roll to seal the edge.
5. Arrange the pockets on a sheet pan leaving about an inch between each.
6. Cut a one-inch slash in the top of each pocket.
7. Brush the top and seams of each pocket with the egg wash and sprinkle with a little chili powder.
8. Bake until golden brown (about 20 minutes).

Serve with barbecue sauce for dipping.

Enjoy!

Now that autumn is “officially” here, it was high time to make some of my family’s favorite fall recipes. Since we were hosting friends on Sunday, I opted to prepare a meal that was easy to make ahead of time. All of the meal prep was complete on Saturday, so all I had to do was pop everything in the oven on Sunday. Our menu consisted of meatballs, party potatoes, caramel apple salad, green beans and zucchini bread.

What’s your favorite fall menu? You can submit your recipes by simply clicking on the “comment” button below.

Claudia’s Meatballs

3# ground ham
3# hamburger
3 eggs
2c. crushed graham crackers
1-1/2c. milk

In a large bowl, combine beaten eggs, graham crackers and milk. Add ground beef and ground ham.
Mix well. Shape into balls, about 1/4c. each.
Cook in hot oil in a large skillet until browned, shaking skillet gently to turn meatballs. Drain meatballs on paper towels and top.

Topping:

1/4c. ketchup
1/4c. brown sugar
2tsp. mustard

Caramel Apple Salad

6 small apples, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces
1- 8oz. can unsweetened crushed pineapple (do NOT drain)
1- 8oz. box sugar-free butterscotch pudding (unprepared)
1 c. miniature marshmallows
12 oz. Cool Whip®
1/4c. chopped peanuts (optional)

In a large bowl, mix the first 4 ingredients together and stir well. Gently fold in the Cool Whip, and then transfer to another bowl. Chill and serve. (NOTE: Nuts will get mushy, so I usually wait to add the nuts until right before serving.)

My little garden provides me with big-time enjoyment.  I take great pride in producing fresh fruits and vegetables and truly enjoy using as much “home-grown produce” as I can in a single meal.  This weekend I was delighted to see the green beans were ready.  There’s nothing quite like the first picking of the season!

As I picked beans, I thought about the Hot German Green Beans my great grandma used to make.  (Of course, she didn’t use a recipe.  Thankfully, I was able to find one online at AllRecipes.com).  Memories of time spent with her in the kitchen – wearing my pint-sized, dark green apron with a pocket across the front – brought a smile to my face.  Grandma believed that cooking up a special meal was an act of love, so yesterday I treated my family to a home-grown, home-cooked feast.  To complete the meal, I baked my mom’s chocolate zucchini cake.  I have to admit that I was skeptical to try it the first time she made it, but now it’s one of my favorite desserts.

May these recipes put a smile on the faces of your family members, too!

Lemon Chicken
2 pounds chicken or chicken breasts
¼ c. flour
2 T. oil

1, 6-oz. can lemonade (thawed)
3 T. brown sugar
3 T. catsup
1 T. vinegar
2 T. cold water

Combine the flour with 1 tsp. salt.  Coat chicken thoroughly.  Brown chicken on all sides in hot oil; drain.  Transfer chicken to slow cooker.

Stir together the lemonade, brown sugar, catsup and vinegar.  Pour over the chicken and cover. Cook on high setting for 3-4 hours (time varies).  Remove chicken and pour liquid into saucepan.  Return chicken to cooker and cover to keep warm.

Blend cold water slowly into cornstarch, stir in hot liquid.  Cook until thick.  Service chicken with gravy over rice.  Serves 6.

Hot German Green Beans
Ingredients:
·    1 pound fresh green or wax beans, about 2 cups frozen or canned
·    4 to 6 slices bacon
·    1 onion, chopped
·    1 tablespoon granulated sugar
·    1/4 cup cider vinegar
·    salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Cook fresh beans in a little salted water until tender; cook frozen beans according to package instructions. Drain beans; reserve about 3/4 cup of the cooking or can liquid. Cut up bacon and sauté with onion until bacon is cooked and onion has lightly browned. Add bean liquid and cook until liquid has reduced to 1/4 cup. Add next 4 ingredients and the cooked beans. Heat through and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4.

Fresh Fruit Salad
INGREDIENTS
·    4 cups fresh strawberries, halved
·    2 cups fresh blueberries
·    2 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
·    2 bananas, sliced
·    2 cups seedless grapes, halved
·    1 (8 ounce) container plain or vanilla yogurt
·    2 teaspoons lemon juice
·    1 teaspoon sugar
·    1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
1.    In a large salad bowl, combine strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, bananas and grapes. In a small bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, sugar and vanilla; mix well. Serve with fruit.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
½ c. margarine
1 ½ c. sugar
2 eggs
½ c. oil
½ c. sour milk
1 T. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
2 T. cocoa
2 ½ c. flour
2 c. grated zucchini
½ c. nuts
½ c. chocolate chips

Cream margarine, sugar and eggs.  Add oil and vanilla.  Sift dry ingredients, and add alternately with milk.  Fold in zucchini.
Pour into 9×13 cake pan.  Top with chocolate chips and nuts.  Bake at 325 degrees for 40-50 minutes.  Serve with whipped topping.

Planting will soon be getting underway, and after a long day’s work in the field, a hearty meal  is just the fix.  Here is a recipe for Pork Chop and Stuffing Casserole.  The combination of tender pork chops and vegetables makes this a great suppertime option on a brisk spring evening!

Pork Chop and Stuffing Casserole

1 box stuffing mix
1-1/2 c. milk
3 T. flour
1 c. shredded cheese
1 tsp. oil
2 lbs. boneless pork sirloin chops
2 c. broccoli florets
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1 can Italian diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare stuffing mix as directed on the box and set aside.

Beat milk and flour together in a large microwaveable bowl and microwave on high for 4 minutes stirring after 2 minutes. Add cheese, vegetables and seasoning and mix well.

Brown pork in hot oil in an oven-safe nonstick skillet on both sides and cover with vegetables.

Top with stuffing and bake for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

Cavatelli is another casserole favorite in my family.  I like to prep meals for the week ahead of time when meetings and kids activities keep us on the run.  This casserole can be thrown together ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator until you need it.

Cavatelli

1-16oz. package jumbo shell pasta
1lb. ground Italian sausage
1lb. ground beef
48oz. (3lb.) jar spaghetti sauce– Prego Traditional is our favorite
8oz. jar taco sauce
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
16oz. shredded mozzarella (1/2 in casserole, 1/2 on top)

Cook the pasta, brown the meat, and then mix all the ingredients together.  Put cheese on the top, and bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  If you refrigerate before baking it will need to bake longer- maybe 45 minutes.

I’m always looking for new recipe ideas, share your favorites with us in the comment box below!

This dish is fun to put together for a twist on the traditional spaghetti meal.

Spaghetti in a Pie

Pie Shell:
8 oz. spaghetti
2 T. margarine
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten

Filling:
1 c. cottage cheese
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Sauce:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
15-1/2 oz. jar spaghetti sauce

Cook spaghetti. Drain. Stir in margarine, parmesan cheese and eggs. Form mixture into a crust in an 8×8″ pan.  Cook in microwave uncovered at 80-90% power for 2-3 minutes or until set.

Brown beef with onion. Stir in spaghetti sauce and simmer for 3-5 minutes.

Spread cottage cheese over crust. Fill with sauce mixture. Cook (covered) for 6-7 minutes. Top with mozzarella. Cook 1 more minute. Let stand 8-10 minutes before serving.

After a large Christmas meal we are all left with a refrigerator full of leftovers. This Ham and Hashbrown Casserole recipe makes great use of some of that leftover Christmas Ham.

Ham and Hashbrown Casserole
2 lbs. frozen hash browns, thawed
3/4 c. butter or margarine, melted
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 (8 oz.) carton sour cream with chives
1 dollop regular sour cream
1-1/2 to 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese **
1-1/2 c. cubed ham
Corn Flakes

Grease 9×13 pan and place hash browns on the bottom of the pan.

Melt margarine, then mix together with pepper, soup, sour cream and cheese. Add ham and pour over potatoes. Top with crushed Corn Flakes.

Bake at 350 degrees, covered for 45 minutes. Uncover the casserole and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

NOTE: can use 1-1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese and then slice Velveeta on top to make it creamier.

Do you have some recipes that you make up after the holidays to make good use of holiday left overs?  Share them with us in the comment box below!

With the kids getting more and more involved with school and extra curricular activities, I am always looking for quick fix meals I can prepare for supper before games and meetings in the evening.  This recipe for sloppy joes is one that the kids love, and the leftovers are great for later on in the week.

Sloppy Joes

1 lb. hamburger
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 c. ketchup
1 c. water (add 1/4 c. brown sugar to water)
1 tbsp. molasses

Cook hamburger, onion and garlic until hamburger is brown and onion is soft. In a small saucepan, dissolve the brown sugar into the water.  Add this mixture and the ketchup to the hamburger mixture.  Boil until some liquid has evaporated. Add molasses. Simmer about 15 minutes. Serve on hamburger buns and top with cheese.