Easy Chicken Bake

,1 pkg (6oz) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for chicken
1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup sour cream
16oz frozen mixed vegetables, thawed, drained

1. Preheat oven to 400*. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package; set aside.
2. Mix chicken, soup, sour cream and vegetables in 13x9" baking dish; top with prepared stuffing.
3. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

* This is just a yummy comfort food recipe. It's super easy and quick and always a hit with my hubby.

Recipe from Stove Top Stuffing Mix
Photo from Kraft Recipes

Lemon-Soy Marinated Steaks

1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Combine everything in a bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Place the steaks in a Ziplock bag and pour the marinade over the steaks. Let them sit for about 24 hours, turning every few hours. Grill steak how you like best. This recipe can cover about 3 steaks nicely, about 1 lb each.

* This marinade was amazing! I could smell the steaks marinating every time I walked past the fridge for a day and a half. It was such a simple marinade too and I loved that I already had everything on hand to make it. It had such a light but flavorful taste to it and we loved the way all the flavors blended so well together. We will definitely be using this recipe again!

Recipe & photo from Recipes of a Cheapskate

Teriyaki Chicken Pasta Salad

Salad
4 cups cooked chicken
16 oz. bow tie pasta
20 oz. baby spinach
sliced green onions
12 oz. honey roasted peanuts
mandarin oranges
1/2 cup sesame seeds

Dressing
2 cups oil
1 1/3 cups Teriyaki sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/3 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Blend ingredients for dressing.
2. Marinate chicken in some dressing for a few hours.
3. Cook pasta al dente.
4. Bake or Grill chicken.
5. Mix all salad ingredients together.
6. Toss salad with dressing and serve.

* This salad was yummy! It was a fast and easy meal with a light flavor. I cut all the ingredients in half and we still had leftovers. It is filling but still a light meal. We felt the dressing called for way too much oil so next time I am going to reduce the amount of oil I use in the dressing/marinade. I also think it would be good to add croutons and craisins. I found that this is even better the second day!

Recipe from Dayna Jamison
Photo from Karrissa's Kitchen

Nachos

½ lb ground beef

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)

1 small zucchini, chopped (1 cup)

1 cup chili beans in chili sauce (from 15-oz can)

1 cup thick-and-chunky salsa, divided

Tortilla chips (the salted kind, of course!)

1 ½ c. shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (6 oz)

sliced ripe olives

diced fresh tomatoes

Brown ground beef. Drain and remove ground beef to a plate; set aside. Using the same pan, stir-fry bell pepper and zucchini for 2 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Stir in chili beans and ½ cup of the salsa; cook until hot. Stir in ground beef.

Line tortilla chips on a broiler safe pan. Spoon dollops of the mixture atop the chips. Sprinkle with olives and tomatoes (or you can add these after the nachos come out of the broiler). Sprinkle with cheese, to your liking. Put under broiler (not super close) until cheese is melted, only a couple of minutes.

Serve with remaining salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.

* These were so easy to make and super filling! We felt that they didn't have as much flavor as we would have liked but they were still yummy. We are going to throw on jalapenos next time for sure! I am going to continue to experiment with flavors, different vegetables, different meats, etc. These would be great as an appetizer!

Recipe Adapted from The Sisters Cafe.

Weeknight Lasagna Toss

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 of a small onion, chopped (optional)

2 green peppers, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jar (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1-2/3 cups Water

1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing

12 oven-ready lasagna noodles, broken into quarters

1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1. Brown meat (and onion, if desired) in large saucepan; drain.
2. Add peppers, garlic, spaghetti sauce, water, and dressing; bring to a boil. Stir in noodles; cover.
3. Cook on medium-low heat 10-15 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese; cover. Let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

* A little something special: You can stir 1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese into noodle mixture before sprinkling with shredded cheese, if desired.

* You can substitute 12 regular lasagna noodles, broken into small pieces, for the oven-ready noodles. Increase water to 2 cups and cook 30 min., stirring occasionally.

* This easy stove top lasagna recipe has been one of our favorites for awhile. Even my super picky little eater enjoys it! I always add some onions to the meat because I love the flavor that it gives to this dish but it's completely optional. I also use a little more of the zesty Italian dressing than it says. :-) I like to serve it with French bread or garlic bread along with a green salad and it is very filling with plenty of leftovers.

Photo & Recipe Adapted from Kraft Foods

Grilled Island Chicken

1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1-2 lemons)
1 ½ Tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, finely minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano (I used Italian seasoning)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2-4 chicken breasts

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl or large airtight plastic bag. Whisk or shake well until the marinade is well mixed.
2. Add the chicken breasts to the bowl or plastic bag so that they are covered by the marinade. Refrigerate and marinate up to 10 hours (I would suggest marinading for at least 3 hours at the minimum).
3. Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium heat. Grill the chicken for 6-7 minutes per side (depending on how thick the chicken breasts are), until the chicken is no longer pink in the center (if you have a meat thermometer, the chicken should register 165 degrees). Tent with foil and let the chicken rest for about five minutes before serving.

Alternately, the chicken can be baked using the following directions:
When ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 350° F. Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish and pour the excess marinade over them. Bake in the oven until cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165° F, about 45 minutes (exact baking time will depend on the size of your chicken pieces.) Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

* This chicken was so delicious! It is one of our favorite chicken breast recipes. You could taste each individual flavor in every bite. I love lots of marinade so I doubled the marinade recipe but did not have enough fresh lemons for all of it so I used just a little bit of fresh squeezed lime juice and it tasted just as amazing!

Photo & Recipe Adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

Easy Ranch Chicken

1 chicken breast per person
1 1/2 cups ranch dressing
1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Put ranch in one bowl and bread crumbs in another. Dip chicken in ranch and then in bread crumbs. Place in a greased 9 x 13 in. baking dish. Place in a preheated 375* oven and cook for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.

* I was really excited to try this recipe but was slightly disappointed with the results. It was super easy but not near as flavorful as I had hoped. I think next time I will add some powder ranch dressing in with the bread crumbs to add more flavor. It was still edible and not horrible, just not as flavorful as I hoped. I am going to keep experimenting with this recipe. I served it with angel hair pasta with herbs and extra ranch dressing for dipping.

From Jamie Gillman

Grandma's Chicken Salad

2 cups diced, cooked chicken
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup diced celery
1 cup seedless grapes
2 hard cooked eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Sprinkle chicken with lemon juice and salt. Chill for several hours. Combine chicken with remaining ingredients and serve.

* This has been a family favorite for as long as I can possibly remember. I hate most any recipe that calls for hard cooked eggs but this one is delicious! This recipe is used as more of a base in our family. If we use canned chicken, we use less salt than the recipe calls for. We often use more grapes, more eggs, and ore more nuts than it calls for as well. We just do whatever suits our fancy! Serve on salad greens or as a sandwich filling inside croissants or rolls. Every time I make or eat this salad, it reminds me of my amazing and sweet Grandma.

From My Grandma

The BEST German Chocolate Cake

1 yellow cake mix
1 instant chocolate pudding mix
2 cups milk
2 eggs

Mix and bake at 350* for 35 minutes.

Frosting:
6 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon evaporated milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts

Cook for 5-10 minutes over medium heat. Pour over cake.

* This is the BEST German chocolate cake I have had and the easiest to make! I got this recipe from an old friend's brother who was a culinary chef. It's always best to double the frosting recipe so that it spreads more evenly across the cake. I love it cold out of the fridge. Enjoy!

Calzones

Rhodes Texas Rolls, thawed & risen
Pepperoni
Sliced olives
Chopped mushrooms
Chopped green &/or red peppers
Chopped red onion
Mozzarella cheese
Any other pizza toppings your heart desires!
Heated pizza/pasta sauce

Two rolls make one large and delicious calzone. Squish two thawed rolls together and roll out flat into a 10 inch circle. Combine pepperoni, olives, mushrooms, onion, peppers and cheese, place 3/4 to 1 cup of mixture on each circle (the more filling, the better!). Fold the dough over and seal edges with fork. Place on sprayed baking sheet, bake at 350* for 20-25 min or until starting to turn golden brown. Serve with sauce for dipping.

* These were so great! The first time I made these, I ended up using three rolls together to make one very large calzone. They were huge and extremely filling which is good when you have a hungry husband like I do. :-) I served them with sweet corn on the cob. A yummy and light side dish to compliment these heavy calzones.
I actually like to spread some of the pizza/pasta sauce on the calzones before adding the toppings. I leave some room on the edges so they seal. I think I am going to start adding a bit more cheese next time to make them cheesier and the recipe is right, the more filling the better!
I love the fact that all I had to do is thaw the frozen rolls for several hours and then fill & cook them so they are super easy and quick and that is a huge plus! I sprinkled some Italian seasoning on the top of the calzones right as I was throwing them in the oven for some added taste! YUM!

Adapted from Mrs. Harding Cooks
(Photo from Budget Bytes)

Crescent Chicken Roll Ups

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup sharp cheese (I used cheddar)
1 garlic clove, pressed (I chopped mine)
Red and/or green bell peppers, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 packages crescent rolls
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 Tablespoons slivered almonds, optional

Preheat oven to 375*. Combine chicken, broccoli, bell pepper, and cheese. Press garlic over mixture. Add mayonnaise, dill weed and salt and fold together until all ingredients are coated. Open your crescent rolls but when you unroll them, keep 2 rolls together so instead of 8 sections, you will have 4 bigger ones per can. Put a good sized spoonful in center of dough and roll up. Place seam side down on greased baking sheet. Brush the egg white over the top of roll ups and sprinkle with slivered almonds, if desired. Bake according to roll directions until golden brown.

* I'm not going to lie, I was a bit hesitant to try this recipe but I am so glad that I did! They were delicious and very filling. Even my husband really enjoyed them. They are not so great reheated as leftovers the next day since they become a bit soggy. I especially loved how simple and very fast they were to prepare. I am going to keep experimenting with the filling (not that it needs it) by possibly adding some green onions or even chopped celery to add a bit more flavor and/or crunch. I had leftover filling that I refrigerated and used as a cold filling for a sandwich like a chicken salad sandwich and it was delicious!

* I made these again last night and added finely chopped celery and green onions. I didn't notice a huge difference in the taste but I loved the extra crunch!

Adapted from Melanie N's original recipe

Baked Ziti

1lb. ground beef
1 cup onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (32 ounce) jar meatless spaghetti sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon oregano (I used Italian seasoning)
1 (16 oz) package ziti pasta, cooked and drained
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, add ground beef, onions, and garlic. Cook over medium high heat stirring frequently until the beef is browned. Stir in spaghetti sauce, chicken broth and oregano. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Stir in 1 cup of sauce into the cooked ziti noodles. Spoon ½ of the ziti mixture into a 13×9” baking dish. Sprinkle 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese and ½ cup parmesan cheese over the top of the ziti mixture. Top with 2 cups of the sauce, then add remaining ziti mixture and top that with the remaining sauce.

3. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove from oven, uncover and sprinkle the top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

* This was super yummy and easy to make. The ingredients for this recipe are staples in our house so it makes this dish very convenient. The recipe says it serves 6 but I would say it serves a lot more than that. It makes a ton. I served it with French bread and that was honestly all it needed since it was so filling and flavorful.

From Real Mom Kitchen

Sesame Chicken

1 1/2 to 2 pounds of frozen popcorn chicken

6 Tablespoons honey

4 Tablespoons sugar

Salt (to taste)

4 Tablespoons ketchup

2 Tablespoons white distilled vinegar

a sprinkle of ground black pepper

diced green onions, optional

sesame seeds, optional

Deep fry your popcorn chicken and drain on a plate lined with a paper towel. In a wok or sauce pan, combine the remaining ingredients and warm over medium heat. Bring to a boil while stirring and simmer until sauce slightly thickens. In the wok or in a serving dish coat chicken with the sauce. Serve over cooked rice and garnish with diced green onions and sesame seeds.

* We loved this dish! The sauce had great flavor and I loved using popcorn chicken because it made this a super quick dish with hardly any fuss or mess. I bought a 1 lb. 10 oz. bag of frozen popcorn chicken and since I was feeding a crowd, I just used the entire bag and doubled the sauce recipe and it was perfect! I will be making this one again for sure!

Adapted From Real Mom Kitchen

Stacked Tacos

2 lbs. ground beef
2 (8oz) cans tomato sauce
2 (14.5oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 cups salsa (Adjust the spiciness to your liking by using mild, medium, or hot.)
1 can condensed tomato soup
2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
30 fajita sized flour tortillas
grated cheddar cheese
chopped lettuce
sliced olives
sour cream

1. Brown ground beef in a skillet and drain.
2. In a large soup pot, add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salsa, tomato soup, and taco seasoning. Stir well. Add ground beef, mix in, and allow mixture to simmer for 1 hour to blend flavors. (The mixture will be quite soupy.)
3. Heat a small amount of cooking oil in a skillet. Pan fry each tortilla in hot oil until brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
4. To serve: Place a tortilla shell on each plate. Add 1/4 cup of saucy meat mixture on each tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese. Place another tortilla on top. Place 1/4 cup sauce and cheese on that tortilla. Repeat one more time. You should now have a stack of 3 layers. Then top with lettuce, olives, and a dollop of sour cream.

Makes 10 stacked tacos.

*The saucy meat mixture freezes well. You can use half for one meal and freeze the other half for another night.

* This was a super easy and tasty dinner. I cut the recipe in half and it was still too much but great for leftover or to freeze. These were very filling. I added diced onion while browning my meat and I also used hot style tomato sauce for an extra kick but it was still not too spicy. It was just right and the sauce is delicious! This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Adapted From Real Mom Kitchen

Hawaiian Haystacks

Stove top method:

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 can of milk or so (I usually only use 1/2 to 3/4 of a can of milk)

2 cups of cooked chicken breasts, diced or shredded (You can leave the chicken out if desired.)
salt and pepper
parsley (if desired)

Heat soup and milk on the stove until heated through. You want this to be the consistency of gravy. You can add more milk if the mixture is too thick. Add the chicken and cook til warm.

Crock pot method:

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 frozen chicken breasts

milk

Put chicken breasts in the crock pot and then cover with soup. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove chicken from the crock pot and shred or dice the chicken and return to the crock pot. Add enough milk to make the consistency of gravy.

Serve the sauce over cooked rice. You can usually plan on at least one cup per person. Top with any of the following toppings.

shredded cheddar cheese

pineapple tidbits

sliced olives

diced green onion

chopped celery

shredded coconut

sliced almonds

diced fresh mushroom

Chow mien noodles

diced tomatoes

peas

mandarin oranges

raisins

diced green and/or red pepper

water chestnuts

cashews

soy sauce
sour cream

or anything else that you think would be good

* This is such an easy and quick dinner to make and I usually always have the ingredients on hand to make this dinner. My husband loves this recipe, especially the simple and creamy sauce. It's so filling too and this recipe always makes too much for just my husband and myself since my daughter won't touch most foods. I will probably start cutting the recipe in half. I also love that the topping options are endless!

Adapted From Real Mom Kitchen