Beefy Sour Cream Noodle Bake

I am always looking for beef recipes because we have a free supply of it and so I found this on pinterest and wanted to try it. It is kind of a cross between lasagna and spaghetti. It was pretty good and easy.

Beefy Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Source: The Recipe Critic

1 1/4 lb ground beef

1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
8 oz egg noodles
3/4 c sour cream
1 1/4 c small curd cottage cheese
2 c sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Brown ground beef. Season beef with salt, pepper, and some onion powder. Drain any excess fat. Add tomato sauce and simmer for about 10 min. Meanwhile, cook noodles al dente, drain, and set aside. In a medium bowl combine sour cream, cottage cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir the noodles into the sour cream mixture. To assemble grease a 9x13 casserole dish, layer half the noodles on the bottom then half the meat sauce, then half the cheese. Repeat layers. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until cheese melts.

Salted Caramel Apple Crumb Bars

 

Tis the season for apple recipes. We have had lots of apples lately thanks to good friends. These carmel apple bars are really, really yummy.

 

 

 The Apple Pie Filling

 The Salted Caramel Sauce

Coming out of the oven

 

Salted Caramel Apple Crumb Bars
Source: Two Peas and Their Pod

Salted Caramel Sauce:
2 cups granulated sugar
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1 tsp. salt
First, make sure you have all of the ingredients ready. Once you start the caramel sauce you have to pay close attention so you don't burn it. To begin, heat the sugar over medium high-heat in the bottom of a heavy 2-3 quart saucepan. When the sugar starts to melt, start whisking the sugar. The sugar will clump up, but keep whisking. It will continue to melt. When the sugar is melted, stop whisking. You can swirl the pan to move the sugar around. Continue cooking the sugar until it reaches a deep amber color. Make sure you watch the pan very closely. This is where it is easy to burn the caramel. You want the caramel to reach 350 degrees F. If you are new to making caramel, I suggest using a thermometer. As soon as the sugar reaches the dark amber color, carefully add the butter. Whisk until butter is melted. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour in the heavy cream. Whisk until cream is incorporated and caramel is smooth. Whisk in the salt. Let the caramel sauce cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Pour the caramel into a large mason jar and cool to room temperature while you make the apple crumb bars. This recipe makes 2 cups of caramel sauce. You can store the leftover caramel sauce in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Apple Crumb Bars

For the Apple Filling:
5 cups peeled and diced apples (I used Granny Smith)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup all-purpose Gold Medal flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground all-spice

For the crust:
3 cups all-purpose Gold Medal flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
For the apple filling- place the diced apples in a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix gently. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground all-spice. Pour over the apples and carefully combine. Set aside. For the dough-in a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or by using your hands, until butter is mixed in, but you still have small chunks of butter. Mix the egg and vanilla together. Add into the flour and butter mixture and combine. The dough will be crumbly. Pat half of the dough into the prepared pan. Spread the apple mixture evenly over the bottom crust. Drizzle about salted caramel sauce over the apple filling, about 3/4 cup. Crumble the remaining dough over the apple caramel layer and pat gently. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into squares. Drizzle salted caramel sauce over the squares and serve.
 

Cheesy Chicken Tator Tot Casserole

 

I have been making the hamburger version of tator tot casserole for quite a few years and while I like it, mainly because it is easy and my kids will eat it, I really, really, like this version. And it can be cooked in the crockpot which is even better. I am becoming a big fan of crockpot dinners, especially when I am running kids around to everything they have to do.


Cheesy Chicken Tator Tot Casserole
Source: The Country Cook

1 (32 oz.) bag frozen tater tots
1 (3 oz.)bag bacon pieces (you can cook your own bacon and break into pieces)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk
salt & pepper, to taste

Spray crockpot with nonstick cooking spray. Layer half of the frozen tater tots on the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the bacon pieces. Now top with 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Add diced chicken on top. Season with salt & pepper. Now add 1/3 of the bacon pieces and another 1/3 of shredded cheese. Put the rest of the frozen tater tots on top.
Finish with the remaining 1/3 cheddar cheese and remaining 1/3 of bacon pieces.
Pour 3/4 cup milk all over the top. Cover and cook on low about 4-6 hours.

*You can make this in the oven, you just need to partially thaw the tator tots first.  Spray a

9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray.

Then layer ingredients into baking dish. Cover and bake at 350F degrees for about an hour to an hour and a half.

Grilled Stuffed Zucchini

My zucchini plants this year did give me a few zucchini but that was about it. Luckily good people who can grow things like to give zucchini away. I love zucchini bread, but only so much of it so then I had to decided what to do with all the rest of the zucchini. I found two new zucchini loves. One is zucchini fries and the other is this stuffed zucchini. It was really, really good and I love that it is cooked on the grill so you don't have to heat up your house!

Grilled Stuffed Zucchini
Source: Our Best Bites

2 medium zucchini (about 10″)
4 oz Italian sausage
1/4 C diced red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium tomato (about 1/2 C diced)
1 1/2 T chopped fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon of dried)
2/3 C Italian cheese blend
1 T Italian style bread crumbs
kosher salt
black pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Slice zucchini in half length wise, leaving the tops on. Scoop out the centers, saving them in a bowl. Leave at least 1/4 inch around the edges and bottoms. Take the good parts of the zucchini guts you just scooped out and dice up 1/2 C. This will go in your filling. Drizzle the zucchini shells with a little olive oil and use your hands to rub it on all sides. Sprinkle with some kosher salt and black pepper and set aside.
Preheat your grill outside and then start your filling in a skillet on the stove top. Start by browning the sausage. When you no longer see pink, add the onions, garlic, and diced zucchini. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onion is tender. Add tomato and basil, some salt and some pepper. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
Take your zucchini to the grill and put them hollow-side down. Grill for about 5 minutes on medium heat. They should have nice charred marks and look tender on the inside. Take them back inside. Add cheese and bread crumbs to filling mixture. Stir to combine and then divide the filling between the zucchini. Top each zucchini with about 1T cheese and sprinkle with 1/4-1/2 t bread crumbs.  Then, give them a little drizzle of olive oil.
Place them back on the grill (filling side up). Close grill lid, and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Larger/thicker zucchini will obviously take longer to cook. If you’re doing this inside, it will take a little longer seeing as you can’t close the lid to keep in the heat. You also might want to broil them in the oven when they’re finished to help the cheese on top get nice and bubbly.

Peach Pie

This is probably my most favorite peach dessert of all time. It is my Grandma Hunsaker's recipe and it is so so good!!!


PEACH PIE
 
4 cups peaches
¾ cup sugar
1 pkg. Knox gelatin
¼ cup cold water
½ cup hot water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ pt. cream
Crust:
16 graham crackers
1 teaspoon flour
½ cup melted margarine
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Make crust and press ¾ of it into a 10” pie pan.  Add sugar to the sliced and peeled peaches.  Set aside.  Mix gelatin and cold water and let set until hard and add hot water to soften gelatin.  Add lemon juice to peaches.  Let it begin to set.  Add whipped cream to mixture and pour into crust.  Top with remaining graham cracker crust.  Chill before serving.

Cinnaburst Bread

About a year ago, my friend introduced me to cinnamon chips. I now put them in everything and I love them. I knew when I found this recipe on pinterest I had to try it. It is just a basic white bread with cinnamon chips mixed in, but it is so yummy!

Cinnaburst Bread
Source: Rae Gun Ramblings

 

1 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk

1/3 cup sugar
2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
1/3 cup oil
1/2 T salt
1 egg
4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cinnamon chips ( I might have added a little more)

In mixer combine yeast, sugar, and warm water and milk; let bubble for about 5 minutes. Add in oil and egg. Slowly add 2 cups flour, mix and then add salt. Add 1/2 cup flour at a time until it comes away from side of bowl. Add the cinnamon chips when it gets close to the right consistency. The dough will be very sticky but the softer the dough the lighter the bread. So use the least amount of flour you can handle. Let rise in mixing bowl for about 30 minutes. Form into loaf (or whatever shape you want). Let rise and additional 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

Makes 2 loaves

Million Dollar Spaghetti

Spaghetti has always been a meal that I have liked. It is just an easy go-to meal when I have nothing else planned. My kids even like it pretty well, so that right there is a keeper. This spaghetti recipe is spaghetti in a casserole form. I thought it was really good and pretty easy. My kids weren't entirely sold on it because "it has white stuff in it", but they did pretty good eating it.


Million Dollar Spaghetti
Source: Being Grown Up

1 lb. ground beef
1 can spaghetti sauce
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. sour cream
1 c. cottage cheese
1 stick of butter ( I didn't use this much, I used more like 1/2)
8 oz. noodles
shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350. Boil the noodles. While they are boiling mix up the cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese. Make sure it is mixed very well. Brown your ground beef and drain. Then pour spaghetti sauce over it. Take a few slices of butter and place in bottom of a casserole dish. Then, layer half the noodles in the bottom of the dish. Pour the creamy mixture on top of the noodles and spread all over. Then add the rest of the noodles and put a few slices of butter on top. Pour the ground beef with sauce over top and spread. Place dish in over for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take dish out and put cheese on top and put back in oven for 15 minutes.