Mom's Lasagna

9 lasagna noodles, cooked
1 small onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 large jar spaghetti sauce (or 2 medium jars) (I use Ragu light)
1 8-oz container of ricotta cheese
16 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Cook onion with ground beef until onions are tender and meat is brown. Drain and add the spaghetti sauce. Spread ¼ cup of sauce on the bottom of a 13x9x2 pan. Then make three layers this way: noodles, sauce, ricotta (by teaspoonfuls dropped around the casserole), and mozzarella cheese. Bake in a 350º oven for 45 minutes. If prepared ahead of time and refrigerated, bake for an hour. Let set about ten minutes before cutting.

Chicken Lombardi

8 oz. package of portabella mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
6 thinly sliced chicken breasts
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
2/3 cup Chardonnay
2 Tbsp. sherry (I used Harvey's Bristol Cream)
----instead of the Cardonnay and sherry, you can use ¾ cup of Marsala wine---
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 green onions, chopped

Preheat oven to 450˚F.
Cook mushrooms in 2 Tbsp. butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium high heat, stirring constantly 3-5 minutes.  Remove from pan.
Dredge chicken in flour by placing them in a zippered plastic bag and jiggling them around to coat evenly.
Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in the frying pan and cook half of the chicken.  Brown for 3 minutes on one side, then turn and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove to a large greased baking dish.  Repeat with the other 2 Tbsp. of butter and rest of the chicken.  Chicken should be in a single layer in the baking dish.  Use two dishes, if necessary.
Place the mushrooms on top of the chicken.
Add the Chardonnay, sherry, and chicken broth to the frying pan.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to form a reduction.
Pour over the chicken and mushrooms.
Combine cheeses with green onions and spread over chicken and mushrooms.
Bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until cheese melts.
Serve with pasta or rice, and a vegetable!


Nut-crusted Pomegranate Chicken

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 -2 lb)
¾ cup seasoned bread crumbs
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 container pomegranate-berry yogurt (I use fat-free Stonyfield)
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp. water
3 tbsp. olive oil
Place chicken between pieces of waxed paper. Pound with meat mallet or rolling pin until thin.
In a shallow dish mix bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.
In a separate dish combine yogurt, egg, and water.
Dip chicken into yogurt, then coat with crumb mixture.
Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until hot. Cook chicken 10-12 minutes, turning once, until chicken is no longer pink in the middle and coating is golden brown.

Chicken & Pear Bundles

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can pear halves
4 slices of mozzarella cheese
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon cold water
1 cup seedless raspberry preserves
2 tsp lemon juice
Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Unroll puff pastry; cut each into two portions for a total of four pieces of puff pastry. Combine egg and cold water; brush over edges of pastry.
Place chicken in the center. Place a slice of cheese on each piece of chicken and sliced pears over the cheese. Roll up tightly, tucking in ends to form bundles. 
Place bundles on a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking sheet (Make sure the baking sheet is at least an inch deep, as these get juicy.) Brush remaining egg on top of puff pastry. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Place on serving dish.
Combine raspberry preserves and lemon juice. Heat for 10 seconds in the microwave on high. Drizzle over chicken bundles to serve. Yield: 4 servings.

Chicken Fajita Casserole

1 box chicken fajita dinner kit
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 lb. chicken cut into bite-sized pieces
1 bag frozen peppers and onions, thawed and drained
1 bag southwest corn, drained and thawed
In season: 1 cup shredded zucchini
1 cup (8oz) shredded Colby-Jack cheese
Heat oven to 375¢ª. Spray 13 x 9 inch pan with cooking spray.
Stir fry chicken until no longer pink.
Combine tomato sauce with mix and sauce from the fajita dinner kit. Add chicken.
Combine vegetables.
Layer the ingredients: 5 tortillas, sauce, veggies, cheese; 5 more tortillas, sauce veggies, cheese.
Cover baking pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 minutes more. Let stand ten minutes before cutting. Serve with salsa topping, if desired.


Country Style Ribs - slow cooker style
3 lbs country style pork ribs
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cups Bloody Mary mix (It's the "secret" ingredient!)
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup catsup
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup yellow mustard
Place ribs and onions in slow cooker. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over ribs. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Shrimp in Cream Sauce

2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can cream of shrimp soup
1/2 cup minced parsley
2 lbs. frozen shrimp, defrosted and cleaned
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot cooked pasta or rice
In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add broth and garlic. Bring to a boil and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add can of soup (unconstituted), parsley, salt, and pepper. Add shrimp and heat through. Serve over pasta or rice.

Galley Chicken

6 chicken cutlets cut into bite-sized pieces
1 can (4 oz) sliced mushrooms or 8 oz box of sliced fresh mushrooms
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 c. bread crumbs
1 stick butter or margarine
1 c. dry white wine
Arrange chicken and mushroom pieces in a 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Spread cheese over mixture, then sprinkle bread crumbs over cheese. Melt butter in saucepan and stir in wine. Pour butter mixture over chicken. Bake, uncovered at 350º for 45 minutes. Serves 6.
NOTE: If you use fresh mushrooms, the casserole will be rather juicy. If you don't like this, increase the amount of bread crumbs to 1 1/2 cups. However, my husband likes to spoon that extra juice over his chicken!
Other versions: My daughter has experimented with other juicy additions. For a less-fattening version, use 1 1/2 cups of wine and no butter. For a "redneck" version, use beer instead of wine. For a nonalcoholic version, use chicken broth instead of wine. All are very tasty!

Corned Beef Casserole

3 cups uncooked egg noodles (I used mini bow ties)- this is about half of a box.
2 14-oz cans sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup, unconstituted
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 tbsp. prepared mustard
1 lb deli or home-cooked corned beef, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
3 slices day-old rye bread processed into crumbs
2 tbsp. melted butter
Cook noodles and drain. Mix with the next seven ingredients. Place in a greased casserole (13x9x2) or two 9" round casseroles. Combine crumbs and butter. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake uncovered at 350º for 40-45 mins. If you prepare this ahead of time and refrigerate it, then bake for an hour.

Healthy Chili

2 lb. ground turkey or 1 lb ground beef and 1 lb ground turkey
1 small or ½ large onion, chopped
1 large can Bush’s baked beans with brown sugar
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato soup
1-2 pkg chili mix (how hot do you want it?)
1 Tbsp. diced garlic
Brown meat with onions and drain. Add rest of ingredients and cook on low, uncovered, for about an hour or until the chili thickens. Garnish with sour cream and parsley. Serve with bread and a salad. Serves 4-5.

Creamed Turkey

Leftover turkey (or chicken), cut into bite-size pieces
2 tbsp. butter
1 small onion
4 stalks celery
1 green pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
¾ cup milk
1 4-oz. can mushroom stems and pieces (or 4 oz fresh mushrooms)
Egg noodles or rice, cooked.
Cook onion, celery, pepper, and fresh mushrooms in butter until tender. Add soup, milk, and turkey. Heat through and serve over noodles or rice.

Chelle's Salmon Filets

Buy Salmon Filets (not steaks) for as many people that you're serving.
Preheat oven to 450
Place salmon in a baking dish and sprinkle with the following ingredients:
Mediterranean Herb Crumbled Feta (or regular feta cheese)
Capers
Chopped red onion
quartered cherry tomatoes

Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the filet. Salmon should reach 145 degrees internal temperature.
Serve with Japanese sticky rice, and creamed spinach.

Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas

1 can cream of chicken soup
½ cup sour cream
1 cup picante sauce
3 tsp chili powder
2 cups cooked chicken
½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
6 flour tortillas (warmed)
1 small tomato, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
Stir the soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder in a medium bowl .
Stir 1 cup picante sauce mixture, chicken and cheese in a large bowl.
Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas. Roll up the tortillas and place them seam side up in 11 x 8" shallow baking dish. Pour the remaining picante sauce mixture over the filled tortillas. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 40 min. or until the enchiladas are hot and bubbling. Top with the tomato and onion.

Chicken Garlic Alfredo Roll Ups

8 Lasagna noodles
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken (I used rotisserie)
2 cups shredded lowfat mozzarella cheese
1 jar light Alfredo Sauce:
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water and lay them on a paper towel to remove excess water.

Combine Alfredo sauce, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese. Line the bottom of the 9x13 inch pan with 1 cup of the Alfredo sauce.

Spread 2 Tbs of the Alfredo sauce over each noodle. Take evenly spread the chicken over each noodle and top with about 3 Tbs shredded mozzarella cheese. Carefully roll up each lasagne noodle and place seam side down in your 9×13 prepared pan. Repeat.

Once they are all in the pan, pour the remaining Alfredo sauce over the top and top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

Garnish with fresh chopped parsley
Optional: Top with chopped bacon before baking, but this adds calories to this low-fat meal!
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