Chili Beef Casserole

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 4 servings

 3/4 pound lean ground beef

 2 teaspoons olive oil

 2 onions, chopped

 1 green bell pepper, chopped

 1/4 cup frozen green peas

 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

 1 (14.5 ounce) can canned tomatoes, drained and chopped

 1/4 cup tomato paste

 1 (15.25 ounce) can kidney beans, drained

 1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

 4 (6 inch) corn tortillas, quartered

 1/3 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium casserole dish.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until evenly brown. Drain, and set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in a separate skillet over medium heat, and cook the onions until tender. Mix in the green pepper and peas, and season with chili powder and red pepper flakes. Stir the cooked beef, tomatoes, and tomato paste into the mixture. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 5 minutes. Mix in the kidney beans and corn.
4. Spoon 1/2 the skillet mixture into the prepared casserole dish, and top with 1/2 the tortilla quarters. Layer with remaining skillet mixture.
5. Cover and bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove cover, and top with remaining tortillas and cheese. Continue baking 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Chicken and Ham Casserole

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 2 servings

 2 tablespoons butter

 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

 1 cup milk

 1/2 cup cooked, cubed chicken breast meat

 1/2 cup cooked and cubed ham

 1/2 cup cooked wide egg noodles

 1/4 cup chopped celery

 1/4 teaspoon salt

 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

 3 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

 1 teaspoon paprika

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in the flour and heat until bubbly. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and smooth.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the chicken, ham, noodles, celery, salt and ground black pepper. Transfer this mixture to a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.
4. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with the cheese and top with paprika, as desired. Return to oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

Slow-Cooker Pepper Steak

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 6 servings

 2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 2 inch strips

 garlic powder to taste

 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

 1 cube beef bouillon

 1/2 cup hot water

 1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

 1/2 cup chopped onion

 3 large green bell peppers, roughly chopped

 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid

 4 tablespoons soy sauce

 2 teaspoon white sugar

 2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1.Sprinkle strips of sirloin with garlic powder to taste. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil and cook the beef strips until is brown then put  to a slow cooker.

2.Melt bouillon cube with hot water until dissolved, then mix in cornstarch until dissolved. Pour into the slow cooker with meat. Stir in stewed tomatoes, soy sauce, onions, green peppers,sugar, and salt.

3.Cover, and cook on medium for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

Baked mustard salmon

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 4 servings

 1/2 cup butter

 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard

 2 tablespoons honey

 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

 5 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

 4 (4 ounce) fillets salmon

 salt and pepper to taste

 1 lemon, for garnish

Directions

1-Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2-In a  bowl, mix together butter, mustard, and honey. Set aside. In another bowl, stir together bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.

3-Brush each salmon fillet lightly with honey mustard mixture, and sprinkle the tops of the fillets with the bread crumb mixture.

4-Bake salmon 13 to 16 minutes in the preheated oven, or until it flakes easily with a fork. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 4 servings

 4 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices

 2 onions, sliced into rings

 salt and pepper to taste

 4 tablespoons butter

 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

 1/2 teaspoon salt

 3 cups milk

 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 1 quart casserole dish.

2.Cut 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Top with the onions slices, and add the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3.In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for two minutes. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 1 minute. Pour cheese over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.

4.Bake 1 3/4 hours in the preheated oven.