Lemon Sheet Cake

Lemon Sheet Cake
-Taste of Home

1 package (18 1/4 oz) lemon cake mix
4 eggs
1 can (15 3/4 oz) lemon pie filling
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cake mix and eggs until well blended. Fold in pie filling. Spread into a greased 15x10x1 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Spread over cake. Store in the refrigerator.

Yield: 30-35 servings

My Notes
I did this in a glass baking dish, and it took close to 30 minutes to bake. I think I'm going to add a splash of lemon juice to the frosting next time, too.

Reviews
Didn't last too long. Caleb had 2 pieces the first night- he said the first piece we gave him wasn't big enough, lol.

Beef Stirfry

Beef Stirfry
-Kraft

This link will take you to the original recipe. I've changed it to make it quick and easy for us.

1 lb beef (I get whatever is on sale)
1 bag (16 oz) frozen stir fry vegetables
1 lb spaghetti or thin spaghetti
teriyaki sauce
pepper
garlic

Cook spaghetti according to directions. Slice beef thin and stir fry over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper. Add vegetables and cook another 10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Pour in some teriyaki sauce. I use about 1/4-1/2 cup. Combine meat and veggies with spaghetti.


Reviews

This is the only stirfry that I make anymore.

Manicotti

Manicotti

1 lb hamburger
1 pkg manicotti
mozzerella cheese
Parmesan cheese
1 lg can spaghetti sauce

Cook manicotti until almost al dente (about 1 minute less than what's listed on the box). Brown hamburger, drain, and season with pepper, garlic, oregano, basil, and cinnamon. Place about 1/2 cup of sauce on bottom of baking dish. Fill manicotti with a few spoonfuls of meat. Cover with remaining sauce, Parmesan, and mozzerella. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Reviews
Winner with the hamburger eaters in the family.

Quick and Easy Tater Tot Casserole

Quick and Easy Tater Tot Casserole
-Shelby

1 lb hamburger
1 sm. onion
1 can cream of mushroom (or chicken) soup
tater tots

Brown hamburger and onion. Mix in baking dish with soup and cover with tater tots. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. For variation, add frozen veggies and sprinkle top with cheese.

My Notes
I leave out the onion and add 1 cup sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, pepper, and mix in the cheddar cheese (Josh won't eat it if he sees the cheese).

Reviews
This is pretty well received. Mischa won't eat it since it has hamburger, although I get her to eat the tater tots with the addition of sour cream.

Cherry Turnovers

Cherry Turnovers
-Woman's Day

1 box (15 oz) refrigerated ready-to-bake pie crusts, at room temperature, unfolded
White from 1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling

Position rackes to divide oven in thirds. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray. Cut each crust in quarters. Brush all edges with egg white. Put 1/4 cup cherries slightly to one side of each wedge. Fold other side over filling; seal edges with tines of a fork. Put on baking sheets. Brush with egg white; sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Cut 3 slits in top of each. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden (edges may open a little). Immediately transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 8.

My Notes
I goofed and threw out the egg white after sealing the edges, and didn't have any more eggs. They turned out okay, though. I also had almost enough pie filling to do another 8. I think next time I'll use a little less than 1/4 cup of filling and make 16.

Reviews
Gone. All of them. Never made it to the fridge for tomorrow. So good for something so easy and fast to put together.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

Bruschetta Chicken Bake
-Kraft

1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 package (6 oz) Stove Top lower sodium stuffing mix for chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1 cup Kraft shredded mozzerella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tomatoes with their liquid in medium bowl. Add stuffing mix, 1/2 cup hot water and the garlic; stir just until stuffing mix is moistened. Set aside. Place chicken in 13x9 inch baking dish; sprinkle with basil and cheese. Top with the stuffing mixture. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Makes 6 servings.

My Notes
I used Italian diced tomatoes.
I also didn't measure the basil and used dried oregano, too.
Next time, I think I'll brown the chicken first.
I also baked it below a baking sheet for my potatoes. The stuffing mix was too mushy- it'll be on top next time.

Reviews
The kids weren't too wild on this one. I don't think anybody willingly ate it.
We had a special guest judge (my dad) on this one. All the adults loved it and we decided the things I'll do next time will be very good for the dish.

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread
Southern Living

3/4 Cup butter, softened
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 Cups sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 medium)
1 Cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
Combine flour and net 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans, and vanilla. Spoon batter into 2 (8x4 inch) loaf pans coated with baking spray.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a long wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, shielding with aluminum foil for the last 15 minutes to prevent excessive browning, if necessary. Cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Serve with butter, if desired.

Makes 2 loaves.

My Notes
I made this without the nuts.

Reviews
Oh. My. Goodness. I don't think I'll make any other recipe for banana bread again.

Italian Roast Potatoes

Italian Roast Potatoes

red potatoes
Italian salad dressing
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash potatoes, cut into quarters. Toss in bowl with Italian dressing. Put onto baking sheet, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 20 minutes.

Review
Everyone but the baby ate these like no tomorrow. I made about half a bag of potatoes, I might even make close to the whole bag next time.

Italian Pork Hoagies

Italian Pork Hoagies
-Quick Cooking

6 hoagie buns, split
1/2 cup pizza sauce
12 slices cooked pork (1/4 inch thick)
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Open hoagie buns and place cut side up on a baking sheet. Spread pizza sauce on the bottom half of each bun. Top with pork; drizzle with salad dressing. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350° for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and tops of buns are lightly toasted. Replace bun tops. Yield: 6 servings.

Review
This is our favourite pork leftover solution.

Potato Pizzas

Potato Pizzas



1 package yeast

2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp butter, melted

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 lb small red potatoes

1 medium red onion

4 firm, ripe plum tomatoes

1 Tbsp cornmeal

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup fresh parsley



Add 2/3 cup warm water to yeast; set aside 3-5 minutes. Add 1/3 cup flour and stir until smooth. Add butter, 1/2 tsp salt, and remaining flour; stir until dough. Knead 5-10 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise 1 hour.
Wash potatoes and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Decrease heat to medium and simmer 10-15 minutes. Drain and cool.
Punch dough down, divide into quarters. Refrigerate each quarter until needed. Peel onion, cut tomatoes and potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices. Cover loosely and set aside.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Roll each portion into a 7 inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Put on a pizza sheet. Top with veggies. Drizzle oil over pizzas, sprinkle with Parmesan, oregano, pepper, and salt.
Bake for 10 minutes, then decrease heat to 400 degrees. Bake another 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

My Notes
I have only made this with russet potatoes (I'm trying it with red potatoes this week), and have never made it with the onion and parsley.
This pizza is great cold or at room temperature.

Reviews
Perry and I both really like this. The kids haven't had it yet.

Hidden Valley Ranch Chicken

Hidden Valley Ranch Chicken

1 packet Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dressing Mix
1/4 cup cornflake crumbs
6-8 pieces of chicken (bone in)

Combine dressing mix with cornflake crumbs in plastic bag. Add the chicken, shake until coated. Bake on a baking sheet for 50 minutes at 375 degrees.

Yield: 4-6 servings

My Notes
I use boneless, skinless breasts and bake for 30 minutes, or cut them into nuggets and bake for 20 minutes.

Reviews
Everyone eats this, no problems.

Gyro Burgers

Greek food and Italian food are my downfalls. I dragged the family 30 minutes away to go to a Greek festival, where my kids discovered the joy of gyros. They wouldn't touch the dolmades or spanakopita, but I didn't mind, since that meant more for me. My oldest daughter won't touch hamburger, but I thought I would try this to entice her. I started out with a recipe from a supermarket magazine, but I changed just about everything, so I'll just post my recipe.

Gyro Burgers

1 egg
2 lb hamburger (I used chuck since it was on sale)
3 slices bread (I used 2 hot dog buns since they were all I had)
6 oz plain yogurt
8 oz sour cream
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
4 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
6 pita bread rounds
lemon juice
garlic powder
oregano
pepper

1. Mix hamburger, egg, bread, garlic powder, pepper, and oregano (spices to taste). Form into
patties (I ended up making about 8- 1/2 inch thick, 3 inches wide, and 5 inches long). Fry in
skillet (or grill) until done.
2. Mix yogurt, sour cream, garlic powder (to taste), and a few splashes of lemon juice together.
3. Serve patties on pita lined with cucumber and tomato slices. Cover with yogurt sauce.

My Notes:
After the patties were cooked, I sliced them in half, widthwise, and put them in the pitas, which I had cut in half, for the kids. The original recipe shows just placing them on a whole pita, but I figured a pita pocket was the neatest way to go. I also added feta cheese to finish mine.

Reviews:
Perry, Caleb, and I really liked this.
Josh just ate a patty with ketchup.
Mischa ate the cucumbers, tomatoes, and licked the yogurt sauce from her hamburger. She wouldn't eat the hamburger.