#3904 - Cheddar Macaroni Salad

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 box elbow macaroni
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell peppers
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup mayo
3/4 cup Breakstone's sour cream
1 TBSP white sugar
3 TBSP white vinegar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook/drain elbow macaroni in salted water according to box directions but DO NOT RINSE. In a bowl add chopped red bell peppers, chopped green bell peppers, chopped celery, mayo, sour cream, white sugar, white vinegar and milk--mix well. Taste--if too sweet add more white vinegar and stir again. If too sour, add more white sugar and stir again. Once you like the flavor, add the drained macaroni and shredded cheddar cheese--toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

#3779 - Deluxe Mashed Potatoes

(by Shirley McNevich)

2lbs. red potatoes (washed, peeled and cut into 2" or so pieces)
3 cups chopped broccoli florets
2 TBSP butter
1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 tsp. finely chopped garlic
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Breakstone's sour cream
milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large saucepan add potato pieces--cover them with water. Over medium heat bring the water to a boil, then cook the potatoes for 10 minutes. Add the chopped broccoli pieces to the potatoes and continue to cook another 8-10 minutes or until potatoes and broccoli are tender. Remove from heat, then drain and set aside. In a skillet over medium heat add butter--melt. Add chopped red bell peppers--cook/stir for 3 minutes. Add chopped garlic--cook/stir 1-2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. In a large bowl add drained potatoes/broccoli, red bell peppers/garlic, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper--mash with a potato masher. Add milk a little at a time, stirring in between, until mashed potatoes are the consistency you desire.

#3654 - Multi Colored Pasta Salad

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 16oz. box multi-colored rotini pasta
1 zucchini (washed and sliced, peeled before slicing if you wish)
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1/2 lb. cooked ham (cut into bite sized pieces)
6oz. pepperoni slices (quartered)
1/2 of a red bell pepper (chopped)
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 tsp. oregano
salt and pepper (to your taste)
1 cup Italian salad dressing (more if necessary)
fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 small container cherry tomatoes (quartered)

Cook and drain pasta in salted water but DO NOT RINSE. In a large bowl add sliced zucchini, sliced black olives, ham pieces, pepperoni pieces, chopped red bell peppers, chopped celery, sliced green onions, oregano, salad dressing and drained pasta--toss well. Taste--adjust seasonings and add salt/pepper as necessary. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, add cherry tomato pieces and shredded mozzarella cheese--stir well. Sprinkle fresh grated Parmesan cheese over the top before serving. If salad is too dry, add a little more Italian salad dressing.

#3640 - Italian Chili

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 rib of celery (chopped)
1 onion (chopped)
1/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped red bell peppers
1 TBSP canola oil
1/4lb. Italian sausage (loose/crumbled - more if you wish)
1 - 15oz. can Italian stewed tomatoes
1 cup canned kidney beans (drained and rinsed - more if you wish)
1 cup water
5 TBSP Hunt's tomato paste
3/4 tsp. chili powder (optional)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
shredded cheese (your choice of type)

In a skillet add canola oil, chopped celery, chopped onions, chopped green bell peppers and chopped red bell peppers - cook/stir over medium heat until vegetables are tender, then set aside. In a Dutch oven add crumbled sausage--cook/stir until sausage is browned, then drain off any grease. Add vegetable mixture, stewed tomatoes, kidney beans, water, tomato paste, chili powder, salt and pepper to the sausage--cook/stir until mixed and boiling. Once boiling, turn heat back to simmer. Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until thickened. Serve in bowls and sprinkle shredded cheese over the top of each bowl when serving.

#3624 - Baked Enchiladas

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 red bell pepper (chopped)
8oz. mushrooms (sliced)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 TBSP butter
1 cup Breakstone's sour cream
1 - 10.75oz. can Campbell's cream of chicken soup (do NOT add water)
8oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups cooked chicken pieces
6 tortillas
1 jar salsa

Line a 9 x 13 baking dish with foil, then spray the inside of the foil with Pam. In a saucepan over medium heat add butter, chopped onions, mushrooms and red bell peppers--cook/stir until tender, then drain. Add sour cream, cream of chicken soup and HALF of the shredded cheese to the mushroom mixture--stir to mix. Add cooked chicken pieces--stir to mix. Spread the mixture evenly over each tortilla shell, roll them closed and place them side by side in the foil-lined baking dish. Spread salsa (your choice of amount) and remaining shredded cheese over the tops. Bake at 350 degrees 20-25 minutes or until hot. Note: if you're afraid they will get soggy during baking, omit the salsa and serve salsa on the side instead.

#3320 - Bacon Corn

(by Shirley McNevich)

1lb. bacon
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 chopped red bell pepper
32oz. whole kernel corn (drained)
salt and pepper (to your taste)

Chop the raw bacon into bite sized pieces. In a cast iron skillet add the bacon pieces--cook/stir over medium heat until bacon is browned but still soft. Drain off the bacon grease but save the grease. Add the chopped onions and chopped peppers to the bacon--cook/stir whole mixture until onions and peppers are tender (stirring constantly). Turn heat back to low--add the drained corn--cook/stir until corn is hot and tender. Optional--add a tsp. or two of bacon grease and stir well. Add salt and pepper to your taste--stir well.

#3235 - Vinegar Corn Salad

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 15oz. can sweet kernel corn (drained) OR the same amount of cooked fresh sweet corn
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell peppers
1/3 cup chopped sweet onions
1 tomato (chopped)
3 TBSP cider vinegar
2 TBSP white sugar
1 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP water
a pinch of salt
fresh ground black pepper (to your taste)

In a bowl add corn kernels, chopped peppers (green, red and yellow) and chopped onions--toss to mix. In a bowl add cider vinegar, white sugar, olive oil, water, salt and pepper--stir to mix. Pour the vinegar mixture over the corn mixture--stir to coat. If too dry, repeat making vinegar mixture as necessary and adding to the corn mixture--stir to mix. Cover and refrigerate until cold. When ready to serve, add chopped tomatoes--stir well.

#3190 - Omelette Muffins

(by Shirley McNevich)

1/2 pound loose sausage (your choice of flavor)
12 eggs
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped red bell peppers OR green bell peppers
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup shredded cheese (your choice of flavor)

In a cast iron skillet cook/brown loose sausage, then drain off all the grease. Break all of the eggs into a large glass bowl--beat with a whisk. Add chopped onions, chopped peppers, salt, pepper and garlic powder--beat with a whisk. Add drained sausage and shredded cheese--stir with a wooden spoon until mixed. Grease the cups of a muffin tin. Use a ladle to spoon the egg mixture into the cups of muffin tins (stir egg mixture in between filling each cup so that the sausage stays mixed and doesn't all float to the bottom). Repeat until all egg mixture is evenly distributed in all of the greased muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 23-25 minutes--test with a knife for doneness.

#2988 - Brown Rice and Sausage

(by Shirley McNevich)

1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
2 - 3.5oz bags Uncle Ben's quick-cooking brown rice (boiling bags)
1 cup chicken broth (more if necessary)
1 onion (chopped)
1/2 of a green bell pepper (chopped)
1/2 of a red bell pepper (chopped)
1lb. good quality smoked sausage OR hot sausage

Boil both bags of brown rice in water according to box directions. While the rice is cooking, cut the sausage into coin shaped pieces. In a skillet over medium heat add the sausage pieces--cook/stir until sausage is browned. Cover a plate with paper towels and remove the sausage pieces one at a time and place them on the paper towels to drain. Reserve any sausage drippings in the skillet. In the same skillet add red bell peppers, green bell peppers, chopped onions and a little bit of the reserved sausage drippings--cook/stir over medium heat until tender. Add the chicken broth to the onion mixture--cook/stir until boiling. When rice is done cooking, open the bags and add the rice to the chicken broth mixture--stir. Add the drained sausage pieces, salt and pepper to the chicken broth mixture--cook/stir until hot. If you want more sausage flavor in the rice, add more of the sausage drippings.

#2985 - Turkey Meatloaf

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 TBSP olive oil
1 onion (finely chopped)
1/2 of a red bell pepper (chopped)
1/2 of a green bell pepper (chopped)
1lb. ground turkey
1 cup chunky salsa
1 beaten egg
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 garlic clove (minced)
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup water

In a skillet over medium heat add olive oil, chopped onions and chopped bell peppers--cook/stir until tender. In a bowl add ground turkey, salsa, beaten egg, salt, pepper and minced garlic--mix with your hands. Add cooked brown rice, onions and peppers--mix with your hands. Form the mixture into a loaf and place it in a greased bread loaf pan. Carefully pour 1/2 cup of water into the bread loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, adding more water if necessary so it doesn't burn. Bake until heated through.

#2932 - Ranch Omelettes

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 TBSP Parkay margarine
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped onions
8 beaten eggs
1 cup prepared Hidden Valley Ranch milk recipe ranch salad dressing
2 TBSP flour
a pinch of baking soda
3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese

In a bowl add beaten eggs, ranch dressing, flour, baking soda and Swiss cheese--beat with a whisk until mixed. In a nonstick skillet over medium heat add margarine, chopped red bell peppers and chopped onions--cook/stir over medium heat until peppers are tender. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet--reduce heat to low. Cover with a lid and cook until eggs are no longer runny. Slide the whole mixture on to a serving plate, add salt and pepper as desired, and cut into pie shaped wedges to serve.

#2783 - Shrimp and Sausage

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 large onion (chopped)
1 green bell pepper (chopped)
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
1 cup chopped celery
8oz. smoked sausage (cut into coin shaped pieces)
1 - 28oz. can diced tomatoes (do NOT drain)
3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
12oz. (or more) medium shrimp (peeled and de-veined)
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
cooked rice

In a crockpot add chopped onions, chopped green bell peppers, chopped red bell peppers, chopped celery, sausage pieces, diced tomatoes/juice, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano--stir well. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until vegetables are tender. Add shrimp and parsley--stir, then cook on high heat for 20-30 minutes or until shrimp are done. Serve over cooked rice.

#2592 - Corkscrew Macaroni and Beef

(by Shirley McNevich)

1lb. ground chuck
1 onion (chopped)
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 can Campbell's tomato soup (undiluted)
1/4 cup boiling water (if necessary)
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce (more if you wish)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups corkscrew pasta

Cook corkscrew pasta according to box directions--drain but do NOT rinse. In a skillet over medium heat add ground chuck, chopped onions, chopped green bell peppers, chopped red bell peppers, salt and pepper--cook/stir until meat is browned and onions/peppers are tender. Drain off an extra fat. Add tomato soup, Worcestershire sauce, shredded cheddar cheese and drained pasta to beef mixture--stir well. Cook/stir until pasta is hot. If mixture is too thick, add 1/4 cup boiling water and stir well.

#2579 - Breakfast Cupcakes

(by Shirley McNevich)

1/2 lb. bacon (cooked until slightly crisp, then crumbled)
12 eggs
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/4 cup red bell peppers
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Parmesan cheese

In a bowl add eggs--beat. Add chopped onions, salt, garlic powder, chopped green bell peppers, chopped red bell peppers and pepper--stir until mixed. Add shredded cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon--stir until mixed. Grease the heck out of a muffin tin--place 1/3 cup of the egg mixture into each well greased muffin cup. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. If you don't grease the muffin tin well they will stick badly. Sprinkle each with Parmesan cheese before serving.