#3748 - Green Onion Cheese Dip

(by Shirley McNevich)

1/2 cup mayo
1 - 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
2 green onions (chopped)
10 Ritz crackers (crushed)
10 slices bacon (fried and crumbled)

In a bowl add mayo and cream cheese--mix well. Add both cheeses and chopped green onions--stir well. Spread the mixture into a 9" glass pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees 15-20 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon over the top. Serve with good quality crackers.

#3629 - Baked Tomato Slices

(by Shirley McNevich)

3 large tomatoes
1 bag shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers (red, green, orange, yellow--one color OR a mixture)
oregano

Slice each tomato into 4-5 thick slices and arrange them on a foil lined baking sheet. Spoon chopped bell peppers evenly over each tomato. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the tops of each tomato. Sprinkle a little oregano over the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees 15 minutes or until cheese is browned and bubbling. Remove slices using a slotted spatula to drain off any extra juices before place them on serving plates.

#3405 - Scrambled Egg Breakfast Pizza

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - Pillsbury refrigerated pizza crust
olive oil
6 eggs
2 TBSP water
6-8 slices bacon (fried and crumbled)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
salt
pepper
oregano (optional)

Grease a large cookie sheet with Pam. Roll the pizza dough out to a rectangle and place it on the cookie sheet. Use your fingers all around the edges to make the edges slightly higher than the rest of the dough (so your toppings won't fall off). In a bowl add 1 TBSP olive oil and use a pastry brush to brush the olive oil all over the top of the pizza dough. Use the tines of a fork and genrously poke the whole pizza dough with the fork tines. Bake at 400 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until lightly browned. While the crust is baking, in a bowl add the eggs and the water--beat with a whisk. In a greased skillet over medium heat add the egg mixture--cook/stir until you have scrambled eggs. Once the pizza crust is lightly browned, remove it from the oven. Spread the scrambled eggs evenly all over the top, salt/pepper the whole top to your taste and sprinkle some oregano over the whole top if you wish. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon over the whole top of the pizza. Sprinkle the shredded Monterey Jack cheese all over the top. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese all over the Monterey Jack cheese. Return to oven and bake 6-8 minutes longer or until cheeses are melted. Cool slightly before cutting and serving.

#3257 - Red Salmon Casserole

(by Shirley McNevich)

15oz. canned red salmon (drained well and broken into small pieces)
2 cups uncooked pasta (your choice of shape)
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
4 TBSP butter
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 TBSP flour
2 cups milk
2 TBSP lemon juice (OPTIONAL)
2 TBSP chopped parsley
3-4 slices buttered bread (cut into small pieces)

Cook pasta in salted water according to box directions--drain but do NOT rinse. In a skillet over medium heat add butter and chopped onions--cook/stir until onions are tender. Slowly add flour while stirring. Turn heat back to medium low--slowly add milk to onions--cook/stir until mixture thickens. Add lemon juice and chopped parsley--stir to mix, then remove from heat. Grease a casserole dish and spread drained pasta into the bottom. Arrange salmon pieces over the pasta. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the salmon. Pour all of the onion mixture over the cheese. Spread the rest of the cheese over the top. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and arrange buttered bread pieces over the whole top. Return to oven and bake until buttered bread pieces are brown and crispy.

#1875 - Bacon Cheeseburgers

(by Shirley McNevich)

1lb. ground chuck
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese OR Monterey Jack cheese
6-8 slices of bacon (cooked until crisp, then crumbled)

In a bowl add ground chuck, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, shredded cheese and crumbled bacon--mix with your hands. Shape mixture into balls, place each ball on a small piece of Saran wrap, place a second piece of plastic wrap on top. Press a small plate on top of the ball to form a burger patty. Repeat with all mixture. Grill or bake, then serve on rolls.

#1636 - Skillet Macaroni

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 TBSP canola oil
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green bell pepper
2 minced garlic cloves
1 - 16oz. can kidney beans (drained)
1 - 10oz. frozen whole kernel corn (thawed and drained)
2 - 14.5oz. cans chopped tomatoes
1 - 8oz. box elbow macaroni
1 bag shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 or 2 TBSP chili powder
1/2 tsp. pepper

Cook macaroni according to box directions--drain but do not rinse. In a skillet over medium heat add canola oil, chopped onions, green peppers, minced garlic, chili powder and pepper--stir and cook until onions and peppers are tender. Add kidney beans, corn, and chopped tomatoes--stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer--stir and cook for 15 minutes. Add cooked macaroni--stir. Sprinkle shredded cheese all over the top and wait until cheese melts before removing from stove and serving.

#1343 - Skillet Chicken and Pasta

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 cups cooked penne pasta
1lb. boneless/skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite sized pieces)
1 1/4 cups chunky salsa (mild, medium or hot)
1 cup canned whole kernel corn (drained)
1 green bell pepper (washed and chopped)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
salt and pepper

Cook and drain pasta according to box directions--set aside. In a greased skillet over medium heat add chicken pieces. Salt and pepper chicken to your taste, then brown chicken. Add salsa, corn and chopped green pepper to the chicken--stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat back to simmer, then simmer for 15 minutes while lightly stirring. Add drained pasta to chicken mixture--stir. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top--put a lid on and keep heat on simmer until cheese melts.

#1289 - Kidney Bean Taco Salad

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck
1 chopped onion
1 envelope (1.25oz.) dry taco seasoning--any brand
1 large head iceberg lettuce (washed in cold water and broken into bite sized pieces)
3 chopped tomatoes
1 - 15oz. can kidney beans (drained)
1 - 16oz. bag tortilla chips (broken into bite sized pieces)
1 - 8oz. jar Ortega taco sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese OR 3 blend cheese
1 pint Breakstone's sour cream (optional)

In a skillet over medium heat add ground chuck, chopped onion and taco seasoning--stir and cook until beef is browned. Add lettuce pieces to serving plates. Scoop meat mixture on top of lettuce. Add kidney beans, chopped tomatoes, broken tortilla chips, cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese on top of meat mixture. Top with sour cream and taco sauce if desired.

#943 - Chicken and Rice Casserole

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 cups cooked Carolina River rice (use 1 tsp. salt with rice when cooking)
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken breast (cut into bite sized pieces)
1 - 12oz. can Carnation evaporated milk
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 TBSP butter (melted)

Cook the rice according to package directions. Cook chicken breast and cut into bite sized pieces. In a small bowl add the eggs and beat them--add the pepper to the eggs and mix well. In a large bowl add cooked rice, shredded cheese, chicken pieces, evaporated milk, chopped onions, beaten eggs/pepper, parsley and melted butter--stir to mix. Pour all ingredients into a greased 2 qt. casserole dish. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until inserted knife comes out clean.

#455 - Pepperoni Breadsticks

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 3/4 cups Bisquick
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 - 3.5oz. package pepperoni sliced (cut each slice into small pieces)
1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a bowl, mix all ingredients EXCEPT Parmesan cheese--stir until dough forms. Grease two cookie sheets. Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonsful into a bowl of the Parmesan cheese--roll in cheese to coat. Using your hands, roll each dough ball into a breadstick shape. Place breadsticks 1 1/2" apart on the cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

#369 - Beef and Pasta Casserole

(by Shirley McNevich)

3 cups uncooked medium pasta shells
1 lb. lean ground chuck
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 tsp. salt
1 - 14.5oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
1 - 15oz. jar tomato sauce
2 tsp. white sugar
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 11 x 7" baking dish. Cook pasta according to package directions until tender, then drain well. In a skillet over medium heat, brown beef with onion and celery. Add garlic and salt and cook 3 more minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, white sugar and the pasta. Spoon mixture into the prepared baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Remove foil. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake uncovered for about 5 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted.

#321 - Southwestern Chicken

(by Shirley McNevich)

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 pouch Shake 'n Bake Extra Crispy Seasoned Coating Mix
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat chicken with coating mix as directed on package. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Remove from oven, top each chicken breast with 2 tbsp. salsa. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

#205 - Super Scalloped Potatoes

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 1/2 cups milk
1 level tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 TBSP butter
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a saucepan, bring milk to boiling over medium heat. Add the salt and pepper and stir. Add the sliced potatoes and butter and stir. Put a lid on the saucepan, turn heat on low and cook 15 minutes--make sure lid is tilted. Pour the potato mixture into a 2 qt. greased casserole. Sprinkle cheeses onto potatoes and stir to mix well. Bake at 325 degrees for 60 minutes.