Loaded Hash Browns

So scrumptious!

• 2 onions, diced
• ½ green and/or red pepper, diced (red pepper is sweeter)
• 6 slices of ham, sliced up
• 3 T. butter
• 4 medium potatoes, or use frozen shredded hash browns - they do shrink while cooking, so make a lot!
• shredded cheese - about 3/4 - 1 cup
• 2 tomatoes, diced

►In a non-stick pan, melt 3 T. butter.  Add diced onions, ham, and green or red peppers.  I prefer red peppers, but didn't have either on hand.
Don't use too large of a pan.  The trick is to make sure the onions cover the pan, especially in the center, so there is no space in the middle.  At  the edge of the center of a "circle" of onions, they are more likely to burn.

Cover and cook on medium high.  I like to cover with a lid for a few minutes until the onions have started to cook.  Then remove the lid and continue cooking until onions have browned, about 12 minutes or so total.

►While onions, etc. are cooking, peel and shred the potatoes.
►Remove the onions, peppers, and ham from the pan.  We usually remove them since one child doesn't like onions, but if you're cooking a smaller amount or have a really large pan, you could certainly leave them in the pan and add the potatoes/frozen hash browns.
►Add a few Tablespoons of cooking oil to the pan and let it get hot.  Pour in the potatoes, tossing a little to coat all sides.  Continue to move around for a minute or so, (not too long!) until they have started to cook slightly.  Then lightly pat them down and let them sit and cook.  If you continue stirring, they can become mushy.
►While potatoes are cooking, wash and dice the tomatoes.
►After a few minutes, when you notice the bottom edge has just begun to brown, flip them over.  They will have started to kind of clump together, and this is fine.  You can break them apart more later.  It's easier to drain when they are clumped, though.  Let them cook on the second side, and flip back if needed. 
►When you remove from pan, you can place them on paper towels for a minute.
Add onions, green/red peppers, and ham; top with cheese and tomatoes.
Some like to put it all together and bake before adding tomatoes.  
Salt and pepper to taste.

Upside-Down Chicken/Broccoli Pizza

• 3 T. olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped, about 1 cup
• 2 c. cubed chicken, not cooked
  
• 2 t. Italian seasoning
• ½ t. salt
• ¼ t. pepper
• 4 oz. mushrooms, optional
• 3 cups (16 oz. frozen bag) cooked broccoli, chopped
• ½ c. ranch dressing (leaving this out next time)
  
• ½ c. white Alfredo sauce (using 1 cup next time)
  
• 2 c. (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 11-oz. tube refrigerated pizza dough
• 1 egg, beaten
  

~Preheat oven to 400º.
 ~If you have one, use a skillet with oven-safe handles.  Heat oil in skillet, add onions, mushrooms, seasonings, and chicken.  Cook until chicken is cooked through.
~Cook broccoli, drain.
~After chicken is cooked, stir in broccoli, ranch dressing, and Alfredo sauce.
~In oven-safe skillet, sprinkle cheese over mixture and remove from heat.  Or pour mixture into a casserole dish and sprinkle cheese on top.
~Unroll dough and lay over top of skillet or casserole dish.  Fit dough over the edge of pan and cut off corners of dough.  Create a crust by rolling any excess dough down, and then stuffing along inside the edge of pan.  (My edges that were higher browned first.)
~Brush with beaten egg and bake for 18-20 minutes.  Let rest a few minutes before serving.
Source:  adapted from Hidden Valley Ranch recipe in Woman's Day magazine.

I knew JohnDavid probably would not like this, so I made him one without sauce. (I cooked more of everything in the recipe)  He liked it. (ETA: not as much as I thought.  Prob just make him a pizza next time =) I topped it with the dough I cut from the edges.  His was done in 16 minutes.
The dough was much bigger than I realized, and it would easily cover a rectangular dish, with leftovers for JohnDavid's.  I still have a little in a zip-loc baggie in the fridge.  2/12/10 ETA:  I looked again at the pizza dough at the store, and saw another tube, and realized I'd gotten the thin crust -- slimmer, longer tube.

I didn't care for the slight ranch taste, and will probably use all the Alfredo mix next time.  I bought McCormick's, and it makes one cup.

Chicken Pan Pie, no vegetables

• 2 lbs chicken, cooked
  
• 1 10 oz. can cream of chicken soup
• 1½ can of broth from cooking the chicken (15 oz)
  
• 3 T. butter
• 1 c. flour, sifted
• 1 c. milk

Cut up chicken into small pieces, let butter melt on chicken.
With whisk, mix together soup and broth.  Put chicken in 9 x 13 inch pan, and pour soup/broth mixture over chicken, coating all sides.
With whisk, mix together flour and milk.  With large spoon, gently spoon over chicken and soup mixture.

Bake at 375º uncovered for 35-40 min. until lightly browned.  Sometimes I bake it for 30 minutes, then turn it on low broil for 5 minutes.

Larger recipe:

• 3 lbs chicken, cooked
• 16 oz. can cream of chicken soup
• 3 c. of broth from cooking the chicken
• 4 T. butter
• 1¼ c. flour, sifted
• 1¼ c. milk

This will fit in the same size pan and will fill it up.  Increase cook time to about 45-50 min.

Squash Casserole

From my MIL, a long-time favorite in our family, ever since I met my husband. 😊

• 1 lb. yellow squash, sliced (I usually do about 1½)
  
• 1 small onion, diced
  
• 1 thinly sliced carrot, or 5 or 6 baby carrots
• 3 T. butter
• 1¼ c. Pepperidge Farm dressing, divided
  
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• ½ c. sour cream
• salt & pepper to taste

In a pot of water, cook squash, onions, and carrots until tender.
Drain water (but do not drain dry).
Pour back into pot, add butter and stir until melted.  

Then stir in soup, sour cream, and half of the dressing.
Spread in a small casserole dish.  Top with remaining dressing.
Bake uncovered at 350º for 20 - 25 minutes.

Doubling the recipe (using 2 lb of squash) fits easily in a 9x13 casserole dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes.  

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

My family LOVES broccoli!

• 1 32 oz bag frozen broccoli
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 4 c. shredded cheese, divided (3, 1)
• 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
• ¼ tsp pepper (or to taste)
• *¾ - 1 stick butter, melted
• *1½ - 2 c. Pepperidge Farm stuffing, not cubed
  
  **If using a deeper dish that has smaller dimensions than 9x13, you may want to use the lesser amount of butter and dressing since you will have less surface area.  Unless you just really like the dressing mix! 😊

Cook broccoli, drain, pour back into pot. 
Stir in 3 cups of cheese until melted. 
Add cream of chicken soup, salt, and pepper
Spread in 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
Top with remaining 1 cup of cheese.
Mix together melted butter and dressing.  Spread over top of casserole.
Bake uncovered at 375º for 20 - 25 minutes.

Yes, I ended up with cubed dressing here... picked it up by accident.  So before mixing w/ the butter, I put it in a baggie and crushed most of it.  Using cubed will change your measurements.