Carrie's Stupendous Spinach Stuffed Shells

1 box Jumbo pasta shells, cooked al dente, cooled

1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach, broccoli or kale (10 oz), thawed and drained

1 Tbs. butter or olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 c. fresh mushrooms, chopped

1 tsp. each of oregano & basil, dried

¾ tsp. salt

1 Tbs. flour

¾ c. milk

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

½ c. parmesan cheese, grated

1 jar of tomato sauce

Heat butter or oil in large skillet. Add garlic, onion, mushrooms, basil, oregano & salt. Saute until onion is soft & then add spinach. Stir to blend. Sprinkle with flour. Add milk; stir and heat to boiling. Cook until mixture thickens. Stir in shredded moz. Cheese and ¼ c. parmesan.

Fill pasta shells with rounded tsp. of mixture. Spread a spoonful or two of tomato sauce over bottom of 9x13 glass or metal pan. Place shells in pan in a single layer. Spoon sauce over shells and sprinkle remaining parmesan over them.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until heated through. Also good for freezing.

Enjoy!

Kate's MIL's Chili

Kate also makes amazing chili. Easy. Freezes well. And (bonus!) there's a part where you can put your little minions to work. You know, make them earn their keep. Little slackers!

2 lbs ground beef/turkey
1 large onion
2 cups of tomato juice
2 cans of kidney beans, drained
2 cans of chili beans, UNdrained
2T of chili powder or more depending on the heat you want
1 cup of water (I add less water for the initial cooking and then add more when I reheat or defrost it)
3/4 cup of ketschup (or more depending on taste)
2 cans of diced tomatoes

Brown the ground beef and drain
Smash 1 cans of kidney beans and 1 can of chili beans (NOTE: Preschoolers can help with this part. Put 'em to work!)
Dump everything else in and let simmer
Serve with cheese and sour cream.

Kate's Taco Soup

This stuff is awesome. It freezes well. And it's easy to make. SCORE!

• 1 # lean ground beef or turkey
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cans beans, undrained (I used black beans but you can also use kidney, caneloni, etc.)
• 1 can whole kernel corn
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 small can green chili peppers, chopped (I used only about 1/3 of the can to cut back on spice)
• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 pkg taco seasoning
• 1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (use dry)
• 1 1/2 cups water

Brown meat and drain well. Combine all other ingredients and add water to desired consistency, about 1 1/2 cups. Simmer for 20 minutes. Top with cheese and sour cream. Yummy!

Ham and Cheese Quiche---and freezer meals!

Hi all- It's been FOREVER since I posted. We had a beautiful summer here in the Midwest and I did not spend my time cooking! But alas, fall is here. And soon there will be several feet of snow on the ground. Ugh. So....time to hibernate!!!!

I came across an awesome cookbook at the grocery store the other day that I had to share with you. It's one of the Taste of Home ones, that you see at the check out line, and it's called Fall Freezer Meals. Every recipe in it looks WONDERFUL, and EASY, AND KID FRIENDLY (so far we have tried 2 and love them) and the best part is: the recipes are written so that you have one to eat, and one to freeze. It tells you how to cook it right away, as well as how to freeze the second and cook it later. I love it.

So below is the one we had last night. Another one is in the freezer for another time! I figure if I make 1-2 new recipes a week I'll have a freezer full in no time!

Ham and Cheese Quiche

2 pastry shells
2 cups diced fully cooked ham
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
4 eggs
2 cups half and half cream
1/2 teaspoon salt (you can omit this probably with all the ham---we thought it was a bit salty with it)
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Line pastry shells with a double thickness of tinfoil, bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes.

2. Divide ham, cheese, and onion between the shells. In a bowl, wisk eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Pour into shells. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Or cover edges with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

To use frozen quiche: Completely thaw in the refrigerator. Remove 30 minutes before baking, and bake as directed.

Okay, so with 2 cups of half and half, it's not the HEALTHIEST recipe!!!!! But you could probably tweak it and make it healthier? Would milk work instead?