Tried and true-Enchilada Casserole

I've made this recipe many times, and it is always good.  It is from my tried and true church cookbook from the Most Holy Trinity Parish, 1991.  This recipe was written vegetarian style, but I add ground hamburger or ground turkey.  I have made it the night before and put it in the oven the next day.  When I do this, I cook it in the oven for 45 min.

Enchilada Casserole


1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 c. mushrooms, sliced (I don't put this in)
2-3 c. tomato sauce
2 T. chili powder
1 T. cumin
2 cans chili hot beans (I used ground hamburger or ground turkey_
1/2 c. low-fat yogurt
1 c low-fat cottage cheese
8 corn tortillas (i used flour)
1/2 c. grated mozzarella cheese

(I start with browning the meat and then add the rest to saute)  Saute the onion, garlic, green pepper and mushrooms.  Add tomato sauce, chili powder, beans and cumin.  Heat through.  Stir yogurt and cottage cheese together.  Spray 1 1 /2 quart casserole with pam.  Layer tortillas (2 per layer), sauce, mozzarella cheese and yogurt mixtures, repeating until ingredients are used.   Bake at 350 for 20 min.

Two Recipes from the Gang- Cranberry Chicken and Grilled Vegetables

Here are two very yummy blog worthy recipes from the gang out East.  They are both simple, super easy and very tasty.

This first one comes from Jen.  I'm not a huge BBQ fan, but Philly is.  So, this was for him. What a surprise,  I loved it too!  It was more like a sweet sauce instead of BBQ.  It is very sweet and it should be served with plain rice.  I think the next time I make it, I will try the light version of the dressing.  I set it up ahead of time and the oil from the dressing separated a little bit.

Cranberry Chicken

1 can of cranberry sauce

1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix

1 bottle Ken's Country French Dressing

2 lbs. boneless chicken

Mix first 3 ingredients in a bowl.  Put the chicken in 8 x 10 baking dish and pour ingredients on top.  bake at 350 for 45 or until bubbly.


The only thing I need to say about this next recipe is.....Philly took seconds!  Thank you Katie!  Vegetables aren't his thing, especially green ones.  He loved these.

Grilled Vegetable Marinade

1/4 c. vegetable oil

3 T lemon juice (approx. 1/2 lemon)

1 tsp dry basil

1/2 tsp dry thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 pepper

2 cloves of garlic chopped

Pour over your favorite sliced vegetables (a yummy combination is zucchini, onions, red bell peppers).  Marinade for 30 minutes minimum and then grill.

Chicken Parmesan done two ways

When we go out for dinner, there is a running joke that Philly will order the Chicken Alfredo.  A very close second to that is Chicken Parmesan.  I don't make Alfredo very often because it is so rich, but I have made chicken parmesan.  I have two very easy recipes for you here that I think are really good.  They have also gotten the thumbs up from the expert with the added comment of "you can make this again".  They are both really similar and you could take parts of each to meld into your favorite.  Remember to cook some pasta on the side.  If you do, you may want to have extra sauce on hand.

The first recipe I got from the gang out East.  This is a booklet of their tried and true favorites that they passed on to me at my bridal shower.  (A heads up....I'll be making another recipe from this later in the week.  I'll be sure to post that one too.)  This recipe comes to you from Lorie.  It is really easy with minimal dishes to clean.  Pop it in the oven and you are good to go.

Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan


4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 c Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 jar Ragu (or your own if you prefer)
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400.  Dip chicken in egg, then bread crumbs, coating well.  Place in a 13 X 9 inch glass baking dish.  Bake 20 min. uncovered.  Pour the sauce over the chicken and then top with cheese.  Bake and additional 10 or until chicken is no longer pink.

The second one comes from my "Cooks Country Cookbook" 2008.  I saw the recipe on their TV show and thought it looked easy and tasty.  The show was slightly different than the book.   So, this is the combination of the two.  Make sure to brown your bread crumbs.  The darker the color the more flavor, but be careful not to burn them.  If you want to,  you can add more seasonings to the sauce and create a heartier sauce.  The sauce in this recipe is a light, fresh sauce that is great for summer.

Skillet Chicken Parmesan


2 slices of hearty white sandwich bread, torn into large pieces and pulsed in a food processor to coarse crumbs
3 T olive oil (divided)
1 1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese (divided)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (divided)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-28 oz can crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper
1/2 c all purpose flour
4 skinless chicken cutlets
2 T vegetable oil
3/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 c shredded sharp provolone cheese

1. Toast the bread crumbs in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl. Toss with salt and pepper, 1 T of the olive oil and 1/4 of the parmesan cheese.

2. Take each cutlet and cut each horizontally to create 8 thin cutlets.  Lightly salt and pepper each side.  Then dredge each cutlet through the flour.  Heat the skillet with 2 T vegetable oil until shimmering.  Add 4 of the cutlets and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes total.  Transfer to a plate and tent.  Cook the remaining 4 cutlets.  Transfer to tented plate.

3.  Reduce the skillet to medium low.  Add 2 T. olive oil and garlic.  Cook about 30 seconds stirring constantly.  Be careful not to burn.  Add tomatoes and stir.  Cook about 5 minutes to thickened.  Add 2 T basil and 1 /4 c. parmesan cheese.  Stir.

4.  Nestle the cutlets in the sauce.  Sprinkle with the mozzarella, provolone and remaining parmesan cheeses.  Cover and cook 5 minutes to melt the cheese.  Remove lid and top with bread crumb mixture.  Voila you are good to go.