Beef Empanadas and Cafe Rio Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cylinder of Pillsbury biscuits
• 1 Tablespoon of oil
• 1 pound of hamburger
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 1/2 cup diced bell pepper, any color
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 cup Mexican blended cheese
• 1 egg

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375*
2. Combine bell pepper, onion, garlic and oil and saute 3 minutes over medium heat.
3. Add hamburger, cumin, salt, pepper and chili powder to the pan and cook until meat is cooked through.
4. Set pan aside and let cool.
5. While meat mixture is cooling, pull biscuits in half and roll out larger.
6. Place 2 - 3 Tablespoons of mixture in the center of each pie disc.
7. Top with cheese.
8. Fold over and seal edges with a fork.
9. Place Empanadas on a cookie sheet.
10. Scramble egg and brush on to tops of each Empanada.
11. Bake in oven for 15 - 20 minutes

Cafe Rio Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cup ranch dressing
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/8 cup lime juice (or more to taste)
• 1 large tomatillo
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (or more to taste)

Instructions

1. Gather your ingredients. 
2. Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend on high until well mixed.
3. Taste to be certain you like the flavor. The lime juice and cilantro taste can be adjusted a bit to accommodate for personal preference.

Label - Empanadas-Microwave for 1-2 minute. Serve with sauce and/or rice.

Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Ground beef
• 1 medium Onion, chopped
• ½ tsp. Salt
• ⅛ tsp. Garlic powder
• 1 Jar 15 ½ oz. Spaghetti Sauce (I use traditional Ragu)
• 1 pint Cottage Cheese
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp. dried Parsley
• 4 oz. Lasagna Noodles, cooked to al dente and cooled in cold water
• 12 oz. shredded Mozzarella Cheese ( about 1 ½ cups)

Instructions

1. Combine ground beef, onion, salt and garlic powder. Cook under med-high until browned and tener. Drain and put back into skillet. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. In a separate bowl combine cottage cheese, parmesan cheese and dried parsley. Mix well.

*Layering Lasagna*

1. First add a small amount of spaghetti sauce mix to the bottom of your 9x13 pan.
2. Layer a single row of noodles
3. Layer ⅓ sauce
4. Layer ⅓ Mozzarella Cheese
5. Layer ⅓ Cottage cheese mixture (dotting it all over)
6. Layer single row of noodles
7. Layer ⅓ sauce
8. Layer ⅓ Mozzarella Cheese
9. Layer ⅓ Cottage cheese mixture (dotting it all over)
10. Layer single row of noodles
11. Layer ⅓ sauce
12. Layer ⅓ Cottage cheese mixture (dotting it all over)
13. Layer ⅓ Mozzarella Cheese last so it bakes really nicely
14. Cover and bake in 350 degrees oven for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly all over. Let stand 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Zuppa Tuscana

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Zuppa Tuscana (better than Olive Garden)

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• 1 pound(s) Italian Sausage (spicy)
• 4-6 Russet Potatoes :bite sized cubes
• 1 Onion :minced
• 1/4 cup(s) REAL bacon pieces
• 2 tablespoon(s) Garlic :minced
• 32 ounce(s) Chicken Broth
• 1/2 bunch(es) Kale (or Swiss Chard) :destem & cut/torn into bite sized pieces ( I do not add this because I think it is gross:)
• 1 cup(s) Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2 tablespoon(s) Flour

Preparation

1. 1. Brown sausage links in a sauté pan.
2. 2. Cut links in half lengthwise, then cut slices.
3. 3. Place sausage, chicken broth, garlic, potatoes and onion in slow cooker.
4. Add just enough water to cover the vegetables and meat.
5. 4. Cook on high 3-4 hours (low 5-6 hours) until potatoes are soft.


6. 30 minutes before serving:
7. 5. Mix flour into cream removing lumps.
8. 6. Add cream and kale to the crock pot, stir.
9. 7. Cook on high 30 minutes or until broth thickens slightly.
10. 8. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.

Label: Defrost. Add 1/2-1 cup water depending on how much liquid you like. Cook on medium heat until broth begins to thicken. If you want it a little thicker you can always add a Tbsp. or 2 of flour to the water before you add it to the soup. Enjoy.

Cafe Rio Crockpot Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts
1/2 small bottle Zesty Italian dressing
1 pkt Dry Ranch Dressing
1/2 cup of Water
1/2 tbsp Minced Garlic
1/2 tbsp Chili Powder
1/2 tbsp Ground Cumin

Labels: Thaw, cook in crock pot on low for 4-6 hours then shred. Serve over rice with your favorite toppings. 

Chicken & Rice

Label:  Cook covered for two hours at 350.  Check at 1 hour. 

GARLIC PORK ROAST

3 lb boneless pork loin roast
1 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 medium onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves peeled
1 c. chicken broth

1. Trim excess fat from pork. Rub the pork with salt and pepper.
2. Place onion and garlic in slow cooker. Place pork on top of onion and garlic. Pour broth over pork.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 - 8 hours or until pork is tender.

Calzones

• 24 rhodes rolls 
• 1 cup pizza sauce 
• Favorite pizza toppings 

Let rolls thaw & slightly rise. Knead three rolls together and spread in an oval for the bottom of the calzone. Fill the calzone with whatever toppings you like best. Knead three more rolls together and spread in an oval for the top of the calzone. Cover the toppings and seal the top and bottom of the calzone together. Repeat 3 times. 

24 labels: Calzones: Thaw. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. 

Swiss Cheese Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 Chicken Breasts (or enough to fill pan)
• 6 Slices Swiss Cheese
• 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
• ¼ cup milk
• Stove Top Turkey Stuffing (about ½ box)
• ¼ c butter

Instructions

1. Cover bottom of pan with chicken.
2. Lay Swiss Cheese over chicken.
3. Mix 1 can cream of chicken soup and ¼ cup milk.
4. Pour mixture over chicken.
5. Top with ½ bag (or more) of Stove Top Turkey Stuffing.
6. Drizzle ¼ cup butter on top.

Label: Thaw. Bake 350 for 45-60 minutes. Tastes great over rice!

Chicken Enchiladas

Recipe on blog.

Label: 
Thaw. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour sauce over enchiladas; sprinkle with cheese; cover with foil tent. Bake 30 minutes or till warmed through; remove foil and bake until bubbly, about 10 minutes more. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Cheesy Potato and Ham Casserole

Cheesy Potato and Ham Casserole

1 large package of frozen hash browns (30 oz) If you’re planning on freezing the meal, just use the hash browns frozen. If you’ll be cooking it that day, thaw them first.
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 - 1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 container of fried onions
1 cup cut up/cubed ham1 1/2 cup cheese 
1/2 t. pepper

In a bowl, mix the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, milk, cheese and pepper. Stir in the ham and half of the fried onions. Then add the hash browns and mix until everything is evenly coated.  Top with the rest of the fried onions.

Label: Thaw. Cook at 350 for 45-60 minutes until heated through.  Uncover the last few minutes to crisp the top.