Quick and Easy Meals

I remember my mom and grandmas cooking. The house smelled so good and you knew they had put alot of time and care into the meal. I'm not the type to spend hours over a hot stove like they did, but I do like a good meal. I want to share some of my favorite recipes I came up with to save time and some money too. These recipes use easy to find items and don't take alot of time to prepare.

Easy Chicken Pan Pie

About 1 lb. cooked chicken cut or shredded...you can use that pre -cooked chopped chicken also
2 cans mixed vegetables
1 can cream of chicken soup

Crust
1 stick margarine , melted
1 cup self - rising flour
1 cup milk
Salt and Pepper

Mix all above ingredients together

Preheat oven to 350. Use 11 x 7 pan.

Mix chicken, vegetables and soup and pour into pan. Pour crust mix over the top and spread to cover chicken mixture. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes.

Quick Spaghetti and Meatballs

1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 can tomato soup
1 bag frozen Italian style meatballs
1 box spaghetti noodles

Mix the sauce and soup ( the soup cuts the heavy italian spice just a touch and mellows it out) and add meatballs. Simmer 30 to 40 minutes. Serve over cooked spaghetti.

Easy Meatloaf

1 1/2 to 2 lbs. ground beef
1 packet onion soup mix
1 egg
1 small can of tomato sauce
1/2 c.bread crumbs or crushed crackers
salt and pepper
ketchup

Mix everything using half the tomato sauce or enough to moisten the mix. Form into loaf and spread ketchup on top. Bake at 350 1 hour.

Cheesy Stuffing and Ham Casserole

1 lb. chopped cooked ham
2 cans mixed vegetables
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 box stuffing mix

11 x 7 pan..preheat over to 350

Add enough water to dry stuffing mix to moisten, stir and let stand 5 minutes. Mix remaining ingredients, pour into pan and spread stuffing on top. Bake 35 minutes.

Tater Tot Casserole ( our family favorite)

13 x 9 pan
2 lbs. cooked ground beef
2 bags tater tots
1 jar Ragu Double Cheddar Sauce
16 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350

Make layers starting with tots, then meat, cheese sauce then shredded cheese. Fill pan up ending with some tots and shredded cheese on top. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour. You will probably have some tater tots leftover, but one small bag is not enough. Just save the rest for another time.

Taco Salad

1 Pkg. Taco seasoning mix
1 can refried beans
1 jar salsa
hamburger meat, browned
Lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, sour cream
Tortilla chips

Brown hamburger meat and drain. Add seasoning, beans and salsa and heat through. Serve over lettuce and add tomatoes etc. and chips on the side.

Dressed up Brownies

An easy way to dress up any box brownie mix is to take a large chocolate bar ( just over 3 oz. ) , cut it into small pieces and add to the mix. Mix half the bar into the mix then add the rest on top. Chocolate chips ( milk or dark.. semi sweet aren't as good), vanilla or butterscotch chips are good too. For a special treat, sprinkle on chopped nuts or coconut.