Chicken Cacciatore

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
2 cans Italian style diced tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
1 4 oz. can mushrooms

Place the chicken breasts in a crock pot that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over the chicken. Cook on high 4-5 hours, or on low for 6-7 hours. Remove chicken and cut each breast in half. Thicken the sauce with 2 tbsp. sugar and 2 tbsp. cornstarch. Place the chicken on top of cooked, hot spaghetti noodles and smother with sauce.

Baked Mac & Cheese

2 c macaroni
1/4 c butter
3 tbsp. flour
1 1/2 c milk
1/2 onion, chopped
2 c cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 c Parmesan cheese

Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions. In a large, heavy pot, melt butter. Add flour (to make a rue) and cook and stir until smooth. Slowly add milk, cooking and stirring until thickened. *If you would like, you can season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste, at this point.* Remove from heat and stir in cheddar cheese and macaroni. Pour into a 9 x13 baking dish that has been sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450 for 15-20, until bubbly and lightly browned.

*Option: Butter 4 slices of sandwich bread on both sides. Grill on hot griddle or skillet. Cut the grilled bread into small squares and toss over the macaroni. Top with Parmesan cheese and bake.

Beef Stroganoff

1 pound ground beef, browned (You can also use finely chopped, lean stew meat)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 4 oz. can mushrooms
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 c sour cream
1/2 c milk
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
beef broth

Brown the meat and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Drain off fat. Add the onions and cook until they become translucent. Stir in remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat until bubbly. *If extremely thick, and it usually is ☺, thin it down with beef broth. Serve over egg noodles.

Chicken & Rice

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package Lipton Onion soup mix
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 soup can of milk
abt. 1/2 c sour cream
rice

Place the chicken breasts in a 9x13 baking dish that has been sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix the onion soup mix, Cream of Mushroom soup, Cream of Chicken soup, milk and sour cream together. Pour over the chicken. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour, or until cooked through. Serve with rice.

*You can cook the rice and chicken together in the same pan. Pour 1 cup of rice in the bottom of the baking dish and add 2 cups of water to the soup mixture. I prefer to cook it separately because the rice can sometimes get crunchy cooking it this way. My kids complain about crunchy rice.

Mexican Pie

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1 package taco seasoning
1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
1 14 1/2 oz. can diced stewed tomatoes
1 large can black olives, chopped
*Optional* 1 can of kidney beans

Brown the ground beef and onions. Add the taco seasoning. When thoroughly browned, add the green chilies, can of tomatoes and chopped olives. Bring to a boil and them simmer for about 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid cooks off. You don't want it to be too runny.

Topping
1 1/4 cup milk
1 1/4 cup Bisquick or other baking mix, like Jiffy
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
3 eggs
1/8 tsp. red pepper sauce (if you like a little heat. You can substitute with an 1/8 tsp. of cayenne pepper)

Mix all together with an electric mixer until smooth.Preheat oven to 400. Spray a 9x13 baking dish. Pour in ground beef mixture. Top with cheese. Pour over topping. Bake until golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. About 25-30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.