{Recipes} Lasagna Roll Ups

As a working mom, this girl is always on the hunt for quick and easy meal ideas. So often I don't arrive home until close to 6 each night and by the time I get Harper's things unpacked, get her a snack, and spend some time with her, I'm not left with a ton of time for meal prep. So when I came across this deliciousness I made up my mind to try them. With only four ingredients, all of which we always have on hand, and just 25 minutes to make, I was game. And ladies, I am telling you, they are delicious. Do yourself a favor and go make them! These are definitely becoming a family favorite and will be in our weekly meal rotations (:

Ingredients
6 lasagna noodles (though I use 9 so I can freeze some for later)
1 pound ground beef
1 regular sized jar of spaghetti sauce
2 cups of mozzarella cheese

Directions
1. Cook lasagna noodles. While lasagna noodles are cooking, brown ground beef. Drain grease from ground beef and add in spaghetti sauce.
2. Drain lasagna noodles. Spoon spaghetti mixture onto center of noodle. Sprinkle cheese on top of sauce, Roll up. Lay seam side down in baking dish.
3, Continue process until all noodles have been done.
4. Spoon remaining sauce on top of noodles. Top with remaining cheese.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes!

I promise you'll love it!

{Recipes} Vegetable Soup

I don't know about where you ladies live but here in NC we have been having the most beautiful fall weather this week. The mornings and evenings are cool with temperatures in the 40's and 50's and during the day the temperatures are in the 70's range. It makes for a wonderful day of fall layers which makes me oh so happy. Sadly, our perfect weather is coming to an end this weekend. Winter temperatures are making their way into the forecast and we can expect to throw on our wool coats this weekend. Not that I'm exactly complaining. I'm ready to break those babies out. But enough about fashion, let's talk food. With the cooler temperatures on the horizon, the thought of a freshly made soup gets my mouth watering. Vegetable soup happens to be a family favorite and I have a family recipe that's tried and true. Today I thought I'd share it with you ladies since it's super quick easy. And let's be real, us mamas don't have hours in the kitchen (; Hope you ladies like it!

What You Need

- Pack of boneless chicken breasts/ tenderloins (I use tenderloins)

- Large can of crushed or diced tomatoes

- Can of creamed corn

- Can of peas

- 2 large or 3 medium sized potatoes

- 2 slices of fat back (optional)

- Salt and pepper

Directions

- Boil your chicken

- Once chicken is boiled, shred chicken with a fork

- Add water to remaining chicken broth (I add water until it fills up the pot about halfway)

- Add in tomatoes, creamed corn, peas, potatoes, and fat back

- Add salt and pepper to taste

- Let boil for several minutes then bring down to a simmer

- Cook until the potatoes are done

Serve it with some grilled cheese and you're set! 

{Recipes} Banana Pudding

It's no secret that banana pudding is by far a Holt family favorite. After all, we do live in the south and whats not to love about cookies and fruit topped with whipped cream and pudding? I mean... seriously? You can't say no.  Over the weekend I was asked to make a dessert to bring to a family cookout and immediately banana pudding came to mind. It's the perfect summer dessert. I have a trusted recipe that I usually rely on but at the last minute, as in I was actually in the grocery store buying supplies, I text my best friend and asked for her mother-in-law's recipe. At Aly & Clint's rehearsal dinner they served banana pudding as a dessert and many of the guests went on and on about how it didn't compare to Clint's Mom's recipe. Since there were so many rave reviews on it I had to try it and thankfully she didn't mind sharing it. And y'all... it was to die for and super easy to make so I must share it with you guys!

Ingredients
Regular size box of instant vanilla pudding
2 cups of cold mix (for pudding mix)
Large tub of Cool Whip
Box of Vanilla Wafers
4 Bananas

Directions
- Mix in 2 cups of milk with pudding mix and let it set in refrigerator.
- Once pudding has set, mix half of Cool Whip with the pudding mix
- In a serving dish, place a layer of cookies, a layer of bananas, and then half of the pudding mix.
- Repeat layer of cookies, bananas, and pudding
- Place another layer of cookies and bananas and top with remaining cool whip
- Top with crushed vanilla wafers

It is by far one of the easiest recipes ever and the most delicious. Take my word for it and go make it now!

{Recipes} Hashbrown Casserole

Good morning ladies! I wanted to pop in this morning and share one of my new favorite recipes. We in the Holt household are OBSESSED with Cracker Barrel's hash brown casserole. I'm by no means a Cracker Barrel cook but after hunting down recipe after recipe on Pinterest and tweaking them a bit, I've found the ultimate recipe that's almost identical! It's ahhhhmazing! Better yet, it's quick, easy, and makes a ton so that you can freeze some for later. 

Hash brown Casserole 

Ingredients:

26 oz. bag of frozen hash browns

1/2 cup melted butter

1 (10 3/4 oz) can of cream of chicken soup

8 oz. sour cream

1/2 cup of onion

2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Salt & Pepper (you be the judge)

Instructions: 

1. Mix all the ingredients above and place in a greased 11 x 14 in pan.

* I like to save some for later and split the mix into two 8 x 8 in pans.

2. Cook on 350 for 45 minutes 

3. Enjoy!

Take my word for it ladies, it's delish! Go fix some right now! 

{Recipes}: Muffin Meatloaf

Hi Ladies! I wanted to pop in today and share one of my favorite family recipes. Here in the south, meatloaf is most definitely a comfort food. And this time of year, comfort food is exactly what the cold winter days demand. We love this recipe and fix it at least once every couple of weeks. What I love most about it is it literally requires 5 minutes preparation and is finished in 25! For a mama with a baby, it can't get much better than that!

The Holt Household's "Muffin Meatloaf"

What You Need:

Meatloaf

1 pound ground beef (We use 93/7)

1 egg

1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce

1 cup of Stove Top savory herb stuffing mix

Sauce

- 1 cup of ketchup

- 2 T brown sugar

- 1 T white distilled vinegar (any kind will work)

Directions:

Meatloaf

1. Shred (by hand) uncooked beef in a mixing bowl

2. Combine egg, 3/4 of tomato sauce, and 1 cup of stuffing mix in mixing bowl

3. Mix together all the ingredients in the mixing bowl with a spoon

4. Place muffin cups (we use the foil ones! They work best for this recipe!) in a muffin pan and spray with cooking oil to prevent meatloaf from sticking)

5. Take meat mixture and create meat balls and place them in the muffin cups (I make them where they just do fit in the cups)

 *Note: If you think the mixture seems dry, add the rest of the tomato sauce! Despite the fact that I always make this recipe the same way, sometimes I need the extra sauce and sometimes I don't!

Sauce

1. Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, and white distilled vinegar in a mixing cup

2. Spoon over meatballs in muffin cups

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes and then enjoy!

* This makes 12 muffins. Kevin and I usually eat 2 a piece and freeze the other 8. You can easily throw these in the fridge in the morning to thaw out and pop them in the microwave for dinner! (Just be sure to remove the foil layer before microwaving!)  

{Recipes}: Mom's Baked Spaghetti

One of my all-time-favorite dishes that my mom makes on Sundays for our family is her famous baked spaghetti. I can remember as a child, I would sit and watch for the cheese to bubble on top. It wasn't until the cheese bubbled that the spaghetti could come out. I remember Mom pulling it out of the oven and when my nose was hit with the smell, my mouth would start watering in anticipation for that first bite. And if you want to know a secret, that hasn't changed. I still watch it and my mouth still waters when it comes out. It's that yummy. And because it's so yummy, I still can't figure out why I had never asked my mom for the recipe until last week. Crazy, huh? Well I finally did and I attempted to make it and it turned out fabulous...despite not making my own homemade sauce like Mom does. So let me share the recipe (:

Mom's Homemade Baked Spaghetti

Ingredients
- 1.5 bags Sharp Cheddar Cheese (trust me, it's better than using mozzerella!)
- 3/4 box of spaghetti noodles
- 3 cups of spaghetti sauce (I used meat sauce but whatever is your preference)
- 1 pound hamburger

Directions
- Brown hamburger and cook noodles seperately
- Spray 8 x 11" baking dish with cooking spray
- Mix spaghetti sauce with the hamburger and stir it very well
- Pour a layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the baking dish so that you can't see the bottom
- Place a layer of noodles on top of the sauce
- Pour another layer of spaghetti sauce on top of noodles
- Sprinkle cheese on top of sauce
- Place another layer of noodles on top of the cheese
- Pour and spread the remaining sauce on top of noodles
- Cover the top with a layer of shredded cheese

Cook uncovered on 350 for 35-45 minutes (until cheese begins to bubble!)

Serve with garlic bread and salads and you'll be set!

{Recipes}: Stromboli

I saw several recipes floating around Pinterest for your own homemade stromboli's so I decided to try my hand at my own. Guess what? It's a hit! On top of that.. it's super quick, easy, & inexpensive! So here goes!

What You Need

- One small jar of Classico's Classic Pizza Sauce

- Small bag of Pepperoni

- A small bag of Kraft Italian Cheese

- One tube of Pizza Dough

Directions

- Roll out your pizza dough onto a pizza sheet with foil

- Spread out a small amount of pizza sauce onto the dough

- Layer the pepperoni

- Sprinkle several handfuls of cheese

-Fold over the crust

- Pop it in the oven on 375 for about 25 minutes

- Take it out and enjoy (:

{Recipes}: Bacon Ranch Slowcooker Chicken

Several months ago, I found this recipe for bacon ranch slowcooker chicken on Pinterest. I've been debating making it for a while and a few nights ago I decided to give in. As always I adapted the recipe somewhat for our family's needs and in the end, it was worth it!  It tasted just as good as it looks in the following picture (:

Bacon Ranch Slowcooker Chicken

(serves 4)

What You Need:

- 24 oz. Chicken Tenderloins

- 3 or 4 pieces of cooked bacon broken into small pieces

- 1 tsp of Garlic Powder

- 1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

- 1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup (10.75 oz)

- 8 oz.. of Sour Cream

- Rice or Pasta 

- Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

1. Grease the bottom of your slowcooker

2. Place raw chicken tenderloins in the slowcooker..spreading them out

3. Combine the sour cream, cream of chicken soup, garlic powder, ranch dressing mix, and bacon.

4. Pour mixture on top of chicken

5. Cook for 3 1/2 hours on high

When finished...

Add ground pepper per your taste then serve on top of pasta or rice. 

*I served the chicken on top of ziti pasta.But as the hubs and I were eating this delicious meal, I had the bright idea to try this next time on a bed of rice instead of pasta noodles. The sauce is absolutely delicious and I can't imagine how yummy it would be on top of some white rice! Ahh my mouth waters while thinking about it!!!(:

Let me know how you like it!

{Recipes}: "Crack" Bread

Last week I came across this recipe for cheddar bacon ranch pulls. I love all things cheddar, bacon, & ranch so I thought..."shoot, I'll try this!" And so I did and it was delicious. Here you go ladies, enjoy! FYI, It's called crack bread for a reason; after the first bite you're hooked!

What You'll Need:
-Loaf of sourdough bread
-Shredded cheese
-Real bacon bits
-Ranch dressing mix
-One stick of butter

Step One: Slice bread loaf in both directions but do not cut through the bottom of the loaf!

Step Two: Stuff shredded cheese & bacon bits in between slices

Step Three: Melt a stick of butter in the microwave. The mix together a half a packet of ranch dressing mix with butter. Pour over top of bread loaf.

Step Four: Wrap loaf in tin foil and place in oven on 350 for 15 minutes.

Step Five: After 15 minutes, remove tin foil from top of loaf and return to oven for another 15 minutes.

Voila! It's finished. Now eat and enjoy every.single.bite!

{Recipes}: Three Cheese Penne Pasta

So several people saw the following picture on facebook and wondered about the recipe to my three cheese chicken penne so here it is:

Ingredients:
1 16oz box of penne noodles
15 oz. jar of Alfredo sauce
16 oz. container of Sour Cream
15 oz. container of Ricotta Cheese
1 1/2 cups Mozzerella Cheese
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese (I use finely shredded)
3 medium eggs
1/4 cup parsley flakes

Directions:
1. Cook penne noodles according to the package
2. When noodles are finished cooking, drain and return them to the pot
3. Pour in alfredo sauce and container of sour cream with the pasta noodles; stir until noodles are evenly coated.
4. Pour half of the pasta and sauce mixture into a 9 x 13" baking dish
5. In a mixing bowl, mix container of ricotta cheese, mozzerella cheese, parmesan cheese, parsley flakes, and three medium eggs.
6. Spread the mixed ingredients evenly over the layer of pasta in the 9 x13" baking dish.
7. Pour the remaining pasta and sauce mixture over top of the layer of mixed ingredients
8. Top with cheese of your choice (I use mozzerella)
9. Bake for 35 minutes on 350 degrees.

It's fairly simple!! Hope you enjoy!!!

Note: You can also add chicken to this recipe and it makes it delicious!!! I suggest grilled or baked chicken. The precooked strips also work wonderfully!

{Recipes}: Italian Stuffed Shells

Tonight was the night when the group comes over to our house and eats dinner. I feel like everytime they come over we have the same thing... lasagna, spaghetti, chicken pot pie and veggies, or sloppy joes. So I decided to spice things up a bit. When I talked to Kevin earlier today he was in the mood for spaghetti. Since I didn't want to just cook spaghetti since I fix it ALOT, I decided to look for recipes for something similar.

As I was browsing pinterest, I came across a delicious looking recipe for pasta stuffed shells. As I clicked on the recipe, I was extremely disappointed. The recipe took over an hour to make (most of which was prep time... no way jose!) and included lots of ingredients that we simple people just don't eat. Disappointed, I spent my entire planning period googling recipes for stuffed shells. What a waste of my time! I could not find any recipes I was satisfied with. I ended up searching for other various recipes to serve tonight but I couldn't help but think about those dern stuffed shells. So finally, I came up with a solution. I decided I would attempt to make my it by using my own recipe. Not the brightest idea I know; especially when company is coming over. But I figured it was worth a shot.

After school I ran by Walmart (in the pouring rain!!!) and grabbed all the ingredients I needed. As soon as I got home I got to work. By the time everyone arrived at our house, the whole house was smelling delicious!

Here's my dish when it came out of the oven:

Recipe Ingredients:
1 box large stuffed shells
1 pound hamburger meat
32 oz. of spaghetti sauce
3 eggs
1 15oz. container of Ricotta Cheese
1 7 oz. bag of mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup finely graded parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
Italian Seasoning
Oregano
Basil


Directions:
1. Cook stuffed shells according to box
2. Cook hamburger meat
3. As shells and hamburger meat are cooking, mix 3 eggs, 1.5 cups of mozzerella cheese, 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, Oregano, and Basil (the seasonings should be used to your liking).
4. When hamburger meat and stuffed shells are finished, drain both.
5. Mix hamburger meat with 24 oz. of spaghetti sauce (the other 12 oz. should not have hamburger!)
6. Spread hamburger sauce mixture in the bottom of the pan
7. After shells have dried, stuff cheese mixture inside each shell (Note: The way I did it was to use a large spoon. It was the perfect size!)
8. Place shells in pan after fixing each one
9. When you have filled up your baking dish, use the remaining 12 oz. of sauce and pour over top of shells
10. Sprinkle .5 cup of mozzarella on top of shells
11. Cover dish with aluminum foil and place in oven on 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

It is absolutely delicious! I'm pretty proud that I came up with the recipe on my own. I ended up fixing salads, garlic bread, and homemade banana pudding to go with it. Let me just say, there was no food left!

Oh and here's a picture of my niece watching the bread cook in the oven! I just loved it so I figured I'd share. She is going to be a cook one day. I just know it!

{Recipes}: Easy Cheesy Lasagna

As you all know, I could eat Italian ALL day long! My stomach is growling just thinking about all the different choices I have when Italian is on the menu. There's fettucine alfredo, spaghetti, stromboli's, pizza and then there's my favorite... LASAGNA! Lasagna is one of my all time favorite Italian dishes. I love it with all of its cheeses! So since Kevin and I have gotten married I have only tried like five different lasagna recipes but none of them were quite right in my book. But I finally found a recipe and tweaked it enough that I think it is absolutely scrumptious! And better yet... it is super fast and easy to fix! And a girl like me that works for ever and a day, tries to work out and keep tan, and spend time with my family... well, time is of the essence! So I figured I'd share the recipe with my readers! You should try it but let me warn you... If you're on a diet... you won't be for long! 

What you need:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 24 oz. and 1 16 oz. jar of traditional spaghetti sauce
• 32 ounces cottage cheese
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 9 lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat brown the ground beef. Drain the grease. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, eggs, the grated Parmesan cheese, dried parsley, salt and ground black pepper.
3. To assemble, in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish evenly spread part of the sauce mixture until you can't see the bottom of the dish. Cover with 3 uncooked lasagna noodles, 1 3/4 cup of the cheese mixture, and 1/4 cup sauce. Repeat layers twice. Top with 3 noodles, remaining sauce, remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Add a few tablespoons of water to each edge of the casserole dish so the noodles don't dry out. Cover with aluminum foil.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

{Recipes}: Best Spaghetti Casserole Ever!

It seems with our crazy busy life, Kevin and I eat the same stuff every week for dinner. Our weekly menu includes shrimp, chicken tenders, hot dogs, spaghetti, pizza, shishkabobs, or some sort of chicken or beef with vegetables. Since I'm getting kind of tired of the usuals, I wanted to spice things up a bit and fix something different for dinner. But wouldn't you know, I have been craving spaghetti and a salad all day. And seriously, how many ways can you fix spaghetti? So I found myself online this afternoon looking for a recipe similar to spaghetti when I stumbled upon the Deen Brother's blog. As I flipped through the recipes on their blog, I came upon this mouthwatering picture of a spaghetti casserole. My mind was immediately made up. Thats what we're having for dinner! So I ran to the grocery store, grabbed all of the ingredients I needed, and rushed back home to try the recipe out. Boy did I score! It came out of the oven looking scrumptuous and smelt even better! After one bite I knew I had to have more. And even better, my hubby loved it too! He had three helpings of it! Its definitely a recipe I intend to make again. I figured I'd include it for you guys to try. It's really simple and inexpensive to make! But just as a suggestion, it makes a huge casserole dish so I'd either invite some friends over or make two smaller containers full so you can eat one then and freeze one later! Hope you enjoy!



Ingredients:

CASSEROLE:
Salt
1 pound uncooked spaghetti
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 26-ounce jar spaghetti sauce
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (about 3/4 cup)
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded or thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

GARLIC HERB BREAD:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch salt
1 16-inch loaf Italian bread, halved lengthwise

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions; drain.

In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef; cook about 5 minutes or until brown, breaking meat up with a fork as it cooks. Add the salt, oregano, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, Parmesan, and the cooked spaghetti. Transfer to baking dish. Top evenly with mozzarella. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

For the garlic bread, while the casserole bakes, whisk together the butter, parsley, garlic, and salt. Brush the butter mixture over the cut sides of both bread halves. Wrap each half in aluminum foil; bake, alongside the casserole, for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through.

For crispier bread, unwrap for the last 5 minutes of baking. Serve bread with the casserole.