Banana Marshmallow Pie

1 vanilla wafer pie crust (9")
1 pkg (3 1/8 oz.) instant vanilla pie filling
1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup whipped cream
2 bananas

Prepare vanilla pie filling using 1 1/2 cups of milk. Chill until firm. Fold in marshmallows and whipped cream. Slice bananas and place evenly over the bottom of the pie crust. Spoon filling over bananas. Chill for several hours or even over night.

Changes - change the pie crust to graham cracker, chocolate, shortbread, etc. Change pie filling flavor or instead of bananas, use fresh strawberries.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

1 1/2 lb. med. mushrooms
1/2 lb. Italian Sausage
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove mushroom stems. Chop stems. In a skillet, over medium heat, cook sausage until lightly browned. Remove and drain meat on a paper towel. Remove all but about 2 Tbl. drippings from skillet. In hot drippings, over medium heat, cook mushroom stems until tender (about 10 minutes). Stir frequently. Remove skillet from heat and stir in sausage, cheese and bread crumbs. Fill mushroom caps with mixture. Place in a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake 15 minutes.

Changes - use regular sausage, chicken or turkey sausage, add diced black olives for extra flavor or add more flavor by sprinkling the tops with Parmesan cheese before baking.

Grits & Sausage Casserole

2 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup uncooked quick grits
4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1/8 tsp. garlic salt
2 lb. sausage, cooked, crumbled and drained

Bring water and salt to a boil. Slowly stir in grits. Reduce heat to med., cook about 4 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Combine hot grits and cheese, stir until cheese is melted. In a bowl, combine eggs, milk and garlic. Add a small amount of hot grits mixture to egg mixture, stirring to blend well. Stir remaining grits into egg mixture. Add cooked sausage. Pour into a 8 x 12 baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator 20 minutes before baking. Bake at 350 for 50 - 55 minutes. Serves 8

Changes - make with bacon or ham instead of sausage.

Chicken Lasagna

Chicken Lasagna

8 oz. lasagna noodles, cooked
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 - 3 cups chopped cooked chicken (depends on how meaty you want your lasagna)
2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine soups, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and chicken. In a casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray, layer chicken mixture, noodles and cheddar cheese. Make 2 layers ending with cheddar cheese. Bake 40-45 minutes.

Changes - add extra mushrooms.

Broccoli, Cheese & Rice Casserole

Broccoli, Cheese & Rice Casserole

2 cups instant rice - uncooked
2 cups water
1 stick butter, cut into small chunks
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 small packages frozen broccoli, thawed
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 jar (10 oz.) cheese whiz

In a large bowl mix rice and water. Add butter, onion, broccoli and mushroom soup. Mix well. Stir in cheese. Pour into a 2 qt. casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Cover and bake 30 minutes or until rice has absorbed water and is tender. (The deeper the dish, the longer the cooking time). Serves 6-8.

Changes - I like this with or without the onions. I also like to add extra mushrooms now and then or change the soup to cream of chicken instead of mushroom. And if you don't have cheese whiz, use 3/4 cup of shredded cheese. You can make a full meal dish from this by adding chopped chicken.

Layered Spaghetti

1 lb. ground chuck
1 large onion, chopped
1 jar (32 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 pkg (8 oz.) thin spaghetti
1 carton (8 oz.) sour cream
1 tsp. oregano
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sauté onions in 2 Tbl. cooking oil. Add ground beef & brown. Pour off excess grease and add spaghetti sauce and seasonings. Simmer 10-15 minutes to blend flavors. Cook spaghetti and drain. In a large casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray, place 1/2 of the spaghetti, top with 1/2 of the sauce, evenly spread sour cream over sauce, top with mushrooms and sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Repeat spaghetti and sauce mixture. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese, mozzarella and top with remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese. Bake 30 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Changes - add some sweet Italian sausage, maybe some chopped pepperoni, add chopped bell peppers to the onions.

Italian Biscuits

1 cup biscuit mix
1/2 cup shredded Italian Blend cheese
1/4 cup cold water
4 tsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. dried chives

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine biscuit mix, seasonings, cheese and water, stirring until a soft dough forms. Evenly drop into 6 muffin tins sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. After removing from the oven, immediate drizzle melted butter over each muffin.

Changes - These are too good to play with. The only change that I can suggest would be to change the cheese flavor.

Broccoli Salad

1 bunch of broccoli
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup white raisins
1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

Dressing:
1/4 cup wine vinegar
1 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbl. sugar

Wash and cut broccoli into flowerettes. Add bacon, raisins and sunflower seeds. Make dressing by beating mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar. Add dressing just before serving.

This is a lightly sweet salad that is oh so good and refreshing. It's simple to make. The dressing can be made ahead and refrigerated. You can use pre-cooked bacon to cut time. You can also use chopped nuts such as pecans and walnuts or almond slivers instead of the sunflower seeds. For those dieters, use a sugar substitute instead of real sugar.