Chicken & Rice

This is a family favorite too. Never really had a recipe for it, so I made it up based off observing others make it or serve it.
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Ingredients Needed:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 packet dry onion soup mix
3 cups instant rice
onion Salt
Lawry’s Season salt
pepper
3 cups water
1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1. Pour dry rice into a 9 x 13 cake pan.
2. Mix onion soup mix, cream of chicken soup, and water in a large bowl.
3. Pour liquid mixture over rice and stir together.
4. Lay chicken breasts on top of rice/liquid mixture.
5. Season to taste.
6. Cover with foil and bake for an hour or until chicken is cooked all the way.

ENJOY!!

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

This is a recipe I found on the web, tweaked a bit, and came to the conclusion my way is better! It is real similar to Suddenly Salad's Bacon Ranch pasta.
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Ingredients Needed:
1 package WackyMac rotini pasta
1# bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup Miracle Whip
1 packet dry ranch salad dressing mix
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper
1/2 cup milk, or as needed
1 large tomato, chopped
1 (4.25 ounce) can sliced black olives
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1. Boil pasta until tender, but firm. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Mix Miracle Whip, milk and seasonings together, set aside.
3. In large bowl, combine pasta, seasoning mix and remaining ingredients.

ENJOY!!

Italian Pasta Salad

I sort of made up this recipe based off of having other peoples' pasta salad. I tweaked it to my specifications. I never have to worry about leftovers.
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Ingredients Needed:
1 bag WackyMac rotini pasta
1 sm box pepperoni, halved
4 oz. cheddar cheese cubes
1/2 can black olives, sliced
any assortment of veggies you like
1 bottle italian dressing

1. Boil pasta until tender, but firm, drain and rinse with cold water.
2. In large bowl, add pasta.
3. Mix in the remaining ingredients.
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Variations:
The veggies part can be anything you like, I personally like to use cauliflower, carrots, celery, green peppers, cukes and baby tomatoes. You can use any amount you like, I usually try to make it colorful. Cheese can be any flavor, though I prefer cheddar.

ENJOY!!

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

This is a recipe I made up based on watching my Grama make homemade macaroni and cheese. I tweaked it to my tastes is all.
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Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients Needed:
1 pound cooked pasta
1 batch white sauce with cheese(see recipe below)
salt & pepper

1. Boil pasta, drain, set aside.
2. Spray a 9x13 cake pan with oil.
3. Add pasta to pan.
4. Stir white cheese sauce into pasta.
5. Season to taste.
6. Bake for 30 minutes.

White Sauce with Cheese
2 sticks butter
3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 pound cheddar cheese

1. Melt butter in pan.
2. Stir in flour and cook for about two minutes.
3. Add in heavy cream slowly to reduce lumping.
4. Add cheese, stirring until melted**.

**may need to add a little more cream or milk if sauce gets too thick.
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Variations:
You can use whatever pasta you have on hand - shells, macaroni, bowties - anything but egg noodles works well. You can also use Velveeta or any flavor of cheese you prefer. You can use milk instead of cream if you are looking to trim some fat. Some people garnish the top with corn flake crumbs or bread crumbs, but it is not necessary.

ENJOY!!

Green Bean Casserole

I know this recipe isn't very original, it is a family favorite however during the holidays and I don't completely follow the directions, so I sort of made it my own.
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Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients Needed:
2 cans green beans
¼ cup milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can French’s fried onions
salt & pepper

1. Mix green beans, milk, and soup together.
2. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Mix in ½ cup of French’s fried onions.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, top with remaining French’s fried onions.
6. Bake another 5-10 minutes until onions start to brown.
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Variations:

You can use frozen green beans, just keep the amounts the same. You can use french style or regular cut green beans, it really does not matter. You should use French's fried onions, I find that anyone else's don't have the same effect. I typically use the big can cause I love them so much, but the small can does the job as well.

ENJOY!!

Cheesy Taters

This is my Grama Connie's recipe, though I have seen others with similar ingredients, hers still kicks everyone else to the ground! And I still can't completely replicate the recipe to the way she makes them, but they are still good no matter what! We make this at all of our family gatherings, especially during the holidays.
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Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients needed:
1 package southern style potatoes
8 ounces sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup cubed Velveeta cheese
½ stick butter

1. Spray a cake pan with PAM.
2. Add one package southern style potatoes.
3. Stir the sour cream and cream of chicken soup together and add on top.
4. Cut up Velveeta cheese into little cubes, need about one cup, but can put on more or less according to your tastes.
5. Melt a half stick of butter and pour over top of entire dish.
6. Bake for one hour.

ENJOY!!

Tuna Salad

This is a dish my mom has been preparing for years, my Grama Louise makes it too, so I can only presume it is a long standing family dish. I know many others that make this, but none exactly like us and this is my preferred version.
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Ingredients Needed:
1 can of tuna in water, drained
4 stalks of diced celery
1 8 oz. package small shell noodles
3/4-1 cup Kraft Miracle Whip
1/8 tsp. Lawry’s Season salt
1/8 tsp. onion salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

1. Boil water for noodles, cook, and cold rinse them when they are done.
2. Take drained tuna and place in medium sized bowl, mix in pepper, onion salt, and Lawry’s Season salt.
3. Mix in chopped celery.
4. Add in cold rinsed noodles.
5. Stir in Miracle Whip.
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Variations:
I know people who add onion, peas, or cheese. Have also seen egg in it. Some substitute salmon in place of tuna. Most people use mayonnaise and not Miracle Whip, but to me, Miracle Whip rocks.

ENJOY!!