Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

So this is a recipe I got from the internet, but again, tweaked to my liking. The recipe I found said it was better than Olive Garden's alfredo sauce, and with my subtle changes, I concur. I am picky about most food, but I don't eat just any alfredo sauce. This was superb! My very first attempt and it was a big hit with the Peaslee clan.
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Ingredients Needed:
1 pound cubed chicken breast
1 stick of butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp minced garlic (can be fresh or from a jar)
2 cups heavy cream
5 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese

16 ounces fettuccine noodles
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large skillet, combine 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil. Heat to medium temperature, add chicken breast cubes and cook thoroughly. Season to taste. Remove chicken from pan, set aside.
2. In a large sauce pan, boil water for noodles.
3. In the pan you just removed the chicken from, add remaining butter and garlic.
4. Stir in cream until its simmering.
5. Add Parmesan cheese, stirring frequently. Cook about 8-10 minutes until sauce thickens and becomes smooth.
6. Add dash of salt and noodles to boiling water, let cook 5-7 minutes or until desired consistency. Drain and set aside.
7. Once sauce has thickened, add mozzarella. Do not leave unattended, needs constant stirring at this point. Cook until sauce is simmering.
8. Add cooked chicken cubes to sauce, cook for a minute, still stirring.
9. Remove sauce from heat, serve over pasta.

ENJOY!

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Variations: May substitute any meat you like for the chicken OR can leave out to make vegan. May also add cooked broccoli or other favorite vegetable. I don't care for parsley really, but was an option in the original recipe.

Leftover Turkey Shepherd Pie

I am sure that many of you can relate when it comes to eating your leftovers. How many times can you eat the same thing? Well, this recipe isn't new by any means, but I recreated it and tweaked it to my own liking.
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Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients Needed:
4 cups cubed or shredded turkey
2 sticks of butter
2 small white onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
4 cups chicken or turkey broth
6 tbsp flour
2 cans of mixed vegetables
1 can peas
8 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

1. Peel and cube potatoes. Place in large sauce pan, add water until covered. Add salt. Set on stove to boil.
2. In large sauce pan, melt 1 stick butter, add onion and garlic. Cook until translucent.
3. Using a whisk, add flour gradually to butter, onions and garlic. Let cook for about 30 seconds.
4. Using a whisk, stir in chicken broth slowly. May use more or less broth or flour to thicken to a gravy-like texture. Add salt and pepper to your taste.
5. Open canned veggies, drain in colander.
6. Cut turkey into cubes or shred. Add to gravy and once warm, remove pan from heat.
7. In a 9x13 cake pan, pour in gravy mixture and add drained vegetables. Stir to mix together.
8. Potatoes should be soft enough now, remove from heat, drain and return to pan. Add 1/2 stick of butter. With electric mixer, beat until smooth. Add milk, beat until creamy. May need more milk than stated. Salt and pepper to taste.
9. Place mashed potatoes on top of meat gravy and vegetable mixture. May just spread evenly or make peaks or other design as desired.
10. Place in oven, heat until warmed through and the edges and peaks of the potatoes start to brown. Timing will vary, but approximately 30-45 minutes.

Enjoy!
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Variations:
May substitute leftover roast beef or steak. May also use 2 lbs ground beef or ground turkey if you want to make this and don't have leftovers to use up.

Easy One-Skillet Chicken Parmesan

This is a recipe off of a rice box that my family enjoys, hope you will too.
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Ingredients Needed:
1 tbsp canola oil
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breast halves(1 pound)
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 jar spagetti sauce OR half of my spagetti sauce recipe
1 cup water
2 cups Minute rice
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1. Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken and peppers, cover. Cook 4-5 minutes on each side or until chicken is cooked through, stirring peppers occasionally. Remove chicken from pan once cooked, cover to keep warm.
2. Add spagetti sauce and water to skillet, bring to a boil.
3. Stir in rice, top with chicken. Sprinkle with cheeses, cover, reduce heat, cook five minutes or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Yet another Asian recipe my family enjoys.
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Ingredients needed:
1 tbsp canola oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 package frozen stir-fry vegetables
1 can pineapple chunks, undrained
1 can chicken broth
2 cups Minute rice
1/2 cup sweet 'n sour sauce

1. Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook five minutes or until completely cooked through.
2. Add vegetables, pineapple with juice and mix well. Stir in chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
3. Stir in rice, cover, let stand for five minutes.
4. Stir in sweet 'n sour sauce.

Enjoy!

Quick & Easy Chicken Stir-Fry

Now most of you know I don't particularly like most Asian food, but, I do have family that does and thus, am posting a few recipes for their benefit.
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Ingredients Needed:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts - cut into thin strips
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp canola oil
1 1/4 cup water
1/4 cup lite soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 package frozen stir-fry vegetables
2 cups Minute rice

1. Cook and stir chicken and garlic in hot oil in large skillet on medium heat, about 5 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked through.
2. Add water, soy sauce, sugar and vegetables, stir, bring to a boil.
3. Stir in rice, cover. Remove from heat, let stand 5 minutes.
4. Fluff with fork.

Enjoy!

Teriyaki Steak Skillet

Ingredients Needed:
1 tbsp canola oil
1 boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into strips
2 cloves garlice, minced
1 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup lite teriyaki sauce
2 cups Minute rice
4 cups small broccoli florets
1 large red pepper, cut into strips

1. Heat oil in large skillet on high heat.
2. Add steak and garlic; cook 5 minutes or until steak is cooked through.
3. Add water and teriyaki sauce; stir, bring to a boil.
4. Stir in rice, broccoli and red peppers; bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 5 minutes; remove from heat.
6. Let stand five minutes, fluff with fork.

ENJOY!

Stuffed Peppers

This is a family favorite from my Grama Booth and I never quite get mine to be like hers, but, they are still delish!
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Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients Needed:
6 large green peppers
2 pounds ground beef or pork(or mix them)
2 cups Minute rice, cooked
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp minced onion
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato soup

1. Take tops and insides out of green peppers, wash and set aside in a 9x13 baking pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine raw ground meat, cooked rice, minced onion, salt and pepper.
3. Stuff each green pepper to the top with mixture.
4. Mix tomato sauce and tomato soup together in a bowl, pour over tops of green peppers.
5. Bake for 90 minutes or until peppers are tender and meat is thoroughly cooked.

ENJOY!

Beef Lasagna

This is a recipe that I just threw together based on how my family makes lasagna. We don't usually measure, so like most of my recipes, its a guess!
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Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients needed:
1 box lasagna noodles
1 batch spaghetti/lasagna sauce
24 oz. Mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese

1. Boil one package lasagna noodles.
2. Butter 9x13 cake pan. Layer noodles, sauce and mozzarella cheese until pan is nearly full.
3. Top off with parmesan cheese.

Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour. Let cool 5 minutes before cutting.

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Variations
You can use whatever meat you like, we just prefer beef. Some people also use ricotta or cottage cheese in place of or with the mozzerella, but not in my family.

ENJOY!!

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!!

Beef Enchiladas

This is a recipe that I made up having watched others do it, so its my version and I never have complaints or leftovers!
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Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients needed:
2 pound ground beef
2-16 ounce cans enchilada sauce
1 -15 oz can of refried beans
12 flour tortillas
32 ounces shredded colby/cheddar (set aside half for later)
chopped lettuce
diced tomato
sour cream
salsa
onion salt/Lawry’s seasoning
chopped onion/olives

1. Brown ground beef, season with onion salt and/or Lawry’s, drain fat.
2. Heat enchilada sauce in large, wide skillet until lukewarm.
3. Dip flour tortilla in enchilada sauce, add meat, beans, cheese, roll, closing in
both ends so nothing comes out. Place in cake sized pan sprayed with
Pam. Repeat until you run out of meat.
4. Pour any additional sauce on top of enchiladas. Sprinkle cheese on top.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until cheese has melted. Top with
favorite toppings (lettuce/tomato/cheese/sour cream/salsa/onion/olives).

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Variations:
You can use green sauce if you like, I just prefer red. You can also substitute the meat to your
liking chicken, turkey, etc.

ENJOY!!

Mock Chicken Pie

I thought this recipe was appropriate for today since it is April Fools Day. It is a family favorite in the Peaslee household.
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Ingredients Needed:
6 tbsp. butter
6 tbsp. flour
salt
pepper
3 cups milk
4 carrots, sliced & cooked
4 potatoes, cut in sm. pieces & cooked
1 can of tuna
1 can of peas
Bisquick dough - enough to cover casserole dropped by tablespoon

1. Make white sauce with melted butter, flour, salt, pepper mixed together. Add milk. Stir until thick.
2. Add tuna, peas, carrots and potatoes.
3. Pour into casserole dish.
4. Bake 30 minutes - temperature on Bisquick package.
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Variations:
You can use a bag of frozen mixed vegetables in place of the vegetables mentioned above. You can also use small canned biscuits in place of Bisquick.

ENJOY!!

Tuna Casserole

This is a family favorite in almost any household. It is a quick, easy and inexpensive dinner to throw together.
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Ingredients Needed:
1 can drained tuna
Onion salt
Lawry’s Season salt
pepper
1 can of peas
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 bag egg noodles

1. Boil egg noodles until tender, but firm, drain and put back in pan.
2. Mix in all other ingredients.
3. Season to your taste.

ENJOY!!

Egg Bake

This is a dish that I tried to emulate from my sister-in-law Sharon's family. It doesn't quite come close to their version, Sharon says I probably don't add enough fat, but it is good. The entire Peaslee clan eats it up like mad and it is a great way to make breakfast on the weekend.
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Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Ingredients Needed:
3 dozen eggs, beaten
1/2 package shredded hashbrown potatoes
2 pounds breakfast sausage
8 ounces cheddar cheese
salt & pepper

1. Brown sausage on the stove top. Drain fat.
2. Spray a 9x13 cake pan with oil.
3. Add hashbrowns to pan.
4. Add sausage.
5. Add cheese.
6. Pour beaten eggs over all of it.
7. Salt & pepper to taste.
8. Bake for one hour.

**Depending on the oven, may need to bake a little longer. If eggs wiggle in the middle, its not done. You can use the toothpick test too.

Makes enough to feed about a dozen people.
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Variations:
You can make this with bacon or ham instead of sausage. You can use any kind of potato, I have used shredded hashbrowns, tater tots, hashbrown patties and o'brien potatoes. All work just fine. You can use whatever cheese you like too, I just prefer cheddar.

ENJOY!!

Italian Meat Balls

This recipe is my Grama Connie's. I have tried really hard to emulate her, but once again, when I make these, it is missing what I call "the Connie factor." Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does, there are never any leftovers!
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Italian Meat Balls
Ingredients Needed:
1 lb. ground beef
½ lb. ground pork
½ cup bread crumbs
1 egg
Pinch of minced dry onion
pinch of dry parsley

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a medium bowl.
2. Roll into 1 inch round meatballs.
3. Brown them, but do not cook completely.
4. Remove from pan and place them in slow cooker.
5. Add spaghetti sauce and cook on low all day.
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Spagetti Sauce
Ingredients Needed:
15 ounce can tomato sauce
15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 tsp. Italian seasoning
Lawry’s season salt
onion salt
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. Tarragon
Dash of rosemary
2 tsp. sugar
1 green pepper
1 onion

1. Stir all ingredients together. Season to taste.
2. Add to crockpot and let simmer with meatballs all day.

ENJOY!!

Swedish Meatballs

This meatball recipe is from the Betty Crocker cookbook. The gravy is from online, tweaked just a bit to meet my tastes. Laurie and I made these for Cody's graduation and Kersten's birthday party and they are now a family favorite! We usually triple the batch for the ten of us. Yum!
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Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients Needed:
1 pounds ground beef
½ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup half and half
2 tbsp chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp butter
1 tsp olive oil

1. Mix all ingredients together in bowl except butter and olive oil.
2. Roll mixture into one and a half inch balls.
3. Fry in butter and olive oil until browned.
4. Add to Swedish Meatball Gravy, cook in slow cooker for at least four hours.
5. Serve by themselves or over potatoes, rice or noodles.
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Swedish Meatball Gravy
Ingredients needed:
2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
¼ cup cold water
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Pour beef broth into pan, heat to boiling.
2. In a gravy shaker, mix the flour with water until smooth.
3. Whisk flour mixture into warm gravy, and let simmer, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, until thickened slightly, about 3-5 minutes.
4. Add the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Pour over meatballs in slow cooker and let simmer.

ENJOY!!

Hamburger Stroganoff

This is a recipe that I sort of made up based off of watching a ton of kitchen shoes and quirking things around until it tasted like I wanted it to. Hope you like it.
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Ingredients Needed:
1 lb. lean Ground beef
1 tsp. Onion salt
¼ tsp. Lawry’s Season salt
½ tsp. Garlic powder
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup sour cream
1 bag Egg Noodles

1. Cook hamburger with spices until done.
2. Add in cream of mushroom soup, let simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in sour cream.
4. Serve over egg noodles.
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Variations:
I substituted hamburger for sliced steak as it tastes just as good and is less expensive. I usually serve this over mashed potatoes, since they are my favorite. You can also serve this over rice.

ENJOY!!

Pizza Casserole

This is a recipe a girl at work gave me. She made it for a potluck we had once and it was a hit! I have made this on countless occasions and everyone, especially the kids, love it.
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Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients Needed:
2 lbs. ground beef/italian sausage
2 Tbsp. dry onion soup mix
12 oz. angel hair spaghetti (in thirds)
onion salt to taste
1 20 oz. jar Prego Garlic with Olives sauce
1 15 oz. can stewed tomatoes
2-2½ cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
4 oz. sliced pepperoni

1. Brown ground beef, add onion salt to taste; add onion soup mix; drain off fat.
2. Combine with cooked spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, and stewed tomatoes.
3. Spread evenly in lightly buttered (or Pam) 9 x 13 inch glass pan.
4. Cover with foil and bake 30-45 minutes.
5. Remove from over and layer pepperoni pieces about ½ inch apart over entire top.
6. Sprinkle with shredded cheese over all.
7. Bake uncovered 15 minutes.
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Variations:
I usually make my own pasta sauce, I like it better than out of a jar, but the jar is obviously the quick and easy version. When I do make my own, I just add a can of sliced olives to the mixture.
You can also use other pastas like macaroni or bow ties or whatever you have on hand.

Menu suggestion: Pizza casserole, Italian bread, corn and tossed salad.

This is something that can easily be made in advance and thrown in the fridge for a few days or you can freeze it for up to three months if covered properly.

ENJOY!!