Nola's Casserole Recipe

My friend Nola made this recipe at a party one evening. It's delicious! 1 small can chicken broth 1 bag bowtie pasta or egg noodles, cooked and drained 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 can cream of mushroom soup 4 cups (more or less) chopped cooked chicken meat* 3 cups grated cheese, any kind** 1 can drained mushrooms Salt and pepper to taste In a large bowl mix the broth, chicken, soups, 2 cups of the cheese, and mushrooms. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fold in the cooked pasta. Place in a greased 9x13 pan, sprinkle top with remaining 1 cup shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbling and hot (about 30-40 minutes). * Can use a deli rotisserie chicken, cooled and meat pulled off the carcass, or cook fresh chicken breasts and thighs seared in a pan until cooked, then pulled off the bone; can also use leftover Thanksgiving turkey. May also substitute 4 cans tuna, drained. **Can use any type or combination shredded cheese; Cheddar and Monterey Jack is good. Also good with grated Asiago sprinkled on top before serving. Additional add-ins: Fresh asparagus cooked until just tender and cut into 1" pieces; 1 bag of frozen peas (they will cook and not fall apart if added frozen before baking).

Salted Golden Caramel Bars

This recipe was found in the September 2010 Country Living Magazine: 8 cups puffed rice cereal 3/4 cup corn syrup 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 1/4 cup granulated sugar 4 TBS unsalted butter 1 tsp sea salt 1-1/2 tsp vanilla 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, melted Vegetable oil, for greasing dishes Liberally oil a large mixing bowl and a 9x13 baking dish. Place cereal in bowl and set it and dish aside. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine corn syrup, condensed milk, sugars, butter, and sea salt. Allow mixture to come to a boil while stirring continuously, until a light golden brown, 5-6 minutes. Remove mixture from heat, stir in vanilla, and immediately pour over cereal. Stir to completely mix, and then evenly spread in prepared baking pan. Set aside to let cool, about 45 minutes. Invert and release from pan. Drizzle with melted chcolate and refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Cut into 15 bars.

Chocolate Icebox Cake

This recipe was found in the August 2010 Real Simple Magazine: 2 - 15 oz containers Ricotta Cheese 12 ox. semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled 9 oz package chocolate wafer cookies Line an 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on 2 sides. In food processor, puree Ricotta with melted chocolate until very smooth. Layer the Ricotta mixture and half the cookies in the pan (3 layers of the Ricotta mixture and 2 layers of the cookies, beginning and ending with the Ricotta mixture). Refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to 2 days. To serve, remove from pan, slice, and sprinkle with shaved semisweet chocolate if desired.

Hash Brown Cakes

I found this recipe in the April 2010 edition of Cooking Light: 1-1/2 cups shredded ham 1/2 cup chopped green onions 2-1/2 TBS flour 1/4 tsp salt 1 - 20 oz. bag refrigerated shredded hash browns 2 large eggs Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Heat 1 TBS oil per batch in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Scoop mixture by 1/4 cupfuls into skillet. Flatted slightly, and cook 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Just plain YUMMY.....

Goetze's Caramel Cream Brownies

I found this recipe on the back of a bag of Goetze's Caramel Cream candies many, many years ago, and it is scrumptious! 1 cup butter (2 sticks) 4 squares unsweetened chocolate 2 cups sugar 4 eggs 1 cup flour 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp salt 36 unwrapped Goetze's Caramel Cream candies 1/4 cup evaporated milk 1 TBS butter or margarine Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease or spray with cooking spray 13 x 9 pan. Combine chocolate, butter and melt over very low heat. Cool slightly. Whisk eggs until frothy, add sugar, vanilla, and salt; beat with mixer on high speed for 5 minutes. Stir in chocolate mixture add flour and beat just until blended. Pour 1/3 of brownie mix into pan to cover the bottom; bake 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine Caramel Cream candies, evaporated milk, and 1 TBS butter or margarine saucepan. Stirring frequently, melt together over low heat until mixture is smooth. Remove pan from oven spread Caramel Cream mixture over top of cooked brownies. Cover with remaining brownie mix. Bake an additional 25-30 minutes. Cool for at least 2 hours in pan at room temperature to set caramel. Makes 36 brownies squares. ENJOY!

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars

This recipe is so easy it almost feels like cheating! It's basically just "jazzing up" a pouch cookie mix, but it is SO good: 1 pouch Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix 1 TBS water 3 TBS oil 1 egg 2 cups chocolate chips* Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom of 13 x 9 pan with cooking spray. Make cookie dough as directed on pouch. Press in pan. Bake 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool 5 minutes. In small bowl, melt chocolate 1 - 1-1/2 minutes or until chips can be stirred smooth. Spread over cookies. Refrigerate 30 minutes until chocolate is set; cut into bars. *I prefer Dark Chocolate, so I use that. However, Milk Chocolate would work just as well if that is your personal preference.

Beef Taco Skillet

This is a very easy, very tasty recipe I found from Campbell's: 1 lb. ground beef 1 can Campbell's Tomato Soup (Regular or 25% Less Sodium) 1/2 cup salsa* 1/2 cup water 6 flour tortillas (6"), cut into 1" pieces 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 1. Cook beef in 10" skillet until well browned, stirring to break up the meat. Pour off fat. 2. Stir in soup, salsa, water and tortillas. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Stir. Top with cheese. Makes 4 servings. *I have used diced tomatoes instead of salsa; it makes for a milder taste that my family prefers.

Hello!

I have been looking for a way to get all of my favorite recipes in one spot....I've checked out recipe management software, recipe programs online, and other various ways - - trying to get away from my current recipe filing system of a large filebox with handwritten cards!

What to do, what to do, what to do.....

Then inspiration hit.

A friend of mine asked if I would help her set up a recipe blog. And the more we talked about it, the more it became clear - - THAT was also the answer to my dilemma!

So "Cookin' In the Kitchen With Dizzy" is born. I will have all recipes categorized with tags, so if a particular type of recipe is being looked for, such as "Casseroles", that tag can be searched.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I am going to!

Buon Appetito!