Philly Cheese Meatloaf

Philly Cheese Meatloaf
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon oil
1 lb. ground meat
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
Several dashes salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
6 slices provolone cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a skillet, sauté the onion and pepper in the oil until tender. Combine these veggies with the remaining ingredients except the cheese in a bowl. Place half of this mixture into a greased loaf pan and top with 3 of the slices of provolone cheese. Repeat so you have two meat-cheese layers.  Bake for 45 minutes (the internal temperature of the meat should reach 165°F). Allow the meatloaf to sit for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Chicken Chili Relleno Casserole

Chicken Chili Relleno Casserole
2 cups shredded chicken
1 large onion
1 lb cheddar cheese, (chopped into cubes) divided
3 4 oz diced green chilies
4 eggs
1 ½ cups milk
¼ cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Cook onion until it is tender. Mix onion with chicken. Layer the chicken, chilies, cheese on the bottom of 9” x 13 “baking dish. Mix together eggs, milk, flour and seasonings until smooth. Pour over the chicken layers. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes until egg mixture is set and a toothpick comes out clean.

POTATO SOUP

POTATO SOUP
5 slices bacon, diced
3 tablespoons bacon grease (reserved) or butter
1 cup diced white or yellow onion
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups milk, warmed
1.5 pounds potatoes, peeled (if desired) and diced (I recommend Yukon gold potatoes)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
1 teaspoon Kosher salt, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
optional toppings: thinly-sliced green onions or chives, extra shredded cheese, extra bacon, sour cream
Heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add diced bacon and cook until crispy, stirring occasionally.  Transfer the bacon to a separate plate, using a slotted spoon, reserving about 3 tablespoons of bacon grease in the stockpot.  (Discard any extra grease, or you can substitute butter in place of the 3 tablespoons of bacon grease.  Also, if you are short on time, you can dice the potatoes and onion while the bacon cooks to save time.) Add onion and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.  Sprinkle the flour on top of the onion, and stir until combined.  Saute for an additional minute to cook the flour, stirring occasionally.  Then stir in the chicken stock until combined.  Stir in the milk, potatoes, and cooked bacon bits until combined.  Continue cooking until the mixture reaches a simmer, but is not boiling.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally every few minutes so that the bottom does not burn.  (The smaller you dice your potatoes, the faster they will cook.) When the potatoes are soft, stir in the cheddar cheese and Greek yogurt (or sour cream), salt and pepper.  Taste and see if it needs more salt or pepper or cheese.  Serve warm, garnished with desired toppings.

Crescent Pie Bites

Crescent Pie Bites
1 (21 oz.) Can Pie Filling (Any Flavor)
2 Tubes Crescent Rolls
1 cup Powdered Sugar
2 Tbsp. Milk
Preheat oven 375.  Spray two muffin tins with cooking spray (If you only have one tin, you will have to make two batches) Open crescent roll cans and lay out the crescent roll dough flat. Separate into individual sections and lay each piece in the muffin tins, widest section at the bottom.  Put pie filling into each crescent roll.  About 1-2 Tbsp. per crescent.  Gather the edges of the dough and fold up around the filling.  It's ok if there are some gaps.) Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
★ NOTE: You want the tops to be brown and the dough to be completely done. ★
For the glaze:  In a bowl whisk the powdered sugar together with the milk until smooth.  Use a spoon to drizzle glaze over each pie bite.

Jambalaya

Jambalaya
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
3 Tbsp. fresh Italian parsley, minced (or 3 tsp. dried parsley)
1 lb. fresh chorizo sausage, cut into small chunks
5 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
1 large bay leaf
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
3/4 cup uncooked rice
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped into bite sized pieces
Add oil to large nonstick skillet.  Over medium heat, sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery until onion is translucent.  Add parsley, sausage, chicken and bay leaf.  Cook, stirring often, 5-6 minutes.  Add tomatoes (with juice), tomato sauce and 1 3/4 cup cold water.  Gently simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.  Pour rice into pan and stir well.  Bring mixture to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer, covered, about 20 minutes or until rice is cooked and absorbs much of the liquid.  Stir in shrimp and cook 5 minutes more.  Remove bay leaf and season with salt and pepper.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Chicken Enchilada Soup
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 medium onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart chicken stock
1 Tbsp. chicken soup base
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper to taste
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (19 oz.) can enchilada sauce
6 small corn tortillas, minced
16 oz. velveeta, cubed
1 cup co-jack cheese, shredded
1. 5 lbs. shredded cooked chicken
1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 bunch green onions, sliced
In a skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat and saute the onions until tender.  Add the minced garlic and cook another minute or two.  Scrape the onion and garlic into the crockpot and add all of the other ingredients except the chicken, corn and green onions.  Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4.  Whisk until smooth (you may want to use a stick blender).  Add the chicken and corn and heat through on high for about 20-30 minutes.  Check seasoning, adjusting if necessary.  Serve topped with green onions.  You can also top it with sour cream, shredded cheese and/or crunchy tortilla strips.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Stuffed Pepper Soup
2 lbs. ground beef
2 quarts water
1 can (28 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups cooked long grain rice
2 cups chopped green peppers
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. beef bouillon granules
1 tsp. pepper
In a Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  Stir in remaining ingredients; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until peppers are tender.