Chocolate Mousse Pie

This is one of the 1st recipes I remember making from Quick Cooking Magazine. I'm not a huge pie person, but this one is easy & delicious.

Chocolate Mousse Pie
(From Quick Cooking Premiere Magazine)

Photo from Tasteofhome.com

1 milk chocolate candy bar with or without almonds (7 oz) (I use Original Hershey's Chocolate Bar without almonds)
16 large marshmallows or 1-1/2 cups of mini marshmallows
1/2 cup milk
2 cups whipping cream, whipped (I use 2 cups of cool whip)
1 pastry shell, baked or graham cracker or chocolate crumb crust (8" or 9")

Place the candy bar, marshmallows & milk in a heavy saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly until chocolate is melted & mixture is smooth. Cool. Fold in whipped cream; pour into crust. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Garnish with additional chocolate pieces or curls.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe is one I've had laying around for years. I made it a lot when Livi was littler. It's quick, easy, budget friendly & really good. I found it originally on an ad for Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup. I've seen numerous versions of it over the years, but I'm going to record it here anyway just for the sake of having  our family favorites in one place...

Chicken Pot Pie

Photo from Campbellskitchen.com

1 can (10-3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 pkg (12 oz) frozen mixed vegetables (the recipe says "thawed" but I always just throw them in still frozen.)
1 cup cubed cooked chicken
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup Bisquick All-Purpose Baking Mix

Preheat oven to 400.
In a 9" pie plate mix soup, vegetables & chicken.
Mix milk, egg, & Bisquick.
Pour over chicken mixture..
Bake 30-40 minutes or until golden.

Serves 4

A-1 Chili

This one is another one of those rare, great finds from KraftFoods.com. It's a wonderfully different take on the usual winter chili. 

A-1 Chili

Photo from KraftFoods.com

1-1/4 lb. 90% lean ground beef

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 Tblsp garlic powder

3 Tblsp. chili powder

1 can (14-1/2 oz) tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup water

1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, drained

1/3 cup A-1 Original Steak Sauce

Cook meat, green pepper, onion & garlic in large heavy saucepan on medium heat 8-10 minutes or until meat is no longer pink, stirring frequently. Add chili powder; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. 

**NOTE: if you do not use the 90% lean ground beef you will need to cook the beef first & then drain & then return to the pan & keep going with other ingredients. Otherwise, the chili gets very greasy.**

Drain tomatoes, reserving liquid; chop tomatoes. Add tomatoes, reserved liquid & the water to meat mixture. Bring to a boil; cover. Reduce heat to low; simmer 15 min, stirring occasionally. 

Add beans & steak sauce; stir until well blended. Cover & simmer an additional 5 min. 

Makes (6) 1 cup servings. 

Each serving= 300 calories

Steak Diane

This is a recipe I often forget I have but it is really tasty. It comes from Taste of Home Magazine, Dec/Jan 1999. I usually serve with a baked potato or potato wedges.

Steak Diane

Photo from TasteofHome.com

4 beef ribeye steaks (1/2 in thick)
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp salt
4 Tblsp butter, divided
2 Tblsp finely chopped green onions
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1 Tblsp lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tblsp minced fresh parsley
1 Tblsp minced fresh chives

Sprinkle steaks with pepper & salt. In a skillet, melt 2 Tblsp of butter. Stir in onions & mustard; cook for 1 minute. Add steaks; cook for 3 minutes on each side or until the meat reaches desired doneness. Remove to a serving platter & keep warm. Add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce & remaining butter to skillet. Cook for 2 minutes. Add parsley & chives. Pour over steaks.

Makes 4 servings.

Pizza Lasagna

I came across this recipe when I was doing Weight Watchers several years ago. It's a healthier take on lasagna & satisfies even the worst pizza craving. It can also be made with Boca Ground instead of ground beef without changing the taste much. Either way, it's a delicious, healthier meal!!

Pizza Lasagna
Taken from Light & Tasty Magazine, Aug/Sept. 2003

1/2 lb. lean ground beef
2 cans (14-1/2 oz each) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 oz) ready to serve creamy tomato sauce (I used a can of tomato sauce instead. Light & Tasty test kitchen recommended Healthy Choice Creamy Tomato Soup)
1 can (16 oz) tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp. each of dried oregano & garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
9 uncooked lasagna noodles (I cooked mine before assembling the dish)
4 oz. sliced turkey pepperoni
1-1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 medium red pepper, diced
6 green onions, chopped
1 can (2-1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained

In a nonstick skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.
For sauce, in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, soup, tomato paste, water, onion & seasonings.

Spread 1/2 cup sauce in a 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Top with 3 noodles & a third of the sauce, then pepperoni. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese. Top with 2 noodles & a third of the sauce. Top with mushrooms, red pepper, green onions & beef. Top with remaining noodles, sauce & cheese. Sprinkle with olives.

Cover & bake at 350 for 1 hour (if noodles are precooked or 70-80 min. or until noodles are tender if noodles are uncooked). Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Spaghetti Skillet

Another delicious recipe from Quick Cooking Magazine before them, Taste of Home, & Light & Tasty Magazines went downhill (in my opinion). This ones comes from back when the magazines were completely ad-free, full of color photos & you couldn't hardly find a recipe in any of the issues that wasn't good....

Anyway, this recipe comes from the Annual Quick Cooking 2000 Book.

Spaghetti Skillet

Photo from TasteofHome.com

1/2 lb. ground beef
1/4 lb. bulk Italian sausage
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (14-1/2 oz) stewed tomatoes
1 cup water
1 can (4 oz) mushroom stems & pieces, drained
2 celery ribs
4 oz uncooked spaghetti, broken in half
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
salt & pepper to taste


In a skillet over medium heat, cook beef and sausage until no longer pink; drain. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover & simmer for 14-16 minutes or until spaghetti is tender.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Grandma Patton's Potato Salad

One of my all time favorites!

Grandma Patton's Potato Salad

Unfortunately, I don't have measurements for the ingredients on this either but I'll try to give you some estimates to get you started. The rest you have to use your taste tester to figure out :)

Ingredients:
Potatoes (for the 3 of us, I might use a 5 lb. bag mainly because I always want leftovers of this; for a family gathering I'd use at least a 10 lb. bag)

**Side note, my mom always said when making potatoes (like mashed, potato salad, etc) you peel 2 for each person & throw in a couple for the pot. That works for normal people, but I have an addiction to potatoes so I usually throw in a few more just because :) **

Other ingredients:
Mayo (you truly have to eyeball this to get the consistency of potato salad you want)
Relish - dill not sweet, (2-4 Tblsp., maybe a little more)
Eggs (2-3)
Onion (1/4-1/2 cup, chopped)
Salt & Pepper to taste
American Cheese Slices (2-4)

Dice, cook & drain potatoes. Lay the cheese slices on top of the hot potatoes. Cover & allow cheese to melt. Add remaining ingredients & mix. Enjoy!!