Manicotti

Our  mom made this a few times when I was in high school, and I really liked it, so I've been making it regularly since then!

Sauce:

1 28 - 32 oz can tomato sauce
1 pound of sausage, country style
3 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp sweet basil

Brown sausage and garlic. Drain. Add tomato sauce, sugar, basil, and 1 1/2 cup water. Simmer in crock pot all day.

Cheese mixture:

16 oz shredded mozzarella
16 oz ricotta
1 cup grated parmesan
2 eggs
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped

Mix all cheese mixture ingredients together until well-mixed.

16 oz box of manicotti noodles or large shells

Cook according to box instructions. Let them cool until you can handle them. Stuff noodles with cheese mixture. In a 9 x 13 pan, pour 1/2 of the sauce in the bottom. Place stuffed noodles in pan. Cover with the remaining sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Haystack Dinner

This was always one of my favorite dinners!

8 chicken breasts or 1 whole chicken

Boil until done (save broth for gravy), and cut into small pieces.Place chicken in a baking dish & cover with 1 - 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, thinned a little with water. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. Serve over rice.

Gravy:

Add enough water to chicken broth for 3 cups. Mix 1/2 cup cold water with 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 tsp curry. Cook in chicken broth until the gravy thickens.

Top with your favorite toppings, such as:

Chopped tomatoes
Chopped celery
Sliced green onion
Grated cheese
Pineapple bits
Mandarin oranges
Slivered almonds
Coconut
Chow mein noodles

Green Rice

I got this from a woman named Becky on my mission. It reminded me of home, even though I had never had it before. It's a great side, especially if you add more cheese to it!

2 cups rice
1 can cream of chicken (or whatever cream of soup you like)
Steamed broccoli (1 or 2 crowns of broccoli)
1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheese

Steam rice. Mix with cream of soup. Put in casserole dish. Cut up steamed broccoli into really small, pieces. Mix in with the rice and soup and a half a cup of cheese, if desired. Sprinkle half a cup of cheese on top and place in oven to melt cheese and warm casserole (about 5 minutes at 350 degrees).

Grated Potato Casserole

This casserole is also known as cheesy potatoes or funeral potatoes, depending on who you ask. There are about as many recipes and even toppings for this as there are people in any given family, so this is a very flexible dish for people's tastes, preferences, and allergies. This is the recipe our mom used growing up.

6 to 9 potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 pint sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook potatoes in skins (don't overcook them). Cool, peel, and coarsely grate the potatoes. To mix sauce, heat 1/4 cup butter with the soup. Blend in the sour cream, onion, and cheese into soup. Layer mixture with potatoes in a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish or a 9" x 13" pan. Slightly mix with a fork to even mixture with potatoes. Top with extra cheese or your preferred topping. Heat in a moderate oven until bubbling.

Egg Foo Yung

This is a recipe my dad used to use. It is typically served with steamed rice.

1 1/2 cups finely chopped/shredded veggies (cabbage or zucchini usually)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Oil for frying

Optional: Add shrimp or other cooked meat.

Fry vegetables in about a tablespoon of oil. Remove from pan and cool. Make the sauce (see below) while cooling,

Mix fried vegetables with the eggs, salt and pepper. Fry in about 1/4 cup quantities in oil, about the shape of a pancake. Flip and cook until thoroughly cooked through. Serve on steamed rice and topped with sauce.

Sauce:

1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp beef boullion
1 tsp sugar
1 cup cold water
1 Tbsp soy sauce

Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Continue cooking and stirring for an additional minute to two minutes. Serve sauce on egg foo yung and steamed rice.