Hash Brown Quiche

24 ounces frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
5-1/3 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
½ cup half and half or milk
½ teaspoon seasoned salt
8 ounces (2 cups) shredded cheese, your favorite
1 cup cooked crumbled bacon

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Press hash browns into quiche or pie pan. Blot with paper towels to remove all moisture. Brush with melted butter. Bake 25 minutes. Remove from over; reduce heat to 350ºF. Combine eggs, milk and salt. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until set.

Serves 6-8.

Toasted Balsamic Chicken Bruschetta Sandwiches

adapted slightly from Picky Palate

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed and pounded
pinch of salt
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

4 Roma tomatoes, diced
8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

8 thin slices fresh Mozzarella
4 ciabatta rolls (or similar)

Preheat a grill pan over medium heat (or use a panini maker). Spray with cooking spray.

Combine balsamic and olive oil in a bowl. Season both sides of chicken with pinches of salt and place on grill. Brush top sides of chicken with balsamic mixture. Cook for 4-5 minutes and flip chicken. Brush with additional balsamic mixture and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes or until cooked through.

In a large bowl combine tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt and vinegar. Toss gently to combine. Set aside.

Preheat same grill pan over medium heat and spray with additional cooking spray. Place 2 slices of cheese on bottom rolls then layer with chicken breasts, spoonfuls of tomato mixture and 2 more slices of cheese. Place top rolls to close sandwich and grill both sides on grill pan (or just close in panini maker) until toasty and warm.

Serve warm.

Serves 4.

Burrito Skillet

1 pound ground beef
1¼ ounces taco seasoning
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small can green chiles
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can refried beans, combined with ¼ cup milk
1 cup salsa
1 cup water
4 flour tortillas, torn into 1½-inch squares
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup sour cream

Brown meat in large skillet; drain. Add seasoning mix, all beans, chiles, tomatoes, salsa and water; stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 5 minutes. Stir in torn tortillas; top with cheese. Cover; let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream.

Serves 4.

Ham & Cheese Roll

altered from www.kraftfoods.com

1 lb. frozen bread dough, thawed
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons powdered ranch dressing mix
10 ounces deli ham, sliced thin
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Flatten dough on lightly floured surface. Roll into 12x8-inch rectangle with rolling pin. Spread mayonnaise over dough, then sprinkle ranch mix over (use more if desired). Top with ham and cheese to within 1/2-inch of edges.

Sprinkle edges of dough with water. Starting at one of the long sides, fold one-third of dough over filling; repeat with other long side. Pinch seams together to seal. Place, seam-side down, on lightly greased baking sheet. Cut three diagonal slits in top of dough with kitchen shears. Brush with egg; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake 35 to 40 min. or until golden brown. Cool 10 min. before slicing.

Weeknight Lasagna Toss

from Kraft

1 pound ground beef
2 green peppers, chopped
3 gloves garlic, minced
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 2/3 cup water
¼ cup Italian dressing
12 oven-ready lasagna noodles*, broken into bite-sized pieces
½ cup ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown ground beef, then drain and rinse if desired. Return to pan. Add peppers, garlic, spaghettic sauce, water and dressing; bring to boil. Add noodles; stir. Cover. Cook on medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in ricotta cheese until combined, then sprinkle with mozzarella.

*If not using oven-ready noodles, increase water to 2 cups and cooking time to 30 minutes.

Garlic Toasted Open Faced Lasagna Ciabattas

adapted from Picky Palate

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1 26 oz jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I used Classico)
8 leaves fresh basil, chopped
15 oz container ricotta cheese
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
8 ciabatta rolls
fresh mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Place oil into a medium dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Cook beef until browned, about 5-7 minutes; reserve ¼ Cup for ricotta. Reduce heat to low and stir in pasta sauce and basil leaves. Simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Place reserved ¼ Cup beef, ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, salt, pepper and Italian Seasoning into a medium bowl. Stir to combine.
3. Split each ciabatta roll and place cut side up onto a large baking sheet. Spread ricotta mixture over each roll, about ¼ Cup (you probably won't use all of ricotta.). Top with a couple spoonfuls of pasta sauce, and fresh mozzarella cheese.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and hot. Remove, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.

Baked Spaghetti

Mix these ingredients together and place in a 9x13 baking dish:
12 oz angel hair pasta, cooked
1 egg
1 cup parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoon chopped basil

Mix these together and place on top of the pasta.
1 lb hamburger, cooked
1 (13 oz) container ricotta cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese, save ½ C for the top
1 jar pasta sauce, mixed with pinches of garlic, brown sugar and Italian seasoning

Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese on sauce. Bake at 350 for about 35 min or until the cheese starts to bubble.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

adapted from The Sisters' Café

6 Tablespoons honey
5 Tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1 Tablespoon chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder

1½ pounds chicken, cooked and shredded
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least ½ hour, or as long as all day. Pour about ½ cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes until baked through, then broil for a few minutes until a little crispy on top.