Skillet Lasagna

• 1 (28 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
• Water
• 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pound ground beef
• Garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 5 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian herbs (such as basil, oregano, thyme, parsley), divided
• 8 ounces bow-tie pasta (farfalle)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup ricotta cheese

Pour can of diced tomatoes (with juices) into a 1-quart liquid measuring cup. Add water until the mixture measures 4 cups. Stir in tomato sauce and sugar; set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil; tilt pan to coat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and stir for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add ground beef and cook until done. Drain grease, season meat with garlic salt and pepper, to taste, and stir in 3 tablespoons of fresh chopped herbs.

Scatter pasta over meat and pour tomato mixture over pasta without stirring. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, covered, stirring every 5 minutes. Cook until pasta is tender, for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more garlic salt, pepper, and/or sugar, if necessary. Remove from heat and dollop heaping tablespoons of ricotta all over surface of pasta mixture. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining fresh herbs and Parmesan.

Recipe from Five Heart Home

Benihana Japanese Onion Soup

4 cups canned chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 white onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 carrot, coarsely chopped
1/2 celery, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 tsp. salt
6 mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 green onions, diced
French's French Fried Onions

Combine chicken broth and water in a large saucepan over high heat. Add coarsely chopped onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and salt to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the onion starts to become translucent.

When the soup has simmered for 10 minutes, strain the vegetables out of the broth and toss them out. Pour the broth back into the pan and keep it hot over low heat.

To serve soup, ladle about 1 cup of broth into a bowl. Drop a few pieces of fried onion into the soup, followed by 6 to 8 mushroom slices (about 1 mushroom each) and a couple pinches of diced green onion. When the fried onion sinks to the bottom of the bowl (a couple of minutes), serve the soup.

White Bean Chicken Chili

3–4 chicken breasts (frozen or thawed)
2 cans of Rotel
2–3 cans of white beans (liquid and all)
12 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of onion
Cumin to taste

Put everything in a Crock-Pot on low for 8 to 10 hours. Once the chicken is cooked, pull apart with a fork and shred. Serve with Fritos and sour cream or nacho style with tostada chips and shredded lettuce.

Recipe from RachelCruze.com

Lemon Cherry Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil 
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon extract 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
11/2 cups dried tart cherries
3 cups all-purpose flour 

1. Preheat the oven to 370°F/188°C. If using regular (nonstick) cookie sheets, line with parchment paper.

2. Combine the butter, vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, lemon extract, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix well, preferably with an electric mixer, occasionally scraping the sides of the bowl. Add the dried cherries, mix well, then add the our and mix until well blended.

3. Using a 11/2-inch cookie scoop or a rounded teaspoon, scoop out the dough and place about 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets.

4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until the edges are golden. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Makes about 31⁄2 dozen cookies 

Original Tommy's Hamburgers - Copy Cat

Chili
1 pound ground beef (80/20)
1/4 cup flour plus 1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/3 cups beef broth
4 cups water
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons grated (and then chopped) carrot
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3 pounds ground beef
8 hamburger buns
16 slices Kraft cheddar cheese Singles
1/2 cup diced onion
32 to 40 hamburger pickles (slices)
8 slices large beefsteak tomato (1/2-inch thick)
1/4 cup yellow mustard

1. Prepare the chili by first browning the meat in a large saucepan over medium heat. Crumble the meat as it browns. When the meat has been entirely cooked (7 to 10 minutes), pour the meat into a strainer over a large cup or saucepan. Let the fat drip out of the meat for about 5 minutes, then return the meat back to the first saucepan. Cover and set aside.

2. With the fat from the meat, we will now make a roux -- the French contribution to thicker sauces and gravies usually made with fat and flour. Heat the drippings in a saucepan over medium heat (you should have drained off around 1/2 cup of the stuff). When the fat is hot, add 1/4 cup flour to the pan and stir well. Reduce heat to medium low, and continue to heat the roux, stirring often, until it is a rich caramel color. This should take 10 to 15 minutes. Add the beef broth to the pan and stir. Remove from heat.

3. Meanwhile, back at the other pan, add the water to the beef, then whisk in the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour. Add the roux/broth mixture and the other chili ingredients and whisk until blended. Make sure your grated carrot is chopped up to the size of rice before you add it.

4. Crank the heat up to medium high. Stir often until you see bubbles forming on the surface of the chili. Turn the heat down to medium low, and continue to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until thick. The chili should be calmly bubbling like lava as it simmers. When it's done cooking, take the chili off the heat, cover it, and let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour before using it on the burgers. It should thicken to a tasty brown paste as it sits.

5. To make your hamburgers, you'll first divide 3 pounds of hamburger into 16 portions of 3 ounces each. Grill the burgers in a hot skillet or on an indoor griddle for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until done. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on each patty.

6. Build the burgers by lightly toasting the faces of the hamburger buns. Turn them over into a hot skillet or a griddle on medium heat.

7. Place one patty onto the bottom bun.

8. Position two slices of cheese on the meat.

9. Place another beef patty on the cheese.

10. Spoon about 1/3 cup of chili onto the beef patty.

11. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of diced onion onto the chili.

12. Arrange 4 to 5 pickle slices on the onion.

13. Place a thick slice of tomato on next.

14. Spread mustard over the face of the top bun and top off your hamburger by turning this bun over onto the tomato.

Makes 8 burgers. (6 cups of chili.)

Fiddle Faddle

Fiddle Faddle

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 bags plain or natural-flavored microwave popcorn
1/2 cup roasted almonds
                                                                                                       
Combine sugar, butter, corn syrup, water and salt in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring the candy to 265-275 degrees F, or what is known as the hard ball stage. For this it's best to use a candy thermometer. If you don't have one, don't worry. Drip the candy into a small glass of cold water. If the candy forms a very hard, yet slightly pliable ball, you're there. Watch your mixture closely so that it doesn't boil over.

While candy cooks, pop both bags of popcorn and spread about 2 quarts or 1 1/3 bags of popcorn and almonds on one large or two small cookie sheets. Put the popcorn in your oven set on its lowest temperature. This will keep the popcorn hot so that the candy will coat better.

When your candy has reached the hard ball stage, add the vanilla. Pull the popcorn from the oven and, working quickly, pour the candy over the popcorn in thin streams. Mix the popcorn so that each kernel is coated with candy, put the popcorn back into the oven for five more minutes, then stir once again. This will help to coat each kernel. You can repeat this step once more if necessary to get all of the popcorn coated. Pour popcorn onto a large sheet of wax paper to cool. Spread the popcorn out, but be careful...it's hot.

When popcorn is cool, break it up and immediately put it into a tightly sealed container. This will ensure that it stays fresh. This stuff gets stale very quickly in moist climates if left out.

Makes about 4 quarts.

Triple-Layer Lemon Pie

2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) Jello Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding
2 cups cold milk
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Graham cracker pie crust (6 oz.)
1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed, divided

Beat pudding mixes, milk and juice with whisk 2 min. (Pudding will be thick.) Spread 1-1/2 cups onto bottom of crust. Whisk half the Cool Whip into remaining pudding. Spread Cool Whip mixture over pudding layer in crust; top with remaining Cool Whip. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.