Asparagus

prepare asparagus by rinsing and clipping off the bottom of the stem
place on baking dish
season with olive oil, salt and pepper
can also season with garlic salt, Parmesan cheese, or any seasoning you prefer
bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes

*we like to sprinkle with Season Salt ( Tastefully Simple) after baking

* found recipe on Pinterest

Chocolate Pound Cake

Classy Chocolate Pound Cake ( from Tastefully Simple )
3/4 cup ( 1 1/2 sticks ) melted butter
1 cup water
follow baking directions on the box

Topping:
1 small box instant chocolate pudding
whisk with 1 3/4 cup milk
add in 1 small tub of cool whip

serve individual pieces of cake topped with pudding mixture

* super easy and so good!

Chicken Pot Pie

recipe from my mom

2 cans cream of potato soup
1 can veg-all , drained ( 15 oz )
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or diced
1/2 cup milk
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 - 9" frozen pie crust, thawed

Combine first 5 ingredients
Spoon into prepared pie crust
Cover with top crust
Crimp edges to seal and slit top crust
Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes
Cool 10 minutes

sides: applesauce and a roll

*recipe states 40 minutes bake time, we bake it closer to an hour

*this is a perfect meal for a new mom or new neighbor

Pork Tenderloin (Montreal Steak Marinade)

Recipe from Eric's mom

Pork tenderloin 2-3 pounds
Montreal Steak Marinade packet
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp red wine or white vinegar
(directions can be found on the back of the marinade packet)

mix marinade, oil, water, and wine or vinegar
marinate pork for 30 minutes or more
grill until pork is cooked through

sides: veggie, rice, roll

* this works well for a group, can cut portions per person 

Party Potato Casserole

recipe from Lydia
can also be found at Love my Freezer Dinners

2 lbs frozen hash browns
16 oz sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can creamed corn
1 can corn, drained
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 rope smoked sausage
1 tsp salt

Mix together ( you will need your biggest bowl! )
Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour until bubbly
cover for 30-40 minutes, uncover for the last 20-30 minutes

* this recipe is for a 9x13 pan. I split it into two 8x8 pans, and freeze one

* instead of raw onion, we use Onion Onion from Tastefully Simple

Mini Meatloaves

recipe from Kraft

1 pound  extra lean ground beef
1 pkg  (6 oz) Stuffing
1 cup water
3/4 cup chedder cheese

Heat oven to 375 degrees
Mix meat, stuffing mix, water, and add-in (see options below)
Press into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray
make indentation in center of each meatloaf with spoon; fill with sauce (see options below)
bake 30  minutes or until cooked through.
Top with cheese, continue baking 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted

Add-in and Sauce option:

American Style
1 tsp garlic powder and 3/4 cup barbecue sauce

Italian Style
1 tsp Italian seasoning and 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce

Mexican Style
2 tsp chili powder and 3/4 cup Salsa

sides: raw carrots, salad, roll

Sweet-and-Sour Chicken

recipe from Taste of Home

1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts,
 cut into 1 inch strips

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 can (8 oz) pineapple chunks

1 can (8oz) sliced water chestnuts, drained

2 medium carrots, sliced

2 tablespoons soy sauce

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1 cup sweet-and-sour sauce

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

3 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen snow peas

hot cooked rice

In a large skillet, saute chicken in oil for 4-5 minutes; drain

Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Drain pineapple, reserving juice; set pineapple aside

In a 5 qt slow cooker, combine chicken, water chestnuts, carrots, soy sauce, and pineapple juice.

Cover and cook on low for 3 hours or until chicken juices run clear.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, sweet-and-sour sauce, water and ginger until smooth.

Stir into slow cooker.

Add onions and reserved pineapple; cover and cook on high for 15 minutes or until thickened.

Add peas; cook 5 minutes longer.

Serve with rice

* we left out the water chestnuts and onion

* could add more pineapple chunks

Bacon Ranch Burgers

1  pound hamburg
1 packet dry ranch dressing
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

mix all ingredients together
form into patties and grill
melt cheese onto burger, we use swiss for this burger

Bacon

place a cooling rack inside a larger pan with sides
spray cooling rack with cooking spray
lay bacon across the cooling rack
bake in oven at 400 degrees for approx 15 minutes,
 or until desired crispiness
grease will collect in bottom of pan

* freezes well