Pasta Roll-ups

We had these for dinner last night and they were O-so-good!

1 egg, beaten
15 oz. Ricotta Cheese
2 cups shredded cheese (I used Mozzerella)
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce, divided
16 lasagna noodles, cooked
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

HEAT oven to 375ºF.

MIX first 4 ingredients until well blended.

SPREAD 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Spread each noodle with 3 Tbsp. cheese mixture; roll up. Place, seam-sides down, in dish. Top with remaining sauce and Parmesan; cover.

BAKE 40 to 50 min. or until heated through, uncovering the last 10 min.

Easy Fudge

Okay, so they would never sell this stuff at tourist traps, but it's pretty good for fudge in a hurry:

Easy Fudge

3 c. Chocolate chips
1 can Sweetened condensed milk
Pinch of salt
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 c. Chopped nuts

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or in a double boiler. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Spread in a generously buttered 8-inch square pan. Chill 2 hours or until firm.

And in no time, you have a chocolate fix!!!

A Simple Recipe Idea

Chuck Roast was on sale this week, but I didn't want your typical "Sunday Roast." I thought about it and this is what I did:

Rub the roast with salt, pepper, garlic, & chili powder. (I didn't have any cumin or I'd have used that, too.)

Put it in a covered pan, and bake at 225°F for 4-5 hours. (It was fall apart tender.)

Shred it up with a fork, and eat it on a tortilla with your preferred toppings. We had black beans, sour cream, & shredded pepper jack cheese.

It was so good!

Western Potato Rounds

This would be a great side dish for those 4th of July get-togethers!

2 large unpeeled baking potatoes (about 1 1/2 lb.)
Vegetable oil
1 C. (4 oz.) shredded Colby-Jack cheese
6 bacon slices, crisply cooked, drained and crumbled
1/3 C. green onion slices
1/4 C. barbecue sauce

Preheat oven to 450°F. Cut potatoes into 1/4-inch thick slices. Generously spray both sides of the potato slices with oil; spread on baking pan in one even layer. Bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned; remove from oven.

In bowl, combine cheese, bacon, and green onion. Generously brush potato slices with barbecue sauce; sprinkle with cheese mixture. Return potato slices to oven. Bake 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Yields 24 rounds.

Tips: Leaving the peel on the potatoes will help keep the shape of the baked potato slices. The potato slices will cook more evenly when sliced to the same thickness.

Ever Joyful: Chocoholics Rejoice

Okay, this is just wrong! Wrong because I don't have any chocolate chips in the house!! Wendy! Run to the store . . . .

Ever Joyful: Chocoholics Rejoice

Texas Sheet Cake

1/4 cup cocoa
1 cup butter
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease and flour a 10x15x1-inch pan.

In a medium saucepan, bring cocoa, butter and water to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and flour. Pour the cocoa mixture over and blend well. Add the eggs, buttermilk, baking soda and vanilla. Spread evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Prepare the frosting.

Frosting: In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup cocoa and 6 tablespoons milk. Add 1 pound powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 cup chopped pecans.

When the cake is done, immediately pour the frosting over it and spread evenly.

This supposedly makes 20 servings, but in my house, chocolate doesn't stretch that far.

My Favorite No-Bake Cookies

2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup butter
3 cup oatmeal (use real oats, not the quick oats, for better texture)
1 cup peanut butter

In saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, milk and butter. Cook on low heat until boiling. Boil two minutes. Remove from heat. Add oatmeal and peanut butter and mix well. Drop by teaspoon-full onto waxed paper. Let stand a few minutes before eating, if you can stand it!

BBQ Chili Recipe

I tried this recipe yesterday and my husband loved it. He is a true Texan and chili is serious stuff so it must be pretty good.

2 pounds boneless beef chuck pot roast or beef stew meat, cut into ½ inch cubes
4 garlic cloves, pressed (I used minced garlic from a jar)
2 cups coarsely chopped onions
2 cups diced green bell pepper
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large can crushed tomatoes or 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes in sauce, undrained
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
¾ cup smoky barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons chili powder

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Trim any visible far from meat; cut meat into ½-inch cubes and place in large dutch oven or baking dish. Using a garlic press, press garlic over meat. Add onions, bell pepper, beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, vinegar and chili powder to baking bowl; mix well.

2. Cover and bake 2 ½ hours or until meat is tender. Carefully remove from oven and uncover, lifting away from you. Serve with optional toppings (shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and sliced green onions) if desired.

This chili isn't very spicy so if you want to add some heat, either chop a jalepeño and mix it in or add 1/2 tsp. chipotle powder.

This is really good with cornbread on the side.