Sweet Potato Cassarole by:Hannah

Ingredients
1 cups heavy whipping cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
2-3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 1/8-inch thick
Freshly ground black pepper
1 /3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Whisk together cream and soup and set aside.

In a 9 by 9-inch casserole dish, arrange the potatoes in even layers. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the cream mixture and season with pepper. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, cream, and pepper to each layers. Sprinkle top layer with a light layer of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes, remove cover and continue baking for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and the top is browned.

Personal Comment:

It's different but I liked it- everyone in my family loved it. I've changed a few things before posting it so till I make it again I gave it a 4 out of 5 sarts

Tomato cottage cheese chicken pasta by: Hannah

you will need:

4 boneless chicken breasts (or 4 -4oz pork chops)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 can tomato sauce (for better taste try a seasoned tomato sauce)
1 small can tomato paste (or 1 cup whipping cream) -this is to thicken the sauce for later
1 can chicken broth
1/2 lemon, zested
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Tomato cottage cheese mix:

1 tablespoon olive oil,
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small white onion, diced or sliced
1 can diced tomatoes (for better flavor try any seasoned diced tomatoes)
1 (10-ounce) bag of frozen spinach (thawed and excess water squeezed out)
1/2 teaspoon salt,
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper,
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup (2 ounces) cottage chees

Directions

Boil water and cook your pasta, when cooked all the way rinse with cold water to stop it from cooking.

Heat a medium sauce pan on high while adding tomatoes sauce, tomato paste (or whipping cream), chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, and dried oregano- bring to a boil. Add chicken (or pork chops) and boil for 2-3 minutes, turn heat down to a low simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes.

*Thaw out the spinach and drain the extra water and set aside.

Tomato cottage cheese mix:

5-10 minutes into cooking the meat in a different medium saute pan warm the 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minute. Add the canned diced tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook until combined, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Add the cottage cheese to the bowl as well, and stir to combine and cover to keep warm and set aside.

Rinse the spaghetti noodles in hot water to loosen and reheat.

When your serve place your noodles on a plate then place the chicken on top and sprinkle some fresh or dried oregano on the chicken. Then place the tomatoe cottage cheese mix on top of the chicken and then spoon some sauce over the top and enjoy!

Personal comments:

I found this recipe on line and I changed it completely they asked for sun-dried tomatoes but I find those to be a little sour. They also asked for goat cheese, but I find that to taste really nasty- so I added cottage cheese to make it like lasagna . Also they asked you to cook the pork with oil but I found that to make the to pork really dry so I made up a sauce to cook it in and I love it! They also told you to stuff the pork chops with the Tomato cottage cheese mix before you cooked it but I found it harder to cook and all the stuffing fell out, plus the pork chops were so thin I didn’t have much room to stuff it with. So I just placed the tomato cottage cheese mix on top and it worked out perfectly this way people can put as much as they like.
Another thing is this recipe works well with chicken too, I just wanted to find a different way to cook pork. I would give this recipe a 4 1/2 out of 5 stars!





*helpful hints

Basil cream spaghetti sauce by: Dara

You will need:

1 package of hot sausage (or not hot if you like)
1 bottle or can of any spaghetti sauce you like
1 cup- chopped basil leafs (set aside a few for garnish if desired)
2 cups whipping cream or sour cream
1 small white onion- diced
2 cloves of garlic (less or more if you desire)- minced
1 Tbs sugar
5-8 cherry tomatoes (fresh is better but if desired you can add any other kind canned or not)- diced
1 can black olives (drain the water)
Fresh parmesan cheese for serving (it just taste better fresh)
1 package of spaghetti noodle

Start to boil a pot of water for the noodles add a little oil to the water to help the noodles not stick together. When the water has come to a small boil add the uncooked noodles and keep stirring so they do not burn to the bottom of the pot. When the noodle is tender drain water out and run under cold water to stop it from cooking more.

Pour your spaghetti sauce into a pot and heat on med. Add the cream and stir turning up the heat to help thicken the sauce. Stir occasionally so sauce does not burn to the bottom.

Mean while spray a pan with butter and cook your sausage (remember to help the sauce w/ flavor you want all the extra juices to add to spaghetti sauce) Make sure the sausage it fully cooked. You may cut it in half and cook it for a little and then cut into smaller peace to speed up the cooking. When finished put the sausage aside for later (this way when serving people can add as little or as much as they like)pour the sausage sauce into the spaghetti sauce for extra taste. Spray the pan with more butter and put the uncooked onions in the pan, cook till almost see through.

Then add the garlic and cherry tomatoes to the sauce and sugar and mix well. Then add the basil leafs and black olives,mix well and cook for a few more minuets.

Before serving run the noodles under hot water to loosen and also heat back up.

When serving place the spaghetti noodles onto the plate add the cut up sausage you set aside earlier. Then cover that with the sauce and sprinkle with parmesan and the left over basil leafs.

Cook time 15-20 min. over all really easy


Personal comments-
I would add black olives and white onion to the sauce it helps with the look and I love the taste! Above I have added these items and high lighted them in and red- if you would like to add them to make it easier! I gave this a 5 out of 5 stars.

Artichoke suprise by Dara

you will need:

Full Artichoke (uncooked)
2 or more cups whipping cream
1 Tbs butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves (or more) garlic
2 1/2 cups parmesan cheese

Cut the stem of the artichoke off and pluck any bad leafs from the bottom. Then cut the tips of the top leafs off (both as shown below- when cutting the tips of the top leafs off do not follow picture #1 that's to much it wont look right. Follow the next picture #2)



(another thing you don't need to cut all the outter leafs just the top ones)



Turn a pot of water on and place artichoke inside. Boil till center of the bottom of the artichoke is a darker green and fork tender. Do hot boil to long or the next step will ruin the look of the finished product.

Mean while pour about 2 cups of whipping cream and 1 Tbs butter, and 1 cup of the cheese into a pan and turn on the heat to medium low. Then cut up about 2 garlic cloves and set aside. Now turn the heat up and add salt and pepper just a pinch for taste. Then add garlic, keep stirring the cream on medium high now the heart will thicken the cream. Mean while add the rest of the parmesan cheese to help with the thickness. Keep stirring so it does not stick to the bottom.

The following is a diagram of what an artichoke is...on the inside:



After the artichoke is cooked take it out of the hot water (do not dump hot water out yet) Then drain as much water out at possible, running it under cold water so it does not burn you during the next few steps. Now with tongs (being very genital to not push the outer leafs out to far) peel out the center (inner petals) leafs (now I would place them on a plate because for the cost of artichokes I hate to waist anything) but when you get closer to the heart of the artichoke you don't want to save those leafs. Protecting the heart are tons of pokey hairs(the choke-you do not eat). If you have boiled it just long enough those hairs should come out easy with a spoon. (Remember to be genital with the remaining leafs so you have a prettier finish product.)The picture below is half of the hairs spooned out to show you how it should look!

Once all the hairs have been scrapped out run it under water to rinse out any other hairs. Then place back in hot water to heat back up, just 1 min.



Place the finished artichoke in a bowl and take the now thicker cream mix and pour over artichoke evenly. Making sure that you get as much as you can in between the leafs. Then sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.


Cook time 15-20 min. over all really easy


Personal comments-

It's a good appetizer and it goes fast so the bigger the artichoke the better. It's best if you also have enough cream on the side because I’ve always found that cream runs out even faster...lol! The cream mix also goes. Over all I have to give this a 5 out of 5 stars! I love it!!!!

Basil cream chicken by: Dara

Basil cream chicken by: Dara

Chicken
Basil- 1/3 cub chopped
3 cloves garlic- minced
whipping cream- 1 cup
Asparagus
red pepper - slices
1 tsp sugar
olive oil
1 tsp corn starch (mix with water before adding to heat)
salt / pepper
lemons
1 Tbs butter

Steam asparagus to your liking.

salt / pepper chicken before cooking. In a large heat oil and add chicken till golden brown. After chicken is fully cooked at red peppers.

In small sauce pan add 1 tbs butter and garlic let cook for 1 min. Add 1/4 cream & salt / pepper to taste. Turn heat to low and add 1 tsp of corn starch- stir vigorously till mixed well. Add chopped basil leave. Heat to thickening then turn off heat.

serve with rice or potatoes

cook time 20-30 min

Personal commets:
This dish was made up by dara i mean i was on the computer looking up chicken dished and he was thinking of what we could make with what we had in our fridge...i mean how does he do this it was so so so good i have to give it a 5 out of 5 stars.