Week 1 Recipes

I'm going to start with one recipe for now, just because I'm short on time. But I will continue to update this post until it contains all of the recipes for week 1. Also, since the "Robyn's Roast" recipe obviously belongs to Robyn, I'm going to let her post it when she gets a chance. Boy is it yummy!

Broccoli Rice Casserole (crockpot)
(4-6 servings)

1/2 lb chopped fresh broccoli (or 10-oz pkg frozen chopped broccoli, thawed)
1 tsp dried onions
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 8-oz jar of Cheese Whiz (or 1 1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese)
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/4 cups rice, uncooked
1 stalk of celery, chopped
dash of pepper
optional: 1 cup cooked, cubed ham

Combine all ingredients except ham. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours. Stir in ham, cook 15 minutes or until heated through. At this time I also sprinkled some grated cheese on top and let that melt - just to make it look pretty.

(just a note: I've made this before and it was a big hit, but for some reason this time when I made it.....well.....not so much. Last time I used grated cheddar cheese, and this time I used the Whiz-type of cheese so maybe that's what changed their opinions.)



Meatloaf (a clone of Boston Market's Meatloaf)

1 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 Tablespoons barbecue sauce (we like Kraft original)
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
6 Tablespoons flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
dash garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine tomato sauce, barbecue sauce and sugar. Heat until it begins to bubble, then remove from heat.

Place the ground beef in a large bowl and add ALL BUT 2 Tbsp of the tomato sauce mixture. Use your hands to mix the sauce in thoroughly. Then add the remaining ingredients: flour, salt, onion powder and pepper. Again, use your hands to mix well.

Place meat mixture into a loaf pan, top pan with foil and place in oven for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove the foil and slice the meatloaf into 8 equal slices (while it's still in the pan). This helps to cook the center of the loaf. Pour the remaining 2 Tbsp of sauce on top of the meatloaf in a stream down the center. Place meatloaf back into the oven, uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until it's done.


BBQ Chicken (crockpot or oven)

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or pieces
1/4 vegetable oil (or canola)
8-oz can of tomato sauce
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. lemon juice or vinegar
3 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
2 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix ingredients together in a bowl. Place chicken in crockpot and pour sauce over meat. Cook on high for 3-4 hours. For oven baking, bake at 325 degrees for 2-3 hours. We serve this over rice, and it's great as leftovers.


Papas Con Juevos
(potatoes with eggs)
**One of my first roomates in college would make this for us, including fresh homemade tortillas. So yummy!

1 bag frozen hashbrown potatoes (we like the cubed kind with peppers and onions)
5-7 eggs
salt / pepper to taste
Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (I buy it in the bag, pre-shredded)
3 Tbsp butter
tortillas
sour cream
salsa

In a large frying pan over medium high heat, melt the 3 Tbsp butter and fry the frozen potatoes until golden brown. Move the potatoes to a plate and scramble the eggs into the pan. We like fewer eggs, so we use 5 large eggs. Cook eggs until done. Add potatoes back to eggs and add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cheese and take the pan off of the heat. While the cheese melts, warm your tortillas in the microwave and you're ready to serve.