Shepherd's Pie (Freezer Meal)

1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 small onion
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (or to taste)
1/3 cup beef broth
1 tbsp corn starch

Mix all together well and can be frozen for later use.

Thaw ground beef mixture and spread evenly in a pie plate.

Preheat oven to 375 F.
Prepare 2 2/3 cup stiff mashed potatoes (can use leftover mashed potatoes). Stir in 1/3 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Spread potatoes over meat mixture. Bake for 20 - 22 minutes until lightly browned. Top with additional cheese if desired and return to oven until cheese has melted.

Let sit 10-15 minutes before serving to absorb juices.

Makes 6 servings.

Spinach Lasagna

16 oz ricotta cheese, part skim
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and well drained
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
4 cups spaghetti sauce (or more if you like lots of sauce)
9 no-boil lasagna noodles
3/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350F

Grease 8 x 11 baking dish ( can use a 9 x 13 inch but I don't think it firms up as much when that is used).

In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, 1 cup of mozzarella, egg, spinach, salt, oregano and basil. Spread 1/2 cup of the spaghetti sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture on 3 of the lasagna noodles. Place side by side, cheese side up, over the sauce in the pan. Spread about 1 to 1 1/3 cup sauce over the noodles. Make 2 more layers of noodles and sauce. Pour water around the edges.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 - 45 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and back uncovered an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes to firm up before serving.

Serving size -1/8 of casserole

To make a meat version - omit the spinach and add 1 lb browned ground beef or Italian sausage to the spaghetti sauce after the 1/2 cup is spread in the bottom of the baking dish.

Greek Pizza

Pita bread - split into 2 layers
Black olives, sliced
Green peppers, diced
Scallions, diced
Feta cheese
Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place pita bread layers on cooking sheet.
Spread the vegetables on the pita bread. Sprinkle the cheeses on top. Bake until cheeses are melted.

Southwestern Corn Salad

2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup scallions, diced
1 cup black olives, sliced
1 cup diced green pepper
1 ripe avocado, diced
2 Tbsp Ranch dressing (I found a Spicy Ranch dressing that is really good on this)

Mix all together.

Roasted Vegetables

Fresh veggies - cut up into bite size pieces, I like using carrots, peppers, scallions, zucchini or yellow squash. Can be anything that you like.
1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
thyme
salt
pepper

Place cut up veggies in a large bowl and drizzle olive oil over then and stir well. Spray a cooking sheet with oil and spread veggies in a single layer. Sprinkle with seasonings.
Broil on high setting until tender and slightly browned.

Crock Pot Apples

6 to 8 apples - I used Gala
Butter
Cinnamon Sugar (I have this mixed up in a shaker in the spice cabinet.

Wash apples but it is not necessary to peel them. Cut into wedges. I use the apple wedger then cut each wedge again to make them thinner.
Place a few dabs of butter in the bottom of the crock pot. Cover with a layer of the apple wedges (about 2 1/2 apples). Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and a few dabs of butter. Continue layering until the apples have all been added. End with the cinnamon sugar and butter.

Cook on Low for 3 to 4 hours until apples are tender but not overly soft. These are very good as a side dish for pork or ham. They would also be good served over ice cream although some apples may be a little tart with the ice cream. If I was making them for dessert I think I would use brown sugar and cinnamon instead of the cinnamon sugar.