10 manicotti shells
15oz ricotta cheese
2.5 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
26oz spaghetti sauce

1- Cook the manicootti. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella, parmesan, egg and seasonings. Spread 1 cup of spaghetti sauce in an ungreased 9×13″ pan. Stuff the shells with the cheese mixture; arrange over sauce. Top with the remaining sauce.

2- Cover and bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 10 minutes more until the cheese melts.

Notes: Okay, so manicotti is never easy to make, but it sure is delicious! I think I will add some red pepper flakes next time I make this (remember, we like heat:)) It takes some time to prepare and cook, but it’s well worth it.

2 cups rotini pasta, uncooked
1 tablespoon oil
1 pound chicken breasts, cubed
2 cups chopped red peppers
1/4 cup Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1- Cook the pasta as directed on pasta.

2- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add the chicken. Cook and stir 6 minutes. Add the peppers, dressing and chili powder; cook 3 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through, stirring frequently. Stir in the salsa and sour cream.

3- Drain the pasta. Toss with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.

Notes: I was unsure about this recipe, but it ended up turning out to be delicious. I highly recommend this recipe to anyone, it’s really that good!

2 pounds chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Egg noodles

1- Place the chicken in the crock pot. Mix the soups together with the garlic powder and pour over the chicken.

2- Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve over noodles.

We were big fans of the box version of cheesy chicken, but I am really trying to get away from boxed meals as much as I possibly can, so I went on the hunt for a crockpot version. I found one in one of my Yahoo recipe groups (unfortunately, I cannot remember which one! Ugh!) I love the ease of the crockpot since I work such long hours.

1 pound cheese ravioli
3 tablespoons oil
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, sliced
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, sliced
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook ravioli in boiling water 8 to 10 minutes, or until done; drain.

2- Heave the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and bell peppers until tender. Add one cup of the broth, season with pepper flakes, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in remaining broth, and cook until most of the broth has evaporated. Spoon pepper mixture over ravioli.

I found this recipe a few months ago on allrecipes.com and it quickly became an absolute favorite for us! I just absolutely love this recipe, sometimes I add more red pepper flakes than is indicated in the recipe, but we like things a little hot in our house. It doesn’t take very long to make this meal at all and it’s great!

1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons water
2 pounds round steak, sliced
1 tablespoon oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 jalapenos, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 cup green onions, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced

1- Combine the sesame oil, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, water and steak. Marinate for twenty minutes.

2- In a skillet, add the oil, garlic, jalapenos, onion, green onions and red pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes.

3- Add the meat mixture. Cook 3-5 minutes or until cooked through.

Notes: I believe this recipe came from allrecipes.com a few years back and it has become a favorite of ours. I made some changes to the original recipe to better suit our tastes. I also cook the vegetables longer than the stated 2-3 minutes because my husband likes his veggies to be soft rather than crisp. It takes a bit of prep time, but it’s definitely worth it, plus you can adjust the heat by adding or deleting the jalapenos.

1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, sliced
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup rice
1 can tomato soup
1 can water
3 cups chopped cabbage

1- Preheat the oven to 325. In a large skillet, brown the meat in the oil. Add the onion, salt and pepper. Drain. Add the rice, mix well. Add the soup and water.

2- Place the cabbage in a 9×13″ pan. Pour the meat mixture over the cabbage; do not stir.

3- Bake, uncovered for 1 hour.

Notes: I found this recipe about five years ago on allrecipes.com, but I made some changes to suit our tastes.

4oz. cream cheese
3/4  cup milk
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
8oz. fettuccine, cooked
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 stick butter
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1- Mix the cream cheese, parmesan cheese, milk, butter, white pepper and garlic powder in a saucepan. Cook on low until melted and well blended.

2- Toss with the hot fettuccine and serve.

Notes: I am a huge fettuccine alfredo fan, it is like my favorite pasta ever. I found this recipe about five years ago on Kraft’s website and have been using it ever since.