Baking Club: April's Theme: Quick and Easy

**Sara Noel** · 03-28-2003, 03:49 PM

April brings in Spring and a desire for some quick and easy meals and desserts. Let's expand this month to cooking as well as baking. We'll include one dish (skillet) meals, casseroles, crockpot recipes, fast but hearty breakfast ideas, quick salads, sandwiches, and minimal step baking recipes.

**homesteadmamma** · 03-28-2003, 03:51 PM

Sounds good, I'll be posting some recipes in the next couple of days. I love quick and easy meals during the spring and summer.

**Ellise** · 03-28-2003, 04:16 PM

Here's one my family just loves you can add to or take away from accordingly.
For us family of 4
2 Cups instant potatoes
2 Cups cooked diced Chicken breast
2 Cups Hot water
3 Cups Biscuit Mix (prepared as directed)
2 Cups White Gravy

Pre Heat oven to 350 degrees.
place potatoes in bottom of 13x9x3 baking dish.
Add hot water.
Stir till just moistened.
Mix Chicken chunks, and gravy.
Add on top of potatoes.
Prepare Buscuit Mix and spread on top of chicken mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (adjust times for your oven)

Serve with fresh Veggies or combine them with the chicken part of this recipe.

My family dearly loves this recipe and it's a snap to clean up!
Enjoy
Oh BTW, if anyone tries it can ya let me know how you like it? TIA

**Heather** · 03-28-2003, 04:33 PM

This is my kind of theme!!! Will be posting lots soon!

**mommy2three** · 03-28-2003, 08:25 PM

i like this theme too!! i'm sorry i haven't been into this club lately.....i guess i didn't bake a lot at the end of my pregnancy.

i was too tired all the time.
by the way, ellise, that sounds sooooo good!! i will have to try it soon!

**mommy2three** · 03-28-2003, 08:32 PM

~~this recipe came from recipezaar~~i have not tried it, but it got lots of great reviews!!

UNCLE BILL'S MICROWAVE POTATO CHIPS

*4 medium potatoes (russet, yellow gold, or red potatoes)
*your choice spices or herbs granulated garlic powder, seasoning salt, cayenne pepper, dried dill weed

1. If potatoes are old, peel and slice thin, 1/16" in thickness, slicing across the potato.
2. If the potatoes are new or good skins, DO NOT PEEL, just scrub well, then slice them 1/16" in thickness, slicing across the potato.
3. Sprinkle with your choice of spices or herbs or just leave them plain.
4. If you have a microwave bacon tray, place the sliced potatoes flat on the tray in a single layer.
5. Cover with a microwave, round heavy plastic cover.
6. Microwave on HIGH (full power) for 7 to 8 minutes.
7. Cooking time could vary slightly, depending on the wattage of your microwave.
8. You do not have to turn the sliced potatoes over.
9. If you do not have a bacon tray, use a microwave safe casserole dish.
10. Rub the inside of the dish with some olive oil for the first batch of potato chips.
11. I do not know why, but I find that if you do not rub oil the first time, some chips will tend to stic to the dish.
12. After the first batch is done, you do not have to rub the dish again.
13. Continue to microwave the remainder of sliced potatoes as noted above.

**mommy2three** · 03-28-2003, 08:38 PM

Easy Baked Potato Wedges

4 large potatoes
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Wash potatoes, cut into wedges.
2. Place potatoes skin down in a baking dish.
3. Mix the next 6 ingredients together and brush onto potatoes.
4. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

**mommy2three** · 03-28-2003, 08:43 PM

No-Fuss Bar Cookies

24 graham cracker squares
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup flaked coconut
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1. Preheat oven to 350, grease 13 x 9 inch baking pan.
2. Place graham crackers in food processor or blender works fine too.
3. Process until crackers form fine crumbs.
4. Measure 2 cups of crumbs.
5. Combine graham cracker crumbs, chips, coconut and walnuts in medium bowl; stir to blend.
6. Add milk; stir until blended.
7. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
8. Bake 15-18 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
9. Cool completely before cutting.
10. Cut into bars.
11. Store tightly covered at room temperature.
12. These freeze very well too!

recipe from recipezaar

**Ellise** · 03-28-2003, 11:08 PM

Thanks Misty, will try the Potatoes and Cookie bars tomorrow.

**Karla** · 03-29-2003, 01:10 AM

We had a mac and cheese/hamb cass. that my kids called Stuff.

Basically it was a box mac & cheese fixed according to pkg directions (cheap mac& cheese works)
1 lb cooked hamb seasoned with taco seasoning's (or leftover taco or nacho meat I always made extra for this)
either a can tomato sauce or diced tomatos....Mix all together, add some grated cheese and enjoy....or place in cass. dish and heat until hot.

Sorry its not a good recipe but its so quick and easy to make...also not to expensive...for larger families( or teen-age boys) fix with 2 boxes and add xtra sauce.

**voodidit** · 03-29-2003, 10:59 PM

2 lb To 3 lb Chuck roast
2 Bags of Frozen Stew Veggies
-( The Large Ones)
2 cn Cream of Mushroom soup
1 Pack of Lipton onion soup

Quick and Easy Dinner

For all you working Parents: Here is a quick and easy
Meal that is ready to eat when you are. It is a pot
roast you cook in the Crock Pot:

Put in the Crock pot the meat 2 1/2 cups of water the
Soup on the top of the meat put the Veggies on top of
the soup. Turn on your crock pot to ( if cooking 8 or
more hours "LOW") if 6 or less ( "HIGH" ) When you
get home it will be ready to eat!!

**voodidit** · 03-29-2003, 11:00 PM

10 3/4 oz Campbell's Cream of
-Mushroom Soup
2 lb Ground beef
1 lb Campbell's Dry Onion Soup
-and Recipe Mix
1/2 c Dry bread crumbs
1 Egg, beaten
1/4 c Water

In a large bowl, mix thoroughly 1/2 cup of mushroom soup, beef, onion
soup mix, bread crumbs and egg. In 12 x 8-inch baking pan, firmly
shape meat mixture into an 8 x 4-inch loaf.

Bake at 350F for 1 1/4 hours or until done. Spoon off 2 tablespoons
drippings, reserve.

In a saucepan over medium heat, heat remaining soup, water and
reserved drippings to boiling, stirring occasionally. Thin sauce
with additional water to desired consistency. Spoon over meat loaf.

Makes 8 servings.

**voodidit** · 03-29-2003, 11:01 PM

1 Package Yellow cake mix
(single layer size)
1 Egg
Water
1/2 Teaspoon Lemon extract
1 Package Vanilla pudding (regular)
1 1/2 Cup Milk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Can Chocolate frosting

1. Prepare the cake mix using the egg, water, and lemon extract,
following label directions. Pour into a greased and floured 8-inch
round cake pan.(9-inch is too large and causes cake to be too flat.)

2. Bake at 350øF for time indicated on the cake package, or until the
center of the cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool cake in pan
on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.

3. Prepare pudding mix with milk and vanilla and cook according to
package directions. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming
on top and cool completely.

4. Split layer cake, fill with cooled vanilla pudding, put cake back
together and then frost with enough chocolate frosting to cover the top.
Store in refrigerator.

**Katybird** · 03-30-2003, 02:10 PM

I am excited about this month's Quick and Easy recipes. This is my favorite kind of cooking, LOL. I have already made a folder for all the great recipes I know we are going to be sharing

.

Here is a quick and easy recipe that we make all the time here.

Taco Soup

1 1/2 pounds hamburger, browned and drained (I usually use 1 pound hamburger and 1/2 pound ground turkey)
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 med onion, diced
1 can Rotel
1 pkg Hidden Valley Dry Ranch Dressing
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can navy beans
1 can corn

Cook hamburger with taco seasoning and onion. Drain and add to soup pot, add the remaining ingredients (do not drain cans as this will be your stock liquid) and mix well. Simmer for 45 mins to 1 hour and serve with cornbread.

(If I am cooking for a crowd, I have added 2 cans of all the beans and corn and it turned out fine)

**guest2** · 03-31-2003, 01:42 PM

Here's a quick recipe that our family enjoys, is filling and frugal!

Quick Spanish Rice
Brown a pound (or less) of hamburger and 1 chopped onion. Add 1 can of corn (with liquid), 3 stocks of chopped celery, half a green pepper chopped (optional), 1 lrg can of chppoed tomatoes and left over cooked rice. Season with 1 package of taco seasoning and 1 large can of tomato sauce. You can add to or subtract from this recipe. We use lots of rice!