Quick Foods

[Guardian Angel]

Vegetable Bars

2 Cans Crescent rolls
Spread rolls onto cookie sheet. Bake until brown, then cool

2-8 oz pkg. Cream Cheese
1 cup mayo
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch mix
Mix together and beat until smooth, then set aside.

Chop the following into small pieces

3/4 cup broccoli
3/4 cup celery
3/4 cup cauliflower
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup fresh mushrooms
1 bunch green onions
1 green pepper

About 2 hours before serving, spread cream cheese mixture over the crust. Spread all chopped vegetables over cream cheese mixture. Press down firmly with your hand. Sprinkle the top with 1 cup grated cheddar cheese. Refrigerate until serving time. Cut into bars to serve.

[Guardian Angel]

Bacon Tomato Crescents

8 oz can Crescent Dinner Rolls
8 Tsp Mayo
8 slices Bacon
1 medium Tomato cut into 8 wedges and drained
2 Tbls butter
1/2 cup crushed cheese cracker crumbs.

Preheat oven to 375. Seperate crescent dough into 8 triangles. Spread each triangle with 1 tsp mayo. Wrap each warm bacon slice around tomato wedge, place on wide end of each triangle. Fold corners over bacon and roll toward opposite point completely covering bacon. Brush all sides of rolls with melted butter. Roll in curmbs. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
 

[Guardian Angel]

Garlic Bread Pizza

1 11.25 oz package frozen garlic bread, thawed.
1/2 cup pizza sauce
13.5 oz package sliced pepperoni
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese.

Place the garlic bread in a foil-lined 10x15 baking pan.  Spread with pizza sauce; top with pepperoni and cheese.  Broil 3-4 inches from the heat for 4-6 minutes or until cheese is meltd.  Quick fix for kids.

[Guardian Angel]

Chicken and Rice Casserole

In a large bowl, combine 1 package Chicken flavor Lipton Rice and Sauce with 1 can Cream of Chicken soup diluted with 1 can of water.  Stir together well.  In an 8x8 baking dish place 4 chicken breasts, washed, drained, salted and peppered to taste.  Pour rice mixture over chicken.  Cover tightly with foil.  Bake at 350 for 1-1 1/2 hours or until chicken tests done.  Serve with  buttered peas and hot biscuits.
 

[Guardian Angel]

Roast Beef Cheddar Pockets

1 17oz pkg refrigerated cooked beef roast au jus
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped onions
1 pkg refrigerated crescent rolls

Remove roast from pkg.  Save gravy for another use.  Using two forks, pull meat apart into fine shreds.  In a large bowl, combine shredded beef, 3/4 cup cheese and onion.  Set aside. 

Un roll crescent dough on greased baking sheet.  Separate to form 4 rectangles.  Press seams together to seal.  Form 4 6x5 rectangles.

Divide beef into 4ths and spread length wise down each rectangle pressing filling to make it compact. Fold the long sides of each rectangle over filling, pressing at top to seal seam.  Press ends to seal ( pockets will be full)  Turn pockets seam side down on baking sheet.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake uncovered in a 375 oven for 13-16 minutes.  Serve with sour cream sprinkled with chives.
 
 

[Guardian Angel]

Chicken Wonton Cups
 
24 wonton wrappers
12 oz cooked fajita chicken
dried minced onion
1 red bell pepper cut into small pieces
bottled ranch dressing
8oz shredded cheese (colby-monteray jack)
muffin tins

Pre-heat oven to 400. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray. Put one wrapper down into each tin to form a cup. Bake until slightly crisp. Fill each cup as follows: 4-5 small chunks of chicken, sprinkle of dried onions, 4-5 small chunks of red pepper, approx. 1/2 teaspoon of ranch dressing and sprinkle cheese on top. Put back into oven long enough to heat and melt the cheese. Cool for 5 minutes then lift them out of the tins and put on serving platter. 

[Guardian Angel]

Roast Beef Cheddar Pockets

1 17oz pkg refrigerated cooked beef roast au jus
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped onions
1 pkg refrigerated crescent rolls

Remove roast from pkg.  Save gravy for another use.  Using two forks, pull meat apart into fine shreds.  In a large bowl, combine shredded beef, 3/4 cup cheese and onion.  Set aside. 

Un roll crescent dough on greased baking sheet.  Separate to form 4 rectangles.  Press seams together to seal.  Form 4 6x5 rectangles.

Divide beef into 4ths and spread length wise down each rectangle pressing filling to make it compact. Fold the long sides of each rectangle over filling, pressing at top to seal seam.  Press ends to seal ( pockets will be full)  Turn pockets seam side down on baking sheet.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake uncovered in a 375 oven for 13-16 minutes.  Serve with sour cream sprinkled with chives.
 

[Guardian Angel]

Pigs in a Blanket

1 tube crescent rolls
8 Oscar Meyer Hot dogs
1 egg beaten
1 Tbls water
Caraway seed

Separate crescent dough into triangles.  Place hot dog at wide end of triangle and roll up.  Place on ungreased baking sheet.  Combine egg and water and brush over rolls.  Sprinkle with caraway seed.  Bake at 375 12-15 minutes

Kids love em............. 

[Guardian Angel]

Dogs in a Sweater, another variation that kids love.....

1 pkg. refrigerated breadstick dough
8 Oscar Meyer hot dogs
8 Popsicle sticks

Ketchup, mustard or ranch dressing

Separate dough.  Roll each piece into a 15 inch rope  Insert sticks into hot dogs lengthwise.  Starting at one end, wrap dough in a spiral around hot dog.  Pinch ends to seal.    Place 1 inch apart on a baking sheetthat has been coated with nonstick cooking spray.  Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes.  Serve with toppings of choice.

[Rabbittown Ron]

The Bacon Tomato Crescents sound very good. I'm going to try those as my tomatoes have been very good this year.

[Guardian Angel]

Pizza by the Yard

1 16 oz loaf unsliced French Bread
1 lb lean ground chuck
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped pitted ripe olives
12 tsp dried oregano crushed
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
2 medium tomatoes sliced
1 medium green sweet pepper cut into rings
1 cup shredded American cheese

Cut bread in half horizontally.  Place halves cut sides up, on the un heated rack of a broiler pan.  Broil 4 inches from the heat for 1 minute or until lightly toasted.  Transfer to a very large cookie sheet.  Set aside.  Set oven temp to 350

In a large skillet cook ground chuck until meat is browned.  Drain off fat.  Stir in tomato paste, water, green onions, olives. oregano, salt, and pepper.  Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through.  Remove from heat,; stir in Parmesan cheese.  Top bread halves evenly with ground chuck mixture.  Top with tomato slices, sweet pepper rings and cheese.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Serve immediately.
 
 

 

[Guardian Angel]

Make this practically instant soup the moment you feel a cold coming on........................

Tortellini, Spinach and Tomato soup

2 Tbls unsalted butter
6-8 cloves garlic
4 cups low salt chicken broth
6 oz fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
14 oz canned diced tomatoes with their juice
10 oz spinach, washed, stemmed and coarsely chopped
8-10 basil leaves, coarsely chopped
Parmesan cheese, grated

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium high heat.  Add garlic and saute' until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add broth and bring to boil.  Add tortellini and cook halfway, about 5 minutes for frozen pasta, less if using fresh.  Add tomatoes and juice, reduce heat to simmer and cook just till past is tender.  Stir in spinach and basil and cook until wilted, 1-2 minutes.  Serve with grated Parmesan.

[Guardian Angel]

For the Kids (There is a gadget that makes the Octo-dogs but if you don't have one here is how)
Octo-Dogs and Shells

4 Hot dogs
1 1/2 cups uncooked small shell Pasta
1 1/2 cups frozen Mixed Vegetables
1 cup prepared Alfredo sauce
Yellow mustard
Goldfish Cheddar flavored crackers

Lay a hot dog on its side with the end facing you.  Starting one inch from the end of the hot dog, slice the hot dog vertically in half.  Roll the hot dog in a 1/4 turn and slice in half vertically again, making 4 segments connected at the top.  Slice each segment in half vertically. creating a total of 8 "legs"  Repeat with remaining hot dogs. 
Place hot dogs in medium sauce pan;cover with water.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Remove from heat and set aside.  Prepare pasta according to package direction, stirring in vegetables during last 3 minutes of cooking time.  Drain, return to pan.  Stir in Alfredo sauce.  Heat through over low heat.  Divide pasta between four plates.  Drain Octo-dogs, Arrange one Octo-dog on tops of the pasta mix on each plate.  Draw faces on the "heads" of the Octo-dogs with mustard.  Sprinkle crackers over the pasta mix.

[Guardian Angel]

Easy Spaghetti Carbonara

1 package (1 pound) spaghetti
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed
1 jar (16 ounces) creamy Alfredo sauce


Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté the bacon over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until crisp.

Add the spaghetti, peas, and Alfredo sauce to the skillet; toss to coat the spaghetti well. Cook for 5 minutes, or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately

[Guardian Angel]

Sweet and Sour Lettuce Wraps with Noodles

1 lb ground chuck
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp olive oil
4 Tbls apricot preserves
2 Tbls soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
12-16 Boston Bibb or Butter lettuce leaves
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup ready to eat crispy rice noodles or chow mien noodles
1/2 cup chopped scallions

Heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic; cook 2 minutes.  Add beef and cook 5 to 7 minutes, until meat is browned and cooked through, breaking up meat as it cooks.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Drain fat.  Add apricot preserves, so sauce and sesame oil.  Mix well to combine.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 3-5 minutes.  Arrange lettuce leaves on a serving platter and spoon beef mixture inside.  Top with shredded carrots, rice noodles and scallions and roll up.