Dinner's ready

The following recipes are from three Thursday morning Kindermusik moms. They were waiting in the hall while their children were in Imagine That! and the subject was "what to have for dinner." They agreed to bring a few of their favorite recipes to share with one another. Now, I willl share a few of their "easy to make, my kids love these" recipes with you.

Baked Ziti with Sausage - from Susan Lataif

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. Italian sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can (14 1/2 oz) petite diced tomatoes
salt
1 lb. ziti or penne
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. grated parmesan chees
2 T. minced fresh parsley leaves

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush 13 X 9 inch baking dish with 1 T. oil Cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat until browned, 5 - 6 minutes. Transfer sausage to bowl.

2. Drain all but 1 T. fat from skillet, add remaining 1 T. oil and garlic, cook until fragrant but not brown, about 1 minute. Add crushed and diced tomatoes, return sausage to skillet, and simmer until thickened, 15 - 18 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 T. salt and pasta. Cook until slightly underdone. Reserve 1/2 c. cooking water, drain pasta, and return to pot along with reserved water. Stir in tomato sauce.

4. Pour half of pasta into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with half of each cheese. pour remaining pasta into dish, sprinkle with remaining cheeses, and sprinkle with parsley. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from over and let rest for 5 minutes and serve.

Chicken Casserole - from Amy Diprima

Cooked chicken - shredded
2 cans veg-all
1 can mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
chicken broth
1 stick butter
1 c. self-rising flour
1 c. milk

Cook chicken and shred into pieces (can cook small hen or buy one already cooked). Put chicken in 9 X 13 casserole dish. Drain two cans of veg-all and place on top of the chicken tin the casserole dish. Mix 1 can mushroom soup and 1 can cream of chicken soup together. Layer on top of the veg-all. Fill soup can with chicken broth and pour on top of casserole. In separate pan, melt 1 stick butter. Mix 1 cup self-rising flour with butter. Add 1 cup milk and mix well. Immediately pour over the casserole.Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes until bubbling and brown all over.

Chicken Enchiladas - from Stephanie Brooks

1 c. sour cream

1 can condensed fat free cream of chicken soup

12 flour tortillas shredded cheese

1 1/2 c. chopped cooked chicken

1 small onion

fajita seasoning mix

Cook 2-3 chicken breasts - cut up. Add chopped onion once the chicken is almost finished cooking. Then add fajita seasoning mix and follow directions for how much water to add. Chop chicken into bite size pieces. Mix sour cream and cream of chicken soup. Spoon about 3 T. of sour cream mixture down center of each tortilla. Add chicken and chees to each tortilla and roll up. Place in a greased casserole dish. Spoon sour cream mixture on top of tortilla. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 degress for 25- 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with rice and re-fried beans.

End your meal with an easy chocolate cake...you make and bake in the same dish and it's so moist!

Wacky Cake - from Kathryn Nobles

4 1/2 T. cocoa

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. water

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients in a 13 X 9 baking dish. In a 2 cup measuring cup, mix the liquid ingredients, then slowly add to dry mixture in your dish. Stir, whisk or use a hand mixer until smooth. Bake for 25 minutes, cool and cut into squares.

Look for more favorite recipes over the summer, and feel free to share your favorite quick and easy meal.