Fiesta Lasagna

I'm a sucker for recipes on the back of product packages. Some of them sound like the manufacturer just tried to crowbar their product into the ingredient list, while others have some talented recipe developers in their test kitchens creating great dishes. This recipe, for the most part, is brought to you by the folks at Kraft Foods. Many times I'll be inspired to create something new from these recipes, while other times I'll just tweak the ingredients just a little, this is one of those times. The original recipe was too fat and calorie heavy for me so I trimmed it up a bit by simply replacing a few of the ingredients with low or fat free alternatives. This is a perfect weekday dinner and tastes just as good heated up the next day for a workday lunch.

Ingredients
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 package taco seasoning mix
3 ten inch flour tortillas -- sometimes marked burrito size.
1 cup of salsa
15 oz. can of fat free refried beans
1.5 cups of reduced fat Mexican style shredded cheese blend

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Brown meat in a large skillet and drain any excess fat.
• Stir in 3/4 cups of the salsa and taco seasoning mix. If the mixture seems too dry add 1 or 2 Tablespoons of water.
• Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
• Spray the bottom of a 10 inch baking dish or pie pan with cooking spray.
• Spread 1/4 cup of the remaining salsa on the bottom of the baking dish and cover with one of the tortillas.
• Spread 1/2 of the refried beans on the tortilla and top with 1/2 cup of meat mixture and 1/2 cup of cheese.
• Cover with the second tortilla and repeat by layering 1/2 of the refried beans on the tortilla and top with 1/2 cup of meat mixture and 1/2 cup of cheese.
• Cover with the third tortilla and top with remaining meat and cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and let stand 5 minutes before serving. It is important to let it rest those 5 minutes so it's easier to cut.
• Serve as is or with your favorite taco toppings such as red onions, shredded lettuce, black olives and light sour cream.

Servings
6 slices

A Broken Oven Tip
This is a perfect make ahead dish. Assemble it in the morning and pop in the oven when dinner time arrives.

Baked French Toast Casserole

Between the two of us, my sister really is the better baker and cook -- "Hi Annette!". I've been inspired for years by her entertaining skills and eagerness to try new recipes. Of course Annette, being Annette the recipes always turn out great and me being me, am always more than willing to eat what she makes.  She's made this Paula Deen French Toast Casserole on several occasions, sans nuts of course, and I finally decided to give it a try this Fall when I had an abundance of stale bread and pecans to get rid of. This is the perfect make ahead dish for breakfast or brunch. Just prepare it the night before, pop it in the oven in the morning, bake and enjoy.

Ingredients

French Toast
1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt

Praline Topping 
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

• Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. 
• Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. 
• In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. 
• Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. 
• Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Prepare Praline Topping and spread evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Servings
6 to 8 servings as a main dish

A Broken Oven Tip
Make this casserole without the praline topping and serve with a strawberry or blueberry fruit topping instead.

Cheddar & Garlic Crusted Turkey Pot Pie

This recipe was given to me 10 years ago from a dear friend from high school -- "Hi Kathleen!". As always, I've modified it to meet my family's extremely particular tastes. I think altering the filling a bit and using the cheddar garlic biscuit mix for the crust it's a nice tasty twist on the original recipe. I get a little nervous making meals with creamed soups and gravies because of all the fat and sodium usually found in the canned varieties. However, I've found by using the reduced fat and sodium versions of these products and adding salt and other seasonings later on when cooking the flavor isn't compromised and it's a touch healthier.

Ingredients

Filling
3-4 cups cooked chicken cubed
10 oz. can cream of celery soup
10 oz. can of turkey gravy
10 oz. bag of mixed vegetables
1 cup cubed hash brown potatoes
Salt and pepper to taste

Crust
7.75 oz bag of Bisquick Complete Cheese Garlic Biscuit Mix
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup melted butter

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Mix all the filling ingredients together and put in an 8 x 8 baking dish.
• In a separate bowl mix together the garlic cheddar biscuit mix, water and melted butter.
• Spoon and spread biscuit dough over turkey mixture.
• Bake for 45 minutes

Servings
6 to 8 servings

A Broken Oven Tip
This recipe can easily be converted to a chicken or beef pot pie. Substitute chicken gravy for a chicken pot pie -- and cream of mushroom soup and beef gravy for a beef pot pie.

Crockpot Macaroni & Cheese

Just because this is a crockpot recipe doesn't mean it takes all day to cook. Honestly, you could probably put this recipe in the oven too, but I like the crockpot method because it doesn't dry out if you try and keep it warm and if you're making this cheesy dish for a party it's all ready to go. There is nothing low fat or low cholesterol about this dish and I love it!

Ingredients
1 lb box of pasta -- elbow macaroni is traditional, but we like the small pasta shells.
12 oz. can of evaporated milk
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
12 oz. can of Cheddar Cheese soup
1 egg
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese -- Colby, Monterey Jack and Cheddar blend works nicely too.
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Cook macaroni al dente style -- slightly undercooked and drain.
• Mix melted butter, evaporated milk, milk, egg, cheddar soup, cheese, salt and pepper. 
• Add cheese mixture to macaroni and mix well. 
• Pour into crockpot and cook on low for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Mix once 45 minutes into cooking.
• If you're in a rush; pour the mixture into a 13 x 9 casserole dish, cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until bubbly.

A Broken Oven Tip
Substitute 1 cup of the sharp cheddar cheese with Gruyere and add a 1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard and 1/2 teaspoon of paprika even a sprinkle of nutmeg for a more sophisticated flavor.