Beef Stroganoff

Easy way to toss together dinner on those rushed nights...quickly became a family favorite!

Serves 4

1lb beef, cooked, cubed
2 c sliced mushrooms
1 med onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c sour cream
1 bag wide egg noodles

Cook noodles as directed on pkg...while water is heating & noodles are cooking make up the rest of the meal
In a skillet, melt 1 Tbs butter & saute mushrooms & onion untl tender
Add soup & sour cream, heat to boiling.
Add meat to skillet & heat through.
Put the noodles on the plate first, then top with the beef mixture

Hearty Chicken Casserole

This is a different twist on a chicken casserole.  Nice change of pace from the "normal" combinations!  Great way to incorporate food from the garden into your dinner so its fresh & delicious.

2 cans (6.5oz each) chunky chicken (you can also use salmon, or tuna)
6oz (3c) uncooked wide egg noodles
1/2 c chopped celery
1/3 c sliced green onion
1/2-2/3 c sour cream
2 tsp mustard
1/2 c mayo
1/2 tsp thyme leaves (or parsley, dill, basil, chives)
1 sm zucchini, sliced
1 c shredded monterey jack (or cheese of choice)
1 med tomato, chopped

Drain & flake chicken, set aside
Cook noodles, drain & rinse in cold water to stop cooking
Combine noodles, chicken, celery & onion
Blend sour cream, mustard, mayo, herb of choice & salt (optional)
Spoon half mixture into a buttered 2qt casserole
Tope with half of the zucchini mixture. 
Repeat layers
Top with cheese
Bake at 350 for 30 min or until hot & bubbly
Sprinkle with chopped tomato before serving.

Beef & Mac Throw Down

I, for whatever reason, have not made this a house tradition.  I have no clue what reason that could be or is...but it is in the process of being remedied.  To be honest, we used organic BISON in our last throw down...

1 pkg (16oz) noodles...typically elbows, but we used shells, wagon wheel, etc & kids loved any
1 lb browned beef (or Bison...I would imagine you could also use ground turkey, or bite size pieces of turkey or chicken, anything really should work great in this "setting")
1 onion, diced
2 jars favorite spaghetti sauce (we like the spicy kind w/garlic & "goodies"  Don't do the onion above if your sauce already has chunks of onion & such in it)

Cook & drain noodles of choice (remember, after draining rinse in COLD water to stop cooking)
In a large skillet, add all ingredients (saute your onion first if you are adding it & its not part of the sauce), heat through.  Serve w/some cheese sprinkled on top.

Yup...its that easy...again I wonder WHY this is not a staple in the house...

Chicken Corn Noodle Soup

"I feel sick" at our house is immediately followed with "can you make some of your noodle soup??"
You can use any noodles, put the corn in, leave the corn out, add carrots, forgo...it really is up to you & your house full of "sickies" as to what they can handle...if they are sick or getting sick, I highly recommend trying to slip the garlic in there, even if they/you are not huge garlic fans...it helps.

6 cups chicken broth
1 lb (or so) of already cooked bite size chicken (or turkey, we don't discriminate around here)
1 T tarragon
3-4 cloves minced garlic (did I mention we happen to LIKE garlic?)
1 T ground pepper
16 oz frozen corn (or canned, no preference on how the goodies are stored)
16 oz frozen carrots (do preferred frozen or canned, fresh need to be steamed before using or they won't be very soft...so if you LIKE crunchy carrots in your soup...pls do add fresh!)
1 lb wide egg noodles, cooked & drained

In a large stockpan, add all ingred to the frozen corn (but not including)...bring to a boil, turn down the heat to med, simmer for about 15 min.  Add in corn, carrots & noodles (rinse in COLD water after draining, this stops them from continuing to cook & getting mushy in your soup as well as soaking up all your broth).  Bring back to a good simmer, give it about 3-5 min. there, then serve.  Saltines are a favorite w/this soup.