Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole This chicken spaghetti casserole is low and calories and can easily be made ahead. The recipe makes two casseroles so enjoy one for dinner and freeze the other for later. This chicken spaghetti casserole is low and calories and can easily be made ahead. The recipe makes two casseroles so enjoy one for dinner and freeze the other for later. To prepare the frozen casserole, cover and bake for 55 minutes at 350°; uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Yield: 2 casseroles, 4 servings each (serving size: about 1 cup) Ingredients 2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast  2 cups uncooked spaghetti noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces (about 7 ounces) 1 cup (1/4-inch-thick)...

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Easy Cheesy Chicken Casserole

Easy Cheesy Chicken Casserole This easy, cheesy chicken casserole is guaranteed to be a hit at pot luck dinners and family meals. The creamy chicken mixture is topped with a buttery cracker mixture and poppy seeds and totally impossible to resist. This is a recipe that I created by combining a few different recipes. My husband loves it and it is always a hit at reunions and potlucks. Yield: Serves 8 to 10 Ingredients 3 to 4 cooked chicken breasts, chopped  16-oz. pkg. wide egg noodles, cooked 24-oz. container sour cream  2 (10 3/4-oz.) cans cream of chicken soup 8-oz. pkg. shredded Cheddar cheese  8-oz. pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese 1 sleeve round buttery crackers, crushed 1/4 cup margarine,...

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Santa Maria Smoked Tri-Tip

Santa Maria, California Meat: Tri-tip steakSauce: Salsa Santa Maria beef barbecue calls for tri-tip steak, a cut of beef also known as bottom sirloin or sirloin tip. The pros cook their meat over specially-crafted pits, often with a crank and pulley controlling the temperature by raising and lowering the grate over a red oak log fire. The sirloin's ready to enjoy much more quickly than brisket or pork shoulder, and generally served rare to medium instead of well done. The customary topping is a mild green-chile-and-tomato-salsa. Flavorful tri-tip steak is a cut of beef also known as bottom sirloin or sirloin tip. Compared to other styles of barbecue, this recipe for smoked tri-tip comes together quickly,...

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Texas-Style Smoked Brisket

Central Texas Meat: Beef, especially brisketSauce: None, or a thin jus In Texas, barbecue is about the beef–if there's any sauce, it's a thin, spicy pan sauce made from the meat drippings. In all of the area's barbecue bastions, pitmasters smoke hefty hunks of beef, usually brisket, for up to a full day. Try barbecue Texas style, which is the beef brisket -- if there is any sauce, it is a thin, spicy pan sauce made from the meat drippings. Look for a flat-cut brisket, which will be a fairly even thickness, and leave the fat layer on for the best results. Yield: 10 servings (serving size: about 3 ounces brisket and about 3 1/2 tablespoons sauce) Ingredients Brisket: 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon smoked...

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Carolina Pulled Pork with Lexington Red Sauce

Lexington, North Carolina Meat: Pulled pork shoulder Sauce: Thin, vinegar-based Pulled pork shoulder is the signature BBQ style in Lexington. Slow, low-heat cooking is key to tender pork that shreds easily. While the pork is still warm, shred it into uneven shards, mixing together some of the crisp, dark outer meat with the moister interior meat. Combine the classic Piedmont sauce–a thin, vinegar-based mixture–with the meat for a tangy kick, or mix it with shredded cabbage for Lexington coleslaw. You'll need to start this recipe a day ahead to allow ample time for the wood chunks to soak and the flavors of the dry rub to penetrate the meat. Slow, low-heat cooking is key to tender pork that shreds easily. While the pork...

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Memphis Pork and Coleslaw Sandwich

Memphis, Tennessee Meat: Pulled pork and ribs Sauce: Medium-bodied, tangy, tomato-based As the center of Southern barbecue, Memphis offers a style of sauce somewhere between the thin, tangy Carolina version and the sweet, thick variety typical of Kansas City. If you've never eaten slaw on, rather than with, a sandwich, you're in for a treat. Locals enjoy premier pork sandwiches topped with a mustard-laced slaw. If you've never eaten slaw on rather than with a sandwich, you're in for a treat. You'll need to start the pork and soak the wood chunks a day ahead; you can make the mustard-laced slaw a day in advance as well. If you'd rather not have sandwiches, serve the meat as is or use it to flavor baked beans. Yield: 13...

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Kansas City Barbecued Chicken

Kansas City, Missouri Meat: Any–it's a vehicle for sauce Sauce: Thick, sweet, tomato-based It's all about the sauce in Kansas City. Pitmasters specialize without prejudice in brisket, spareribs, and even chicken and sausage. What doesn't vary is the style of the tomato-based, sweet, and sticky sauce, long established as America's favorite barbecue topping. (KC Masterpiece is a popular commercial version.) Meaty chicken leg quarters stay moister on the grill than chicken breasts and are a perfect vehicle for the sauce. The thick sauce glazes the meat, making for delightfully sticky-fingered eating. Substitute any other wood chips for hickory. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 chicken leg-thigh quarter and 2 tablespoons...

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French Market Meat Loaf

French Market Meat Loaf Serve a spicy, Louisiana-style meatloaf made with Cajun sausage links, dried thyme and oregano, and beef broth (to keep the loaf moist). A mild Tomato Gravy accents the bold Creole flavors of the meatloaf. Yield: 8 to 10 servings Ingredients 1 (8-ounce) package Cajun sausage links, diced 1 medium onion, diced  1 small green bell pepper, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced  2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 2 pounds ground beef  1/2 cup beef broth 1/2 cup tomato sauce 1/4 cup soft breadcrumbs 1 large egg, lightly beaten  Tomato Gravy Preparation Cook first 8 ingredients...

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Meatloaf with Green Chile-Tomato Gravy

Meatloaf with Green Chile-Tomato Gravy Spice up any meatloaf meal with a zesty Green Chile-Tomato Gravy. The bright flavor from the green chiles complements the mild meatloaf. Serve to dinner guests that enjoy a little heat. Prep: 15 min., Bake: 45 min. Yield: Makes 4 servings Ingredients 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck  1/2 cup soft breadcrumbs 1 small onion, minced  1/4 cup ketchup  1 large egg, lightly beaten  2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper Green Chile-Tomato Gravy Preparation Stir together first 8 ingredients in a large bowl just until combined. Shape into 4 (4-inch) loaves, and place in a lightly greased 13- x...

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Basil-Tomato Meatloaf Sandwich

Basil-Tomato Meatloaf Sandwich The best thing about meatloaf, next to that first piping hot forkful, is the leftovers. Use the Old-fashioned Meat Loaf recipe for dinner, then save the leftovers to make this tasty brown-bag treat for tomorrow's lunch. Top a couple slices of meatloaf with a homemade basil spread. It's so good, you'll want to double the recipe. Prep: 10 min. You'll love the flavor boost when you stir fresh basil into mayonnaise. If you're uncomfortable chopping the basil, snip it with scissors or chop it in a mini-processor. Because the meatloaf slices are not very wide, it takes two to cover a slice of bread. Yield: Makes 4 sandwiches Ingredients 1/2 cup mayonnaise  1 tablespoon chopped...

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Old-fashioned Meatloaf

Old-fashioned Meatloaf Make your mama proud, and maybe a little jealous, with a robust meatloaf recipe packed with Greek and Creole seasonings and a hint of garlic. Spice up the traditional ketchup topping with a few tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce. This Southern meatloaf recipe features Creole and Greek seasonings and a hint of garlic. A few tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce spice up the traditional ketchup topping. Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings Ingredients 1 tablespoon butter  3 celery ribs, finely chopped  1/2 large onion, finely chopped  2 pounds lean ground beef  2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, divided 1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs  1/3 cup ketchup 2...

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Diner Meat Loaf "Muffins"

Diner Meat Loaf "Muffins" Use a muffin tin to bake mini meatloaves. It decreases bake time and is ideal for making extra, freezer-friendly loaves for later. Thanks to the shorter cook time, you can get this recipe on the table in less than 30 minutes. Order's up! Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 "muffins") Ingredients 1 teaspoon olive oil  1 cup finely chopped onion  1/2 cup finely chopped carrot  1 teaspoon dried oregano 2 garlic cloves, minced  1 cup ketchup, divided  1 1/2 pounds ground beef, extra lean (raw)  1 cup finely crushed fat-free saltine crackers (about 20) 2 tablespoons prepared mustard 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/4 teaspoon freshly...

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