Mashed Potato Layer Bake

I found this on http://www.allrecipes.com/ - modified a little and tested it on the family = success!  The Chive and Onion cream cheese is a nice change to traditional mashed potato recipes.  Even those that don't love sweet potatoes (like me) will enjoy this dish.

4 large white potatoes, peeled, chopped and cooked

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, chopped and cooked

1 (8 ounce) tub PHILADELPHIA Chive and Onion Cream Cheese Spread, divided

1 1/2 cup - Sour Cream, divided

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 cup Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place potatoes in separate bowls. Add half each of the cream cheese and sour cream to each bowl; season with salt and pepper. Mash with potato masher or fork until creamy (I got lazy and used my kitchen aid mixer).

Stir half of the Parmesan cheese into white potatoes. Stir half of the Cheddar cheese into sweet potatoes. Alternately layer half each of the white potato and sweet potato mixture in 2-quart casserole dish (a 9 x 13 pan would've worked also - adjust cooking time). Repeat layers.

Bake15 min. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; bake 5 more min. or until cheeses are melted.

Want a little crunch?  Add some panko/breadcrumbs to the top and bake a little longer.

Garlic Cheddar Chicken

Here is a great chicken recipe - I reduced the amount of chicken (4 breasts) and still ended up using the same amount of breading mixture as listed below.


1/2 cup butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded thin

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, and cook the garlic until tender, about 5 minutes.

In a shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Cheddar cheese, parsley, oregano, pepper, and salt.

Dip each chicken breast in the garlic butter to coat, then press into the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with any remaining butter and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture.
Bake 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Originated from: Allrecipes.com

Crockpot Ranch Roast

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast
1 lb- New red-skinned potatoes, halved
1 can - cream of chicken soup
1 package (8-ounce size) cream cheese, cubed and softened
1 envelope dry Ranch salad dressing mix
salt/Pepper

Trim fat from meat. Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray; heat skillet over medium heat. In hot skillet brown roast on all sides. Remove from heat. 

Place potatoes in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. Place meat over potatoes. In a medium bowl whisk together soup, cream cheese, and salad dressing mix. Spoon over meat and potatoes in cooker. 

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 9 to 10 hours or on high- heat setting for 4-1/2 to 5 hours.

Iowa Ham Balls

I feel like the first sentence in this description should be something like..."You know you're from Iowa when..." You have a recipe for Ham Balls. This makes about two 9x13 pans of ham balls - so I generally freeze half of the meat mixture. We like more of the sauce, so I use the entire sauce recipe for one pan.

4 pounds - Ground Ham
2 pounds - ground Beef
3 eggs (beaten)
2 1/4 cups - Milk
3 cups - Graham Cracker Crumbs
2 cans - Tomato Soup
3/4 cup Vinegar
2.5 cups - packed Brown Sugar
1 tsp - Yellow Mustard

Combine first 5 ingredients and using a 1/3 measuring cup - form into balls. Place into 9x13 pan. Prepare sauce with remaining ingredients and pour over balls. Bake at 325 for 1 hour - basting frequently.