Catchy Casseroles

Thank you, Lauren, for hosting such a lovely recipe club! We had such a great number of people there and we even took pictures (to come soon)! I am officially electing Lauren as our photographer. Enjoy the recipes!

Veggie Beef Pie (Crowd Pleaser)
(Sarah)

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 chopped onion
8 oz can tomato sauce
4 oz can mushrooms, drained
14.5 oz can greenbeans, drained
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz tube refridgerated low-fat crescent rolls
1 egg, beaten
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Paprika, to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Brown ground beef in a skillet. Stir in tomato sauce, mushrooms, greenbeans, garlic salt, and salt; reduce heat and simmer while preparing crust. Separate crescent rolls into triangles. Arrange in an ungreased 9-inch pie plate to cover the bottom and sides. Set aside. Combine egg and one cup of cheese. Spread onto crust. Spoon meat mixture into crust. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and paprika. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Serves 6-8.

Sausage and Corn Casserole
(Caron)

1 lb sausage (Caron used mild), cooked and crumbled
1 can cream corn
1 cup bread crumbs (can substitute with Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix)
1/4 tsp pepper
4 beaten eggs
1/3 cup Ritz crackers, crumbled

Combine first five ingredients and pour into a greased 8x8 dish. Sprinkle cracker crumbs on top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Serves 6-8.

Broccoli Casserole
(Meghan)

2 heads fresh broccoli, slightly cooked and chopped (may substitute one head of broccoli with 1 cup of cooked rice)
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cup light mayonnaise
1.5 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 small onion, chopped

Combine ingredients in a squared dish. Bake in a 350 oven for 45 minutes.

Bites of Deliciousness (because we couldn't think of a better name)
(Mary Colleen)

pretzels
Rolos chocolate pieces
pecan halves

Place pretzels on cookie sheet. Place one Rolo on top of each pretzel. Put one pecan half on top of each Rolo. Bake in a 300 oven for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the oven and press Rolo down with the pecan piece. Cool and enjoy!

Poppyseed Chicken Casserole
(Lauren)

2 cups chicken breast, boiled, boned, and chopped
1 cup sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 stick of butter, melted
2 tablespoons poppyseeds
1 stack Ritz crackers, crushed

Place chicken in casserole dish. Mix other ingredients, except poppyseeds, together in a separate bowl. Pour over chicken. Use the crushed Ritz to sprinkle on top of the casserole and sprinkle with poppyseeds. Bake at 350 until bubbly.

**NOTE: Lauren used 2.5-3 cups of chicken and 1/2 stick of butter.

Chocolate Eclair Icebox Dessert
(Leigh)

22.5 sheets low-fat graham crackers (about 1, 14-oz box), divided
3 cups skim milk
2, 3.4-oz pkgs nonfat vanilla instant pudding mix
2, 8-oz block fat-free cream cheese
1, 8-oz tub frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed
1/4 cup skim milk
2 tbsp stick margarine, softenend
2 tsps honey
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted
1.5 cups sifted powdered sugar

Arrange 7.5 graham cracker sheets in the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine 3 cups milk, pudding mix, and cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at a low speed for one minute or until thick. Fold in whipped topping. Spread half of the pudding mixture over the graham crackers and top with 7.5 more graham cracker sheets. Repeat the procedure with the remaining half of pudding mixture and 7.5 graham cracker sheets. Press the top layer of crackers into the pudding mixture a bit (this will help when 'frosting' the top layer). Combine 1/4 cup milk, softened margarine, honey, and unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl and beat well with a mixer. Gradually add powdered sugar to milk mixture and beat well. Spread chocolate glaze over graham crackers. Cover dessert and tent with aluminum foil. Chill for four hours before serving. Serves 18.

Academy Casserole
(Melanie)

2 cans french green beans
2 cans white shoepeg corn
1 can cream of celery soup
1 cup diced onions
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup sour cream
pinch of salt
sliced almonds
Ritz crackers, crumbled

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with Pam. Drain beans and corn - mix together and spread evenly in baking dish. In a separate bowl, combine the sour cream, cream of celery soup, onions, cheese, and pinch of salt. Spread evenly on top of the green bean and corn mixture. Next, crush the Ritz crackers and mix with the almonds - sprinkle on top of the casserole. Bake for 35 minutes, or until bubbly.

**NOTE: You may want to use a smaller baking dish to have a deeper casserole.

Apricot Casserole (initial Crowd Pleaser tie)
(Liz)

3, 15-oz cans apricot halves
1.5 cups brown sugar
30 Ritz crackers, crumbled
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted

Drain apricots well. Mix brown sugar, crackers, and cinnamons together. In an 8x8 or 2 quart dish, layer half of the apricots and cover with half of the dried mixture. Layer with remaining apricots and remaining dry ingredients. Drizzle melted butter all over the top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.