Antipasto Squares

2 cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1/4 cup sun dried tomato pesto sauce (you can buy in a jar)
1/3 pound sliced ham
1/3 pound provolone cheese
1/4 pound hard salami
1/4 pound pepperoni
1 (8oz) jar or roasted red peppers (drained, dried, and sliced into strips)
2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
Garlic Powder
5 eggs
5-6 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Unroll one package of the crescent roll dough and cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.
3. Spread the sun dried tomato pesto sauce over the dough
4. Bake in the oven for 6 min
5. Dry the sliced roasted red peppers and ham between paper towels
6. Once the dough has baked 6 min, take it out and layer on top
a. ham
b. provolone cheese
c. hard salami
d. pepperoni
e. roasted red peppers
f. mozzarella cheese
7. Sprinkle garlic powder over the mozzarella cheese, as much as you like
8. In a bowl, beat the eggs lightly
9. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and black pepper. Pour 4/5 of the mixture over the mozzarella cheese
10. Unroll the second package of dough and place over the top of the cheese
11. Brush the top of the dough with the remaining egg mixture
12. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 min and remove the foil and bake another 20 min uncovered until golden brown. Cool for at least 15 min. serve warm or at room temperature. (I like to cool it for around 30 min because then everything stays together well.)

I also think this could be a good appetizer, just cut smaller squares.

Baked Pesto Lasagna

This picture does not show well but this is a really good, cheesy recipe.

12 wide lasagna noodles (do not use instant)
Salt
Pesto (I use store bought) (to make your own 1 bunch fresh basil stems removed, 1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, 8-10 cloves garlic, 1/2 cup olive oil.)
Freshly ground white pepper to taste (I just used reg black pepper)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half or milk (I used half-and-half)
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (I think you could probably just use reg. Parmesan)

Salt and Pepper to Taste
Butter as needed
8 oz mozzarella, grated
8 oz Monterrey jack, grated

1. Boil the noodles in salted water according to package directions.
2. Drain and lay all strips out to dry (I use tin foil to lay them on because they don't stick)
3. This is if you want to make your own Pesto Sauce if you are doing store bought skip this step. Wash basil leaves well in several changes of water. Blanch in boiling water just until limp. Using a slotted spoon, immediately plunge into ice water to cool. Drain again and squeeze dry. Place in blender with parsley, garlic, oil and puree until smooth. Season with pepper to taste. Set aside.
4. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat.
5. Whisk in the flour until smooth and cook, stirring 2-3 min.
6. Slowly whisk in the half-and-half.
7. Raise heat and cook, whisking until thickened and smooth.
8. Stir in the Parmigiano and let cool slightly
9. Stir in the pesto until completely blended. (About 3 Tbs of the store bought pesto but add till you get a good taste)
10. Heat the oven to 325 degrees
11. Liberally butter the bottom and sides of a 9x11 baking dish.
12. Spoon a little of the pesto sauce over the bottom of the pan (about 3 Tbs)
13. Line with 3 strips of noodles
14. With a rubber spatula, top each strip evenly with sauce about a quarter
15. Sprinkle about a quarter of the mozzarella and Monterrey jack on top
16. Repeat with 3 more layers (be careful not to use too much white sauce for each layer so you have enough for the top)
17. Top off with the last of the white sauce (smoothing top) and remaining cheese
18. Cover pan tightly with foil and bake 20 min. Uncover and cook an additional 15 Min. Let stand 5 min before serving.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This is another recipe from mykitchencafe.blogspot.com. I thought this was really good soup. It does make a lot so you may want to half the recipe.

½ cup butter

1 finely chopped onion

½ - 1 cup frozen corn (or ½ cup chopped celery, if preferred)

½ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used a 6 oz box of Uncle Ben's Long grain and Wild Rice)

½ cup carrots, sliced

¾ cup all-purpose flour

6 ½ cups chicken broth (can use 7 bouillon cubes plus 6 ½ cups water)

2 cups cooked wild rice

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon mustard powder

½ teaspoon dried parsley

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 cup slivered almonds (I don't like almonds so I did not add)

2 cups nonfat half-and-half (use normal half-and-half if you prefer, but you won't believe how delicious this is with the nonfat variety!)

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.

2. Stir in the onion, corn, chicken and carrots and saute for 5 minutes.

3. Add the mushrooms and saute 3-4 more minutes.

4. Then add flour and stir well. Transfer mixture to large pot.

5. Over medium heat, gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly until all has been added.

6. Bring just to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer.

7. Add the rice, salt, curry powder, mustard powder, parsley, ground black pepper and almonds. 8. Allow to heat through and then pour in the half-and-half.

9. Let simmer 1 to 1 ½ hours. Be careful not to let the soup come to a boil or it won't thicken properly - let it simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally.

I think this would be great with a bread bowl. I just ate it with crackers and loved it.

Baked Oatmeal

This is another good recipe from a blog (mykitchencafe.blogspot.com) I though it was a nice way to cook oatmeal for breakfast.

6 cups oatmeal quick oats

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup oil

2 cups milk

4 beaten eggs

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased 9X13-inch baking pan.

3. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

4. Serve warm with milk....or not.

I liked to eat it with fresh strawberries, I tried it with milk and liked it better with just the strawberries. Also you could bake the fruit in it.

Slow Cooker Italian Beef

This recipe is from another blog (mykitchencafe.blogspot.com) I thought is was very tasty.

1 1/2 cups beef broth

1 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon onion salt

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 bay leaf

1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix (such as Good Seasons brand)

1 (5 pound) chuck roast

1. Combine water and beef broth with salt, ground black pepper, oregano, basil, onion salt, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf, and salad dressing mix.

2. Whisk to combine.

3. Place roast in slow cooker, and pour salad dressing mixture over the meat.

4. Cover, and cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours, or on High for 4 to 5 hours.

5. About 45 minutes before eating remove bay leaf and shred meat (with a fork) so it can absorb more juices.

6. Serve on crusty rolls with cheese, if desired.