Upside Down Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 (8 ounce) can refrigerated crescent rolls

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Brown beef, onion and garlic in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Once browned, drain fat and stir in spaghetti sauce.
3. In a 9x13 inch baking dish, spread a layer of sauce. Top with 1/2 of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, another layer of sauce and the rest of the cheese. Top with crescent rolls, pinching seams together.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until rolls are golden brown.

Chocolate Chip Caramel Pumpkin Muffins

2 Cups flour

1/2 Cup sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

2/3 Cup of pumpkin

1/4 Cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 Cup milk

1 Cup chocolate chips

1 Cup caramel bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and spices in large mixing bowl. Add wet ingredients and mix just until moist. Fold in chocolate chips and caramel bits. Fill (greased of paper lined) muffin tins 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pan. Best served warm, but really pretty delicious any time.

You can find caramel bits on the baking aisle at the grocery store. They are Kraft brand. It's a bag of little caramel balls about the size of chocolate chips. I usually eat the leftover caramel....... is that bad?

Chicken Nachos for a Crowd

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1 large bag tortilla chips
1 lb cheddar cheese, shredded
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can corn, drained
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
Handful chopped green onions or cilantro

Set oven to 400 degrees.

Set a large pot of water on to boil. Once boiling, add the chicken breasts. Boil until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken breasts from the water and set on a cutting board to cool. Once cool enough to handle, shred and put into a medium bowl. Pour salsa over the chicken and toss to coat.

Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray. Add half of the bag of tortilla chips and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle on half of the shredded chicken, half of the black beans, half of the corn and half of the onion. Sprinkle on half of the shredded cheese. Repeat again, beginning with the rest of the tortilla chips.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle on green onions or cilantro as garnish. Serve with more salsa if needed. (I also like to add sour cream and avocado.)

Yields 6 servings.

Gingerbread Waffles with Lemon Whipped Cream

3 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
4 large eggs
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup melted butter
Syrup, whipped cream or fresh fruits for topping for serving

Preheat waffle iron.

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in pumpkin, milk, molasses and melted butter. Stir the wet into dry until just moist. Do not overstir the waffle batter. Spray the waffle iron and cook waffles in batches. Keep warm in the oven(200 degrees). Serve with lemon whipped cream, butter and powdered sugar.

Lemon Whipped Cream
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
5 Tbsp powdered sugar
4 tsp lemon juice

Pour the heavy whipping cream into a large bowl. With a hand mixer set on high, whip the cream. Once cream is starting to thicken slightly, start adding the powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time while mixing. Once powdered sugar is incorporated, add lemon juice. Mix until cream is thick. Serve over waffles

Baked Ziti

Ingredients:

1 pound dry ziti pasta

1 onion, chopped

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
• 6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
2. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.