Pizza Buns

• 1 pound ground meat
• 1 small onion (chopped)
• 1  package small dinner rolls (split horizontally to make 24 tops and bottoms)
• 1 jar cheese whiz or 8 cheese slices (quartered)
• 1 jar pizza sauce
• Grated Parmesan Cheese

Place about 1 tablespoon oil in fry pan and heat. Dump chopped onion in pan and let sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add ground meat and brown as usual. In the meant time separate tops from bottoms of dinner rolls. Place on cookie sheet cut side up. Spread each bun half with Cheese Whiz or top with 1/4 slice piece of cheese. Top each half bun with a 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon of sauce (more or less) in the center of each half, until all sauce is used. top with heaping teaspoon spoon full of meat mixture in the center of each half bun on top of the sauce. Sprinkle each half bun with grated Parmesan cheese. Preheat oven to 350°F bake for 10 – 15 minutes or until buns are golden and crunchy.

Be creative, these can be topped with any type pizza toppings.

Mushroom Fettuccine

• 8 oz  dry fettuccine
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 to 2  pounds  sliced mushrooms (baby bellas and/or cremini)
• 1/2 cup pinot noir  (or other favorite dry red or white wine)
• 1/2 grated Parmesan / Romano  cheese
• Salt to taste
• Chopped fresh parsley to garnish.

Cook pasta in salted water according to directions.
Drain reserving 1/2 cup to set aside.
Heat butter and oil in large saute pan over medium-high heat.
When bubbles calm down add pepper flakes and garlic. Cook 1 minute.
Stir in mushrooms, cooking until they release their liquid and it’s nearly evaporated (takes about 15 – 20 minutes).
De-glaze pan with wine.
Simmer until nearly evaporated.
Add fettuccine to pan.
Stir in pasta water a little at a time until sauce loosely coats pasta (1/4 to 1/2 is all you’ll typically use).
Remove from heat toss pasta with grated Parmesan cheese.
Season with salt.
Garnish with chopped parsley and more Parmesan.

Bacon Mac-N-Cheese

• 1 pound rotini pasta (any pasta will do)
• 1 pound bacon (cooked & crumbled)
• 1 Tablespoons butter
• 1 heaping Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 Tablespoon onion flakes
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 8 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 ounces shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
• 4 ounces shredded Fontina cheese
• 8 slices American cheese slices

Preheat oven to 350^o F.
Spray a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
Meanwhile; Cook bacon until crisp* and transfer to a dish with paper towels to absorb the fat.
Pour of bacon fat drippings, reserving 2 Tablespoons in the pan.
Turn pan on at medium heat and add 1 Tablespoon butter.
Whisk flour into butter and bacon fat until smooth and cook until bubbly to remove flour taste.
Whisk in milk.
Stir in onion flakes, garlic power, salt and pepper.
Simmering about 2 minutes.
Toss together cheddar, Monterrey Jack and mozzarella cheese. Taking 1-1/2 cup ready to mix into flour, milk and the rest set aside to layer with pasta in casserole dish.
Remove sauce from heat and whisk in the American cheese and about 1-1/2 cups of the cheeses.
Toss the bacon with the remaining shredded cheese.
Combine cooked pasta with the cheese sauce.
Pour half of cheese sauce pasta mixture into the baking dish.
Sprinkle with 1/2 of the bacon-cheese mixture.
Repeat with one more layer.
Bake for 30 minutes.  If refrigerated bake longer or remove from refrigerator and let sit approximately 30 minutes before baking.

* I bake the bacon on foil lined jellyroll pan @ 400ºF for approximately 15 minutes. I then set aside the noodles, empty the pan and putting the grease and butter into that pan on medium heat.  Following the next steps as they are listed. (If you prefer to fry your bacon follow the directions in the recipe).

Chicken Parmesan

• 4 Chicken Breasts
• 1 Egg
• 1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
• ½ cup Parmesan Cheese
• 1 (2 cups) package Italian Cheese (sliced or shredded)
• 1 Jar favorite Spaghetti Sauce

Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Dry chicken breasts. Salt & Pepper.
Crack egg into a bowl, add 1 Tablespoon water and whisk until frothy.
On a large plate mix bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese.
Dip chicken into egg then into bread crumbs, then back into egg and again into bread crumbs.  Repeat with each chicken breast. Place them into a sprayed casserole dish.
Top with shredded or sliced cheese.
Bake 20 minutes on middle rack of oven.
Pour sauce over each piece of chicken and bake another 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with cooked noodles if you wish.

Tuna Braid

1 tube unperforated sheet crescent rolls ** 2 cans tuna in water (drained) 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots (optional) 1/4 cup diced onion 1/4 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip 4 slices American cheese

Heat oven to 375ºF
Combine tuna, veggies, mayonnaise & onion.
Flatten dough into 1 long rectangle on baking sheet (approximately 9" x 13").
Spoon tuna mixture lengthwise down center of dough. Top with cheese slices.
Cut slits 1" apart on each side of rectangle from filling to edge.
To give braided appearance, fold strips of dough across filling, alternating from side to side.
Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

**If using perforated dough place on ungreased baking sheet with long sides overlapping 1/2 inch; press center seam and pinch perforations together to form one large rectangle.