Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs

I made these as an appetizer on Thanksgiving and they were a big hit! These are a nice twist to your typical deviled eggs... plus obviously bacon makes everything just a little bit better! From allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS

* 12 eggs
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 4 slices bacon (I just used real bacon pieces from the bag... much easier!)
* 2 tablespoons finely shredded cheddar cheese
* 1 tablespoon mustard

DIRECTIONS

1. Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. (Ummm please heat for longer than 12 minutes... I did my first batch for like 15 minutes and when I peeled my first egg, it was still runny! So I started over and let them sit in the hot water for about 22 minutes instead. Much better. Nobody likes runny hard boiled eggs.)

2. Remove from hot water, and cool. To cool more quickly, rinse eggs under cold running water.
3. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Alternatively, wrap bacon in paper towels and cook in the microwave for about 1 minute per slice. Crumble and set aside.
4. Peel the hard-cooked eggs, and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks to a small bowl. Mash egg yolks with mayonnaise, crumbled bacon and cheese. Stir in mustard. Fill egg white halves with the yolk mixture and refrigerate until serving.

Grandma's Green Bean Casserole

I wish this was my grandma's green bean casserole, but sadly, it's not. This was pretty darn good. I've never been a huge fan of GBC but this was really yummy with the sour cream in it and everyone at our Turkey Day dinner seemed to enjoy it. From allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS (serves 8-10)

* 2 tbsp butter
* 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 tsp white sugar
* 1/4 cup onion, diced (omitted)
* 1 cup sour cream
* 3 (14.5 oz) cans French style green beans, drained
* 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
* 1/2 cup crumbled buttery round crackers (I substituted french fried onions)
* 1 tbsp butter, melted (omitted since I omitted the crackers)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth, and cook for one minute. Stir in the salt, sugar, onion, and sour cream. Add green beans, and stir to coat.
3. Transfer the mixture to a 2.5 quart casserole dish. Spread shredded cheese over the top. In a small bowl, toss together cracker crumbs and remaining butter, and sprinkle over the cheese.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden and cheese is bubbly.

Three Cheese Manicotti

MMMMMMMMMM cheesy baked pasta. Seriously SO yummy! From allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4-6)

* 8 oz package manicotti shells
* 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
* 2 cups ricotta cheese
* 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1 egg
* 2 tbsp dried basil
* 26 oz pasta sauce (I used ricotta parmesan flavored sauce)

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add manicotti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. In a bowl, mix 3 cups mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, garlic, egg, and basil. Stuff cooked manicotti with the mixture.
Spread about 2 cups pasta sauce over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange stuffed manicotti in the dish, and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
4. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan, and continue baking 10 minutes, until mozzarella is melted and bubbly.

Baked Pumpkin Pasta

I debated whether to post this recipe or not... because I honestly didn't really like how it tasted. But this is the first time I've ever had pumpkin in my pasta, so I figured it might just be me. Maybe someone else can make it and enjoy it! Recipe from here.

INGREDIENTS

* 12 oz uncooked penne pasta
* 2 tsp olive oil
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 2 small zucchini, halved lengthwise, then sliced (I omitted)
* 1/2 tsp dried thyme
* 1 tsp dried sage
* 1 15 oz can pure pumpkin
* 1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
* 1/2 cup water reserved from pasta pot
* 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water according to directions on package, less 2 minutes, and reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water when done.
3. Meanwhile heat oil in large skillet. Sauté onions and garlic for 5-6 minutes, until softened. Stir in zucchini and herbs, and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
4. Stir in canned pumpkin and ricotta cheese.
5. Empty drained pasta plus 1/2 cup of reserved cooking water into skillet and mix well.
6. Spoon pasta into a 11 x 7 baking dish. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Super Easy Stuffed Peppers

I've made stuffed peppers a few times but I've always cooked the meat beforehand. I wanted to try this recipe because the meat actually cooks inside the peppers in the oven. This was pretty good! From allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS

* 2 medium green bell peppers
* 1/2 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey)
* 8 oz can tomato sauce, divided (I used spaghetti sauce instead)
* 1/4 cup uncooked instant rice
* 3 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese, divided (I used mozzarella)
* 1 tbsp chopped onion
* 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/4 tsp pepper
* 1 egg, beaten

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut tops off peppers and discard; remove seeds. Blanch peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water; set aside.

2. In a bowl, combine beef, 1/4 cup of tomato sauce, rice, 2 tablespoons of cheese, onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and egg; mix well.

3. Stuff the peppers; place in an ungreased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over peppers. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 45-60 minutes or until meat is no longer pink and peppers are tender.

4. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; return to the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.