Lentil Soup with Lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
1 (32 ounce) carton chicken broth
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, diced
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion has turned golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon of chili powder. Cook and stir 2 minutes more until the spices are fragrant.
Stir in the chicken broth, lentils, and carrot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.
Pour half of the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot. Do not puree all of the soup, leave it a little chunky.
Stir in the lemon juice and serve.

Ham Tetrazzini

2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 tsp. Herb and Garlic Dip Mix (optional but highly recommended)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese or mozza/ swiss blend
1 cup diced ham
6 ounces spaghetti or broad egg noodles
2 cups frozen veggies


Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, saute chopped onion in butter until tender.
Stir in cream of mushroom soup, water, seasoning, veggies and shredded cheese. Heat mixture until cheese melts, stirring often.
Add ham, cooked and drained pasta.
Stir until heated through, add extra cheese on top if desired. Serve hot!

Asian Sesame Stir Fry

225 g (1/4 of 900-g pkg.) spaghetti, uncooked
1/2 cup Kraft Signature Asian Sesame Dressing
3/4 lb. (340 g) uncooked peeled deveined large shrimp or whatever meat you like
1 Tbsp. grated ginger root (I used a few dashes of ground ginger)
1/2 lb. (225 g) snow peas, stems removed or your favourite veggie blend (I used a frozen Thai veggie blend instead of fresh veggies)
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
2 Tbsp. lite soy sauce
4 Tbsp. Kraft Smooth Peanut Butter
2 green onions, sliced
1 Tbsp. sesame seed (I used 1/4 cup toasted whole almonds)

COOK spaghetti as directed on package. Stir together dressing, peanut butter and soya sauce. Add ground ginger, if using ginger root fry with meat when meat is almost done.Meanwhile, fry meat in frying pan. Once cooked add veggies and sauce. Cook on medium heat about 5 minutes or until veggies are tender crisp. Add last two ingredients when ready to eat.

DRAIN spaghetti. Serve topped with shrimp mixture.

"Mennonite Lasagna"

9 Lasagna Noodles either boiled as per directions on box or the ready bake variety
2 cups creamed cottage cheese
1 egg
1/4 tsp. dried onion flakes or onion salt
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 cups cooked mashed potatoes
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried onion flakes or onion salt
1 tbsp. Epicure cheese chives and bacon dip mix (optional)
1/8 tsp. pepper

Line 8x10 baking dish with 3 noodles. In medium bowl mix cottage cheese, egg, and first amount of onion flakes. Spoon over noodles and spread. I saved about 1/2 cup of the cottage cheese mixture for the top of the lasagna. Other topping option is to put fried onions on top. Cover with another layer of noodles. Mix together cheddar cheese, seasonings and mashed potatoes. Spread over noodles. Cover with layer of noodles. Top with left over cottage cheese and grated cheddar cheese or fried onions. Bake 30 minutes in 350 degree oven. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Can be served with sour cream if desired.

Cheesy Pepperoni Bake

1 - 3.5 oz. package sliced pepperoni, divided (I have used farmer sausage cubed or summer sausage sliced instead of pepperoni)
1 - 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 - 10.5 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 - 8 oz. package of elbow macaroni (I've used what ever small sized pasta I have)
1 - 8 oz. package shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup water

Reserving several pepperoni slices for garnish, combine remaining pepperoni, tomatoes, soup, uncooked macaroni, 1 cup cheese and water in a 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese on top. Garnish with reserved pepperoni. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours ( I usually prepare this around 10 am and am able to have supper around 5 pm) to allow macaroni to absorb liquids. Bake covered casserole in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer or until heated through and cheese is bubbly. Serves about 6.

Pumpkin Chili - Friesen Style

1 lb. ground beef
2 cups pureed pumpkin
2 cans kidney beans (or beans of choice)
1/2 green pepper chopped
1 onion chopped
1 cup salsa
16 oz. canned tomatoes (more if desired, this was all I had on hand)
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tbsp. pumpkin spice
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. minced garlic (equivalent to 2 garlic cloves minced)
1/8 cup sugar

Cook beef in frying pan with onion and garlic. Drain off fat. Put into pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer 1/2 to 1 hour. Serve with bread or biscuits (we enjoyed fresh biscuits with this meal). Top with shredded cheddar cheese if desired.

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

4 lb. roasting chicken
1 1/2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce

Place chicken in crock pot. Coat inside and outside of chicken with sauce. Cover with lid and turn on low for 8-10 hours. Enjoy a tender, tasty and fall off the bone chicken!