here are a few I have made for years that always disappear quickly. Cheeseburger Pie 1lb. ground beef 1cup chopped onion 2cups chopped fresh mushrooms(optional) 1sm can sliced black olives drained(optional) 1/2tsp salt 1/2tsp pepper 1tsp.cajun seasoning 1cup shredded Cheddar cheese(or cheddar jack) 1cup milk 1/2cup Bisquick baking mix 2 eggs Preheat oven to 400 cook ground beef and onion and mushrooms in a skillet, drain. stir in seasonings. Spread meat mixture in large 9inch greased(pam)pie plate, sprinkle cheese on top. Stir together the milk, eggs , and bisquick in a bowl, whisking till well blended. Pour evenly over the pie. Bake 25 min or until knife inserted in center comes out clean, and pie is golden brown. this is great served with fresh tomato slices on top, and sour cream. the meat can be changed to cooked chicken pieces or ham. Chicken Enchilada Casserole 3 T. vegetable oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped (or use small can of green chilis) 1 lb. chicken breast meat, cut into bite-size pieces 1 clove garlic, minced 1 pkg. taco seasoning mix 10 corn tortillas, torn into fourths 2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese or Mexican cheeses divided Enchilada Sauce (1 can ) Preheat oven to 350� F. Heat oil in large skillet. Cook onion, bell pepper, chicken and garlic, stirring occasionally, until tender. Remove from heat. Stir in taco seasoning mix and mix until chicken pieces are well coated. Spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan. Layer half of tortillas, chicken mixture, enchilada sauce, and cheese. Repeat another layer, ending with cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Serves: 6 One of our all time faves MEXICAN CASSEROLE 2 lbs. ground round 1 small onion, chopped 1 bell pepper, chopped OR use 1 small can chopped green chilis if you wish 1 can stewed tomatoes 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 envelope Taco seasoning OR use mexican seasonings such as cumin, red pepper, chili powder to make your own mexican seasoning 1 clove garlic, minced 6-8 corn tortillas(I used more like 10 or 11 white corn tortillas) 1 lb. cheddar cheese, grated *I added sliced black olives on the top layer In a large skillet, brown ground meat with onions, peppers and garlic; drain. If using chopped green chilis, don't add them while browning meat. Add cream of mushroom soup, green chilis(if using them), stewed tomatoes and taco seasoning to meat and mix well; heat just to get mixture hot. In an oblong baking pan,(8x11.5 2qt) tear up enough tortillas to cover bottom of pan. Top with a layer of the meat mixture, a layer of cheese, and repeat to layer again. Top with grated cheese and bake at 350� for 35-45 minutes. Can serve with dollups of sour cream and salsa. Serves 6 Those are all tried and true for sure.

Nothing specifically 'Italian' about this except that I got it out of Marcella Hazan's "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking"--it's a delicious roast chicken with lemons, nearly foolproof. If you can find a free range bird for this, do so; but even with ordinary supermarket poultry it's very good. Roast Chicken with Lemons from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan Knopf, 1995 If this were a still life its title could be "Chicken with Two Lemons." That is all that there is in it. No fat to cook with, no basting to do, no stuffing to prepare, no condiments except for salt and pepper. After you put the chicken in the oven you turn it just once. The bird, its two lemons, and the oven do all the rest. Again and again, through the years, I met people who come up to me to say, "I have made your chicken with two lemons and it is the most amazingly simple recipe, the juiciest, best-tasting chicken I have ever had." And you know, it is perfectly true. For 4 servings Ingredients # A 3- to 4-pound chicken # Salt # Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill # 2 rather small lemons Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Wash the chicken thoroughly in cold water, both inside and out. Remove all the bits of fat hanging loose. Let the bird sit for about 10 minutes on a slightly tilted plate to let all the water drain out of it. Pat it thoroughly dry all over with cloth or paper towels. 3. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and black pepper on the chicken, rubbing it with your fingers over all its body and into its cavity. 4. Wash the lemons in cold water and dry them with a towel. Soften each lemon by placing it on a counter and rolling it back and forth as you put firm downward pressure on it with the palm of your hand. Puncture the lemons in at least 20 places each, using a sturdy round toothpick, a trussing needle, a sharp-pointed fork, or similar implement. 5. Place both lemons in the birds cavity. Close up the opening with toothpicks or with trussing needle and string. Close it well, but dont make an absolutely airtight job of it because the chicken may burst. Run kitchen string from one leg to the other, tying it at both knuckle ends. Leave the legs in their natural position without pulling them tight. If the skin is unbroken, the chicken will puff up as it cooks, and the string serves only to keep the thighs from spreading apart and splitting the skin. 6. Put the chicken into a roasting pan, breast facing down. Do not add cooking fat of any kind. This bird is self-basting, so you need not fear it will stick to the pan. Place it in the upper third of the preheated oven. After 30 minutes, turn the chicken over to have the breast face up. When turning it, try not to puncture the skin. If kept intact, the chicken will swell like a balloon, which makes for an arresting presentation at the table later. Do not worry too much about it, however, because even if it fails to swell, the flavor will not be affected. 7. Cook for another 30 to 35 minutes, then turn the oven thermostat up to 400 degrees, and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Calculate between 20 and 25 minutes total cooking time for each pound. There is no need to turn the chicken again. 8. Whether your bird has puffed up or not, bring it to the table whole and leave the lemons inside until it is carved and opened. The juices that run out are perfectly delicious. Be sure to spoon them over the chicken slices. The lemons will have shriveled up, but they still contain some juice; do not squeeze them, they may squirt. Ahead-of-time note: If you want to eat it while it is warm, plan to have it the moment it comes out of the oven. If there are leftovers, they will be very tasty cold, kept moist with some of the cooking juices and eaten not straight out of the refrigerator, but at room temperature.

I've done pinwheel appetizers for potlucks, pretty easy. Can do any type of sandwich filling like refried bean, lettuce, cheese and salsa, or hummus and cukes and lettuce, or ham or turkey and swiss, with some fancy mustard, vegetable cream cheese, etc. Spread on a large wheat tortilla, mix colors if you like, roll up and then slice into short sections, turn on the side for the pinwheel effect. Is easy to make and usually a hit. Here's my bean/cornbread crockpot casserole recipe. Note: the cornbread part which bakes on top of the stew takes at LEAST an hour so make sure you allow enough time for that. Serves 6. 1 med. onion--chopped 1 med. green pepper--chopped (can use a roasted skinned poblano) 2 cloves garlic or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 1 16oz. can red kidne beans, undrained 1 16 oz. can pinto beans undrained (I don't like pintos, I use black beans) 1 16oz. can diced tomatoes 1 8oz. can tomato sauce 1 tsp. chili powder 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1/2 tsp. prepared mustard 1/8 tsp. hot sauce or use chopped jalepenos if you have them, probably 2 TBLSP or to taste. Top with 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1 1/2 tsp. sugar 1/2 cup plus 1/8 cup milk (can use soy) 1 egg beaten 1 TBLSP plus 1 1/2 tsp. veg. oil 1/2 cup (small can) cream style corn. Grease the crock pot. Cook the onion and green pepper and any fresh jalepenos if you are using them, in a small amount of oil in a skillet. When finished, transfer to the crock pot. Stir in all the other ingredients, including the seasonings. Cover and cook on high until it comes to a boil and then reduce to low and cook for 1 hour. You can cook it on low for as long as 8 hours. Meanwhile, mix together the other ingredients including the creamed corn. When the stew is boiling away, spoon on the cornbread topping and cook on high for 1.5-2 more hours. Could also cook on low for a longer time. Note: you could brown some meat and add to this if you wanted to, along with the onion and pepper, but drain it first. Adjust the chili recipe part to your own particular tastes. For example, I would probably add fire roasted tomatoes and some V8 juice for body and flavor, which is how I make my chili most of the time. You can double the recipe if you have a bigger crockpot.

A couple of my favorites that I think are awesome - the Sue's crumb cake is enough to feed an army. The other two don't need to be served piping hot - warm or room temp is fine, since you have to travel. Simpler Times French Toast (David - Lakeguy) Chef & Innkeeper Cindy Belford, Simpler Times Inn, Grand Lake O'the Cherokees 8 cups sweet French bread in 1" cubes 5 eggs 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon nutmeg 3 cups milk or Half & Half 3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries 1 cup chopped pecans 1/4 cup butter or margarine 1/2 cup brown sugar Put bread in large bowl. Whip eggs, sugar and nutmeg until light in color and thick. Add milk, stir and pour over bread. Cover and place in fridge overnight. In the morning, mix cup blueberries into bread and put in greased pan; sprinkle balance of blueberries on top, then pecans. In pan, melt butter and brown sugar until bubbly. Pour mixture over blueberries and pecans. Bake at 325 til puffed and brown - one hour. Marlen's Pull Apart Bacon Bread 1 pkg (10 oz) bacon 3/4 c green pepper, chopped 3/4 onion, chopped 3 tubes (7-1/2 oz each) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits 1/2 cup margarine, melted 1/2 c (2oz) shredded cheddar cheese Cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving drippings. Crumble and set aside. In bacon drippings (or vegetable oil) cook green pepper and onion until tender. Cut biscuits in fourths and place in large bowl. Add sauteed vegetables, crisp bacon, margarine and cheese. Toss until thoroughly mixed. Place in a 10" tube pan coated with Pam. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes. Immediately invert onto serving plate. Serve warm. CRUMB CAKE BY SUE (from Sue/Cookingrvc) 1. Make Crumb mixture 2. Make Cake mix 3. Bake cake half way 4. Top with crumbs 5. Bake rest of the way 6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar CRUMBS 1 lb butter or margarine 2 Tsps. Vanilla 4 Cups Flour 2 Tsps. Cinnamon 1 Cup White Sugar In a large pot on the stove, melt the butter and add the vanilla and then mix in the remainder of the ingredients. Spread out with a large spoon and/or a spatula on a cookie sheet to dry out a little. Then make the cake. 1 Box of yellow cake mix. Make according to recipe on the box. Put the cake in a pan 11.5 inches by 17 inches. Bake the cake half way through the baking time (according to the package directions - this will be about 15-20 minutes). Take the crumb mixture and, using a spatula, lift it off the cookie sheet in chunks and, using your hands, crumble it up into big crumbs and put the crumbs on the cake (this will be a little messy) and continue baking until the end of the baking time. Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a rack. Wait until the cake is completely cooled and dust generously with powdered sugar. Lots of powdered sugar!