Spaghetti Pie

1 cup ricotta cheese
6 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded

Crust
6 oz vermicelli, cooked and drained
1/2 clove garlic
1/4 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp dried basil

Filling
1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 lb Italian sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup white wine

To make crust, combine vermicelli with other "crust ingredients. Chop mixture with a knife and press mixture into a 10-inch pie plate.

To make filling, cook ground beef, Italian sausage and onion together. Drain fat. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat thoroughly.

To assemble pie, spread ricotta cheese on "crust". Top with filling and cover with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. I put a piece of foil under the pie while it's cooking since it sometimes drips.

You can make one really big pie or two smaller ones for a 3 person dinner each. They freeze really well.

Chicken Tetrazzini

This is a recipe from my Aunt Jennifer. Bekah just loves it and eats all that we will put on her plate. By the way, I tried just using 2 % milk instead of half & half and it totally didn't work. The sauce was way too thin.

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup half and half (I often use whole milk)
4 cups cut-up cooked chicken
1 pkg (8 oz) spaghetti, cooked and drained
2 Tbsp sherry
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup sliced olives
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Put cooked spaghetti into a baking dish and set aside.

Heat butter in 3-quart casserole at medium-low for 2 minutes, or until melted: stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Gradually add broth and half & half (or milk): stir until smooth. Cook at medium 7-8 minutes, or until sauce is thickened: stir three tiems. Add Parmesan cheese and sir until melted. Add sherry and stir into sauce.

Add sauce to the spaghetti. Stir in chicken and olives. Top with grated cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Friendship Cookies

These are really yummy and super fast to make.

1 box of chocolate cake mix (2 layer size)
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/4 cup water
1 large egg
1 cup white chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together, except for the chips. Then add the chips and mix. Spoon onto cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 min. Tops will appear cracked. Do not over bake. Let stand for 5 min on the cookie sheet, then move to wire racks. Makes 4 dozen cookies.

It takes about 5 min. to make the cookies and they taste awesome!!
I have tried several types of cake mix. The chocolate is definitely my favorite. The others are Ok too but not as good as the chocolate.