Baked stew by Chris Newkirk

2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg. smoked kielbasa, chopped
5 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, diced
3 onions, diced
1 cup green beans
3/4 lb. mushrooms, halved (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a 13x9 baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours. Stir and bake another 30 minutes uncovered or until veggies are tender.

**I had this at a women's ministry event and it was incredible! Very hearty and delicious. Joy isn't much of a "soup" man but he really liked this one. It is thick and full of meat and veggies.

Colorful chicken casserole

1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green pepper
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp. butter
1 cup chicken broth
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
1 tsp. salt, optional
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 pkg (7 oz) spaghetti or elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1 jar sliced mushrooms
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Saute celery, green pepper and onion in butter. Add broth, soup, corn, peas, salt and pepper; heat through. Stir in chicken and noodles. Divide between two baking dishes and top with mushrooms and cheese. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the second casserole at 350 for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer. To use frozen casserole, remove from freezer 30 minutes before baking. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer.

**I love make-ahead recipes and this one was very good. I left out the onion and green pepper as usual. I didn't have enough chicken so I added some leftover turkey. The original recipe seemed a little dry so I added the cream of chicken soup. Cook the noodles a little underdone so they won't be mushy after freezing.

New recips I tried for Christmas

I cooked and cooked and cooked over Christmas! My family came to visit for about a week so I prepared as much as I cook ahead of time. There were too many recipes to put in one post so scroll down to find them all. Hope you try some for yourself!

Slow cooker chicken pozole by Jane Clifton

1 1/2# boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 can hominy
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white corn, drained
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cans Rotel
2 cans chicken broth
1/2 envelope taco seasoning mix, more or less to taste
1 large onion or 2 Tbsp. minced onion
sour cream, chopped green onion, shredded Monterey jack cheese, corn chips (optional)

Mix all ingredients except optional items in slow cooker and cook 8 hours on low/medium. Just before serving, remove chicken and cut into bite sized pieces. Return to slower cooker. Serve with optional items as desired.

**Joy is not big on soup but he liked this one. This is my sister's recipe and it is very hearty. I don't care for hominy so I used 2 cans of corn instead. It doesn't get much easier than this!

Teriyaki chicken by Jaclynn Clifton

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/8 cup honey
1 Tbsp. ginger
4 chicken breasts

Mix the sauce, honey and ginger together in a ziplock bag. Add chicken breasts and let marinate for 4-6 hours, flipping the bag every couple of hours to spread the sauce on both sides. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

**My niece Jaclynn's recipe. Easy, quick and moist!

Italian meatloaf by Wilma Jenkins

2# ground beef
1 egg
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
15 oz. tomato sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Divide into fourths and shape into loaves. Place on greased broiler pan. Bake at 350 for 60-75 minutes.

**One of my mom's recipes. I love meatloaf and this one is pretty good. Save a little of the tomato sauce to pour over the loaves before baking.

Sausage pizza biscuit wraps

1 tube sausage, browned
mozzarella cheese
pizza sauce
jumbo biscuits

Press biscuits into a 5 inch round. Top with sauce, meat and cheese. Seal edges with fork. Bake at 400 for 10-13 minutes.

**I didn't fold these in half but made mini pizzas instead. Any kind of meat could be used (hamburger, ham, Italian sausage, etc.). Quick and easy.