Chicken Not in Foil
This was an invention to satisfy a craving for Chinese restaurant-style chicken in foil. Don't pay too much attention to the name, it's usually easier to find ground turkey than chicken.
Mix chopped onions (dried minced is easiest) and a good shot of teriyaki sauce with about a pound of ground bird. You could add an egg too, or some rice or dry Chinese noodles if a stretch is needed. Bake in a pie plate, loaf pan, whatever at 350 for about 30 minutes.
Roladen
I swear I searched every recipe site I could find and at least five search engines and couldn't find this anywhere. Maybe I got the name wrong, who cares, it's easy and different. For my latest version I conveniently forgot the chopped bacon and pickles - and didn't feel like messing around with pounding out the meat. The original instructions also involved pinning little bundles together with toothpicks - never again.
Smear mustard all over one side of thin beef slices. The cut doesn't much matter. Use whatever you see in the case or ask the butcher. Distribute chopped or dried onion relatively evenly and go for the dill pickles and cooked bacon if you feel like it. Roll up and put into a "tight" fitting pan. Add about a cup of chicken or beef boullion. Throw in a couple of chopped potatoes if there's room. Bake at 350 to 400 and look at it after about a half hour - it's done whenever it gets to the state of rarity you prefer.
Twice-Baked Potatoes
Another thing I looked all over for, just checking you understand, every recipe I found used sour cream instead of cottage cheese - all I can say is each to their own. Bake potatoes (the oblong brown ones) until when squeezed (use a potholder) they "give." Bakers also start "singing"
when they're done.
Cut in half the long way and scoop out the innards leaving enough around the edges for support. Mix with a ton of butter, cheese of choice and whatever else sounds good like onions or bacon. Pile back in the skins and bake a few minutes until a light browning occurs. If you have some paprika handy to sprinkle on, it's pretty but not essential to taste.
Sausage, Apple, Onion Casserole
After you fry the sausage (patties or links), put into a baking dish. Slice a couple of apples (leave the skin on, do get rid of the seeds) and onions and toss around in the sausage grease for a little while, then put on top of the sausage. If there's not much grease (PC would be drippings) left, add a hunk of butter. Stir in about a tablespoon of flour to make a "paste." Next add a cup of chicken boullion and stir into gravy. Amazing how easy it is, and don't worry about a lump or two. Pour the gravy over the other stuff. Top with instant mashed potatoes and bake about 15 minutes. It so happens I didn't actually use the mashed potatoes because I had already set my mind on the twice-baked. In any case, this is a good place to tell you to substitute cottage cheese or sour cream for the milk in instant mashed. A little extra butter never hurts either.
Try putting them into a baking dish and topping with sliced almonds. It'll fool anyone and it's a particulary good trick anytime last minute smashing would be a pain. Also because they stay hot. A very proper aunt served these one Thanksgiving and they've been in the family ever since mainly because a cousin christened them Male Potatoes. There's almost always at least one new guest to pull the "They have nuts" answer on.