All my husband could say while eating these was “Wow”.  They easily qualify as a 15-minute meal and are perfect for week-days or entertaining. I am including rough ingredient amounts but it is easily adaptable to make more or less.

• 1 lb. lean ground beef (85% or higher)
• 6 slider rolls
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons garlic salt
• black pepper to taste
• butter
• cheese slices

Begin by shaping the ground beef into 12 patties that will fit a slider roll.  Lay all the buns on a lined baking sheet so that you have what will be 12 open faced burgers. Place the burger patties on the bun halves, making an “X” in the patties.  Drizzle the Worcestershire on each patty, then sprinkle with the other seasonings.  Lastly, cut a thin slice of butter to place on each burger.  Broil* for 10 minutes for medium rare, then place a slice of cheese on each burger and broil for 2 more minutes.  Serve immediately.

*I moved the rack to the second spot from the top so it wouldn’t be right up by the broiler

This pasta casserole is has a fair number of steps, but none of them were particularly difficult.  You will make a whole bunch of dirty dishes though, so it’s handy to have an appointed dishwasher ready to go.  =)  It was even better leftover, which is always a bonus.  Recipe and photo courtesy of lilluna.com.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic
• 1 lb Italian Sausage
• 2 cans (15 oz ea) tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 2 teaspoons basil
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1 lb penne pasta
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons wondra flour
• 2 1/4 cups milk
• grated mozzarella cheese
• grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet heat your oil.  Add onion and garlic and stir.  Add sausage, breaking up well.  Then add the tomato sauce and spices and let simmer. Meanwhile, be cooking your pasta according to directions on the package.  To make the Bechamel, melt the butter in a saucepan on medium-low heat.  When melted, add your flour and stir until smooth.  Whisk continuously until mixture is light golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Add the milk a little at a time, stirring constantly until thick.  Add a pinch of salt.  In a 9×13 pan, layer a small amount of red sauce, then bechamel, then mozzarella.  Continue until you have done that 3 times.  Sprinkle more mozzarella and parmesan on top, to taste.  Bake at 400 until golden and bubbly, about 20-30 minutes.  Enjoy warm.

I found this recipe in a cookbook of nothing but meatloaf that my good friend Tracie let me peruse. The best thing about this is it gives me a reason to make my cranberry apricot chutney again!  My 9 and 3 year old boys ate it too, so this recipe is a definite win. I left out the extra sage and celery, mostly because I’m not a fan of either, but I am posting the original recipe here in case they are more your cup of tea.

• 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup peeled and grated carrot
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 cup coarse dried bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon sage
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup homemade or canned cranberry sauce

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the cranberry sauce and mix well.  Turn the mixture into a lightly greased 9×5 inch loaf pan and gently pat down.  Bake at 350 until the loaf is firm and top is lightly brown, approximately 45-60 minutes. Spread the cranberry sauce on top of the loaf and let it stand in the pan for 5-10 minutes before serving.

This is a quick, easy chicken recipe that will please just about anyone. Recipe and photo courtesy of plainchicken.com.

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 2 lb chicken tenders
• 1/4 cup butter, divided
• 2 cups heavy cream

Combine salt, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.  Sprinkle over both sides of chicken tenders. In large saute pan, melt half of the butter over medium-high heat.  Cook the chicken tenders until done, about 8 minutes. Pour the cream and remaining butter into the skillet.  Lower heat and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 5-7 minutes.  Serve chicken and sauce over pasta or mashed potatoes, if desired.

This recipe is a dead ringer for the one you get at Chili’s. That is always my favorite meal there, so I was excited to find this recipe. Courtesy of sixsistersstuff.com.

• 8 oz penne pasta, cooked and drained
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 teaspoons cajun seasoning
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups half and half
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook penne pasta according to directions on the box.  Drain pasta and set aside.  Place chicken breasts in a resealable plastic bag and sprinkle in cajun seasoning.  Reseal bag and shake thoroughly until chicken is evenly coated.  In a large skillet, saute chicken breasts in 2 tablespoons of butter, over medium heat, turning occasionally until cooked through.  In a separate skillet, combine half and half, 2 tablespoons butter, lemon pepper, salt, black pepper and garlic powder over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat when cream mixture starts to bubble.  Pour cream sauce over cooked noodles.  Slice chicken breasts into strips.  Serve pasta on serving plates, top with chicken breast strips, and sprinkle on diced tomatoes and Parmesan cheese.

My friend Tracie introduced me to this recipe.  It’s not something my kiddos eat, but my husband and I like it quite a bit. I call it my “fancy” recipe. Since it’s just the two of us I halve this recipe but I’ll post it in it’s entirety. Photo and recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com.

• 5 portabello mushrooms
• 1 lb sausage (I like half mild half spicy)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the stems from the mushrooms. Arrange the caps, bottoms up, on a medium baking sheet.  Chop the stems and set aside. Brown the sausage, then add the chopped mushroom stems, minced garlic, crushed garlic, cayenne, black pepper and bread crumbs.  Slowly cook and stir 507 minutes, or until the bread crumbs start to brown.  Remove from heat, allow to cool a bit while you mix together the cream cheese and parmesan.  Add it to the meat mixture, then stuff the mushroom caps.  I like to use big cookie scoop, or ice cream scoop.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until stuffing is lightly browned.