Ingredients

• 1 lb hamburger
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• Two 8 oz cans tomato sauce
• 1 clove garlic minced (or to taste)
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup green onion
• 2-3 cups macaroni, cooked
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions
1. Brown hamburger and chopped onion.

2. Stir in tomato sauce, garlic, salt and pepper to taste.

3. Combine cottage cheese, sour cream and green onion in a separate bowl.

4. Lay in thin layers in a baking dish, and repeat until mixtures gone: cooked macaroni, sauce, cheese.

Bake at 350 until center is warmed and top is browned. (20 mins?)

Ingredients

• 5 cups rolled oatmeal (not the quick type)
• 1 cup unprocessed bran flakes
• 1 1/2 cups flax seed (mied brown & gold)
• 2 cups chopped nuts (one or two of the following: almond slivers, walnuts, pecans, etc.)
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup honey
• 2 cups of dried fruit (1 or 2 of the following: mango, raisins, craisins, apricots, etc.)

Directions
1. Mix rolled oatmeal, unprocessed bran flakes, flax seed, nuts, and sunflower seeds in a large roaster pan.

2. Mix canola oil and honey in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until heated and pour over the dry mixture.

3. Mix the miture well until evenly distributed.

4. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes, until golden.

5. Remove from oven and stir in 2 cups of dried fruit.

6. Let cool, stirring occasionally to reak up the globs.

Feel free to substitute or add other wheats, grains, or seeds.

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 sticks of salted butter, chilled and finely chopped
• 5 eggs, separated
• Grated rind of two lemons
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups of superfine baker’s sugar or caster sugar

Directions:
1. Process flour and 7 tbl of butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add 1 egg yolk and 3-4 tbsp. cold water and pulse until mixture just comes together. Form pastry into 1″ balls and place in a mini-tart/mini-muffin pan. (This pan should have 24 spaces in it.) Use a mini-tart shaper and press down in the middle of the ball, forming the tart shells to peek just over the edge of the tart space. Prick the bottom of the shells just barely with the tongs of a fork. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Bake tart shells for 15 minutes or until golden.

4. Whisk lemon rind, 1/3 cup lemon juice, the remaining 4 egg yolks, and 1/3 cup sugar in a large heatproof bowl until well combined, then add the remaining 9 tbl butter. BRing a saucepan of water to a simmer over medium heat. Place bowl on top and stir lemon curd with a wooden spoon for 10-12 minutes or until the curd is thick. Remove the curd from heat, cover with a plastic wrap and allow it to cool.

5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

6. Place the remaining sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a stainless-steel saucepan, then cook, stirring over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat ot medium and then using a clean, wet pastry brush, brush down the sides of the pan. Cook until the syrup reaches 250 degrees F or the firm balls tage on a sugar thermometer. (To test this stage, drop a spoonful into a glass of ice cold water: it should form a pliable ball that softens as it warms.) Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites until firm peaks form. While whisking, slowly pour sugar syrup into whites and whisk until combined and cool.

7. Assembling the pies: spoon lemon curd into the tart crusts until shell is mostly full. Top with the meringue. Bake in the preheated oven at 400 F for 5 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown.

Remove and cool. Note that the crust recipe should give you 22 tarts per batch, rather than 24.

Links:
Mini-Tart Shaper
Mini-Muffin or Mini-Tart Pan

Ingredients:

Tart Shells:
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Filling:
• 2 tbl butter, melted
• 1 and 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 cup pecan halves, finely chopped
• Powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. For tart shells, beat butter and cream cheese in a bowl until well blended. Add flour, and mix until a soft dough forms.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place within the ungreased cups of a mini muffin pan. (There should be 24 cups for this pan.) Dip a tart shaper into flour, and press into the dough with even pressure until the dough rises slightly above the rim of pan. Don’t let the tart shell become too thin, or the filling will seep out and make it impossible to get the tart out of the pan once cooked.

For the filling, place the butter in a bowl and microwave on high for 30 econds or until melted. Stir in the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Finely chop pecans and add to the batter bowl and mix well.

Using a small spoon, fill each tart shell with a level scoop of filling. Do not overfill. Bake at 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from the oven, and cool in the pan for 3 minutes. Remove from the pan to the counter or a cooling rack and cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Creates 24 tarts.

(This recipe modified from its original, which was provided by Pampered Chef.)

*** A couple of notes:
1. This recipe isn’t as sweet as other desserts, so if you have a crowd of sugar-fiends, go with something else.
2. Make certain you are softening the butter and cheese for the tart shells, or the conglomeration with the flour will turn out far stickier and less manageable than it should be.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tsp grated orange peel
• 1 tsp pure orange extract

Directions:
Line an 8X8″ square pan with parchment paper.

Melt chocolate chips with condensed milk in the top of a double broiler or in a bowl in the microwave. Stir until smooth. (If microwaving, microwave for a minute, stir, and stir every 30 seconds afterwards until melted.) Remove from heat if on the burner, and stir in pecans, grated orange peel, and pure orange extract.

Pour chocolate mixture into prepared pan. Chill for 2 hours, or until firm, and cut into squares. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.