Fast as Lightning Mississippi Mud Cake ***

Dh LOVES Mississippi Mud Cookies, so he requested a cake like that for his b-day.  I didn't have much time to do the more involved recipes I found, but this one seemed like a good sub.  He wasn't crazy about the marshmallow topping, but the rest of us loved it.  I only used one box of brownies and put it in a 9x13 pan.  I also melted the frosting in the microwave for a minute or so, to make it easier to drizzle.  The boys and I snacked on it all weekend, so it was definitely a keeper for us.  :-)

FAST AS LIGHTNING MISSISSIPPI MUD CAKE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Food.com)

1 cup chopped pecans
2 (17 5/8 ounce) packages fudge brownie mix
2 large eggs (or as directed on pkg.)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or as directed on pkg.)
1/4 cup water (or as directed on pkg.)
1 (10 1/2 ounce) bag miniature marshmallows
chocolate frosting (store bought or homemade)

Place the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until toasted.
Prepare mix according to the package directions using eggs, vegetable oil, and water; pour into a greased 15x10 x 1-inch jelly-roll pan.
Bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and top with marshmallows; bake 8 to 10 more minutes.
Drizzle warm cake with Chocolate Frosting, and sprinkle evenly with toasted pecans. Enjoy!

The Best Meatloaf ****

This one has been around the BBC board for a long time.  I believe the first time I tried it was back in 2006, if my old records are correct (your guess is as good as mine on that one).  It is hands-down my favorite basic meatloaf recipe.  After looking for pictures on Recipezaar, I noticed that the same recipe on there defines the "seasoned bread crumbs" as being the stuffing breadcrumbs from Pepperidge Farm.  I always just use Italian breadcrumbs, but I'll bet the stuffing ones would make it even better than it already is.  I'll have to give that a try.  Oh, and as always, I subbed ground turkey.
Anyway, I like that this one doesn't have any tomato ingredients in the actual meatloaf itself.  It allows you to taste the meat, and it lets you enjoy the sauce more, as the flavors are different.  Complementary, but different.  One of my favorite parts is the addition of the mustard to the topping.  In my opinion, that keeps it from being overly sweet.  There were "oohs" and "ahhs" coming from all around the table tonight, so I definitely need to make this stuff more often! 

Photo courtesy of Recipezaar

THE BEST MEATLOAF
(Cyndy-Peytonsmommy31804)

1-1.5 lb. lean ground beef
1/3 C seasoned bread crumbs
¼ C grated Parmesan
Freshly ground pepper
1 egg
1 tsp. dehydrated onion (or ½ c. chopped onion, or some onion powder)
1 garlic clove, minced (I use more)
½ tsp. Italian seasoning
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 350*.
Combine all ingredients and put into loaf pan.

In a small bowl combine:
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. ketchup
1 TB mustard

Pour this on top of meat mixture, and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour.
*Amy's notes: I like to double the meat mixture (using ground turkey) and keep the sauce amounts the same.

Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli ***

First of all, I have never tried roasted broccoli in any way, so this really kind of blew my mind.  Sad as it may be, it never even occurred to me to try roasting it.  I've done asparagus and green beans and even spinach, but I never even considered broccoli.  I loved it.  Unfortunately, I cut my stalks WAY too small, so most of mine burnt.  The few I got to try that weren't, though, were heavenly.  I've already bought a new head of broccoli to try again this week.  It's part of our supper for tonight, hopefully.  I let the youngest boy try it with me, but the oldest just turned his nose up at it because of the burnt ones on there.  Same with dh (gee, wonder where he gets it?).  We'll see how it goes this week, and I'll post a new review. 
I obviously didn't take a picture of my nasty burnt ones, but there is a picture on the OP's website.  The link to her review is below the title of the recipe.

PARMESAN-ROASTED BROCCOLI
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ via What a Dish!)

1-2 pounds broccoli (2 small heads)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Good olive oil
1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest, optional
1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon julienned fresh basil leaves, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discarding the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart.
3. Place the broccoli florets on a baking pan (I used 9x13) large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.
4. Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.

White Chicken Chili ****

A favorite as always.  The boys were eating with us this time, so I eliminated the jalapeno pepper and instead subbed a second can of chilies.  I also didn't drain the beans this time, and I really liked it that way.  For the cayenne, I just used about 2-3 shakes of it in there.  I'm guessing it was around 1/4 tsp or so.  It was so, so yummy.  I normally add some mashed potato flakes to thicken it a bit, but I forgot to do that this time.  The boys gobbled it up, which is unusual for them on any soup but broccoli cheddar, lol.

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cooked, boneless skinless chicken breast halves, chopped
2 (14-oz) cans chicken broth
1 (4-oz) can chopped green chilies
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (original recipe said 1-1/2)
3 (14.5-oz) cans great northern beans, drained, divided
1 (4-oz) cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Chopped jalapeno pepper, optional

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the onions and garlic in oil for 10 minutes or until onions are tender. Add chicken, chicken broth, green chilies, cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low. With a potato masher, mash one can of beans until smooth. Add to saucepan. Add remaining beans to saucepan. Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until heated thoroughly. Top each serving with cheese and jalapeno pepper if desired.
Yield: 10 servings

Maple Sausage and Waffle Breakfast Casserole ***

I've had this on my to-try list since well before my oven went out, so I was thrilled to finally have a chance to make it.  I threw it together last night while supper was cooking, so I was able to let it refrigerate overnight.  I just noticed what it says about using the plastic wrap and putting something over it to hold that down.  My baking dish has a plastic cover, so I just put that on it.  It came out fine, so I don't really see what the purpose is of doing it the other way.  Oh well.  I really didn't make any changes, other than I left out the red peppers (because I forgot to get any), and I sauteed the onions and green peppers with the sausage while it cooked, instead of doing the steps separately.  Again, it came out great, so I don't see a need to do it the other way. 
Anyway, we really loved it!  The kids are even looking forward to having the leftovers for breakfast tomorrow, which is an absolute shocker.  We love maple-flavored sausage anyway, but the taste of the green peppers and eggs added in give it another wonderful dimension.  Normally, casseroles with bread in them tend to be too doughy and mushy for me, but the waffles held up a little better than the bread.  Toasting them first just helps even more.  As easy as this is, I think we'll be having it on the weekends many, many times in the future.  :-)

MAPLE SAUSAGE AND WAFFLE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ from Cassie Craves website)

8 frozen waffles
1 small onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 pound maple sausage
1-1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
6 eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup
1-1/4 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. Toast waffles in a toaster until browned. Meanwhile, brown sausage in a skillet until no longer pink and drain on paper towels. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
2. In the same skillet, sauté onions and peppers until softened. Transfer to bowl with sausage.
3. Coat an 8 x 8 inch square baking dish with non-stick spray or butter. Arrange 4 waffles in the bottom and sprinkle with half the sausage/vegetable mixture and half the cheese. Repeat layer, with remaining waffles, sausage/vegetable mixture and cheese.
4. Whisk eggs and milk in a bowl with the syrup, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over the waffles layers. Cover with plastic wrap and set a weight on top (like a baking dish holding a couple cans of food). Refrigerate overnight or for at least 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, uncover casserole and bake 45 to 50 minutes until edges are puffy. Cool 5 minutes and serve.

Yummiest Green Beans Ever **

These were pretty good.  I like the flavor of the honey mustard and ham, which totally surprised me.  I don't think they work well with the frozen beans, though.  I had to cook them twice as long, just to get them to stop having that "wet" feeling to them.  I know Amy said she used fresh green beans, and I think that would be delicious.  I'd also consider trying canned beans, and just cutting out the salt.  You would just have to cook it long enough to warm the beans, which would probably be better than the frozen.  Either way, for as easy as they were, I'd probably make them again.  They didn't wow us or anything, but everybody ate some, with no complaints.

YUMMIEST GREEN BEANS EVER
(Amy ~ amylz ~ All Recipes)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped cooked ham
2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 (16 ounce) package frozen cut green beans, thawed and drained
1 tablespoon honey mustard
kosher salt to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and ham; cook and stir until brown bits start to show up on the bottom of your pan, 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Mix the red wine vinegar into the pan, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom. The vinegar will evaporate quickly - don't panic. Mix in the mustard, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the green beans and stir to coat. Cook just until tender but still crisp, about 5 minutes. Season with kosher salt and serve.
Yields: 5 servings

Spaghetti Tacos ****

I love that when I tell the boys we're having Spaghetti Tacos for dinner, my announcement is met with excitement and not the usual griping that we encounter with meals.  No, this is not the healthiest main dish, so I always make sure to serve it with lots of veggies.  I want to try it with shredded zucchini sometime.  I've done that with regular spaghetti before, and it's always turned out great.  This time around, I tried angel hair pasta instead of spaghetti, thinking it would be easier for the kids to keep it in the tacos.  Score!  They loved the change, and so did hubby and I.  As usual, the kids had theirs on the taco shells, and hubby and I had ours plain with salsa and cheese on top.  So good!  That's my favorite part about them.  They are so versatile.  This has become one of our favorite meals.  The taco seasoning makes it so much tastier than regular spaghetti.  So good!

SPAGHETTI TACOS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
1 packet taco seasoning
1 cup water
1 jar Sauteed Onion and Mushroom spaghetti sauce
1 box spaghetti noodles
12 hard taco shells
Salsa, optional
Cheddar cheese, optional
Lettuce, optional

Prepare noodles according to package directions.  Drain and return to pot.
Brown meat in pan until no longer pink; drain.  Add taco seasoning and water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5-6 minutes, until sauce thickens.  Add spaghetti sauce and cook until warmed.  Add to noodles and mix thoroughly.
To assemble the tacos, place a spoonful of salsa in the shell.  Sprinkle with a small amount of cheese.  Finally, finish filling the shell with spaghetti.  Add lettuce on top, if desired.
Very messy, but very yummy!

Previous reviews:
4/6/11
My boys both love iCarly. As with so many other kids, they saw the episode where they were eating Spaghetti Tacos and begged me to make them. This was my attempt at them, and I have to say, I was very impressed with it. The whole idea seems kind of crazy, but the salty crunch of the taco shell is wonderful with the spaghetti. Hubby wasn't as crazy about the shell part as the rest of us were, but he did love the addition of the taco seasoning to the spaghetti. He ate one taco and then ate the spaghetti by itself, with spaghetti and cheese on top. This is definitely a winner for us. The kids both raved about it. Plus, it makes enough that I could send some spaghetti with Hubby for lunch tomorrow and still have leftovers for the kids to have the tacos again this weekend. Score! I served it tonight with Roasted Asparagus.