Refried Beans
Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups of dry pinto beans (about 1 lb or 450gm)
• 3 quarts of water
• 1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
• 2 Tbsp pork lard, bacon fat, or olive oil (for vegetarian option)
• 1/4 cup water
• Salt to taste
• Cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:
Rinse the beans in water and remove any small stones, pieces of dirt, or bad beans. Cook the beans in water.
Pressure Cooker method: Put beans into a 4 quart pressure cooker with a 15 lb weight. Fill up the pressure cooker with water, up to the line that indicates the capacity for the pot. Cook for 30-35 minutes - until the beans are soft and the skins are barely breaking open.
Regular method: Put beans into a pot and cover beans with at least 3 inches of water - about 3 quarts for 2 1/2 cups of dry beans. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer, covered, for about 2 1/2 hours. The cooking time will vary depending on the batch of beans you have. The beans are done when they are soft and the skin is just beginning to break open.
Strain the beans from the cooking water.
Add the onions and lard/fat/oil to a wide, sturdy (not with a flimsy stick-free lining) frying pan on medium high heat. Cook onions until translucent. (Note the onions are optional, you can skip them if you want.) Add the strained beans and about a 1/4 cup of water to the pan. Using a potato masher, mash the beans in the pan, while you are cooking them, until they are a rough purŽe. Add more water if necessary to keep the fried beans from getting too dried out. Add salt to taste. Add a few slices of cheddar cheese, or some (1/2 cup) grated cheddar cheese if you want. When beans are heated through (and optional cheese melted) the beans are ready to serve.

Smoked Cheese Pasta Bake
Ingredients:

• 1 pound uncooked penne (tube-shaped pasta)
• 1 (26-ounce) jar marinara sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
• Cooking spray
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded smoked farmer or mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain.
Heat marinara sauce in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add salt, pepper, and spinach, stirring until blended; cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in cooked pasta.
Spoon half of pasta mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine sour cream, smoked cheese, and basil; spread over pasta mixture in dish. Spoon the remaining pasta mixture over sour cream mixture; sprinkle evenly with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Servings: 8 (serving size: about 1 cup)
Nutritional Information: CALORIES 395(25% from fat); FAT 10.8g (sat 7.5g,mono 2g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 19.1g; CHOLESTEROL 19mg; CALCIUM 310mg; SODIUM 419mg; FIBER 4.4g; IRON 2.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 54.9g

Southwest Strata
Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 (15 ounce) can ranch-style beans, drained
• 1 (14.75 ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce, or to taste
• 1 (1 pound) loaf day-old bread, torn into small pieces

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Whisk together the eggs and milk in a large bowl. Stir in the ranch-style beans, corn and Cheddar cheese. Season with cumin, paprika, oregano, salt, pepper and hot sauce, and mix well. Add the bread cubes to the mixture and stir to distribute the cheese and beans.
Allow to set for about 20 minutes, until the bread has absorbed the liquid. Stir occasionally, and add more milk if necessary to make the bread moist, but not soggy. Pour into the prepared baking dish, and spread evenly.
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let stand a few minutes before slicing and serving.
Servings: 8
Time to Prepare: hour and 30

Broccoli Salad
Ingredients:

• 1 head broccoli
• 6 to 8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup raisins, optional
• 8 ounces sharp Cheddar, cut into very small chunks
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Trim off the large leaves from the broccoli stem. Remove the tough stalk at the end and wash broccoli head thoroughly. Cut the head into flowerets and the stem into bite-size pieces. Place in a large bowl. Add the crumbled bacon, onion, raisins if using, and cheese. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, stirring well. Add to broccoli mixture and toss gently.

Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients:

• 1 chicken whole, no skin, cut up
• 2 medium Carrots --peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup onion --peeled and chopped
• 2 Stalks celery --coarsely chopped
• 2 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 2 teaspoon parsley
• 3/4 teaspoon marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/4 teaspoon Poultry seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 Bay leaf
• 2 qt Water
• 2 1/2 cup egg noodles

Directions:
Place the first 4 ingredients in a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker in the order listed. Combine salt and the next 6 ingredients; sprinkle over vegetables. Add 6 cups water; cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours. Remove chicken and bay leaf; add remaining 2 cups water. Stir in noodles and cook, covered, on high setting for 20 minutes. Meanwhile remove bones from chicken and cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Add to slow cooker, stir to mix. Cook for 15 minutes on high setting,covered or until noodles are tender. Makes 3 1/4 quarts.
Servings: 8-10
Time to Prepare: 8-10 hours + 30 minutes
Nutritional Information: 63 Calories; 1g Fat (10% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; 13mg Cholesterol; 693mg Sodium - 1 Point for Weigh Watchers

Chicken Delicious

* 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
* lemon juice
* salt and pepper
* celery salt
* paprika
* 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
* 1 can cream of celery soup
* 1/3 c white wine or dry sherry
* grated Parmesan cheese
* rice

Directions:
Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Season with lemon juice, salt, pepper, celery salt and paprika. Place in crock pot.

In a medium bowl, mix soups with sherry or wine. Pour over chicken breasts. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Serve over rice.

Servings: 4
Time to Prepare: 5 minutes prep; 25 minutes for rice; 8-10 hours cooking time

Southwestern Casserole
Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 8-ounce cans enchilada sauce
• 2 15-ounce cans chili beans in sauce
• 1 15-ounce package tortilla chips
• 1 8-ounce package shredded cheddar
• Sour cream for garnish

Directions:
Brown beef and onion together; drain. Stir in enchilada sauce and beans. Coarsely break up tortilla chips, reserving about 1/2 a cup. Arrange remaining chips in a lightly greased 13x9 baking dish. Spoon meat mixture on top. Sprinkle with reserved tortilla chips and cheese. Bake, covered, for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and serve immediately. 
Add some southwest seasoning to the meat mixture,  it is bland without it. I'd also have chopped tomato, olives and green onions for garnish.

Taco Bake

Ingredients:

* 1 pkg. (14 oz.) KRAFT Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
* 1 lb. ground beef
* 1 pkg. (1-1/4 oz.) Taco Seasoning Mix
* 3/4 cup Sour Cream
* 1-1/2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
* 1 cup Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

Directions:
Heat oven to 400¡F. Prepare Dinner as directed on package. While Macaroni is cooking, cook meat with taco seasoning as directed on package.

Stir sour cream into prepared Dinner; spoon 1/2 into 8-inch square baking dish. Top with layers of meat mixture, 1 cup cheese and remaining Dinner mixture; cover with foil.

Bake 15 min.; top with salsa and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

Servings: 6 servings, 1 cup each
Time to Prepare: Prep Time: 15 min Total Time: 35 min
Nutritional Information: Calories 550; Total fat 30g; Saturated fat 17g; Cholesterol 115mg; Sodium 1560mg; Carbohydrate 39g; Dietary fiber 2g; Sugars 7g; Protein 31g; Vitamin A 25% DV; Vitamin C 2% DV; Calcium 35% DV; Iron 20% DV

Cream Cheese Chicken Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lbs boneless/skinless chicken breast
• 2 8 oz packages cream cheese
• 12 oz sour cream
• 1 pkt Good Seasons Italian Dressing packet
• 1 bag Shredded cheddar Cheese
• Garlic Powder
• Lasagna Noodles (1 pack)

Directions:
Boil Chicken then shred (your choice of spices). Save broth.
Mix together all ingredients (except 1/2 of cheese).
Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of broth to mixture to make it creamier.
Layer Mix, Cheese, Noodles (I finished with Noodles and then covered with more cheese).
Bake at 350, 30 mins with foil over top, then 10-15 mins with foil removed.
Can be made ahead and frozen.