Adriane's Taco Pie

Serves 4

1 can of crescent rolls
1-1&1/2 lbs of ground beef
Shredded cheese
1 packet taco seasoning
Optional: sour cream, salsa, guacamole, tortilla chips

1. Brown ground beef with seasoning packet.

2. Using a square 8x8 casserole dish, put half (4) of the can of crescent rolls on the bottom of the pan, gently stretching the dough to cover the entire bottom of the pan. Save the other half of the can for the top.

3. Put browned ground beef on top of the crescent rolls in the pan. Layer cheese on top of ground beef.

4. Slice remaining crescents into 1 & 1/2 inch strips. Layer strips on top of cheese in a criss-cross pattern.*

5. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Served with sour cream and avocado slices.

*Go ahead and double this recipe because it freezes really well. Prepare through step four, then freeze. To serve, allow to thaw completely in refrigerator and follow baking instructions.

Results: Don't be surprised, but Steven wouldn't touch this. We tried to get him to at least eat the crescent roll topping, but he wouldn't because there were teeny, tiny flecks of beef on them. Henry ate all of his. I think this is a really good, kid-friendly meal (unless your kid is mine). It's super easy to prepare and I love that it is no extra effort to prepare a second one for the freezer.

Make-ahead Pizza Casserole

Serves 6 (I think it's more like 8)

Cooking spray
1/2 lb shredded mozzarella cheese
2-3 Italian sausages, cooked and diced
3 medium tomatoes, cored and diced
6 cups cubed French or Italian bread (about 1 medium-size loaf)
5 eggs
1 1/4 cups skim milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil (I used about 2 tablespoons fresh basil)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Grated parmesan cheese

1. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the mozzarella, sausage, tomatoes, and bread. Arrange the bread mixture evenly in the baking pan.
3. Using the same bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Add the milk, sour cream, oregano, basil, and garlic powder. Beat well.
4. Pour the egg mixture over the bread, tilting the baking pan from side to side to soak all the bread cubes evenly. Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate at least three hours, or overnight.
5. Remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes; heat oven to 350°F. Uncover the casserole and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp on top. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese before serving.

Served with a green salad.

Results: This was very easy to make, you just have to be sure to give yourself the time to let it refrigerate. I made it in the morning so all I had to do was pop it in the oven at the end of the day. Very, very tasty! I would definitely make this again, and next time I'll try freezing half, because we had a lot left over. Steven ate one serving and even asked for seconds! Henry hardly touched it, but he was very grumpy that day. Both boys wanted the tomatoes picked out.