Category: Recipes

Spalazza Recipe – a bit of spaghetti, lasagna, and pizza in one dish.

Spalazza – Dacia Cunningham 5/15/25

  • 6 packages Ramen Noodles
  • 1 container Ricotta Cheese
  • 2 Jars/Cans Spaghetti Sauce
  • 1 Cup Heavy Cream
  • 1 lb. Sausage
  • 2 Cups (or more) Mozzarella Cheese
  • 1 lb. Hamburger
  • Pepperoni
  • Garlic, Onion, Italian Seasonings to taste.
  • Parmesan Cheese (shredded)

 

Set oven to 400. Grease the bottom of a 13×9 casserole dish.

 

Open Ramen packages and discard the packages and seasonings. Lay the Ramen noodles side by side in the bottom of the casserole dish, covering the dish. If needed, break them up. Do or don’t – that’s preference. For fit, sometimes breaking is necessary.

 

Cook the hamburger and sausage together. Add onions and garlic if desired. While the meat combination is cooking, pour one jar/can of spaghetti sauce evenly over the ramen noodles in the casserole dish, covering the noodles completely.

 

Stir the Ricotta cheese container. Once it is smooth and pliable, spread it on top of the spaghetti sauce in the casserole dish. Pour the cup of heavy cream over the mixture in the casserole dish, evenly dispersing it over the Ricotta cheese and spaghetti sauce.

 

Once the hamburger/sausage combination is cooked, drain. Then, scoop meat onto the top of the items in the casserole dish, covering evenly. The meat should be thick. Over the meat, pour the second jar/can of spaghetti sauce evenly to cover the entire casserole’s contents. Top the casserole’s layers with mozzarella cheese, as thick as desired, 2 cups or more.

 

Cover the top of the casserole like an ultimate pepperoni pizza with the pepperonis. Sprinkle the entire casserole with Italian seasoning and perhaps some shredded Parmesan cheese.

 

Bake for 40 minutes at 400.

Momma’s Fruit Salad – Family Recipe – a Favorite. “Tastes Like Home” – Dad.

This fruit salad recipe is in honor of my mother, Marjorie Ruth Snare Hinkle, who made it regularly before she passed away in November 2022. For years, I tried to duplicate it (even calling her and asking for help) but never could—until now.

Figured out, excitedly eaten, and written down by Dacia Lene’ Hinkle Cunningham (Me).

“It tastes like home,” said Dacia’s dad, David Hinkle.   

**INGREDIENTS**

6 Tbsp. Mayonnaise 

3 Tbsp Milk 

3 Tbsp Sugar 

3 Apples 

4 Bananas 

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice 

1 Cup Cranberries 

2 Cups mini marshmallows 

1 Cup Pecans 

Chop apples into the desired size for a fruit salad. Cut bananas into the desired size. Add all other ingredients. Put bananas, apples, cranberries, marshmallows, and pecans in a large bowl. Mix Lemon Juice into the bowl. After mixing with lemon juice, top the mixture with mayonnaise, milk, and sugar. Mix all items until the mayonnaise, milk, and sugar fully coat the bananas, apples, cranberries, marshmallows, and pecans. Cover and refrigerate until ready to eat. 

ENJOY!

Dad and I sure do!

Cowboy Dressing Recipe – Cornbread Base … Family Recipe

**Cowboy Dressing Recipe** – Dacia Cunningham

**Ingredients:** 

– 2 boxes of cornbread mix 

– ½ cup chopped jalapeños 

– ½ onion, chopped 

– 48 oz chicken broth 

– 26 oz cream of chicken soup 

– 2 eggs 

– ½ lb ground hamburger, cooked and crumbled 

– ½ lb bacon, cooked and crumbled 

– 1 ½ cups shredded cheese (your choice) 

– 1 can of corn, drained 

– 3 tbsp taco seasoning, salsa seasoning, or Mexican seasoning 

– Salt and pepper to taste 

**Instructions:** 

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray or oil the bottom of a 13” x 9” baking pan with non-stick spray. 
  1. Prepare the cornbread according to the box instructions, adding the chopped onion and jalapeños. Bake as directed. 
  1. While the cornbread is baking, cook the ground hamburger and bacon (you can use more or less if desired; I opted for ½ lb of each). Set aside after cooking. 
  1. Once the cornbread has finished baking, crumble it into the prepared baking pan. 
  1. Mix the chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, and eggs in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. 
  1. Add the drained corn, 1 cup of shredded cheese, cooked ham, crumbled bacon, and the crumbled cornbread to the bowl. Mix well. 
  1. Season the mixture with salt, pepper, and your choice of taco, salsa, or Mexican seasoning. Combine thoroughly. The consistency should be somewhat sloppy; you want it to be moist but not dry. 
  1. Pour the mixture into the baking pan. 
  1. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the top is light brown. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top and bake for an additional 5 minutes. 
  1. Ensure that a fork inserted in the middle comes out clean. Once removed from the oven, let the dressing sit for a few minutes to solidify.  
  1. Enjoy as a side dish or a main entrée.  

Mexican Casserole – A Family Favorite

Mexican Casserole – Dacia Cunningham

1 bag of tostada shells OR 1 bag of tortilla chips

2 cans of diced green chilies (Sometimes I use Ro-Tell)

1 medium to large onion

Shredded cooked chicken (breast or thigh) – Cook & save broth.

1 bag frozen corn OR 1 can corn

1 can Cream of Chicken soup (prepared according to directions)

Chicken broth (from cooking chicken)

2 to 4 cups shredded cheese (taste depending – I use a LOT of cheese)

Seasonings – optional and at the cook’s discretion.

  1. Set oven to 350. Pre-heat.
  2. Grease the bottom of a 13” x9” casserole dish.
  3. The casserole is layered, so try to dispense ¼ of each item in each layer.
  4. Cover the bottom of the dish with a layer of tortilla chips or tostada shells.
  5. Cover the tortilla chips/tostada shells with a layer of ¼ of each: onion, green chilies, cooked shredded chicken, frozen corn, shredded cheese, and soup.
  6. Top this layer with a soup can full of chicken broth.
  7. Repeat layers beginning with chips/tostada shells.
  8. After all 4 layers are complete, add more cheese if you desire. Personally, I like it cheesy, so I add more to the top layer. Sometimes, I add seasonings like garlic, pepper, or Tajin; sometimes, I don’t. This recipe is mood-dependent for me.  

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

This recipe is a base. The original recipe was my mother’s (Marjorie Ruth Snare Hinkle), which did not include the chicken or the corn. She would fry corn tortillas in a skillet, then make the casserole with those. That’s too much work for me. Lol. I use tortilla chips or tostada shells. Sometimes, I use Ro-tell and cut back on the green chilies. Sometimes, I use both. It depends on the flavor I’m going for. The essential components of chips, cheese, soup, and onions must all be there … the rest of the items I play with and change it up. It could be made with hamburger or chunks of pork. Whatever you’re in the mood for.  This is a family favorite for us. My husband wants me to make it once a week.  At least. Enjoy!