Blueberry Flax Pancakes, Enchilada Lasagna, Party Sausages, and Hot Wing Dip

What does pancakes with flax, lasagna with tortillas and picante sauce, hot wing dip and cocktail sausages have in common? Poker night!  I made the lasagna, dip, and sausages for the boys.  Our oldest daughter requested pancakes for our "fun dinner night".  To ensure we weren't just eating empty calories, we added flax seed meal and blueberries to the pancakes.  Surprisingly, both girls asked for more!


The Enchilada Lasagna was an instant hit.  Since I made such a large pan, I was expecting at least half (if not more) remaining.  After 30 minutes I went downstairs to check on the food and only a few slices were left in the pan. 


The Hot Wing Dip and Party Sausages are perfect poker night foods because they can hang out in the slow cooker and the guys and nosh on them all night long!

Enchilada Lasagna

Serves 16

2 1/4 pounds ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 (14 1/2 ounces each) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce

1 cup picante sauce

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/4 cup 4% cottage cheese

3 cups (12 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend

8 flour tortillas (8 inches), cut in half

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, enchilada sauce, picante sauce and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl, combine eggs and cottage cheese; set aside. Spread a third of the meat sauce into a greased 14-inch baking or roasting pan.  Layer with half of the cheese blend, tortillas, cottage cheese mixture and remaining meat sauce. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 15 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

Party Sausages

Serves 16

1 pound cocktail wieners

1 (8 ounce) jar grape jelly

1 (8 ounce) jar yellow mustard

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix the grape jelly and mustard. When the mixture begins to bubble, stir in the cocktail wieners. Reduce heat and simmer until serving.

Hot Wing Dip

Makes 4 1/2 cups

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup ranch salad dressing

1/2 cup Louisiana-style hot sauce

Tortilla chips

In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the chicken, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, salad dressing and hot sauce. Cover and cook on low for 1-2 hours or until cheese is melted. Serve with chips and/or celery. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

Blueberry Flax Pancakes

Serves 8

3 cups dry pancake mix

1 cup flax seed meal

2 cups skim milk

4 eggs

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups fresh or thawed frozen blueberries

Heat griddle to 375 degrees.  In a medium bowl, stir together the pancake mix and flax seed meal. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the milk, eggs and cinnamon. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients, and stir just until moistened.  Gently fold in blueberries.

Spoon 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the hot griddle. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface, then flip and cook until browned on the other side.