Loaded Cauliflower with Bacon

 INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large head of Cauliflower cut into bite size pieces (approximately 6 cups)
• 6-8 strips of bacon already cooked in oven for 20 minutes at 400-degrees, and crumbled.
• 6 tablespoons chopped chives
• 1/2 cup Hellman's Mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups Colby Jack Cheese (may use Cheddar), divided into two portions
• 8 oz. container of sliced mushrooms (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot boil water and cook Cauliflower for 8-10 minutes, drain and let cool.
2. Preheat oven to 425-degrees.
3. In a large bowl combine sour cream, mayonnaise, 1/2 bacon (crumbled), 3 tablespoons of the chives, 1 cup of the cheese, mushrooms (optional), and cooked/cooled cauliflower.  Mix well.
4. Place in lightly sprayed cooking dish and cover with remaining 1 cup of cheese, remaining crumbled bacon pieces.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted.
6. Top with remaining 3 tablespoon chopped chives and serve.

Springtime Skillet Dinner

Here's another recipe from my old Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book-- it is probably an edition from the late 1950's. In this book, above this recipe on page 276, there is this quote:

"Mrs. Claude Stuart of Florin, California, originator of this dish, wrote: 'It takes less time than regular stew . . . and tastes much better."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

What I am noticing about the recipes in this old cookbook is that they call for very common and well known ingredients!  Ingredients I don't have to ask about with, "HUH? WHAT is that? and ...  WHERE can I get it?"

Brown in 2 tablespoons fat (butter) in 10" skillet . . .
     1 clove garlic, cut up (don't let it scorch or burn).

Remove garlic.  

Then, add to pan, cooking until browned while stirring . . .
     1 cup finely diced onion
     1/2 lb. lean ground beef

Add . . .
     1/2 cup UNcooked rice
     5 to 6 cups water
Simmer uncovered over low heat 40 minutes.

Add . . . 
     1 cup finely diced carrots
     1 cup finely diced potatoes
Continue simmering until tender (20 minutes?)

Season with . . . 
     1 to 2 teaspoons soy sauce
     1 tablespoon salt (or less, if needed)
     1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Serve hot . . . garnished with parsley.
AMOUNT:  6 servings

Toasty Cheese Bake*

We first made this in August of 1993....

INGREDIENTS:

• 16 slices white bread (or very light/fluffy wheat bread)
• Butter
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 2 Tbsp. prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 and 1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

DIRECTIONS:

1. Toast bread, butter both sides.  Set aside.
2. Cook meat, onion, celery, prepared mustard and salt/pepper until meat is brown and the onion and celery is tender.  If there is visible fat in the pan, pour it off.
3. Grease or spray 9x13" pan/dish. 
4. Alternate layers of toast, meat mixture and cheese. 
5. Pour mixture of eggs, milk and dry mustard over the top.  Bake uncovered for about 40 minutes at 350-degrees.

*I doubled this recipe which was contributed by Irene Zoromski and found in the Thorp Centennial Christian Women's Cookbook (1893 - 1993).  This is a thick 520 page recipe book and so full of  'GOOD'ness with recipes for cooking, baking, canning, freezing, pickling, jelly-making, etc. I found this book in 1993 through a write-up in our AGRI-VIEW farm paper-- it sounded like a winner at $15, so I ordered it through the mail, and I am glad that I did. 

Taco Casserole (with chicken) *

This recipe was adapted from one originally submitted by Campbell's Kitchen.  The original recipe called for a 15-ounce bag of tortilla chips to be crushed up and layered in here.  BUT!!!, ...because I like left-overs, I omitted the chips (I left them out because I could picture them soaking up moisture, AND/OR becoming soggy/rubbery).

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups shredded or "small chunked", cooked chicken (a rotisserie chicken makes "quick work" of this, and it tastes  just great for this!).
• 1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted.  (Original recipe asked for 2 cans, but I didn't want this recipe to end up being "too soupy".  Suit yourself.)
• 1 cup sour cream.
• 1 of 10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies (undrained).
• 1 of 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed.
• 1 of a 1 oz. envelope of taco seasoning mix--the reduced-sodium variety may be best.  (Especially for my husband's taste, I used only half of the 1 oz. envelope.)
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided into two equal portions.

....................

• Possible topping ingredients:  Chopped tomato, sliced green onion, cilantro leaves. black olives and/or ????

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the oven to 350-degrees F. Lightly grease (or spray) a 9x13x2" baking dish.
2. Stir the shredded or "small-chunked" well-done chicken meat, condensed soup, sour cream, tomatoes/chilies, black beans and taco seasoning in a medium/large mixing bowl.
3. Spread 1/2 of the chicken mixture in bottom of dish.  Add a layer of 1 cup of the shredded cheese amount.  Layer with the remaining chicken mixture.  
4. Cover the baking dish
5. Bake for about 30 minutes.  Then, uncover the baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese.
6. Bake, UNcovered, for another 10 minutes or until hot/bubbling and the cheese is melted.
7. Serve topping options on the side for "individual preferences".  For those who like "hot stuff",  maybe a dash of hot sauce or other kinds of "hots" could be added to their individual serving. 

*  In my opinion, this dish, after baking, could be used as a dip for your favorite kind of crunchy chips.   Also, ...I think it could be served in soft OR hard taco shells.   And,... this mixture (before baking) could be wrapped in soft tortilla shells and baked like that... maybe with adding a light layer of your favorite kind of sauce?  (Actually, this mixture in its UNbaked state was tasting pretty darned good, too--  I happen to know this because... I licked off the spatula!!!!

Pasta.Leeks.Bacon**

This is a quick meal-- it can be ready 
in about thirty minutes.

Pasta, Leeks, Bacon, Cream, Parmesan 
Cheese-- what's not to like!?!?

Just lately, I bought LEEKS for the very first time!  I've heard a lot of professional chefs mention them quite a bit and if using LEEKS is good for them, I figured they could be good for me (us!).  The only thing about buying them is that my husband was with me at the time.  This is the posting I put on facebook about that:


"A number of years ago, as I was in the process of 

making a big kettle of soup, four-yr. old Grandson Ben

 saw me chopping up some apples and said "M-m-m!"

Then, when I switched to chopping onions, potatoes

and cabbage, he asked, "What are you making?"

Cabbage Soup-- all of these things go into it, I told him.

 Very quickly, as polite as he could be, his "M-m-m-m"

 changed to "You don't have to make any of that for

 me."  Well,... today, WJ was with me as I picked up

 some leeks in the grocery store and I had a

 FLASHBACK as I heard him (my husband) quietly say

 to me, "You don't have to make any of that for me."

 (Like grandson, like grandpa?)  For me, lesson learned

-- shop alone!"


Twice, since I bought the leeks, my husband has eaten them without knowing, and he even said he liked what he was eating. So, LEEKS will be on my regular shopping list from now on.

INGREDIENTS:

• Kosher salt
• 12 ounces mezzi rigatoni, or other short pasta.  (I used Ronzoni "Smart Taste" brand of Penne Rigate.)
• 1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1/2-in pieces.
• 1 bunch of leeks (there were three in the "bunch" I used).  Cut the root end off and use the white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced and rinsed WELL!*
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus a bit extra for topping.
• Chopped fresh parsley for garnishing when finished.

 DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of "Kosher-salted" water to a boil.  Add the pasta and cook as the label directs.  I had to cook mine for about 12 minutes.  (Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and drain off the rest.)
2. Meanwhile, as the pasta is cooking, fry the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes(?).  Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; pour out all but about 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease from the skillet.
3. Add the sliced/washed leeks to the bacon grease in the skillet.  Season with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes. 
4. Add the heavy cream and cook only until it begins to thicken, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the cooked/drained pasta to the skillet of leeks/cream along with the Parmesan cheese, half of the bacon pieces and more pepper (if desired).  
6. Toss to coat and, if you wish, add just enough of the reserved pasta cooking water to get the consistency you like.  
7. To serve, top with the remaining bacon pieces, more grated Parmesan cheese and some chopped pieces of flat leaf parsley.

 * One of the cooks I was watching lately said to slice the leeks and then let them float in cold water-- any sand/soil should settle on the bottom.  Scoop the floating leeks off and you should be good to go.

** This recipe was adapted (and changed a bit) from one I found on the Internet, a recipe posting of the Food Network and it can be found at:   http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/pasta-with-bacon-and-leeks.html

Here's another version of this dish using pancetta:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/pasta-with-pancetta-and-leeks-recipe.html

Farmers' Pizza Casserole

This seems like a kind of comfort food-- it could 
be because I'm recalling how often we relied 
on casseroles during our busy 
(and often unpredictable) dairy farming days.

Servings 10-12

INGREDIENTS:

• 8-12 oz. egg noodles, cooked just until tender
• 1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
• Salt according to preference
• 1 tablespoon green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 14 oz. jar or can of pizza sauce (You could make your own with the same amount of tomato sauce and oregano or Italian seasoning.)
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:

• Brown beef with chopped onion and chopped pepper. 
• Add pizza sauce.  Set aside.
• While the meat is browning, cook the noodles just until tender.  Set aside.
• In med. sized bowl, combine sour cream, cottage cheese and softened cream cheese. Set aside.
• Place just one-half the cooked noodles in a buttered or sprayed  9x13" baking dish. 
• Cover with the cheese mixture.  As shown below, I first dropped dollops of the cheesy mixture on the noodles and, after the heat of the noodles warmed up the dollops, they were easy to spread out... 

• Next, add the remaining cooked noodles...

• Top with beef mixture.
• Cover top tightly with foil, and bake at 350-degrees for 40 minutes.
• Sprinkle the Mozzarella cheese on top and return to oven, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is evenly melted.  Like this...

Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

 
Seeing me get a pie crust ready, "Little Girl" asked what I was going to make.  I said, "A pie!"  When I told her it would be a CHICKEN pie, she was obviously NOT thinking it would taste good.   Wow!-- I proved her to be so wrong!

She only had to take ONE forkful of this and she was really INTO it!  She ate the first serving and quickly asked for "...a little more" (what she REALLY meant was that she'd like a little MORE than just a "little more".  When we were finished,  she asked, "Will you save that last piece for when I get home from school tomorrow?"    Yes,... and that is exactly what I did!  (... and that was yesterday!)

...................................

This basic recipe submitted by Robbie Rice is on the Internet and has earned over 6,000 ratings (some cooks liked it "as is" and, as usual, others changed things up a bit).  Read through the reviews for yourself and see if you like to go with some of the readers' suggestions:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-pot-pie-ix/

For example, in regards to "changes", instead of using the separate amounts of carrots and peas called for in the recipe, I used one whole 10.8 oz. bag of Birds Eye Steamfresh brand of frozen MIXED VEGETABLES-- it included a blend of carrots, peas, green beans and corn  (all natural, no preservatives)... I just did not "steam/cook" the vegetables ahead of boiling them with the chicken and celery, and onions

I can't guarantee typo-free typing, 

so, ...

Please read through the entire 

recipe before starting out:  

Ingredients in my "slightly varied" recipe:

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch cubes.  (You could also use about 4 cups of left-over rotisserie chicken, cut into cubes.)
• 1 of 10.8 oz. bag of un-cooked Birds Eye Steamfresh brand of frozen MIXED VEGETABLES-- it included a blend of carrots, peas, green beans and corn  (all natural, no preservatives)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery (1/8" thick?)
• 1/3 chopped onion

...............................

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 and 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (1 of the 15 oz. cans will do)
• 2/3 cup milk (I used whole milk)

...................................

• 2 of 9-inch unbaked pie crusts.  (I used store-bought crusts this time-- the kind found in the refrigeration section with two unbaked and rolled up crusts in each box.)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425-degrees-- to save electricity expense, this can probably be done just before starting Step 5. 
2. In a saucepan, combine the raw chicken, mixed vegetables, chopped celery and chopped onion.  Add just enough water to barely cover, and bring to a boil and then "gently boil" for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.  (In the posted recipe that I first saw, it was suggested to keep the drained liquid for in case you need it later to supplement the thickened sauce/broth mixture.)
3. Melt butter in the same-sized saucepan as above and stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed.  When evenly/smoothly mixed (without lumps), slowly stir in the chicken broth and milk.  Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring constantly (and scraping bottom of pan), until thick.  Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Roll out and place 1 prepared pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate (a 9 and 1/2-inch pie plate works even BETTER!).  
5. Spoon just the chicken/veggie mixture into the crust.  Pour the hot/thickened broth mixture over that filling.
6. Roll out the remaining crust, put some "steaming slits" in it, and THEN cover the pie filling. (If you don't cut the slits ahead of time, the heat from the filling softens the dough and the slits will look "messy".) Cut away excess dough and seal the edges very well.  Crimp around the sealed edge however you wish. 
7. Bake pie on a baking sheet for 30-35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.  (By using a 9.5" pie plate, there was ample room and I did not have to bake it on a baking sheet, ...and I did NOT have any "bubbled over mess" to clean up, either.)  Check your own oven after about 20 minutes to make sure the crust is not getting too dark-- if it is, just cover the top loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil.

You might like to try a "bit different" flavored sauce, or baking individual pot pies:  Another variation of a recipe similar to the one above, with its own "over 900 reviews and opinions", is from TV's Ina Garten and can be found on the following website:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-pot-pie-recipe.html

Hamburger . Noodle . Crescent Roll Casserole*

Making something from what I already had-- that was my goal.   I had a pound of thawed ground beef, onion, creamed corn, tomato soup, Parmesan cheese, elbow macaroni, and a tube of crescent rolls.  This is quite a bit like what my mother would make during my young years.  I liked it then, and,... I like it now!  Since this was a recipe I'd "met" in the distant past, I was surprised to find an almost identical posting of it-- a posting by Dianne Clew in June of 2003.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 of 15-oz. can creamed corn
• 1 of 10-oz. can tomato soup, undiluted (you could probably use a different "favorite" soup)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 and 1/2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles, cooked according to directions
• Desired seasonings, according to your taste.
• 6 slices of American cheese
• 1 of 8-oz. tube of Crescent rolls  (or a 12-oz. tube of small-type refrigerated biscuits)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a heavy skillet, brown beef with onion.
2. Add creamed corn, the soup of your choice, and grated Parmesan cheese.
3. Simmer for about 15 minutes, while cooking macaroni.
4. Add cooked macaroni to the meat/onion/soup/cheese mixture.
5. Season to taste.
6. Pour into a greased or sprayed casserole dish.  (I used one that is considered to be 2.5 quart in size.  Check photos at the bottom to see this baked in a 9x13" dish.)
7. Top with slices of American cheese.
8. IF using Crescent rolls,  do not unroll them.  Instead, with a sharp knife, cut the UNrolled roll into about 14-15 slices like you would do for making a cinnamon roll. Place slices on top of the cheese slices.   (The reason I said to use a sharp knife for this is so that the roll won't be squashed down during the cutting process.  Sometimes, I've even used a thread for cutting things like this.)  IF you are using a tube of biscuits, just cut them in half to cover top of mixture.
9. Bake at 350-degrees F. until the Crescent rolls or biscuits are browned to your liking.   I think it took me about 20 minutes to get them as shown in the photos.  (Check your own oven to see how this time might vary for you.)  I took mine out of the oven when it looked like this...

The sauce mixture was lightly bubbling in 

the openings between the rolls...

This was well-liked...

* IF you prefer to bake this in a 9x13 pan or glass dish, go ahead and do it like I did the second time through.  To make this work, I just increased the amount of American cheese slices FROM six TO eight.  Also, I cut the unrolled tube of Crescent rolls into 24 of only 1/4" slices to end up with enough to make six rows of four on the top of this larger surface...just like this...

The baking time for the 9x13" was about 

18 minutes.   Bake according to YOUR oven.

CEDRIC's Casserole (cabbage, onions, ground beef, soup)

I . LIKE . RECIPES . WITH . CABBAGE!

Thank  YOU, Cedric!

"Cedric Adams, popular master of ceremonies and columnist, gave us this recipe-- a favorite in his home." 

The above quote comes from Page 276 in the really old Betty Crocker cookbook that I gave to my mother way back in 1961. Here is a picture of the book...

For more information on Cedric Adams:   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedric_Adams 

..........................................................

CEDRIC's  CASSEROLE 

(I already doubled this recipe 
to make 10-12 servings)

INGREDIENTS:

2 med. onions
3 tbsp. butter (Original recipe would have you use 6!)
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt (I used coarse Celtic salt)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 med. head cabbage, divided
2 of 10 and 1/2 oz. cans condensed tomato soup.

DIRECTIONS:

Sauté 2 medium onions, chopped in 3 tablespoons butter.

Add the following to the sauteed onions, heating through but not browning (and set aside) . . .
     1 lb. lean ground beef
     1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt 
     1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Spread the following in a 4-6 quart baking dish, sprayed with non-stick.  (I used a 5-quart enameled cast iron dutch oven, with cover) . . .

     1/2 of medium-sized head of shredded cabbage--first remove core and discard other tough/hard pieces.  (Our chickens think it's their "Christmas morning" when they get those trimmings!)

Cover with ...
     The meat/onion mixture.  

Top with . . .
     Other half-head of cabbage, shredded

Pour evenly over the top of all . . .
     2 of 10 and 1/2 oz. cans condensed tomato soup.

Bake covered.

Temperature:  350-degrees.
Time:  Bake "about" 1 hour and 20 minutes (or until the cabbage is tender enough to suit you).
Serves:  10-12. 

Since I made this right after the morning school 

bus left today, THIS was MY breakfast!  

I may also have this for dinner (that's what I call 

my noon meal).  I know the others here 

will like it for tonight's supper.

Below:  I LOVED this with a piece 

of toasted Anadama bread that I made 

yesterday (it is posted under "bread").  

But!, since I just posted the bread 

recipe yesterday, you should be able 

to find it right below this posting.

Ziti-Chicken-Zucchini Pasta Bake ("Lasagna Wannabe"-- sort of!)

This maybe doesn't look like the traditional lasagna, but its taste is SO similar!   A friend, Bruce, gave us plenty of Pepper Jack cheese; Pam's garden gave us the zucchini; and some left-over pieces of rotisserie chicken were just waiting to be used in.............. something.   This recipe used all of that.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. box of ZITI or PENNE PASTA (uncooked)
• 2 of 23.5 ounce jars of your favorite pasta sauce
• 1 medium onion, chopped medium-fine
• 10 oz. Pepper Jack cheese, grated
• 2-4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced (I used some left-over rotisserie chicken).  If need be, I'm sure you could get by with just one cupful of small pieces of chicken.
• 1 and 1/2  OR 2 cups shredded zucchini

If you used a larger/deeper baking dish, I can see putting a thin layer of cottage OR ricotta cheese in here, too.  Also, mushrooms and various other vegetables.

DIRECTIONS:

Cook dry pasta in boiling water until "medium soft" (I boiled mine for 11 minutes).  Drain.  Set aside.

In a 9x13" baking dish that's been sprayed with non-stick oil, layer the ingredients as follows.  While layering, I VERY LIGHTLY salted and peppered each individual layer(s) of pasta, and the zucchini:

• Spaghetti Sauce
• Chicken
• Onion
• Pasta
• Spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 amount of grated cheese
• Zucchini
• Pasta
• Spaghetti sauce
• Remaining amount of cheese

My dish was VERY full.  In fact, after I added each layer of the cooked Penne pasta, I needed to press it down a bit.  When I was done "layering", I took a spatula and gently moved ingredients a little away from around the edges so that the sauce would have more room as it heated.  Then, to be "kinder" to my oven, I set this dish on a dark kind of shallow baking sheet for... just in case it bubbled over.   But,... it didn't.

I baked this 9x13" batch for about 45 minutes 
(at 350-degrees) when I saw little bubbles around 
the edges.  Before serving, let set for 
about 10 minutes before dishing up.

Creamy Chicken-Cheesy Casserole

The recipe and Directions are given down below.

I often make this casserole (or something similar to it), cover and refrigerate it in its baking dish overnight, cut it into "blocks" and then put those "blocks" into individual food containers like this...

I snap a cover on them and stick 'em into the freezer for at least a few hours.  After they are frozen enough to keep their shape, I vacuum seal and label  each "frozen block" for a very quick individual meal for one,... or a few.  (There's probably enough in each container to serve two.)  Up front, this might sound like a bunch of work, but... "meal blocks" like this can taste SO good when thawed, and reheated!  And,... they are SO convenient!  

This especially works well for when a casserole is large, but the family is small.  It beats eating the same  meal over and over until it's gone--  or, even worse, seeing it go to waste in the refrigerator.

If you want to see how I do this, check along the right side of this blog and look under "Labels".  I have a heading called "GADGETS I LIKE" and I show how I do this with my vacuum sealer.

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 oz. dry medium egg noodles, prepared according to package directions (the same amount of cooked macaroni noodles also work for this.)
• 1/2 cup (4 tablespoons) butter.
• 6 long stalks celery, very finely chopped (include leaves).
• 1 cup (1 medium) onion, chopped.
• 1 pound cooked chicken, chopped into chunks (rotisserie chicken works great).
• 2 cans of 10 oz. cream of chicken soup, not diluted.
• 1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk (NOT condensed milk).
• 2 cups grated (8 ounces) cheddar cheese of your choice.
• 1 cup (or 1 small package) of frozen green beans OR peas OR mixed vegetables OR ???.
• 2/3 cup crushed potato chips, optional.  (I usually do not add these, because I seldom have any here.)

DIRECTIONS:

• Cook the noodles. Drain.
• While the noodles are cooking, combine the butter, celery and onion in a rather large pan and saute until just tender (about five minutes?).
• Add the cooked/drained noodles.
• Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
• Add the following:  Chicken meat, cream of chicken soup that's first  been smoothly blended together with the evaporated milk, grated cheese, and frozen vegetables of your choice.  Stir until everything is well mixed/blended together.  Pour into greased/sprayed 9x13-inch baking dish.  

                              

• Top with crushed potato chips (optional).  If you don't use potato chips, you can sprinkle a little bit of extra cheese over the top during the last five minutes of baking.
• Bake uncovered at 350-degrees for about 35 minutes, or until top is a light golden brown.  "Kinda sorta" like this...

Below:  I think we had three separate rain 

showers yesterday-- with sunshine in between!  

This makes for plenty of "mow the lawn" work.

Polish Reuben Noodle Casserole (w/Sauerkraut)

Years back, I was drawn to this recipe for two reasons-- the egg noodles do not have to be cooked ahead of time, and... I LIKE SAUERKRAUT!!!!

INGREDIENTS:  

2 of 15-16 oz. cans sauerkraut, slightly rinsed and drained.
1 of 8 oz. package UNcooked medium width egg noodles.
............
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 and 1/3 cups milk
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium onion)
...........
1 and 1/2 pounds Polish sausage (OR Lite Kielbasa), cut into 1/2" slices.
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese (or 8 oz. Swiss Cheese slices)
...........
3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs.
2 tablespoons butter, melted.

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
• Grease or spray a 9x13-inch baking dish. 
• Spread the sauerkraut over bottom of the baking dish.
• Top with UNcooked egg noodles.
• Mix together the cream of mushroom soup, milk, prepared mustard, and chopped onion.  Stir until well blended.  Spoon this evenly over the top of the egg noodles.
• Next, top with slices of sausage.
• Add the layer of Swiss cheese.
• Combine crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl; sprinkle over top. 
• Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake at 350-degrees for 1 hour, or until noodles are tender.

I'm often asked for this recipe whenever I 
take this casserole to pot luck 

doings, -- just yesterday, it happened again.

CREAMY TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE

And,...it IS CREAMY!

If you google Creamy Tuna Noodle Casserole, you'll come up with over 500,000 websites.  Certainly, I haven't checked very many of them out.  Even if I don't remember exactly where I got the basics of this recipe from,... we do like it.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cups (about 8 oz.) DRY medium egg noodles, PREPARED ACCORDING TO PACKAGE DIRECTIONS.  (Macaroni noodles work for this, too.)
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cans (5 oz. each) tuna, drained and flaked (I think MORE tuna would work, too.)
• 2 cans (10 oz. each) condensed cream of mushroom soup (I like the low-fat kind)
• 1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk.
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese of your choice
• 1 cup of  green beans OR frozen peas (Optional).  When adding peas, I prefer frozen peas because they keep their color and shape better than canned peas.
• 2/3 cup crushed potato chips (Optional).  I did not use them.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Boil the egg noodles (or macaroni noodles) according to directions on the package.
2. While the noodles are boiling, do the following...
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease or spray a 9x13" baking dish (I used a glass dish)
4. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add celery and onion; cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.   Stir in drained noodles, flaked tuna, soup, evaporated milk and grated cheese.  Mix well.
5. Pour into prepared casserole dish.  Sprinkle with potato chips (optional).
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until top is only lightly browned (or until the "optional" potato chips topping is lightly browned).  
7. IF you do not add potato chips to the top, you can sprinkle a little cheese on top for the last five minutes of baking time.

What I like to do with this casserole:  Once it's cooled and 'firms up', I like to cut it into about 4 x 4" squares.  Freeze the individual squares overnight.  Next day, I vacuum seal the frozen squares for 'grab a meal' when I need it.   TASTES SO GOOD-- even after freezing.

Sauerkraut Casserole

The recipe for this casserole is similar to the casserole Janice Schmidt takes to most (if not all) pot luck meals at church.  Janice prepares/bakes hers and then puts it into a crock pot to keep it warm.  It is always a HIT!

You will need to have some cooked rice on hand, or cook it up before you begin the recipe. (I like doubling this recipe because I LIKE sauerkraut and want left-overs.)

Grease/spray a 9x13-inch baking dish.

INGREDIENTS: 

• 1 cup raw rice (cooked ahead according to directions).
• 2 lb. lean ground beef, browned and drained.
• 1 packet dry onion soup.
• 2  of 10.75 oz. cans  cream of mushroom soup.
• 1 cup water.
• 1 large can of sauerkraut (up to 1 quart), drained.  IF you decide to also rinse it, run water over it very briefly/quickly.  If you rinse it for too long, you will eliminate too much of the flavor of the sauerkraut.
• A sprinkling of French fried onions for the top, just before baking.  (Optional)

DIRECTIONS:

• Cook the 1 cup of rice and set aside.
• Brown hamburger and add dry onion soup powder-- mix well and set aside. 
• Combine cooked rice, cream of mushroom soup, water.  Add this to the meat/onion mixture.   Add the sauerkraut.  Blend well.
• Spread into greased 9x13 baking dish.  Sprinkle French fried onions on top, optional.
• Bake in 350-degree oven for about 1 hour.

Donna's Easy Bean Dish

Originally (and a long time ago!), I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Donna.  If you would like to  make a quick 'n easy baked bean dish, you will really like this recipe!  And,... almost everyone within 'smelling range' will like how your kitchen smells!  I like taking this to picnics and other pot luck doings.


Combine and simmer for about 15-minutes on the stove top:

1 # lean bacon that's been fried, patted 'dry' and cut or crumbled
1 large onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dry yellow mustard powder


Pour the above hot mixture over the following:

2 cans (15-16 oz. each) drained butter beans
1 can (15-16 oz.) drained kidney beans
1 can (15-16 oz.) drained Lima beans
1 can (15-16 oz.) drained black beans
1 larger size (close to 30 oz.) Van Camps or Bush pork 'n beans with liquid.

Note:   I do save the combination of 'drained juices' only until after serving the beans.  Why?  For just in case they would end up being a little dry after a while.  If that should happen, which it usually does NOT, I could add a little 'bean juice' instead of anything else.

Gently mix beans together well, put into a casserole dish and bake for about 30-minutes, or into a crock pot for a couple of hours on low heat to simmer.

Hamburger 'n Rice Balls Casserole

This recipe is a combination of my favorite meat loaf recipe 

and a recipe I have for porcupine balls...

INGREDIENTS and DIRECTIONS:

A.  Cook 2 cups rice (white or brown).  You will probably end up with about four cups cooked rice.  Set cooked rice aside until it is time to incorporate some of it in Step B, and again in Step C.

B. In a mixing bowl,  mix together with clean hands and set this hamburger mixture aside until 'bottom layer' is in dish.

1 pound lean ground beef, raw
1 medium onion, (finely chopped)
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt (or plain salt)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 of 10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 of 10 oz. can ABC vegetable beef soup, undiluted
3/4 cup quick or old-fashioned oats (dry)
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup of the cooked rice.

C. Bottom Layer: Combine the following and put in the bottom of a large greased or sprayed casserole dish (I've used a 9x13" Pyrex baking dish).  Sometimes, though, I bake this recipe in two smaller casseroles for two different meals.

2 of 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice.
Remaining 3 cups of cooked rice.
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning.

D.  Using a cookie scooper, OR with your hands, form the hamburger mixture into balls the size of a golf ball and place them on top of the tomato/rice/broth layer in the casserole dish.  You'll probably have enough for a full layer.  

E. Cover tightly (or use aluminum foil) and bake in preheated oven at 325-degrees for 1 hour.  Then,... remove cover so that the meat balls can brown and bake for another 15-20 minutes OR until the center of the meat balls are completely done and everything looks like you want it to.  (By removing the foil after one hour, you also let excess liquid escape for a while.

F. Remove from the oven and sprinkle shredded cheese over top.  Let sit until cheese is  a little melty OR all melted. Serve.  Some enjoy this with a squirt of ketchup; others with a dollop of sour cream.  

♥  I think it would be tasty to incorporate shredded cabbage into this recipe.  ♥