Hamburger-Noodle Bake

4 pounds ground beef

3 large onions

1 cup chopped green pepper

16 ounces medium egg noodles

3 10 3/4 ounce cans condensed tomato soup

4 cups shredded american cheese

1 12-ounce bottle chili sauce

1/4 cup pimiento (optional)

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 cups water

3 cups soft bread crumbs

1/4 cup butter, melted

In large skillet cook beef, onion, and green pepper, half at a time, till meat is brown. Drain off fat.

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain well. Return drained noodles to kettle. Stir in meat mixture, tomato soup, cheese, chili sauce, pimiento, salt, chili powder, pepper and 2 cups water; mix well. Divide mixture between two 13x9x2-inch baking dishes.

Toss bread crumbs with melted butter; sprinkle atop casseroles. Bake, uncovered, at 350 till heated through, about 45 minutes. Garnish with green pepper rings, if desired. Makes 2 casseroles, 12 servings each.

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I skipped the pimiento, also, I just sprinkled the bread crumbs over without mixing with butter. (Less calories) and didn't do the pepper rings. 

If you are cooking for a crowd, go ahead and cook both. If not, only cook the one you will be serving and freeze the other for use on a busy day within the next 2 months. (I even break it down to smaller dishes, as needed.)

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There  was a package of 5 lbs ground beef we'd forgotten about for a while. OOPS!! I pulled it out and checked it and those drawers are luckily REALLY COLD... It was still GOOD! WHEW!! SO, I decided to cook it ALL UP right THEN!! This was the perfect recipe. This only calls for 4 lbs, but I cooked all of it and put 1 lb in the fridge for putting into a recipe tomorrow. I split the recipe into 3 containers. I cooked one and put the other 2 in the freezer for another day. YAY!! We even had leftovers from the one we cooked, so I guess hubby and I have LUNCH tomorrow!!

All but one rated this TASTY!! The ONE doesn't like much of anything and won't even try anything with tomato anything in it... *sigh*

(((HUGS))) 

Cauliflower Ham Bake

This is from Better Homes and Gardens 
ALL-Time Favorite Casserole recipes (1977)

1 large head cauliflower

2 T butter or margarine

2 T all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups cubed fully cooked ham

1 4oz can mushrooms stems & pieces, drained

1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs

1 T butter or margarine melted

Break cauliflower into flowerets (should have about 5 cups); cook in boiling salted water till tender,
about 10 mins. Drain thoroughly, set aside.

In saucepan melt 2 T butter or margarine. Stir in flour; add milk all at once. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Add cheese and stir till melted. Stir in cookedcauliflower, ham, and mushrooms. Turn into 2 qt casserole. Combine crumbs and melted butter; sprinkle over top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 till heated through, 30-35 mins.

Makes 6 servings

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This is tonight's adventure. We've had this several times. One of the family's favorites!! The only "MIS" in this adventure would be the size casserole dish they say to turn it into. I use a 2.5qt dish and be sure to mix the ingredients before turning it into the dish.  Also, Frequently I just sprinkle the bread crumbs on top (not mixing with butter...) or skip the crumbs on top altogether. They've never missed them and it's a few less fat and calories that I don't need.  (((HUGS)))   ;D

Ham and Broccoli Bake MMMmmm...

Last night was Ham and Broccoli Bake with salad left from the night before. ;p   I HAVE made this before and we LOVE it! I've also made variations of it when I didn't have ham and not enough broccoli. So that the great thing about many casseroles... You can substitute ingredients and it still comes out YUMMY! On that occasion I used lean ground beef in place of the ham and broccoli and cauliflower for the veges.   ;D

This recipe is in the Casseroles for a Crowd section of the Better Homes and Gardens All-Time Favorite Casserole recipes. This will make 2 large casseroles to serve 20. I, however, have to do things my own way. YOU CAN 1/2 the recipe and only make one. BUT I figure if I'm going to the work of putting it ALL together... make the WHOLE SHEBANG and get use out of it other nights!    =D 

*****

Ham and Broccoli Bake for a Crowd (BH&G)

2  20oz packages frozen cut broccoli *(or FRESH)

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)

1/4 cup butter or margarine

2  10 3/4 oz cans condensed cream of mushroom soup

2  10 3/4 oz cans condensed cream of celery soup

2 soup cans milk

2 cups shredded sharp American cheese *(cheddar)

6 cups cubed fully cooked ham

4 cups quick-cooking rice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Cook broccoli till tender; drain well. In saucepan cook onion in butter till tender but not brown.

In a large mixing bowl stir together soups, milk, and cheese. Add drained broccoli, cooked onion ham, uncooked rice, and Worcestershire sauce; mix well. Divide mixture between two 2 1/2 qt casseroles.

Bake, covered at 350 till rice is done, 45-50 minutes.

* my adjustments 

I actually cooked it uncovered and it was still GREAT!  ;D

Makes 20 servings

*****

In all honesty... divide into whatever SIZE works for YOUR needs!! Pyrex has some great dishes with lids that go nicely in the freezer. I happened to divide this one into 2 baking dishes and a small Pyrex container that I'll be bringing to a sweet lady that will be coming home from rehab following knee surgery soon. So our family gets 2 meals and one for her, too! If you were just a couple, you could divide it up into several! Follow the cooking directions for the one you're going to eat only.

FREEZING:  Make sure the dish you are using to freeze in will seal properly and that there is enough room at the top for expansion. Plan to use within 2-3 months for best results. When you are going to cook it, let it thaw completely and then bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes (until rice is done).

Easy Cassoulet, served with Tossed Salad & Cornbread Muffins

We won't talk about the corn-dogs on Monday...  ;p  *sigh*

SO... TODAY was an adventure in the kitchen. 

Easy Cassoulet

1/2 lb bulk pork sausage

1 small onion, sliced (1/2 cup)

1 clove garlic, minced

* small can mushrooms

1 1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham

2 Tablespoons snipped parsley

1 bay leaf

2 15-oz cans navy beans [UNDRAINED]

     *(If you missed this, add another 1/2 cup apple juice and  1/4 cup water)

1/4 cup dry white wine *[apple juice]

Dash ground cloves

* mozzerella cheese

In skillet cook sausage, onion, *(mushrooms) and garlic till meat is lightly browned and onion is tender; drain off fat. Add  ham parsley, and bay leaf; Mix well. Stir in UNDRAINED beans, wine *(apple juice), and cloves. Turn into casserole dish. Bake, covered at 325 for 45 minutes. Uncover, *[This is when I removed the bay leaf, stirred, and topped with mozzarella cheese]  and bake 40-45 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf. 

Makes 6 servings

*my adjustments

So I messed up a little with the ORIGINAL recipe of the cassoulet. Yep, first time making this one. Maybe I should pay more attention to the recipe steps BEFORE DOING!  So I learned a while back... when I was trying to eat healthier... to RINSE beans before using them to reduce all the sodium. So I glance at the next item on the list and proceed. THEN I SEE it!! "Stir in UNDRAINED BEANS" GAH! Why couldn't it state UNDRAINED in the ingredients list? Mind you, the recipe calls for WHITE WINE... I substitute Apple juice in this circumstance.  ;p  So I added extra apple juice and a bit of water to replace the liquid.  I also used White Northern Beans instead of Navy Beans... They're pretty interchangeable... Right? ;D  Now I'm ALL about making minor adjustments to my liking... Well, we LIKE mushrooms & CHEESE! [I'm NOT being good right now... So YES! CHEESE! ;p ]  I added a small can of mushrooms and when it was time to remove the lid, I removed bay leaf THEN, stirred topped it with mozzarella cheese. 

I DO have a question about technique!!! After cooking the pork sausage, onion & garlic, the recipe says "Add ham, parsley, and bay leaf; mix well. Stir in UNDRAINED beans, wine (substituted apple juice), and cloves...  Turn into casserole dish... bake covered for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 40-45 minutes... stirring occasionally..."

SO... HOW do you MIX well... STIR in more stuff... bake... STIR OCCASIONALLY then REMOVE the BAY LEAF???? So I lightly stirred in the leaf after everything was mixed together before baking. I covered the dish then removed it, stirred and topped with mozzarella and returned it to the oven for the final baking time.

I chopped up some veges and made a tossed salad (Yeah... I didn't use the HEALTHIER lettuce...) and cornbread to serve with it. We had apple juice to drink with it and hubby and I agree that it TOTALLY enhanced it!! Even though I had some mishaps in the process, it was DELICIOUS!! 11 yr old and hubby thoroughly enjoyed it.  YAY!! So, 12 year old refused to even try it "I don't LIKE BEANS!"... I managed to get him to take a bite before all was said and done and he had a sheepish grin and admitted it was good.  STINKER!  ;p

I'll call tonight's adventure a "Blundering SUCCESS" HAH!!  =D