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Hashbrown Egg Bake

Justin has been talking about egg casserole with hashbrowns lately. So I found a simple recipe on All Recipes and tried it last night. He really liked it. I didn’t have any…I don’t care for sausage or hashbrowns that much. It was super simple to make, though. And could be prepped ahead. So it’s going in my recipe file:) I did a half recipe and put it in an 8″ square pan. It would probably be good with some sauted onion mixed in. And I might cut down slightly on the hashbrowns next time. Seemed like there were a lot of potatoes compared to egg and meat. Maybe it’s just me, though. I like an egg casserole to be more “eggy” than this was.

**I made this again (1/2 recipe) and used 6 eggs and a little less hashbrown. Worked very well. But it probably needs and extra 10 min. in the oven.

**Edited 12/5/10 – I am  updating this a bit to match the way we eat now – following NT.

Hashbrown Egg Bake

2 cups hashbrowns
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled (or cooked sausage or ham) (be sure they are nitrite/nitrate free)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 eggs
1 cup milk
salt, pepper

Combine hashbrowns, meat, 1/2 cup cheese and seasoning. Put in greased 8″ square pan. Beat eggs and milk. Pour on top. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Top with 1/2 cup cheese. Bake 3-5 min. longer.

For a 9×13 dish double the recipe.

Italian Pasta Bake

This is the other meal I’m making for a family from church. Another old favorite 🙂 I think it’s a Kraft recipe. I’ve been making it for years. Easy and yummy! And I pretty much always have all the ingredients on hand. The picture isn’t of the finished product (it still needs cheese on top and to be baked), but this is how I’m bringing it, so it’ll have to do.

 

 

Italian Pasta Bake

 

 
1 lb. ground beef
8 oz. broken spaghetti or 3 cups penne or rotini pasta, cooked, drained
1 jar (26-28 oz.) spaghetti sauce
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

 

 
Brown meat in skillet. Drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and noodles. Mix. Spoon into 9×13 baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese and remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 for 20 min.

Turkey Noodle Bake

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law. It’s simple and delicious. I’ve made it with turkey, chicken and ham. They all work well.

It’s a good casserole for using up leftover meat after a big holiday meal. I made this batch for a family from church. I doubled the recipe since the original only makes an 8×8 pan…and I have to make this for 7 people 🙂

It would also be good with peas or green beans added to it to make it more of a one dish. You can add any seasoning you like.

Turkey (chicken, ham) Noodle Bake

 
Ingredients:
 
3/4 cup milk or milk substitute
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup or homemade dairy-free cream sauce
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 – 2 cups egg noodles, or brown rice noodles, cooked
1 cup turkey (chicken or ham), cooked, cubed
1 slice bread, ripped into chunks
1/2 cup cheddar cheese or dairy-free cheese, cubed
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
 
Directions:
 
  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Grease an 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch glass pan.
  3. Blend the milk and soup.
  4. Stir in the egg.
  5. Add the noodles, turkey, bread, cheese, and butter. Stir well.
  6. Spread in the prepared baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes, until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Butternut Squash and Italian Sausage Soup

I got this recipe from Elaine at church. It is really good!! It does take a little bit of work, but it makes a huge batch of soup, so it’s worth it. I managed to use up another squash (only half was necessary for the soup…that’s how big they are!). Two to go yet 🙂 Gotta find more squash recipes. I was trying to make a half batch of soup since it makes so much, but ended up making closer to a full batch since our squash is so big. I did cut down on the beans and tomatoes (I only had 1 can of beans, and Justin isn’t crazy about tomatoes). And I used sweet Italian turkey sausage (removed meat from casing). I didn’t get the best picture. The soup has great color and looks quite fancy 🙂

Butternut Squash and Italian Sausage Soup
8-10 servings

1 Tbsp. evoo or lard (I skipped this…the sausage has plenty of fat to cook on its own)
16 oz. Italian sausage (I used turkey sausage)
1 red or yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tsp. finely diced garlic
1 large butternut squash (a/b 3 lbs.), peeled, halved, seeds removed (1 lb. = 1 cup mashed)
1 (15 oz.) can corn kernels, drained and rinsed (I used frozen corn)
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
2 (15 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
2 (15 oz.) cans northern beans, drained and rinsed (or dried beans soaked and cooked)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream or whole milk
salt and pepper to taste
fresh, chopped parsley for garnish

In stockpot heat oil. Add sausage. Brown and remove from pan, leaving grease to saute onions (I drained the grease). Transfer sausage to a plate lined with paper towel. In stockpot add onion and saute until translucent. Add peppers and garlic and saute a couple minutes. Meanwhile, cut squash into 1″ dice. Add to pot. Add 1/2 of corn. Cover with water (6-8 cups), depending on how thick you want your soup. Add seasoning. Cook squash until soft, about 20 minutes (I cooked mine for at least 30 minutes).

In batches in food process or blender, puree soup (I used an immersion blender). Return to stockpot. Add tomatoes, remaining corn, beans and sausage. Add cream and adjust seasoning to taste. Garnish with parsley.
*If you don’t like sausage (or don’t have any on hand) this would still be great without meat. Or chicken or some kind of seafood would work really well in it too.

Shepherd’s Pie

I’ve never made shepherd’s pie before…I don’t think I’ve ever actually had it before. And neither had Justin. But I decided to make it with our leftover mashed potatoes. I looked up quite a few recipes…they are all a little different. So I decided to not use a recipe and make my own 🙂 I didn’t eat it (I was using up other leftovers). But Justin did. He really liked it. So I guess I’ll try to create a recipe based on what I did. We didn’t have that many potatoes left, so there wasn’t a very thick layer on top.

Shepherd’s Pie
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, sliced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup ketchup
salt
pepper
2 cups mashed potatoes
Heat oven to 375. Cook beef, onion and carrot in skillet. Drain. Add peas, corn, broth, ketchup, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 min. Put in 8″ baking dish. Top with mashed potatoes. Bake 25 min.

Thanksgiving Feast

We had quite a spread for Thanksgiving yesterday. I hosted, so I provided all of the hot dishes. I’ll post the recipes for a few of them. I made a 20 lb. turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, squash and green bean casserole. Family members brought corn souffle, pink salad, applesauce, rolls, pumpkin pie, apple pie and cheesecake. Everything was delicious. I didn’t take individual pictures of everything. But I got a picture of the table. I took a couple pics when I made leftovers, not as good as the original picture would have been, but better than nothing. I’ll post the recipes I haven’t shared on my blog yet. Now it’s time to decide how to use my leftovers 🙂 And I have to debone the turkey (no time last night).

Roast turkey

 

*This isn’t so much a recipe, just the method I used after doing lots of reading and wanting to do something simple for my first attempt.


1 turkey (mine was about 20 lbs.) butter

salt
pepper
garlic powder
chicken broth (or turkey if you can find it)

 

Remove neck, gizzard, etc. from turkey. Wash insided and out. Dry. Place on roasting rack. Sprinkle inside with salt and pepper (and any spices you wish). Tie with kitchen twine. Rub skin with butter. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Pour broth into bottom of pan (enough to cover bottom) Roast at 325 for about 5 hours. I roasted it for about 1 hour, then covered it with foil. I removed the foil for the last half hour to brown. Add more broth or water to pan as it cooks. I used 4 cups broth plus some water throughout the cooking. Remove from oven and let rest for 30 min. Cover with foil. Make gravy with pan drippings.

Crockpot Stuffing (from A Year of Crockpotting)

 
1 loaf bread, cubed and lightly toasted in oven
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup celery diced
1 cup tart apple, peeled and diced
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (or more)
1 Tbsp. sage (I left this out b/c I didn’t have any)
1 tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. savory
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup raisins (my addition)

 

Add onion, celery, raisins and apple to crockpot. Add seasoning and butter. Mix well. Add bread. Mix well. Add broth and stir. Cook on high 2 hours. Stir. Add more broth if too dry.

 

*I stirred the stuffing after an hour or so and added more broth then. I also turned the crockpot to low after 2 hours to let it cook a little longer and stay warm until dinner.
*If you like the celery and onions super soft you could cook them in a skillet first.
*This stuffing was so good. Never would have guessed it came out of the crockpot. But it was nice to not have to take up more room in the oven. And I prepped all the ingredients the day before.

Green Bean Casserole (classic French’s or Campbell’s recipe)

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
pepper
4 cups cut green beans (frozen, thawed or fresh, cooked) or 2 can french style green beans drained
1 1/3 cup french fried onions

 

Mix soup and milk in 1 1/2 qt. casserole. Add beans, pepper and 2/3 cup onions. Mix well. Bake at 350 for 25 min. Sprinkle with remaining onions. Bake 5-10 min. more.

 

Pink Salad (family recipe)

 

1 small pkg. cottage cheese
1 small pkg. dry red jello
1 can drained pineapple (cubes, tidbits or crushed)
1 pkg. dream whip, prepared

 

Mix all together. Chill.

 

*This sounds like an odd combination, but it’s really good! You should try it.

Corn Souffle (got this from my sister)

2 Tbsp. butter
1 pkg. (8oz.) cream cheese
1 can (15 1/4 oz.) whole kernel corn (drained)
1 can cream style corn
1 pkg. (8.5 oz.) corn muffin mix (like Jiffy)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Microwave butter until melted. Add cream cheese, microwave for about 15 seconds or until cream cheese is softened. Stir until blended. Add corns and muffin mix and eggs. Mix well. Pour into greased 9×13 pan; sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.

 

 

Hugs and Chips Cheesecake (got this from my mom…I think it’s a Hershey’s or Nestle recipe)

2 (3 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 tsp. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1 (6 oz.) ready made chocolate pie crust

 

Chocolate glaze:
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup whipping cream

 

Heat oven to 350. With mixer beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in milk until smooth. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well. Toss chips with flour. Stir into cheese mixture. Pour into pie crust. Bake 35 min., or until center springs back when lightly touched. Cool and top with glaze. Serve chilled.

 

Glaze:
Melt chips with whipping cream. Cook and stir until thickened and smooth. Immediately spread over pie.

Hungarian Cabbage Rolls

Saturday we visited my BIL and SIL in Webberville. They have spent quite a bit of time in Eastern Europe over the last few years and have learned to cook some traditional Hungarian food. They made cabbage rolls for us on Saturday. They were really good! Maybe I’ll have to try making them myself someday.

Hungarian Cabbage Rolls
(Serves 6)

28 oz sauerkraut
1 large green cabbage
2 Tbsp oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1 lb ground pork
1/4 cup rice
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp marjoram
1 tsp salt
ground pepper
1 large can tomato puree
1/2 cup sour cream (+ more to taste)
3 Tbsp milk
1 heaping Tbsp flour

1. In a large pot, bring to boil enough salted water to cover the cabbage. Add the cabbage, turn heat to low and simmer ~8 minutes. Remove the cabbage and let it drain until cool enough to handle. Pull off 16 large unbroken leaves and lay them on paper towels to cool and drain further.

2. Wash the sauerkraut in cold water, then soak in cold water 10-20 minutes to reduce sourness (this is important since we don’t have real Hungarian sour cabbage in the US!). Squeeze dry and set aside.

3. Parboil the rice in water for 10 minutes, then drain the water off. In a skillet, saute onions over med-low heat and garlic in oil until onions become translucent. In a large mixing bowl, combine pork, rice, egg, paprika, marjoram, and the onion-garlic mixture, salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Mix well.

4. Place 2 tablespoons of the stuffing in the center of one of the wilted cabbage leaves and, beginning with the thick end of the leaf, fold over the sides, then roll the whole leaf tightly, as you would a small bundle. Repeat with more leaves until all the stuffing has been used.

5. You may put the spare or largest unusable cabbage leaves on the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching. Spread the sauerkraut on the bottom of the pot and bury the cabbage rolls amongst it. Add the tomato puree and a couple of cans of water. Bring the liquid gently to a boil, then cover the pan and cook over simmering heat for 1-2 hours. Transfer the rolls from the casserole to a warm plate. Mix the sour cream, milk, flour, and a little of the cooked kraut, stir into the sauerkraut. Simmer another 5 minutes. Lift the kraut onto a serving platter with a slotted spoon. Arrange the rolls on the kraut. Serve with additional sour cream as desired.

*One of the secrets of good stuffed cabbage is to cook it long enough – more gentle cooking does not harm it, especially if you like tender cabbage. They tend to get better each time they’re reheated, so making them a day or two ahead of time is not undesirable. They can also freeze well.

Corn Chowder

I’m making corn chowder for dinner tonight. My version is chicken corn chowder. I got the recipe from A Year of Crockpotting. I’ve made it before. It’s so good.

Crockpot Chicken Corn Chowder

8 cups chicken broth
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 (16 oz.) bags frozen corn, 1 cup reserved
1 medium potato, chopped (optional)
1 – 2 cups precooked chicken

Put all of the ingredients (except chicken and 1 cup corn) in crockpot. Cook on low 8-9 hours or high 4-5 hours. Blend (I use a hand blender right in the pot) until chowder consistency. Add 1 cup corn and chicken. Let cook another half hour.

Southwest Chicken Chili

I got a new recipe from Elaine, the mom mentor in my MOPS small group. I tried it last night. Very good!! It makes a huge pot…filled my 6qt. crockpot. So there is plenty for lunches, another dinner and some in the freezer. I pretty much followed the recipe exactly. Except I didn’t add the cheese at the end. We just put cheese in our individual bowls. I figured it would freeze better without the cheese. It was a little spicier than what we normally eat. I couldn’t find any mild corn and black bean salsa, so I had to get a spicy one. I think next time I’ll just add some corn, black beans and regular mild salsa. And I might skip the green chilis. I served it with some black bean and salsa bread that I had in the freezer. That’s pretty spicy too. Definitely needed a mint after that meal 🙂 I had it in the crockpot for about 12 hours. I say the longer it cooks the better. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Some diced avocado would be really good sprinkled on top.

 

 

Southwest Chicken Chili

 

1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. pepper
48 oz. jar Randle deluxe mixed beans (include juice)
1 jar (24 oz.) corn and black bean salsa
2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chilis
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
2 cups shredded mexican blend cheese

 

In 6 qt. slowcooker: Place all ingredients except cheese. Stir to combine. Cook on low 7-10 hours or high 3 1/2 – 4 hours. 15 minutes before serving stir in cheese until melted.

 

 
Garnish: sour cream and tortilla chips

7 Layer Dinner

I made a casserole in the crockpot last night. It’s a recipe from my mom. Very easy. And the crockpot makes it even easier. 

7 Layer Dinner

4 cups sliced potatoes (I used 2 medium red potatoes)
1 large onion, chopped (adjust to your taste…we don’t use this much)
3 cups carrots, sliced
1/3 cup rice (I skipped the rice this time…rice and potatoes is too much starch for me)
1 can peas and juice (I just put in some frozen peas)
1 lb. hamburger (could use 1 1/2 lbs.)
1 can tomato soup (I use homemade)
1 can water

Place all ingredients in greased casserole in order listed. Season with salt and pepper as you layer. Cover. Bake at 350 for about 1 1/2 hours.

*You may need to remove the cover 1/2 way through to get rid of some of the liquid. You can also cut down on the water…I find it’s a little liquidy with that much. And you should reduce the water if you skip the rice.

*I put it all in the crockpot. I added some peppers and frozen corn after the carrots. I cooked it on low for about 9 hours. It could have been done after 6 hours. Or it could have gone longer. I think I’ll skip the water all together the next time I make it in the crockpot. I only did a half can, but it still had plenty of liquid from the veggies and meat as they cooked.