Casseroles

Many moons ago when blogs were still young, I frequented the blog of a nice guy from Pennsylvania, btezra. His blog has gone the way of the dinosaurs (so don't bother clicking) but this recipe, which he originally posted there and graciously permitted me to copy, has survived. I've done a couple of things differently but only in the prep. The ingredients are the same.


This lasagne is whatchacall a special occasion dish. It's labour intensive and makes for lots of dirty dishes. I make this maybe once or twice a year but trust me, once you've tried it, you'll find it's worth the trouble. If you're especially industrious, double the recipe and freeze the second pan for a quick heat-and-eat meal when you're busy. It will take a good 3 months worth of freezing with no problem. And seriously? This is damned good. Really good. Really, really good. It's also very rich and very filling. Be prepared to need a nap after dinner. You can, of course, substitute all that low-fat ricotta, milk, etc., but why would you want to? I mean, it's not like you'd eat this everyday.

Ingredients:

1/2 C butter + 2 TBSP
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C flour
2 C milk
2 C chicken broth
2 C (8 oz bag) shredded mozzarella - divided
1/2 C parmesan cheese
1/2 C onion, diced
1-2 tsp Italian seasoning, to taste
1 packet G. Washington Golden
1 tsp Nature's Seasons
1 C cottage cheese
1 C ricotta
1 egg
2 boneless chicken breast
1 pkg fresh or frozen spinach **Important - see footnote
9 lasagne noodles


Directions:

Cook lasagne noodles, dry and lay on waxed paper until ready to use. Slice chicken breast (easier if partially frozen) from the short side about 1/4" thick. Cutting from the short side creates little medallions. In a non-stick frying pan, melt 2 TBSP butter. Add sliced chicken and cook through, letting it brown a little. Remove to a plate and set aside. To the same pan, add your washed and dryed spinach. Slap a cover on it, let it cook for 2 minutes then turn off the heat leaving the lid on.

In a 3 or 4 qt saucepan, melt the butter. Add garlic and onion and cook until translucent. Whisk in flour and all the seasonings. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Whisk in milk and broth and bring to a boil. If the sauce is too thick, add more broth. Remove from heat, sauce will thicken as it sits so you might have to add a bit more broth. It should be thick and spreadable.

Combine cottage cheese, ricotta, 1 C mozzarella and egg. Mix well.
Spread about 1/3 of the sauce in 13 x 9 pan, top with noodles. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over noodles. Repeat sauce/noodle/cheese mixture. Top with chicken, then spinach. Add last layer of noodles and then remaining sauce. Cook covered @ 350° for 1 hour. Uncover and sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella cheese on top. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly.

**After the spinach has wilted in the pan and cooled, put it in a triple layer of papertowels and squeeze out all of the excess moisture. You do not want the spinach to be wet. If you use frozen spinach, thawed it out first then squeeze out the excess moisture. Even though the original recipe calls for 1 bag, I always use two. I like the extra spinach.

Given the sorry state of my bank account as it waits for a badly needed infusion of tax refund, I’ve started to dust off recipes that are let us say… not too expensive to make and that will reheat well . This means casseroles and crock pot dishes which are actually kinda nice for the winter.  This was a kinda bland pork casserole that I found in a churchlady cookbook and doctored up so that you don’t feel like you’re in the Fellowship Hall.

Pork and Chile Casserole

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb pork, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 small onion, diced
1 candiced tomatoes (14 oz)
2 canschopped green chiles
1 can black beans, drained
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup quick cooking rice
4 Tbs Salsa
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, co-jack, taco, whatever)
1-2 Tbs oil for cooking (as needed)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Heat the oil in a largish saucepan and saute the chicken and onion in two batches; placing in a colander to drain off fat.

Return the pork to the saucepan and add all remaining ingredients but the cheese. Bring to a boil and then carefully (cos that shit is hot) pour into a rectangular baking dish.  Toss in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Pull out of the oven, top with the cheese and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8

Notes: This works well with chicken too.  I didn’t have enough pork or chicken, so I cut up 2 pork chops and 2 chicken thighs.  Use whatever diced tomatoes you have -Ro-Tel would be good, but keep in mind that it’s a smaller can so you’ll pprobably have to use extra salsa to get the liquid ratio right.

Oh stop it. Yes, You. I can see the look of horror and disgust on your faces after reading the title of this post.  I even hear you thinking that this sounds like something that should appear in one of my odd and/or disgusting foods posts. I, however, love those creamy little poultry-based poison filters.  Give it a shot.  Like most casseroles, it’s not much to look at, but it’s darn tasty in a retro 50’s sorta way.

Ingredients

2 10 oz packages of frozen french style grean beans
4 slices bacon, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound chicken livers, nasty connective tissue removed and cut in half
2 Tbs sherry or marsala*
1/2 tsp seasoned salt **
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup crushed barbeque potato chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.  Cook green beans according to directions. Drain well and spread out on a rack or paper towels to dry.  Once they’re dry, spread them into the bottom of a greased 8x8 baking dish.

Saute the bacon until crisp and spread over beans.  Add the garlic and sautee until golden.  Add the livers to the fat and garlic in the pan and fry/simmer until they are no longer pink (the livers will give off a fair amount of liquid). Add the next four ingredients and stir until heated through. Once heated, pour inot the pan of bacon and beans, spreading so that it makes a fairly uniform layer.  Top with crushed potato chips and bake for 15 minutes, or until bubbly.

Serves 5-6

* It goes without saying that you should spring for a bottle of sherry or marsala from the wine aisle rather than the salt-laden swill that styles itself “cooking sherry” found elsewhere in your grocery store of choice.

** I don’t like to use much salt when cooking.  In the future I’ll probably take a pinch of various herbs and grind them together instead.

Years back, the food nazis declared war on unhealthy chinese restaurant food and dared to call Fettucine Alfredo “heart attack on a plate’ due to its use of cheese, cream and, well, many of the things that make life worth living.

Well kids, I found a recipe that does the same thing for mashed potatoes.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…

Mozzerella Pie!
Ingredients
3 pounds potatoes
6 ounces salami, finely diced
1 pound mozzerella cheese, shredded
6 Tbs butter, plus a scosh more for buttering the pan
8-10 ounces ricotta cheese
3 eggs
3/4 tsp pepper
1 medium red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs parmesan cheese, grated

Directions
Preheat oven to 350.

Peel and quarter potatoes, then boil until tender. Turn burner to low, drain and return potatoes to pan for a bit to evaporate some of the remaining moisture. Mash potatoes well, but don’t whip them.

Add the diced salami and mozzerella.  Stir until the cheese makes thin, melty threads. Add 4 Tbs of the butter and stir in until melted. Stir in the ricotta, then add the eggs one at a time; stirring the whole mess till around. Add the pepper and onion, and keep mixing until everything is well distributed.

Butter bottom and sides of a large baking dish, or several smaller ones. Add 2 Tbs of parmesan to the bread crumbs, then place them in the baking dish, shaking to coat bottom and sides before discarding the excess.

Add potatoes to the dish, sprinkle with remaining parmesan and dot with the last 2 Tbs butter.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. You’ll need to do this so that it sets up… unless you want to serve it with a soup ladle and I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to do that one bit.

Serves… alot.  Say 6-8

2 pounds dried small lima beans
1/4 pound bacon, cut into strips
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
2 pounds italian sausage (I like hot italian)
3 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 Tablespoon powdered mustard
2 cans crushed tomatoes (14.5 oz can)
1/3 cup Red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf

Soak dried beans overnight, then drain.

Put beans and bacon into a large pot and fill with water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until beans are tender. Drain beans and reserve cooking water.

In another large pot (or the one you've just emptied and washed) heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage and saute until evenly browned, breaking into coarse chunks as you go. Add onions and garlic. Saute several minutes more, or until onions are translucent.

Add Chili powder, cumin, and dried mustard. saute for another minute or so before adding tomaties, vinegar, Worchestershire sauce salt, pepper 1 1/2 cups of reserved bean liquid and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for another 30 minutes.

preheat oven to 375. Stir beans and chili together in a shallow baking dish (note: I had to use two pans). Add more bean water if more moisture is needed to keep beans covered. Bake for an hour, adding more bean water occasionally if the beans look like they're drying out.

Serves 12-16

Substitutions:

1. Any kind of beans would work, but keep with the dried beans. The remaining starch in the water acts as a thickening agent when it's used later in the chili and during baking to keep things from getting too soupy.

2. Instead of dried mustard, I used 2 or 3 spoonfuls of prepared dijon instead. It gave a bit of a sweeter taste with less bite than the dried mustard did.

3. not really a substitution, but when slicing the bacon, I removed large amounts of the fat streaks that otherwise would have been soaked into the beans. The remaining fat on the bacon still gave a nice smokey flavor to the beans. 6 oz cooked shredded chicken
1 can fat-free refried pinto beans
1 cup salsa
4 oz shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
Shredded lettuce to taste
Tabasco to taste
4 tbsp low-fat sour cream

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

Mist an 8 x 8 with oil and spread beans evenly within the dish. Then layer with chicken, salsa and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until heated all the way through.

Cut into 4 slices and plate.

Top each portion with shredded lettuce, Tabasco and 1 tbsp sour cream.

Serves 4 (4 WW points each) 1lb Sage bulk breakfast casserole

6 Slices of white bread

4 eggs, beaten

2 Cups of milk

8oz of shredded cheddar*

1tsp. of ground mustard powder

1/2tsp. of salt

Cook sausage in skillet until done, breaking it up as it cooks. Drain. Cut bread up into cubes. In a large mixing bowl add, bread, sausage, mustard, salt, and cheese. Pour milk and eggs on top of mixture and mix until everything is combined and coated. Pour mixture into greased casserole dish and refridgerate overnight (needs at least 8hours to set).

Bake at 350 for 1hour covered and then uncovered for 45minutes or until set.

*You can use more cheese if you like, but it will add to the time it takes the casserole to set so keep that in mind. 1 lb. sausage
1 1/2 cups milk
12 oz. velveeta cheese, cut into cubes
1/2 cup dijon mustard
1 cup diced fresh or canned tomatoes
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup sliced green onions
12 oz. uncooked elbow macaroni
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 T grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crumble and cook saudage in a skillet until brown. Drain on paper towels. Combine milk, velveeta and mustard in a medium saucepan; cook and stir over low heat until cheese melts and mixture is smooth. Stir in sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms, green onions, and cayenne pepper. Remove from heat.

Cook macaroni according to package directions and drain. Combine hot macaroni and cheese mixture in a large bowl and toss until well-coated. Spoon into a greased, shallow, 2-quart casserole dish. Cover and bake 15-20 minutes. Stir, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, then bake uncovered another 5 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 1 loaf cinnamon swirl bread (I like Pepperidge Farms)
6 eggs, beaten
3 cups milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Powdered sugar

Place bread cubes in a greased, 3-quart shallow baking dish. Mix eggs, milk and vanilla, then pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate one hour or overnight. (This step is important, because it ensures the bread absorbs the egg/milk mixture.)

Bake at 350? for 50 minutes, or until golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve with pancake syrup, if desired.

Serves 8*.

Read More »

2½ C Egg noodles cooked til slightly under done and drained
¼ C Onion finely minced
¼ C Celery diced
1 TBSP butter
1 can Condensed cream of mushroom soup
1can Solid white tuna in oil, drained (reserve oil)
¼-½ C Half & half (to desired creaminess)
1 small can mushroom pieces, drained (reserve liquid)
2 slices Swiss Cheese
2 slices American cheese
1 C Shredded cheddar

Melt butter and add onion and celery. Cook til translucent. Season with a bit of garlic salt, parsley and pepper. Add mushroom soup, the reserved oil and mushroom liquids and half and half. Stir to warm through. Add tuna, pasta, mushrooms and swiss and american cheeses. Stir until thoroughly combined and cheeses are melted. Add half & half as needed for a more creamy texture remembering liquid is absorbed by the noodles during baking.

Place in buttered 2 qt casserole and top with cheddar.

Finish with breadcrumb topping, below. Bake about 30-35 minutes at 350°

For bread crumb topping:
2 slices bread left out for a couple of hours then rubbed between your hands til crumbs form.
8 butter crackers finely crushed
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/3 C Parmesan Cheese
1/3 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon chicken fat (schmaltz)
celery--as much as you like
onion--as much as you like
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth (part reserved stock)
1 cup milk
salt and pepper
2 packets G Washington Golden or 1 boullion cube
2 boil in bag white rice bags
3 cups cooked diced chicken
2 cups sliced sauteed mushrooms
1 cup baby broccoli florets
buttered bread crumbs


Bake 2 chicken breasts and 2 thighs skin on. When done, save all broth and fat that has accumulated in pan. Cool. Separate chicken fat (schmaltz) from broth and save both. Remove skin from chicken and discard. Chop chicken into bite size pieces. Cover with some chicken broth and refrigerate if you're not going to use it right away. (I baked my chicken the night before.)

Melt butter & schmaltz over low heat in a medium saucepan; add onion and celery and cook until translucent. Salt and pepper. Stir in flour, blending well with a wire whisk. Add chicken broth/stock, milk, G. Washington or boullion cube, and salt and pepper again to taste. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, simmer but don't boil for 1 minute. Butter a 2-quart baking dish. Spread half of the rice in the bottom of the baking dish; top with half of the chicken, half of the sliced mushrooms and half the broccoli.

Pour in half of the sauce. Repeat layers; sprinkle with buttered bread crumbs to cover. Bake at 350? for 35-45 minutes. I got about 6 servings out of this...big servings.

For bread crumbs I used 2 slices of bread left out for a couple of hours then I rubbed them between my hands til they got *breadcrumby* and 8 townhouse crackers, crushed, mixed with 1/3 cup butter.

It's really important to bake your chicken and save the juices and separate the stock from the schmaltz when cool. Canned chicken broth just won't supply the same flavour. 3 cups elbow macaroni, boiled in salted water. Cook in a 4 qt dutch oven for 6 minutes from second boil. Drain and put back in pan.

3 TBSP butter
3 TBSP flour
1/2 a small onion, diced finely
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp tabasco
1/2 tsp dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups milk
1 cup half & half
1 lb cheddar cheese
8oz monteray jack cheese
2 oz cream cheese
1/4 c good parmesan
1/2 cup mozzerella

Melt butter in a dutch oven. add onions and cook until translucent. Add flour, paprika, mustard and tabasco all at once. Whisk until smooth then cook at least 2-3 minutes. Slowly add milk and 1/2 & 1/2, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and simmer 2 minutes until thickened.

Remove from heat and add all cheeses EXCEPT the mozzerella. Stir constantly until all cheese is melted. There will be more cheese sauce than your macaroni can take.

Pour cheese sauce over macaroni slowly until macaroni is entirely incorporated in cheese sauce. Then add about 1 cup more so that macaroni is very wet with sauce. The noodles will absorb a lot of the sauce.

Pour into a buttered 2 quart casserole dish and top with 1/2 cup mozzerella.

Combine all bread crumb ingredients (below) and sprinkle on top of mac and cheese. Bake at 350? for 30-35 minutes. Feeds about 7 or 8 people.

for bread crumb topping:
2 slices bread left out for a couple of hours then rubbed between your hands til crumbs form.
8 butter crackers finely crushed
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/3 cup melted butter 6-8 pork chops
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 envelope (1 oz) dry onion soup mix
1 can mushroom soup
2 tbsp oil
salt & pepper to taste
water

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Brown pork chops. Drain.

Sprinkle uncooked rice in bottom of large baking dish. Sprinkle dry soup mix over rice. Place pork chops on top. Pour undiluted mushroom soup over chops. Salt and pepper to taste. Add enough water to barely cover ingredients.

Bake uncovered for one hour. 1 c. sour cream
1 (6 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1/4 onion, chopped
1 lb. hamburger
1 tsp. salt & sugar
1/2 c. garlic
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 pkg. narrow noodles
1 c. cheese, grated

Mix sour cream, cream cheese and onions. Let stand 1 hour. Brown hamburger, salt and sugar; add garlic, tomato sauce and cook 20 minutes. Grease 2-quart casserole and arrange in layers as follows: 1/2 of noodles, cream and hamburger mixture. Repeat in layers. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

A good cook is not necessarily a good woman with an even temper. Some allowance should be made for artistic temperament.
~X. Marcel Boulestin

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