Vintage '50s Hamburger Casserole

This is a recipe that can be dressed up or down, changed to use a variety of ingredients and still work out to be as tasty as you can imagine.

Vintage Hamburger Casserole

• 8 oz large noodles (elbow, rotini or any other favorite)
• 1 1/2 lb ground beef (if you prefer, use ground turkey or chicken)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 med. green pepper, chopped
•  1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1/2 lb sharp cheddar, grated or cut into small chunks
• 1 large can cream-style corn (or use regular corn or peas and add a can of cream soup)
• 1 can pitted black olives - optional (the sliced ones work well)
• Dash of Tabasco sauce for flavor (some people prefer to use ketchup)

1. Boil noodles according to package directions. Set aside.
2. Brown meat, onion and green pepper. Add salt and black pepper.
3. In large mixing bowl, add all ingredients and fold well. 
4. Pour into 2-3 qt casserole.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour

Goes well with your favorite mixed green salad or a tomato, cucumber and onion salad.

Yields 12 servings.

Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread

This was seriously one of the easiest and quickest monkey breads I have made. I simply used 2 tubes of buttermilk biscuits, some sugar and cinnamon and some apple pie filling that I had made a few weeks ago. Oh, I forgot .... I also drizzled some caramel topping on to make it have that caramel apple flavor that we like. Once you tip it out of the prepared pan, it's ooey gooey goodness personified. And the kitchen still smells great (just like fall!)
                                             Caramel Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread

                                
Ingredients:

• 2 tubes of buttermilk biscuits
• 1/2 c sugar
• 3 tbsp ground cinnamon (or so)
• 2 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
• approx. 20 oz of apple pie filling (home-made or canned)
• Caramel topping (I used Smuckers)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a 9x13 loaf pan with cooking spray
3. In a medium bowl, toss unbaked biscuits in 2 tbsp butter or margarine to coat. Place sugar and cinnamon in a Ziploc bag and add biscuits, toss to mix thoroughly.
4. In the same medium bowl, combine biscuits with apple pie filling, stirring to mix.
5. Spoon  into prepared loaf pan and drizzle with caramel topping.
6. I had a bit of left-over canned cinnamon syrup and drizzled that on top too, just because.
7. Place in preheated oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes - until biscuits are golden and any syrup on bottom has been mostly absorbed.
8. Let stand for about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the loaf pan to loosen the loaf and upend onto a wax paper coated cookie sheet (I cheated and reused the Ziploc bag for this).

Ours turned out a bit gooey because of the extra cinnamon syrup, but mmm boy! what flavor! I ate too much for lunch with some cheddar cheese <shhhh>. 

Note: The original recipe called for 4 tubes of biscuits! Really! I used 2. If you don't toss the biscuits in the melted butter and before coating them with the sugar, the loaf will be somewhat drier. We like gooey better. You can also cut the biscuits in half or quarters before doing the coating. Whatever floats yer boat. I was lazy and in a hurry so I just left them whole :)

Cheese Ball with Attitude

There is nothing "cheesy" about this non-traditional version of the traditional appetizer or snack except the abundance of cheese and other goodness inside. Serve with crackers of your choice (preferably those which are a bit more sturdy). Great with a glass of vino, a stein of brew or your favorite beverage. Simply delicious.

                                                             

Cheese Ball

Totally tasty yummy deliciousness

Ingredients:

Cheese Ball

• 1 pkg of Neufchatel cheese
• 3/4 pkg shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese (about 1 1/2 c or so)
• 1/4 diced medium sweet onion (approx. 1/4 c)
• 1/4 c grated Parmesan or Parmesan/Romano cheese
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes or a dash of Tabasco Sauce (if desired)
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce (if desired)

Topping

• 1/2 small single serving pkg of cheddar cheese Sunchips, crushed
• 1/4 c dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 c finely chopped pecans

I prefer Neufchatel to Cream Cheese because of the lower calorie count and the fact that it's softer and easier to work with, requiring no softening.

1. Mix all cheeses and onion (and pepper flakes and Worcestershire sauce, if desired), first with a wooden spoon to smush it together and then with your hands (yes, it will be messy). 
2. Quickly shape into 2 smooth round balls of roughly the same size. Let sit while preparing the topping.
3. In a pie plate (or dish with sides), mix topping ingredients together. 
4. Roll the cheese balls in the topping to cover completely. 
5. Wrap in cling wrap or place in a Ziploc bag and store in the fridge until serving time. If possible, let flavors blend by not serving for at least 4 hours or overnight. Keeps well for up to a week, if refrigerated in Ziploc bag.

SO much tastier than the supermarket variety, and just think -  you made it all by yourself!

Quick 'n Easy Lasagna Rolls

Here is another "Mike-approved" recipe that doesn't take very long to prepare, but looks impressive on a plate. It's a great way to use up those extra lasagna noodles that always seem to be rattling around in the box. An adaptation of a Weight Watcher's recipe.

Quick 'n Easy Lasagna Rolls

Quick 'n Easy Lasagna Rolls

Ingredients

• 6 to 8 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained 
• 1/2 carton (approx. 8 oz) ricotta cheese
• 1-2 tbsp parsley
• 1-2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
• salt (2 grates of sea salt or 1/2 tsp iodized salt)
• 1 small jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
• approx. 1/4 c water
• parsley (for sprinkling on top)

Preparation

1. Cook lasagna noodles until almost done (approx 6 minutes) in 6-8 c boiling water and 1 tsp oil. Drain in colander under cold running water.
2. Mix ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and Italian seasoning in medium bowl.
3. Lay out the strips of lasagna noodles and spread cheese mixture on, just as though you were buttering bread. Roll each noodle from the narrow end, being careful not to squeeze out the filling. Place seam side down, in a prepared loaf pan or casserole dish, sprayed with cooking spray.
4. Repeat with all the noodles, and spread with the spaghetti sauce. Pour water into the empty jar, shake and pour carefully over the top of the saucy noodles. Sprinkle parsley on top.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 -30 minutes, until thoroughly heated.
6. Serve with green salad. 

Ta-da! Serving complete

Skillet Chicken and Potatoes a la Weight Watchers

Yes, folks, I have finally pulled out the old Weight Watchers cookbooks and have rediscovered a wealth of great, healthy, lower-cal recipes that are (gasp) actually helping me lose a bit of my poundage. So, of course, I have to share these with YOU!

Chicken and Potato Dish with slight modifications

Skillet Chicken and Potatoes

(from the Weight Watchers Meals in Minutes Cookbook)


Here's a dish that is actually a meal in a skillet. It's tasty, filling and has everything from vegetables to meat to potatoes in it! As such, by the old plan, it has 2 Protein Exchanges, 1 Bread Exchange, 2 1/2 Veggie Exchanges, 1 Fat Exchange and 25 Optional Calories The calorie count stands at 275 calories: 19 g protein; 10 g fat; 28g carbohydrate; 88 mg calcium; 578 m,g sodium; 55 mg cholesterol; 4 g dietary fiber.


Ingredients

• 6 oz thinly sliced, pared all-purpose potatoes
• 2 tsp olive or vegetable oil
• 5 oz ground chicken, or as I prepared it, the equivalent amount of finely diced boneless, skinless chicken
• 1 tbsp whipped butter
• 1/2 c each diced onion (I used green onions), diced green bell pepper and sliced carrots (I used baby carrots, finely sliced)
• I used a mixture of freeze-dried garlic and peppers from Winco - 2 tsp.
• 1 can diced Italian tomatoes (with liquid) - approx. 12 oz.
• 1 tbsp parsley, freshly chopped or dried
• 1/4 tsp each thyme, salt and pepper

Preparation

Not really green in color, just how the photo turned out!

1. In 10-inch skillet, heat oil.
2. Add potatoes and chicken and cook over high heat, stirring constantly until chicken is lightly browned (about 2 minutes). Transfer to bowl.
3. In same skillet, melt butter; add onion, bell pepper, carrots, and garlic. Saute over high heat until tender-crisp (2 - 3 minutes).
4. Return potato/chicken mixture to skillet; add tomatoes, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook until mixture comes to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors blend and potatoes are tender (approx. 10 minutes)

Note: You can also use substitute left-over turkey or pork for this dish.

Cheater Cinnamon Buns

Sometimes even those of us who love to bake enjoy a little cheat or two <shhhh>. Yesterday I had the craving for cinnamon buns but lacked the flour and shortening to make them. "Aha!" went a little voice in my brain (that happens occasionally - nothing to worry about). I remembered the loaves of frozen white bread dough in the fridge, left over from a project with my cooking class. One loaf was made into an excellent loaf of bread, of course, the other....well, let's just say I created some:


Cheater Cinnamon Buns

Cheater Cinnamon rolls, un-iced, of course

Ingredients

• Rhodes white bread dough (thawed at room temperature for approx. 2-3 hrs)
• Butter, softened
• Golden brown sugar, approx. 1/2 c
• Raisins, approx. 1/2 c 
• 2 tbsp (or more) ground cinnamon
• Pam cooking spray for baking (for pans)

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

1. Place dough on a floured surface and roll into an 8x12 rectangle (this is approximate, depending upon how elastic the dough is. If it's smaller than that, it's ok - don't worry about it!)
2. Spread the dough with softened butter. Spread brown sugar evenly on top. You may need a bit extra to cover the dough. Sprinkle with raisins and cinnamon, keeping a 1/2 inch bare space around the circumference of the dough.
3. Roll the dough as for a jelly roll, working from the long side of the rectangle. Cut into 9 rolls (larger size - 9x9 pan) or 12 rolls (smaller size - 9x13 pan) and place into greased pan sprinkled with additional brown sugar, butter pieces and a bit of cinnamon.
4. Turn off oven. Place a 9x13 pan of boiling water on lower rack (carefully) and place the buns (uncovered) on middle rack. You can add a loaf of white bread in a greased loaf pan like I did, if desired. This gives it the moist heat it needs to rise and turn out well.
5. Let rise approximately 2 hours, until fully risen (double the side)
6. Take the pan of water out of the oven, and while leaving the pan of cinnamon buns in the oven turn the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Check for done-ness after 20 minutes (knife should come in clean when put into the middle rolls). They should be golden and lovely.
7. Ice with commercial vanilla icing or create your own with confectioner's sugar, vanilla extract, butter and cream.

The bottom will be slightly crispy/gooey from the brown sugar and butter mix, while the rolls themselves are fluffy and golden, with that delicious vanilla frosting. Not bad for a "cheater!"

The other loaf as bread - enough to drool about!

Rhubarb-Strawberry Crisp

Here's a uniquely Canadian recipe perfected in the Prairies of Manitoba and served to generations of Mennonite youth. Rhubarb-Strawberry Crisp is perfect for using up batches of our provincial fruit, the Rhubarb as well as those strawberries that you have gathered on U-Pick destinations. Apples may also be used in season, when peeled, cored and finely sliced. I almost prefer the apple-rhubarb combination.

Recipe courtesy of a vintage Robin Hood Flour Cookbook.

Rhubarb-Strawberry Crisp

Ingredients:

CRISP TOPPING
3/4 cup (175 mL) Robin Hood® Oats (or other large rolled whole oats)
1/3 cup (75 mL) Robin Hood All Purpose Flour (or equivalent)
1/3 cup (75 mL) brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup (50 mL) butter

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB
2 1/2 cups (625 mL) rhubarb, diced
2 1/2 cups (625 mL) strawberries, halved
3/4 cup (175 mL) sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
1/2 - 1 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon

Directions:

TOPPING
1. COMBINE oats, flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture is crumbly.
FRUIT
2. COMBINE all ingredients for the fruit mixture.
3. TURN into greased 1 1/2 qt (1.5 L) casserole.
4. SPRINKLE crisp topping evenly over fruit.
5. BAKE at 375°F (190°C) for 35-40 minutes, or until fruit is tender. Serve warm or cold with plain or whipped cream or ice cream. 

I like mine best just drizzled with heavy cream or half-and-half while still warm. Please note that this is also an excellent recipe for APPLE CRISP, or APPLE BROWN BETTY, WHEN PREPARED WITH THINLY SLICED APPLES AND RAISINS.

Scrambled Eggs

Scrambled eggs are one of the simplest egg dishes to make. My friend's housekeeper taught me how to make these in High School and it's always been one of my favorite dishes. There's a lot of give-and-take in this recipe, taking into consideration which size of eggs and which type of milk you prefer to use. The idea is to get the eggs to the point where there is next to no liquid remaining and they look fluffy and buttery yellow.
Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients
Butter or margerine
Eggs (approximate 2 per person)
Milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation
Heat butter in small sauce pan at medium heat. Stir until melted. Add milk to just fill the bottom of the pan. Add eggs and stir into milk with a fork. Keep stirring and folding with a fork (scraping and turning eggs over and over gently) until liquid has been absorbed and eggs look dry. If they remain wet or don't form into clumps, add an additional egg. If they get too dry, add a bit more milk or butter. Very flexible recipe.

Serve (as shown) or with bacon, toast and jam or your choice of breakfast or lunch favorites.

Cooking 101: Making Gravy

So you've cooked your chicken, roast beast or turkey. Now you really want some gravy to go on those mashed potatoes. Here is a simple recipe for a basic brown gravy to serve with any roasted meat. This was always my job on occasions.

Brown Gravy

Ingredients:

• Drippings from roaster containing chicken, roast, duck, goose, lamb or turkey
• Cornstarch
• Water
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Remove bird or beast from the pan to a serving dish. Strain the drippings from the roaster using a fine sieve or cheesecloth and return clear liquid to the pan. Scrape sides of pan to get the essence (flavorful part of the roasting process) to the bottom of the pan.
2. Mix cornstarch and water (approximately 2 -4 tbsp cornstarch to 1 c cold water) together in a measuring cup until creamy (yes, this is again a type of roux)
3. Heat the drippings in the pan and slowly pour in the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. A wooden spoon always works best
4. Continue adding water or corn starch/water mix until your gravy is smooth and creamy, to your desired thickness. Heat until simmering.

Note: Adding cornstarch gives you a clearer gravy. Using flour is the traditional method but flour tends to clump more and isn't as clear and attractive. If you leave bits of onion in the gravy, it will be a bit lumpy but more flavorful. Always salt and pepper to your preferences. If your meat has been well seasoned, you won't need to add additional spices. Also, please remember to always mix your starch with a bit of water to add it to a hot liquid, or you will get lumps. Some people like to also add some OXO or the equivalent to the drippings to make gravy. This works well if your fat hasn't browned - it gives it more color and taste.

Cooking 101: White Sauce

I've had a request for white sauce, which is perfect because it's the first thing I ever cooked! My mom taught me this when I was about 9 years old and I have never forgotten.
White Sauce

Basic white sauce can be used as a sauce for meat pies (including pot pies) or perogies and so many other dishes. You can add grated cheese to turn this simple sauce into a cheese sauce for variety, or you can spice it up with the addition of a bit of sherry or other additions to flavor it. The white sauce (also called bechamel) is essentially a mixture of fat and flour (roux) heated until thickened, to which milk is added. It is quite simple and takes few ingredients, but does require constant mixing to keep it smooth and creamy.

Ingredients

• Approximately 2 -3 tbsp butter (not margerine) for each cup of prepared sauce
• Approximately 2 tbsp white flour
• Dash of salt and pepper
• 1 c milk

Preparation

1. Place butter in a cold sauce pan and heat on medium until the butter sizzles.
2. Add flour to butter, creating a thick paste. Continue to stir for 1-3 minutes - the longer you heat the roux, the darker the sauce will be!
3. Slowly pour in 1/2 c milk, stirring constantly with wooden spoon to break up lumps and make a smooth creamy mixture. The spoon apparently stops the building up of glutens and keeps the integrity of the sauce.
4. Add additional 1/2 c milk a bit at a time, stirring constantly, until you get your desired consistency. Simmer on low until thick and creamy.

If it gets too thick, slowly add a bit more milk and stir. If it's too runny, mix a bit of flour in 2 tbsp of milk and add to the sauce. It takes experimenting to get it just right. This recipe may be doubled.

Nana's Rhubarb Cake

Crispy, tart/sweet and absolutely delicious!

Nana's  Rhubarb Cake

Ingredients

·                                 1 1/2 cups white or golden brown sugar

·                                 1 teaspoon baking soda

·                                 1/2 teaspoon salt

·                                 2 cups all-purpose flour

·                                 2 eggs, beaten

·                                 1 cup sour cream

·                                 3 cups diced rhubarb (fresh or frozen)

·                                  

·                                 1 cup white sugar

·                                 1/4 cup butter, softened

·                                 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

·                                 ground cinnamon, for dusting

Directions

1.       Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking dish.

2.       In a large bowl, stir together 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda, salt and 2 cups flour. Stir in the eggs and sour cream until smooth, then fold in the rhubarb. Pour into the prepared dish and spread evenly. In a smaller bowl, stir together the remaining 1 cup sugar and butter until smooth. Stir in 1/4 cup flour until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the cake then dust lightly with cinnamon.

3.   Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Rhubarb is part of our staple diet in Winnipeg. Every garden has either a rhubarb or strawberry rhubarb garden! Unfortunately it can't be grown in the desert, so we have to resort to frozen. This recipe has been adapted from several in my Mennonite cookbook.