Chilaquiles* Casserole

This recipe was recommended to me a few months ago. I wasn't sure that the kids would even touch it. So, of course, I told them they couldn't have any and that I'd fix them quesadillas instead. It worked like a charm. They pitched a fit and when I "gave in" and served the chilaquiles casserole, THEY LOVED IT!

1 medium onion, diced
1 medium zucchini, grated
1-19oz can black beans, rinsed
1-14oz diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/2c frozen corn, thawed
1-4oz can green chilies, diced
1tsp ground cumin
1/2tsp salt
12 corn tortillas, quartered
1-19oz mild red or green enchilada sauce
1 1/4c cheddar cheese, shredded
PAM

Preheat oven to 400°F. Over med-high heat, sauté onion in a skillet for about 5 minutes. Stir in zucchini, beans, tomatoes, corn, cumin, and salt. Cook until the vegetables are heated through.
Spray a baking dish with PAM. Scatter half the tortilla pieces in the baking dish. Top with half the vegetable mixture, half the enchilada sauce, and half the cheese. Then layer the second half of tortilla, vegetable mixture, enchilada sauce, and cheese. Cover with foil. Bake for fifteen minutes covered. Then remove the foil. Continue baking the casserole another ten minutes.

*pronounced: Chi-la-key-les

Homemade Mac and Cheese

I've made my displeasure for blue box Mac and Cheese known on many occasions. I hate that stuff. I suppose I'd eat it if I was stranded in a desert and was trying to make it home to my husband and kids, but I would complain and gag the whole time. That being said, I do enjoy homemade Mac and Cheese...the kind you make with real cheese...not powder!! This is a pretty good recipe for Mac and Cheese. The kids love it, too.

1 package (8 oz) elbow macaroni
1/4c butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4c flour
2c milk
8 oz Swiss Cheese

Cook the macaroni as directed on package. In a frying pan, saute onion in butter. Add salt and pepper. Stir in flour and cook over low heat. Stir in milk. Cube cheese and stir into mixture. In a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish, mil the macaroni and cheese sauce. Bake at 375˚F for 30 minutes.

Kebalsa Pie

I heard this recipe on the radio a few weeks ago. I wasn't too sure about it at first, but I wrote it down anyway because Roger loves Kielbasa. It sounded like it could either be really delicious...or really, really wrong. A couple of nights ago, I whipped this recipe together. It was really good. Roger liked it. The kids liked it. Even the little girl from next door who's a picky eater liked it. It's simple, it's hardy, and the sauerkraut gives it an unexpected tanginess that compliments the sausage.

Ingredients:

Sauerkraut, drained
Mashed Potatoes, portioned for 6
1 Kielbasa Sausage, sliced
Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Drain a jar of sauerkraut and layer it in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Place the kielbasa sausage over the sauerkraut somewhat evenly spaced. Smooth the mashed potatoes over the sauerkraut and sausage. I used the kind out of the box. I was feeling lazy, but it doesn't really matter for this recipe. Cook pie for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and cook another 15 minutes.

Penne with Havarti Cheese and Basil

This is my secret weapon. It's my go to meal when I want to impress new friends. It's also pretty easy to make the day and pop in the oven the day you need it.

6 Tbsp Olive oil
1 1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
3-28 oz cans of tomato, drained
2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2c chicken broth
1 lb penne pasta
2 1/2c Havarti cheese, shredded
1/2c parmesan
1/4c fresh basil (if you have it)

Over a medium heat, sauté onion and garlic in 3 Tbsp Olive oil. Mix in the tomatoes, dried basil, and red pepper. I use diced canned tomatoes because it's faster, you can use whole tomatoes and just break them apart as you add them to the pot. Bring mixture to a boil. Add broth. Bring to a boil again and reduce heat. Simmer for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, stirring every once in awhile. Cook and drain the pasta. Mix the remainder of the olive oil with the pasta. Let the pasta and the sauce cool. Mix the pasta, sauce and cheese together. Put in a baking dish. I like to divide the pasta into two baking dishes. I cook one and freeze the other for later. Bake at 350˚F for 30-45 minutes. Mix in the fresh basil right before serving.

Green Bean Casserole

1 (16 oz) package frozen whole green beans, thawed
4 slices bacon, fried
1/2 med onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, sedded and diced
1/4c dry white wine or vermouth
1/4c milk
2 Tbsp butter
1 can Campbells cream of mushroom soup
1 Tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1/2c mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2c canned French fried onions

Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Fry up the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towel. Crumble bacon and set aside. Drain most of the bacon grease from the pan. Over medium heat, saute onions and bell pepper until tender. Stir in the wine, scraping all of the bits of bacon from the bottom of the pan. Mix in butter, milk, soup, and soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in green beans and bacon. Fold in the cheese and transfer to a casserole dish. Sprinkle with French fried onions. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes.

Christmas Morning Egg Bake

I am always looking for an easy breakfast food that tastes great and can be made ahead. That way I can spend Christmas morning playing with my kids and their new toys instead of cooking. This recipe is also really good for a lady's brunch at church.

You'll need:
8-10 hashbrown patties, cooked and broken apart
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper

7 eggs
1/2c milk
1 can green chilies
mushrooms, sliced and sauted
1 1/2c cheddar cheese, shredded

Mix the hashbrowns and 1 egg. Pam a 9X13 casserole pan. Flatten the mixture into the pan with the back of a spoon. In a bowl, mix 7 eggs, milk, chilies, mushrooms, and cheese. Pour over hashbrown crust. Bake at 400˚F for 20-30 minutes.

For variation, sometimes I add cooked sausage to the hashbrown crust. You can also sprinkle cooked bacon over the top of your egg bake before cooking it.

Sweet Potato Casserole

My daughter had a writing assignment. The question was, "What is your favorite season and why?" I'm sure that my third grade teacher posed the same question to my class. I have no idea how I answered it in the third grade, but if Ms. Martz asked me that question today I'd say that my favorite season was fall. I love fall. Have I ever mentioned that? I love watching the leaves turn colors. I like the crunchy sound that fall makes when you are walking in the leaves. I used to bring the leaves home and decorate my desk with all the oranges, reds, and yellows. I love my cloth pumpkins made with their Halloween and autumn fabrics that decorate my mantle. I love the smell of baking in the fall...Sweet Potatos, Pumpkin, Cinnamon...it's the most homey, comforting, safe smell. Here is a dish that is perfect for celebrating autumn and it's tasty, too. I like this recipe because the sweet potatos aren't smothered in marshmellows...not that marshmellows are bad...I think I've just outgrown them.

2 1/2 lbs sweet potatos
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
freshly ground pepper
1/4 c pecans, coarsly chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pierce sweet potatos a couple times with a fork. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Set aside to cool. Turn oven down to 350 degrees F. Peel skin off the potatos and slice into about one inch chunks. Put into a med bowl and mash. Add eggs, butter, brown sugar, and spices. Mix until smooth. PAM a 8X8 casserole dish. Add mixture. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.