As I hunted for my first recipe to try, I found myself entranced by the Favorite Recipes of Pennsylvania Meats.  It appears to be a fundraising tool but does not say from whom it was purchased.  The publishing date is MCMLXV or 1966.  I thought I would begin with something simple and not too unusual like jellied veal loaf.

I chose this simple ground beef noodle casserole.  It’s a great dish that can be quickly prepared on a school night.  The leftovers also reheat quite nicely.

Ingredients:

1 med. onion, chopped
butter
1 lb. ground beef
1 8-oz. package noodles (I used egg noodles)
1 Tbsp. salt
1 can tomato soup
1 sm. can mushrooms (I had fresh and chopped 6)
1/2 lb. American cheese, grated (I used cheddar and mozzarella)

Preheat oven to 350.  Brown onion in butter; add beef and brown.  Cook noodles in 3 quarts salted water until tender.  Drain; rinse in hot water.  Add to meat.  Add remaining ingredients except cheese.  Mix and place in greased casserole.  Top with cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes. 

Mrs. Bert Wynn, of Rebersburg, PA contributed this recipe.  You can add other vegetables like black olives, broccoli, zucchini and many others.  If you have a large family, I suggest doubling the recipe so you are certain to have some leftovers.  This is one of those dishes that tastes even better after an overnight refrigerator session.  My guy gives the best gifts.  Enjoy!

xo–me

Ingredients:

6 slices day old sourdough bread, cubed
4 oz. cream cheese, cubed
2 apples, peeled and chopped
1/2 c. raisins (optional of course)
6 large eggs
1 1/4 c. whole milk
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
dash of ground nutmeg
confectioners sugar or maple syrup for topping (or both!)

Place half the bread cubes in a lightly sprayed 8 x 11 baking dish. Distribute cream cheese cubes over bread cubes. Top with apples and raisins and cover with remaining bread cubes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Pour over bread mixture. Make sure bread is completely covered with egg mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

When you wake, preheat oven to 375. Remove strata from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Bake, uncovered, until set, approximately 50 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and serve. Add the maple syrup at the table.

With the maple syrup & bread, I feel like I am having pancakes in addition to the eggs. It’s the perfect breakfast. Enjoy!

xo–me

This week I am going to share some recipes I hope will satisfy your request for ideas.  Many are very simple and a few can be made the night before (which I am realizing is a bonus to my ‘must sleep until the last second’ lifestyle).  Today’s recipe comes from my hometown newspaper cookbook that was published in the early 90′s.  Nany gave it to me for Christmas in ’93 and I cherish it for many reasons but mostly because it was my very first cookbook.

Ingredients:

8 slices bread (I prefer country bread)
2 c. milk
8 eggs, well beaten
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard
pinch of pepper
2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 c. cubed ham

Tear slices of bread into cubes (or you could cut them if you are particular about the shape of your bread) and set aside.  Combine milk, eggs, salt, mustard and pepper.  Lightly stir together milk mixture, bread cubes, ham and cheese.  Place in casserole dish, cover and refrigerate overnight.

When you wake, preheat oven to 325.  Bake for one hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

For the vegetarians, you easily can make this without the ham.  Occasionally, I will substitute the cheddar for other flavors of cheese.  Very delicious!

xo–me

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
l large green pepper, finely diced
8 oz. button mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14-oz. diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
8 oz. pepper jack, cheddar or Swiss cheese, shredded
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 c. wild rice, cooked according to package

Coat slow cooker with nonstick spray.

Heat oil in large skillet.  Add onion, bell pepper and mushrooms and cook until soft.  Add garlic, tomatoes, oregano and paprika.  continue to cook and stir until heated through.  Transfer to large bowl to cool.

Melt butter in same skillet and whisk in flour.  Cook and stir until smooth and golden.  Whisk in milk and bring to a boil.  Whisk shredded cheese into boiling milk to produce a velvety textured sauce.  Combine cooked wild rice with vegetables in large bowl.  Fold in cheese sauce and combine gently.  Pour everything into crock pot and cover.  Cook on low 4 to 6 hours.

When I want a bit of a kick, I use the pepper jack and add a splash of Tabasco.  As you can imagine, the cheese you choose changes the flavor of the casserole.  Enjoy!

xo–me

If you are looking for a great cross section of recipes and sweet ideas, the Gooseberry Patch series of books are wonderful.  Gwen gave me mine years ago and I have since found a few others that I love.  The recipes never disappoint!

Ingredients:

5 1/2 oz. seasoned croutons
1 lb. bulk sausage, cooked, crumbled and drained (I use turkey apple)
4 eggs
2 c. milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
16 oz. frozen Italian vegetables (or any frozen veggies you like)
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c. Monterey jack cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350.  Line the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish with the croutons.  Sprinkle cooked sausage over the croutons.  Beat eggs and milk until thoroughly mixed and add remaining ingredients., stirring well.  Pour egg mixture over the sausage.  Bake for one hour.

Best part about this recipe?  You can prep everything and assemble the night before.  Keep it safely in the fridge overnight and pop it in the oven in the morning.

xo–me

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground pork sausage (you can sub turkey or tofu sausage)
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. butter, melted
7 slices country potato bread torn into small pieces
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
5 eggs
1 pint half & half
1 tsp. salt

Brown sausage in a skillet and drain.  Reduce heat and stir in syrup.  Remove from heat.  Spread butter in a 13 x 9 baking dish and arrange bread over butter.  Spoon sausage over bread and then toss cheese on top.  In bowl, blend eggs, half & half and salt.  Pour over cheese.  Cover and put in refrigerator overnight (at least 8 hours).  In the morning, uncover, and bake for 45 minutes at 350.  Enjoy!

The best part about this dish is if you are eye deep in prepping for the big day, someone else can toss this in the oven.  And it will sit nicely next to Mr. Tom Turkey.

xo–me

Ingredients:

2 lb. cleaned cooked, shelled shrimp
5 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 c. butter
1/4 tsp. tarragon
1/4 tsp. minced parsley
1/4 tsp. shallot
1/4 tsp. minced onion
dash each of nutmeg, mace, thyme
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. cooking sherry
1 c. dry bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400.  Place shrimp in 8 individual petite baking dishes.  Cook garlic in butter until butter browns, remove garlic.  Add herbs, seasonings and sherry to butter.  Remove 1/4 c. butter mixture and toss with bread crumbs.  Pour remaining butter mixture over shrimp.  Top with buttered crumbs.  Bake 15 minutes.  Serves 8.

If you want to make a casserole a giant casserole for a buffet or family style dinner, follow the directions as stated but put in large casserole dish.  You may want to give the dish 20 minutes to bake.

xo me

Ingredients:

6 oz. (3 1/2 c) egg noodles
1 can tuna
1/2 c. mayo (The child of the 70′s in me uses Miracle Whip)
1 c. sliced celery
1/3 c. diced onion
1 tsp. salt
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 c. milk
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425.  Cook noodles in boiling salt water until tender; drain.  Combine noodles, drained tuna, mayo, vegetables and salt.  Blend soup and milk; heat through.  Add cheese to soup mixture and stir until cheese melts.  Add to noodle mixture.  Turn into 1 1/2 quart casserole.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Sometimes I add peas or carrots to this recipe. It looks prettier.