Casseroles

Why should stews get to have all the fun?  The following recipe ran in a 2006 edition of the Owensboro Messenger Inquirer. 

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (9 oz) package frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (10 oz) can biscuits
1 TBS margarine
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves, crushed

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a casserole dish.

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with onion and drain. Stir in water, pepper, tomato sauce and paste. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat, stir in vegetables and 1-1/2 cups of the cheese. Spoon mixture into your casserole dish. Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Separate each of the 10 biscuits into 2 layers - giving you 20 thinner biscuits. Place these thin biscuits near the outer edge of the hot mixture overlapping slightly. Sprinkle remaining cheese in center and around the edge. Gently brush biscuits with margarine and sprinkle with oregano.

Bake at 375 degrees for 22-27 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Makes 6-8 servings.

This recipe is not only delicious, it’s an economical one to make - always a plus!

Okay, so Paula’s Home Cooking is a Can’t Miss everyday - I know, I know. But today, it’s especially so. The recipes she’ll be making are “Country Food Side Dishes” and the lineup sounds way beyond delicious. One of the things she’ll make is a sweetening syrup she uses for Iced Tea. If you aren’t from the South, you may not be that familiar with sweet tea. Being a Kentuckian, I was never familiar with any other. When I got married, my husband was in the Air Force, so we moved around quite a bit. We lived in the beautiful city of Wichita, Kansas for a while and I was convinced they made the worst tea on earth until I realized they just didn’t sweeten it.

My response, of course, was “Why on earth not?!?!” (They also didn’t fry green tomatoes, make red eye gravy, or have a clear understanding of okra. But I loved them anyway.)

Here’s Paula Deen’s Recipe for Simple Syrup for Sweetening Tea:

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water

Heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan, bringing to a boil. When the sugar is completely dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and cool to room temperature. Add to your pitcher of tea and soon you’ll be wondering “Why on earth..” everyone doesn’t drink sweet tea too.

Here are the other recipes Paula Deen will be cooking up today:

Corn Casserole

Turnip Mashed Potatoes

Indian Succotash

Hoppin’ John

If you’re a big fan of casseroles, don’t miss Emeril tonight. The show’s centered around casseroles and they sound amazing. Afterwards, we’ll be ready for dessert and those of us who are Alton Brown fanatics will be in Food Network Heaven, there’ll be back to back Good Eats. The first one focuses on cakes and the second one will “top things off” with icings. (Sorry. Couldn’t resist.)

For the recipes that will be featured on Emeril, Alton, and the rest of the shows on today’s Food Network, see the scrolling lineup to the left. I like what’s up Giada’s Italian sleeves today, too.

THE EUROPEAN CAKE PAN

This cake pan has a European accent, how cool’s that? It’s from Gourmet.org is an absolute beauty!

The heat resistant glass is microwave, oven, and dishwasher safe. But even more importantly, any meal its invited to shoots the level of elegance right through the roof! For cakes, casseroles and cold desserts.

Joi

1 can whole kernel sweet corn (yellow) - drained
1 can yellow creamed corn
1 stick butter, melted
1 box Jiffy Corn Bread mix
1 8 oz. carton sour cream

Mix all ingredients in a 9 x 13″ pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Be sure you don’t overbake, though. You want it to be a golden brown - not a dark brown!

A lady made this for a family gathering after my mom’s funeral. I only thought I’d had good corn pudding before that day. This one is truly, truly awesome!

Joi

1 cup cornmeal
1-3/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup cold water
2 cups boiling water
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 TBS flour
1/2 cup chopped pitted olives
1 can tomatoes, undrained (16 oz.)
2 tsps chili powder
1/2 cup cuped sharp Cheddar cheese

Boil the water in a saucpan.

Combine cornmeal, 1 tsp salt, and cold water. Pour slowly into boiling water, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened, stirring frequently. Cover, continue cooking over low heat for about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Brown ground beef and onion in skillet, drain. Add flour, olives, tomatioes, chili powder, and remaining 3/4 tsp. salt.

Spread cornmeal mixture evenly in bottom of a greased 12×8 inch baking dish. Pour meat mixture on top of this “mush.” Arrange cheese cubes over meat mixture.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until casserole is bubbly.

Muy Bueno!

Joi

1 (4 pound) chicken, cooked and deboned
1 cup chicken broth
1 stick butter, melted
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 bag Pepperidge Farm Stuffing Mix

Slice chicken into bottom of large casserole dish. Mix milk with soup and pour evenly over the chicken.

Mix stuffing mix with chicken broth and pour over the chicken mixture. Drizzle margarine over all.

Bake at 350 degrees until brown and bubbly.

I like to serve this casserole with cranberry sauce and Buttermilk biscuits, but I won’t pout if you don’t do the same!

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup onion
2 Tbs. A1 Sauce
1 can Mexicorn
1 can Hot Chili Beans
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup Doritios, crushed

Cook beef and onion until the meat is browned. Drain well.

Add A1 sauce, Mexicorn, chili beans and tomato sauce. Place in baking dish and sprinkle with the shredded cheese. Finish by crumbling the Doritos on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Served with a great salad and bread, this makes a fast but delicious meal.

Joi

Casserole

1 can yams
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup margarine, melted

Topping

1/2 cup margarine, melted
1 cup pecans
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour

Mix ingredients together. Pour into casserole dish. Sprinkle with mixed toppings. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Basically, this gives you a way to enjoy Sweet Potato Pie with supper rather than after supper.

Printable Version

Joi