Seven Layer Casserole...

We have all heard of and maybe even consumed seven layer dip, but what about seven layer casserole? I saw on Southern Food while looking for a tamale pie recipe and thought it was interesting. I would suggest adding a taco seasoning, omitting the bacon and changing the tomato sauce with a can of Rotel. Before serving top with salsa, sour cream and guacamole. I would serve with refried beans and tortillas.

Ingredients:

·         1 cup uncooked rice, washed and drained

·         1 cup whole kernel corn, drained

·         dash salt and pepper

·         1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce and 1/2 cup water

·         1/2 cup chopped onion

·         1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

·         3/4 to 1 pound extra lean ground beef, uncooked and broken up

·         dash salt and pepper

·         1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

·         4 strips bacon, cut in half

·         1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese or Cheddar Jack blend

Preparation:

Layer the ingredients in a buttered 1 1/2- to 2-quart casserole in the order given. Cover and bake at 350° for 1 hour. Uncover and cook 30 minutes longer, until bacon is crisp. Top the casserole with the shredded cheese the last 10 to 15 minutes.
Seven layer casserole serves 4.

Crock-Pot Shepherd’s Pie…

For this recipe, I took two recipes and combined them. I wanted something simple, quick and tasteful that would be warm and savoring to come home after the kids bowling practice.

A traditional shepherd’s pie is made with ground lamb. I used ground beef, since it was what was in my freezer.

I also cheated a bit, for the gravy; I used a jar Heinz beef gravy. I made instant mashed potatoes. You could cheat there too and use pre-packaged ones, for me it was a cost over convenience.

When I made the mashed potatoes, after pouring in the milk, I added a handful of finely grated cheddar cheese and half a sleeve of crush Ritz crackers. Again, you can use breadcrumbs, I used what I had on hand.

I did not add in any spices besides garlic and dried Rosemary. I was worried about how salty the dish would come out using the canned soup and gravy. My family thought it was missing something and added salt. They said it was missing… I thought it was fine. You could add a 2 tablespoons of red wine (if you have it on hand) to increase the flavor a bit.

1 lbs lean ground beef or lamb

1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables (I used PicSweet Brand 12-16-ounce bag of frozen carrots, peas, corn and green beans)

Half of a small onion, diced

2 Tablespoons of minced garlic

2 Tablespoons of dried rosemary

2 cups hot cooked mashed potatoes

1 sleeve of Ritz crackers crushed

1 cup of Kraft Cheddar Cheese, finely grated

1 10 ounce can of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup

1 12ounce jar of Heinz Beef Gravy

Optional 2 Tablespoons of red wine

Directions:

Brown ground meat, drain

In crock-pot on low heat, combine meat, vegetables, soup, gravy, 1 tablespoon of rosemary, 1 tablespoon of garlic. Wine if you chose

Mix ½ cup of cheese, remaining rosemary and garlic with half of the crushed crackers into the mashed potatoes.

Pour and spread potatoes evenly on top of meat mixture.

Top with remaining cheese, cover cook for 4-6 hours.

Ron’s Cajun Meatball Stew

This sounds strange, but it taste so good. You will need roux for this recipe. If you are not blessed to have a store where you can purchase it you will need to make it or order it from the Cajun Supermarket .
Roux is a simple recipe of fat and flour. The best roux comes from a meat fat such as drippings from sausage, but if need be, you can use butter, vegetable oil, or shortening. Roux is used as a thickener, a light roux will thicken more than a dark roux.
To make a roux you will need ½ cup of fat, melted in a heavy skillet over low heat.
Slowly add in ½ cup of flour. Make sure you stir and do not stop until you reach the color you desire.
Remove from heat stir until cooled.
If your roux has black bits, it is burnt start over. Roux can be made ahead of time and stored in your refrigerator.

Meatball Stew:
Ingredients:
1 pound of ground beef
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, crushed
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
5 green onion, tails, chopped
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
1 teaspoons of Mrs. Dash seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
8 cups of water / half gallon
4 cups of cooked white rice
1 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
Directions:
In a large bowl mix eggs, ½ of the onion, crushed Ritz crackers, 2 teaspoons of Tony Chachere’s and ground beef together until well blended
Form meat mixture into 2-inch meatballs
In a large soup pot, bring water to boil over medium heat
Add 1 tablespoon of Roux at time; stir until dissolved. Make sure the Roux does not sit on the bottom of the pot. When the Roux is completely dissolved you should have a nice dark sauce. If need be lower heat to prevent boil over
Reduce heat to a simmer and add all ingredients except meatballs and rice. Stir well to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Gently add meatballs and cook for ten minutes. Give a light stir to make sure there is not sticking.
Partially cover pot and simmer for half hour.
Spoon over cooked white rice and serve with cornbread.

What is in your meatloaf?

After doing some research on the meatloaf, I can tell you there is not one pinpoint date or country where it might have come from. Some who say it started with the Romans, 17^th century France or even the Pennsylvanian Dutch in the 18^th century. There is a consensus that meatloaf became popular with Americans around The Depression. The meatloaf filled the need to stretch the family food supply while be filling and nutritious.

The ingredients in a meatloaf are just as diverse as its origins. Most articles I read all agreed that Veal was probably the first meat used since it was cheaper than beef. Other items used in meatloaf, vegetables, breadcrumbs, oatmeal, rice, wheat germ even cornflakes. My mom used to make it with oatmeal onions, carrots and two slices of bacon on top. My mother-in-law makes hers with breadcrumbs. There is one constant ingredient in every meatloaf and that is a single egg.

I make my meatloaf a bit differently from both my mom and mother-in-law. I have also tried experimenting by wrapping the entire loaf in bacon before cooking. The recipe that follows makes a nice juicy meatloaf that freezes and reheats without drying out.

Paige’s Meatloaf:

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef, extra lean

1 pound ground pork

1 egg

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon, dried parsley

2 Tablespoons, minced onions

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

4 ounce can of tomato sauce

Bacon grease

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven 400°F

Combine with hands first eight ingredients until fully blended.

Thickly grease 11” X 7” Pyrex glass baking pan with bacon grease

Form meat mixture into a loaf and place into prepared pan

If you have extra bacon grease, gently rub to outside of meatloaf then season with salt and pepper.

Pour tomato sauce over top of meatloaf, covering the entire top and sides.

Bake in oven until internal temperature is 160°F

The Porky Pine, A Halloween Meatball...



Porky Pines with Garlic Peas

Growing up my mom would make Porky Pines. What is a Porky Pine? Porky Pines are a meatball with rice cooked inside and served with pasta sauce over the top.

 My siblings and I always gobbled these down; there were never any leftovers. Mom served them with steamed green peas, and salad. This time, I used the garlic butter I made the other day  to season the peas, and it made a nice change.

The first time I made Porky Pines, it was Halloween. There was a huge uproar from my husband, when he saw them cooking in the pot.  He asked to me why are there maggots in the meat. I about died of horror! I had just bought the meat from the commissary and knew it was fresh. I bolted into the kitchen, then almost fell over with laughter, when I realized what he was looking at.

 My picky husband was not too happy about the idea of trying these. However, with coaxing from the kids (who were six and four years old), he tried them. The poor man, remined me of Dr. Suess's Green Eggs and Ham story. His first  bite went down with a gulp and ended with a smile. While they are not his most favorite food to eat, he does enjoy them every so often. 

 Yes, I have changed the recipe by adding more spices.  I hope my siblings will find the change for the better and like them. I have added Garam Marsla, which gives a slight smokey under tone. Also mint gives it a bit of fresh taste, without being minty.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of ground beef, lean

1 cup of uncooked whole grain rice (we use white, brown is acceptable)

1 carrot finely grated, or you can mince (the idea is for the kids (or my dad) not see the carrots)

1 egg, beaten

1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon garlic

1 teaspoon garam marsla

Water

24 oz Jar of Prego, Heart Smart, Traditional Spaghetti Sauce

*The secret ingredient is 1/2 teaspoon of fresh mint, minced*

Directions:

In large bowl, combine beef, carrots, egg, pepper, garlic and Worcestershire Sauce with your hands making sure all ingredients are well combined.

Using about a 1 cup portion, form mixture into balls and place in a skillet. Once all mixture is formed into balls, add enough water to cover ¾ ways up the meatball. Cover and cook on stovetop at medium high heat until majority of water has cooked out.

Turn down heat to low, pour Prego sauce over meatballs, heat until warm then serve.

This recipe is easy to half if there are just three or less people. If there are leftovers, make a Porky Pine sub for lunch the next day.