Italian Casserole

Saturday evening our friends joined us for an Italian meal which consisted of a casserole that I hadn't made in years. I hadn't made this recipe in years because it serves an army, so to speak. So, if you have a large family, or want a recipe that goes together easily for a gathering of friends and family, I would recommend this one, and thankfully, I received their "thumbs-up" to share it with you. We had the required garlic bread and salad alongside the casserole, with strawberry shortcake for dessert, and lots of good conversation and laughter. Blessings...

Recipe:

6 cups spaghetti sauce, approximately
1 pound penne rigate pasta
1 pound ground beef or Italian sausage, if your sauce does not have meat in it
1 15-oz. container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 8-oz. pkg. mozzarella cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare your recipe for spaghetti sauce or use a good quality bottled sauce.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.
3. If your spaghetti sauce does not have meat in it, cook ground beef or Italian sausage in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until well-browned, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and drain off fat.
4. To the meat, stir in ricotta, Parmesan cheese, parsley, egg, and 4 cups of the spaghetti sauce until well mixed. Add pasta and stir gently to coat well. Taste and adjust seasoning adding more salt and pepper, if needed.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Spoon mixture into a 13" x 9" baking pan; pour remaining 2 cups spaghetti sauce, or more, if desired, over casserole. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Serves 8 - 12
Note: My pasta sauce recipe is posted on 2/20/2015, if you would like to try it.
Note: Casserole can be made in advance, covered, and refrigerated the day before serving. Bake in 350 degree oven, covered for about 1-1/2 hours, remove cover and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake for about 10 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

Chicken Marinade

Summer barbecues, with the gathering of family and friends, are wonderful times to try recipes for marinating chicken because it's easy, inexpensive and just about everyone loves chicken. Marinating imparts such wonderful flavor and really helps to keep the meat moist. I think chicken barbecues better if it has been marinated for a few hours to overnight. This recipe is very flavorful and inexpensive to prepare as most of the ingredients are probably already in the pantry. Have a wonderful Memorial Day celebration, blessings...

Recipe:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed, or 1 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, crushed

Mix together all ingredients. Marinate cut-up chicken in a glass 9" x 13" pan, covered, overnight. Turn chicken pieces a few times during the process.

Fiesta Corn Salad

This salad is so easy to make and would be great for the barbecue season, or as an addition to a Mexican menu. Since the dressing is oil and vinegar based, it won't mind being out of the refrigerator for a long period of time for a fun family gathering outside. Blessings...

Recipe:

2 tsps. Southwest seasoning or about 2 tbsps. taco seasoning mix from a pkg.
1 tsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup salad oil of choice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 can (15 oz.) whole kernel corn, drained
1-1/2 cups diced tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives
1/2 cup diced red or green sweet pepper
chopped fresh cilantro, if desired (I love the stuff!)

1. In a large bowl, stir together the dressing ingredients. Whisk if needed to mix in the seasoning.
2. Add corn, tomatoes, olives, and pepper; stir to coat in dressing.
3. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight, stirring salad occasionally.
4. Add chopped cilantro, if desired, and serve with a slotted spoon.

Serves 6 - 8

Cheese-Onion Bread

I've been making this bread for years and had no idea the recipe dates back to 1953! At that time, says my cookbook, biscuit mixes were new to the American kitchen as an aid in time saving over the use of yeast. Yeast breads are wonderful, but my guess is that the average cook today has never opened a package of yeast, so biscuit/baking mixes continue to be used a great deal. They provide the busy cook a way to get a tasty bread on the table in short order. This recipe is rich with butter and cheese, and is wonderful with soups and salads. Blessings...

Recipe: 

1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 tbsp. butter
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 cups biscuit/baking mix
1 cup grated sharp or medium Cheddar cheese
2 tbsps. melted butter
1 tbsp. sesame or poppy seed

1. Cook the onion in 1 tbsp. butter until tender.
2. Measure milk in 1 cup measure and add egg. Beat with a fork and add to biscuit mix just until moistened.
3. Add onion and 1/2 cup of the cheese, stir to combine.
4. Spread dough in a greased 8" x 1-1/2" round cake pan.
5. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and sesame seed. Drizzle with 2 tbsps. melted butter.
6. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 17 - 20 minutes or until the bread tests done with a toothpick. Serve hot.

Serves 6 - 8

Mexican Black Bean Soup

This is such a good soup, and being meatless helps on the budget. I love all the cumin and ground coriander in it, but for our taste I cut way back on the hot sauce. If you like hot flavors, adjust the hot sauce by 1/8 tsp. measurements until the strength is where you and your family can enjoy it.

I made this meal for us and our neighbors yesterday, (she had surgery recently), and along with the soup and bread, we had fresh strawberries with cream cheese dip for dessert. If you would like to try the dip for your family, check the "labels" under cream cheese or dip. The dip and strawberries were a wonderful finish to the flavorful soup and bread. Blessings...

 Recipe:  

3 cans (15 ozs. each) black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
1-3/4 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 cups chopped sweet red pepper, 1 large pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14-1/2 ozs. each) chicken broth, divided
1 can (14-1/2 ozs.) diced tomatoes with green peppers and onions, undrained
3 tsps. ground cumin
1-1/2 tsps. ground coriander
1/8 tsp. Louisiana-style hot sauce
black pepper, to taste
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. fresh lime juice

1. Mash one can of the beans with a potato masher, set aside.
2. In a large covered soup kettle, cook celery, onion, red pepper and garlic in 1/2 cup of the chicken broth over low heat until tender.
3. Stir in the remaining broth, tomatoes, cumin, coriander, hot sauce, black pepper, bay leaf, whole and mashed beans.
4. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf and stir in lime juice. Garnish with sour cream or cheese, if desired.

Yield: 9-1/2 cups
Note: I'll share the recipe for the bread in my next post.

Italian Green Bean Salad

If you are preparing a meal for mom this weekend, or maybe the mom's in your family, this fresh green bean salad would be a good addition to just about any menu. The salad can be prepared a day or two in advance to help with the ease of dinner preparations. Make ahead recipes go a long way in easing the feelings of last minute stress that so often accompany family gatherings. Make it easy on yourself and plan your meal around recipes that offer freedom to enjoy your family time. Have a wonderful weekend. Blessings...

Recipe:  

1 lb. fresh green beans   
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 small onion, sliced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
ripe olives
Vinaigrette Dressing

1. Wash beans and remove ends. Cut into 1" pieces
2. Cook beans in salted water until tender, about 5 - 10 minutes. You can also steam the beans until tender and adjust the salt in the vinaigrette to your taste.
3. Prepare dressing and pour over warm beans. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
4. Remove beans from vinaigrette to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon. Add tomatoes, onion, olives and Parmesan cheese. Stir and serve.

Vinaigrette:

1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsps. red wine vinegar
1 glove garlic, chopped
1/2 - 1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Dash pepper

Mix together ingredients and pour over salad. Allow flavors to blend for several hours or overnight.

Serves 4 - 6
about 71 calories per 1/2 cup

Strawberry Dessert

Strawberry pie is delicious, but not everyone likes to be bothered with the pie crust part of the process. This recipe is similar in taste to the pie because it has fresh, sliced strawberries on top of the dessert and then is covered with a strawberry glace, but the crumb crust is simply patted into a 9" round cake pan. Simple enough, that with Mother's Day coming this Sunday, older children could make dessert for Mom. Blessings...

Recipe:

2 cups biscuit/baking mix
2 tbsps. sugar
1/4 cup cold butter

Mix baking mix and sugar. Cut butter in with a pastry blender. Pat mixture into a round 9" x 1-1/2" cake pan. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes.

While crust is baking, combine;

1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 egg yolks
1 cup sour cream

When crust is done, spread sour cream mixture over crust and return to oven for an additional 20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

1-1/2 cups small strawberry halves (you may need a few more)
Glaze
Sweetened whipped cream

While dessert is cooling, wash and prepare strawberries, and make glaze.

Glaze:

1/2 cup of the strawberry halves
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup water
a drop of red food color, if desired

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add the strawberries and mash with a potato masher; add the water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Add a drop of red food color if you want a deeper red color in the glaze. Cool the glaze.

Assembly:

Arrange the remaining strawberry halves on top of the sour cream layer. Spoon the glaze over the berries. Refrigerate the dessert. Serve with whipped cream.

Serves: 6-8
Note: The crust is very firm, like a shortbread crust, when first baked and will soften in the refrigerator. You may want to make the dessert a day in advance. My husband preferred the softer crust, I love shortbread, so I was happy either way.

Marinated Chuck Roast for the Barbecue

It's barbecue season and this recipe turns an economical cut of beef into a tender and tasty meal fit for any occasion, even a special day like Mother's Day. The meat is most tender if it is marinated overnight, so for the best results don't short-cut the process.

Recipe: 

4 lb. chuck roast, approximately 1-1/2 inches thick

Marinade:

1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsps. salad oil
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
3 tbsps. red wine vinegar
2 tbsps. brown sugar
1-1/4 cups beef broth

1. Saute' onion in oil until transparent. Stir in remaining marinade ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool.
2. Place roast in a 9" x 13" glass pan and pour marinade over; turn roast over. Cover with plastic wrap or foil, and refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally.
3. Remove the roast from marinade and discard the marinade.
4. Cook beef over medium coals for 30 to 40 minutes or until done to your liking.