Beef and Bean Casserole

This is a dish that anyone would love, even kids.  Not only that, but it's got to be one of the most simple casseroles to prepare!

This is a well-loved recipe that my mom made for our family from the time I was a little girl.  We would request that she make this meal often.  This is one of many recipes she gave to me when I got married and my family loves it too!  This dish gets all 9's on the Melnarik rating scale!

I begin by placing the ground beef in a large saucepan and cooking it over high heat.  I break up the meat as it cooks until it is no longer pink, then I drain off the fat.

To the beef, I add the salt, beans, brown sugar, and onion.  When I open the can of beans, there is that little cube of mostly fat (it's the pork part of the pork and beans) on the top.  I always remove it, so I'm not adding extra fat, before adding the beans to the dish.  I stir these ingredients to combine them thoroughly.

Then I stir in the barbecue sauce and heat until bubbly.  I aways use K.C. Masterpiece brand barbecue sauce.

I transfer the hot mixture to a 2 quart baking dish.  After removing the biscuits from the can, I cut them in half and arrange them in an eye appealing pattern on top of the beef mixture.  I then put the dish in the oven to bake at 375°F for 25 minutes.

I then remove the dish from the oven, sprinkle the cheese evenly over the biscuits and return it to the oven for an additional 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

It doesn't get much simpler than that!  This recipe serves four people, so if you have hearty eaters or more than four to feed, I suggest doubling the recipe as my mom did and bake it in a 9- x 13-inch baking dish.  Every time I make this casserole, it takes me back to when I was a little girl!  Enjoy!

Beef and Bean Casserole

1 pound ground beef

1 teaspoon salt

1 (15 oz.) pork & beans

¾ cup barbecue sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon instant minced onion

1 can (7.5 oz.) biscuits

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375°F.  In a skillet, cook ground beef until no longer pink; drain.  Stir in salt, beans, barbeque sauce, brown sugar, and onion; heat till bubbly.  Transfer to a 2 qt. baking dish.  Remove biscuits from can and cut in half to form half circles.  Place on top of beef mixture.  Bake at 375°F for 25 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.  Sprinkle cheese on top of biscuits; return to oven for an additional 5 minutes to melt cheese.

Yield:  4 servings

Italian Stew

Cold days make me want something hot and satisfying for dinner, like a tasty stew.  This one is packed full of flavor and so simple to make.

I found this recipe in the September/October 1999 issue of my Quick Cooking magazine and I've been making it for years.  It's a hearty stew that I put in the "comfort food" category.  My guys give this recipe 8's and 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.

I begin by placing the Italian sausage in my Dutch oven, breaking it up as it cooks over medium-high heat.  When the meat is no longer pink, I drain it to remove any excess fat.

While the sausage was cooking, I chopped the onions and sliced the celery and carrots.  After draining the sausage, I added these vegetables to it, stirring to combine and reduced the heat to medium.

In a very small bowl, I combined the Italian seasoning, basil, salt and pepper.

I added the seasonings to the sausage and vegetable mixture and cooked it for 5 minutes until the vegetables were crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.

Then I added the tomatoes, stirring to combine.

To that, I added the tomato soup, again stirring to combine.

Whenever a recipe calls for adding water as well as canned goods, I always add a little bit of the water to each can to capture anything left in the can and add it to the dish.  My mom always did that, saying she didn't want to waste any of the flavor that could be left in the can.  Once all of the water is added, I bring the pot to a boil.  Then I reduce the heat, cover the pot and let it simmer for 30 minutes.  Then I stir in the rice, cover the pot and cook for another 10 minutes.  I just realized I must not have taken a picture after adding the water, as the one above has the rice added already, sorry!

 

This hearty stew is bursting with flavor and will warm you to the core on a cold day!  Enjoy!

Italian Stew

1 pound bulk Italian sausage

1medium onion, chopped

½ cup chopped celery

2 medium carrots, sliced 1/8 inch thick

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

¼ teaspoon dried basil

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 can (14.5 oz.) Italian stewed tomatoes

1 can (10 ¾ oz.) condensed tomato soup, undilitued

2 cups water

¾ cup uncooked instant rice

In a Dutch oven, cook the sausage until no loner pink; drain.  Add the onion, celery, carrots, Italian seasoning, basil, salt and pepper.  Cook and sir over medium heat for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender.  Stir in the tomatoes, soup and water; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Stir in the rice, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until tender.


Yield:  4 servings

Green Enchiladas

About seven years ago, following knee surgery, many friends blessed us with dinner while I was recuperating.  Living in Southern California, we'd had many enchiladas with the traditional red sauce, but we had never had them made with a green sauce.  My husband, in particular, thought they were the best enchiladas he had ever tasted!

Our pastor's wife and my friend, Rhonda Boone introduced us to these fabulous enchiladas and was quite happy to share her recipe with me.  I have made this dish many times because it is a family favorite.  My guys give these enchiladas 8's and 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.

I begin by adding the onion to a saucepan heated with a little oil over medium heat and cook until they are translucent and soft.

This is one of the recipes I like to use the rotisserie chicken in.  I usually buy it at Costco, let it cool for a while, then pick all the meat off the bones.  I transfer it to a freezer zip-lock bag and put it in the freezer until ready to use.  After defrosting the chicken and chopping it into smaller that bite-size pieces, I place it in a medium bowl and add the onions and 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce.

The mixture should be moist, but not wet.  If it needs a little more sauce to get it to the consistency in the picture above, I add a little more.  Then I set it aside until the rest of the ingredients are ready for assembly.

The corn tortillas will break if I try to assemble the enchiladas at this point, so I follow the advice of my Mexican friends and fry them in oil for a few seconds to make them supple.  This also ensures that the enchiladas won't stick to the baking dish.  In a small frying pan, I heat  about 1/2 inch of oil over medium-high heat.  The oil should be hot, but not smoking.  Then I add one tortilla just until their are bubbles in the oil all around the edge (about 3 seconds).  Then, using tongs, I flip it over to the other side.

Immediately, it will begin to puff up with bubbles all around the edge of the tortilla.  Another 3 seconds and it should be removed from the pan.  Before beginning, I've arranged at least 4 layers of paper towels on the counter next to the stove.  As each tortilla comes out of the pan, I place it on the paper towels to soak up the excess oil.  All of the tortillas are prepared in the same way, one at a time. The idea is to soften the tortilla, not to leave it in the hot oil so long that it becomes a tortilla chip!

Now I'm ready to assemble the enchiladas.  After blotting a tortilla with a fresh paper towel, I place it on my work surface.  Across the middle, I add a couple of tablespoons or so of the Mexican blend cheese.

On top of that, I add some of the chicken mixture.  The idea is to not have so much filling that it's too full to roll.

I then begin rolling up the tortilla, tucking in the edge that had been closest to me under the filling as I continue to roll.

I then place each enchilada in my baking dish, seam side down.  If I'm making this dish for more than just my family, I use a 9- x 13-inch baking dish, but in this case, I use smaller baking dishes so I'll have one for dinner for that evening and one I can either use later in the week, or freeze for later in the month.  As I add each one, I push it right up against the previous one, trying to add as many as possible to the dish.

Once the baking dishes are filled, I add the remaining enchilada sauce, making sure all of the enchiladas are covered in the sauce.  The enchiladas can be frozen at this point to be baked at a later date.

The sauce gets topped with a generous amount of cheese.  My Mexican friends say you can't have too much sauce or too much cheese!  Into the oven the baking dishes go for 30 minutes at 350°F.

When they come out of the oven, the cheese has melted and they are piping hot and ready to serve.

I like to serve these enchiladas with refried beans and a Mexican rice.  When I made this dish recently, I also made a small dish of enchiladas using the red sauce, and when my husband and oldest son compared the two, they both declared the green enchiladas as superior in flavor!  Enjoy!

Green Enchiladas

1 chicken, cooked and deboned

1 large onion, chopped

1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 (28 oz.) can green chili enchilada sauce (I use La Victoria brand)

26 – 30 corn tortillas

½ cup vegetable or canola oil for heating tortillas

5 – 6 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese (Monterey Jack & Cheddar)

Chop chicken into small pieces (smaller than bile-size) and place in a medium bowl.  In a small saucepan, sauté onion in olive oil until soft and translucent.  Add onion and about ½ cup enchilada sauce to the chicken.  Mix, adding just enough enchilada sauce to make the mixture moist.  Put vegetable or canola oil in small skillet and heat until hot, but not smoking.  Heat tortillas one at a time in the oil for about 3 seconds on each side; stack on paper towels to drain.  Fill each tortilla with some cheese and chicken mixture, making sure it’s not too full to roll.  Place seam side down in a 9- x 13- inch baking dish.  Continue until pan is full and all of the chicken mixture has been used.  Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the rolled enchiladas, sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

These also freeze very well, so if you aren’t cooking for many people, you may want to fill several small dishes, freezing some after adding the enchilada sauce to the top of the enchiladas.  Defrost fully before baking. 

Shredded Beef Nachos (Crock Pot)

This is a great dish to serve a bunch of hungry teenagers; I know from experience.  It's also great for those times when I know I'll be gone all day and won't have much time to prepare a meal, plus everyone seems to be eating at different times.  I usually serve it as a meal and the leftovers are used by my boys as a snack later in the week.

I think boys like almost anything that can be eaten with their fingers!  That and the crunch of the chips makes this a winner with my guys.  I found this recipe in slow cooker recipe book at the check out counter in the market and I love that there is so little work involved in preparing this dish.  That made it a perfect choice during the busy holidays!  My guys give this recipe 8's and 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.

After trimming the chuck roast of any extra fat around the outside, I place it in a cool crock pot.  Tip:  Only hot foods should be placed in a heated crock pot, cold or room temperature foods should be placed in a cool crock pot before cooking.

I added the minced garlic to the top of the roast and distributed it as evenly as possible.

In a small bowl, I combined the taco seasoning mix and brown sugar.  I always use dark brown sugar unless a recipe specifies otherwise.

This mixture was then sprinkled over the beef.  I covered the crock pot and cooked it on low for 8 hours.  If time is an issue, it can also be cooked on high for 4 - 5 hours.

Once fully cooked, the roast had shrunk a bit and there was a flavorful sauce at the bottom of the pot.

The meat was so tender, I had to remove it from the crock pot in sections.  I placed it on a cutting board and shredded it using 2 forks, discarding any fat.

The shredded beef was returned to the crock pot and mixed in with the juices.  That's all it took and it was ready to serve.  This is how we assemble our nachos:

We place tortilla chips on a microwave safe plate and, using a slotted spoon, top them with some of the shredded beef (left).

We top the beef with a pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend -Monterey Jack and cheddar (right).

We put the plate in the microwave for 1 minute on high to melt the cheese (left).


Then we add any desired toppings such as salsa, sour cream, cilantro,
green onions, and/or fresh tomatoes (right).

These nachos can be served as a snack or as a meal.  Any way you serve them, they're sure to be a hit!  Enjoy!

Shredded Beef Nachos

Nachos

1 (3 lb.) boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pkg. Taco seasoning mix

3 tablespoons brown sugar

Tortilla chips

Suggested Toppings:

Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Sour cream

Salsa

Green onion

Olives

Cilantro

Diced tomatoes

Place beef roast in a 3 ½ or 4 quart slow cooker.   Distribute garlic evenly over beef.  In a small bowl, mix together taco seasoning and brown sugar; sprinkle over roast.  Cover and cook on low 8 – 9 hours.

Before serving, place topping ingredients in individual serving dishes.  Remove beef from slow cooker; place on a large plate or cutting board.  Shred beef with 2 forks; return to slow cooker and mix well.

To serve, have guests place chips on serving plates; using tongs or a slotted spoon top chips with shredded beef.  Top the beef with cheese and any other desired toppings.

Beef mixture can be held on low setting for up to 2 hours.

Potato Cheese Soup

My family has been making this recipe for years, and it's certainly one of our favorite dishes.  It's fairly easy to make and travels well in a crock pot to take to a common meal with friends.

My family lovingly refers to this cheesy potato dish as "Potato Cheese Stuff."  This is because it was originally called Potato Cheese Casserole when my mom happened upon it, but it's more like a soup when piping hot, so my friends started calling it soup.  Sometimes, I thin it and serve it as soup, other times I don't add the milk and use it as a side dish.  More often than not, I take it to a pot-luck style meal where it's considered soup, so that's how I'm presenting it to you!  This recipe gets all 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.

To begin, I peel and cut the potatoes and boil them.  People boil spuds in all sorts of ways, but I've found the fastest way is to cut them into chunks that are no thicker than about 1/2 inch.  The thicker the pieces, the longer it takes to cook to the center of each piece.  

After cutting them, I place them in a Dutch oven, which I've filled about 1/3 with water.   I actually turn the heat on high as soon as I add the first potato, to save on cooking time.  As I add each potato, it brings the temperature down a bit, so the pot never begins to boil until a few minutes after I add the last spud.  The picture above was taken just after I added the last one.  Once the pot comes to a full boil, I cook the potatoes for 10 minutes.  While the potatoes are cooking, I melt the butter in the microwave and shred the extra-sharp cheddar cheese.

Once the potatoes are fully cooked (I test them by sticking a fork into them to determine if they are tender), I drain the water and place them in a large bowl.  I then add the melted butter and toss gently.  As ingredients get added, the chunks get smaller as the potatoes get broken up a bit.  We like to have some small pieces in the final product, so we mix gently as we combine the rest of the ingredients.

Next, I add the shredded cheese, and again toss lightly.  My cheese of choice for this dish is Cracker Barrel Extra-Sharp Cheddar Cheese.  I've used other brands in the past and have to add more cheese to get the great cheesy flavor that one brick of the Cracker Barrel gives this soup.  The sharpness of the cheese (the amount of aging time) gives more flavor without having to use more cheese than the recipe calls for.  My rule of thumb is the sharper, the better.

The heat of the potatoes will begin to melt the cheese while I take care of the next step, which is to combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, green onions, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

The soup mixture then gets added to the potato and cheese mixture, again combining gently.  At this point, there are three choices for how to finish up the dish.  If I was taking it to a gathering, I would put it in a crock pot and cook it on low for 4 hours.  (It can also be made to this point, put in the crock of a crock pot, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated until ready to cook.  I remove the plastic and cover it before beginning to cook.)  About 1/2 hr. before serving, I add the milk if I'm serving it as soup in bowls.  The second option, which was the cooking method suggested on the original recipe, is to transfer it to a casserole dish and bake it in the oven at 350°F for 25 minutes.  This would be the option to choose if you wanted it to be thicker and served as a side dish.  The third option, which is the fastest method and the one I chose this time, is to transfer the mixture to a Dutch oven to cook.

I did use the same Dutch oven that I had cooked the potatoes in initially; I just washed it before using it again.  You can see how thick the mixture is at this point.

I turned the heat on to a medium setting, where I began to heat the soup.  I stirred it frequently so it didn't stick to the bottom of the pot.  Once heated through, you can see that the cheese has completely melted and it's not as thick as it was before.  It can be served as a side dish at this point, because it won't run all over the plate.

To make it a better consistency to be served as soup, I add 1 cup of milk, stirring in 1/2 cup at a time to make sure it is fully incorporated.  Because I've added cold milk, I let it cook another 5 minutes or so until it is heated through.

When comparing the picture above to the one before adding the milk, you can tell it's much thinner.  Even the side of the pan is evidence of that.  The soup is still on the thick and hearty side, which is the way we like it.  If you prefer a thinner soup, add more milk in 1/2 cup increments until you get your desired consistency.

This hearty, cheesy soup is great on it's own, but we love to have it with Broccoli Supreme (already posted on this blog) and ham.  Also, you will always get compliments if you take this dish to any common meal you attend!  Enjoy!

Potato Cheese Soup

6 large Russet potatoes, boiled

¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

2 cups (8 oz.) extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups (16 oz.) sour cream

½ cup green onions, chopped

1 tablespoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 cup milk

Place cooked potatoes in a large bowl; add melted butter and mix lightly.  Add shredded cheese; mix lightly.  In a medium bowl, combine soup, sour cream, green onions and seasonings.  Add soup mixture to potatoes, mixing lightly to combine.

Cooking options:

·Place in casserole dish and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes (serve as side dish).

·Place in 5 qt. crock pot and cook on low for 4 hours, adding milk ½ hour before serving.

·Place in Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until cheese is melted and mixture is heated through.  Add milk ½ cup at a time to thin to soup consistency, heat through.