BEEF AND BACON CASSEROLE

I remember the first time I made this Beef and Bacon Casserole - a friend and I had young children and we decided to unite and cook a meal for our families. It seemed like a brilliant idea - we would get to socialize, our kids would have a play date, and it would all result in dinner.
However,  I'm not sure it was all that successful, we never did prepare a meal together again. We are both proficient, individual cooks, and I always find it challenging and laborious to cook in a kitchen that's not my own.

BEEF AND BACON CASSEROLE

1 pound of ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
6 ounces of fresh mushrooms, sliced
6 ounces of pasta, cooked and drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8 ounces of frozen peas
1/4 cup milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded, divided use

Heat oven to 325F.
In a large skillet, cook ground beef until no longer pink. Drain the fat. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until onions are wilted.
Add noodles, soup, peas and 1/4 cup of milk. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and cook on medium low 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often. Add bacon and 1 cup cheese, stir to combine.
Pour mixture into a casserole dish. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix bread crumbs with butter, add remaining 1 cup of cheese and blend gently. Sprinkle on top of mixture in casserole dish. Return to oven and bake 10 minutes more or until breadcrumbs are golden brown and cheese is melted.
Enjoy!

GLAZED MEATLOAF and LUSCIOUS POTATO CASSEROLE and PEAS WITH SPRING ONIONS AND MINT

A friend recently had surgery, and I offered to bring her and her family dinner. She requested meatloaf, and I baked brownies to finish off the meal.

GLAZED MEATLOAF

750 grams of ground beef
1 1/2 cups of fresh breadcrumbs (I didn't add these the second time I made this dish, and I liked it better without)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
GLAZE
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon barbecue sauce

Heat oven to 375F.
Grease a loaf pan.
Combine all meatloaf ingredients in a large bowl, mix well.
Press herbed ground beef mixture evenly into prepared pan.
Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until firm.
Drain away any fat, stand meatloaf in pan for 10 minutes, turn onto an oven tray. Combine all glaze ingredients in a bowl, mix well. Brush glaze over meatloaf, bake for about 10 minutes, or until well browned.
Allow meatloaf to stand 5 minutes before slicing.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Australian Womens Weekly, October 1991
aww.ninemsn.com/recipe-search/‎

LUSCIOUS POTATO CASSEROLE

1/4 cup butter
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup chopped green onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
pepper to taste
1/2 to 1 package of frozen hash browns
2 cups shredded cheese
2 tablespoons butter

Melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over low heat, stir until melted.
Remove from the heat, stir in the cream cheese, sour cream, green onion, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Add hash browns and shredded cheese, mixing gently. Pour into a buttered 2 quart casserole dish, dot with 2 tablespoons of butter. Bake at 350F for 50 minutes.
Enjoy! Please share recipedoodle with your family and friends!

Recipe adapted from The Morning News, June 2006

PEAS WITH SPRING ONIONS AND MINT

4 cups of frozen peas
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 spring onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick
salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
freshly ground black pepper

In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the peas until they are just tender, about 3 minutes. Drain.
In the same saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and a pinch of salt, cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in the peas, cover and cook until heated through, 1 minute. Stir in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove from the heat. Stir in the mint, season with salt and pepper and serve.
Enjoy! Please share recipedoodle with your family and friends!

Recipe adapted from Food & Wine, April 2012
www.foodandwine.com/‎

BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

We have a new oven and I am very excited!! I wanted to do a whole kitchen remodel, and my husband was happy with the way our kitchen was, so we reached a compromise. A new appliance, a fresh coat of paint, storing the kitchen aid and microwave under the counter, removing the pot rack and adding a plush throw rug, and it seemed like a different space.
I needed to familiarize myself with the latest addition to our kitchen and I deemed it essential to make something that wouldn't upset my family too much if it went wrong. I chose an easy, dependable recipe that would be difficult to ruin and apparently I managed rather well, as my son proclaimed this Broccoli Casserole to be the best ever!!

BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

5 tablespoons butter, divided
1 onion, finely chopped
1 (10.75 ounce) can of cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup mayonnaise
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 12 ounce package of chopped, frozen broccoli, thawed
14 buttery round crackers, finely crushed

Heat oven to 350F.
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Saute onion until golden.
In a bowl, mix together onion, cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup of cheese, mayonnaise, eggs, garlic powder, pepper, salt and lemon juice. Stir in the broccoli. Place in casserole dish, top with crushed crackers, sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese, and dot with 2 tablespoons of butter.
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, until heated through and browned on top.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com
allrecipes.com/recipe/broccoli-casserole-2/

SQUASH CASSEROLE

Our kids decided they wanted to have a 4 course meal, because it was "fancy".
Joe set the table, complete with candles, the good china and chargers under the plates - one of the courses was this wonderful squash casserole, served with pork loin.
The whole evening was so enjoyable, but the excitement of the kids was the best part of all!

SQUASH CASSEROLE

4 pounds squash, sliced
1 large, sweet onion, finely chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped chives
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 1/4 cups freshly shredded parmesan cheese, divided
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Heat oven to 350F.
Cook squash and onion in boiling water, 8 minutes or just until tender. Drain mixture well.
Combine squash mixture, cheddar cheese, chives, sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic salt, black pepper, eggs and 3/4 cups parmesan cheese.
Spoon into a lightly greased 13 by 9 inch baking dish.
Stir together melted butter and breadcrumbs and remaining parmesan cheese.
Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over top of casserole.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until set.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Southern Living, May 2010
www.southernliving.com/food/