Mom Recipes

2 cups uncooked rice

2 cans beef consume

1 can French onion soup

2 cups sliced mushrooms

Sprinkle Pecorino Romano cheese, grated

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs (6 or 8)

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Paprika

1 stick of butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees,  spread rice in baking dish or tin baking pan. Add consume and FO soup, mushrooms, cheese and butter. Sprinkle chicken thighs with paprika, onion powder and garlic powder, more cheese. ( I add  a little beef broth to be sure the rice is hydrated enough.)

Cook for 45 minutes covered and 15 (+) uncovered.

Parsley garnish (if desired)

Years ago, my mother-in-law, owned and operated a kindergarten. I was a newlywed and had almost no cooking experience. She owned and operated a kindergarten and put together a cookbook (made by the children) with the mom’s recipes. There was one that stood out, seemed “doable” to my novice self and over the years, with some tweaks, I have made it my own.

It’s tried and true, never fail, great for all occasions, stores well in the fridge or freezer. You have to try it! Decide if you want to make several casseroles or just one and reduce the ingredients accordingly. This is my super-duper batch.

Here we go, you’ll need:
1st step
2 lbs. of ground chuck
1 large can of diced tomatoes (petite)
1 large can of tomato sauce
½ small can of tomato paste
Italian spices
Garlic powder

Brown the meat and drain, add the tomato paste and distribute throughout the meat. Add the cans of tomato and sauce and stir in a handful of spices, basil, oregano, or blended spices. Add a good splash of garlic powder. Simmer for 30 or 45 minutes while you cook the noodles and make the cheese layer. Cool a little before assembling.

2nd step
2 blocks of cream cheese (can use low-fat)
2 cartons of sour cream (or one large)
Green onions chopped with tops
Soften cream cheese, either leave on counter or microwave for 2 minutes on 50% power. Chop onions with green tops. Mix cream cheese with sour cream and add onions. Set aside.
2 packages wide egg noodles
Cook according to package directions.

Assemble:
Mix noodles with sauce in a large bowl or the noodle pot. Place meat and noodle mixture in a thick layer in one large or several small casserole dishes. I usually make some smaller ones to give away.

Put a thick layer of the cream cheese mixture on each casserole and spread around. You’ll need to portion it out, so each one gets enough cheese.

And finally, cover each casserole with grated cheddar cheese(not shown.) I usually buy a big bag, but you can grate yourself.

You can store this in the fridge or freeze.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cover casserole with foil and bake for 30 minutes, if room temp, 45 if cold. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes to brown the cheese.

Let it sit for a few minutes before slicing into squares, enjoy!!!

If you love quiche as much as I do, you’ll love this adaptation I came up with from recipes I have used in the past. One of the great things about this recipe is that you can make it your own just by changing the vegetables or cheeses, playing with spices, and adding meats to your heart’s content! My measurements are made for two deep dish pie shells. Cut the egg to 8 or 10 for smaller pie shells. Leave off crust for fewer calories. Make it your own, I did!

Ingredients:
2 deep dish frozen pie shells
1 medium onion
2 tablespoons butter
Sliced mushrooms (to taste)
Bagged spinach (two or 3 handfuls or to taste, this will wilt down when heated)
12 eggs
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon pepper
2 cups grated cheddar
1 cup grated Swiss
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Garlic power (splash)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Preheat a large skillet, sauté chopped onions for about 3 minutes or until clear, add mushrooms and spinach and stir for a few minutes until soft.

Let that sit and crack eggs in a bowl, adding cream, salt, pepper and some garlic powder. Whisk until blended, no need to beat hard.

Put the quiche together with both crusts on a baking sheet, placing your vegetables on the bottom of the crust, a good portion of both cheeses and then the egg mixture. Top with the rest of the cheeses.

Cook in oven for 30 minutes or until crust is getting brown, then cover lightly with aluminum foil for another 20 minutes (may need 30.)

Pull it out and test, when a knife comes out clean in the center, it is done. Let it cool and set for a few minutes then enjoy!

Let me know how yours turns out!

Patti

Meatballs and Sauce by Professional Mom

Never made meatballs before or they didn't turn out! Been there, done that but this recipe is fool proof, just watch the salt!

2 pounds ground chuck (double everything for a large crowd)

3 tablespoons garlic salt

3 tablespoons garlic powder

Cover meat in grated parmesan or parmesan romano (about 1 cup)

Wet about 8 slices of white bread under the faucet and squeeze out excess water (can use French bread or bread crumbs if preferred)

Mix together and form into balls, about golf ball or a little bigger

Put in oiled roasting pan (aluminum foil for easy cleanup)

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, place in sauce for about and hour

Sauce

One large (or 3 small) Ragu sauce (or your preference)

Empty jar and rinse with a small amount of water, add to pot

Coat top of sauce with  oregano and basil plus any spices or spice mixtures you love, sprinkle on some garlic salt and garlic powder 

!/4 cup of sugar or brown sugar to taste

Stir well and simmer, place meatballs in and cook for 1 hour

Patti Salad! It's Delish!

Start with 1 long (English) cucumber, quartered

1 carton of cherry tomatoes, halved 

1 (or to taste) chopped red onion

Pepperoncini's if desired (handful)

Mozzarella balls (pearls) or Fetta cheese to taste

1 can rinsed black beans

1 can chick peas (garbanzo)

Crunchy salad mix (your choice) with cranberries, nuts, sunflower seeds, etc.

Chopped parsley

Dressing: 2 parts olive oil, 1 part red wine vinegar

2 blops of dijon mustard 

Pepperoncini juice (splash)

Maple syrup or honey

Lemon juice (zest if you like)

A small amount of salt and a lot of pepper

Shake it up or whisk

Pour about a cup on the salad and add more if you need to.

Yumalicious!