Category: CASSEROLES & SIDES

RITZY CARROT & BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

Grams made this as a broccoli casserole for years and I recently converted it to include carrots (I love the color combo) and removed the yucky for you condensed soup.

RITZY CARROT & BROCCOLI CASSEROLE
4 medium carrots
2/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons butter
pinch cinnamon

  • Wash, peel and slice carrots diagonally.
  • In a saucepan combine the water, salt and sugar.
  • Add carrots. Bring to a boil.
  • Turn down heat to simmer and cook until JUST tender crisp.
  • Drain.
  • Toss with butter and cinnamon.

6 broccoli crowns, washed and trimmed into 2 inch pieces (stalks also)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Jumbo egg
1 small Vidalia onion, chopped
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons butter
1 1/3 cups ritz cracker crumbs**
4 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup milk

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Cook broccoli in boiling, salted water or steam until JUST tender.
  • Drain well, cool slightly and toss with carrots and onions.
  • Layer into a greased 9×9 baking dish.
  • Top with cracker crumbs.
  • Melt butter in bottom of saucepan. Whisk in the flour until smooth.
  • Add the chicken broth, milk, mayonnaise and egg, whisking until smooth.
  • Pour over broccoli mixture.
  • Cover and bake 40 minutes.
  • Top with cheese and bake uncovered an additional 10 minutes.
  • Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.
**I love to substitute Keebler buttery garlic club crackers and add a few cloves of garlic!

GARLIC AU GRATIN POTATOES

GARLIC AU GRATIN POTATOES
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic mincecd
2 pounds potatoes, washed, and sliced thin
1 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup extra sharp cheddar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/4 cup VERY warm 1% milk
1 heaping teaspoon Better than Bouillon Beef Base

  • Preheat oven 400 degrees.
  • Grease baking dish and then dust it with the garlic powder.
  • Dry the potatoes on paper towels.
  • Layer the potatoes and cheese alternately finishing with a layer of cheese.
  • Whisk together the milk, garlic, beef base, salt and pepper.
  • Gently pour the beef mixture over the potatoes, coating them evenly.
  • Bake 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.


STEWED TOMATO CASSEROLE

In my mind I have this vision of a dish grams made with okra, stewed tomatoes and toast. I wanted to recreate it. It doesn’t appear to have been written down anywhere. I’m sure she used stale white bread too, but since I can’t find a copy anywhere, I’m writing my own version. Do you know how hard it is to find okra here in the west?

1 can stewed tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small shallot, sliced thin
1 handful snap peas
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper
bread
butter

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Spray casserole dish with PURE.
  • Layer shallots on bottom, then sugar snap peas and garlic.
  • Pour stewed tomatoes over top.
  • Generously salt and pepper.
  • Sprinkle cheese even;y over the tomatoes.
  • Butter both sides of the bread and cut into chunks.
  • Layer the chunks of bread randomly on top of cheese.
  • Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

The best thing about the leftovers is you can top it all over again with cheese and toast pieces and it tastes just like the first time!






HAPPY THANKSGIVING & OATNUT SOURDOUGH HERB DRESSING

We hope you and yours have a wonderful, safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

I’m sharing my family’s scratch recipe for my Oatnut Sourdough Herb Dressing. My brother has been after me for years to always make it the same way dad always did (tradition) and write it down, so this one is for him and to see if he really does read my blog! LOL! We use this recipe for both Thanksgiving and Christmas and I always make enough to freeze for weekday meals too. It’s a great way to use up stale bread. Sometimes I will collect the stale bread into a wrapper in the freezer until I have enough to make a large batch.
Oatnut Sourdough Herb Dressing
10 slices Brownberry or Oroweat OATNUT bread, cut intobite size chunks
1/2 loaf sourdough French bread, cut into bite size chunks
1 large sweet onion, chopped fine
1 small bunch celery (leaves and all), chopped fine
1/2 bag baby carrots, chopped fine
1 box mushrooms, chopped fine
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon white pepper
2 sticks unsalted butter
4 cups hot water
2 tablespoons Better than Bouillon Chicken base
2 tablespoons Buttery Herb & Garlic Mix (I believe McCormick makes it)
4 cloves garlic, minced


  • Cut bread into bite sized chunks and spread out in a thin layer over cookie sheets.
  • Bake at 200 degrees for 3-4 hours until pieces are actually hard.
  • Chop all the vegetables.
  • In a large cast iron pan melt 1/4 cup of the butter.
  • Add the onions and saute until translucent. The add the celery and carrots and continue sauteing until crisp tender. Add the garlic last as it will burn first.
  • Whisk together the water, better than bouillon chicken base and all of the seasonings.
  • Add the melted butter.
  • In a large pan toss the bread slices together.
  • Add the sauteed vegetables and toss again.
  • Add the liquid mixture and toss again until well absorbed.
  • Fold entire mixture into at least a 9×13 baking dish.
  • Bake uncovered 1 hour.
  • At this point I use a small portion for our dinner that night and freeze the rest.
  • When it’s time to cook it again, I defrost it, put it back in the same baking dish and bake it again, but this time covered with foil until the last 15 minutes so it doesn’t dry out. We like it crisp on top so I remove the foil the last 15 minutes. 

Bean & Sausage Cassoulet

I’ve already made this twice.  It was that good. It’s on the higher side of calories per portion but it was super filling.  It was wonderful to have this is the refrigerator for lunches all week.

I don’t cook with sausage too often but I happened to have 2 packages of sausages.  Which is why I ended up making this twice.  I could probably drop the calories by adding chicken instead but the sausage was SOOOO good!  I also loved the slight tang from the red wine.  You could use beef broth but I encourage the red wine as it tasted wonderful!

Bean and Sausage Cassoulet Recipe

1 (15 oz) can of black beans
1 (15 oz) can of white beans
1 (15 oz) can of red kidney beans
1 lb. turkey sausage, diagonally sliced
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 large onion, sliced into rings
1/2 cup dry red wine or beef broth
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. thyme
3 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients in an ungreased 3 qt. casserole dish. Cover and bake until carrots are tender, about 1 hour or until hot and bubbly. 

Total calories = 3320 calories
8 servings = 415 calories per serving

Hasselbeck Potatoes

Hasselback Potatoes are a Swedish version of baked potato. The outside crisps up nicely and the soft center it’s a pleasure to eat. It’s makes a nice presentation and is easy to prepare. I’ve made these and brought them in a crock pot to a party, and it works nice keeping them warm. Perfect for the holidays. They are always a big hit, I get requested to make these often.

Slice the washed small red potatoes 1/4 inch slices but not all the way through. You can use chopsticks or a wooden spoon if you have trouble stopping before you cut all the way through. Then slice up some cloves of garlic and slide a slice in between the slits in the potato. Place the potatoes in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper,or add fresh chopped herbs, or dried. Bake in 400° oven for an hour until the outside is crisp and the potatoes are cooked through. They end up a little crisp on the outside and nice and soft inside.

I sprinkled some Parmesan on them halfway through the cooking time.

I was so excited to eat these the photo blurred….no, umm… they were hot out of the oven and steamed up the lens….that’s it.

Serve with your favorite herbed sour cream, sprinkled a little extra Parmesan and herbs on top, and there you have it.

They go nicely with roasts and baked fish, heck they are garlic potatoes, they taste good with anything or I could make a meal of them by themselves.

OVEN BBQ PORK CHOPS

OVEN BBQ PORK CHOPS
1 1/2 to 2 pounds pork rib chops, trimmed of fat 

1/4 teaspoon sea salt 

1/4 teaspoon  freshly ground pepper
3 teaspoons safflower oil, divided
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 clove  garlic, minced
1/2 cup  orange juice 

3/4 cup  barbecue sauce
2-3 cups prepared white rice

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Generously sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. 
  • Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large ovenproof skillet over high heat. 
  • Add the pork chops and sear to brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
  • Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the pan. 
  • Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened. 
  • Stir in garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant. 
  • Add orange juice and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. 
  • Stir in barbecue sauce until well blended. 
  • Return the pork chops to the pan, turning several times to coat with the sauce.
  • In a large baking dish layer the rice on the bottom, smoothing the top.
  • Add pork chops to top of rice.
  • Pour remaining sauce over the chops and rice.
  • Transfer the dish to the oven and bake until the pork chops are barely pink in the middle and an instant-read thermometer registers at least 145 degrees. 10-15 minutes.

CREAMY CHICKEN SPAGHETTI CASSEROLE

Creamy Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 stick butter
16 ounces mushrooms, sliced
¼ +¼ cup chardonnay
sea salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1-½ cup whole milk
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup roasted red peppers, minced
1 pound Thin Spaghetti

  • Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. 
  • Add mushrooms, 1/4 cup white wine, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
  • Cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until liquid has totally evaporated. 
  • With a slotted spoon remove mushrooms from skillet. Set aside. 
  • Bring broth to a boil. Break spaghetti into thirds (shorter pieces). Add spaghetti pieces to boiling broth and cook. 
  • Drain when al dente reserving broth.
  • Return large skillet to medium-low heat. 
  • Add 6 tablespoons butter. 
  • Sprinkle flour over butter, whisking to combine until roux turns golden.
  • Add broth gradually and whisk to combine. 
  • Pour in milk, additional 1/4 cup wine, salt and pepper to taste, then cook and bubble until thick. 
  • Turn off heat, add Parmesan cheese, stirring until well blended. 
  • Add in the mushrooms, chicken, and roasted red peppers. 
  • Stir to combine and check seasonings. 
  • Add cooked spaghetti and toss until well blended. 
  • Turn into a 9 x 13 casserole pan. 
  • Bake at 350 degrees or until golden brown and bubbly. 
  • Serve with salad and warm, crusty bread.

CRY BABY BURGERS and ROASTED PAPRIKA POTATOES

CRY BABY BURGERS

1 pound ground chuck

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 small can jalapenos, drained and chopped (save a small amount for the mayo)

1 small can green chiles, drained and chopped

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 slices pepper jack cheese

jalapeno mayo (small amount of minced jalapenos whisked into mayo)

caramelized onions – 1 small Vidalia onion, thinly sliced

  • Combine ground chuck, jalapenos, green chiles, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce until well blended.
  • Form into 3 patties. Refrigerate for several hours.
  • Whisk together mayonnaise and minced jalapenos.  Refrigerate until chilled.
  • Sear and brown patties, turning frequently until cooked through.
  • While cooking the patties, melt a small amount of butter in another pan and caramelize onions to desired doneness.
  • When burgers are done, top with cheese, mayonnaise and caramelized onions.
  • Enjoy!

ROASTED PAPRIKA POTATOES

2 pounds baby red potatoes

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Hungarian paprika

1/4 cup melted butter

  • Scrub potatoes.
  • Boil for 10-15 minutes.
  • Drain the potatoes until cool enough to handle.
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Spray a 9×9 shallow baking dish with PURE.
  • Place potatoes on bottom in an even layer.
  • Smash each potato slightly.
  • Evenly sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika.
  • Pour melted butter evenly over top.
  • Bake 30 minutes until crunchy and bubbling.

CHICKEN COUNTRY CASSOULET

CHICKEN COUNTRY CASSOULET
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, diced
1 pound fat sausages of choice, cut into bite sized pieces
3 tablespoons butter
1 large Vidalia onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 carrots, sliced
1/2 pound snap peas, washed and deveined
1/4 cup fresh minced parsley
1 14-ounce can petit diced tomatoes, basil, garlic & oregano
1 tablespoon Classico sun-dried tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried
2 +/- cups chicken stock
2 cups seasoned bread crumbs**
salt and ground black pepper

  •  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Brown the bacon until browned and crumbly in Dutch oven casserole dish.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
  • Add chicken and sausages and brown on all sides. Remove from fat and set aside. 
  • Add the onions and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes until softened. 
  • Add the carrots, snap peas and parsley, sauteing 3-4 more minutes.
  • Add tomatoes, tomato puree, spices and salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add meat back in.
  • Add enough of the stock to just cover the meat and veggies, you don’t want things swimming around too much.  You can always add more stock during the cooking if needed. 
  • Cover dish and cook 1 hour.
  • Add more stock if necessary. Spread crumbs over the top and cook uncovered for 40 more minutes or until browned. 
  • Try adding other vegetables such as broccoli or white beans for variety.  

**I used crushed ritz crackers today and they worked reallllllllllllllly well as a substitute!

CHICKEN AND SPINACH NOODLE CASSEROLE

Chicken and Spinach Noodle Casserole
1tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
10 ounces package frozen chopped spinach, partially thawed
15 ounces container Ricotta cheese, part skim
3 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper to taste
6 ounces wide noodles, not egg noodles

  • In a small saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon of the butter. 
  • Add the onion and garlic, cover and cook over low heat until the onion is tender, about 8 minutes. 
  • Add the spinach, increase heat to medium, cover and cook until the spinach has completely thawed. 
  • Uncover the spinach and stir it over slightly higher heat until all the excess liquid has evaporated. Let it cool slightly.
  • In a large mixing bowl, stir together the spinach mixture, Ricotta and Parmesan. Season with nutmeg and pepper.
  • Meanwhile, cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling water. Do not salt water. Do not add oil to water. Season with onion powder and stir in keep from sticking. 
  • Drain and immediately stir into the cheese and spinach mixture.
  • Butter a deep 1 to 1 1/2 quart baking dish with 1 teaspoon of butter and pack in the mixture. 
  • Dot the top with the remaining 1 teaspoon of butter and bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until the top is brown and crusty. Let the casserole stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Modifications:

-I decided at the last minute to add some chicken to this dish so I cut up 2 chicken breasts.
-I used 2 garlic cloves.
-I added a handful of fresh, chopped parsley.
-I used about 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.

Here’s what you’ll need:
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • Put a pot of water on to boil for the noodles.
  • Chop up an onion and 2 garlic cloves.

  • Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan.
  • Chop up the chicken breasts and brown in the melted butter.
  • Add the onion and garlic cloves and let it all cook for about 7-8 minutes.
  • Add 3 big handfuls of semi-defrosted chopped spinach.
  • Cover it and let it cook for another 6-7 minutes to totally defrost. I then uncovered it and cooked for a couple of more minutes.
  • Put a container of ricotta cheese and about 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese in a bowl. 
  • Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook until al dente.  I used about 1/2 of a bag of egg noodles. 
  • Uncover the chicken mixture and throw in some fresh chopped parsley.
  • Put the chicken mixture into the same bowl as the cheeses.
  • Drain the noodles and add them in with the chicken and cheese.
  • Spray a 9×9 baking dish (anything this size will work) and put the entire mixture in the dish.
  • Cut up some pads of butter and put them on top.
  • Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
Here’s what you’ll end up with:
This dish was really good. I’m definitely glad that I added the chicken breasts to this as it made it a little more heartier.  This dish has the potential to be a little dry so add a bit more butter on top and then let it melt down. You could also add maybe 1/2 of a can of cream of chicken soup.  Add a can of artichokes to make it a chicken, spinach and artichoke pasta.

CHICKEN COUNTRY CASSOULET

CHICKEN COUNTRY CASSOULET
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, diced
1 pound fat sausages of choice, cut into bite sized pieces
3 tablespoons butter
1 large Vidalia onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 carrots, sliced
1/2 pound snap peas, washed and deveined
1/4 cup fresh minced parsley
1 14-ounce can petit diced tomatoes, basil, garlic & oregano
1 tablespoon Classico sun-dried tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried
2 +/- cups chicken stock
2 cups seasoned bread crumbs**
salt and ground black pepper

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Brown the bacon until browned and crumbly in Dutch oven casserole dish.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
  • Add chicken and sausages and brown on all sides. Remove from fat and set aside. 
  • Add the onions and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes until softened. 
  • Add the carrots, snap peas and parsley, sauteing 3-4 more minutes.
  • Add tomatoes, tomato puree, spices and salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add meat back in.
  • Add enough of the stock to just cover the meat and veggies, you don’t want things swimming around too much.  You can always add more stock during the cooking if needed. 
  • Cover dish and cook 1 hour.
  • Add more stock if necessary. Spread crumbs over the top and cook uncovered for 40 more minutes or until browned. 

**Try adding other vegetables such as broccoli or white beans for variety.   I used crushed Ritz crackers today and they worked reallllllllllllllly well as a substitute!