Category: CASSEROLES & SIDES

Spicy Chipotle Shrimp Over Sweet Corn Cakes

Welcome to Simple Saturday!

I’ve been participating in a challenge this month, do you think you could eat on a Dollar a Day? (Check out the link for details). I’ve been doing the challenge but with an unfair advantage – I allowed myself to use anything I already had on hand. It’s turned out to be more of an “eat from the pantry and freezer month” than anything else so far.

Here is last night’s yummy, frugal and very simple recipe. It was definitely the Meal of the Week!

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Chipotle Shrimp – 1 pound of shrimp marinated overnight in bottled chipotle sauce (with one teaspoon of cornstarch added). Put shrimp and marinade in large, deep skillet, add a can of diced tomatoes. Simmer on low, stirring occasionally while preparing corn cakes.

Corn Cakes – 2 boxes of Jiffy corn muffin mix, 2/3 cup milk, 2 eggs, one can of sweet creamed corn and 1/2 can regular sweet corn. Mix and prepare just as you would pancakes.

Spoon shrimp and sauce over corn cakes and serve with fruit smoothies. Trust me, it’s a perfect combo, it was delicious – except for the fact that I used shrimp I had in the freezer that had been cleaned and shelled, but it didn’t occur to me that it still had the tails on until dinner was ready. Be sure to take the tails off if you try this, duh!

We have two birthdays at Our Krazy Kitchen this week – be sure to stop by to wish our Tuesday host Min and our Wednesday host Chaya a Happy Birthday!

Have a great weekend 🙂

THE ULTIMATE COMFORT MAC & CHEESE

This started as a recipe I saw in a magazine, but has metamorphosed into a new family favorite that in no way resembles the original germ of an idea.

You start with crispy bacon.
And super sharp cheddar cheese to add to the creamy roux.

Add some pasta.
Then you add more cheese and bacon.
Toss in some ruby red tomatoes for good measure.
Bake it until it’s ooey, gooey, creamy and Enjoy!

COMFORT MAC & CHEESE
12 slices bacon, crisp (retain fat)
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
16 ounces macaroni medium shells
1 small red onion, chopped
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
3 cups shredded super sharp cheddar cheese
Enough slices of cheese to randomly cover top of casserole
4 medium firm hot house tomatoes, chopped

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Chop tomato and onion, set aside.
  • Grate cheese, set aside.
  • Prepare pasta al dente, about 8 minutes in boiling water. Drain well.
  • Fry bacon until crisp, set aside to cool. I use my griddle so I can catch ALL the fat!
  • Transfer bacon grease to skillet and saute’ onion. Using a slotted spoon remove onion and add butter.
  • When butter is melted add flour and make a roux.
  • Gradually add heavy cream and water, stirring to incorporate to a smooth consistency. Cook over medium heat until thickens. Add salt and pepper, adjusting to taste.
  • Crumble 8 strips of bacon, set aside. Crumble the other 4 slices, set aside for topping.
  • Add cheese and stir constantly until well blended.
  • In a large bowl toss onion, tomato and 8 slices crumbled bacon with pasta.
  • Pour cheese sauce over and blend well.
  • Pour into a greased casserole dish.
  • Top randomly with cheese slices and remaining crumbled bacon.
  • Bake 10 minutes until bubbly.
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KICKING POTATO SALAD

We are in that moving mode again and I’m developing recipes based on the ingredients on hand. On the flip side our niece & hubby are coming for a BBQ this weekend and we really wanted some potato salad so I threw together what we had and voile’ we have a new recipe!

NOT YOUR MOTHER’S POTATO SALAD
2-3 pounds potatoes, washed well
6 eggs, hard boiled
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 +/- cup Bob’s Bleu Cheese dressing
1 1/2 teaspoon Frank’s red pepper sauce
1/3 cup sweet pickle relish
2 tablespoons orange champagne vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
paprika for garnish








  • Hard boil eggs. Cool and set aside.
  • Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Cool and set aside.
  • Drain pickle relish in sieve for 10 minutes to remove excess juice.
  • Mix together the bleu cheese dressing, hot sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper, onions and garlic until well blended. You may or may not need to add more dressing to reach the desired consistency.
  • Grate the hard boil eggs into the bowl and toss well.
  • Grate 1/2 of the potatoes into the bowl and toss until well blended.
  • Chop remaining potatoes into bite size pieces and fold into mixture.
  • Chill well.
  • Top with paprika garnish before serving.

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FRIJOLE CHILI

What do you do with leftover refried beans? Make chili of course. One of the things I have done for many years is menu plan. Nothing, and I mean nothing goes to waste around this house! I made this recipe a few years ago to use up some leftovers and it quickly became our favorite alternative chili.

FRIJOLE CHILI
1/2 batch refried beans *
2 pounds ground beef
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
2 cans Rotel original tomatoes with chiles
2 cups beef broth (2 tablespoons Better than beef bouillon + 2 cups hot water
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper

  • Brown ground beef and onion. Drain fat.
  • In a large sauce pan, combine remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer.
  • Add ground beef and onions. Heat through.
  • Top with a dollop of sour cream and shredded cheese.

*you can substitute 1 can of refried beans if you prefer

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JELL-O TRICKS


I think most everyone knows this trick by now, but it always amazes me how much better it makes a bowl of Jell-O so I thought it was worth mentioning again. Around our house we always put canned fruit (peaches or pears usually) in the Jell-O for a little bit of extra UMPH! When you drain those canned fruits, use a sieve and drain them into the measuring cup for the cold water first. Then just add enough water to bring the level to where you need it. I usually get about 1 1/4 cup of fruit juice. Doing this will make for a better, more substantial flavor to any Jell-O. Just after I pour in the Jell-o I use a small salad fork to stir up the fruit in each bowl. The fruit is usually well distributed in the Jell-O. We also don’t like the film that forms on the top. And I hated trying to stack all the bowls in the refrigerator, so I started using my Pampered Chef prep bowls for making Jell-O. Once you’ve made it, put the lids on and you can easily stack them in the frig. If I keep this made, we both tend to eat this at night when the munchies strike and stay away from the chips and ice cream.
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Simple Saturday – Hasselback Potatoes

Welcome to Simple Saturday!

Today I have a fun simple side for you …

Hasselback Potatoes

Scrub baking potatoes

Stick metal skewers through the bottoms lengthwise
(so you won’t accidentally cut all the way through the potato)

Cut thin slices all the way along the potatoes

Rub with olive oil

Slather tops with butter, minced garlic, and parsley
(I don’t think the original version had garlic – I’m Italian, everything has garlic!)

Bake just as you would a baked potato

Wouldn’t these look pretty next to a nice steak and some greens?
Eat and enjoy!

Visit me over at Seaside Simplicity for more simple recipes.

Have a great weekend!

POTATO PANCAKES

3+ cups peeled, grated & squeezed* potatoes
1 large bunch green onions, minced or 1 small Vidalia onion, minced
1/2 cup self rising flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
4 tablespoons butter, melted

  • Sift together the flour, salt and pepper.
  • Whisk together the buttermilk, egg and butter until smooth.
  • Whisk in the flour mixture until well blended.
  • Fold in the potatoes and onions.
  • Drop onto hot griddle and make your pancakes.
  • Serve with applesauce and sour cream or with the Sauerbraten gravy.

*I use a flour cloth towel as my base. I grate the potatoes on top of it and then bring all the corners together like a knapsack wrapping the potatoes inside. I continue to tighten the turns until I squeezed all the moisture from the potatoes.
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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), remove the yucky for you condensed soup and then I also discovered Joanne at Eats well with Others who is hosting BSI for this month – talk about perfect timing!

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 garlic!
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GARLIC SMASHERS

GARLIC SMASHERS
6-8 small YUKON potatoes, skin on
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 stick butter, melted
4 cloves minced garlic
olive oil

  • Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
  • Scrub potatoes
  • Boil potatoes until tender
  • Generously spread olive oil on cookie sheet
  • Sprinkle with a little sea salt
  • Space potatoes a couple of inches apart
  • With a potato masher, SMASH each potato
  • Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika
  • Melt butter and whisk butter and garlic together
  • Pour a tablespoon of butter mixture over each potato
  • Bake 30 minutes or until tops are crispy

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BACON CHEESEBURGER HAMBURGER HELPER NOT!!


BACON CHEESEBURGER HAMBURGER HELPER NOT!!
6 bacon strips cooked crisp and crumbled
1 1/2 pounds hamburger
1 small Vidalia onion, chopped
2 cups green giant frozen corn, thawed
2 large Yukon potatoes, sliced
Land o’ Lakes American Cheese Slices

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Toss bacon and corn together.
  • Layer potatoes over top.
  • Generously salt and pepper the potatoes.
  • Place a thin layer of cheese slices over potatoes.
  • Brown hamburger and onions together. Salt and pepper well while meat is browning. Drain off fat.
  • Layer over the potatoes and top with another layer of potatoes.
  • Salt and pepper again and layer with another layer of cheese.
  • Cover and bake for 45 minutes.
  • Uncover and bake another 15 minutes.

**I like to make this and the ITALIAN SAUSAGE BAKE back to back (that way I also have 2 meals ready to go with half the mess) so the left over bits of browned sausage and caramelized onion add flavor to the hamburger.
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Italian Sausage Bake

ITALIAN SAUSAGE BAKE
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, (no casings)
1 small Vidalia Onion, chopped
2 large Yukon potatoes, chopped
1 cup baby carrots, halved
1 can diced tomatoes with herbs
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning mix
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Brown sausage and onion. Drain off grease.
  • Place sausage in the bottom of a 9×9 casserole.
  • Drain tomatoes, reserving juice.
  • Toss together the potatoes and carrots and layer over the sausage and onion mix.
  • Top with the tomatoes.
  • Whisk together the tomato juice, ricotta cheese and seasoning
  • Pour over top of everything.
  • Top with mozzarella cheese.
  • Bake 45 minutes or until potatoes are done.
For some reason hubby loves Hamburger helper. Must be left over from his bachelor days. Now I can’t have pre-prepared foods due to health issue so I made him a substitute recipe that tastes even better. I make it in advance too which makes a great weeknight casserole ready to pop in the oven when you get home. Hubby likes the texture of Velveeta, but I find it a bit rubbery. So I tried Land of Lakes American cheese and it slices great while still giving you that smooth creamy cheese texture when it melts.

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