Good morning to you, good morning to you. Our requests this morning are also on repeat: vinegar rice, recipes and recommendations for the air fryer, and how to make best use of our new Trader Joe's. What are their best products, and how does one use them in recipes and in menus?
CASSEROLE 1: EGGS
The casserole topic is, well, on a roll. Today you will discover a breakfast casserole, a beef dish and a rice version. Jim Sparks described the recipe he sent as "a tasty breakfast casserole that a freezes well." And that of course does not mean it's just for breakfast. Breakfast-supper, after all, is a Southern tradition.
Egg Casserole
5 eggs, beaten
16 ounces of 2% cottage cheese
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (4-ounce) can of chopped green chilies
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup crumbled fully cooked turkey breakfast sausage
1/4 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Dash of cayenne
Salt and pepper
Heat oven to 400 degrees, and spray baking dish with spray oil. Mix eggs, cottage cheese, Cheddar, chilies, butter, sausage, flour, baking powder, cayenne, salt and pepper together, and pour into prepared baking dish.
Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking 25 to 30 minutes more.
CASSEROLE 2: BEEF
Mary Ann McInturff's casserole is aimed at a particular expectant mother and at her aunt, who wanted to fill her niece's freezer for the sleepless days ahead.
Ms. McInturff explained, "This is easy to make, makes enough for two 8- by 11-inch casseroles, and freezes beautifully, though I leave off the cheese toppings until ready to thaw and cook.
"I usually leave off the Cheddar cheese and just top with mozzarella and Parmesan (yes, Kraft is fine here)."
Beef Lombardi
While it may sound like a fancy dish, Beef Lombardi is simply a mixture of ground beef and chopped tomatoes that is spooned over a mixture of creamy noodles, topped with cheese, and baked. It's a great make-ahead dish because you can assemble the casserole and freeze it for up to one month.
1 pound lean ground beef
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 (6-ounce) package medium egg noodles
6 green onions, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (optional)
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
Garnish: fresh parsley sprigs
Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat 5 to 6 minutes, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain.
Stir in chopped tomatoes and next 4 ingredients; cook 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and bay leaf, and simmer 30 minutes.
Cook egg noodles according to package directions; drain.
Stir together cooked egg noodles, chopped green onions and sour cream until blended.
Place noodle mixture in bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top with beef mixture; sprinkle evenly with cheeses.
Bake, covered with aluminum foil, at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Uncover casserole and bake 5 more minutes. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Note: Freeze casserole up to 1 month, if desired. Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Bake as directed.
To lighten: Substitute low-fat or fat-free sour cream and 2% reduced-fat Cheddar cheese. Reduce amount of cheeses on top to 1/2 cup each.
Makes 6 servings.
Source: Southern Living magazine, 2003
CASSEROLE 3: RICE
Barbara Mann's contribution is a meatless casserole that adds taste and texture to regular rice. "This is very, very old and well used."
Rice Casserole
3/4 stick butter
6 ounces canned mushrooms
1 can water chestnuts, drained
1/2 can water (use juice from water chestnuts and mushrooms instead of the water)
1 can condensed French onion soup
1/2 cup regular uncooked rice
Melt butter in casserole at 325 degrees. Add mushrooms and water chestnuts. Add water or juices from can, French onion soup and rice. Stir together. Cover and bake approximately 1 1/2 hours.
REMINISCENCES
Thus ends, until next week's hash brown casserole, today's casserole delivery.
A couple of readers' recent reminiscences brought forth a Christmas memory from teacher Rhonda McDaniel. She described one treasured gift and ended with a reminder of the best gifts teachers receive.
"Teachers gifts were always appreciated. The best teacher gift ever given to me was one year in mid-December. It was a chicken casserole and a bowl of green beans. Teachers are very tired in December. My infant son was not yet sleeping through the night, and I had been at school all week teaching during the day and helping with the annual PTO Christmas program rehearsals in the evenings. I'm pretty sure I cried when she gave me the meal. I went home and played with my son while the dinner heated in the oven. I ate and headed back to school for the PTO program. My family had been eating fast food all week. This was our first vegetable in days.
"That mom gave me dinner and extra time with my baby. Thank you, Mrs. Caswell. I hope Samantha and Harper know that their mom is a wise and wonderful woman. Whatever you give or do not give teachers is OK with us. The best gifts come from your children and not in the form of high standardized test scores or perfect behavior."
Enough said.
JUST A DASH
Jane Guthrie, a kitchen expert for many years, opened her missive with this wish, "May it be a better year for the whole world."
Yes. And yes again. Her letter contained shopping information, ingredients and the easiest cooking instructions. All you need to add is your version of ham, cornbread and beans.
Ms. Guthrie began, "Out typical New Year's meal of ham, cornbread, beans and greens was good, and it was so much easier this time. At least the greens were.
"All I had to do was open a package, season them, add water, put the lidded dish in the microwave and they were ready in 5 minutes.
"They were 'SuperFit Greens, Southern Greens, Farmer Owned and Farmer Grown.' This is a plastic package of collards, turnips and mustard greens, chopped and ready to go in 5 minutes. I found the package in the fresh-vegetable aisle at the Signal Mountain Road Walmart. No washing, tearing off the stems and chopping.
"Some of these new age 'ready to go' products are great. Add a little ham flavor (I use Better Than Bouillon ham flavor); it doesn't take much."
TO FINISH
Though Fare Exchange begins with requests, we often end with more of same. In truth, what the rest of us are really after is this: "What is on your culinary mind, in your fruitful kitchen, on the groaning board that is your dining table?"
Will you tell us?
REQUESTS
- Vinegar rice
- Air fryer tips and recipes
- What to try at Trader Joe's
TO REACH US
Fare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send, and know we cannot test the recipes printed here.
Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
Email: chattfare@gmail.com
Jane Henegar