Recipes

If you like breakfast casseroles, you'll love these breakfast casserole pancakes.

Breakfast Casserole Pancakes

The contents of one Betty Crocker Loaded Potato Single Serving Bowl

3/4 cup water

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup chopped ham

2 slices of onion, chopped

milk 

Butter & shredded Cheddar cheese, for topping

In a sm. to med. sized mixing bowl, combine potato mix, water, eggs, ham and onion. Add enough milk to give mixture the consistency of pancake mix. Coat skillet with oil, heat, and pour mixture as with pancakes. When edges turn dull, flip pancakes and top with a thin pat of butter and a sprinkling of Cheddar cheese. Makes 6 - 8 med. pancakes.

I used to make Lasagna by starting with the Chef-Boyardee Lasagna kit and adding ground beef, Mozzarella Cheese, Cottage Cheese, Parmesan Cheese and a little catsup. I loved the taste and it was easy to prepare. Then a terrible thing happened. Chef-Boyardee stopped making their Lasagna kit.  That was several years ago and I've been searching for a Lasagna recipe that tastes similar and is easy to prepare ever since.  I finally found one I am happy with.

Sheila's Lasagna

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground pork sausage

1 onion chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

(Mix these 4 ingredients together in a lg. frying pan, brown, drain and set aside.)

1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 15 ounce can tomato sauce

2 Tbsp. parsley flakes

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/3 cup catsup

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dried basil

(Cook these ingredients for one hour to make sauce.  Mash sauce with potato masher to break up tomato pieces, then add sauce to meat mixture.)

3 cups small curd cottage cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp. parsley flakes

1 teaspoon oregano flakes

1 tsp. salt

(mix these ingredients together and set aside)

3/4 pound shredded Mozzarella cheese

Additional Parmesan for sprinkling layers

1 Pkg. Lasagna noodles cooked according to directions.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a deep 9" x 13" pan start with a little meat mixture on the bottom of the pan to keep noodles from sticking then layer noodles, meat sauce, cottage cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese until ingredients are used up, ending with Mozzarella and Parmesan.  Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until top of Lasagna is nicely browned.

Banana Nut Bread
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or use a baking mix like Bisquick, and omit baking powder and baking soda below)
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil (can substitute melted butter, margarine, or shortening)
2 extra large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream (can substitute milk or mayonnaise)
1teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup mashed banana ( this is approximately 2 bananas)
1/3 cup walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix all dry ingredients together until well blended.
Mash bananas and add oil, eggs, sour cream and vanilla and mix until fairly smooth with electric mixer.
Add banana mixture to dry ingredients and blend well, stir in nuts and pour into a greased and floured 4" x 8" loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean.

Starter Quick Bread Recipe
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Sugar (for sweet bread - 2/3 cup, for cheese or herb breads - 2 Tablespoons)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil, or melted butter, margarine or shortening
2 extra large eggs
1/4 to 1 cup sour cream, milk or mayonnaise depending on main ingredient. (1/4 cup if main ingredient is wet like bananas or apples, 2/3-3/4 cup for slightly moist main ingredient like cheese, 1 cup if main ingredient is dry).
1 teaspoon vanilla (for sweet breads only) other extracts and be added or substituted. For example - maple, rum, orange, lemon, etc.
2/3 cup main ingredient (zucchini, carrots, cheese, apples, etc.)
Herbs and spices can be added in amounts ranging from 1/4 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon depending on potency. As a general rule, when using fresh herbs, multiply the amount of dried or ground herbs you would normally use by three.
Mix dry and wet ingredients separately, then blend together.  Stir in nuts, chips, raisins, etc. Pour into greased and floured 4"x8" loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean.

The following is a new-to-me recipe that I tried for the first time a couple of months ago.  It is delicious with any combination of cheeses and main ingredient.

Cheesy Zucchini Casserole

4 slices of bread

¼ cup butter

2 cups cubed zucchini

1 large onion chopped

1tsp. garlic salt or seasoning

1 egg beaten

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese or combination of cheeses.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place bread cubes in a medium bowl and pour melted butter and beaten egg over the bread and blend.  Add the zucchini, onion, and garlic salt and mix well.  Transfer mixture to a 9X13 inch baking dish and top with the cheese.

Cover and bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes, then uncover the dish and bake for another 30 minutes.

This is also good with cooked pork sausage, ground beef or cubed ham added and the zucchini can be exchanged for another vegetable or pasta.

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

2-1/4 cups All Purpose Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Salt

1 Cup Crisco (butter flavored or plain)

¾ Cup Sugar

¼ Cup Brown Sugar, packed

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

2 Large Eggs

2 Cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 375.  In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  In a larger bowl combine butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract; beat until creamy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Gradually add flour mixture.  Mix well before stirring in Semi-0Sweet Chocolate Chips.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls of dough onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Makes about 3-4 dozen 2 inch cookies.

Multi Grain Cranberry & Walnut Muffins

1 7.4 oz pkg. Martha White’s Honey Bran Muffin Mix

1/2 cup English Walnut pieces

1/2 cup Dried Cranberries (or raisins if you prefer)

1 - 4.4 oz. serving Minute Ready to Serve Multi Grain Medley

1/8 cup honey

1 cup 2% Milk

Mix ingredients in order given. Spoon into greased muffin tin.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes one dozen medium muffins

Calories per muffin - 154

Grams of fiber per muffin - 2.6

Great as is or buttered with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

For a lighter version, use skim milk and omit the honey and cranberries.

A Family Recipe

The following recipe is a family holiday recipe handed down from my grandmother. The story goes that my great aunt asked the owner of a well know area restaurant if she could have a copy of his recipe for his famous fudge cake. This would have been sometime in the 1930s. Evidently, the owner said "yes" she could have the recipe for $50. My great aunt was angered by what she considered an outrageous price but bought the recipe, and then turned around and gave it away free to everyone she knew. (Someone recently told me that this is an urban ledgend about red velvet cake. Now I'm confused and have no idea if this story told to me by my mother is true of a fantasy. Maybe the urban ledgend began with my aunt LOL)

 My grandmother brought this cake to Christmas dinner for as long I as can remember until she passed away in the 1981. The consistency of this cake is similar to a moist brownie or fruit cake. The black walnuts add lots of zing. It's heavy, nutty, and heavenly. 

Grandma Gussies Lazarus Fudge Cake

Mix in order given

Bake in 275 degree oven about 1.5 hours.

1/8 Pound Butter

2 Cups Sugar

2 Egg Yolks

2 Cups Flour

2 Tablespoons Baking Powder

2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract

1/1/2 Cups Milk

4 Squares Bitter Chocolate (melted0

2 Egg Whites (stiffly beaten)

1 Cup Black Walnuts

Icing:

Cocoa, vanilla, butter, confectioners sugar, and milk.