Cherry Crisp

Cherry Crisp

Monday, December 26, 2011

Homemade Cough Syrup

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons water

Mix ingredients. Take by the teaspoon as often as needed for cough.

Do not give to infants under 12 months due to the honey. Makes 4-8 doses.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Pineapple Crisp

1 1/2 cups flaked coconut (I used 1 cup coconut and 1/2 cup rolled oats)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/8 teaspoon salt
FILLING:
3/4 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained ( I used fresh chopped pineapple combined with bottled juice to make 10 oz.)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (I omitted this and it was fine)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine


In a bowl, combine the coconut, flour, brown sugar, butter and salt. Press 1-1/2 cups into a greased 9-in. square baking pan; set remaining mixture aside.
In a saucepan, combine the filling ingredients. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Cool; spread over crust. Sprinkle with reserved coconut mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
If you double the recipe it fits a 9x13 pan nicely. We served this with whipped cream and it was very yummy.

Turkish Dumpling (Manti)

Dough: 3-3 ½ cups flour
1 egg
2/3 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp salt to taste

Filling:½ lb ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped/shredded
½ tsp salt to taste
½ tsp black pepper

For cooking:
8 cups water
1 tsp salt

Sauce:2 cups yogurt
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
¼ tsp salt to taste
3-4 tbsp butter/oil
1 tbsp tomato paste/2/3 tsp paprika
2-3 tbsp water
Dried mint
Sumac


In a bowl place the flour, crack the egg and add the salt and water. Then knead till you get a firm and smooth dough. Knead for about 8-10 minutes. Make sure to make it firm to flatten easily later. Cover it with a damp towel or cloth and leave for a rest (15-30 minutes).
Meanwhile in a plate mix all the filling ingredients and set aside.
Divide the dough into 2-3 pieces, take one piece and place on the floured counter. Cover the rest of the dough. Then with a rolling pin flatten the dough as thin as you can (as thick as the ridge of a knife). Then, cut it with a knife or roulette into ¾ inch (1 ½-2 cm) square pieces. Then place ¼ tsp filling over each square. Then stick the both traverse edges diagonally, by pressing with your finger tips. Do the same procedure for the remaining dough.
For cooking, boil the water in a big pot and add salt. Then add all the manti into the boiling water. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon to prevent them sticking to each other. Make sure not to close the lid. Cook over medium heat till manti gets soft (for about 10-15 minutes).
Meanwhile prepare the sauce. In a bowl mix yogurt, salt and garlic. In a small pan; melt the butter/oil and stir in tomato paste and water. Cook for 2 minutes over low heat. If you prefer using paprika, just add paprika into melted butter/oil and turn the heat off after one minute. Do not add water while using paprika.
Drain the cooked manti and transfer it into serving plates. Let it cool for a while and pour the yogurt sauce over. Finally pour about one tbsp of butter/oil mixture all over (adjust the amount as you like). And if desired sprinkle some dried mint and sumac over the Turkish Dumplings.
This recipe makes 6-7 servings.

We made this when we studied the country of turkey in school.

If you want to head over to the site where I found this recipe to see pictures if you need any clarification, go here: turkishfoodandrecipes.com

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Maple Baked Beans

4 cups water
1 pound dried navy or butter beans (I used red kidney beans)
1 Tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, sliced
1½ teaspoons salt
1 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ginger

Preheat oven to 350° F .
Add water and beans to a large pot.
Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 2 hours.
Drain the beans, reserving 2 cups of the liquid. (Add water to make 2 cups, if necessary.)
In a small skillet, melt the butter.
Add the onions and sauté until golden, about 7 to 10 minutes.
Add the onion, salt, maple syrup, dry mustard, and ginger to the beans, and transfer mixture to a large baking pot.
Cover the pot and bake in the middle of the oven for 2 hours.
Occasionally check the beans and add more water, if necessary.
After 2 hours, uncover the beans and bake an additional 30 to 45 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.
Let stand about 10 minutes before serving hot.
Serves 10 to 12.

I paired this dish with the Ojibway Wild Rice when we studied the USA. Much tastier than maple baked beans from a can!

Ojibwa Wild Rice

1 cup wild rice
2½ cups water
1½ teaspoons salt
4 strips bacon cut into small pieces
6 eggs
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons chives, minced
⅓ cup bacon drippings
Melted butter

Place the wild rice, water, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until all the water is absorbed.
Meanwhile, brown the bacon in a large skillet.
Remove the bacon from the skillet and drain it on paper towels.
Save the bacon drippings from the skillet.
Pour the eggs into a mixing bowl and add ½ teaspoon of the salt and the pepper.
Pour the eggs into the skillet where the bacon was browned, and brown the eggs lightly.
Turn them over gently and brown on the other side.
When the eggs are firm, cut them into narrow strips.
Lightly toss the bacon, egg strips, chives, bacon drippings (plus melted butter or margarine to make ⅓ cup) with the cooked rice.
Serve hot.
Makes 4 servings.

This recipe was used when we studied the United States of America, particularly the Great Lakes region. I paired this dish with Maple Baked beans a dish I found under the heading of USA Native Americans

Cultural Dishes

We are currently homeschooling our boys in grade 2 and kindergarten. We try to once a week do a brief study about a different country. We study the country's map, where it is in the world, it's flag, a story or a missionary from that country and the most fun - the food! We have found many good recipes on this journey and in the following posts I will share some of the great new dishes we have enjoyed!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Zucchini Honey Cake

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups liquid honey
1 cup oil
2 cups finely shredded zucchini
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour, sifted
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup choppednuts or 1 cup raisins or 1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Set oven rack to second lowest position.
Oil and flour 2 medium or 3 mini loaf pans. ( I used a 9x13 baking pan)
In a mixing bowl using an electric mixer beat eggs well; add honey and oil, beat until well combined.
Add zucchini and vanilla, mix.
Sift dry ingredients, then add to egg mixture.
Fold in nuts/raisins/chocolate chips.
Pour batter into prepared pan about 3/4 full.
Bake for about 50 minutes or until cake tests done.




Butter Honey Wheat Bread

1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 package active dry yeast - (1/4 oz) or 1 tsp. fast acting yeast

Put ingredients into bread machine in the order suggested by the machine's
manufacturer. Process for large (1 1/2 pound) loaf, wheat setting.

This recipe yields a 1 1/2 pound loaf.

Natural sugars

We are trying something new this week. We are trying to take out refined sugars from our diet as much as possible and replace it with natural sugars such as honey, maple syrup and granulated whole cane sugar. I would love for myself to get rid of my body's dependency on sugar as a whole. We are trying to follow the steps outlined in this blog to do just that. http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/2011/01/slay-the-sugar-monster-in-four-doable-steps/
We'll see how this goes as my body does not tolerate pasteurized dairy these days. Or could it be the refined sugars that are causing the headaches? I must say that our food tastes much better when using butter, whole milk and whipping cream. I was told by Sarah "the healthy home economist" that usually people tolerate raw unpasteurized milk even if they can't tolerate store bought milk. I grew up drinking raw milk and never experienced headaches. It makes one think.... Unfortunately it does not seem like one can buy raw milk in Manitoba, oh politics, need I say more? We'll see how this goes. I'll keep you all posted.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Frosted Rhubarb Coconut Cookies

Cookie:
1 cup margarine
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups diced rhubarb
3/4 cup flaked coconut

Cream shortening and sugar till fluffy, beat in eggs. Combine flour, soda and salt. Gradually add this to creamed mixture and mix well. Fold in rhubarb and coconut. Drop by tbsp. full onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-14 minutes. Let cool on pan for a minute before removing from the pan. Makes 3 - 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Frosting:
3 oz. package cream cheese
1 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 cup icing sugar
3 tsp. vanilla

Mix frosting in order given and ice cooled cookies.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Tasty Lentil Tacos

1 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup salsa
12 taco shells or tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
6 tablespoons fat free sour cream


In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly.
Stir in salsa. Spoon about 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream.
I did not stir the salsa into the lentils. We added the salsa to the tacos as desired.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

3 lg. eggs
2 c. white sugar
3/4 c. oil
1/2 c. cocoa
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
2 c. zucchini, shredded
2 1/2 c. flour
Chocolate chips

Beat egg, add sugar, oil, and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add. Stir in zucchini. Spoon into greased and floured sheet cake pan. Sprinkle chips over top. (To make a cake, bake in a 9 x 13 inch pan.) Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Rhubarb Slush

8 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups sugar
8 cups water
4 oz strawberry jello

Boil rhubarb, sugar, and water for 10 - 15 min. Strain and discard pulp. Add jello. Cool first on counter, then freeze. Serve partially thawed with equal portion 7-Up or Ginger Ale.

Makes about 10 cups of slush.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Chicken 'n' Biscuits

1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup cream soup substitute mix plus 1 tsp. chicken bouillon OR 1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. water
1 (16 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken ( I used 2 chicken breasts)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (I used cheddar as I didn't have any parmesan)
BISCUITS:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk or water
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley


In a saucepan, saute onion in oil until tender. Stir in flour, basil and pepper until blended. Gradually stir in milk and Worcestershire sauce until smooth. Add cream soup and water. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in vegetables, chicken and Parmesan cheese; reduce heat to low.
Meanwhile, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Combine milk, oil and parsley; stir into dry ingredients just until combined. Transfer hot chicken mixture to a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish. Drop biscuit batter by rounded tablespoonfuls onto chicken mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F for 30-40 minutes or until biscuits are lightly browned.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Rhubarb Pudding Cake

3-4 cups diced fresh or frozen rhubarb
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
TOPPING:
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Place rhubarb in a greased 8-in. square baking pan. In a small bowl, mix flour, sugar, milk, butter, baking powder, salt and vanilla (mixture will be stiff). Spread over rhubarb. For topping, combine sugar and cornstarch. Sprinkle over dough. Pour water over all; do not stir. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-65 minutes or until pudding tests done.

The pudding forms a nice crispy top with a moist flavourful bottom! This can be served with ice cream but it tastes delicious on it's own! I think that this would also taste great as a strawberry-rhubarb pudding. I'll have to try it out come strawberry season.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Rhubarb Crunch Cake

This is my husband's all time favorite rhubarb dessert!

3-4 cups rhubarb pieces
1 small package (3 oz.) red jello (we like strawberry)
1 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix rhubarb and jello together and set aside. Mix margarine and sugar in separate bowl. Add eggs to sugar mixture and beat well. Stir in sour cream, and remaining dry ingredients. Fold rhubarb mixture into batter. Put into 9x13" pan. Mix together and sprinkle on top of the cake:

1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. white sugar
1-2 tsp. cinnamon depending on taste (our family loves cinnamon)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional - this tastes just fine without nuts)

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until done.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Slow Cooker Texas Pulled Pork

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 (4 pound) pork shoulder roast
1 cup barbeque sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar - scant
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 extra large onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
8 hamburger buns, split
2 tablespoons butter, or as needed

Pour the vegetable oil into the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the pork roast into the slow cooker; pour in the barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, and chicken broth. Stir in the brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, onion, garlic, and thyme. Cover and cook on High until the roast shreds easily with a fork, 5 to 6 hours.
Remove the roast from the slow cooker, and shred the meat using two forks. Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker, and stir the meat into the juices.
Spread the inside of both halves of hamburger buns with butter. Toast the buns, butter side down, in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Spoon pork into the toasted buns. (We did not toast the buns since I baked fresh buns this morning)

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Baked Farmer Sausage and Potatoes

2 lbs frozen farmer sausage (I used one ring)
4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/2 inch thick
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 3-4 pieces each

Gravy:
sausage drippings
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup milk (this works with soy milk as well)
salt and pepper

If desired, peel frozen farmer sausage. (The best way is to hold it under a trickle of warm water.) Break sausage into 4-6 chunks. Place potatoes and carrots into a roaster or large casserole dish. Add water to cover the bottom of the dish. Place frozen sausage chunks over top (so drippings will flavour the vegetables), cover, and bake at 375F for 1-1/4 hours. Remove from oven and drain juices from casserole dish into a saucepan. (You may want to put the sausage and vegetables in a serving dish now and keep warm in the oven.). For gravy: Mix flour and milk together, adding milk gradually so a paste forms and slowly gets thicker -- you don't want lumps! (Actually, a Tupperware gravy shaker works best for this. You can just throw it all together and shake it up without worrying about lumps at all.). Add milk mixture to drippings and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until gravy is thickened. (Depending on how much water content your sausage had, you may need to add a little more flour or milk to achieve the desired thickness.). Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Serves 4-5

I also have started making this in the crock pot! Layer the veggies on the bottom, add about 1 cup water and put sausage on top. Cook on low 8 hours.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Chicken and Tortellini Stew

2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes
1 cup frozen sliced carrots
1 cup frozen cut green beans or peas
1 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon Herb and Garlic dip mix
1 teaspoon garlic powder
6 cups Chicken Broth
1 cup dried cheese-filled tortellini
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Stir the cornstarch and water in a small cup until smooth. Set the mixture aside.
Heat oil in a 6-quart saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until it's well browned, stirring often.
Add the carrots, beans and onions. Stir in the broth. Heat to a boil. Simmer 15 minutes. Add the tortellini and parsley, if desired. Cook for 10 minutes or until the tortellini is tender.
Stir the cornstarch mixture and stir it into the saucepot. Cook and stir until the mixture boils and thickens slightly.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Pigs in a Blanket

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces (I used margarine)
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional, we omitted the cheese)
3/4 cup buttermilk (I used skim milk with a dash of vinegar added)
18 miniature hot dogs ( I cut 8 regular hot dogs in half and baked the last two biscuits without meat)

1 Heat the over to 400ºF. Grease a large baking sheet. Sift the dry ingredients (flour through salt) into a mixing bowl.
2 Rub the butter pieces into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly. Stir in cheese until evenly distributed.
3 Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Let the dough sit for 3 minutes.
4 Sprinkle the dough with flour and stir once or twice then turn out onto a well floured counter.
5 With floured hands, pat the dough into a 15 by 7 inch rectangle, trimming the sides if necessary to get a true rectangle. (Handle the dough as little as possible for tenderness).
6 Using a pizza cutter, slice the rectangle into thirds horizontally then slice each third into thirds vertically, this will give you 9 small rectangles. Slice each rectangle diagonally into two thin triangles.
7 One at a time, roll up the sausages in the triangles. Place pointy side down on greased cookie sheet.
8 Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, until golden brown.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

2 cups shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons milk
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice


Cream shortening, white sugar and pumpkin. Add eggs and mix well. Sift together the baking soda, spices, salt and flour. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
Drop from spoon to cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
To Make Frosting: Cook butter, milk, and brown sugar until dissolved. Cool and add confectioners' sugar, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla. Spread over warm cookies.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Friesen Fruits Website

My husband Kyle and I have started a fruit orchard business on our property. If you love some of our favourite recipes and live in Southern Manitoba, check out our website to see if we are selling some of your favourite produce! You can visit us at http://www.friesenfruits.com

Lentil Soup with Lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
1 (32 ounce) carton chicken broth
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, diced
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion has turned golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon of chili powder. Cook and stir 2 minutes more until the spices are fragrant.
Stir in the chicken broth, lentils, and carrot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.
Pour half of the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot. Do not puree all of the soup, leave it a little chunky.
Stir in the lemon juice and serve.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Ham Tetrazzini

2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 tsp. Herb and Garlic Dip Mix (optional but highly recommended)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese or mozza/ swiss blend
1 cup diced ham
6 ounces spaghetti or broad egg noodles
2 cups frozen veggies


Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, saute chopped onion in butter until tender.
Stir in cream of mushroom soup, water, seasoning, veggies and shredded cheese. Heat mixture until cheese melts, stirring often.
Add ham, cooked and drained pasta.
Stir until heated through, add extra cheese on top if desired. Serve hot!

Monday, January 31, 2011

Asian Sesame Stir Fry

225 g (1/4 of 900-g pkg.) spaghetti, uncooked
1/2 cup Kraft Signature Asian Sesame Dressing
3/4 lb. (340 g) uncooked peeled deveined large shrimp or whatever meat you like
1 Tbsp. grated ginger root (I used a few dashes of ground ginger)
1/2 lb. (225 g) snow peas, stems removed or your favourite veggie blend (I used a frozen Thai veggie blend instead of fresh veggies)
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
2 Tbsp. lite soy sauce
4 Tbsp. Kraft Smooth Peanut Butter
2 green onions, sliced
1 Tbsp. sesame seed (I used 1/4 cup toasted whole almonds)

COOK spaghetti as directed on package. Stir together dressing, peanut butter and soya sauce. Add ground ginger, if using ginger root fry with meat when meat is almost done.Meanwhile, fry meat in frying pan. Once cooked add veggies and sauce. Cook on medium heat about 5 minutes or until veggies are tender crisp. Add last two ingredients when ready to eat.

DRAIN spaghetti. Serve topped with shrimp mixture.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

"Mennonite Lasagna"

9 Lasagna Noodles either boiled as per directions on box or the ready bake variety
2 cups creamed cottage cheese
1 egg
1/4 tsp. dried onion flakes or onion salt
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 cups cooked mashed potatoes
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried onion flakes or onion salt
1 tbsp. Epicure cheese chives and bacon dip mix (optional)
1/8 tsp. pepper

Line 8x10 baking dish with 3 noodles. In medium bowl mix cottage cheese, egg, and first amount of onion flakes. Spoon over noodles and spread. I saved about 1/2 cup of the cottage cheese mixture for the top of the lasagna. Other topping option is to put fried onions on top. Cover with another layer of noodles. Mix together cheddar cheese, seasonings and mashed potatoes. Spread over noodles. Cover with layer of noodles. Top with left over cottage cheese and grated cheddar cheese or fried onions. Bake 30 minutes in 350 degree oven. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Can be served with sour cream if desired.

Cheesy Pepperoni Bake

1 - 3.5 oz. package sliced pepperoni, divided (I have used farmer sausage cubed or summer sausage sliced instead of pepperoni)
1 - 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 - 10.5 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 - 8 oz. package of elbow macaroni (I've used what ever small sized pasta I have)
1 - 8 oz. package shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup water

Reserving several pepperoni slices for garnish, combine remaining pepperoni, tomatoes, soup, uncooked macaroni, 1 cup cheese and water in a 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese on top. Garnish with reserved pepperoni. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours ( I usually prepare this around 10 am and am able to have supper around 5 pm) to allow macaroni to absorb liquids. Bake covered casserole in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer or until heated through and cheese is bubbly. Serves about 6.