Eat Drink and Blog » Comfort Food

Marilou’s Casserole

avasmommy — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:32:08 +0000

I’m sure when this recipe started out it had a proper name, but I have no idea what it is. I call it Marilou’s Casserole after my beloved late Aunt Marilou who was my second, and sometimes first mom growing up. She made it for us countless times during my childhood. This is grub…good old fashioned comfort food. It’s not pretty, but it’s warm, filling and delicious. Serve with a salad and some warm garlic bread and you have a feast fit for any cold winter night, or anytime you need some food love.

1 lb ground beef
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp ketchup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 ½ cup uncooked macaroni
2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef, drain. Put back in pan, add the tomato, onion, bell pepper, Worcestershire, and ketchup, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, then turn down heat to medium and let simmer for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook macaroni until done, pour into casserole dish, and mix with the cream of mushroom soup. Add in meat and sauce mixture, stir to combine and then top with the shredded cheese. Put into 350 degree oven for 30 min, or until mixture is bubbly and cheese is melted.

Peanut Butter French Toast

colerose — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:00:34 +0000

Ingredients

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
16 slices brioche or any bread will do
4 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 cup(s) cornflakes, finely crushed
4 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter
Confectioner’s sugar
4 cup(s) mixed berries

Directions
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with wax paper. Spread 1 tablespoon of the peanut butter on each of 8 slices of bread and cover with the remaining 8 slices, making sandwiches.
In a pie plate, beat the eggs with the cream and vanilla. In another pie plate, spread the crushed cornflakes. Lightly soak the sandwiches in the egg mixture, then dredge in the cornflakes, pressing to help them adhere. Transfer the sandwiches to the baking sheet.
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a very large skillet. Add 4 of the sandwiches (or as many as you can fit) and cook over moderate heat until crisp on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the half-cooked sandwiches to the baking sheet. Add another tablespoon of the butter to the skillet, flip the sandwiches back into the skillet and cook until crisp on the bottom. Transfer to the baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Wipe out the skillet and cook the remaining sandwiches. Dust finished toast with confectioner’s sugar. Top with berries.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

colerose — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:00:35 +0000

3 lbs cooked hamburger
1 lb cooked spicy ground sausage
6 cooked Italian link sausages (chopped)
1 onion
106 oz. tomato sauce
1 cup water
3 cloves garlic
1 can tomato paste
1 Tbsp pepper
1 Tbsp basil
1 Tbsp Oregano
2 packages spaghetti seasoning (dry mix)
Garlic, Garlic, Garlic (to taste)
Simmer in large stock pot or crock pot for 8 hours.

This freezes VERY well!

Slow Cooker Meat Sauce

charmedimsure — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:00:02 +0000

I realize I already posted a meat sauce recipe once, but this one is very different and just as good. As the recipe (which I borrowed from the Sept. 09 issue of Family Circle) is written, it tastes like pot roast sauce, which is good, but for my traditional-food loving husband, it was not quite right. To make it a little more “pasta sauce-y”, I think I’d prefer it with more of a tomato base, so I’m going to give you the original recipe, along with my recommended adjustments in italics (which, admittedly have not been tested, but are pretty safe bets nonetheless). We served this with whole wheat linguine (the refrigerated kind) and it was good to have a thicker pasta to hold up to the sauce. Add a salad and a garlic breadstick and you’re good to go.

Slow Cooker Meat Sauce

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped (make it 2)

1 large celery rib, chopped (make it 2)

1 medium-size onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 cup low-sodium beef broth (I would replace this with tomato sauce or at least 1/2 tomato sauce — or crushed tomatoes maybe)

1 1/2 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning

3/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes (These added nothing to the sauce, not sure what the point of such a small amount is)

1 1/4 lbs. beef chuck steak, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks (You could easily use less meat, maybe even half this much, especially if you’re making more of a tomato base, but keep the chunks big, you’ll be fishing them out later)

Put carrot, celery, onion and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped; place in the slow cooker bowl. Add diced tomatoes, broth (or tomato sauce), tomato paste and sugar to slow cooker. Add 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp. salt and the red pepper flakes. Stir in beef and cook on High for 5 hours or Low for 6 hours.

Using a slotted spoon, remove beef chunks from slow cooker and set aside. When cool enough to handle, shred beef and stir back into slow cooker. Add remaining 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning and 1/4 tsp. salt. Cook another 30 minutes.

Serve over pasta, with parmesan cheese, if desired.

Those Potatoes

colerose — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:00:41 +0000

I’m not sure why my family calls them “Those Potatoes” but they are good!

1 pkg shredded frozen hashbrowns
minced onions (to taste)
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
1 (16 oz) container sour cream
shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or whatever kind of cheese you like)

Mix soups and sour cream together in a large bowl and stir in hashbrowns and onions. Spread potato mixture into a greased cake pan and top with as much cheese as you like (I use a whole package).

Bake for 30 minutes at 350, or cover with foil and stick the pan on the grill for a half hour or so.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

colerose — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:00:34 +0000

Yum-o!

3 large, boneless chicken breasts (about 3-4 cups chicken)

4 – 6 cups chicken broth or equivalent water/bouillon (start with 4 and add more if necessary)

1 large jar medium Chili Con Queso Cheese Dip (20 oz -24 oz size)

2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies including juice

2 cans cream of celery soup (undiluted)

1 can black beans (drained)

1 can kernel corn (drained) or 1 ½ cups frozen corn

Grill or roast chicken breasts until cooked through. Set aside to cool. Mix remaining ingredients together in large pot and simmer. Dice up cooked chicken and add to mixture. Let simmer about 30 – 60 minutes. Serve topped with tortilla strips and grated cheese.

Options:

Top or add sour cream to soup

Top with green onions

Top with sliced green or black olives

Add chopped jalapeños to soup if more heat desired

Add salsa verde to top of soup or to soup itself for a hotter soup

Mom’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

PrincessJenn — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:08:41 +0000

Writing up this recipe brings back childhood memories of walking into the house and smelling fresh baked chocolate chip recipies. My mom loved to bake, but she has one unusual little quirk. Everything she bakes has coconut in it. Her bars, butter tarts, and yes, even her chocolate chip cookies. It really does add something to the flavor, though. And even after all these years, these are still my favorite cookies.

1/2 cup shortening (not quite)
1 tsp baking soda (not quite)
1/2 cup margarine or butter
4 tbsp hot water
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 cups cooking rolled oats
approx. 1 cup chocolate chips
approx 2 small handfuls of coconut

Cream shortening, butter, brown sugar and vanilla. Mix soda with hot water and add to creamed mixture. Combine dry ingredients (except chocolate chips and coconut) and add to creamed mixture. When it is almost combined then add the chocolate chips and coconut and continue to mix until it is all combined.

Drop by heaping teaspoonful (not overly and just packed a little) on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for approx 5 to 6 mins. Until a little golden brown, do not over bake or they will be dry.

PS. You don’t have to add coconut if you really don’t want to, but it does make them better

Fresh and Light Pineapple Cake

Colleen — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:04:14 +0000

One box angel food cake and one large can crushed pineapple in own juice! Mix together, pour into cake pan that has been sprayed with PAM. Follow cooking directions on box. I usually do 350 for about 20 minutes and then check it. You want it to be cooked through! YUM! Related posts:The Review of the [...] Related posts:

Meat Sauce

charmedimsure — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:00:33 +0000

My husband’s picky eating is not restricted to kinds of foods. It also extends to brands. For instance, the only spaghetti sauce he will be happy with (other than homemade) is Prego regular. Doesn’t matter what’s on sale or what I have a coupon for. Prego only. And Prego’s fine, but it’s a little meh after almost 12 years. So, I went searching for a recipe to jazz it up, using some ground beef I found in my freezer. And boy did I find a winner. We had it with whole wheat 4-cheese ravioli, with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top, but it would be unbelievable with literally any kind of pasta.

I adapted the following from a recipe I found on Recipezaar.com, which is an excellent recipe site if you’re not already familiar with it. It’s my favorite site for searching for specific ingredients, and they’ve never steered me wrong.

Meat Sauce
Adapted from a RecipeZaar.com recipe

1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 clove garlic
1/2 lb ground beef or ground turkey
1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
Splash of red wine
salt & fresh ground pepper

Using medium high heat preheat a large skillet that has been sprayed well with cooking spray or drizzled with enough olive oil to keep food from sticking.

Add the chopped onion, carrots and celery to the hot pan and sauté until the carrots, celery and onions become tender and the onions become translucent, about 8 minutes.

Add the meat and stir continuously to break up any large chunks.

Once the meat is browned drain all fat and add sauce, use a splash of red wine in the jar to loosen any excess sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook until the sauce thickens.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pasta and Vegetable Gratin (aka Mac ‘n Cheese)

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:00:33 +0000

This is one of my go-to recipes – easy, yummy, and oh, so delightful! A mouthful of comfort with every bite…

Ingedients:

1 pkg pasta (rotini, macaroni, ziti, shells)

Vegetables:

recipe recommended: 1 yellow squash, diced; 1 red bell pepper, diced; 2 scallions, sliced

Z recommended: cauliflower – the BEST veggie in Mac and cheese EVER! ; pepper of any sort ; a whole bunch o’ scallions ; and any other veggie you enjoy!

1 cup or package of grated cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (I’ve used salted before, though, too)

1 tablespoon flour

2 1/4 cups milk

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/7 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp dill

black pepper to taste

(And, this being me – any other spice to taste! I like red pepper flakes, myself…)

Cooking instructions:

Dice vegetables first and preheat oven to 400 F.

Make sauce (while also boiling pasta): melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and let bubble, whisking constantly until it turns beige. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and then add parmesan, dill, and pepper.

Cook pasta then drain; pour into pan. Stir in vegetables, then sprinkle on cheddar cheese and mix.

Pour sauce over pasta and toss lightly.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until brown on top.

Eat and ENJOY!