Casserole #6 - Lemonchick's Cheesy Sausage & Potato Casserole

 The Year of Casseroles

Casserole #6 - Lemonchick's Cheesy Sausage & Potato Casserole

This recipe is a creation of mine. You can substitute your favorite spicy seasoning in place of Penzey's Arizona Dreaming salt free seasoning if you like. Or even try your favorite seasoning. I hope you like it. 

Ingredients:

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 medium onion or 1/2 of a large onion, peeled and diced

1 green pepper, cored and cut into chunks

8oz andouli or Kielbasa sausage, sliced into about 1/4-1/2 inch slices

1 cup Monterrey Jack or Cheddar cheese, shredded, plus more to sprinkle on top

1 tsp or more to taste of Penzey Spice's Arizona Dreaming salt free seasoning

1 tsp Penzey Spice's dried minced garlic or fresh minced garlic

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cups white sauce:

  1/4 cup butter

  1/4 cup flour

  2 cups milk, heated 

  1/2 tsp salt

  1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boiling and cook the chunks of potato until they are fork soft (You don't want them mushy and you don't want them hard). Drain the potatoes and pour chunks into a large bowl. Cool while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Stir in sausage, green pepper and onion. Mix shredded cheese into white sauce, pour over the sausage & potato mixture and store to combine. Pour mixture into a greased, 3-qt casserole. Sprinkle with additional cheese and bake for 30 minutes. 

White Sauce: Melt butter on low. Blend in flour. Slowly stir heated milk. Add salt and pepper and stir. 

Lemonchick's Cheesy Sausage & Potato Casserole
Picture being supervised by Charley The Muffin Man

Casserole #5 - Summer Squash and Zucchini Casserole

 The Year of Casseroles

Casserole #5 - Summer Squash and Zucchini Casserole

    This recipe is from a 1989 Minute Rice (General Foods) cookbook. The original recipe calls for a 9-inch square casserole. However, I used a large round casserole dish. I believe it was a 3-qt dish. I added chili powder to the original recipe, but you could use whatever spicy seasoning you like, or make it like the original, without spicy seasoning. 

Ingredients:

2 medium yellow summer squash, diced

1 medium zucchini diced

1 small onion, peeled and chopped

1 1/2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup milk (I made this with the original 1 1/2 cups milk called for in the recipe. However, the casserole had so much liquid seeping out; it still tasted good, but was way too liquid-y)

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup Minute Rice (or generic quick cooking rice)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning or 1 tsp chili powder/spicy seasoning

1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Grease the casserole dish and pour the squash & zucchini mixture into the casserole dish. Bake for 35 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle extra Italian seasoning or chili powder/spicy seasoning over top when serving. Makes 6-8 servings.

*Note: If you want to try cooking the rice first, only use 1/2 cup of milk

Summer Squash and Zucchini Casserole

Summer Squash and Zucchini Casserole

Casserole #4 - Almond-Chicken Casserole

 The Year of Casseroles

Casserole #4 - Almond-Chicken Casserole

    Okay, so life has been crazy. I made this casserole over a month ago and am just now writing about it.  This recipe is in a Kraft Miracle Whip Cookbook in my collection and I am writing this without knowing where I set the cookbook down after making this (and like I said it's been over a month). So, I'll come back and add publishing date when I can. I liked this casserole. The almond slivers and celery gave this a nice crunch and the salad dressing gave it a creamy texture. The recipe calls for cooked chicken. I wanted to use chicken breast, but also wanted to use what I already had at home, which was thigh meat. It was fine, but I would recommend using chicken breast. Substitute your favorite cheese in place of Swiss cheese if you like. I served this casserole to three friends of mine and they all enjoyed it. Serve with a fresh side salad. 

Ingredients:

1 cup bread cubes (I actually wanted way more bread cubes, so I just about tripled it)

1 tbsp margarine (or butter), melted (Double or triple this ingredient if you are using more bread cubes)

3 cups chicken breast cut into chunks

1 cup Miracle Whip Salad Dressing (I used generic)

1 1/2 cups diagonally cut celery slices (It's okay if you don't cut the celery diagonally)

1/2 cup red or green sweet pepper strips (I used green)

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted (I forgot to toast the almonds and it turned out fine)

1/4 cup chopped onion

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 10x6 or other baking dish (I used a large casserole; sorry, I don't know the exact size; use your best judgement if you don't have a 10x6 dish). Combine bread cubes and margarine/butter in a good-sized bowl; toss lightly and set aside. In a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients, mixing lightly. Spoon into your baking dish and top with bread cubes. Bake for 30 minutes. Garnish as desired. Makes at least six servings. 

Almond-Chicken Casserole

Casserole #3 - Breakfast Casserole

 The Year of Casseroles

Casserole #3 - Breakfast Casserole

    I chose to "half" this recipe from 1999's The Centennial Harvest - A Collection of Recipes from The First Unitarian Church of Dallas. Per the directions, I prepared this casserole in the evening, covered with plastic and refrigerated overnight. First this morning, I pre-heated my oven, removed the casserole and the plastic, and baked for 40 minutes. I sprinkled with red pepper chili flakes. This casserole was yummy. I would recommend the recipe as I give it, especially if you are making this for one to four people. Double the recipe to serve eight to twelve people. Substitute spicy breakfast sausage like I did or use plain sausage. Also try turkey or chicken breakfast sausage. Serve with a sprinkle of red chili pepper flakes or drizzle your favorite salsa on top. 

Ingredients: 

1/2 lb breakfast sausage, browned

6 slices of bread

5 eggs

1/2 cup milk (I used oat milk)

1/2 cup grated/shredded cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In an 8x8 baking dish, lay four slices of bread. Tear the other two pieces of bread in half and squish the halves lengthwise on both sides of the first four slices. Sprinkle browned sausage crumbles evenly over the bread. In a small bowl mix eggs with milk, and salt and pepper; use a fork or whisk. Pour egg mixture over the bread and sausage. Evenly sprinkle cheese on top. Cover baking dish with plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate overnight.  In the morning, pre-heat oven to 350 F and bake uncovered for 40 to 60 minutes; until the center is set (for me that was 40 minutes). Cool slightly, cut into squares and loosen the edges with a knife. Serve squares of casserole with salsa or red chili pepper flakes. 

Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast Casserole 

Casserole #2 - Acapulco Casserole

 The Year of Casseroles

Casserole #2 - Acapulco Casserole

    Finally writing about this recipe, which I made almost a month ago. Life has been a whirlwind since the beginning of the year.  I found this Acapulco Casserole recipe in the Woman's Day - Plain & Francy Ground Beef Cookbook published in 1978. There are a ton of recipes in this book and I'd love to try more of them. I like that substitutions exist for ground beef. Maybe you don't eat red meat or maybe you just want a healthier meat substitute. For this recipe, I used ground turkey. Use whichever ground meat you prefer. I would say that I used a 3-quart casserole dish, instead of a 2-quart dish and I'm glad I did, because it was really full and I've no idea how it would have fit in a 2-quart dish. That said, although I liked this dish, it would be better to eat fresh; eat leftovers quickly. I had so much that I froze some of the casserole and I didn't like the texture of the tortillas in the casserole after it had been frozen.  I'm always glad I try a recipe, even when it is not a favorite. I did like the taste of this, so try it! Serve with a side salad. 

Ingredients:

1/2 to 1 lb - ground beef/turkey/chicken/pork

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 clove garlic (I love garlic, so I added more like a tablespoon of minced garlic)

1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp chili powder

16 oz red kidney beans, drained

16 oz creamed corn

1 cup tomato sauce

8 flour tortillas

1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheese (I used my favorite, Monterrey Jack)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Brown meat in a large skillet. Drain fat when meat is browned and add all ingredients, except for tortillas and cheese. In casserole dish, layer meat sauce and tortillas; you can start with a tortilla on the bottom. Break up tortillas if needed before starting a new layer, so they will cover the meat sauce. Continue until you've used all of the sauce with sauce as the top layer. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Makes six to eight servings. 

Acapulco Casserole 

Acapulco Casserole 

Acapulco Casserole

Casserole #1 - Fiesta Tamale Bake

 The Year of Casseroles

Casserole #1 - Fiesta Tamale Bake

    This recipe comes to us from 1988's Better Homes and Gardens - New Casserole Cook Book. The original recipe calls for canned tamales, which I know are maybe all that some people might be able to find. I however live in Texas, where fresh tamales are usually pretty easy to find. I decided to buy fresh. I liked the tamales and the meat sauce from the recipe. However, I liked them better separately than together. The meat sauce was really good; I decided to freeze the leftover sauce and will enjoy it with macaroni or rice.  I'm glad I made this recipe. The original recipe says four or five servings. While I didn't count how many servings, there was a lot of food. I am confident you could definitely serve at least six. 

Ingredients:

1/2 lb bulk pork sausage

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 cup onion, chopped (about 1 medium)

1/2 cup green pepper, chopped

16 oz can tomatoes, chopped (or buy diced tomatoes); do not drain

6 oz tomato paste

1/4 cup sliced, pitted ripe olives (I didn't use these)

1 tbsp chili powder

15 oz canned pork or beef tamales (I used 6 fresh tamales)

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (I used my favorite cheddar jack)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet cook sausage, hamburger, onion and green pepper until the meat is browned and the vegetables are tender. You could cook these separately if you like and then combine them. Drain grease from skillet. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, olives (if using) and chili powder. Pour meat mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish. Arrange the canned/fresh tamales on top of the meat mixture. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 5 to 10 more minutes. 

Fiesta Tamale Bake

The Year of Appetizers In Review

The Year of Appetizers In Review

    Here's a short entry to share my top five appetizers that I've made this year. Just like anything, there have been some "fails" and some which have surprised me. Fails include Appetizer #3 - Cheese Crackers and Appetizer #1 - Potpourri Cheese, both of which I just really didn't like the taste. The biggest surprise to me was that I liked Appetizer #5 - Cheese Puff Surprises. I liked the combination of 'salty' olive flavor and the texture of the cheese puff. I made one appetizer which I've made numerous times prior to this year of appetizers and just really love. That recipe is Appetizer #4 - Lemonchick's Un-stuffed Jalapeno Popper Tartlets. I've also made one of these new-to-me appetizers twice. I really liked the Sweet Zucchini Pickles. Search the blog for these recipes and if you happen to try these recipes or any of the others, let me know what you think. I'd really love to hear some comments. 

#1 - Chinese Barbecued Ribs - Appetizer #6

#2 - Sweet Zucchini Pickles - Appetizer #18

#3 - Pineapple-Cheese Ball - Appetizer #24 

#4 - Sweet Caramelized Onion Dip - Appetizer #16

#5 - Herbed Parmesan Bread Dipping Oil - Appetizer #20

Honorable Mention -  Cheese Puff Surprises - Appetizer #5