SalleeB's Kitchen - Amish Ham Casserole

I love any dish that contains potatoes, ham, eggs, and cheese.
When I found this make and bake casserole recipe, I was thrilled to try a new recipe using four ingredients that I LOVE. Of course, I had to give it my own twist - cream cheese. 

Who doesn't like cream cheese? 
The addition of cream cheese makes this an indulgent and hearty version of a crust less breakfast pie that is not low calorie, but is low in carbs. It is perfectly suitable for breakfast or supper. 

I want to repeat what I already said though - This is not a low calorie dish.
However, I am tracking carbs AND staying below 2000 calories a day. I save calories to enable a calorie splurge that satisfies my craving for ham and potatoes surrounded by luscious, cheesy eggs without having them fried in oil, or butter. Baked is better, don't you agree?

An 8"x1" round cake pan yields four wedges of  hammy, cheesy goodness with 10.5 carbs and 387 calories a wedge.

Remember, I said it was low carb and the entire pan only has 42 grams of carbs! 

Two Tips to Use With This Recipe 

1. Have a left over baked potato? Remove the skin, dice the potato, and store it in the refrigerator for a day or two.  Add the diced potato to a soup or casserole.
2. Mix the casserole ingredients up to 24 hours ahead of time. After spooning the ingredients into the pan,  wrap it with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator. When you want to bake the casserole, remove the plastic wrap, and pop the cold casserole into the cold oven and let it preheat with the oven. Set your timer for 25 minutes once the oven temperature reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

SalleeB's Kitchen - Amish Ham Casserole  Recipe                              Yield: 2-4 servings

Ingredients

• 8 ounces of cooked ham, diced
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 2 large eggs and 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 baked or microwaved potato, peeled and diced about 1 cup
• 1/3 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup small curd cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup cream cheese, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. chili powder
• black pepper to taste

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Grease an 8"x1" round pan and set aside.
• Put diced ham, onion, potato, shredded cheeses, and cottage cheese into a medium bowl.
• Stir gently until the mixture is blended well.
• Combine the beaten eggs and egg white with the cream cheese pieces and stir until the cream cheese pieces are well coated with the beaten eggs
• Pour the eggs and cream cheese over the ham mixture
• Add seasonings and stir gently until blended well
• Spoon the mixture into greased 8' round pan and put the pan into the preheated oven
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until the mixture is firm and bubbly.
• Change the oven setting from bake to broil.
• Broil the top of the casserole for 2-3 minutes, or until the top looks like the picture. 
• Take the casserole out of the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before slicing into 4 wedges. 

Enjoy a slice of homemade happiness on a plate!

SalleeB's Pizza Casserole

Looks like pizza, but it has a pasta crust!

Bill is not a fan of casseroles. 
However, this casserole won him over because the bottom layer is a tender, angel hair pasta "crust" topped with pizza toppings. A perfect bite contains an even amount of the pizza toppings and the angel hair pasta.
Wow, what a way to make your mouth happy!
Customize this recipe to make your favorite pizza in a casserole! 



Simply substitute a pound of your favorite meat, or a combination of meats. The possibilities are endless.

Ingredients   
This recipe can be downsized from a 13" x 9" pan to a 9" round or square pan.  Simply use half of each listed ingredient.

• 8 oz. angel hair pasta, broken into thirds and cooked
• 1 pound ground chuck or sirloin
• 3-4 oz. pepperoni slices
• 1/3 cup diced onion
• 1 -  24 oz. can spaghetti/pasta sauce
• 6.5 oz. can mushrooms, drained or  6 oz. of fresh, sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 8 oz. of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 oz. Parmesan cheese, about 1/2 cup

Directions

• Grease your casserole pan. Set aside.
• Break 8 oz. of angel hair pasta into thirds. Place in salted, boiling water. Turn heat down to simmer and cook pasta for five minutes. 
• Pour half of the pasta sauce into the greased casserole pan.
  
• Drain the pasta and place it in the casserole pan.
• Spread the pasta into a layer.
• Layer the remaining sauce over the pasta.
  

• Place the ground chuck and onion in a skillet. If using fresh sliced mushrooms, add them now.
• Begin to brown over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• When the beef is about half way done, sprinkle the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and black pepper over the meat and onions. Using a spatula, work the seasoning into the meat and onions.
• When the beef is almost done, add the drained mushroom slices to the skillet. 
• Stir briefly with the spatula until the mixture is well blended. 
• Drain excess grease from the skillet.
• Layer the meat mixture over the sauce in the casserole dish.

  

  Pepperoni can be mixed into the meat mixture, or placed on top of the cheese layer.
  I prefer having in on top of  the cheese layer as shown in the first picture.

• Put cheeses on top of meat mixture
  
• Top the cheese with pepperoni slices as shown in the first picture. 
• Cover with foil.
• Large Batch: Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes; Small Batch: Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes
• Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes. 
• Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes.

Your pizza casserole is ready to serve!

Baked Italian Pasta Skillet

Yield: 4-6 servings         Time: about 40-50 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 ounces of small shell pasta
• 1/2 pound ground chuck
• 1/2 pound whole hog, mild pork sausage
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1  - 4 ounce can mushrooms, drained
• 1 - 24 ounce can meat spaghetti sauce
• 1 - 10.5 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/8 cup water
• 1 cup shredded Colby jack cheese, slightly packed
• 1 Tablespoon Parmesan Romano cheese
• 1 ounce, or about 18 thin slices of pepperoni

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F or 175 degrees C
• Fill a 2 to 2.5 quart sauce pan about three-quarters full of water and bring to a boil. Do not add salt.

• While you're waiting for the water to boil, chunk up and brown the ground chuck, pork sausage, and dried Italian seasoning in a 12 inch, oven safe skillet.

• Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of Italian seasoning over the meat and mix it with a spatula as the meat browns.
• Place the browned meat into a colander that is sitting on top of another dish, or paper towels to drain off any excess fat.

• When your pot of water begins to boil, pour in shell pasta, and cook until al dente, about 7 - 8 minutes. Let the pot of water come back to a simmer after adding the pasta, but don't boil it. 
• While the pasta cooks, rinse your oven proof skillet briefly with hot water to remove excess fat.
• Next, combine the spaghetti sauce, mushroom soup, drained mushrooms, water, teaspoon of brown sugar, and 1/4 tsp. of dried Italian seasoning in the skillet.

• Add the browned meat.
• Drain the al dente pasta and stir it into the skillet of meat sauce.

• Slice pepperoni slices into quarters and sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture.
• Next, sprinkle the cup of shredded cheese over the top of the pasta
• Finally, sprinkle the Parmesan Romano cheese over the top of the shredded cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 20 - 25 minutes.

Enjoy eating some almost homemade happiness on a plate!

Six Ingredient Corn Casserole

I am bored with my usual side dishes.

Seriously, I am tired, tired, tired of potatoes and pasta.

The solution to my problem? Time to get out an old cookbook. Old, as in 1969. 

Sorry if this is the year you were born. I'm even older if it makes you feel any better.

Anyway, I decided it was time to try out a new-to-me recipe for corn casserole since whole kernel corn is the star of the pantry this week. 

Star as in -  I have more cans of whole kernel corn than anything else! 

Yield: 6-8 servings                                                          
Cooking Time: 30 minutes    

Six Ingredients

1. 3 eggs, well beaten
2. 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
3. 1-2 Tbsp. white sugar I use 2 Tbsp. because we love sweet corn. 
4. 2 cups shredded, Colby Jack cheese
5. 2 - 15.25 oz cans whole kernel corn, drained
6. 4 slices of cooked bacon, drained and crumbled

Directions

• Combine eggs, flour, and sugar in a medium size bowl and beat well.

• Stir in Colby Jack cheese, corn, and bacon

• Put the mixture into an ungreased 10 inch by 6 inch x 1.5 inch baking dish.

• Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, or until a a butter knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

• Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before cutting into six or eight pieces. 

Deep Dish Pizza Casserole

Bill is not a fan of casseroles. However, this casserole won him over because the top layer is a hamburger, pepperoni, mushroom, and onion pizza. The bottom layer is a tender, angel hair pasta "crust".

My perfect bite contained an even amount of pizza layer and angel hair pasta. Wow, was my mouth happy!

Customize this recipe to make your favorite pizza in a casserole! Simply substitute a pound of your favorite meat, or a combination of meats. Make a supreme pizza by adding green peppers and black olives to your seasoned meat and onion mixture. The possibilities are endless.


Ingredients
8 oz. angel hair pasta, broken into thirds and cooked
1 pound ground chuck or sirloin
3-4 oz. pepperoni slices
1/3 cup diced onion
1 24 oz. can pasta sauce
6.5 oz can mushrooms, drained
1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
8 oz. of shredded mozzarella cheese
2 oz. Parmesan cheese, about 1/2 cup
Directions

• Grease a 9"x13" casserole pan. Set aside.

• Break 8 oz. of angel hair pasta into thirds. Place in boiling water. Turn heat down to simmer and cook pasta for five minutes. Drain the pasta and place it in the greased casserole pan. Spread the pasta into a layer.

• Layer the can of pasta sauce over the pasta. 

• Place the ground chuck and onion in a skillet. Begin to brown over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

• When the beef is about half way done, sprinkle the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and black pepper over the meat and onions. Work the seasoning into the meat and onions with a spatula. Work = stirring in with a spatula
• When the beef is almost done, add the mushrooms and pepperoni slices to the skillet. Stir briefly with a spatula until the mixture is well blended. Drain excess grease from the skillet.
• Layer the meat mixture over the sauce in the casserole dish.

• Put cheeses on top of meat mixture. 

• Cover with foil.
• Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. 

Your deep dish pizza casserole is ready to serve!
Edited 12/30/2016

Pantry Style Beef Stew

Bill doesn't care about cooking. However, as a single man, he did master a few recipes. Pantry Style Beef Stew is a combination of Bill's basic recipe for beef stew and my additions to that recipe.  

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. boneless chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 2 Tsp. canola oil
• 3 cups hot water
• 3 medium to large potatoes, peeled and diced into cubes
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped roughly
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly into rounds
• 1 – 15 oz. package beef stew seasoning mix
• 1/8 tsp. celery seed
• Unseasoned meat tenderizer (optional)

Directions

I start with my beef cubes on a large cutting board.

• Lightly sprinkle beef cubes with unseasoned meat tenderizer.
• Mix beef cubes with your hands to distribute tenderizer.
• Lightly sprinkle the beef cubes with unseasoned meat tenderizer again.
• Sprinkle with the 3 Tbsp. of flour.
• Mix with your hands until the meat is well coated with flour. Do not worry if a small amount of flour remains on the cutting board.
• Heat canola oil in a Dutch oven, or 2-quart stockpot.
• Add the beef cubes and brown on all sides.
• Add the hot water , seasoning mix, and celery seed.
• Stir well and bring the beef mixture to a boil.
• Remove pan with the beef mixture from the heat and cover.
• Place beef stew in the oven at 350 degrees.
• Bake for 45 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and stir well.
• Add all of the vegetables.
• Cover the pan.
• Bake for an hour, stirring every 20-25 minutes to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.
• Remove lid for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Time to eat some pantry style beef stew!

Revised 12/28/2016

The Ultimate Breakfast Comfort Food - Cheesy Sausage and Potato Breakfast Pie

Topped with tangy Colby Jack cheese, layered with fried, slightly sweet potato slices, the porkalicious flavor of mild country-style sausage and held together with eggs. Breakfast doesn't get any better than this. As far as I am concerned, this dish is the ultimate breakfast comfort food. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound mild, bulk pork sausage
• 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped onion, optional
• 5 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Tbsp. canola oil
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced crosswise into 1/8" rounds (I use a mandoline slicer)

I do not add salt to this dish. Sausage is salty and adds enough flavor for me. However, if you absolutely must add salt - use 1/4 to 1/2 tsp.

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place 2 Tbsp. of  butter in a 10 inch quiche pan or deep dish pie pan. Place pan in the preheated oven until the butter is melted. Remove pan from the oven and set aside.
• Put 1 Tbsp of canola oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Put sliced potatoes in skillet and cover tightly. Cook for about 7-10 minutes. Using a spatula, gently turn the potato slices. Then, replace the lid on the skillet and cook until the potatoes are tender. 
• While the potatoes are cooking, place sausage in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until evenly brown. Crumble and drain in a colander.
•  Spread browned sausage into the bottom of your quiche or deep dish pie pan.
•  Layer cooked potato slices on top of the crumbled sausage.  
• In a medium bowl, beat eggs with milk, garlic powder,and  pepper. Pour over layered sausage and potatoes.
• Bake in preheated oven for 12 - 15 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Sprinkle with 1 cup of Colby Jack cheese. 
• Cool for 10 minutes, then cut into slices.

Yield: 4-6 servings, depending upon how big your appetite is.

Ramen Pork Chop Suey

   

Tan isn't Bland

Yes, it needs some color. However, I wish you could smell the wonderful aroma rising up out of the pan. Onion soup mix, soy sauce, garlic powder and celery seed meld to create a flavor masterpiece that will make your taste buds sing. Water chestnuts add a crisp, crunchy texture note that contrasts nicely with the chewiness of the pork and ramen noodles. 

My husband doesn't like veggies, especially green veggies.

Adding a half cup of frozen peas or using the top half of your celery stalk will add a nice pop of color to this casserole. My celery stalk was down to the pale green bottom half, so it didn't add any color, which was fine with Bill, my husband.

Ingredients

1-2 Tbsp. canola oil                

 1 lb. lean pork loin                 

 1/8 to 1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp. fresh ground rainbow peppercorn                               

1/4 tsp. celery seed

1 cup of celery, thinly sliced      

1/2 cup sliced onion               

1 envelope onion soup mix     

1 1/4 cup water                        

1/4 cup soy sauce                  

2 - 4 oz. cans Bamboo shoots and water chestnuts 

2 - 3 oz. packs of ramen noodles (You are not using the flavor packets, only the noodles)

Directions - Meat and Veggies

• Season the pork loin with the garlic powder and ground peppercorns. 
• Place 1 Tbsp. oil  in a large skillet over medium heat;  brown pork well. 
• Remove pork from the pan and set aside
• Place the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet, saute the celery and onion until tender crisp; Add the celery seed about 1 minute before the celery and onion are done.
• Add the soup mix, water, and soy sauce to the vegetables in the skillet.
• Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, Add pork and remaining ingredients; simmer until heated, stirring constantly. 
• Turn off heat and place pan on a cold burner. 
• Prepare the ramen noodles according to the package directions.  

Do not use the flavor packets. Save them for flavoring rice at some other time.

• Serve noodles mixed with your chop suey or serve the chop suey over the ramen noodles.

Yield: 4-5 servings

Amped Up California Rancho Casserole

Tired of Beef Nachos

Nachos have been on the Bonham menu alot. We are tired of them. So, I pulled out my 1969 Beta Sigma Phi Casserole cookbook to look for a recipe in the "Ground Beef - Rice Casseroles" section. (I collect cookbooks.) The "Ground Beef-Rice Casseroles" section has almost twenty recipes, but the one that caught my eye was the California Rancho Casserole recipe.

 Amp it Up!

I scanned the ingredients list: ground beef, onions, garlic, uncooked rice, ripe olives, mushrooms, tomatoes, grated cheese. Happily, the recipe contains most of the ingredients I keep on hand for nachos. However, I decided to amp up the recipe with mild green chili sauce, baby Portobello mushrooms (criminis), Colby Jack cheese, fresh ground rainbow peppercorns, and shrimp.

Taste Response

Slowly savoring the meaty,olive - tomato - cheesy richness and mushroomyness with just a hint of heat from the mild green chili sauce was an intensely sensuous moment. Then, I ate one of the perfectly cooked, juicy and tender shrimp. I seriously wanted to just grasp that precious pan in my hands, shield it from anyone else's eyes, and find a secret place to adoringly eat the whole thing. I was amazed at the rich, unctuous flavor meld that had transformed the simple casserole ingredients while they baked in the oven. Bill's response? "Oh baby, please make this again." It doesn't get any better than that, does it?

Amped Up California Rancho Casserole

Equipment

Large skillet or Dutch oven                   2-quart casserole dish                     spatula

fork                                                        dry measuring cup set                     liquid 1-cup measuring cup

measuring spoon set                               sharp knife

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 tsp. powdered garlic, or 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 1 cup of water
• 1 c. uncooked rice (when measuring the rice, completely level the rice in the cup)
• 1 c. sliced ripe olives
• 4 oz. baby Portobello mushrooms, diced (about half of an 8 ounce container)
• 1/2 cup mild green chile sauce (I used Old El Paso brand)
• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground, rainbow peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 20 frozen, cooked and  cleaned, medium shrimp

Directions

• Heat oil in large skillet or Dutch oven; saute beef, chopped onion, and chopped garlic or sprinkle    garlic powder over the beef and mix it in with a spatula.
• Saute until beef is no longer red, stirring with a fork or spatula.
• Place beef mixture in a colander and drain the oil and fat off of it.
• Return the beef mixture to the skillet or Dutch oven.
• Mix in water, rice, olives, mushrooms, green chili sauce, undrained can of diced tomatoes, salt, and pepper.
• Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.
• Pour into a 2-quart casserole; cover tightly with aluminum foil
• Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
• Remove from oven and carefully remove foil.
• Sprinkle cup of shredded Colby Jack cheese onto casserole and gently stir it into the casserole.
• Place the 20 frozen shrimp on top of the casserole. Replace the foil. Bake for 15 minutes longer.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before removing the aluminum foil.

Yield: 6 generous servings

Sallee's Angel Hair Spaghetti and Meatballs

My husband, Bill is a pasta lover. He has searched out and eaten at many Italian restaurants in the last thirty years. After eating my version of angel hair spaghetti, he told me mine is the best he has ever eaten. I know, he's my husband and husband's are supposed to say things like that, but I gave the leftovers to my hard working daughter, Ashley. Ashley sent me a text that said,"Mom, this spaghetti is awesome! How did you make it?" So, I am giving you my heavenly recipe so you can wow your friends and family.

A trio of recipes combine to make a grand slam Italian main dish! 

Oven Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground chuck or ground round
• 1 Tbsp. steak sauce
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cp. quick oats
• 1/2 tsp. dried minced onion
• 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Directions

• Place all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl and smush together until you have a well-blended ball of seasoned meat. 
• Take a 1/3 cup measuring cup and pack level with the meat mixture. Remove the packed meat by tapping the cup upside down on the palm of your hand. A nice meat disk should pop out. Place the meat disk to the side. 
• Repeat until all of the meat is measured out.
• Take each disk of meat and divide it in half. 
• Roll each half between the palms of your hands to form a  ball. 
• Place the balls in an 8 inch baking dish. 
• Repeat this step until all the disks have been divided and formed into meatballs.
• Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20-25 minutes, or until done.

Angel Hair Pasta
 My sweetheart, Bill, likes angel hair pasta and switching from regular spaghetti to angel hair spaghetti is an easy way to please my handsome man. My first experience with the thinner noodle was a happy affair because the thinner noodles cook in seven minutes.
4-6 oz. angel hair pasta

• Bring water to a boil in a covered 4 qt. sauce pan or stock pot. 
• Place pasta in the boiling water. 
• Set your timer for 7 minutes. Then, gently stir the pasta with a spaghetti spoon until the water comes back to a boil. 
• Let pasta cook in gently boiling water for 5 minutes. 
• Turn off heat and let set in water for last 2 minutes. 
• Drain in a colander, but do not rinse.

Sallee's Quick Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 24 oz. can Hunts Traditional Spaghetti Sauce
• 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp. packed brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 10 whole black olives, sliced or chopped

Directions

• Place all of the ingredients into the pan the pasta was cooked in.  
• Mix well. 
• Heat until it just begins to simmer. 
• Turn off heat. 
• Place angel hair pasta and cooked meatballs into the sauce. 
• Gently toss with the spaghetti spoon until the sauce is evenly mixed with the angel hair pasta and meatballs.
• Place a lid on the pan and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Serves 2-4