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!

Sallee'sSix - Six Dish Summer Fun Menu!

Summer camping and traveling begins tomorrow! It is Memorial Day weekend, the official start of summer fun! I am sharing a list of six easy recipes for a wonderful summer weekend meal! Create your own summer fun menu from the choices below. 

Your Summer Fun Menu

• Non-alcoholic drink - pick your lemonade from your choice of 40 flavors. I think I would like to try the watermelon lemonade.
• Main dish - Strip steak seasoned with fresh garden herbs. Sallee's tip: Mix the herbs with 20 oz. of ground chuck for five, quarter pound garden burgers.
• Salad - original "like your grandma's" traditional potato salad, or a delicious blackberry salad that features a bed of salad greens, a scoop of cottage cheese surrounded with fresh blackberries and sprinkled with slivered almonds and tangy sweet dried cranberries. 
• Pick a veggie - How about grilled corn, grilled veggie skewers, or grilled romaine hearts?
• Dessert for Family Fun- How about chocolate covered strawberry s'mores for dessert? 

Recipes    Tip: Use your snipping tool to snip and save recipes to your laptop.

1. 40 Summer Lemonade Recipes at 365 Days of Baking     Click Here 
2. Garden Herb Strip Steak       Click Here
3. Hellman's "The Original Potato Salad"    Click Here
4. Blackberry Salad   Click Here
5. 18 Grilled Vegetable Recipes from Laurel Randolph    Click Here
6. Chocolate Covered Strawberry S'mores at almost Supermom    Click Here

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

Can Your Burger Beat Bobby Flay?

Do your friends rave over your burgers? Want to see if you have what it takes to beat Bobby Flay? Sept. 30, 2014  is the deadline for the Beat Bobby Flay burger contest. enter your burger and see if you can Beat Bobby Flay with your burger!

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

 

Sallee B's Pantry Style Lasagna

Updated July 20, 2017

Why buy frozen lasagna when you can make your own tasty, budget friendly lasagna?
Pantry Style Lasagna starts with a package of lasagna noodles, a quick and easy meat sauce and cheese filling.

Zucchini noodles will lower your carb count. 
For carb counters and calorie watchers, you can slice 1/8 inch thick,  length-wise strips of zucchini in place of the lasagna noodles. My choice is a 9-10 ounce zucchini sliced into wide noodles with a mandolin. 

This recipe will yield 4-6 servings.

Equipment

•      8 inch skillet
•      6 quart sauce pan or stock pot
•     6 inch x 10 inch glass baking dish (1.5 quart)
•     one quart bowl
•      Colander
•      Spatula
•      Measuring spoon set, 1/8 tsp. to 1 Tbsp.
•      Knife for slicing, chopping

Noodles First

• Follow package directions and  cook six lasagna noodles. 
• Stir gently a few times to make sure the noodles do not stick to the bottom of the pan. 
• While the noodles are simmering, start cooking your meat sauce.
• Drain the hot water from the noodles into the colander. 
• When the noodles are cool, place them on a plate, or bowl until you need them.

Ingredients for Meat Sauce

• 8 ounces ground chuck
• 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
• 1 small onion, chopped about 1/4 of a cup
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder, or 1 tsp. dried onions
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1-15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1-15 ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 level Tablespoon dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp. sugar Use cane sugar, granulated sugar, agave, or stevia. The sugar is to balance out the acid from the tomatoes.
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper My choice is ground black pepper, or a ground peppercorn blend. 

Meat Sauce Directions

• Crumble ground chuck into a skillet and sprinkle 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning over it. 
• Add the small, chopped onion.
• Cook over medium heat and stir with a spatula until the meat is no longer showing any pink; drain grease from meat mixture and set aside.
• Using the pan that the noodles were in, combine the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, 1 Tbsp. parsley, sugar, basil, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. black pepper, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp. onion powder, or dried onions.
• Add ground chuck and stir until blended well. 
• Set aside on back burner of stove.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and combine the cheese filling ingredients while the oven preheats.

Ingredients for Cheese Filling

• 2 cups small curd cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Romano cheese
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 
• 1 large egg  The egg helps to bind the cheese filling together during baking. However, it can be left out. The only difference will be a less firm cheese filling after baking. 

Cheese Filling Directions

• Combine all of the cheese filling ingredients in a one quart bowl.
• Stir just until the mixture is well blended.
• You are ready to assemble your lasagna

Assembling Your Lasagna

1. Lightly oil or spray your baking dish with pan coat. 
2. Cover bottom of baking dish with noodles. 
3. Trim the noodles to fit and set small pieces aside to use on top of lasagna 
4. Spoon about 1/3 of your meat sauce over the noodles. 
5. Using a Tablespoon, place six slightly rounded, spoonfuls of cheese mixture over sauce and gently spread it out slightly.
6. place a second layer of noodles, meat sauce, and cheese filling and a third layer. On the third layer, use the trimmed pieces of noodles. 

 Make sure you have enough sauce to completely cover the top of your lasagna.

1. Sprinkle about 1 tsp. of Parmesan Romano cheese over the top of the lasagna.
2. Cook uncovered in your preheated 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. 
3. Place lasagna on your stove top and let it sit at least 30 minutes before you cut it.