Sunday, January 26, 2014

Uber-Braten Kielbasa and Sauerkraut Casserole

I happen to come across this recipe at food.com.  Heidi Renee had posted the recipe, but I did tweak the recipe just a bit.  I love this casserole, and could eat this at least once a month.  It's great comfort food!  If you love sauerkraut, then you certainly are going to enjoy this dish!!



Uber-Braten Kielbasa and Sauerkraut Casserole

8 ounces wide noodles
1 (14-oz.) pkg. Kielbasa or smoked sausage
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
3 cups milk
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups sauerkraut, drained
4 Tablespoons plain dried bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons melted butter

1.)  Grease the inside of a 2-1/2 to 3-quart casserole baking dish; set baking dish aside.

2.)  Cook egg noodles as per directions on package; set aside.

3.)  Cut Kielbasa or smoked sausage into chunks, then cut each chunk in half; set aside.

4.)  Melt the 1/3 cup of butter in a large saucepan.  (I used a 3-quart saucepan.)

5.)  Stir in the flour, garlic power, onion powder, and mustard.

6.)  When mixture is well combined, gradually add the milk.  Bring mixture to a boil for 1 minute; stirring constantly until the sauce has thickened.  (Mine started to thicken in less than a minute.)

7.)  Add the cup of cheese to the pan, stir until melted.

8.)  Add the Kielbasa or smoked sausage, the drained sauerkraut to the pan, and stir.

9.)  Pour mixture into the greased baking dish, then stir in the precooked noodles.

10.)  Top the casserole with a mixture of 4 tablespoons of bread crumbs mixed with 2 tablespoons of melted butter.

11.)  Bake casserole (uncovered) for 25 minutes in a 375ΒΊF oven.

12.)  Yields: 5 servings

13.) Note: When preparing this casserole, you can use Bavarian Sauerkraut in place of regular sauerkraut.  Plus, the original recipe states to use 2 cups of the kraut, but I just use 1-1/2 cups.  Also, you can use smoked sausage in place of the Kielbasa. I used smoked sausage, and the brand of sausage I used was, Eckrich.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Crock-Pot Ranch Mushrooms

I love mushrooms, and especially enjoy them cooked in the crock-pot along with butter and a packet of ranch dip mix.  I serve these delicious tasting mushrooms as a side dish.











Crock-Pot Ranch Mushrooms

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 lb. whole fresh mushrooms

1 (1-oz.) packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dips Mix (See *Note)


1.)  Place half of the mushrooms in the crock-pot.

2.)  Pour half of the melted butter over the mushrooms.

3.)  Sprinkle half of the (dry) ranch dip mix over the mushrooms.

4.)  Add remaining mushrooms to the crock-pot.

5.)  Pour the remaining melted butter over the mushrooms.

6.)  Sprinkle the remaining dip mix over the mushrooms.

7.)  Place lid on crock-pot, and cook on low for 3 - 4 hours.  (I just cook mine for 3 hours, as after three hours of cooking time, my kitchen as well as the mushrooms smell so good, that we can't wait to dig into 'em.)

8.)  Yields: 2 to 4 servings.

9.) *Note: Hidden Valley has 2 kinds of seasoning mixes, a mix to make dips, and a seasoning mix to make salad dressing.  For this recipe, I much prefer to use the dip mix.

This is how the mushrooms look after they've been placed in the crock-pot, the melted butter is poured over them, and the remaining Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix, is sprinkled over them before cooking them in the crock-pot.















Bacon Corn Casserole

I happen to of found this delicious side dish recipe at FOOD.COM
I love the combination of the corn, bacon, and sour cream. 
This is one side dish I'm sure your family will enjoy!



Bacon Corn Casserole 

6 slices bacon (See *Note)
1/4 cup diced onion
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
18 ounces frozen corn (See *Note)
1-1/2 teaspoons dried parsley


1.)  Preheat oven to 350ΒΊ.


2.)  In a skillet, cook bacon, crumble, and set aside.


3.)  Cook onion in butter till transparent, in a large 3-quart saucepan.


4.)  In the same pan, blend in the flour and salt.


5.)  Add the sour cream gradually; keeping texture smooth.


6.)  Bring mixture to a boil, then add the frozen corn and parsley.


7.)  Reduce the heat, and cook till corn is heated through, then fold in half of the bacon.


8.)  Pour bacon/corn mixture into a greased 1 quart baking dish.


9.)  Garnish casserole with the remaining bacon.


10.)  Bake in oven (uncovered) for 30 minutes, then serve immediately.


11.)  Yields: 4 to 5 servings.


12.) *Note: For this recipe, I used thick-sliced bacon, and the brand of frozen corn I used, was Birds Eye Freshlike Cut Golden Corn, as it's a sweet tasting corn.  (And yes, I used exactly 18 ounces of the frozen corn in this recipe!)


Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Chocolate Banana Bread

I happen to come across this recipe at FOOD.COM
This is "the best" tasting chocolate banana bread I have ever had!
It's also a nice moist bread.  I actually prefer this bread over the many banana bread recipes I'm use to making.




Chocolate Banana Bread 

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup milk
1-1/2 cups flour
1/4 baking cocoa (See *Note)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

1.)  Preheat oven to 350ΒΊ.

2.)  Grease one 9x5-inch loaf pan.

3.)  Combine butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract in a bowl.  With an electric mixer, beat ingredients on medium speed until moistened.

4.)  Add the mashed bananas and milk, beat on low to blend.

5.)  Add the flour, baking cocoa, salt, and baking powder.  Beat on low until four mixture is moistened.

6.)  Use a spoon to fold in the pecans (or walnuts).

7.)  Pour batter into the loaf pan.

8.)  Bake on center rack 50-60 minutes.  (I baked mine for 55 minutes.)

9.)  Once the bread is done baking, remove from oven, and let the bread stand in baking pan on a wire rack for 55 minutes, to let it cool.

10.)  Run a butter knife around the inside of the pan, then flip the pan over to release the bread from the pan.

11.)  Cool bread completely before cutting into slices.  Serve bread.

12.) *Note: When it came to adding the baking cocoa, I used  Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa, which gave the bread a nice chocolate flavor.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Smoked Sausage Bean Soup

This delicious, hearty soup, is so quick and easy to prepare. There's no need to add any additional seasonings, as the bean with bacon soup adds lots of flavor.



Smoked Sausage Bean Soup 

3 russet potatoes, peeled, and cut into 3/4" cubes
2 large carrots, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, diced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 (32-oz.) box beef broth
1 (14-oz.) pkg. smoked sausage
2 (11.25-oz.) cans condensed bean with bacon soup

1.)  In a stock-pot, add the vegetables and the broth.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and simmer the vegetables for 10 minutes.

2.)  While the vegetables are simmering, cut the smoked sausage into 1/4-inch slices, then cut each slice in half.

3.)  After the vegetables are done cooking, add the sliced sausage and both cans of bean with bacon soup.

4.)  Stir and cook over low heat until the soup is heated through.

5.)  Ladle soup into bowls and serve.

6.)  Yields: 7 to 8 servings

Cream of Potato & Cheddar Cheese Soup

One day my daughter had given me some of her Yukon Gold Potatoes from her garden.   I then decided I'd quickly  throw a potato soup toge...