Tamale Casserole

I found this under Group Recipes as I was looking for a Tamale casserole. Now I love Tamales but I do not need dozens of them so I was hoping for a casserole that might do the trick. Well I guess we will just have to get them from the new restaurant we have been eating at. The Mesquite grill at the metro center in Jackson.
We have had several things from their menu now and must say they do have some good tamales.
Back to this recipe. We had a pablano pepper left over from the soup we made so we thought we would use it in this dish.

1 lb ground beef(we have deer meat and used that)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small bell pepper chopped
1 cup celery chopped
1 can whole tomatoes (we used a can of diced)
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 cans corn (drained)
1 can chopped green chilies
2 eggs slightley beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 to 3 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 pablano pepper seeded and chopped (this is optional)
1/4 lb shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In a large skillet saute the ground beef. Add bell pepper,celery and onion and cook until beef is coked and onions onion is clear.

Add tomatoes with liquid, cornmeal and corn blend well then add eggs, salt,pepper, chili pepper and cumin and paplano pepper and ground beef mixture mix and pour into 2quart deep casserole with lid or or use foil

Cover and bake for 45 minutes or till casserole is set
Remove and sprinkle with cheese bake till cheese is melted.
Garnish with olives, avocado and sour cream

Scallops and Shrimp bake

Well I guess I should call it Imitation crab and shrimp bake.
we didn't have any scallops and a little of the imitation crab left so we used that instead. It was good but I bet with the scallops it would have been really good.
This was really fast and easy to do something we are looking for in this heat.

1/2 lb sea scallops( I bet the bay would be better they are sweeter just my opinion.)
1/2 lb shrimp pealed.
1/2 chicken or vegetable stock.
1/2 cup white wine
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic chopped
3 Tablespoons onion or one shallot chopped
1 lemon calls or Meyer but we used regular.
1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 Tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
8 oz linguini (we only had spagetti
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup crumbled feta.
red pepper to taste (optional)

Saute in skillet onions and garlic over med heat. Then add stock,wine,lemon juice,parsley and cilantro. Bring to boil.
Add sea scallops first if using. then shrimp a couple minutes later.
If using shrimp and fake crab add together and cook till shrimp turn pink. Do not over cook or shrimp will be like rubber.
Salt qand pepper to taste we also threw in some red pepper
Pour in to a casserole dish (we used a small one)
Crumble feta over top and place in oven on broil for about 5 minutes or till cheese is browned.

Moroccan Chicken Casserole

Wife made this and the whole house smelled great when I got home. But I must say it did not ring my bell as much as it did hers. In all fairness it was better the next day.
Funny when something has all the ingredients you love but does not rock the boat.
I think it had to much ginger and that it was a little overpowering so if you are not used to ginger very much I would half it.
1 head cauliflower
2-3 pounds chicken
2 Tablespoons butter
1 onion finely chopped
1 Tablespoon ginger finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 carrots chopped 2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 red pepper cut in thin strips
28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup minced cilantro
2 teaspoon salt
1 lemon
Preheat oven to 375
The base of the casserole is cauliflower grated into a rice like texture. spread the cauliflower in a 9x13 greased baking pan
Salt and pepper chicken and melt 1 teaspoon butter in a deep skillet over high heat.
Brown chicken about 3-5 minutes on each side. Remove to side
Turn down heat to medium and onion,ginger,garlic,and carrots. Cook till onions are soft, add remaining butter and all spices and stir well.
Add red pepper,can of tomatoes cilintro and salt. Return chicken to pan and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Pour the chicken mixture over the cauliflower and make sure it is all covered by the sauce.
Slice a lemon in thin pieces and lay on top. Cover the pan and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and cook another 25 minutes more. Garnis with clintro.

Mexican Beef Casserole

This was a good beef casserole that is a weight watchers recipe. We did add a little more chili powder, cumin and rep pepper flakes but I don't think it added any thing but a little more taste.
1 lb extra lean ground beef or sirloin
1/2 cup onions chopped (we used 1 onion)
1 can rotel tomatoes with chilies
1 can kernel corn drained
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
1 pkg taco seasonings mix
8 to 12 corn tortillas
3/4 cup nonfat sour cream
1/3 cup reduced fat Mex cheese shredded
1/3 bunch cilantro chopped to taste.
Brown ground beef and onions together for about 10 to 12 minutes, drain.
Add corn,beans,rotel tomatoes and taco seasonings mix well and simmer for 5 minutes.
Spray baking dish 2 quart 12x8 and place half of tortillas in bottom,
Spoon half of beef mixture on top, place sour cream over beef. Then layer last tortillas and then beef mixture.
Place in heated 350 oven and bake for 25 minutes remove from oven and and sprinkle with cheese.
We added some jalapeno peppers on top.
Cook for another 5 minutes or till cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes and sprinkle with cilantro.
Salsa is our own see 6/28/08 for recipe

Green Tomato Casserole courtesy of Cassie

We have made this twice now since we got the recipe from Cassie's site at in Amazing Graceland to check out her site look at the side bar she has some beautiful pictures.
The first time we made it was to bring to our jam night and as we like to bring something new this fit the bill alas we did not get any pictures. This time we got some. We also peeled the tomatoes the second time to make it easier to get out out the dish.
The picture of the green tomatoes at the top is one of wife's set ups so I took a picture and thought I'd post. See what I have to put up with she steals my produce to use in her paintings.

4 thick french bread slices,torn into small pieces about 2 cups
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 medium green tomatoes cut into 1/4 inch slices (we pealed them the second time)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1 Tablespoon butter
Preheat oven to 400. lightly grease a 1 1/2 quart casserole or deep dish pie pan
place bread in food processor and pulse to a course texture
Combine sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl mix well.
Arrange 1/3 of tomatoes slices in bottom of pan sprinkle 1/3 of sugar mixture
1/3 of bread crumbs and 1/3 of cheese. repeat till you have three layers, leaving of the cheese on last layer, add dots of butter on top and cover with foil.
Bake for one hour, uncover and add last 1/3 of cheese and bake uncovered for 5 minutes or till cheese melts, remove and let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Lasagna

This is our first time to make a Lasagna. And of course we did tweak it a bit.But it turned out ok not great but quick and easy compared to more involved ones.

1 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic minced

2 Tablespoons oil

1 lb ground beef (this is a tweak.... we added a link of Italian sausage, casing removed)

2 caned stewed tomatoes 14 oz (we used diced tomatoes)

1can tomato paste 6oz

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon pepper(tweak we also added 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes and mushrooms)1 cups cottage cheese 1 cup ricotta cheese (combine these two together)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese divided

1/4 cup fresh parsley

8 oz wide lasagna noodles1 cup mozzarella cheese

Cook and stir onions and garlic in oil till soft push to one side and add beef and sausage.

Drain if needed.

Add tomatoes with juice and tomato paste,basil,oregano,sugar,pepper,red pepper, mushrooms. Simmer 30 minutes.

Combine cottage and ricotta cheese with parsley and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.

Cook noodles according to package.

Heat oven to 350

Place thin layer of meat sauce in bottom of 13x9x2 baking dish.

Add half of noodles half of cottage cheese mixture sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup of mozzarella then thin layer of sauce.

Repeat noodle and cheese layers, top with remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese.bake 45 minutes.

Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Railroad Special from Pocahontas County Cooks

This is from a cookbook called beyond grits and gravy and has some quick meals in it. This one is an all in one meal, the kind we like.

1 lb ground beef

1 large onion chopped

1can tomato soup

2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1 cup whole kernel corn(we used a can)

1/2 chopped bell pepper

we added garlic, 2 carrots and some red pepper flakes as we thought it would give it a little more flavor.

Brown beef and onion, add soup, water, seasonings, corn and bell pepper Mix well let simmer 15 minutes then fill casserole dish 11x7x2

Topping

3/4 cup cornmeal

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

Sift together cornmeal.sugar,flour,salt,and baking powder. Stir together with egg and milk. Spread over meat mixture. bake at pre heated oven 350 for 45 minutes.

Sweet potatoes and Ground beef casserole

Snow is all gone but I got some good pictures of the birds at our feeders. Here is a different casserole that is a tad sweet. We really like stuff more spicy but this was still good. Again we found it on Zaar wanting to use up two sweet potatoes we had.

1lb ground beef

one onion chopped

1 green bell pepper chopped

2 large sweet potatoes

1/4 cup brown sugar (we used dark as that is what we had)

1 cup pineapple juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoons pepper

Preheat oven to 350

Mix ground beef,onion,bell pepper,salt and pepper.

Press in a thin layer in greased (Pam)baking dish. (We used a 9x11)

Peel potatoes and slice thin (the gadget works great for this just don't slice your fingers off.)

Now layer over meat mixture.

Mix pineapple juice,vinegar,soy sauce together now add brown sugar and flour and pour over potatoes and ground beef.

Cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Check that potatoes are done before taking out we had to cook a tad longer.

Wet Burrito

Wet Burrito Casserole by Sue at Recipe zarr that we added some stuff too. This made a lot so if you have a crowd to feed or just want to freeze some I'm sure it would freeze well. A side dish of Spanish rice and our salsa with chips (that recipe is on a older post) and you have as good as any Mexican restaurant dinner.

1 ½ cups sour cream
1can cream of mushroom soup
1 lb ground beef (I'm sure any thing like ground turkey would even be good)
1 onion (by the way we always cook with a yellow onion like my mom did)
1 bell pepper any color red and yellow
1 pkg taco seasonings
3 cloves garlic
½ cup mushrooms finely chopped
(OK I can hear ya now... mushrooms trust me if you like mushrooms you will like it and if not you will never know they are there. Or if you really hate them leave out but it does add a little texture. Plus they are good for you and if you don't tell, no one will know just say its a secret ingredient.)
1 can refried beans
1 10 count flour tortillas
4 cups cheddar cheese ( we use also extra Colby jack or the Mex mix) We like cheese
1 can sliced green chillies
we also added a little a few dashes of Tabasco Chipotle sauce Yee ha that is some good stuff we are on our second bottle we use it on every thing.)
sliced jalapeños
garnish with cilantro or guacamole

Mix sour cream and soup together
Pour half of this is in bottom of large greased(use pam) baking dish.
Brown meat with onion and bell pepper and garlic drain any fat
Stir in taco seasonings, mushrooms refried beans,green chillies( taste and if you want it with more heat add dash of Tabasco sauce and or red pepper flakes.)
Spoon mixture onto tortillas, rolling and placing seam side down.
Top with remaining soup mixture sprinkle with cheese and add sliced jalapeños on top.
Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 min or until cheese is melted and dish is heated.
garnish with cilantro and if want guacamole.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

We did two Mexican casseroles this month but this was our favorite.

1can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can Ro Tel tomatoes
1 can green chilies
1 jalapeño pepper
1 small can corn (drained)
1 can black beans (drained)
One onion (chopped small)
2 gloves of garlic crushed
We added these two spices as the original recipe did not have them listed. Put as much or little as you like.
Chile powder
Cumin
Red pepper flakes (we use a lot but adjust to your taste or leave out.)
4 cups cooked chicken (we used a roasted chicken)
12 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican blend.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray or grease 13 by 9 baking dish.
2. In a pot stir together all ingredients except the cheese and tortillas stir till mixed good and to your taste with spices.
3. Layer tortillas in bottom of dish pour in mixture, put last layer of tortillas then layer cheese on top.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.
5 add sour cream and cilantro as garnish.

Two Potato Moussaka

Well we survived the hurricane but now we are soaking wet. We have had a little over 7 inches since Monday. The wife and I did go out to eat at the Thai House for our anniversary. I must say we were a little disappointed as we both got something different. Mine was supposed to be mild and hers hot. They tasted the same and no way near hot or we have burnt out taste buds. The dish we cooked back in Jan. Thai Shrimp Soup was a lot tastier, especially for the price.

This is a dish we fixed that we thought was pretty good and makes a good bit so if you have more than 4 people to feed. Again thanks to Recipe Zaar.




Two Potato Moussaka Recipe
by KelBel
55 min 25 min prep
SERVES 8
1 lb red potatoes
1 lb yam or sweet potato
1 lb ground beef
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups milk
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook red skinned potatoes in microwave for 5-7 minutes.
Cook sweet potato in microwave for 7-9 minutes.
In medium skillet, brown beef for 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes, cinnamon, and cumin; Simmer 3 minutes.
Combine milk, flour, butter, and nutmeg in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Bring to boil and simmer for 1 minute.
Season with salt and pepper.
Remove from heat and whisk in egg yolk.
Thinly slice potatoes.
Place half of potatoes and sweet potatoes on bottom of 2 quart casserole.
Layer meat mixture, then remaining potatoes and yams.
Pour sauce on top.
Sprinkle with parmesan.
Bake for 30 minutes

We added onion and garlic to the ground beef (1 small onion and about 2 cloves garlic)

Chicken Spaghetti by Pioneer Woman

Gotta Love the Pioneer Woman this was really good.


2 cups cooked chicken
2 cans cream of Mushroom soup
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (we used the 4 mexican cheese)
1/4 cup green pepper (we added more)
1/2 cup onion (we added more)
1 4 oz diced pimentoes drained
3 cups dry spaghetti broken intio two inch pieces
2 cups reserved chicken broth from pot
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper ( we think it can use more like some red pepper flakes which we will add next time to kick it up)
Salt and pepper to taste
we also added a can of drained mushrooms

Cook 1 cut up chicken (a little note a dish that uses a meat with bone in is tastier)
in water. (We did add a little seasoning to this)
take chicken off bone to make 2 cups if any left over set aside for another day and dish.
Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until aldente. Do not over cook.
When spaghetti is cooked combine with remaining ingredients except for one cup cheese. ( we found it easier to put all the ingredients in a sauce pan and warm it up enought to mix all the cheese and spices.) Then we add it to the spaghetti and place in a large casserole dish. Top with last cup of cheese we also used more.
Cook for 45 minutes at 350 until bubbly.

Ground Beef and Spinich Pasta Bake

Looking for dishes not using the oven much and came across this one.
We added a can of corn and a home grown tomato and more parmesan cheese.
We felt it was lacking and could have used something to kick it up a notch.

Ground Beef and Spinach Pasta Bake
by Sackville
25 min 10 min prep
SERVES 4
2 teaspoons oil
1 onion, chopped
250 g ground beef or
ground pork
2 (400 g) cans chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili flakes
salt and pepper, to taste
10 ounces frozen spinach
200 g tagliatelle pasta noodles (or other pasta)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
Sauté the onion in a deep frying pan for 1-2 minutes, then add the ground beef.
Cook until beef is browned, then add the tomatoes, spices, salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer for 3-4 minutes, then add the spinach and simmer 3-4 minutes more.
Adjust seasonings to taste.
Meanwhile, boil and drain the pasta according to directions on the package.
Combine the two and place in a baking tray.
Sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake in a hot oven until melted and the dish is pipping hot, about 5 minutes.
Serve with a salad and garlic bread.