Cheeseburger & Fries Casserole

Another wonderful recipe perfect for young kids to make with your supervision! This is from Taste of Home, and the only change I made to it was to add some salt and pepper to enhance the taste. My darling assistant chef Megan made this and she suggested afterwards that we add cheese on top. What a great addition next time we make this!

So, let’s get cooking!

First, cook the hamburg in a skillet until thoroughly done. Drain.

Stir in the contents of both cans of soup, plus the salt and pepper.

Pour mixture into a greased 9 X 13” baking dish. Layer frozen French fries on top.

Bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes, until fries are cooked through. Serve and watch the smiles!

Enjoy! ~TMMF

Cheeseburger & Fries Casserole

2 lbs hamburg

1 can golden mushroom soup, undiluted

1 can cheddar cheese soup, undiluted

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 20 oz bag frozen crinkle cut French fries

Ham & Broccoli Bake

So, it’s been a while since I’ve posted, but the ordeal of my mother’s declining health, open heart surgery, and then unexpected death was a lot to deal with. I feel like I’m still in the numb disbelief stage, but each day I try my hardest to do whatever I need to, whatever I can. Today I thought of my mom and wanted to try and get back on the road of my life and doing something I know she’d like. So here I am with a recipe I whipped up last night that is so easy and pretty quick too. The kids gave it raving reviews, and I hope you enjoy it too!

So, let’s get cooking!

First, cube the ham into ½ inch pieces, and grate the cheddar cheese.

Make the roux by melting the butter in a large saucepan and stirring in the flour with a whisk. Add the warmed milk slowly, whisking in and continuously whisking until it blends and then thickens. I just put the milk in the microwave for about 3 minutes while I was dicing the ham. Add the salt, pepper, and 2 c of the cheddar cheese and mix in until melted.

Next, and this is soooooooo hard…..place the broccoli and ham in an 11 X 15” baking dish! hee hee Add the sauce and mix it in. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle on the French fried onions and the last cup of grated cheddar cheese. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. And Aunt Viola! (voilà!) You’ve got yourself a nifty casserole the whole family will love. Megan is actually eating it for breakfast this morning!

Enjoy! ~TMMF

Ham & Broccoli Bake

1 ½ lb ham

2 ½ lb broccoli florets

½ c butter

2/3 c flour

5 c milk, warmed

1 ½ tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

3 c shredded cheddar cheese,

divided 

2 c French fried onions

Spicy Southern Chicken Spaghetti

Okay, this is a recipe from Delightful-Delicious-Delovely. I’ve heard of Chicken Spaghetti, but I had never made it before now. I was attracted to this particular recipe because it has cheese, diced tomatoes with green chilies, and more cheese. The only changes I made were to use a little less pasta and a little more cumin, use cream of celery soup instead of cream of chicken, and I used regular bread crumbs instead of Panko. This recipe is oh-so-good! I’m sure you’ll like it too!

So, let’s get cooking!

Get a pot of water boiling to cook the spaghetti. When done, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.

While that’s happening, sauté the chicken breast in a tiny amount of oil in a skillet. I sliced it up to make it cook faster. When it’s done, set it aside on a plate to cool.

And in the meantime, cube the Velveeta.

In the same skillet (don’t clean it out), mix together the cream of celery soup, milk, sriracha sauce, cumin, pepper, and salt with a whisk. Add the Velveeta and cook over medium heat to melt and blend.

While the cheese is melting, cube the cooked chicken breast into ½ inch pieces.

Add the cubed chicken and the can of diced tomatoes and chilies and heat through.

Turn the heat off and add the mozzarella cheese, melting it. Mix in the spaghetti. A set of tongs made it easier to do. Turn the whole mess into a greased 11X15 baking dish.

In a bowl, melt the butter and add in the bread crumbs, mixing together with a fork. Sprinkle over the casserole. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. And it’s done! Look at the cheesy yumminess bubbling up!

Enjoy! ~TMMF

Spicy Southern Chicken Spaghetti

12 oz pasta
1 lb chicken breast
1 can cream of celery soup
1 c milk
12 oz Velveeta
1-2 Tbl sriracha sauce
1 tsp cumin
¾ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes & chilies
1 c shredded mozzarella
1 c bread crumbs
2 Tbl butter

Philly Cheese Steak Casserole

So…..we meet again…. ;-) This is another of my original recipes that had been rolling around in my head for a while until I finally made it. It was delicious the first time and equally as heavenly the second time when I tweaked and perfected it. One thing you can count on with me is that I will not release a recipe on TMMF until I’m satisfied with it. Sometimes that can mean making it twice, or sometimes it can mean making it four or five times.

With this recipe, I was trying to create a casserole based on the all-time favorite Philly Cheese Steak sub. I wanted it to be loaded with delicious peppers and onions, have a creamy, cheesy sauce, and be easy to make. While this recipe does take a little more time than most of the ones I share, they are all easy steps, and the best part: you use ONE pan to do all the prep work! That means one pan to clean. You are welcome. ;-)

So, let’s get cooking!

Set a pot of water to boil for the pasta and when it’s done, drain.

Meanwhile, sauté the frozen shaved steak in a large skillet until cooked through, stirring and separating as necessary. When done, set aside in a bowl.

And while those two things are working out on the stove, mince the garlic. Slice the onions by cutting the onion in half, then place it cut side down, and slice. Cut the slices into thirds: simply hold the sliced half onion together and make 3 quick cuts.

Slice the peppers and then cut each slice into thirds or halves, depending on how long they are. What you want is pieces about an inch long. I loved using red, orange, and yellow bell peppers for this to make the color really stand out.

Now, in the same skillet you cooked the steak in, sauté the onions, peppers, and minced garlic. No need to clean it, just go ahead and use it. If you have some grease left from the steak, great. If not, use the 1 Tbl of oil. Only cook the veggies until al dente, about 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside in a bowl when done.

And in the same pan, pour in the cream of mushroom soup and milk, mixing thoroughly. Cook on medium heat to help blend. Add the salt and pepper, then the cream cheese, cut into chunks, whisking frequently to melt and blend in.

While that’s cooking, you can place the pasta in a large baking pan, and add the cooked veggies.

Mix in the cooked shaved steak.

Turn the heat off for the sauce, and whisk in the mozzarella until thoroughly melted. You just know this is going to be good, don’t you?

Mix the sauce into the pasta mixture in the baking dish.

Next, in the same skillet, which you will wipe out easily with a paper towel, melt the butter and add the panko bread crumbs, browning. If you want to do it quicker, turn the heat up higher, but don’t walk away, and stir continuously. If you step away, they can burn *very* easily.

Place the round slices of provolone cheese on top of the casserole. There were ten slices (I think, haha) in the package I bought, so I laid four end to end on each side, then cut the last two to fill in the middle.

Top with the browned panko crumbs.

Bake in a 350° oven for 30 minutes. Omgoodness, can you see how bubbly and yummy it looks?? And when you dish it up, look at the cheesy strings from the mozzarella!

Now, serve and listen to the moans of gastric delight. Enjoy! ~TMMF


                                                                                                     
Philly Cheese Steak Casserole

See the sauciness and the colorful veggies?

12 oz rotini
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
   (or a combo of red, yellow, etc)
1 Vidalia onion
1 lg clove garlic
1 14 oz pk frozen shaved steak
1 Tbl oil
1 10 ¾ oz can cream of mushroom soup
2 soup cans milk
8 oz cream cheese
1 c mozzarella
1 8 oz pk provolone cheese
1 tsp salt
¾ tsp black pepper
1 Tbl butter
1 c Panko bread crumbs

Chicken Pot Pie Crescent Braid

This dish is one of those that you just know you’re going to try and think you done died and gone to heaven. It’s like the epitome of the best hot pocket that ever lived. Yes, it’s that good! I got it from Wine and Glue (<---what??) earlier this year. The thing is, it’s a little more involved than most recipes, but sooooo worth it.

One problem I had was that there was just one photo for it, the finished picture, and I had to just hope I was doing it right. That’s one of the reasons I started TMMF, and why I use so many photos, so people can see what they need to do and not hunt around in the dark hoping they’re doing it right. So you will enjoy the benefit of that and be able to create this lovely piece of heaven easier, with pictures and clear directions.

I have to say, this makes enough for about 4 people, so for a bigger family, you’ll need two. I seriously wanted to eat the whole thing myself, it was that awesome, but then my kids would have whined that they were hungry. ;-)

So, let’s get cooking!

Sauté the chicken in a skillet with a little oil.

Cook the peas and carrots, then drain. The recipe said frozen, but I didn’t have any, so I used frozen peas and then diced a carrot for it.

When the chicken is cooled, dice somewhat small.

Grate the cheddar cheese.

In a bowl, soften the cream cheese a little in the microwave so it’ll mix easy. Use a whisk to combine the cream cheese and condensed cream of chicken soup.

Mix in the chicken, cheese, peas, and carrots.

Now, with parchment paper on your sheet pan, unroll the sheet of crescent roll dough. I had the crescent rolls, not the sheet, so I unrolled them, laid them down together, and pressed the perforations together.

With a knife, lightly press into the dough to mark it into thirds the long way, as a guide.

Then slice the two outer thirds into 1” strips.

Spoon out the mixture into the middle of the dough. Then start "braiding." The idea is to fold the strips over, alternating sides and overlapping, but when I did it, it seemed to need me to do the top two strips on the left, then the top two strips on the right. Then I was able to do one left strip, then one right strip, yada yada. Do that all the way down, and press together each end of the lovely dumpling to seal it.

When the whole thing is done, you just bake it in a 350° oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Let it sit and catch its breath for a few minutes, then slice and serve. Oh my, you’ve never tasted anything this good!!

Enjoy! ~TMMF

Chicken Pot Pie Crescent Braid
   (serves 4)

1 can refrigerated crescent roll sheet
1 c worth cooked chicken breast
1 c peas and carrots
½ c cream of chicken condensed soup
4 oz cream cheese
½ c shredded cheddar cheese

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Okay, this is one of those I-love-this-so-much-I could-eat-it-for-breakfast recipes! The kids loved this just as much as I did. It’s fairly quick, and so easy. The only change I made to it was to up the amount of chili powder so it’d have a little more kick to it. I will make this one again and again. It’s also so easy to veganize it by just leaving out the meat and using a vegan cheese.

So, let’s get cooking!

If you don’t have rice already made, get it going while you’re doing the other steps for the recipe.

Chop the onion and peppers and mince the garlic. I had some red and yellow bell peppers along with my green, so I used a combination. It made it look real perty! ;)

In a large skillet, sauté the ground turkey with the onions, peppers, and minced garlic.

Add in the cooked rice, tomato sauce, and spices, plus ¼ c of the mozzarella cheese. I, um, may or may not have added a teeny tiny bit more cheese. Like, maybe an entire cup of it…

Pour the whole schlamoodle into an 11 X 15” baking dish.

Sprinkle the remaining ¼ c <snort> of mozzarella cheese on top.

Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes, until all bubbly and scrumptious. Enjoy! ~TMMF

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

½ Vidalia onion
2 bell peppers
2 cloves garlic
2 c cooked rice
1 lb ground turkey
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 ½ tsp chili powder
¾ tsp cumin
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
½ c mozzarella cheese

Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

Oh my, this is a wonderful recipe I found online on a site named damndelicious.net. I’ve used quinoa flour in baked products, but this was the first time I used it whole in a recipe. It was so delicious! I love the taste and the texture, and it doesn’t hurt to have broccoli and cheese in the recipe. ;) 

Anyhoo, the only things I changed were using a Tbl of butter instead of 2 Tbl oil to brown the bread crumbs, and I didn’t have any Greek yogurt so I replaced it with sour cream. We loved this casserole and will definitely make it again.

So, let’s get cooking!

Set the chicken breast to cooking in a skillet with a little oil. And set the quinoa to cooking in a saucepan, according to the directions. Very similar to cooking rice. When the chicken is cooked and cooled a little, dice.

Cut up the broccoli and cook with about 1 c water in a saucepan, covered, about 7 minutes or so. While the broccoli is cooking, grate the cheddar cheese.

In a large skillet, melt 1 Tbl butter and brown the panko breadcrumbs, stirring continually. It takes about 3-4 minutes on medium high. Set aside. 

In the same pan, melt the other 2 Tbl butter. With a whisk, stir in the flour and cook until bubbly. Slowly add the milk, whisking the entire time, until thickened. Turn off the heat.

Stir in the cooked, drained broccoli, diced chicken, cooked quinoa, cheese, and yogurt. Add salt and pepper. Pour into greased 9 X 13” baking dish. Sprinkle on the browned panko bread crumbs. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy! ~TMMF

Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

1 c quinoa
1 head broccoli
2 huge chicken breasts
1/3 c Panko bread crumbs
3 Tbl butter, divided
2 Tbl flour
2 c milk
1 ½ c shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 c Greek yogurt
   (or sour cream)
Salt and pepper to taste

Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin

 

This is my second time working with spaghetti squash. I don’t know why I never tried it before, but the taste is so yummy, it makes me want to start experimenting with it on my own! This is a recipe I came across somewhere online; someone shared it on Facebook but the photo with recipe didn’t say who created the recipe. I don’t know who to give credit for it, so all I can say is I found it online. The only thing I changed was using fresh garlic instead of garlic salt.

Anyhoo, my daughter Megan, who has Down syndrome, helped me make this and just like last time, she loved scraping the “spaghetti” out of the squash. She actually scraped hers down more than mine and made a hole in the squash rind because of scraping it so thin! We enjoyed working together, and then loved this zippy recipe at supper.

So, let’s get cooking!

First, cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Then lay them upside down on a greased sheet pan. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes.

While the squash is baking, thinly slice the onion and then cut the slices into 3 or 4 pieces. Mince the garlic. I used my garlic press when it was time to add it.

In a skillet, melt the butter and sauté the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Adjust the red pepper flakes to your desired level of heat. ;) Cook until onions are tender.

When the spaghetti squash is done, turn over and let cool a little so you can handle it, or use a kitchen towel or pot holder. Use a fork to scrape out the “spaghetti.” The middle photo shows the difference after scraping out one (the half on the left). And on the right is the one Megan scraped just as well as she cleans a chicken bone! Clean as a whistle! ;)

So, you’ve scraped the squash into a bowl. Now add the sautéed onion mixture, the sour cream, and half the shredded cheddar cheese.

Mix well and pour into a 7 X 9” baking dish. Sprinkle the other half of the cheese on top.

Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy! ~TMMF

Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin

1 spaghetti squash
1 small Vidalia onion
1 clove garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
¾ c sour cream
1 c shredded cheddar cheese





Now, to announce the winner of the TMMF coffee mug in my give-away: Heidi Strawser!! I had pretty ecru colored cards made and embossed with the names of all who had entered, placed them in a luxuriously soft deep purple velvet bag with polished cherry wood handles gleaming in the sunlight, and had my Chief Assistant reach in and blindly choose one name.

Okay, so really I wrote the names on slips of paper that I tore off because I was too tired to go get the scissors. Then I put them in a used plastic grocery bag. But Megan really did blindly pick one name. That part is true. ;)

Congratulations Heidi!!

Sloppy Joe Casserole 2

This is the second Sloppy Joe Casserole I’ve made, and my goodness, if I thought the other one was good…this one is just pure heaven. It’s a savory Sloppy Joe with a cheesy dumpling-like crust on top. Everyone agreed, next time I make it I have to make a double recipe. I had to carefully portion out the meager leftovers the next day. ;)

I found this recipe online, and it is credited to a woman named Darlyne Cole. The changes I made to it were minimal: I used ground turkey instead of hamburg, replaced the garlic powder with fresh garlic, increased the Worcestershire sauce, left out the dry mustard, and added carrots. They work so well with this and boost the nutrition.

So, let’s get cooking!

First, dice the onion, green pepper, and carrots (diced small). Mince the garlic.

In a large skillet, brown the ground turkey with the diced carrots, stirring as needed.

After about five minutes, add the onion, green pepper, and garlic, cooking until tender, maybe about five minutes.

Add the tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir, turn heat to low, and simmer while you prepare the topping.

Grate the sharp cheddar cheese and set aside.

Now, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the melted butter, beaten eggs, and milk. Whisk together until just mixed.

Fold in the sharp cheddar cheese. I always use extra sharp for the great taste.

Pour the Sloppy Joe mixture into a 9 X 13 baking dish. You don’t need to grease it.

Stir the topping again just a little bit, and spread on top.

If you had a little extra shredded cheese left over, sprinkle it on top like I did.





Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned on top. Enjoy! ~TMMF

Sloppy Joe Casserole 2

1 ½  lbs ground turkey
1 lg Vidalia onion
1 lg green bell pepper
2 wonderful carrots
2 nice cloves garlic
15 oz tomato sauce
¾ c ketchup
2 Tbl brown sugar
1 ½ Tbl Worcestershire sauce
2 c flour
1 Tbl baking powder
1 tsp salt
6 Tbl melted butter
2 lg eggs
1 1/3 c milk
1 ½ c shredded sharp cheddar cheese



*Note: Last month I had been having a special give-away to celebrate two years here at TMMF, However, during that week I got very sick and couldn't even post. So, I am running it again! If you'd like to receive this special The Magic Meal Fairy mug for your own, all you need to do is like the Facebook page (here) and share the post on that page for this recipe, Sloppy Joe Casserole 2. The give-away will run from today, 2/13/15 to next Thursday, 2/19/15. The winner will be chosen on Friday, 2/20/15 and announced that day and notified. A picture of the mug is below: