Tasty Macaroni & Cheese

by Mrs Marvel

I’d guess for people in their fourth week of self quarantine & social distancing, comfort food is a must. While we might try to eat healthful meals and not gain weight, no one is going to blame anyone for needing some good old mac & cheese. This recipe has a variety of added ingredients that some may like and others may say “ew.”

Tasty Macaroni & Cheese

1 3/4 cups macaroni

1 can (4 ox) mushroom stems & pieces, drained

1/4 cup finely cut up pimento

1 1/2 cup cubed processed American cheese (about 8oz)

2/3 cup evaporated milk

3 Tbsp chopped onion

1 tsp salt

1 tsp mustard (dry)

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

1/8 tsp pepper

350º

Cook macaroni as directed on package. In greased 1 1/2 qt casserole, mix mac, mushrooms & pimento. In 2 qt saucepan over low heat, stir remaining ingredients until cheese melts. Stir into mac. Top w/ more cheese (maybe shredded). Bake 20-25 min or until bubbly. 6 servings.

Noodles Romanoff

by Mrs Marvel

I realize there are probably lots of people named Romanoff and that they are all happy and healthy, but all I can think of is the doomed Romanoff family from pre-Revolution Russia. And this dish should raise their memory, for good reason. Trading on the name of the tragic family, there was a very successful restaurant in Beverly Hills, CA named Romanoff’s. Turns out, the owner claimed to be a cousin of the murdered Czar, but was in fact from a different country entirely and not related at all! The side dish of choice among the Hollywood elite was Noodles Romanoff. It became so popular that Betty Crocker and Rice-A-Roni purchased the recipe and sold boxed versions for home makers across America. The restaurant closed in the 1960s, and the noodles went out of fashion.

Noodles Romanoff

8 oz egg noodles (4 cups)

2 cps sour cream

1 cp cottage cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup onions finely chopped

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp salt

Dash of pepper & paprika

Cook noodles according to package & drain. Combine noodles w/ sour cream, cottage cheese, onions, salt, pepper & worcestershire. Mix well. Transfer to a greased 1 1/2 qt casserole. Sprinkle w/ paprika. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes.

Beef & Grits Casserole

by Mrs Marvel

I think this one is going to be a hard no for me. I’m not a huge fan of grits to start with. What is your experience – do you love them or leave them?

Beef & Grits Casserole

1 recipe Jim Dandy Grits for 6 servings

2 eggs well beaten

1 1/2 pounds of ground beef

1 large onion well chopped

1 large tomato chopped OR

1 cup chopped canned tomatoes

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

6 slices bacon, fried until crisp and crumbled

In a saucepan, cook grits according to cooking directions. Cool. Beat in eggs. Spread mixture evenly into the bottom and sides of greased 2 quart casserole. In a large skillet, brown beef until crumbly in its own fat. Drain excess fat and stir in onion and tomato. Simmer while stirring until onion and tomato are wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in soup. If necessary add salt & pepper to taste. Pour mixture into cooled grits-lined casserole. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (350º) for 35 to 40 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with crisp bacon.

Macaroni & Cheese Italia

by Mrs Marvel

The handwriting on this card is very different from the cursive on several others, so I’m guessing it was written out by a friend and shared. People used to do that sort of thing. Now we just email or text the recipes to our friends and no one knows how bad our writing is!

This particular recipe calls for shredded American cheese – I personally would use shredded cheddar or mozzarella, or even a blend of colby & jack cheeses. It is very similar to the “lazy day lasagna” recipes I have posted in the past and would be rather easy. Probably tasty too. You can replace the Hunts Prima Salsa with any type of spaghetti sauce. It also could use some meat in my opinion.

Macaroni & Cheese Italia

7 to 8 oz elbow or shell macaroni

1 1/2 cups Hunts Prima salsa (a defunct type of spaghetti sauce)

1/2 c water

1 pt cottage cheese

salt & pepper

2 cups shredded processed American cheese

Heat oven at 350º

Combine cooked macaroni with Hunts Prima salsa & water. Place half in buttered 2 qt oblong baking dish. Top w/ half of the cottage cheese, sprinkle w/ salt & pepper. Add a layer of half the shredded cheese. Repeat layers, in order. Top w/ shredded cheese. Bake at 350º 35 to 40 min until bubbly. Makes 6 servings.

Pizza Casserole

by Mrs Marvel

Happy Thursday, folks! I hope everyone is sequestering well and not experiencing cabin fever. We at Casa de Gram’s are doing fine and soldiering on. Today’s casserole looks like it might be something good for tired moms and dads to make after a long day of wrangling children, pets and work.

Pizza Casserole

Brown 2 lb hamburg

add 2 cans tomato paste of pizza sauce

1 – 1 1/12 cans water (omit if pizza sauce used)

Salt & pepper to taste

1 – 1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 pkg mozzarella cheese (large) maybe 8 oz?

Using 9 inch square pan, place alternate layers of meat mixture & cheese in pan, ending with meat mixture. Top w/ a package of Jiffy corn meal mixture (used as directed on pkg) maybe cornbread? Bake @ 400º until topping is done (approx 45 min) Note: I found 20-25 is sufficient.