The Left Over Throw Together Tastes Good Side Dish!

So, I work.  I may not have kids but I work a full time job, take care of 2 ginormous German shepherds, maintain the house and work on having a good relationship with Ayman.  Seriously, I don't have a ton of time after I get home at 6:30 to prepare the quintessential meal.  In most cases it's a mad dash to the fridge to see what I can throw together that will satisfy the hungry Egyptian and wont take hours.  This is one of those concoctions.
This is a ridiculously easy, throw together side dish that you can basically add anything to. It is a collector of left overs.  Do you have some left over ham in the fridge, some tomatoes that are about to go south or in my case, a few strips of bacon that need to be eaten? Throw 'em in!  As always I like to top our with something a little zesty, in this case it is jalapeno sauce.  I hope you enjoy it!




French Fry Casserole
By: Vanessa Madigan

 

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. bacon, chopped

3 lg eggs

3 cups milk

4 cups sharp cheddar cheese

2 serrano chilies, chopped

1 small yellow onion, chopped

2 lb bag of french fries thawed and broken up a bit.

Salt and Pepper 

2 tsp butter

 

 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease a large baking dish with the butter
• Fry your bacon until it is crispy, set aside on a paper towel to drain.
• In a large mixing bowl whisk your milk and eggs together, add the french fries, serrano chilies, onion and cheese.  Season with salt and pepper and mix together well.
• Empty contents of bowl into your prepared baking dish and bake for about one hour.   The top should be golden brown and the cheese and egg mixture should rise a bit and set up.
• Remove from oven when done and serve.  We top ours with jalapeno sauce (a recipe from the previous blog on Sonoran Hot Dogs), but,  top with any salsa or ketchup that stikes your fancy!

The French Fry Casserole hot out of the oven!

 

 

 

 

The finished product, with jalepeno sauce, of course! 

Go Girl Burn That Brawl - 60's Throwback Recipes

The 1960's, were a turbulent time filled with change. The major social and political changes that were effecting most of America went deep, the changes spread though the family and even into the kitchen. This week we will tackle a couple of recipes fron that era and bring them into today!  Here we go...

Cornburger Casserole
Adapted by: Vanessa Madigan
Recipe Adapted from: Better Homes and Gardens Casserole Cookbook, 1968.

So there is a very special place I like go to find culinary inspiration. This place is not a network cooking channel, its not a cooking class or a magazine, it the Goodwill and other similar thrift stores! I love to go to these shops and find old cookbooks from the 1940's, 1950's, 1960's and 1970's.  It is so cool to see how cooking has evolved through the years and the influence our ever changing society has had on the home cook.  This week I pulled out all of my old thrift store cookbooks to find the perfect recipe for our 1960's inspired blog.  I found similar recipes to this in several cookbooks from that era two of which were circled and one of those had a scrawled "family loved it", which I found to be an enthusiatic endorsement. I thought the "Cornburger" title was really gross, but decided to keep it because it was a 60's original.  I must admit I did tweak the recipe a bit to suit my house hold and to make it a bit more appealing to todays family.  I will say that the end result was nothing short of awesome! The sweet corn mixed with the spicy serrano chilies with leave you craving more.



Ingredients:
1 1/2 Lbs. Ground Beef
2 slighlty beaten eggs
1 7 3/4 can of El Pato tomato sauce
2 15 oz. cans of corn, drained.
2 red bell peppers, chopped
2 serrano chilies, diced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper

For top:
chopped fresh tomato
shredded sharp cheddar cheese


Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• In a medium size mixing bowl, mix all ingredients. (excluding cheese and fresh tomato)
• Place mixture in a medium size baking dish and place in oven.
• Bake at 375 for 1 hour, drain midway through baking if necessesary.
• Let rest 10 to 15 minutes, cut into individual portions, sprinkle with cheese and freshly chopped tomato and serve immediately.

Great with a crisp fresh salad.





Onion Soup Mix Sloppy Joes
by: Andrea Madigan-Wilken

The 60's for me conjure up images of sit ins and protests demanding equal rights and an end to racial segregation. A time where nearly every American was exercising their voice and boldly debating their beliefs. Although not as recognized as the fight for racial equality another revolution was being waged in countless homes across America. Woman were casting their aprons aside, hungering for more self sufficient roles outside of the home and demanding respect in the workplace. This transition gave way to more manageable recipes and less of the lengthy, extensive home cooked dinners from before. Using more packaged foods and creative shortcuts, these women were able to achieve delicious meals in a fraction of the time. A perfect example of this female ingenuity is Lipton Sloppy Joes. Satisfying and full of flavor, this recipe tastes like it simmered all day, yet the time spent is minimal. So, take a page from history, we all can benefit from a little less time spent in the kitchen and a little more time to further explore our goals and aspirations! Enjoy!



Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground beef
1 envelope Lipton Soup Mix ( or your favorite)
1/4-1/2 cup pickle relish
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce


Directions:

• Sauté ground beef until browned in large skillet
• Drain off excess fat/drippings and return to skillet.
• Add relish, soup mix and tomato sauce
• Cook over medium heat, stirring often for 15-20 min.
• Serve over toasted hamburger buns and enjoy!

Potato salad or tater tots are great sides to go along with these Sloppy Joes!