Miranda’s Italian Sausage Charlotte

MIRANDA'S ITALIAN SAUSAGE CHARLOTTE


Meat Mixture

1 1/2 lbs mild Italian sausage links
1 medium zucchini, sliced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced (I leave this out)
1 medium red or green bell pepper
1 jar (16 oz) white Alfredo pasta sauce, divided

Topping:
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 tsp Italian seasoning, divided
1/8 tsp salt
16 slices firm white bread (give or take)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
2 Tbls fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400'. For meat mixture, remove casings from sausage links; discard casings. Cut sausages crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Cook sausage in a skillet over medium heat until well browned and no longer pink, turning as meat browns.

Meanwhile, slice zucchini and mushrooms. Cut bell pepper into 1/4-inch strips. Remove sausage from skillet; drain well on paper towels. Wipe out skillet with paper towels and add 1 cup of the Alfredo sauce; bring to a boil. Stir in sausage and vegetables. Pour mixture into a baking pan, mounding slightly in the center.

For topping, in a small bowl, whisk together remaining Alfredo sauce, milk, and eggs using a whisk. Add pressed garlic, 1 tsp if the Italian seasoning, and the salt. Cut crusts off of bread. Dip bread into egg mixture, coating lightly; overlap in a circular pattern over sausage mixture, leaving center open.

Drain tomatoes; transfer into a small bowl. Add remaining 1 tsp seasoning mix, mix well. Spoon tomato mixture into opening. Grate cheese over top. Bake 25-30 minutes or until edges of bread are deep golden brown.

Haylee’s Note:

Well played Miranda!  This recipe was a hit for the whole family!  And summer is the PERFECT time for this recipe!  I gave some to my neighbor to try and she loved it too!  This recipe is definitely a keeper!  We were all fighting over the few leftovers that remained!  Thanks Miranda!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper

Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a sauté pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Haylee’s Note:
A lot of people rave about baked Macaroni and Cheese. So, I decided to give it a try. The comments on this recipe people said the onion was too strong. I love onion so I thought I’d try it anyway…alas, the onion was a little overpowering. So, if you do use this recipe I would strongly recommend cutting back the onion. But, I do LOVE the panko crumb topping! Delish! For the original recipe click here.

Grandma Welling’s Stovetop Casserole

GRANDMA WELLING’S STOVETOP CASSEROLE

1 box stuffing
1 2/3 c. water
4 chicken breasts
1/4 c. sour cream
1 can mushroom soup

Mix stuffing with water. Put stuffing on the bottom of a greased casserole dish. Layer with 4 chicken breasts. Mix the sour cream and mushroom soup and pour over the chicken. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes.

Haylee’s Note:
I have seen several versions of this recipe. Some have the stuffing on top, other ingredients, shredded chicken, etc. I started out with making my grandma’s version, but next time I would like to try one that has onions and mushrooms in it. Let me know if you have a favorite version of this recipe.

$15,000 Fiesta Chicken Casserole

$15,000 FIESTA CHICKEN CASSEROLE

1 c. sour cream
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/4 tsp. cumin
1 package drained spinach
1 jar pimento drained (opt.)
1/3 c. milk
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 oz. chopped green chilies
2-3 c. cubed cooked chicken
½ c cheddar cheese
1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Topping:
2 separated eggs
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 c. butter
1 c. flour
3/4 c. milk

Combine all but the cheese and chicken. Mix the cheese and chicken and layer with the spinach mixture. For the topping, beat egg whites until stiff. Beat yolk with remaining ingredients for 5 min. Fold in whites. Pour over the filling. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 375 for 40-45 min.

Haylee’s Note:
Another yummy recipe from my mother dear! I am not sure where she got this one from but I have had this recipe for 6 years and never made it until now and we loved it!! It was excellent!!

Heather’s Corndog Muffins

HEATHER’S CORNDOG MUFFINS

1 c. flour
3/4 c. cornmeal
3 tbs. sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 c. cheese
4 oz. can diced green chilies
Hot dogs

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add in all wet ingredients. Fold in cheese and chilies. Pour 1 tbsp. batter into a muffin tin. Slice hot dogs and layer into muffin tin. (It will take about 1/2 of a hot dog). Cover with more batter. Bake at 350 for 20 min.

Haylee’s Note:
This is a Heather Original!! She is so clever! And we LOVED them!! Yesterday she was making lunch for her girls and they wanted hot dogs, but she didn’t have any buns. So, she decided to make a “corndog” but in the muffin tin. Her girls also loved them! Then she got fancy and decided to add cheese and green chilies (which by the way—made them delicious!!) We also thought it might be good to add some corn to the batter. You can use any cornbread recipe you want. This is the cornbread recipe from Better Homes and Gardens. I only used 1/2 of the cornbread recipe but still added a full cup of cheese and all four ounces of green chilies! I really liked it with that amount. Heather also thought this would be a good idea for a casserole! Great Job Heather!!

Funeral Potatoes

FUNERAL POTATOES

10 small potatoes
1 diced onion
1 c. sour cream
1 c. shredded cheese
1 c. cream of chicken soup
1 c. corn flakes
1/4 c. melted butter


Peal and chop the potatoes into bite size pieces. Boil for about 20 min until soft but not so soft that they mash easily. Sauté onions. Mix sour cream, cheese, chicken soup, onions, and potatoes and place in a casserole dish. Mix cornflakes and melted butter and spread over the top. (You can lightly crush the cornflakes if you want.) Bake at 350 until hot and bubbly (30-60 min.)

Haylee’s Note:
If you are not from Utah or LDS the title of this dish is probably really weird. About half the people I worked with thought it was so strange to call this dish “funeral potatoes.” If you are from Utah and LDS, you know exactly what this dish is! We could also call this dish “Amazing.” I love these potatoes! I am proud to say however, that the ward I am in now does not do this for funerals!! They have been doing sandwiches!! Are you so impressed!!? Anyway, back to the potatoes. I looked at a few recipes for “funeral potatoes,” combined them, and came up with this version. I have also seen recipes including cream cheese, cream, butter, ham, hash browns, etc. Everyone seems to have their favorite. I thought these turned out pretty good, but I’d like to play around with it a little more to get it “perfect.” Unfortunately, this is not the healthiest meal—far from—so I will have to wait a while before making them again.

Ham and Cheese Strata

HAM AND CHEESE STRATA

12 slices of bread
2 c. diced ham
1 lb. cheese
2 tbsp. dry onion
3 1/2 c. milk (plus more)
1/2 tsp dry mustard
6 eggs

Cut doughnut shapes out of the bread. Use the scrapes (broken up) and place in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl then pour over the broken bread. Place the remaining doughnut shaped bread on top. Fill the pan nearly to the top with milk. Sprinkle grated cheese on top and cover with foil. Refrigerate overnight. Bake 325 for 1 hour uncovered.

Haylee’s Note:
My family eats this for breakfast every 4th of July. I got in the mood for it a little early. I also only made 1/2 a batch. If you do that use less milk when you are pouring to the top. For the cheese we usually use cheddar and I think I would like that the best, but feel free to try other kinds. Here are a few extra pictures.

Pour the egg, ham, cheese mixture over the bread

Place doughnut shaped bread over mixture:


Bake for 1 hour at 325

Chicken Ole Casserole

CHICKEN OLE CASSEROLE

8 chicken breasts
Can cream of chicken soup
1 ½ can cream of mushroom
1 sautéed onion
Chicken dripping
14 corn tortillas
1 bottle salsa
1 lb. grated cheese

Bake the chicken covered for 1 hour at 350 then cut up. Mix cream of chicken soup, mushroom soup, sautéed onion, and chicken drippings. (This will be your sauce). Brush1/4 sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish. Cut 14 corn trtillas into strips. Layer with 7 tortillas, then 1/2 of the chicken, 1/2 the bottle of salsa, ¼ of the sauce, 1/2 lb. grated cheese. Repeat layers and top with remaining sauce. Refrigerate 24 hours. Bake 1 hour 15 min. at 350.

Haylee’s Note:
This recipe is excellent! Another one from my mother, although I am not sure where she got this one. I made this recipe a little different, I halved the whole recipe except for the sauce, and I added more onions. We loved this dinner! Enjoy!

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

2 pkg. frozen broccoli
2 cans cream of chicken
2 tbs. lemon juice
2 tbs. butter
2-3 lbs. cooked diced chicken
1 c mayonnaise
3/4 c. bread crumbs
1 c. grated cheese

Cook broccoli and drain. Place in bottom of casserole dish. Place cooked chicken pieces on top. Mix soup, mayo, cheese, and lemon. Butter bread crumbs. Place on top. Bake at 375 for 30 min.

Haylee’s Note:
I got this recipe from my mom who got it from her friend Marilyn. My mom serves this just plane, but we had ours over rice. It is good either way.

Heather’s Enchilada Casserole

HEATHER’S ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

1 (1.5 ounce) package dry enchilada sauce mix
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
3/4 c. water
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 (16 oz) can black beans
1 (12 oz package corn tortillas
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 c shredded Monterey jack cheese

Mix enchilada sauce and tomato paste. Brown beef with garlic salt, onion powder and black beans. Layer sauce, tortillas, beef, and cheese until everything is gone. Bake at 350 for 25 min. or until bubbly.

Haylee’s Note:
My sister Heather invented this recipe and I LOVE it!! But, she still makes better that I do. You can also top this casserole with lettuce, tomato, onion, sour cream, or any other toppings you would like.

Haylee’s Enchilada Casserole

HAYLEE'S ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

1 lb ground beef
1 chopped onion
2 tbs chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tbs brown sugar
1 large can whole tomatoes
1 can corn
Tortillas
Cheddar Cheese

Brown beef and onions. Add next four ingredients and mix to make a sauce. Break up tomatoes to bite size pieces. In a greased baking dish layer broken tortillas, sauce, cheese, tortillas, sauce, corn, cheese, tortillas, cheese. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Haylee’s Note:
My friend Korianne gave me a recipe similar to this, and I made my own variation. This used to be my favorite meal to make until I got morning sickness, and I haven’t been able to eat it until last night. Also, my sister Heather makes an Enchilada Casserole that I like even better!! I am going to make it soon and post it on here!! Hers is the best!!!

Nacho Casserole

NACHO CASSEROLE

Brown:
1 lb. hamburger
1 chopped onion

Add:
1 can refried beans
4 oz. can green chilis

Grate and layer over top:
1 1/2 c. Monterey jack cheese
1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese

Pour over top:
1 bottle salsa

Bake at 350 for 20 min.
Top with lettuce, tomatoe, olives, sour cream, chips

Haylee's Note:
This was a staple growing up. My mom often made this for us. She got it from her friend Marily. To be totally honest, this is not my favorite meal, but everyone else seems to love it, so I keep on making it. It is a fun one especially for big games, like BYU vs. UofU!

Grandma Welling's Breakfast Casserole

GRANDMA WELLING'S BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Layer 8 pieces cubed bread into greased 9x13 pan
ADD:
2 c. shredded cheese
20 cooked and cut sausages
Mix, pour over top and refrigerate overnight
4 eggs
2 1/2 c milk
3/4 tsp dry mustard
Next morning mix and pour over top
1/2 c. milk
1 can mushroom soup

Bake at 325 for 1 1/2 hours.
Serves 12

Haylee's Note:
This picture doesn't do this meal justice. We have this every year on Christmas morning! We LOVE it!!! I really like it because you can make it ahead of time, and have a yummy breakfast without having to wake up super early! We always eat this with grapefruit and cinnamon rolls!