The Best Lasagna

Before you make the best lasagna you must spend a whole day making the best spaghetti sauce.   

1 package lasagna

15 oz ricotta cheese

1 cup cottage cheese

1 cup Romano cheese

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 eggs

1 Tbsp basil leaves

4 cups spaghetti sauce

In large bowl combine ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, Romano cheese, eggs and basil leaves; mix well. 

Cook lasagna according to package directions and drain.

Start with a layer of sauce on the bottom of a well grease lasagna pan.  Put a layer of noodles, then ricotta mixture, top with sauce and mozzarella cheese; layer three times with final topping being the mozzarella cheese.  Bake 350º for one hour; let stand 15 minutes before digging in.

© Crackerberries 2011

Weenie In A Beanie Wrap

I am forever trying to use up leftover Saturday beans. Chili is good, but sometimes tedious. Who doesn’t love beans and hotdogs? This is sort of a take on pigs in blanket but different. First, spice up the leftover beans with some red pepper flakes, cumin and garlic powder. Then make up a batch of garlic herb dough in the bread machine. Use your imagination ooh, doggie.

4 hotdogs

1 medium onion

1 cup baked beans

Bread dough

Ketchup

Mustard

Garlic Herb Dough

 

1 cup water (70º-80º)

2 Tbsp butter flavored Crisco

1 egg

3¼ cups flour

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp basil

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp tarragon leaves

Select dough setting. When finished, divide dough in half and freeze half for another meal. Divide into 4 portions and roll out into 6x4 inch rectangles. Place one dog on each blanket; slit dogs down center, not cutting all the way through; fill with ketchup or mustard. Sprinkle with chopped onion, spoon ¼ cup beans over dog and roll up. Press seams together to seal. Place on greased baking dish and let rise for about 30 minutes. Bake 375º for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with a dill pickle and more ketchup or mustard if desired.

© Crackerberries 2011

The Ultimate Reuben

4 slices pumpernickel bread

¼ lb thinly sliced corned beef
4 Tbsp sauerkraut, well drained
2 Tbsp Thousand Island dressing
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 slices Swiss cheese
1 tbsp margarine

Drain sauerkraut on paper towels; heat griddle to medium (340º). Combine mustard and dressing together and mix well. Divide corned beef between two slices of bread, top with sauerkraut, cheese and dressing. Cover with remaining two slices of bread. Spread margarine on the outside of both sides of sandwich. Place on griddle; grill on each side until golden brown and cheese is melted. Serve with Dug’s spicy sweet potato fries.

1 medium sweet potato, peeled & julienned
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp chili powder
1 tsp pepper
½ tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven 375º

Combine all spices together and mix well; spread sweet potatoes on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with vegetable oil and toss lightly to spread over all potatoes. Sprinkle with spices and toss again. Bake in 375º for 20 minutes then toss and return to oven for another 20-30 minutes until fries are done. Serve with honey mustard or ranch dressing.

© Crackerberries 2011

Banana Butterscotch Pie

1 pastry crust
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup corn starch
12 oz evaporated milk
1½ cup skim milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp maple extract
5 bananas



For pastry crust, combine 1 cup all purpose flour, ½ tsp salt, 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp shortening; mix together until particles are the size of tiny peas. Sprinkle with water and mix only enough for dough to come away from sides of bowl. Form into ball. Roll out pastry and ease into pie plate. Prick with a fork and bake in 425º oven for 10-15 minutes.

Combine sugar and corn starch in large sauce pan with milk. Mix well; cook over medium heat until mixture begins to boil—stirring constantly. Add a little of the hot mixture to the egg yolks and then add all back into the hot mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat, add butter and maple extract. Cool in sauce pan to lukewarm. Slice bananas and place in bottom of cooked pastry crust. Pour cooled pudding mixture over bananas. Chill for at least three hours. Garnish with whipped cream and more bananas if desired.

© Crackerberries 2011

New England Boiled Dinner

Most people think of corned beef and cabbage as the traditional Saint Patrick’s Day dinner. It’s actually a New England boiled dinner. We ate most of it before I realized I didn’t take a picture, so I tried to make the leftovers presentable. Traditionally a New England boiled dinner is made with parsnips or turnips; parsnips give me hives so I replaced them with beets. That will work out perfect for my corned beef hash tomorrow.

4 lbs corned beef
1 package of petites carrots
1 medium onion, quartered
3 large potatoes, peeled & quartered
3 fresh beets
1 head cabbage cut into wedges
2 bay leaves
1 tsp peppercorns
1 tsp basil leaves

Cover meat with cold water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, covered 4 hours.

Add cabbage, cook for 15 minutes.

Quarter beets and place in separate sauce pan to cook for about 45 minutes. (I cook the beet separately so that they do not turn the other vegetables red).

Add potatoes and carrots; cook for 30 minutes. Remove meat and cut into pieces; place vegetables strategically around meat.

Serve with horseradish mustard and plenty of vinegar for the cabbage and beets. The pumpernickel bread in the background will make for excellent Rueben’s tonight.

© Crackerberries 2011

Irish Bread Pudding

Happy Saint ♣ Patrick's Day

My Grandmother Averill was born 87 years ago today, (may she rest in peace) — does that make me Irish?  (ha ha)!  We always make a loaf of bread to go with Sat-day "beans, bath and tail" and one thing we found is once you have bread fresh out of the oven with the butter melting down your hands as you eat it, it just doesn’t taste the same cold or even heated up the next day. I kept finding these few pieces of bread accumulating in the refrigerator so I decided bread pudding was a good way to use up the leftover pieces.

And what better day than to have some good old fashion Irish Bread Pudding for dessert after a meal of Corned Beef and Cabbage?  (OK, so it's not really a traditional Irish recipe, I just made that up.)

8 slices day old bread (lightly toasted)
½ cup raisins
½ cup Bailey’s Irish Cream (use brandy you like)
¼ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice
3 eggs
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups milk, *scalded & cooled

Cover raisins with Bailey’s Irish Cream; set aside for a few hours.

Preheat oven 325°

Spread 1½ tsp butter on each slice of bread and cut into 1 inch cubes; set aside. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and all spice; reserve 3 Tbsp for later use. Toss bread crumbs with mixture. Place ½ bread mixture in lightly greased 1½ Qt casserole baking dish.

Drain raisins (drink up); place ½ raisins over bread. Repeat layers. Combine eggs, salt and vanilla in mixing bowl, beat med speed for 1 min, gradually adding scalded milk. Pour over casserole and let stand 5 min.

Sprinkle with reserved 3 tbsp spice mixture. Bake 325° for 45-50 min. Serve warm with vanilla Sauce.

• Scalding milk is bringing just below the boiling point.

Irish Vanilla Sauce

½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar firmly packed
½ cup whipping cream
¼ cup Bailey's Irish Cream
½ cup butter
1 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients except the vanilla and the Bailey's in 1 qt saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until mixture thickens and comes to a full boil (5-8 min). Stir in vanilla and Irish Cream. Serve over warm pudding; store surplus in refrigerator.

© Crackerberries 2011

My Mom's Macaroni & Cheese

2 cups elbows macaroni
12 oz frozen broccoli  and cheese (Mom uses Bird’s Eye)
1 can of cheddar soup
8 slices American cheese
1 cup milk
¾ cup bread crumbs
3-4 Tbsp butter, melted
Salt and pepper to taste




Cook elbows according to package directions, drain and set aside.

Cook broccoli according to package directions; in large bowl, combine broccoli, cheddar soup, milk and salt & pepper and mix well.

Using a well greased Dutch oven or 2 quart casserole dish, layer macaroni, 4 slices of the American cheese, 1/3 of the broccoli mixture and repeat layers ending with broccoli mixture.

In small bowl combine bread crumbs and butter. Spread over top of casserole. Bake in 350º oven for 45 minutes or until bubbly on top. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

© Crackerberries 2011

Fiery Smothered Pork Chops

1 lb sliced pork loin (½ inch thickness)
½ Tbsp Jamaican-Jerk seasoning
1-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
14½ oz can of Tex-Mex style diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, finely sliced
1 tsp vegetable oil

Rub both sides of the sliced pork loin chops with the Jamaican-Jerk seasoning; set aside. In cast iron fry pan, heat the oil and add the onion and chipotle pepper (add more peppers to add even more spicy); cook about 2 minutes, stirring often (until that hot pepper burns the inside of your nose). Push mixture to one side of fry pan.

Add pork to cleared side of fry pan and cook about 3-4 minutes per side until browned. Add tomatoes and heat until boiling. Reduce heat, cover and cook 10 more minutes or until pork chops are no longer pink inside. Serve with cooked white rice.




© Crackerberries 2011

Hamburger Pie & Tomato Pepper Sauce

2 cups flour tortilla mix
½ cup warm water
¾ lb ground burger
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
14½ oz. stewed tomatoes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp oregano
2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp fresh ground pepper

Combine tortilla mix and warm water in medium sized bowl. Mix well and knead until mixture is smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes). Cover with warm damp towel and let rest 10 minutes.

In large skillet cook the garlic, onion and burger in the vegetable oil until burger is brown. Drain tomatoes, reserving liquid. Add tomatoes and oregano to burger and cook just to heat.

Divide tortilla mix in half. Roll out first half to fit into pie plate. Prick the bottom with a fork and bake in 375º oven for 8 minutes. Pour mixture into cooked tortilla crust. Sprinkle with shredded cheeses. Roll out other half of crust and lay over top. Press to sides to seal. Make venting holes in top. Bake at 350º for 45 minutes.

Combine reserved tomato juice and corn starch, mix well. Microwave for 2 minutes; add pepper and stir well.

Slice pie and serve with tomato pepper sauce.


© Crackerberries 2011

Simple Turkey Enchiladas

8 flour tortillas
2 cups cooked turkey
1 can of nacho fiesta soup
2 cups shredded cheddar
1 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
¼ cup sliced olives
¼ cup milk
¼ cup chopped jalapeños


I make my own flour tortillas but to make it even more simple use store bought ones.

In large measuring cup, combine the soup and the milk and stir until well blended.

In large skillet, sauté the onion in the olive oil until tender; add turkey, jalapeños and soup and cook until heated.

Spoon the mixture into flour tortillas and roll up. Place seam side down in greased baking dish. Spread with cheddar cheese and sprinkle with cumin. Bake at 375º 35-40 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Top with olives. Garnish with sour cream, lettuce, tomato, etc. Serve with fried rice.

© Crackerberries 2011

Oatmeal Fig Squares

1¼ cup all purpose flour
1¼ cup rolled oats
½ cup sugar
¾ cup butter, melted
½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla
12 oz fig mincemeat
½ cup flaked coconut


Heat oven to 350º; grease 13x9 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, butter, baking soda and vanilla and mix on low speed until crumbly. Save out one cup of mixture and press remaining in the bottom of the greased baking dish. Spread fig mincemeat over top and sprinkle with 1 cup of crumb mixture and top with coconut. Bake 25-30 minutes. Cool completely and cut into squares.

Fig preserves, raspberry preserves, strawberry preserves can also be used.




© Crackerberries 2011

Turkey Fried Rice

Fried rice can be made with just about anything you have on hand. I find the best way to do it is to always have some white rice already made and then you just add veggies of your choice and a few spices to it; presto, instant side dish.

3 cups cooked white rice
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup frozen peas
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 leek, thinly sliced
2 carrots, diced
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 cup cooked turkey
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp soy sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste


Prepare the ingredients you will use before you start cooking. In wok, heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil; cook egg and garlic until egg sets. Remove from wok and chop into pieces; set aside. Add remaining vegetable oil and heat on medium high; stir fry carrots, celery, leeks for about 2 minutes or until tender. Add rice stirring until grains separate; reduce heat slightly and add peas and turkey and soy sauce. Cook until thoroughly heated and add egg, stir well, serve hot.


© Crackerberries 2011

Classic Italian Garlic Bread

My mom bought me a bread machine at a yard sale for $5. It’s my favorite kitchen appliance. This is one of our preferred bread machine recipes. You can make up a batch, split it, freeze half of it, and have it for a later meal.

1 cup water (70º-80º)
2 Tbsp butter flavored Crisco
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
3¼ cups flour
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp rosemary leaves
½ tsp thyme
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp basil
¼ tsp garlic powder
2¼ tsp yeast

Kosher salt
Melted butter
Italian seasoning



Place first 12 ingredients in bread machine in order listed. Select dough setting. When cycle is complete turn dough out on lightly floured surface. Divide dough into portions…shape into balls or rolls. Place on greased baking sheets and cover with towel; let rise in warm place until double in size (about 30 minutes). Bake at 375º for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with kosher salt and Italian seasoning before serving.

If freezing, let thaw in refrigerator, then divide, place on baking sheets to rise, bake as directed.

© Crackerberries 2011