Sausage-Potato Casserole

**Warning:  Very greasy made this way!  Working on trying to lessen the grease.  Some suggestions are to use lowfat cheese and sweet potatoes instead of the regular cheese and white potatoes called for.**



Sausage-Potato Casserole
Taken from Allrecipes.com
Tested by DC, BIL, DH, and YCGP

Ingredients

• 3 large baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 pound Polish kielbasa
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon caraway seed
• 2/3 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375*.  Using two long sheets of aluminum foil on top of each other, fold one long edge together and open out to make a large sheet of foil.  Line a 13x9 pan with the foil, allowing edges to hang outside pan
2. Arrange the sliced potatoes, overlapping slightly, in bottom of pan.  Pepper to taste.  Top with half of the cheese.  Cut sausage in half crosswise and lengthwise and place, cut side down on top.  Top with remaining cheese, the dill weed, caraway seed and milk.  Seal edges of foil tightly.
3. Bake at 375* for 1 hour.

Guinea Pig rating:  ***** (5/5)

What I did:  I added more potatoes to it and it was WONDERFUL!
What will I do next time:  Use more potatoes, lowfat cheese, maybe I will try the sweet potatoes.  :)  Enjoy!

Chicken & Rice Casserole

Chicken & Rice Casserole
Taken from Hillbillyhousewife.com
Tested by DH, DC, and YCGP.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of margarine (1/2 a stick)
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup of strong chicken broth (make with 2 bouillon cubes)
1 1/2 cup milk
2 cups cooked rice (leftovers are great)
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken or turkey
4 oz can mushrooms, drained
1 cup frozen peas
2 oz jar pimiento (optional)
1/4 cup slivered almonds (optional)

Directions:

First you need to make a white sauce. Use a 3-quart saucepan to make it because you will use the sauce pan to combine all of the ingredients later. So, melt the margarine in the saucepan over medium heat. When it is melted, stir in the flour. Whisk it until it is smooth and bubbly. Gradually add the chicken broth and the milk. I use real chicken broth if I have it, other wise I just add a cup of water, and a couple of bouillon cubes. Stir this as you cook it over medium heat. A whisk works really good for preventing any lumps. When the sauce is thick and boiling, allow it to boil for a full minute. Remove it from the heat. Add the rice, chicken, mushrooms, peas and pimiento, if you are using it. Stir it all up really good. Turn the mixture into a well oiled 2-1/2 quart casserole. Sprinkle the almonds or other nuts on top. Bake at 350° for about 40 minutes. It should be hot and bubbly throughout. If desired, sprinkle with chopped parsley, fresh or dried, right before serving. Makes about 6 servings.

Guinea Pig rating:  ***** (5/5)

What did I do:  I used my wheat/white flour combination for this recipe.  I also added broccoli to the recipe, because I thought it didn't have enough vegetables.  As I was putting the casserole into the oven, I realized I forgot to add the mushrooms!  Oh, well!  It was wonderful with peas and broccoli.  **Side note:  I have never added the almonds and pimientoes to the casserole and it tastes wonderful.**

What will I do differently next time:  Nothing...at least not intentionally!  :)

Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast Casserole
Taken from MOMYS Cookbook
Tasted by dc, dh, and YCGP

Ingredients:

1 2-lb bag frozen hash browns
1 lb breakfast sausage
1 lg onion
1 lb cheddar cheese
10 eggs
2 tsp pepper

Directions:

Heat oven to 400*.  Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Cook the sausage with the onion.  Place the hash browns into prepared pan, then top with the cooded meat & onions.  Sprinkle cheese on top of the meat.  Whisk eggs with pepper and pour over the cheese.  Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes.

Guinea Pig rating:  **** (4/5) - and this rating is without the onion or cheddar cheese!  My girls didn't go for it at breakfast, but loved it at lunch.  Toddlers...picky eaters!

What I did:  No onion in my house, so I skipped it.  Cheddar cheese was replaced with a mixture of the following cheeses - Mozzerella, fresh parmesan, and Monterey Jack.

What will I do next time:  Have cheddar cheese and onion in my house so that I can make the casserole correctly!

**Overall, breakfast was WONDERFUL, but I don't even want to think how many calories is in this meal.  And we had leftovers for lunch when we got back from church.  Even so, we still have leftovers in the fridge.**