Contest Winning Corn Moussaka

I found the original of this recipe in a 1980 Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.  It was a contest winner dish at that time.  It appealed to me on the basis that it used corn and ground beef, both of which I typically had on hand.  I didn't keep cottage cheese on hand then, but I felt the recipe was economical enough I could afford that addition to my budget.  Nowadays, I'd probably substitute in a Bechamel sauce.   

This recipe stood the test of time.  I have made it on average at least twice a year since 1980.  In a household where I typically 'shake things up' often and am always trying new recipes.  

Recently I've added allspice and oregano to the sauce base.  You really do want the warm flavor of cinnamon and allspice in this casserole for that indefinable flavor.  

Corn Moussaka

1 17-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained

1 1/2 pounds ground beef *

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 8 ounce can tomato sauce

1/2 tsp garlic salt** 

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 tsp oregano

2 slightly beaten eggs

1 1 /2 cups cottage cheese with chives, drained*** 

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

slivered almonds (optional)

Spread corn in an ungreased shallow casserole, 10 x 7.  In medium skillet, brown ground beef.  Drain fat if necessary.  Add flour; cook and stir for 1 minute.  Add tomato sauce, flour, garlic, and cinnamon.  Pour over corn in dish.  Bake at 350F for 15 minutes. 

Mix cottage cheese and eggs.  Spread over warm meat mixture.  Top with cheeses.  Sprinkle almonds on top of the cheese.  Bake 10-15 minutes more. *I usually end up baking a little longer.  The cottage cheese topping should be just soft set.  If it is a little wobblier than you feel comfortable with, cook up to 1/2 hour, but check every five minutes.  The point is not to cook the cheese dry and hard atop the meat mixture.****

  *I've never used more than a pound of meat in this recipe

**I use 1 teaspoon minced garlic

***/****I have never noticed the part where it says to drain the cottage cheese! You could easily skip the draining and just add in a couple of tablespoons of flour and stir well.   I add 1 tablespoon dried chives to plain cottage cheese.

You can skip the whole cottage cheese thing and just make a 2-cup recipe of Bechamel sauce.  I stir two beaten eggs into my sauce to make it 'set' up nicely.  

NOTES:  I just made an Eggplant and Potato Moussaka.  My take was that I'd rather have used the meat filling from this recipe.  And next time I will!

You can use either sliced grilled Eggplant or thick slices of Potato that has been well browned on both sides in this dish.  Layer the vegetables and meat the way you do in Italian Lasagna.  Adding a bit of grated Parmesan between layers and to the top of the dish is delicious.  

Banana Pineapple Bread

This recipe came to me with two stainless steel loaf pans I'd purchased a couple of years ago.  I tried it then and found the recipe problematic.  It was good, but it definitely needed some work.  For one thing the loaf pans are about half the depth of a standard loaf pan.  The recipe came with each pan.  And according to the recipe, it would fit in the one pan.  I could tell just reading through the quantity of ingredients that was not going to work. I think at the time I baked my first trial run of the batter by dividing it in half, putting some in each pan.  And I do recall I had issues, but the overall taste was good and a nice change from my usual banana bread recipe.

So, I tried this recipe again this week when I had two very ripe bananas.  I won't tell a fib: it's still a problem recipe but it's sooo good!  I'm going to send it out here and the next time I try it I will note any changes I make.  I'll also submit the recipe as it was written and write what my experiences were this time around.

Banana Pineapple Bread

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 eggs

1 cup drained, crushed pineapple

3 ripe bananas

1 cup oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chopped walnuts

The recipe states to mix all dry ingredients in one bowl and all wet ingredients in a second bowl then combine them.  Mix in nuts.  It says to bake in 'bread' pan and doesn't mention greasing or spraying the pan.  It goes on to say bake for 40-50 minutes at 350F.

First, I'll tell you what I did wrong.  I had two bananas.  I didn't drain my pineapple exactly, but I kind of did as I dipped it from the can and into my measuring cup.  I figured with the lack of the third banana the added moisture wasn't going to be a problem.  I purposely cut back the sugar to 1.5 cups.  It just seemed excessive with the pineapple, even though it was packed in juice.

I have a load of walnuts and could have used them, but I also had a bag of cashews in the cabinet that are going uneaten and decided to use a cup of those instead.  Yes, they are salted.  I didn't see that as a problem.  I figured with all the sweetness in the loaf the salt wasn't going to be too dominant.

I did grease my pan.  I couldn't imagine the bread coming out of the pan otherwise.  

I was using the stainless-steel loaf pans that this recipe came with another dish.  Those are 8x3 x2.  I poured all of the batter into the regular loaf pan (9 x 5), the one that is an actual loaf bread pan.  It filled it to the brim.  I knew I was in trouble then.   Didn't stop me though it did make me pause.   

Next time, I'll bake it in the extra-long (16 x 4) pan I bought, the one meant to make angel food cake in a loaf form.  I have a 13-inch-long pan but feel it would still be too small for this amount of batter.  Alternatively, I could bake a half dozen or even nine muffins and the regular loaf...Just thinking here to give you all ideas.  

I baked it for 50 minutes.  When I inserted my pick off center it came out clean, but I noted a suspicious extra jiggle.  Good for Quiche or egg custard.  Not so much with bread.  I checked in the center, and it came out coated in batter.  At that point, we had to leave home for a birthday party.  I left it in the oven, though I did shut it off.  When I returned, I checked the loaf again with my stainless-steel pick and it still came out coated in batter.  I reheated the oven, kept the loaf in the oven the whole while and baked for an hour more, checking it periodically.  The pick never did come out clean.  I don't know if I kept hitting a big piece of banana or not, but I couldn't justify baking it any longer. At that point, I simply pulled it from the oven because the outer edges were getting a bit overdone.  

Later note:  It was just a very moist bread but definitely cooked through.  Still think next time I need to use two regular loaf pans or the longer Angel Food Cake pan that I have on hand.

Amazon Affiliate Associate Link:  The pan I'll use next time...

Tuscan Chicken Pasta

I found this recipe on a money saving site I visit weekly.  In reading through the recipe, I was struck immediately by the fact that this recipe used only ingredients I typically keep on hand.  It is fairly frugal, using a good substitute of ingredients to replace one that is typically costly.  I saved a bit more by using a substitute for another ingredient, which is near enough the original to taste the same.  

The site I visited had this listed as a freezer meal and suggested that you make it in two 9x9 pans.  That was what I'd planned to do but instead, I ended up making it as a regular meal and am freezing the leftovers.

I cooked my chicken first in the crock pot, but you could sub in any leftover cooked chicken if it's not pre-seasoned.  I upped the flavor profile just a little and altered the liquid...in other words I've adjusted the recipe and made it my own take on the original, so I won't be passing credit to anyone else due to all the substitutions.    

This was a huge hit with my family and as I said, there were enough leftovers to freeze and have another time.  Again, I am much amused at how I can take something from the freezer and end up putting back an entire meal, lol.  

Tuscan Chicken Pasta

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

4 tsps. of minced garlic

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp. basil

1 tsp. oregano 

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup chopped sundried tomatoes (not oil packed)

8 ounces cream cheese, softened, cubed

3 cups whole milk

1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)

4-6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

16 ounces pasta of choice, cooked

Place chicken in the crockpot and cook on high for 3-5 hours or low for 4-6 hours. Once chicken is cooked you can cut it into chunks or use a fork to make thick rustic bits.  Top with seasonings and dried tomatoes.  Stir and continue to cook on low.

To make sauce: Heat milk, cream cheese and butter.  Cook until slightly thickened.  Add sauce to crockpot.  I let mine cook for another hour on low and then switched the slow cooker over to warm.   I added in the cooked pasta about 15 minutes before I planned to serve it.

notes:  The original recipe called only for basil.  I didn't find that gave me quite enough flavor.   

Because I don't use freshly minced garlic, using water packed minced, I did add in the garlic powder just to bring up the garlic flavor a little bit.

The original recipe called for 2 cups of milk.  We like our pasta a little more saucy.  I ended up adding in extra milk.  I didn't have the Parmesan cheese (my daughter brought it to me when she came in from work) and I knew that the cheese was going to cause the sauce to thicken more and then the pasta would absorb quite a bit once it was added.  That extra cup of milk was the perfect amount.

Not only did we get 3 generous and 1 toddler sized portion, but I put aside a full portion for my daughter's work.  I still had enough leftovers to freeze in a 9x9 pan.  The original recipe said to bake at 350F from frozen for 40-50 minutes, if thawed for 30-40 minutes.

I've noticed that there are many online recipes for this dish and most include fresh spinach, which I think would be a delicious addition.

The Good Housekeeping Cookbook Yellow Cake

 

I recently wanted a single layer cake, but I remembered that the Dinette Cake from The Betty Crocker Cookbook, while a favorite is a bit coarse and dense.  Perfect for a Strawberry Shortcake, or a coffee cake like cake with a Broiled frosting but not light and airy like the cake I wanted.  

Since The Good Housekeeping Cookbook was right beside my chair it was easy to find a new recipe to try.  I've linked this cookbook and the other one, too, for those of you interested in checking them out on Amazon.

This recipe is different than most cake recipes.  First there is the question of what fat you will use.  The recipe says that butter will give you a rich flavor, while shortening will give you a more delicate flavor and crumb.  I'd be very curious what coconut fat might do for the cake.  I didn't have any on hand, so I subbed in the butter with a bit of shortening to make the full half cup fat required.

Then there is the question of temperatures. * If using two 8-inch rounds or you want to make 24 21/2-inch cupcakes, then 350F is the suggested temperature.  If using the 9-inch square, then the directions say to temperature should be 325F.

Whatever pan size you choose, do be sure to grease and flour the pan(s) or line with paper cupcake liners.

Yellow Cake

 2 cups flour

2 tsps. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup room temp fat (butter or shortening)

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup milk

Preheat oven.  See notes above * to determine temperature.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

Beat fat with sugar for five minutes on medium speed.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add vanilla.  

Lower speed to the lowest setting.  Alternate flour mixture with the milk, beating well after each addition.

Pour into greased floured pan(s).

Bake at 350F (8-inch rounds or cupcake pans) or 325F (9-inch square).   8-inch pans bake for 30 minutes (mine took 35 minutes), cupcakes bake for 20-25 minutes and 9-inch square bakes for 40-45 minutes.  

Cool in pan(s) on wire racks for 10 minutes, then turn out onto the rack to cool completely.

I was so pleased at how silky this batter turned out.  The layers are tender and lovely.  I planned to freeze one layer, but it was truly a smaller cake than I'd thought it might be.  

I've debated the difference in baking times, and I'll bet that the longer slower bake time in the 9-inch pan will get you a slightly heavier cake with a consistency closer to a moist pound cake.  I plan to test that theory out one day soon.

I made mine lemon by using lemon extract in the batter for a subtle delicate lemon flavor and iced with a half recipe of buttercream frosting that I flavored with pure lemon juice.  I used only the half recipe of frosting because I didn't want a very rich cake overall, just something with subtle sweetness.

Cheesy Salsa Chicken and Rice

 

This was one of those desperation dinners.  I waited too late in the day to allow for a long thawing of meat.  The weather had changed from a previous forecast and was quite cool, rather than warm.  I had no clue what I might make but what was on the menu didn't appeal in the least.  

Out of desperation something was born that my family raved over.  I thought I'd share that with you all here.

This is a variation on Chicken and Rice but with a fresh twist that made it most welcome on the dinner table.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Chicken for four people (I used boneless skinless thighs, but any boneless chicken would work well)

Tajin seasoning 

1 cup salsa

1 cup shredded cheddar (what I had on hand.  I used a sharp cheddar.  I think Pepper Jack would have been equally delicious)

Prepared Mexican rice (from scratch or a packet.  Mine had been frozen from a previous meal and was thawed.)

I baked the chicken, covered, at 350F until I could easily pull the pieces apart and separate.  I drained off the liquids that accumulated in the bottom of the pan then laid the chicken back out on the pan and seasoned liberally with the Tajin seasoning.  I also added a bit of salt.  I baked about 20 minutes, turned it and then seasoned again on that side.  At about the 35-minute mark, I removed chicken from the pan.  

I spread the rice on the bottom of the pan.  Lay the chicken pieces on top of the rice base.  Then spread the salsa evenly over each piece of chicken and then with cheese.  Bake at 350 for another 10-15 minutes until everything is hot, melted and bubbly.  

We served this with a simple salad and Mexican Cornbread.  Tortillas would also make a great side and you could add beans if you needed to stretch the meal further.  

Mock Chop Suey

 

I got this recipe via Jennifer Brockman of A Country Life.  You can view her original recipe here. It sounded really good to me when she was making it in a recent video, and I thought I'd try it out on my family.  I happened to have all the ingredients including the chow mein noodles on hand.  

She mentioned in the video that the recipe was well over 60 years old.  I am pretty sure I've had it before, made as she shared it.  She'd found the recipe in an old collaborative cookbook, one of those sold by churches or women's clubs.

The recipe I'm sharing below is based on the one Jennifer shared but I'm adding in my variations and I'm including one ingredient that I didn't use, but Katie and I both felt it would be a great addition.  The dish definitely needed the added texture.

All in all, this is a good recipe, uses pretty much basic pantry ingredients and isn't cost prohibitive to make.  

Mock Chop Suey

1 pound ground beef

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped mushrooms (I used baby Bellas)

1 cup grated carrot (just something I had already on hand, so no harm in adding it right?)

1.5 cups chopped onion

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 can drained, diced water chestnuts (You really need this crunch in this dish so try to add it.  I didn't have it but next time I make this I will.)

1 cup water

1 tsp. powdered beef broth

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup uncooked white rice

salt and pepper to taste

Chow Mein Noodles

Brown ground beef, then add in the onions, celery, mushrooms, carrot, and garlic.  I considered adding in some shredded broccoli stalks as well.  I'm a big proponent of adding in all the extra vegetables I can to these sorts of dishes.

Once the meat is browned and the vegetables are soft add in the water, broth powder, soy sauce, soups, rice, and basic measures of salt and pepper. I used a little less salt and a good 1/2 tsp of pepper.  Mix well.  Remove from heat.  

Pour into a baking dish.  Jennifer filled a 9 X 13 pan.  I used two 9-inch square pans and divided equally among the two pans. 

Cover pan.  Bake at 350F for 1 hour and 20 minutes.  Remove cover, top with chow mein noodles and bake an additional 10 minutes.

I opted to bake one pan now and put the other pan into the freezer to have as a future entree. I labeled with cooking time and temp for future use.

Mongolian Beef Noodles

 

I'm always interested in trying a spin on a familiar taste profile that is a little less expensive to make.  Six years ago, Bess made an absolutely awesome Mongolian Beef that used boneless Chuck Roast.  It was made in the slow cooker, and it was wonderful.  We asked to put it on a repeating cycle while she and Sam lived here.  Back then, boneless chuck roasts were an inexpensive meat to have on hand.  Nowadays though it's pricey as can be.  In fact, I am seeing more of the English cut or Arm roasts on sale than Chuck Roasts and those are still rather pricey for my taste.  

In the meantime, I was interested when I saw a video of Mandy from Mandy in the Making preparing a version of Mongolian Beef that used ground meat.  She made a couple of suggestions about serving and it sounded interesting, so we tried it.  It was a little lackluster in my opinion.

But I couldn't quite let go of the idea.  I knew that one of her suggestions I hadn't followed and that was to double the sauce ingredients.   Then I came across another blogger's recipe which also sounded good.  I decided to try it again and this time add the touches I'd felt were missing the first time around.  Only I couldn't find the second blogger's recipe when I went to look for it.  So, I grabbed another recipe from a Bing search that came from the website, 12tomatoes.com.  I tweaked a few things based on what I had on hand, then I added all the toppings I'd felt were missing before.

The result was terrific.  It was so good that dibs got called right away on the leftovers a few days later when we were doing a clear out the fridge night.

I used thin whole wheat spaghetti noodles because it's what I had on hand.  I think the broader flatter noodle really would work best with this recipe to give the sauce more surface to cling to.

I used raw grated carrot, fresh lime wedges, chili garlic sauce, green and pickled onions on our bowls of noodles.  That was what I had on hand.  I think you could pickle shredded carrots or have sliced fresh radishes and that would be very nice on top as well.   I know that John would love this dish with slices of fresh cucumber surrounding the plate.  

I served with steamed broccoli but thought after that if I could manage a crisp tender broccoli, it would be good, tossed right in with the sauce and noodles.   Cooked diced baby bella mushrooms in with the beef would be a nice way to extend the meat if you had additional company.  

I think this would make a great rice bowl as well.

Mongolian Beef Noodles

8 ounces Fettuccini noodles

1 pound ground beef

4 cloves of garlic, minced (or 4 tsps. of minced garlic)

1/4-inch slice ginger root, grated 

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

3 tbsps. honey

1.5 tsps. sesame oil

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 c. loosely packed brown sugar

1/4 c. Hoisin sauce, I often don't have this and leave it out

1/4 c. Beef Broth

2 tbsps. cornstarch

1/4 cup water

For garnishing:   raw grated carrot

                              Pickled red onion

                              Diced Green onion tops

                              Lime wedges

                              Chili Garlic sauce

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.  Salt well.  Add fettuccini and cook according to package directions.

Brown ground beef.  Add garlic and cook for a moment or two.  Add the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer.  Make a slurry of cornstarch and water.  Remove pan from heat, stir in the slurry and then return to heat stirring the whole while.

Serve beef over noodles and top as you like.

July 1, 2024 update:  I recently used ground chicken in this recipe and it worked beautifully.  I was blessed to find packages marked down for about $1/pound.  I like ground chicken far better than I do ground turkey.  It's less grainy and takes on the flavors in this dish very well