Homespun Meat and Potato Pie

Meat and Potato Pie 

This is a very simple meat and potato pie recipe. This dish has ground beef, onions, potatoes, mushrooms, corn and cheese.   It is across between a meatloaf, and a shepherds' pie. My kids love this recipe and request that I make it often.

Ingredients

3 to 4 potatoes

3 tablespoons milk

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 c. cheese, cubed or shredded

1 can whole kernel corn, drained (optional)

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped

1 (4 oz.) can mushrooms, drained

1 egg
1/4 c. ketchup

1/4 c. dry bread crumbs

1/2 to 1 tsp. salt

Pepper to taste
Bacon, crisp fried and crumpled

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Wash and peel potatoes. Fill a pot with water and add your potatoes. Cook them until tender. If you want to, cut the potatoes into smaller pieces, so they will cook faster. When the potatoes are done, remove them from the water. 

Put the potatoes into a bowl and mash them with a potato masher, or you can use an electric mixer.  Mix until they are as smooth as you want them to be.

Add the milk, salt, pepper, cheese, and corn. Stir to combine. The cheese does not need to melt, it will do that in the oven.  You can use whatever cheese you like best, but we like sharp cheddar cheese or hot pepper cheese. We often use a mixture of both.

Cover the potatoes and set aside while you prepare the meat mixture.

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, onions, mushrooms, egg, ketchup, bread crumbs, salt and pepper.  Don’t mix them too much or the meat mixture will be tough.

Press the meat mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan, or any baking dish. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Remove the meat from the oven. Tip the pan to drain the excess fat away.  To make this job easier, place an empty pie pan or baking dish inside, so it rests on the meat.  Carefully tip the dish or pan, so the grease drains away.  This way, when you tip the container to drain it, the meat won’t fall out. 

Reduce the oven temperature to 350°.

Fill the meat shell with the potato mixture. Return to the oven and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, until everything is hot and cheese is melty.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle bacon over the top. Cut into servings.  Serves about 6 people.

 Fried Potatoes

This is a dish I make quite often for my family. To me, it is comfort food, and it transports me back to a time when I was young.  My dad didn't cook very often, but when he did, this was one of the dishes he liked to make. He would make a large skillet full to feed the family. It is a simple recipe. You can use this as the main meal, or cut the recipe down to use as a side dish.

Ingredients

12 to 16 ounces thick-sliced bacon, cut in 2-inch pieces (optional)
1 onion, sliced and diced
6 to 8 large potatoes, about 3 pounds, peeled
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
cayenne pepper, (optional)

Directions

Fill a pot with cold water. Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Place the potato cubes in the cold water.  Allow the potatoes to soak while you cook the bacon.  This removes some of the starch from the potatoes.

In a large, cast iron skillet, cook the bacon until crisp.  Remove the bacon, placing it on paper towels to drain. Crumple the bacon and set aside.

Remove all but 2 to 3 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the skillet. Save the rest of the bacon grease to use for another recipe.  

Drain the water from the potatoes. Try to get the potatoes as dry as you can before adding to the hot skillet.  

Carefully add the potatoes and onion to the skillet.  Stir to coat the potatoes and onion in the bacon grease. 

Season the potatoes with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper, stirring to ensure they all get seasoned.

Cook over medium heat for about 6 minutes, then turn them over with a spatula. Cook them another 6 minutes and turn them again with a spatula. Cover the skillet with a lid, and lower the heat to medium low heat. This allows the potatoes to fry slowly, so they get tender.  

Cook until the potatoes are tender. Turn them occasionally so they do not burn.  When they are almost tender, remove the lid. Continue to cook the potatoes and onion until they are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Mix the bacon into the potatoes, or sprinkle the bacon over the top.  Serve and enjoy!

Notes:

You can omit the bacon.  Instead of using bacon grease to fry the potatoes in, add 1 tablespoon butter and a tablespoon of olive oil.  

You can also mix in a little Parmesan cheese in during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted. 

Old Fashioned Glorified Rice

 Glorified Rice

This is one of our favorite side dishes to make, serve and eat, especially during the holiday season. Combine cooked rice with whipped cream and crushed pineapple, and you will have a delicious treat. 

However, Glorified Rice isn't just for holiday dinners. It is delicious any time of the year. Glorified Rice is like having dessert in the middle of a meal, or you can even serve it as a dessert. 

Ingredients

2 c. water (use the drained pineapple juice and water)
1 c. uncooked white rice
1/3 c. sugar (more or less depending on how sweet you want it to be)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 (15 oz) cans crushed pineapple, drained
6 maraschino cherries, cut into small pieces
1 c. miniature marshmallows
1 c. whipped cream topping

Directions

In a sauce pan, pour the pineapple juice into a measuring cup.  Add enough water to make 2 cups.  Bring the liquid to a boil, then add the rice.  Stir. Bring the liquid to a boil, and cover the pot with a lid.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Fluff the rice and place in a bowl.  Set aside to cool

When the rice is cool, add the sugar, vanilla, crushed pineapple, maraschino cherries and miniature marshmallows.

Gently fold in the whipped cream topping. 

Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Notes:

Sometimes I will add half a package or a whole package of instant vanilla pudding into the mix while adding the crushed pineapple. This gives it more flavor.

Creamy Italian Salad Dressing

Rising food prices and food choices are low.  In fact, some store shelves are completely empty of certain items. Maybe it is time to get back to basics. Start making some of the usual store bought processed food, at home, where you control the seasonings and everything that goes in.

Italian Salad dressing is one of those items you can make up at home. Chances are, once you start making your own salad dressing, you won't want to go back to the store bought bottled dressing.

Directions

1/2 c. olive oil
1/3 c. sour cream
3 Tbs. mayonnaise
3 Tbs.  Parmesan, freshly grated is best
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. honey or sugar
3/4 tsp. garlic salt
3/4 tsp. dried parsley
3/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. dried oregano
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Black pepper, to taste

Directions

In a blender, add the olive oil, sour cream, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, red wine vinegar, whiter wine vinegar, prepared mustard, honey, garlic salt, parsley, basil, onion powder, oregano, red pepper flakes and black pepper to taste. Blend thoroughly. Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

Pour into a large jar with a tight-fitting lid and place in the refrigerator. 

Shake well before using.

Garlic Chicken Marango 

At the moment, chicken is hard to find, and the price has gone up. If you have extra chicken in the freezer, this is a quick and easy recipe to serve for your family. Mushrooms, tomato sauce, and garlic gives this dish flavor and sets this meal apart.

Ingredients

2.5 to 3 lb. fryer, cut up
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbs. oil
1/2 c. hot water
1 beef bouillon cube
13 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (4 oz.) can mushrooms, undrained
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce

Directions

In a shallow bowl, combine flour, salt, and pepper.

Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture.

In a heavy cast iron skillet, heat the oil. Brown chicken in the hot oil, turning to brown all sides.

Pour in the hot water, bouillon cube, garlic, mushrooms, and tomato sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is and tender and the internal temperature registers 165°.

Serve over a bed of chicken flavored rice. Add a tossed green salad and some bread sticks, and you have a complete meal.

Mock Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

Is it a pizza or a casserole? It's both. Instead of using the traditional pizza crust, this pizza uses noodles instead. It has all the flavors of a traditional pizza, but not all the time it takes to make the crust. 

You can use your favorite pizza toppings to make it the flavors that your family likes best. 

Ingredients

8 oz. egg noodles or choose your favorite shape pasta
1 lb. ground beef or spicy sausage or a combination of both
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1  (16 oz.) jar pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 (4 oz.) can mushroom stems and pieces drained
1 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
Pepperoni slices

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

In a large pot, cook noodles according to package directions. Drain.

In a heavy cast iron skillet, cook the ground beef and/or sausage, onion and garlic over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink. Drain.

Add spaghetti sauce and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir in the noodles.

Place in prepared baking pan or dish. Top with mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese and pepperoni.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until heated through and cheeses have melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

You can double this recipe if you are feeding a large family.

Applesauce Spice Bars With Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

We have a lot of applesauce that we canned ourselves. This is one of our favorite ways to make a delicious dessert and use up some of that applesauce. We hope you enjoy making and eating this cake as much as we do!

Ingredients

1 egg
2/3 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 c. applesauce
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1 c. flour

Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. softened butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 c. powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat egg, brown sugar and butter until smooth. 

Mix in the applesauce.

Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, salt, and baking soda.  

Add the flour, mixing until well blended.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake 30 to 40 minutes.

When cool, frost with Cream Cheese Icing

Combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Mix until creamy. 

Mix in the vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice.  

Gradually add in the powdered sugar, beating until fluffy and fully combined.  

Spread the cream cheese frosting over the cooled cake. Slice and serve.

Notes

If the frosting is too thick to spread on the cake, add a little bit of milk, about a teaspoon at a time, to thin it.  

If the frosting is too thin, then add more powdered sugar. Only add a little bit at a time until you get the right consistency.