#3331 - Sharp Cheese Potato Casserole

(by Shirley McNevich)

6 medium red potatoes
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP flour
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt + 1 tsp. salt
1 cup grated sharp cheese + extra for topping (buy the sharpest cheese you can find)
fresh ground black pepper (to your taste)

Wash and peel the potatoes, place them in a pot, cover them with water and add 1 tsp. salt--cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes (do NOT rinse them) and let them cool so you can handle them. Thinly slice the potatoes and place them in a greased casserole dish. In a skillet over low heat add butter--melt. Add flour--cook/stir until mixture bubbles. Turn heat up a bit--add milk and cook/stir until mixture thickens. Add 1/2 tsp. salt and grated sharp cheese--cook/stir until cheese melts and you have a thick cheese sauce. Slowly pour the cheese sauce over the top of the potatoes in the casserole dish. Sprinkle fresh ground black pepper over the top of the mixture (if you wish). Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, remove from oven, sprinkle more grated cheese all over the top, return to oven and bake until cheese is melted and mixture is heated through.

#3150 - Puff Perogies

(by Shirley McNevich)

3 medium red potatoes
1 medium onion (chopped)
1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
1/2 rib of celery (chopped)
1/2 pound of the sharpest cheese you can find (shredded)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
milk (if necessary)
1 package frozen puff pastry sheets (thawed)
1 egg (beaten)
1 TBSP water

Peel potatoes and cut them in half. In a pot cover potatoes with water and add salt, chopped onions, chopped parsley and chopped celery. Bring the water to a boil and cover partially with a lid. Cook for 20 minutes with lid tilted to prevent boiling over. Test with fork for doneness (potatoes should be soft). If potatoes are not soft, cook longer. Remove potatoes from heat. Drain water off using a sieve. Any onions, celery or parsley that accidentally get drained should be put back in with potatoes. Add shredded sharp cheese to potaotes--use a potato masher to mash potato mixture and cheese. Add pepper and then mash like mashed potatoes. If the potato/cheese filling is too stiff, add a dash or two of milk and remash. Flour your counter and roll two puff pastry sheets out to 12" each. Cut each of the two puff pastry sheets into 6 squares (so cutting both of the puff pastry sheets will give you 12 squares total). In a bowl add the beaten egg and water--beat with a fork. Spread the potato mixture evenly on the 12 puff pastry squares. Use a pastry brush to brush all of the edges with the egg mixture. Fold one corner of a puff pastry to its opposite corner (forming a triangle pastry), and crimp the edges shut with the tines of a fork. Repeat closing all puff pastries. Place them on baking sheets, then brush the tops of the pastries with the remaining egg mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

#2112 - Baked Noodles

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 8oz. bag egg noodles
1 small onion (chopped)
1/2 lb. sharp cheese (grated)
1 - 10.75oz. can Campbell's tomato soup
1/2 can water (use empty soup can to measure)
1/2 lb. ground chuck
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 green bell pepper (chopped)

Cook and drain noodles according to bag directions. In a skillet add ground chuck, chopped onions, chopped green bell peppers, salt and pepper--cook/stir over medium heat until meat is browned. In a bowl add drained noodles, water and tomato soup--stir. Add meat mixture and grated cheese--stir. Pour mixture into a greased 2 qt. casserole dish. Bake (covered) at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

#1582 - Kluski Noodle Casserole

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - regular sized can Hunt's tomato paste
2 - regular sized cans crushed tomatoes
1lb. ground chuck
1 onion (chopped)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 bag kluski noodles
8oz. shredded sharp cheese
3 slices buttered bread (cut into bite sized pieces)

In a skillet add ground chuck, onions, salt and pepper--stir and cook over medium heat until beef is browned--drain and return to skillet. Add tomato paste and crushed tomatoes to beef mixture--stir, then turn heat to simmer and cook until mixture is hot. Cook kluski noodles according to bag directions--drain but do not rinse. Add noodles to meat mixture--stir. Add shredded sharp cheese--stir. Spray a 2qt. casserole dish with Pam--pour everything into the greased casserole dish. Sprinkle the buttered bread pieces over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until hot.

#1171 - Potato and Sharp Cheese Casserole

(by Shirley McNevich)

6 medium red potatoes (washed and peeled)
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup grated sharp cheese
3 TBSP Parmesan cheese

Wash, peel and slice potatoes (as thin as you can slice them)--place sliced potatoes into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle melted butter over the top of the potatoes. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top of the potatoes (more if you wish). Place a lid or foil over the top of the casserole. Bake at 400 degrees until potatoes are tender--test with a fork. Remove from oven, sprinkle Parmesan cheese and sharp cheese on top--return to oven uncovered until cheese is melted.

#1071 - Chicken and Macaroni Casserole

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 cups dry macaroni
2 cups milk
1 - 10.75oz. can Campbell's cream of celery soup
1 - 10.75oz. can Campbell's cream of chicken soup
2 cups cooked chicken (cut into bite sized pieces)
1 chopped onion
1/2 lb. cubed sharp cheese

In a bowl add cream of chicken soup and cream of celery soup--stir. Add milk--stir. Add chopped onion and dry macaroni--stir. Add chicken pieces--stir. Add cubed cheese--stir. Pour mixture into a glass 9 x 13 baking dish (greased). Cover it with foil and refrigerate overnight. The next day, let it sit (covered) on the counter for 1 hour. UNcover the dish and bake it at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until hot.

#262 - Tuna Ranch Casserole

(by Shirley McNevich)

8oz. your choice of pasta
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
2/3 cup bottled ranch dressing
1 - 6oz. can tuna (drained)
1 1/4 cups shredded sharp cheese
1/4 tsp. pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta, but save 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Coat a large skillet with Pam and heat over medium heat--add onion and cook 5 minutes. Add vegetables and pepper to the onions and cook 5 minutes. Stir in ranch dressing, tuna, pasta, and saved pasta water--heat for a few minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the sharp cheese. Transfer entire mixture into a 2 qt. casserole dish sprayed with Pam. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup sharp cheese over the top. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

#259 - Hoagie Salad

(by Shirley McNevich)

1lb. small or medium pasta shells (cooked according to package directions)
1/2 lb. regular salami, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 lb. hard salami, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 lb. sharp cheese, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green peppers
1 cup chopped olives
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped tomatoes (add them last)
1 - 16oz. bottle Italian dressing

Put all ingredients except tomatoes in a large bowl--mix as you would mix a salad. Pour the bottle of Italian dressing over the top and stir. Refrigerate overnight. When read to serve, add the chopped tomatoes and stir.

#248 - Impossible Tuna Pie

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 6.5 oz. can drained tuna
1 cup shredded sharp cheese
1 - 3oz. package Philly cream cheese, cut into small pieces
1/2 medium onion (chopped)
2 cups milk
1 cup Bisquick
4 eggs
3/4 tsp. salt

Grease a 10" x 1.5" pie plate. In a bowl using a spoon, combine tuna, sharp cheese, cream cheese, and onion. Pour this mixture into the greased pie plate. In a blender, beat milk, Bisquick, eggs and salt--beat for 15 seconds on high. Pour this batter on top of the tuna mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Test with a knife--if inserted knife comes out clean, it's done.

#123 - Broccoli Casserole

(by Julie Adams - friend)

3 - 8 oz. packages of frozen broccoli
4 slices of bread cut into bite sized pieces (like filling)
12 Ritz crackers
1/2-3/4 lb. grated sharp cheese
5 eggs, beaten
3 cups milk

Cook broccoli in salted water (1 tsp. salt) according to directions on the package. Drain water off the broccoli and set the water aside for later. In a buttered casserole (about 2 qt. size), add 1/3 of the broccoli first, then 1/3 of the crumbs next, then 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat, making a second layer of each. Repeat, making a third layer of each. In a separate bowl, add the milk to the beaten eggs and enough of the water left over from cooking the broccoli so that you end up with 4 1/2 cups total of the milk/egg/broccoli water mixture--stir with a spoon. Pour that liquid over the top of everything in the casserole. Crush the Ritz crackers and sprinkle over the top. Cover loosely with foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

#23 - Perogies (REAL ones!)

(by Shirley McNevich)

6 medium red potatoes
2 medium onions
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1 stalk celery
1 pound of the sharpest cheese you can find
4 cups flour
2 eggs
salt
2 tsp. soft Parkay margarine
canola oil (for frying)
pepper

Peel potatoes, cut each in half, and put in 3 qt. saucepan with warm tap water (enough to cover potatoes). Add 1 tsp. salt, 1 chopped medium onion, 1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley, 1/2 cup of finely chopped celery heart (the part at the center of the celery stalk - use leaves and all).

Bring the water to a boil and cover with lid. Cook for 20 minutes with lid tilted to prevent boiling over. Test with fork for doneness (they should be soft). If potatoes are not soft, cook longer.

Remove potatoes from heat. Drain water off using a sieve. Any onions, celery or parsley that accidentally get drained should be put back in with potatoes. Add one pound of sharp cheese cut in small pieces (or shred it) to potatoes.

Use a potato masher to mash potato mixture and cheese. Add 1/2 tsp. pepper and then mash like mashed potatoes. If the potato/cheese filling is too stiff, add a dash or two of milk and remash. Set aside to cool.

Dough:

In a mixing bowl, add 4 cups flour, 2 eggs (slightly beaten with a fork), 1 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. Parkay margarine (room temp.). Mix with your hands until eggs and margarine are crumbly. Add 3/4 cup water a little at a time. You should be able to make a large ball with the dough. If it's too dry, add up to 1/4 cup of more water.

Divide the dough into four smaller balls. Flour your counter so dough doesn't stick. Take out one of the dough balls. Sprinkle flour on top of dough ball and roll with rolling pin until about 1/4" thick.

Cut circles in the dough using a glass jar upside down (the opening in the jar should be about 3-4"). On each circle place one tsp. of the potato filling. Dip your finger in a glass of water and wet entire edge of pierogie using your finger. Fold pierogie and pinch edge shut all the way around.

Using an 8-10 qt. pot, fill with hot tap water about 3/4 full. Add 2 tsp. salt and bring to a rolling boil. Add pierogies one at a time to the boiling water. Boil for about 5 minutes. You can cook about 5 pierogies at a time. When pierogies are done they will float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon and put on a cookie sheet (they cannot touch each other or they will stick together). Repeat with remaining pierogies. At this point, they are NOT readt to eat.

After they cool, you can wrap each pierogie with saran wrap and freeze for later. Put saran wrapped pierogies in ziploc bag before freezing. They will keep 6-9 months.

When you are ready to eat pierogies, they must be deep fried. Using a large iron skillet, add canola oil until it reaces 1/4 the way up the side of the pan. Thickly slice an onion and place in the pan. Heat oil. Add pierogies and brown on each side. When the onions get really brown, remove them. Continue frying pierogies (you don't need to add more onion--the oil is already flavored). You may have to add more oil if frying alot of pierogies at a time.

Frozen pierogies can go straight from freezer into oil but be careful of oil spatter.

BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU TURN PIEROGIES. IF YOU POKE THEM THE FILLING WILL OOZE OUT. Use spatula or a slotted spoon to turn.