Hamburger Cheese Bake

 

To make ahead prepare as above; cover unbaked casserole with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 24

hours. Remove plastic wrap and cover loosely with foil. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Uncover and bake about 15 minutes more or until heated through.

Serves 8

12 oz lean ground beef

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1 can tomato sauce, 15 oz

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 cups noodles, medium dried

1 cup cottage cheese, creamed

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sour cream

1/3 cup green onion, sliced

1/4 cup green pepper, chopped

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

In large skillet cook the ground beef and onion until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain well. Stir

in tomato sauce, sugar, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles and drain. Stir together cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, green

onions, and sweet green pepper.

Spread half of the noodles in a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Top with about half of the meat

mixture. Top with the cottage cheese mixture. Top with remaining noodles and remaining meat

mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes or until heated through.

This works great with specialty-shaped pasta for a holiday/festive meal. We made it with heart-shaped

pasta 2/14/2002, have also done it with Christmas-shaped pasta. One 12 oz package works pretty well, but it needs more sauce. Three 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce should work pretty well.

Pomegranate-Apple Salad

 

The amounts are approximate, I never measure them. It is possible to substitute lemon juice for the lime, but fresh lime juice is best. Chopped nuts are also good in it (especially pecans) and if you roast them first that is delightful.

 

4 apples, cored, sliced and chopped

1 pomegranate (large), seeded

1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins, optional

1 cup marshmallows

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon sugar

1 lime, juiced

2 tablespoons sour cream

 

Prepare fruit and toss together. In smaller bowl mix sugar into mayonnaise; add lime juice and stir. Stir in sour cream. Pour dressing over the fruit and mix thoroughly. Add the marshmallows and mix until evenly covered.

 

The Joy of Cooking recommends seeding pomegranates the following way. Cut off the prickly side, score the skin and soak a bowl of water 5 minutes. Break apart and seed under water. The seeds sink and the skins float making it easier to separate. Drain and dry. The seeds can be refrigerated for about a week or frozen for future use. Seeding them this way you don't get stained hands, either.

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Serves 16

Per serving: 68.8 Calories; 4.2g Fat (51.4% calories from fat); 0.3g Protein; 8.6g Carbohydrate; 4mg Cholesterol; 28mg Sodium Items for Which Nutritional Values are Unavailable: dried cranberries or raisins pomegranate (large)

Pomegranate-Cabbage-Apple Salad

Amounts are approximate since I don't measure them.

1/2 head cabbage, finely shredded (it really is better finely shredded than coarsely shredded, I use a mandolin on thin, a food processor can also work)

2 apples, cored, sliced, chopped

1 large pomegranate, seeded

1/2 cup raisins or craisins (optional) 

1/2 to ¾ cup mayonnaise

1-2 tablespoons sugar

2 limes, juiced (it really is better with fresh lime juice rather than bottled)

1/2 cup nuts, chopped, or seeds

 

Prepare and toss together salad ingredients. Stir sugar into mayonnaise and add lime juice. Pour dressing over salad and mix thoroughly. Sometimes I stir in some sour cream with the mayonnaise mixture. It is also good with coconut and/or pineapple (crushed or tidbits).  Add the seeds (I usually use roasted and salted sunflower seeds) last and if it isn’t served soon wait to add the nuts. You can also roast the nuts first and that’s delicious.

 

The Joy of Cooking recommends seeding pomegranates the following way. Cut off the prickly side, score the skin and soak a bowl of water 5 minutes. Break apart and seed under water. The seeds sink and the skins float making it easier to separate. Drain and dry. The seeds can be refrigerated for about a week or frozen for future use. Seeding them this way you don't get stained hands, either.

This salad is my own recipe creation and is always a hit at pot luck dinners and such.

 Serves approximately 16

Per serving: 117.1 Calories; 8.1g Fat (58.3% calories from fat); 1.4g Protein; 11.7g Carbohydrate; 4mg Cholesterol; 45mg Sodium