When I was growing up, my parents had a friend named Reuben who shot himself in the foot. June 29, 2008

As a youngster I didn’t understand how someone could shoot themselves in the foot. After reading a recent story about a fellow who accidentally shot himself in the stomach while removing his gun from his waistband during a robbery of a residence(he died) and people who shoot themselves in the junk in a similar manner, I’m not surprised at all.

When I was growing up, I had a friend named the Reuben sandwich. My mother makes it a whole different way, a giant sandwich on a loaf of crusty French bread with Provolone but that’s not what we’re getting into here-we haven’t the time…but I’m salivating already.

Reuben Bake

-1 pkg (12 oz) egg noodles
-4 Tbs unsalted butter
-1 (16 oz) can sauerkraut, drained (feel free to drink the juice you sick freak)
-1/2 lb sliced deli corned beef, coarsely chopped
-1/2 c mayonnaise
-1 Tbs ketchup
-2 Tbs diced pickles
-1 Tbs minced onion (or 1 tsp dried minced onion)
-1 large tomato, sliced very thin
-2 c shredded Swiss cheese
-1 c milk
-2 c crushed rye crackers (I used RyKrisp brand, the natural ones)
-1 tsp caraway seeds

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Coat 13×9x2″ baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Cook noodles following package directions. Drain and toss with 2 Tbs of the butter. Place in prepared dish; top with sauerkraut, then corned beef. In a bowl, mix mayonnaise, ketchup, pickle and onion. Spread over corned beef. Top with tomato and cheese.

3. Pour milk evenly over the top. Melt remaining 2 Tbs butter and toss with rye cracker crumbs and caraway seeds; sprinkle over the top. Bake at 350 F. for 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, then serve.

This recipe is adapted from Family Circle.

Next time I make this, I’m going to use Russian dressing instead of ketchup and mayo mixed together, Provolone cheese instead of Swiss (both elements are closer to the way my mom makes her Reuben sammich) and will mix everything together before topping with the rye cracker crumbs. The way this recipe is written you kind of end up with big bland noodle-y parts. I think it would be far better with all the stuff mixed together.

All-in-all, aside from the big bland noodle-y parts, this was a big hit in our 2 person household. Both J and I really liked it and think it has big potential as far as easy, quick prep meals go.

Mimi has some explaining to do. February 4, 2008

Mimi’s Spaghetti Casserole

-Thin spaghetti (ring measure one inch), cooked until almost done
-1/3 Sun-Dried Tomatoes (this is a recipe from a package of GREAT LAKES, so it specifies their brand), chopped
-2 eggs
-1/4 c. chopped green pepper
-1/4 c. chopped onion
-1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
-2.5 c. milk
-2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
-Paprika

 Preparation: In a 2-quart greased casserole, break the eggs and beat with a fork. Add all ingredients except milk and paprika. Mix together gently and stir in milk. Sprinkle paprika on top. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour or until set in the middle.

Notes (from the original recipe): Serve this casserole as an entree, or as a side instead of potatoes. Leftovers reheat quickly and easily in microwave ovens, but they are also excellent served cold on hot summer days.

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I made this the other night after our Homeowners Association Meeting. Blech! I expected so much better out of something with that much cheddar in it! This was bland and blah. J said it tasted like breakfast food (even with the spaghetti?).

Not the best Tortilla Casserole recipe ever, but probably one of the easiest. February 1, 2008

For dinner I made Layered Tortilla Casserole with Guacamole (except I just realized the following morning that I forgot the guac-I had a lot going on that night-oops!). The directions/amounts in this recipe aren’t exactly descriptive/correct. 

-1 (4 oz-according to the recipe which would require some wacky form of math to get that much from 4 oz, but I needed, and luckily had, a 16 oz) jar tomato salsa (divided use)
-8 flour tortillas (divided use)
-2 (16 oz) cans refried beans
-1 c. shredded soy Monterey Jack cheese (divided use)
-1 ripe avocado 
-1 Tbs. freshly squeezed lime juice
-Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread a thin layer of salsa in a lightly oiled shallow baking dish. Arrange 4 or the tortillas on top, overlapping as needed.
2. In a bowl, combine refried beans with 1 c. of salsa (SEE?!), stirring to blend well.
3. Spread bean and salsa mixture over tortillas and top with 1/2 c. of the shredded cheese.
4.Arrange remaining 4 tortillas over cheese and top with layer of salsa. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top. Cover and bake until hot, about 30 minutes.
5. To make the guacamole, halve and pit the avocado, and spoon the flesh into the bowl. Mash the avocado with the lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with casserole.
Makes 6 servings.

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I’m hoping it was a misprint about the amount of salsa. 1 c.+extra out of a 4 oz jar? When I put the tortillas in the dish (I used my lasagna pan), I put one in each corner, and adjusted from there to cover the bottom. I hadn’t worked with soy cheese before, but this stuff (I used Tofurella)was pretty darn good. It grated really easily. I ended up using more than the recipe called for because, well, I had it, and I ran out of salsa (someone had used part of the jar designated for this meal to go with his tamales) before the top layer. On the top layer of tortillas, I sprinkled a little bit of my Day of the Dead Habanero hot sauce (very good Christmas present), put one jalapeno slice on each serving, and sprinkled extra cheese.

This was really good, but also very simple. It did lack depth, but as I said, was still good.