PINEAPPLE CASSEROLE

This is for all the mothers out there....Happy Mother's Day!

1 (20oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained, reserve juice
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup Ritz cracker crumbs
1 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a wire whisk, combine pineapple juice, sugar and flour. Add pineapple and cheese, pour into a buttered 9-inch pie plate. Top with cracker crumbs and pour melted butter over the top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until nice and golden.

"Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever."~Anon

CHEDDAR MACARONI BEEF CASSEROLE

One of my favorite food magazines is Kraft's 'Food & Family'. Not only is it oriented around budget friendly meals but it also features recipes that are quick and simple to make. You can feed 4 people this dish with a side green salad for under $10.00. I fed it to 6 poker players last Friday night and there was none left and everybody was extremely happy.

1 pkg. (7 1/4 oz.) Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) Rotel tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or basil
1/2 cup Kraft shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare Dinner in large pan as directed, omitting butter. Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Add tomatoes and oregano; mix well. Bring to boil.
Add meat mixture to dinner; spoon into 9-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.
Serves 4

"For our first date, I made Ryan Hamburger Helper, which is basically what I grew up on. I make my own version of it now, with macaroni and cheese and hamburger meat. And the kids - it's their favorite dinner."~Reese Witherspoon

COOKS NOTE: Original recipe calls 1 can of Italian-style stewed tomatoes. I personally prefer Rotel Tomatoes with green chiles, which supplies some heat.

REUBEN CASSEROLE

The Reuben is me favorite sandwich....this casserole will make you get up and dance a jig!

3/4 cup cubed rye bread
2 (10 1/2 ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
3/4 lb deli sliced corned beef, chopped or leftover corned beef brisket, sliced and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
32 ounces sauerkraut, drained
2 medium baking potatoes, thinly sliced •2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Heat oven to 250. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until dry. Crush or process cubes in a food processor until you have medium crumbs; set aside. Increase oven temperature to 350. In large bowl, mix together cream of mushroom soup, milk, onion, corned beef, dry mustard and sugar. Set aside. Spread sauerkraut evenly in bottom of a lightly greased 9x13" baking dish. Place potatoes in single layer, slightly overlapping, over 'kraut. Spoon soup mixture over potatoes and top with cheese. In small bowl, combine melted butter with rye bread crumbs, and sprinkle mixture over cheese. Cover and bake 50 minutes. Remove cover and bake 10 minutes more.

"I often looked up at the sky an' assed meself the question - what is the moon, what is the stars?"~Sean O'Casey, Juno and the Paycock

HAM & BROCCOLI ROYALE (Dated Nov.27th, 2009)

You will love this dish which is fit for a King and his Queen.

1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 (10oz.) pkg. frozen chopped broccoli, cooked and drained
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
3 Tbsp. butter, melted and divided
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups cubed, cooked ham
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
6 slices American cheese

Spoon rice into a lightly greased 11X7-inch baking dish. Layer broccoli over rice.
Combine breadcrumbs and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter; set aside.
Cook onion in remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until tender. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in ham, salt, and pepper.
Spoon ham mixture over broccoli layer; top with cheese slices, and sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden.
Yield: 4 servings.

"I do not like broccoli. And I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I'm President of the United States and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli."-George H. W. Bush

CORN SPOONBREAD

Serve this 'good stuff' with the CABBAGE BEAN SOUP.

1 (8 1/2 oz.) pkg. corn muffin mix
1 (8oz.) can cream-style corn
1 (8oz.) can whole kernal corn-drained
1 (8oz.) sour cream
1 stick butter-melted
2 lg. eggs-lightly beaten

Stir all ingredinets together; pour into a greased 11-by-7 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden. Serves 12.

We buried 40 heads of cabbage yesterday and it will stay good all winter. Get one out in January and it will be hard as a rock, white as the snow covering it, and sweet to eat.