Reuben Casserole (Not your everyday boring Casserole!)

Casseroles are popular because they're easy, but usually they consist of hamburger, tuna or chicken. Corned Beef is delicious but people rarely cook with it outside of St. Patrick's day. Two reasons why this Reuben Casserole is so great: It's something different...and Corned Beef! 

Ingredients:   

• 6 slices rye bread, cubed
• 1 (16 ounce) can sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
• 1 pound deli sliced corned beef, cut into strips
• 3/4 cup Thousand Island salad dressing
• 2 cups bagged shredded Swiss cheese

(We're all you'll need!)

Preheat the oven to 400. 

Cut up (or violently tear) your rye bread into cubes and lay them in the bottom of a casserole dish.

Drain your sauerkraut and lay over the top of the bread cubes.

Slice up your corned beef. Layer that on top.

Cover with the dressing. 

Cover with foil and put in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. 

(I'm a Mystery Casserole...what could I beeee? )

After 20 minutes, remove from oven, uncover. Spread evenly with the Swiss Cheese.

Stick this back in the oven, uncovered, for 10 more minutes.

IT'S FREAKING DONE! And you barely even had to DO anything!
How PRO is THIS? 

Soo sooo soooo gooood! 

So good. 

So. Good.

Spanish Rice Bake

This one takes a little work, but the taste is amazing!


Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup uncooked long grain rice
• 1/2 cup chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoons cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Drain fat and transfer beef to a large pot over medium low heat.  Stir in the onion, green bell pepper, tomatoes, water, rice, chili sauce, salt, brown sugar, cumin, Worcestershire sauce and ground black pepper.  (The temp is very important here. Too high and it burns the bottom a bit, too low and the rice comes out crunchy. A smidgen just under medium seems to work well.)
3. Let this simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Press down firmly and sprinkle the top with shredded Cheddar. 
4. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 10 to 15 minutes. Dust top with Cilantro. 

*A word about Chili Sauce. The taste on Chili Sauces varies greatly from one brand to another. The more expensive ones are a bit more flavorful but they tend to be spicier as well. The Heinz brand I'm using here isn't akin to much more than a mildly flavored ketchup, but it's cheap and it does the job...but if you like your food a bit more spicy, go for one of the fancier (expensive) brands.    

And now for some completely unnecessary pictures.

You can chop up the veggies and toss them in the pot while the meat is browning. 

(Oooh, Pretty!) 

"We wanna go in the pot too!"

It's a FIESTA!

Topped with cheese and ready to go in the oven. You can stick it in the fridge this way and cook it whenever you want! (Well...within a day or two.) 

                                            The finished dish...and it tastes as good as it looks!


.

Chicken Crescent Casserole

For something a little different, try this amazing casserole. It's fast, easy, and delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 can condensed cream of celery soup
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 onion - minced
• 2 tbs white cooking wine
• 1 can peas and carrots
• 3 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 2/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
• 2 tbs butter

 Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In an ungreased baking dish, combine chicken, onion, soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, wine, peas and carrots. Sprinkle with cheese. (If you don't want the onions to be crunchy, saute them first in a tablespoon of butter.) 

• Unroll crescent roll dough into rectangles; seal seams. Place over cheese. Melt the butter and pour over the top. (Dust with a little Parmesan if you like.) Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 8-10 servings. 

Pictures for your amusement:

                                   (I forgot the mayo in the background there! Sorry, Mayo!)