~ It's Monday ... need a Casserole? ~

~~~ Loaded Potato Casserole ~~~

Ingredients:
8 medium potatoes (about 2 1/2 to 3 lb. total), peeled and cut into equal chunks * 1 cup Carnation evaporated milk * 1/2 cup sour cream * 1 teaspoon salt * 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper * 2 cups (8-oz. pkg.) shredded cheddar cheese, divided * 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided * sliced green onions (optional)
Method:
PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease 8-inch-square baking dish. LAYER 1/2 potatoes, 1/2 onion, 1/2 bacon and 1/2 cheese in prepared baking dish; repeat layers. Combine evaporated milk, egg and seasoned salt in small bowl. Pour evenly over potato mixture; cover. BAKE for 55 to 60 minutes. Uncover; bake for an additional 5 minutes. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

~ Chef ~

~ September 11th, 2001 ~

~ Chef ~

~ Football Time ~

WHAT YA CRAVIN'?

~ Chef ~

~ One Skillet Tamale Pie ~

Recipe makes 6 (1-cup) servings.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound ground beef
1 package of Taco Seasoning Mix
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (14 ounces) kidney beans, undrained
3/4 cup water
1 package (8 ounces) corn muffin mix
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup sliced green onions
DIRECTIONS:
Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat. Drain fat. Stir in Seasoning Mix, tomato sauce, beans and water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Now prepare the corn muffin mix as directed on package. Drop small spoonfuls of batter over meat mixture. Cover. Cook on low heat 15 minutes or until corn bread is cooked completely. Sprinkle with cheese and green onions. Cover. Cook on low heat until cheese is melted.

Complete meal and simple clean up.

~ Chef ~

~ Fall Gardening ~

If you haven't started yet and you want a fall garden you had better get going! Almost anything you grew in the cool season can be done again in the fall. The greatest thing about the fall garden is that the bugs are going away. Just like in the Spring either start from seed indoors or get some transplants. Or if you still have vegetables growing in your garden you can sow seed underneath them and use the shade to start the fall crops. Good plants for the fall vegetable garden are: Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Chard, Radishes, Beets, Carrots, Kohlrabi (german turnips) and many more. If you aren't planting a fall garden start preparing the garden for next year. Pull out dead and diseases plants - do not compost, diseases can hang around for quite a while. Collect leaves, grass clippings, manure and mix it into the garden to compost over the winter. September is a good time to start mulching again. The weather "should" be more pleasant for working outdoors (if the rain ever stops!) and the plants will benefit over the winter from a good insulating layer of mulch. Continue weeding! It is critical to weed anything that is about to go to seed to try and reduce you work for next year.

~ Chef ~

*~*~* Have a Great Weekend *~*~*

They say it's the "End of Summer Grilling" ...

Around our house even if the grill looks like this ...
It is usable!
~ Chef ~

~ Cherries ~

When the French settlers from Normandy migrated to the Midwest, they planted cherry pits along the Saint Lawrence River and in the vicinity of the Great Lakes. A Presbyterian missionary from Michigan, Peter Dougherty, is credited with beginning modern-day cherry production. In 1852 he planted cherry trees near Traverse City, Michigan. But while sour cherries were becoming an industry in Michigan in the 1850s, sweet cherry orchards were thriving in the Willamette Valley near Salem, Oregon, thanks to a man named Henderson Luelling and his brother Seth. Henderson had planted his orchard in 1847. Seth joined his brother at his orchard and took over in 1854. He developed a sweet and succulent cherry and he named the variety Bing. Cherries belong to the same family of other stone fruits such as plums, apricots, peaches and almonds. Sweet Cherries include varieties such as the Bing, Lambert, Napoleon (also called the Royal Ann) and Rainier. Sour Cherries include the Montmorency, which accounts for 95% of all production. All varieties of cherries have very short growing seasons. Bing cherries are generally available from the end of May to early August, with peak season in June and July. Rainiers are available until about mid-August. The growing season of sour cherries such as Morello and Montmorency is very short - begin and end in July. Any fresh cherries found in the market after August are most likely from cold storage, although there are some imports from New Zealand during the winter months. So before the fresh ones are gone for the season make yourself a fresh cherry pie. You'll be glad you did. ~ Chef ~