Pizza Spaghetti Style - Casserole (Can be made ahead)

Pizza Spaghetti Style

This is a "new" family favorite. Everyone loved it - especially the kids -

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped (we don't like - so I didn't use)
8 oz. pkg. button mushrooms, sliced OR 2 more bell peppers, chopped
26 oz. jar pasta sauce
8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 lb. spaghetti pasta, broken into 2" pieces
3/4 cup whole milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 (5 ounce) package sliced pepperoni
1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to boil for cooking spaghetti.

Cook ground beef, onion, green pepper, and mushrooms in heavy skillet over medium heat until beef is browned, stirring to break up beef. Drain well and add pasta sauce, tomato sauce, and Italian seasoning; stir well and let simmer while preparing spaghetti.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

Meanwhile, combine eggs and milk in large bowl and beat until blended.

Drain spaghetti and toss with egg and milk mixture.

Spread half of spaghetti/egg/milk mixture in a 13x9" glass baking dish. Top with half of sauce and beef mixture. Repeat layers.

To freeze, cool casserole in refrigerator at this point. When cold, wrap well, label, and freeze up to 3 months. To thaw and reheat, thaw casserole overnight in refrigerator. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes until thoroughly heated. Uncover, top with pepperoni and cheese, and bake 10-15 minutes longer until cheese melts and edges of casserole bubble.

To refrigerate overnight and bake the next day, cover the casserole and chill for 2-24 hours.

When ready to eat, bake, covered, at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes until hot. Then uncover, top with pepperoni and cheese, and bake for 10-15 minutes longer until cheese melts.
If baking without freezing or refrigerating, bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until hot and bubbly. Top with pepperoni, then cheese, return to oven, and bake for 10 minutes longer to melt cheese. Let stand 5 minutes to set, then cut into squares to serve. 10 servings

Enjoy !!!!

Shrimp, Tuna & Macaroni Salad

A "Family Favorite" from my mom. Wonderful by itself, or served with burgers, or grilled chicken!

1-1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 can tiny shrimp (4-1/2 oz)
1 can chunk tuna (7 oz)
3 hard boiled eggs (1 may be used for garnish if desired)
3/4 cup diced celery
2 kosher dill pickles, chopped
1/4 cup green peppers (optional)
2 med carrots, grated
1 small onion, minced
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
pepper taste

SAUCE
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbs sour cream
1/2 tsp dry mustard

1 Cook elbow macaroni according to package instructions, drain, and stir in lemon juice (to keep macaroni from sticking together)

2 While macaroni is cooking - In separate bowl combine celery, pickles, carrots, onion, salt & pepper and green peppers (optional..I never use them!). Drain & add the shrimp, and tuna. Mix well. Add chopped hardboiled eggs, and if you wish, reserve one to use as garnish.

3 Add above to the drained macaroni.

4 Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and dry mustard in a bowl. Stir in to entire salad mixture.

5 Refrigerate several 3-4 hours minimum before serving, stirring at least one time.

Cooking Tips
TIME SAVING TIP: I hard-boil my eggs while cooking the macaroni. Put the eggs in the pot of cold water, put on the stove, bring to a boil. Add macaroni to boiling water and eggs are usually done when macaroni is cooked
EGG TIP: To keep from having a green ring around your yellow yoke, put eggs immediately in a bowl and run under cold water for a few minutes to cool the eggs. This really works!

Cinnamon Crisps

This recipe is from Joanne Fluke’s book, “Lemon Meringue Pie Murder”....from a delightful murder mystery series she writes. All the books have recipes in them...and this is the first I have tested! To find out more, go to http://www.murdershebaked.com

2 cup melted butter
2 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
1 cup white sugar
2 beaten eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp salt
4 1/2 cup white flour

Coating Mixture:
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

1 Melt butter. Add sugars and mix. Allow to cool to room temperature. Add beaten eggs. Stir well. Add vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Mix well. Add flour in increments, mixing well after each addition.

2 Use your hands to roll dough into walnut sized balls. (If dough is too sticky, chill for an hour before rolling)

3 Combine the sugar and cinnamon for coating mixture in a small bowl to make the dough-ball rolling mixture. (Mixing it with a fork works nicely.) Roll the dough balls in the mixture, then place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. Flatten the dough balls with a greased or floured spatula

4 Bake in a preheated 325 oven for 10-15 minutes (They should have a touch of gold around the edges). Cool on the sheet for 2 minutes then remove the cookies to a rack to finish cooling.

Yield: Makes 8 dozen, depending on size of cookie

(I cut this recipe in half the first time I tried it)