I have not had a functional dishwasher in my place for the past three years until Wednesday when I had a new one installed, so it has subconsciously discouraged me from cooking at home. Apparently. Because I have found myself eating at home much more often since it was installed this week.
Anyway, I thought I should share four of my favorite dishes to make at home, primarily because I can never find a list of ingredients when I'm considering making food so I will often forget one and I have to either finish the dish without it or stop the whole plan. Therefore, I thought it would be best to have them listed somewhere that is easy to reference. Hopefully, you can enjoy them as well! Two of them are my own creations that I really love! The first two, however, are cassarole recipes obtained from my grandmother and my sister's mother-in-law, respectively.
DISH #1: Tuna cassarole, makes a great main dish and when I was growing up, this was my absolute favorite dish! Also, if you are a cat-owner, legend has it that your cats will love you more each time you make it.
Here are the contents:
-Wide noodles (at least 3 cups)
-can of Cream of Mushroom soup
-can of tuna
-jar or can of mushrooms
-milk (at least one cup) or ranch dressing
-potato chips (at least 2 cups)
PREPARATION-
Boil 3 cups of noodles in water until tender, then drain the water.
Mix soup, tuna, and mushrooms into a baking dish. After the noodles are tender, add them to the dish and continue mixing. Add 1/2 can (soup) of milk, and resume mixing (personally, I often substitute ranch dressing for milk).
Once adequately mixed, crush 2 cups of potato chips (Lays) and sprinkle atop of mixture.
BAKING-
Put dish in oven for 35 minutes at 350-degrees.
DISH #2: Potato Cassarole, makes a great side dish for almost any meal, or (in my opinion) the best breakfast when reheated in the morning.
Here are additional contents:
-bag of hashbrowns
-16 oz. sour cream
-can of Cream of Chicken soup
-16 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
-stick of butter or margarine
-bag of corn flakes or bran flakes
-salt, pepper, and/or dried minced onion (optional)
PREPARATION-
Put 2 lbs of hashbrowns into a 9x13 baking dish.
Mix soup in with hashbrowns well.
Second, mix in sour cream with hashbrowns/soup dish.
Then, mix in cheese with hashbrown/soup/cream dish.
Next, mix in stick of butter/margarine.
Optionally, add a dash of salt/pepper/onion.
Finally, flatten dish and cover with two cups of crushed corn/bran flakes.
BAKING-
Put dish in oven for 60 minutes at 350-degrees.
DISH #3: Hummus Quesadillas, started as an experiment once when I wanted both hummus and cheese, so I put them in a quesadilla. Nowadays, I enjoy this concoction immensely! The preparation is ridiculously simple and it does not require many ingredients.
Here are the contents:
-Flour tortillas
-Hummus (plain recommended)
-bag of Mexican (four-cheese) cheese
-Sour cream (optional)
PREPARATION-
Lay two flour tortillas on a microwave-safe plate (one on top of the other).
Spread the hummus over the top tortilla, then add cheese to one side of the tortilla and fold the other side over the top of it.
Then, take the bottom tortilla and put it on top to spread hummus on it and add cheese to the other side in order to fold it in the opposite direction of the first.
COOKING-
Place in microwave for 60-90 seconds until cheese is melted.
SERVING-
Use a pizza cutter to cut each tortilla in thirds. Sour cream can be served on the side or included inside before folding it together.
DISH #4: Tuna Spaghetti, also started as an experiment but it is my most-proud recipe. The first bite is so flavorful! Everyone who has had it has had the same first response, "it's a LOT better than I expected!"
Here are the contents:
-spaghetti noodles
-jar of spaghetti sauce
-can of tuna
PREPARATION/COOKING/SERVING-
Boil the spaghetti noodles until tender. Meanwhile, put tuna into a small bowl and mix in spaghetti sauce. Top the tuna/sauce on the noodles.
