Kim's Comfort Casserole

This is a comfort in 2 ways. First, we all know and love tator tot casserole...well, this is a healthier version. Second, it reminds me of something my mom used to make called "One Dish Meal" that had to bake for an hour...this one doesn't take that long!

Kim's Comfort Casserole

1 lb ground beef
1 T olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 T Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 of a 30 oz bag of frozen shredded hash brown potatoes

Preheat oven to 400. Brown ground beef with oil, onion, and garlic. Add soups and seasonings. Put in bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Top with cheese and then potatoes. Bake until the top starts to turn golden...about 30ish minutes. If you let them bake too long, they get chewy, so just keep an eye on it.

Meatloaf Brasciole

This is a great RR recipe. In my house, we call it "better than sex" meatloaf. I will copy and paste it because I make quite a few substitutions. I've done the recipe as listed, but have tweaked it to be even better! We also usually serve it with the pasta she uses in the recipe.

Meatloaf Brasciole

1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound pork pan sausage (you know, Jimmy Dean breakfast stuff in the chub)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup eggbeaters
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 small white onion, grated
3 tablespoons pine nuts, chopped very, very, very fine
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 cup baby spinach
6 slices prosciutto
6 slices deli sliced provolone
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Preheat oven to 450. Mix meat and next 9 ingredients as if you were making meatloaf.

Flatten meat out on a silpat mat or waxed paper lined cookie sheet into a thin layer, about 1/2-inch thick. Cover meat with spinach, prosciutto and cheese. Roll the meat, using the mat or waxed paper to help roll up into a large log. (Roll it so that it is long, not short.) Drizzle the log with extra-virgin olive oil to coat lightly.

Roast meatroll 20 minutes. Let sit a few minutes before serving

Caramelized Beef Skewers and Tuscan Pasta Salad

Ok, for those that don't know, Kraft has a free magazine you can get at home. Sure, some of the recipes are really, really uh, duh, but there are others that catch my eye. So, sign up if you don't already get it! The first recipe comes from there. The recipe makes a ton of sauce, so after basting, I threw it in the microwave until it boiled to kill any germs and served it with the beef. It was darn good, but I wasn't very careful when choosing my steaks. A few of them had a lot of fat in the middle which made the meat tough. So, lesson learned there.

Caramelized Beef Skewers

Then, this is a recipe that the hubby picked up at Sam's Club. I don't get what's so Tuscan about it except the Italian dressing. I'm typing it here with the substitutions I made. Nicky loved this stuff.

Tuscan Pasta Salad
Serves 6-8

1/2 box rotini, prepared according to directions
2 regular tomatoes, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup FF Zesty Italian dressing
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Throw it all in a bowl and stir.