The Secret to a Healthy Casserole

Casseroles are something that my family indulged in at least four days a week. On Sundays Dad would put something big on the BBQ spit, like a turkey, leg of lamb or ham and we would eat that, with all the fixin's for Sunday dinner. For the rest of the week we had sandwiches and casseroles, interspersed with burgers, spaghetti and meatballs, or a pizza. Casseroles are great for using up those leftover bits of meat in a more interesting way. If you love cheese, as my family does, there's nothing better than some kind of meat baked with pasta and cheese. Okay, I confess, I'm Italian, and I eat like it.

Putting together a casserole is kind of like making soup, but without all the liquid. You need something to bind everything together, like cheese or some canned soup without the liquid, eggs, or breadcrumbs...or all of the above. Pretty much anything goes good in a casserole dish and there are loads of casserole recipes out there. First decide what kind of meat (or veggies, if you're vegan), starch, binder and flavors you want to put together. Then figure out how long it's going to take for the flavors to mingle in the oven, and go for it.

If you are going to use rice or pasta, you can either cook the starch first and then cook the casserole less or you will have to add the appropriate amount of liquid so it can cook. Things like potatoes don't need liquid but they will need an extended cooking time. With precooked starches you will just need enough time for everything to mix well and if you take that route, make sure you cook the meat first too.

Remember to season the casserole well or it will be rather bland. Beyond the usual salt and pepper, you would use basil, oregano and cheese for pasta, tomato sauce for rice or pasta and cheese for potatoes. Additional vegetables for any casserole would be onions, garlic, peas, beans, carrots, celery, bell-pepper, broccoli, cauliflower and corn. Tuna goes best with peas, onions, garlic and pasta, with a white sauce. Beef goes best with rice or pasta and all of the vegetables and tomato sauce. Chicken and turkey go best with rice or pasta, peas, corn, onions, garlic and broccoli. Ham goes best with onions, garlic, peas, beans, bell-pepper and cauliflower. These are not hard and fast rules, just examples. You fix what you like and don't worry about tradition. Pop that casserole in the oven, heat until bubbling and enjoy. When you make it yourself with fresh vegetables and a good chemical-free meat, it's healthy. That way you can also cut the calories, leave out additives that the deli might put in (and that the frozen food manufacturer will for sure put in), and get the satisfaction of knowing that you know exactly what is in it.

©2010 Dr.Valerie Olmsted All Rights Reserved

Dr. Valerie Olmsted is an author, naturopathic physician, metaphysician, internet entrepreneur, artist, speaker, and lover of life. Traveling with the Quantum Vortex Experience, she has helped thousands of people reach the inner connection they are seeking and has contributed to the discoveries of manifestation practices via quantum physics applications.

http://www.BeWhoYouReallyAreCoach.com
Contact: Dr. Valerie Olmsted
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Sedona, AZ 86336
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Old Fashion Casserole Recipes for Down Home Goodness!

Bring some old-fashion down home goodness to your family's dinner table with these casserole recipes. They are easy, economical, and make delicious house meals. The first formula in this description are for Old Fashion Corn and Beef Casserole which contains two house favorites, corn and ground beef. The second formula goes in a wholly separate way with Baked Ham and Beans. The third formula goes back to corn and ground beef but adds rice this time.

Old Fashion Corn-Beef dinner
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons shortening
1 pound ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs
2 cups corn, whole kernel
4 ripe tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
butter

Meat Casseroles

Saute the onion and bell pepper in the shortening for about 3 minutes. Add the ground meat, salt, and pepper and brown meat lightly. Take off from heat; stir in eggs and mix well. Butter a baking dish. Put 1 cup of the corn in the bottom of the buttered dish. Add half the meat mixture and top with half the tomato slices. Repeat layers using the other half of the ingredients. Top with the bread crumbs and dot with thin pats of butter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes until lightly browned and heated through.

Baked Ham 'N Beans
This is a formula my mom got from a Hunt's Tomato Sauce advertisement when I was a child.

1/2 cup chopped onions
1 1/2 Tablesp. Wesson, pure vegetable oil
1/2 lb cooked and cubed ham
1 lb 14-oz can Pork and Beans
1 8-oz can Hunt' Tomato Sauce
1 Tablesp. Worcestershire sauce
1 teasp. Prepared mustard
2 Tablesp. Brown sugar

Saute onions and meat in Wesson oil until onions are golden. Mix in remaining ingredients. Pour into a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 30 to 45 minutes. Serves 4.

Seven Layer Casserole
1 cup rice, uncooked
1 cup corn, whole kernel
2 small cans tomato sauce
3/4 cup water (or liquid from the canned corn)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper*
1 lb ground beef
salt and pepper to your liking
4 strips bacon

Place the rice then the corn in layers in a greased 2-quart casserole dish. Pour one can of the tomato sauce over the corn with 1/2 cup of the water. Layer the onion then the green pepper, uncooked beef and seasonings. Add the second can of tomato sauce with the remaining 1/4 cup of water. Cut the bacon strips in half and lay over the top. Cover the casserole dish and place in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes more.

*This is a bell pepper.

Enjoy!

Old Fashion Casserole Recipes for Down Home Goodness!

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How to Cook Roast Beef

Roast beef is one of the most beloved meal or even as a snack for most people. It is easy and it clearly presents the clear taste of beef. It may be served with any beloved sidings such as potatoes and vegetables for dinner, or plainly between two pieces of bread for an easy sandwich.

Roasting is ideal when using large cuts of meat. For beef, there are a estimate of ideal cuts for this cooking process. The loin is a very tender part of the beef settled behind the ribs, ordinarily a more expensive cut, but is ideal for roasting. Examples of loin cuts are the tenderloin and tri-tip. Behind the loin is the round. The round section is ordinarily tender, thus a coarse option for most. Rump roast, especially the boneless rump roast, is most oftentimes used for daily casual cooking. Before cooking, the meat should be at room temperature to make sure that while the roasting process the beef is evenly heated and cooked.

Meat Casseroles

For seasoning the meat, this may plainly be salt, pepper and/or garlic although the meat may be seasoned using either a marinade or a rub. A marinade is a clarification where the meat is soaked for at least an hour or two so that the taste permeates straight through the meat and helps in development the roast beef tender and juicy. Others prefer marinating the meat overnight prior to cooking. Dry rub on the other hand, is easy a mix of separate seasonings and herbs that are rubbed over the meat before cooking. Salt, pepper, basil, garlic, lemon, rosemary and thyme are some of the coarse seasonings and herbs used as rub.

A shallow pan is beloved for roasting. This ensures that the heat is evenly distributed on the meat thus, cooking it evenly. As in any cooking done in the oven, preheat the oven prior to cooking the roast beef. Cooking time is largely depended on the size of the beef cut. One may also think the estimate of fat and bone in the meat, as well the grade of the meat.

Though there are general rules about cooking time, a meat thermometer is a must to ensure that the meat is cooked to the beloved done-ness. For those who prefer rarely cooked roast beef, 9 minutes should be devoted per pound of meat with the temperature of the meat at 120-125°F. For medium, it is about 14 minutes of cooking time for each pound of meat, with a central temperature of 145-150°F. For well-done cooking, 18 minutes per pound is ideal with a central temperature of 155-165°F. After cooking, it is ideal to let the roast beef sit between 15-20 minutes covered in foil. This allows the juices of the meat to stabilize and assures that it is still juicy when carved and served.

How to Cook Roast Beef

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Ways of Using Everyday Spices For Cooking

Many people prefer trying out different spices as they are preparing dinner. Spices will add flavor to a plain dish and make it delicious rather than ordinary. Not cooking with right spice may also wreck a entire dish in a few seconds. This covers several common ingredients and the complimentary dishes they are most suited to.

Bay leaves are best used in lots of types of foods. Bay leaves are also perfect to use in soups like beef soup and tuna chowder. They compliment most fish. Bay leaves also go great with most meats, including beef, veal, pot roast and boiled ham. For fowl dishes, their best uses are for boiled chicken, game and stews. Bay leaves will often give regular ordinary foods such as onion, boiled potatoes and green beans a special taste. Add a few to your next homemade marinade for a great flavor.

Cinnamon is a useful spice stored in many kitchen shelves. Use cinnamon with fruit salad or added to fresh fruit. Cinnamon also goes well with fish patties or casseroles, as well as pork, ham and lamb. A little cinnamon dusted fried chicken is yummy. It adds to vegetables also, usually when used with sweet potatoes, yams and winter squash. One may also decide cinnamon in ham and lamb sauces. I don't want to forget to add desserts to the most common uses for cinnamon. It is great when added in baked goods, and hot beverages.

Cloves can be overwhelming if not used sparingly, but it is surely one of my most favorite spices. It is a delight when used along with fruit cocktail or speckled on peaches and apples. Cloves also works great with soups like beef and bean. Cloves compliments ham and pork. You can add cloves when planning to cook vegetables. Many types of vegetables are made interesting by adding a little cloves. Breads and muffins, peaches, custards and hot drinks are all perfect picks for the addition of cloves.

Garlic is all-purpose as far as ingredients go. Use garlic in dips, cheese spreads and vegetable type drinks. Try it in stews as well as vegetable soup or pork soup. Garlic goes well with all varieties of poultry meals, as well as a large number of baked meals. It can be a wonderful addition for many vegetables, as well as when used with most white sauces and meat gravy. Baked goods such as rolls and bread benefit from it too.

Oregano is a long time favorite. Mix oregano with vegetable juices, tomato juice, pizza sauce and cheese spreads. Oregano is also perfect for vegetable soups. It also works great with stuffing for fish and works great with eggs. Oregano is a splendid choice of spice to use with a variety of meats. Swiss steak, stuffings and meatloaf all are better because of the addition of oregano. It can also be added to white potatoes, peas, cabbage, onions, spinach and green beans for a special dish. Oregano is nearly always used for pizza and spaghetti sauce.

Paprika is best when added to spreads and on fresh vegetables. It also adds to vegetable soups, all types of chowder and beef stock. One can use paprika with all varieties of fish dishes. It goes well with hard boiled eggs, too. It also goes well with pork, in ham gravy, and along with poultry. Add a little paprika with potatoes and cauliflower. Put a little paprika on any kind of salad as a garnish. One might also add it to gravies of all kinds.

Parsley is mostly known for its use as a garnish, but parsley is also great when added in broths, with all types of fish, and in cheese casseroles. Cheese omelets do well with the addition of parsley. Parsley compliments many meat dishes too. Lamb, pork, veal and steak are a few of the main choices. Add it in white foods and poultry stuffings, as well as an addition to creamed peas and potatoes.

Thyme tastes good in tomato juice and cocktails. It is surprisingly good with chowders and soups. Use a little thyme with fish dinners. Adding a bit of thyme to meat dishes or stuffings easily turns them from bland to superb. One might also put some thyme in lightly cooked beans and potatoes.

Don't be put off by picking your favorite herbs and spices while planning a meal. You may develop something fantastic.

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Using Thermometers For Cooking

Undercooked foods is one of the main sources of bacteria. E.coli or salmonella is the prominent types of bacteria that could possibly make a hit on us. Food-borne ailments acquired from undercooked food can be totally prevented if food will be cooked with the right climatic characteristic with the use of a food thermometer. Getting customary in using a food thermometer is very useful for a someone who loves to cook.

This will not only check the climatic characteristic for meat cooking but also the climatic characteristic for cooking dishes with eggs and casseroles. Preventing your meat from being overcooked is the main purpose of a meat thermometer and will preclude you from taking in undercooked food. It is regularly a stainless probe steel, which is directly inserted in the part of the meat that is thickest. The thermometer's tip point measures the meat's climatic characteristic while the results are given out in the digital display.

Meat Casseroles

There is a wide variety of food thermometers that one can choose from made of varied shapes and designs. You can either get them from any stores near your place or have more options on by checking on the internet. There are lots of thermometers that are made for meat. The thermometer that is ovenproof can stand the oven's heat. There is also a singular food thermometer that is designed for microwaves. The thermometers that bulge outward once the meat is cooked at the right climatic characteristic are the pop thermometers. The digital types are not just useful for meat climatic characteristic but also after the cooking process.

The most recent and most up to date thermometer in the shop today is the Bbq thermometer. Majority of these are wireless to part the inside that is separated from the reading display unit. Technical bugs may still be present with these meat thermometers as there are a whole of them are designed to show spoton reading in the middle of one to two degrees. Overall, it is significant that you bear in mind the other precautionary measures to preclude avoiding to hurt yourself while applying it for cooking.

Using Thermometers For Cooking

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