- 1 cup (4 ounces/115g) uncooked macaroni noodles
- 1/2 tin (5 1/4 ounces/150g) condensed cheddar cheese sauce (alternately you can make a thick cheese sauce to equal 5 1/4 ounces/150g)
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- 3/4 TBS garlic powder, not salt
- 3/4 TBS onion powder, not salt
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup (213g) cut cooked green beans
- 1 1/2 cups (181g) grated cheddar and mozzarella cheese blend, divided
- 1 cup (85g) crispy fried salad onions (such as French's)
This was very rich and delicious. I could quite happily eat this as a main dish. I had no idea until recently that lots of Americans like macaroni and cheese for Thanksgiving. You learn something new all the time!
This was a brilliant combination of the traditional green bean casserole and macaroni and cheese, which was not only quick and easy to throw together but really tasty as well! I could see this being popular all the year through and not just at the holidays!
Cozy Green Bean Mac & Cheese Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup (4 ounces/115g) uncooked macaroni noodles
- 1/2 tin (5 1/4 ounces/150g) condensed cheddar cheese sauce (alternately you can make a thick cheese sauce to equal 5 1/4 ounces/150g)
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- 3/4 TBS garlic powder, not salt
- 3/4 TBS onion powder, not salt
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup (213g) cut cooked green beans
- 1 1/2 cups (181g) grated cheddar and mozzarella cheese blend, divided
- 1 cup (85g) crispy fried salad onions (such as French's)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a 7 by 11-inch shallow casserole dish. Set aside.
- Cook the macaroni noodles according to the package directions, just to al dente. Drain well.
- While the macaroni is cooking measure the soup/sauce and heavy cream into a medium sized mixing bowl. Whisk together well to combine.
- Whisk in the onion and garlic powders, the salt and the pepper, blending well together. Stir in 1 cup (120g) of the cheese.
- Fold in the cooked macaroni and the green beans, combining well. Spread in the prepared baking dish.
- Scatter the remaining cheese on top and then sprinkle the crispy onions on top of the cheese. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes longer, until bubbling and golden brown on top.
- Let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Serve hot.
- 1 TBS butter to butter the baking dish
- 1/2 pound (225g) crusty white bread, crust removed, in ½-inch pieces (dry out in a slow oven.)
- 1 TBS olive oil separated
- 1/2 pound (227g) sweet Italian sausage, casings removed & discarded
- 2 TBS butter
- 1 medium brown onion, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 large stalk of celery, trimmed and diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 TBS dried flat leaf parsley
- 1/2 TBS dried crumbled sage leaves
- 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 ounces (170g) boiled Italian chestnuts, chopped
- 1¼-1½ cups (300 ml to 360ml) vegetable or chicken broth separated
- 1 large egg
- chopped parsley to garnish
Love stuffing, but sausage and chestnuts are not your thing. Why not consider the following delicious options!
MARY BERRY'S SAGE & ONION STUFFING - This is one of my favorite stuffings to serve with roast chicken or turkey. It is simple. It is delicious. It is foolproof. Everyone loves this. In fact, I could eat a whole bowl of this and nothing else.
MOM'S BREAD & POTATO STUFFING - This is the way my mother always made her stuffing, and her mother before her, etc. With mashed potatoes, plenty of butter, soft breadcrumbs, onion, herbs and seasonings. A bit of stock. This is quite simply delicious as well. It's a very Canadian Maritime provincial thing. Usually flavored with summer savory.
Chestnut & Sausage stuffing
Ingredients
- 1 TBS butter to butter the baking dish
- 1/2 pound (225g) crusty white bread, crust removed, in ½-inch pieces (dry out in a slow oven.)
- 1 TBS olive oil separated
- 1/2 pound (227g) sweet Italian sausage, casings removed & discarded
- 2 TBS butter
- 1 medium brown onion, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 large stalk of celery, trimmed and diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 TBS dried flat leaf parsley
- 1/2 TBS dried crumbled sage leaves
- 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 ounces (170g) boiled Italian chestnuts, chopped
- 1¼-1½ cups (300 ml to 360ml) vegetable or chicken broth separated
- 1 large egg
- chopped parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Butter a deep casserole dish (about 9 inches square) with the first amount of butter. Set aside.
- Place the toasted bread in a large bowl.
- Heat 1/2 TBS of oil in a large skillet. Crumble the sausage into the skillet and cook until lightly browned and no longer pink, mashing with a fork to break it up into smaller pieces. Using a slotted spoon, remove to the boil and toss with the bread. Stir in the chopped chestnuts.
- Add 1/2 TBS of oil and 2 TBS of butter to the skillet. Add the onions and celery. Sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 - 10 minutes. Allow to cool to warm. Add to the sausage and bread in the bowl, tossing to mix everything together. Add 3/4 cup (180ml) of the chicken stock and leave so that the bread can absorb it.
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4.
- Add the seasonings to the bread mixture in the bowl, mixing everything well together. Taste and adjust the seasoning as required.
- Beat the egg well with a fork. Whisk in 1/2 cup (120ml) of chicken broth. Add this to the bowl also, mixing well together again.
- Spoon the stuffing into your prepared baking dish. Cover tightly with a buttered sheet of aluminum foil, butter side down.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes, until the top is crisp and golden brown.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.
SUNDAY, November 3rd, 2024 - Sunday Dinner with the family
On Sundays I usually have dinner with my sister, brother-in-law, and father at my sister's house. I love that she includes me each week. When I was in the U.K. I missed my family very much and having dinner together like this was only a dream, so it really means a lot for me to be included now.
This week she cooked a slap-up Chicken Dinner. All of her dinners are fabulous really. My sister is a great cook. With roasted veggies, mashed spuds and gravy. Sugar free jelly and whippy cream for dessert. Delicious as always. You really cannot beat a good roast chicken dinner!
In it's place I am sharing my recipe for Another Roast Chicken. For this one you simply spatchcock a whole chicken and then roast it on a bed of vegetables. Garlic, lemon and thyme are used to flavor the chicken, and the vegetables underneath get all nicely flavored from the chicken juices.
MONDAY, November 4th - Cauliflower Chowder
Monday felt like a soup kind of day! I had a lot of running around to do and was in and out all day. I also had a cauliflower in the refrigerator that I wanted to use up. This is a hearty supper soup that always goes down a real treat. Filled with lovely chunks of celery, carrot, cauliflower and potato, bits of crispy bacon and creamy Pepper Boursin cheese. Rich, filling and very satisfying it is one of my favorite soups.
You could enjoy this with crusty bread if you wish, but I always like to enjoy it with some buttery crackers crumbled over top. I also enjoyed a nice, tossed salad on the side. Soup and a Salad. A brilliant combination.
TUESDAY, November 5th - Garlic Butter Pineapple Chicken
A quick and easy supper was on the menu for me. Garlic Butter Pineapple Chicken. I love this stuff. It's a beautiful stir fry filled with bags of lovely flavors. Sweet and savory with just a tiny bit of heat. (I don't like my food to be overly spicy these days. The old stomach can't take it!) I enjoyed this meal with some steamed rice and broccoli.
Have you ever tried the ready cooked rice in the pouches? It's perfect for the smaller family. Just the right size with no waste. It's also great for making fried rice.
WEDNESDAY, November 6th - Dinner with Dad, French Canadian Salmon Pie
We did not go out for supper this Wednesday night as is our usual practice. Instead, dad came here to my place for his supper, and I treated him to a lovely homemade French-Canadian Salmon Pie. My father loves Salmon Pie and so do I. This is a simple enough pie to make with an easy filling made from flaked salmon, mashed potato, onion and a few herbs, etc. I always use my Butter Lard Pastry to make it and it just melts in the mouth. My father really enjoyed it.
I served it with some homemade coleslaw, green beans and pickled beets. We had his favorite sugar free Jello with whippy cream for dessert. Dad was a very happy camper.
THURSDAY, November 7th - Lasagna Roll Ups
I had a lot of running around to do, again and so I took some of these out of the freezer. It is my small batch recipe for Lasagna Roll Ups. The recipe makes only four roll ups, which is just enough to enjoy on the day for just myself, and then another serving to freeze. The recipe feeds two people generously. I had some in the freezer which I thawed out. I will have to make some more to stick in the freezer as I really love them.
They are rich and delicious. Nice and compact. They don't slide all over the plate. Everything is tucked into a nice neat little package. I enjoyed with some crusty bread and a salad on the side. Tasty tasty!
.JPG "Skillet Sausage & Vegetable Dinner")
FRIDAY, October 8th - Skillet Sausage & Vegetable Dinner
No fish for me this Friday as I had already had fish earlier in the week. Instead, I made myself a nice skillet meal. I love skillet meals where everything cooks in the one skillet. No fuss and no muss. You can actually vary the vegetables if you wish, but usually I will have a nice meaty sausage, some golden-brown fried potatoes, cabbage and carrots.
My sister and I make our own sausage from scratch most of the time. This was an apple one that we had made which is lovely. You really don't need anything else with this meal. I like to serve a grainy mustard on the side for dipping that tasty sausage in. Lovely jubbly.
SATURDAY, November 9th - Pan Seared Steak with Garlic Butter
I picked up a nice steak for 50% off at the grocery store, so I thought I would enjoy that simply cooked, along with some mushrooms and garlic butter. A few vegetables on the side. I was skipping the carbs! I figured I had done enough of those this week, plus I had attended a funeral in the morning and enjoyed snacking on a few bits there that I shouldn't have.
This is a great steak recipe. Simple and filled with flavor. Tender and juicy, it is a perfectly seared, cooked and flavored steak. The garlic butter goes perfectly. A cast iron skillet works best, but if you don't have one you can use any skillet with a heavy bottom that can handle a high heat well.
I enjoyed this simply with some steamed beans and broccoli. It was perfect. You could add a baked potato or some oven chips for the carb lover in your life!
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