Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

OR

I have made many hash brown casseroles through the years. I have two favorites, for sure--one with cream and cottage cheese (that doesn't have the sour cream taste, for those who do not care for sour cream) and one with sour cream. Both are cheesy and delicious!

Here is the sour cream one....with variations--cooking it in a crock pot (great to go with bbq'ed food when you don't want to heat up the kitchen in the summer) and one for "mega" cooking---ten times! :) These potatoes freeze wonderfully--and are one of my most often-made freezer foods because I love having side dishes to pull out of the freezer. 

• 2 lbs. frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
  
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted (see last ingredient for more butter)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion or green onion OR 2 TBSP dried minced onion
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 pint (2 cups) sour cream (regular or light)
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese or Colby cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups crushed corn flakes and 1/4 cup (half stick) butter for topping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees if baking (and not crocking or freezing.

2.  Grease or spray a 9×13″ pan or baking dish; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine thawed hash browns with 1/2 cup of the melted butter, pepper, salt, and chopped onion, blending well. 

4. Add in the soup and sour cream, then the cheddar cheese, mixing everything well.

 5. Spread mixture evenly into a 9×13″ baking dish. 

6. Mix remaining 1/4 cup melted butter and the crushed corn flakes together and sprinkle over top of casserole. 7. Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 50 to 60 minutes regular or 40 mins convection.

8. If using the crock pot, turn all ingredients into greased large crock. Cook on low for six to eight hours, stirring halfway through. Remove lid for last hour or so to thicken. Omit topping or add near end. 

I made twelve of these---half for my friend's graduation party and half for my freezer. Are you ready for this recipe times twelve (well, six for most folks!)?

Here are some tips for the expansion:

1. You will need a huge bowl! I used to make this much in a huge rubbermaid tub with rubber gloves to keep from freezing my hands while I mixed. This time I used my gigantic bowl and did the recipe half (six times each) then repeated. (The recipe below is for six....seldom do people have freezer space for twelve!)

2. This is one of the simplest freezer recipes to make times six (like below) or more--or to even make twelve 8 x 8 dishes out of (using the multiples of six given below). Thus, if you are only feeding four or five of you, you can make the recipe below (six times for a 9x13). Then divide it evenly among twelve 8 x 8 pans.

3. When you are done mixing all of the ingredients, just take big handfuls (or glass measures full) and dollup into each freezer pan. Cover. Label (see below). And freeze!

4. Labels:  Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole
                Thaw. Bake at 350' for 50 to 60 mins, 
                 uncovered. (40 to 50 convection.)
                 Sprinkle cracker crumbs or
                 Corn Flakes that you have
                 crushed into melted
                 butter over last 10 mins.

TIMES SIX for six 9 x 13 foil pans:

6 (2 pound) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed

6 sticks butter

3 cup chopped onion or 12 TBSP dried minced onion

6 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

6 (16 ounce) container sour cream

48 ounces shredded Colby cheese

1 1/2 tsp pepper

6 tsp salt
12 cups Corn Flakes and 1 1/2 cups melted butter (for topping)

Spoon Corn Cake

 

 

 

Two Choices:

 

 

Choice One:

1 box Jiffy Cornbread Mix

1 box Jiffy Yellow Cake Mix

1 can cream style corn

1/4 cup water

1/2 stick butter, softened

2 large eggs

1/3 cup milk

 

 

 

Choice Two:

2 boxes Jiffy Cornbread Mix

1 box Duncan Hines Butter Golden Cake Mix

2 cans cream style corn

1/2 cup water

1 stick butter softened

5 large eggs

2/3 cup milk

 

 

 

 

1. Combine boxes of mix in large mixing bowl.

2. Mix all ingredients with mixer or in Kitchen Aid type of bowl/mixer.

3. Pour into 8 x 8 for top recipe or 9 x 13 baking pan spayed with non-stick cooking spray.

4. Bake 20 to 25 mins for 8 x 8 and 32 to 36 mins for 9 x 13 in preheated 350 degree oven, uncovered.

 

 

 

 

 

Popular Cheese Ball

4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

8 oz cream cheese

1 jar Kraft Old English cheese spread

1/4 tsp parsley

1/4 tsp onion salt

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce

1/2 green pepper chopped finely (or more or less)

a few green onions chopped finely (or more or less)



1. Cream the cream cheese in mixer. 

2. Add Old English cheese spread and mix it.

3. Add all seasonings and chopped veggies.

4. Add shredded cheese and mix until shape-able.

5. You can shape now if not too soft or refrigerate and shape later and roll in nuts or bacon bits or ham bits. 



People LOVE this cheeseball!

Scotcharoos

6 cups of Rice Krispies

1 C light karo syrup
1 C sugar
1 1/2 C peanut butter
6 oz. butterscotch chips
6 oz. chocolate chips

1. Pour Rice Krispies into large pan.

2. In saucepan, mix Karo and sugar. Bring just barely to a boil, stirring constantly. 

3. When it just starts to boil, add peanut butter and mix it in.

4. Take mixture off the heat and pour over Rice Krispies. Mix together.

5. Spray 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.

6. Press mixture into pan, but do not pack down too hard.

7. Melt chocolate chips and butterscotch chips on medium heat in microwave, stirring every thirty seconds. Do not overheat!

8. Spread melted chips over bars. 

9. Cool and cut.

Peanut Blossom (“Kiss”) Cookies

These are better than your average peanut butter cookie. We prefer the milk chocolate taste of stars on them rather than kisses. These go quickly on holiday trays.



5 ¼ cups flour 1 ½ cups peanut butter

3 tsp soda 3 eggs

1 ½ tsp salt 6 TBSP milk

1 ½ cups sugar 3 tsp vanilla

1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed 3 pkgs Hershey’s kisses or stars

1 ½ cups shortening/butter (we use ½ Crisco and half real butter)



1. Cream butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar.

2. Whisk eggs.

3. Mix milk, eggs, and vanilla in separate bowl.

4. Pour milk mixture into creamed mixture, and mix.

5. Combine remaining ingredients (except kisses) in another mixing bowl.

6. Add to mixing ingredients until well blended.

7. Shape dough into balls, using a rounded teaspoon for each.

8. Roll balls in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets.

9. Bake for 8-11 minutes convection; 10-13 regular.

10. Top each cookie immediately with a kiss, pressing down firmly so cookie cracks around the edge.

Potato Tip!

I usually steam my carrots, potatoes, and green beans before adding them to almost done meats (as opposed to cooking them all together from the beginning).

I have hit on a tip for potatoes in the past year or two that has made potato prep so much easier. This tip works for potatoes you want to peel or those you do not wish to peel (in that it helps clean them too). You should, of course, cut out bad spots before doing anything with the potatoes.

1. Put whole potatoes in large pot of boiling water.

2. Cook potatoes to the doneness you desire, boiling vigorously. (This will depend on the use you have for them. If you want them partially cooked or you just want the peeling off easily, etc.)

3. Drain the potatoes (use one side of the sink for draining and the other for peeling, so the heat from the drained potatoes and water doesn't make the sink too hot to do the next step).

4. Plunge the drained potatoes into the other side of the sink that is filled with ice water.

5. In five minutes or so, simply reach into the ice water and start rubbing the skins off (or do not leave in water long, but get them out and use with peelings on). The skins rub off with your fingers only and very quickly.

6. Now cut, grate, slice, dice, julienne, or leave whole for whatever you are making.

Crock Pot Wednesday: Beef and Pork Roasts in the Crock Pot

Final product--beef roast with potatoes, carrots, and green beans

If you follow our Crock Pot Wednesdays, you have read about the many soups and stews that I do for our lunch on Wednesdays while we teach classes. Our oldest son is soup-crazy, so I started the tradition for him as he comes to teach with me each week.

Classes are over, but I do want to continue the Crock Pot Wednesday tradition because so many of the entrees in the crock pot are so simple--and one dish!

Today I did a beef roast, potatoes, carrots, and green beans in the crock pot. While I don't have a specific recipe for you, I do have many tips and ideas for the weekly "meat and potatoes" meal that I do.

Here you go:

1. By knowing that one meal is going to be "meat and potatoes" (preferably all in one dish) meal, I know every week that one meal is "covered," so to speak (without too much planning and thinking). My meat and potatoes meals usually consist of one of the following:

~Cheesy potatoes with ham
~Beef roast with veggies (like above)
~Pork roast sided with potato wedges in oven or with the veggies in it (like above)
~Pork roast that is more of a sweet and sour type sided with rice (not true meat and potatoes!)
~Beef stew
~Chicken stew
~Meatloaf with whole potatoes around it
~Beef roast with mashed potatoes (seldom--too much extra work!)



2. I almost always cook my roasts in cooking bags---even if they are in the crock pot. I don't usually buy expensive cuts of meat, so the small price I am paying for the "oven cooking bag" helps make the meat more tender.

3. Sometimes if I find one of those pork roasts or corn beef roasts with the seasonings already in the packet or on the meat, I go for them! Something about knowing the meat is tenderized and seasoned makes that day's main meal feel really easy!

4. I seldom cook my vegetables in with my meat. It sometimes tastes as though the potatoes are overcooked in order to get the meat done, etc. Thus, I always steam+ my veggies in the micro and add them to the oven bag (or dump the oven bag the last bit) during the last hour or two to mix flavors. (If you are not opposed to using a microwave oven, I encourage you to do more and more cooking in it. I put fresh veggies in (one type at a time), put a 1/4 cup of broth on them, and cover--and steam cook in the microwave until nearly done. I also do this on stir fry night for stir fried veggies, like carrots, that take longer to cook than the other stir fried veggies I am using.) +For potatoes, I often use my "potato trick."



5. To make stews (chicken or beef), I cut up my meat and put it in the crock pot early in the day with either store bought soups or homemade soups and a small amount (cup or two, depending on size of crock and amount of meat) of rich broth. (If using canned broth, I add base to the broth to deepen the taste.) I also add onions, bay leaves, and other seasonings. This becomes my "starter" for my stews. Then later in the day, when the meat is nearly done, I add the steamed veggies as described above in number four.



6. The richest, best beef roast I make is rolled roast with mushroom soup, deep broth, onions, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Before I put the roast in that mixture, I rub it with a tablespoon or two of coffee, some garlic, and Mrs. Dash. This makes the best gravy ever!



I love having a day each week dedicated to "meat and potatoes." It fills my four guys up--and gives my mind a partial day off from thinking about dinner too much! Happy crocking!