One of the only New year’s resolutions that should be considered in this brand new year is to organize the cookbook cupboard.
That means sorting through hundreds of books, obscure recipe pamphlets and pages of recipes published in old newspapers and periodicals.
The objective would be to catalogue the recipes used on a regular basis and to discard others that don’t look all that interesting, making one wonder why they were saved years ago.
While pondering the reason why the cupboard door would not close, a protruding booklet caught my eye and is the basis for this week’s recipes, all of them marked with a check mark, indicating some measure of successful use.
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Roasted Potatoes With Bacon and Cheese
- 1/2 cup Ranch dressing
- 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup real bacon bits
- 2 lbs. small red potatoes, quartered
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix dressing, cheese and bacon bits in a large bowl. Add washed and quartered potatoes and toss lightly.
Spoon potatoes into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover with foil.
Bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil. Sprinkle with onions and bake an additional 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.
Makes 8 servings. Serve with slices of ham or meatloaf.
Note: cheddar cheese may be used instead of Mozzarella.
• • •
Macaroni Beef Casserole
- 1 pkg. mac and cheese Kraft Dinner
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1-19 oz. can Italian stewed tomatoes, undrained
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
- 1/2 cup double cheddar shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Prepare Kraft Dinner in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting butter.
Brown ground beef in large non-stick skillet on medium high heat. Drain. Add tomatoes and oregano and mix well. Bring to a boil.
Add meat mixture to Kraft Dinner, stir and then spoon into a 9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle the cheese over the top.
Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole contents are heated through. Makes 4 servings. Serve with a green salad or caesar salad.
• • •
Lemon Cheesecake Dessert
- 2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
- 6 tbsps. butter, melted
- 4-250 gram pkgs. brick cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup commercial sour cream
- juice from one lemon
- 4 eggs
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Mix crumbs and butter. Reserve 1/4 cup of the crumb mixture. Press remaining crumbs firmly onto the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Set aside.
Beat softened cream cheese blocks and sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended and smooth. Add sour cream and mix well.
Stir in lemon juice. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each egg just until blended.
Pour cream cheese mixture over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs.
Bake for 40 minutes or until centre is almost set. Refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight. Makes 16 servings. Store leftovers in refrigerator.
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
