This twist on a classic dish is sure to please anyone at your table.

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef

1 green pepper, chopped

2 cups pasta sauce

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup butter or margarine

2 onions, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 lbs potatoes peeled and cut up

1 x 340 g pkg shredded Italian blend cheese

Directions

1) Combine beef, onions, green pepper and garlic in a large saucepan. Stir and cook until meat is no longer pink, vegetables are tender and excess liquid has evaporated. Drain any access fat if necessary, add pasta sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.

2) Add meat mixture into a 2 litre shallow casserole dish and set aside. Cook potatoes for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and mash, add sour cream and butter and continue to mash until smooth.

3) Sprinkle with cheese over meat in casserole dish. Spread potatoes over top and finish with cheese and paprika.

4) Bake in preheated oven at 350’F for 30 minutes or until it’s hot and bubbly.

This simple yet delicious and irresistible recipe will be a winner at any table and have people coming back for seconds instantly!!

Ingredients

1/2 pound bacon, sliced

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp dry mustard

2 tbsp white vinegar

1 can tomato sauce

1 can mushrooms, drained (optional)

2 cans pork and beans

1 can kidney beans

Directions

1) In a large skillet cook bacon, ground beef and onions.

2) Drain fat, add remaining ingredients, and transfer to a casserole dish.

3) Bake uncovered at 350’F for 45 minutes.

As a kid I learned early on that “Kraft Dinner” isn’t the greatest source when in the mood for mac and cheese. This recipe has been in my family for over 100 years and it’s definitely a favorite!!

Ingredients

2 cups cooked macaroni

For the sauce:

1 tbsp flour

1 tbsp butter or margarine, melted

1 and 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup grated cheddar (or marble) cheese

1 tbsp minced onion

Directions

1) Mix melted tablespoon of butter with flour, milk and cheese.

2) Add the minced onion and in a greased casserole dish combine macaroni with the sauce. Top with an additional 1/2 cup grated cheese.

3) Bake in a preheated oven at 350’F for one hour.

Here’s a quick and easy casserole dish that’ll sure be a hit at any dinner table!

Ingredients

Leftover chicken or turkey pieces (cut into cubes)

3 tbsp butter or margarine

2 tbsp flour

1-2 cups uncooked rice

2 medium onions, finely chopped

2 cups frozen peas or carrots

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1-2 cups hot water

2 tsp salt

1-2 cups cold water

Directions

1) Combine all ingredients into a casserole dish.

2) Bake in the oven (preheated @ 350’F) for 2 hours or until tender.

3) Check occasionally and add more water (if necessary)

There’s nothing I enjoyed more as a kid than a great batch of pancakes whenever I went to my grandma’s house. If there’s one thing my grandma taught me that I still apply to this day is that homemade is always better than something that comes out of a box and pancakes were no exception. So here now is the pancake recipe that’s been in my family for over 70 years.
Ingredients
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
2-3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp baking powder
2-3 tbsp cooking oil
2 cups flour
2 eggs
1-2 tsp artificial vanilla extract (optional)
Directions
1) Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl at medium speed with an electric mixer. If the batter is too thick, add a little more milk or water.

2) In a large pan (or griddle) at medium high heat slowly add the batter on with a ladle. 3-4 minutes per side and repeat this until the batter is finished.

3) Serve with syrup and butter along with bacon and eggs or whatever you want.

Nothing beats a warm bowl of cream of broccoli soup, the warm savory flavor and the creamy texture all combined really helps warm you up on a cooler day.

Ingredients

(Mire Poix)

2 tbsp butter

1 onion, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 cups chicken Stock

6 cups broccoli florets

(Roux/Sauce)

3 tbsp butter

2 cups milk

3 tbsp flour

Salt, pepper and nutmeg (to taste)

Directions

1) Prepare vegetables, in a medium pan saute mire poix until translucent. (8-10 min)

2) In a separate pan, make roux. At medium heat melt butter and add flour stirring constantly and remove from heat. Add milk and stir, return to heat stirring until sauce is thick.

3) When mire poix/broccoli mix is cooled mash/puree until smooth.

4) Pour roux into a large pot and combine with the pureed mire poix/broccoli mix and allow the pot to warm up over medium/low heat. Serve and enjoy!

Believe it or not over the last several years (nearly a decade) I’ve often found cooking and even baking at times to be very therapeutic. More specifically I find kneading bread dough a great way to let out anger and frustrations as painlessly as possible. But just being in the zone of cooking and focusing on that and nothing else is a great way to relieve stress and tension.

Too many times I’ve seen people compare a given meal or food they’ve had to someone else who’s made it and have attempted to compare them. It’s unfair as people have their own way of making a particular food or dish. Someone could make meatloaf one way the same every time while others might treat it more like an omelette and make it different every time. Comparing things like that is unfair, especially when people are trying to be unique.

1) Have patience. I cannot emphasize this one enough when someone is learning how to cook there’s gonna be a lot of trial and error.

2) Give constructive feedback/criticism. People always learn from their mistakes and appreciate feedback whether good or bad it helps them prevent the mistakes from happening again.

3) Start with something simple like eggs or pancakes. The best way to teach someone to cook is having them learn the basics first in specific having them learn the many ways to prepare eggs. Scrambled eggs for example is a great one to start with as it’s very simple to learn and if you make any mistakes they’re easy to learn from.

4) If need be guide them through it and maybe demonstrate more than once. Most times learning how to cook is just as much about watching how to do it as it is to follow verbal instructions and directions.

Nothing beats a great chili, the bold and spicy flavors that give the palate a great boost. This recipe will ease any stress and fears that you may have that chili is super complicated and is next to impossible to make.

Ingredients

1/2 onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

3-4 cloves of garlic, diced

2-3 stalks of celery, diced (optional)

3-4 mushrooms, diced (optional)

1 lb. Ground beef

2 cans of baked beans

1 can of diced/stewed tomatoes

Black pepper, Chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, parsley (to taste)

2-3 teaspoons of hot sauce (optional)

Directions

1) Brown the beef in a large frying pan. Season with pepper and garlic powder and set aside.

2) In a large pot add the tomatoes, onion, pepper, garlic and beans and combine over medium heat.

3) Add the beef, black pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, parsley and cumin to taste. Mix thoroughly and reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes on medium-low heat.

4) Turn off the heat, adjust flavors according to taste and serve with buns or biscuits.