Pierogi Casserole

I never realized that Pierogi were more of a local food to our area. I have always liked them. When i was younger I once ate 17 of them. I had a high metabolism...

Churches will sell homemade ones... espcially now since it is Lent. I have great intentions of making homemade pierogis. They are a lot of work and having a 2 year old wouldn't really make that possible. Until then this is as close as i will get to homemade. Or we will still enjoy Mrs. T's (Hayden likes them better).

Pierogi Casserole

serves 4-6

8 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into fours

1 medium onion, chopped

8 ounces of cheese, cubed or shredded (Velveeta will work best, second best is hand-grated cheddar)

1/2 pound pasta (farfalle or lasagna noodles)

1 1/2 sticks of butter

Preheat oven to 350.

Peel potatoes and chop into quarters. Set them in a large pot and cover with water, allowing it to come to a boil. Boil potatoes until tender, about 30 minutes. While potatoes are boiling, cook pasta according to directions, and once drained mix with two tablespoons of butter. Set aside. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt two tablespoons of butter and saute chopped onion until soft.

Drain potatoes and mash with one stick of butter and cheese. Make sure no lumps remain. Fold in onions.

Spread out pasta in a large baking dish and spread mashed potato mixture over top. If desired, top with more cheese and onions. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes

Recipe from http://www.howsweeteats.com

Breakfast Casserole

We eat this every Christmas morning. It is perfect for brunch, but we often just have it for dinner. I love that it can be made the night before. It is much easier then my plan to make homemade cinnamon rolls every Christmas (which I am going to do eventually). Besides Hayden will eat anything with breakfast sausage in it. He loves sausage. It is disgusting to watch him eat it.

Here is the recipe:


Ingredients

* 1 lb of Italian pork sausage, (then cooked, drained, crumbled)
* 4 1/2 cups cubed bread (we use good thick bread)
* 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
* 10 eggs slightly beaten
* 4 cups whole milk
* 1 tsp dry mustard
* 1 tsp salt
* 1/4 tsp onion powder
* Fresh ground pepper to taste

Place bread in a well buttered 9x13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle with cheese. Combine the eggs, milk, dry mustard, onion powder and pepper. Pour evenly over the bread and cheese. Sprinkle sausage and optional ingredients over the top.

cover and chill overnight

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake uncovered for about one hour. (I top it with extra cheddar towards the end)

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

This was a nice quick recipe. I like quick and easy right now! Mike said the flavors were better the next day when he took it to work. Make sure you don't overcook the Gnocchi. They tend to get mushy easily.

Ingredients

* 6 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 2 carrots, thinly sliced
* 1 rib celery, thinly sliced
* 2 cups prepared potato gnocchi (about 11 ounces), thawed if frozen
* 2 cups frozen peas (8 ounces)
* 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, (about 1 large chicken breast)
* Freshly ground black pepper
* Hunk of good Parmesan

Directions

Put chicken broth, garlic, butter and sugar in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, bring it to a simmer, and cook, uncovered until the garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots and celery and continue to simmer until almost tender, 2 minutes. Bring to a full boil, stir in gnocchi and, cooking until the gnocchi are al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in frozen peas and chicken and turn off the heat. Season with salt —take into consideration that Parmesan cheese is salty, and a generous amount of pepper, to taste. Ladle the soup into warmed shallow bowls and shower each with freshly grated cheese.

Recipe from foodnetwork.com (paula dean)