Joe's Hotdish

It's a hot dish, because we're from MN, don’t cha know? 😂 This recipe is so fast and simple, it’s practically a cheat code for those nights when you’re too busy to even find your keys. I used to whip this up for my son when he was little, and he loved it so much, it became known as Joe’s Hotdish—

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 (12 to 16-ounce) bag of dried egg noodles
• 2 (10.5 ounces) cans of cream of mushroom soup
• Milk
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon Tony Chacheres spice
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Bring a medium to a large pot of water to a boil and cook the egg noodles according to the package instructions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat a large pan over medium-high heat and brown the ground beef, breaking up pieces with a meat chopper or wooden spoon.
3. Once the beef is browned, stir in the cream of mushroom soup, milk, onion powder, and garlic powder. NOTE: Use milk to thin out - I don't measure, I just kinda pour it in.  I would start with 1/4 cup and go up from there. 
4. When the noodles are cooked, drain them and add the noodles to the pan. Stir to combine everything and allow to sit for one minute.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

Notes

Stroganoff - Instant Pot

This recipe is amazing.  Tim's grandma used to make the best stroganoff ever, until this one.  This is full of flavor and making it in the instant pot really brings out the flavor and makes the meat so tender.  Some of us had it over noodles and some had it over rice.  A personal preference for sure!!!

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 oz package of wide ribbon-like egg noodles, cooked separately
• 1.5-2 lbs of beef stew meat
• Kosher salt, a few generous shakes for seasoning the meat
• Black pepper, a few generous shakes for seasoning the meat
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 tbsp of salted butter
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 16 oz of Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced (you can use 8 oz instead if you want fewer mushrooms but I prefer it loaded with them)
• 1 tbsp of crushed garlic
• 1/4 cup of dry white wine (like a Chardonnay or you can use white cooking wine too)
• 1 Tbsp of dijon mustard (like Grey Poupon – and don’t worry, for if you hate mustard, you won’t taste it. It simply brings out more flavor in the sauce once combined with the other ingredients)
• 1 tsp of seasoned salt
• 1 1/2 cups of beef broth 
• 1 tsp of dried thyme
• 2 Tbsp of cornstarch + 2 Tbsp of water
• 1 packet of Lipton dry onion dip/soup mix 
• 1 cup (8 oz) of sour cream
• 5.2 oz of Boursin Garlic & Herb (SECRET INGREDIENT! If you can’t find the Boursin which is usually located in the deli section of your supermarket near the fancy cheeses and cured meats, use 5 oz of a brick of cream cheese )

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook the egg noodles or rice on the stovetop according to package instructions while the meat’s cooking and strain and set aside (Note: you can also do this during Step 7 while the Stroganoff is pressure cooking, but just make sure you do it separately on the stove and don’t add the noodles directly into the pot while pressure cooking or they will absorb too much of the liquid and will become mushy)
2. Season the meat with the kosher salt & pepper (about 1-2 tsp of each should be fine)
3. Add the olive oil and butter to the Instant Pot and hit “Sauté” and adjust so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting. After about 3 minutes (and once the butter’s melted and oil’s bubbling), add in the meat and sear on all sides so it’s lightly browned (about 2-3 minutes total; the meat shouldn’t be fully cooked at all)
4. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl for the time being
5. Now, add the onion to the pot with the already heated oil and butter and let cook for 2 minutes and then add the mushrooms and let cook for 3 minutes more. Then, add in the garlic and cook for another minute
6. Next, add in the white wine and stir for a minute followed by the dijon mustard and seasoned salt, stir well and deglaze (scrape) the bottom of the pot so nothing’s stuck to it
7. Lastly, add in the beef broth and thyme and stir well followed by adding back in the browned beef
8. Secure the lid, hit the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button followed by the “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” button High Pressure for 7 minutes for firmer meat and 12 minutes for more tender meat. Do a quick release when done OR allow a 10-minute natural release (meaning you do nothing for 10 minutes when done and the timer count up to either “00:10” or “L0:10”) followed by a quick release if you wish it to be more tender – this goes for either cooking time you choose
9. When the lid comes off, hit the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button and then hit “Sauté” again and adjust so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting. Bring the pot to a bubble and add in the cornstarch slurry and stir immediately. Then, add in the onion mix packet and let bubble for a minute and then turn the pot to “Keep Warm” so that the bubbles die down
10. Once the bubbles have mostly subsided, add in the sour cream and Boursin. Stir well until they are both totally melded into the sauce and it will be ready!
11. Place some noodles or rice in individual bowls and then follow with some the beef and plenty of sauce
12. Enjoy!

Chicken Tetrazzini

I have made a lot of tetrazzini in my years but this recipe I believe is one of the best.  I really liked the chardonnay in it.  This is NOT for the person on a diet.  We paired it with watermelon.  Figured it would cancel each out for calories - right??

1 stick butter 

1/2 cup flour
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 (14 oz can) chicken broth
1/3 cup chardonnay
1 Tablespoon chicken granules
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 cups cooked chicken breasts, shredded
8 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 small can mushrooms or fresh  mushrooms - to your tasting

2 T butter
1/2 cup panko crumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325.  Melt 1 stick of butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.   Whisk in the flour until blended and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly.  Stir in cream, broth, wine, and seasonings and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and cook for 7-8 minutes or until thick and bubbly, whisking constantly.   Remove from heat and stir in chicken, pasta, mushrooms and cheese.   Spoon mixture into a greased 13x9 baking dish.  Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and stir in panko crumbs until they start to brown.  Remove from heat, stir in salt and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top of the chicken mixture.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

 

Creamy Chicken Hotdish

If you are from Minnesota you call it hot dish.  If you are from Iowa you call it a Casserole. Well since I am an official Minnesotan I am going to call this hot dish.  This is a good hot dish when you need to feed a lot of people.  It goes a long way.  Serve this with peas and some buns from scratch and you have the ultimate comfort food. 

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
1 (12 oz) cooked and drained egg noodles
2 (10 oz) cans cream of chicken soup - undiluted
1 (14.5 ) can chicken broth - or homemade - whatever you like
1 cup sour cream
2 cooked chicken breasts shredded or cubed - what ever you prefer

2 cups shredded cheese
36 Ritz crackers
1/4 cup melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large pot over med-high heat, saute onions in butter until onions are tender.
3. Add in cream of chicken soup, sour cream and cheese; gradually stir in broth.
4. Cook over medium heat until cheese melts; stir in chicken and egg noodles; taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
5. Transfer mixture to a greased 2 ½ quart casserole.
6. Crush up Ritz crackers and add melted butter.  Sprinkle cracker crumbs over hot dish.
7. Bake in a preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until heated through and golden brown.

Creamy Chicken and Noodles

I love any chicken and noodles.  So when I seen this recipe I instantly knew I would have to try it.  I tried it when my sister came to visit and she thought it was good so I knew it was a keeper. 

Ingredients:

1 (0.6 oz) envelope Italian dressing mix
1 (8.0 oz) package wide egg noodle
2 Tbsp butter, softened
3 cups cooked chicken
1 cup whipping cream or evaporated milk
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

 

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain well, and return noodles to pan.

 

Stir in the 2 Tbsp butter and toss to coat.  Stir in chopped chicken, milk, cheese, and the dressing mix.  Cook mixture over medium high heat, tossing to coat evenly approximately 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  Serve immediately.