Sometimes we all just want a little comfort food.  And in all honesty, most comfort food is tasty, easy, and economical which makes it perfect during some of the current situations we face.  Here are some old recipes from my earlier years that make great comfort food casseroles.  Enjoy Sarah’s Beef and Macaroni Bake the next time you need comfort.  Who wouldn’t feel comforted by macaroni, cheese, ground beef, etc sprinkled with bread crumbs and baked?

SARAH’S BEEF AND MACARONI BAKE

1 1/2 to 2 quarts boiling water

6-oz elbow macaroni

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 can mushroom soup

3/4 cup water

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup butter

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 cup buttered bread crumbs

Add the 1 teaspoon salt and macaroni to the boiling water and stir until the macaroni is flowing freely. Cook until the macaroni is tender.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the parsley and onion. Cook about 3 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Blend in the soup and the 3/4 cup water. Heat mixture to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the 1/4 tsp garlic salt and cheese.

Brown ground beef in a skillet and drain off the excess fat. Stir beef into the cheese mixture. Drain macaroni. Add macaroni to the beef mixture. Turn into a greased 1 1/2-quart casserole dish and sprinkle with the bread crumbs.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!



By: Grandma Linda

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Planning dinners for your family can be hard if your children don’t like to eat vegetables. It’s the same every night with your children, they eat their meat and they eat their dinner rolls but skip the broccoli or cauliflower. If your children have an aversion to vegetables, don’t despair. With some easy and sneaky ways, you can have a healthy, vegetable filled dinner and your kids won’t even know it.

Kids love to eat spaghetti. The long noodles and yummy tomato sauce with cheese is a hit for most children. A great way to sneak in vegetables is to shred some carrots and add some spinach to the spaghetti sauce. Let it simmer and when it’s time to eat watch your children clean their plate.

Chili is another great meal that many children love. By adding celery, carrots, tomatoes, and even some zucchini your chili will be hearty and extremely healthy. The spices added to chili will overpower any vegetables in the meal. Serve with some buttermilk biscuits and your kids will be wanting seconds.

Burritos are always a hit in my family. A twist to burritos is egg burritos. Toss some red pepper and yellow peppers, cheese and ham and you have a complete meal rolled up into a burrito.

Macaroni and cheese is a great and fast meal to make on busy nights. Many people add wieners to the meal but you can also add broccoli in small pieces. It tastes great and I’m sure your children will learn to want broccoli over wieners.

Casseroles are a great way to disguise vegetables. Toss some chicken, noodles, peas and carrots with some cream of mushroom soup and you have a winner at the table. Children won’t even know there’s vegetables in their meal and will chomp away on chicken and noodles. For bread make corn bread or zucchini bread to even add more vegetables to the meal.

To start your children liking vegetables, a great way is to introduce a platter of veggies with some veggie dip. Have the platter out in the kitchen for when they come home and model eating the veggies. Have different dips like ranch, thousand island and blue cheese. Over time children will learn to like vegetables.



By: Kara Cameron

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For all the busy cooks out there who need quick recipes to feed their families, here are a couple of recipes for you that are kid pleasers. The Tuna Mac and Cheese is great for family meals. In this one quick dish you give your kids one of their favorites - macaroni and cheese that incorporates vegetables and tuna. And what child doesn’t love pizza? Get them hooked on the Quick and Easy Chicken-Veggie Pizza.

TUNA MAC AND CHEESE

1 pkg (14-oz) deluxe style macaroni and cheese

1 can peas and carrots, drained

1 can (6 1/2-oz) flaked tuna, drained

Prepare the macaroni and cheese according to the package directions, adding 1/3 cup more milk than called for. Toss the tuna and the peas and carrots with the macaroni and cheese. Heat through to warm the peas, carrots, and tuna. Add a small amount of water while heating if the mixture becomes too thick.

QUICK AND EASY CHICKEN-VEGGIE PIZZA

1 ready-made pizza crust (12-inch)

1 can reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cups frozen California blend veggies

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp chopped onion

1 pkg cooked, refrigerated chicken strips

1 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Spread the soup evenly over the pizza crust. Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Heat oil in a large skillet and add veggies, bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook until the vegetables are are crisp tender; spoon onto the pizza crust over the soup. Top veggies with the chicken and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the chicken is hot.

Enjoy!



By: Linda Wilson

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We all need comfort from time to time, no matter who we are.  With the economy being a problem for many of us right now, there has been a rise in the demand for comfort food recipes.  And what is more comforting than a casserole of chicken, macaroni, and cheese?  That is a combination that will please family members of every age from the youngsters to the grandparents. Even the kids will be on board for this one, so why not try this Cheesy Chicken Macaroni Casserole today?  It is not only comforting, it is also easy and inexpensive.

CHEESY CHICKEN MACARONI CASSEROLE

1/2 cup elbow macaroni

1 pkg (10-oz) frozen peas and carrots

2 tbsps butter or margarine

2 tbsps all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp dried basil, crushed

1 1/3 cups milk

1 1/2 cups cubed pasteurized process cheese spread (6 oz)

1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken (or turkey)

3/4 cup soft bread crumbs

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1 tbsp butter or margarine, melted

Cook macaroni according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, place frozen peas and carrots in a colander. Rinse with running water to separate. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter and stir in the flour and basil. Add the milk. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheese spread until it is all melted. Stir in the macaroni, peas and carrots, and chicken. Turn into a casserole dish that has been greased. Combine the bread crumbs, almonds, and 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle over the macaroni mixture. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through.

Serves 6



By: Grandma Linda

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Chicken has been a family favorite and a cook’s standby since our earliest days.  And sometimes it is just hard to improve on the old fashion recipes grandma used.  Here are two chicken recipes from my vintage recipe collection.  Baked Chicken Breasts is a chicken rice dish.  Add a salad or a vegetable side and you have a meal.  This dish goes together quickly and bakes for 2 hours.  Put it in the oven and forget about dinner until a few minutes before it is done.  Miz Rowena’s casserole is a perfect way for diabetics to enjoy macaroni and cheese.

BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS

8 chicken breasts

salt to taste

pepper to taste

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 1/4 cups milk

2 cups instant rice

1/2 envelope of dry onion soup mix

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Arrange chicken breasts, skin side up, in a greased oblong baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, whisk together both soups, milk and rice. Pour mixture over the chicken breasts. Sprinkle the dry soup mix over the top. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours.

MIZ ROWENA’S CHICKEN & MACARONI CASSEROLE

This recipe is from an old Southern Indiana newspaper clipping.

2 to 3 cups cubed chicken (or turkey) that’s been cooked

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

2 cups milk

1/2 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed

1/2 cup diced onion

4 hard-boiled eggs, optional

Mix all the ingredients together in a big bowl with a lid. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least half a day. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking time. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan or dish. Spoon mixture into the pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

Note: Modern day advantage: You can melt the cheese in the milk in the microwave before mixing the ingredients.

Enjoy!



By: Grandma Linda

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