Corned Beef Hash

Written Thursday, March 18th, 2010 by Anne Coleman

The day after St. Patrick's Day in our home is always a hash day.  Our heritage is deep with Irish roots and there wouldn't be a St. Paddy's Day without corned beef and cabbage. Even with 9 of us, we still wind up with leftovers and I look forward to it. My favorite is hash in the morning topped with an egg - and there are only a few of the others that don't like day-old corned beef. That's OK - it's just more for the rest of us.

This doesn't take much time at all, and once it's simmering, cook the eggs for the top and it will all come together at the right time. This amount is good for 4 to 6.

Corned Beef Hash

3 cups of corned beef - cubed
3 cups cooked potatoes - cubed
1 small onion - chopped
beef or other stock - as needed
1 egg per person - cooked as desired - optional

1. In a large skillet, cook onion in a small amount of oil until it begins to soften.
2. Add beef and potatoes and stir well. Cook until potatoes begin to brown and add enough stock to moisten.
3. Turn the heat to low, cover with a lid and let simmer while eggs are being cooked. If you're not making eggs, cook for about 10 minutes.
4. Remove lid and cook until liquid is evaporated. Salt and pepper to taste and serve topped with a cooked egg if desired.

Mix-n-Match Casseroles

Written Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 by Penny Hawkins

I'm a huge fan of any kind of casserole, after all, what's not to like? They're easy to put together, I usually have the ingredients on-hand in my pantry or fridge, and most of them use only one pot or pan (ok...two if you have to cook pasta or rice). So, unless you or someone in your family is one of those people who hate their food mixed together, or (yikes!) someone who hates the foods on their plate to touch each other, casseroles are just plain easy, delicious, and a busy cooks best friend! (No offense intended to the mixed-food-hating, no-food-on-the-plate touching people, you can't help how you feel...I just don't get it)

One of the things I love most about casseroles is that I can make them with whatever I have on-hand in the fridge and pantry, mixing and matching ingredients to build a casserole around my basic "formula" that I adapted from a recipe I found in my mother's recipe box. I do this so often, that over the years I've come up with a chart of sorts that helps me mix-n-match my ingredients based on what my family likes best.

The following chart gives you an idea of how you can mix-n-match pretty much whatever you have on-hand to create your own fabulous casserole. The rules are simple: make your base, choose 1 item each from the sauce, meat, veggie, and starch choices, combine with base, add anything you want  from the optional add-ins, top with your choice from the toppings selctions, and bake! That's it...one pot, no hassles, and you don't even have to cook the rice or pasta first. How easy is that? You can mix-n-match your own fabulous and delicious casserole tonight! Click on this Mix-n-Match Chart to get started (you can print it!).

Note: You can "plan" these casseroles ahead  by cooking extra meat and freezing or refrigerating it for later use. I often do that with ground beef or chicken, by cooking extra portions than freezing it in one lb. or one cup portions so I can grab-n-go!

Easy Hashbrown and Ham Casserole

Written Monday, December 28th, 2009 by Anne Coleman

After the feast, or feasts, of the Holiday season there are always leftovers. At our home this year we had turkey, but we often have a more traditional ham and there's never a shortage of ham left behind to use up. The usual here seems to be sandwiches and soups, but melding one of our favorite hashbrown recipes with our overabundance of pork product is a real crowd-pleaser.

Most hashbrown casseroles call for melted butter to be added, but with all that sour cream and cheese, I never feel the need for it. You can use lower fat dairy alternatives and this will still come out tasting fantastic. Just don't use the fat free cheese, it won't melt the same.

Easy Hashbrown and Ham Casserole

3 pounds frozen shredded hash browns
16 ounces sour cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sliced green onion
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups cubed cooked ham

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Empty hashbrowns into a large bowl.
Blend together sour cream and milk.
Pour over hashbrowns and add 1 1/2 cups Cheddar, onion, ham (if using) and salt and pepper.
Toss until well combined and pour into a well greased 9x13 baking dish.
Top with remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar and bake 30 minutes until bubbly and browned.