Quick and cheesy noodles

Last night I ran into a carb crisis. I wanted something as a carby side-dish, and I didn’t have any potatoes, bread, etc. What I did have were some dried egg noodles in a jar, half a carton of pre-seasoned bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and butter.

To do:
Start water boiling in a sauce pan. Add one large handfull of dried noodles per diner. As they boil, mix about 1/4 cup bread crumbs (I like Progresso’s pre-spiced ones) and 1/4 cup shredded or ground Parmesan cheese. (More if there are more than 3–4 people eating this.) When the noodles are done (mine took 8 minutes—follow any directions you might have, though), drain them, mix in a tablespoon of soft butter, then mix in the cheese/crumb mixture.

Eat hot. Mmmmm.

Yum Yum Hot Dish

*blows dust from keyboard*

Here’s a recipe that has 1962 Midwest all over it, from the can of mushroom soup to the chow mien noodles.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 green pepper
1 small bunch celery
2 onions, medium
butter for browning the above
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup water
1 cup chow mien noodles
1 cup mushroom soup

To do:
Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Chop the pepper, celery, and onions. Brown the chopped veggies and the ground beef in butter. Add salt and water to the mixture and simmer for five minutes. Add noodles and soup to the mixture and bake 30–45 minutes. Sprinkle with more noodles when done.

I have no memory of Mom ever making this. Given that I hate cooked green pepper, that’s ok. The rest of it sounds ok, though.

Updates coming

This blog stalled out due to family emergencies. I hope to start it up again soon. In lieu of wit and noms, please accept this picture of a cute cat.

Noodle Perfection

As promised, here’s a recipe that has nothing whatsoever to do with frosting. Mom wrote “very good!” in one corner, but I don’t remember her ever making it.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound noodles (cooked, I assume)
2 large onions, chopped
1/2 pound ground beef
1 can (med.) mushrooms
1 can (med.) ripe olives
1 or 2 cans tomato sauce [note: Mom didn't say what constitutes "med." or what size cans of tomato sauce]
1/2 pound velveta, cubed
Butter for sauteing

To do:
Heat oven to 350F. Saute onions in butter. Brown meat in fob. (No idea what “fob” is—I’d just brown it with the onions and butter.) Combine all ingredients. Season to taste. Bake 45 minutes. Garnish with a few extra cubes of cheese.

Maple Frosting

Is it possible for a blog to get diabetes? Oh well. We’re about done with the frosting recipes. I’ll see about moving on to a more substantial section of Mom’s recipe box soon.

Ingredients:
2 and 3/4 C powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 C maple syrup
1/2 C shortening
2 tsp vanilla

To do:
Mix sugar, salt, egg. Blend in syrup. Add shortening and vanilla, mixing until smooth and creamy. Add more sugar or water for right consistency.

Blue Cheese and Avocado dip

I interrupt this frosting-fest to bring you a recipe I made up after hearing a passing reference to something like it in a Martha Grimes mystery novel.

Ingredients (for 2–4 servings):
1 avocado
2–3 TBS blue cheese, crumbled
3–4 TBS blue cheese dressing
Crackers

To do:
Pre-heat oven to 350F. Cut avocado in half, lengthwise, and remove pit. Score avocado flesh with a knife into roughly 1/2-inch squares. (Do not remove them from the skin.) Put the avocado halves into an oven-proof dish, skin-side down. Put the crumbled cheese into the pit holes. Add the dressing on top of the cheese and slather the remainder over the exposed avocado flesh. Bake for 25–35 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown. The avocado flesh should be very soft and spreadable.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes or as long as you can stand it. Spoon avocado and cheese from the skin onto the crackers. Eat warm.

This was a huge hit at a beach party a few years back. Serving this with margaritas or beer works really well.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

I’d probably use butter, but whatever. I have no earthly idea who Mrs. Richard Howlette is.

(by Mrs. Richard Howlette)
Ingredients:
2 C sugar
1 C margarine
2 and 1/2 C cocoa
1/2 C milk.

To do:
Mix together. Boil 2 minutes. Add vanilla (no amount given). Let cool.

Royal Icing

I don’t know what makes this royal. I do know that I’ve hit the frosting/icing section of the recipe box.

During one of her pregnancies, Mom had trouble with her hands. The doctor recommended that she take a cake decorating class, because squeezing the piping bags was good physical therapy. Mom could make lovely roses and whatnot with this frosting. Her cakes looked downright professional, and not in the “Cake Wrecks” sense, either.

(Make afternoon of use)
Ingredients:
3 egg whites, room temperature
1 lb sifted powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

To do:
Place all ingredients in mixing bowl and beat 7 to 10 minutes on high.Will stand in peaks and be stiff. May need more sugar when used. Use for all sugar work or work for hard decorations.

Vanilla Glaze

Hey, remember the Swedish Tea Logs? This is the frosting mentioned on that recipe card. It just got shuffled around in the recipe box.

Ingredients:
2 TBS butter
1 C powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-2 TBS Pet milk.

To Do: Brown butter. Add sugar and vanilla. Stir in milk until the glaze is spreadable. Use on Swedish tea logs.

Oatmeal Cake

Oatmeal makes it health-food, right?

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 and 1/4 C boiling water
1 C quick oats
1 stick margarine
1 C white sugar
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 and 1/2 C sifted flour

Frosting:
1/4 C margarine
1 C sugar
1 C pet milk (condensed milk, I think)
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1 C chopped nuts
1 C coconut

To do:
Set oven to 350F. Mix boiling water, oats, and 1 stick margarine in oven-safe bowl and set in oven. Cream together sugars, add eggs, and mix in vanilla and cinnamon. Add oats and flour alternately. Pour into cake pan and bake for 40 min. While the cake’s baking put together the first four frosting ingredients and boil slowly until it thickens. Add vanilla, nuts, and coconuts. Pour over cooled cake.