The Reluctant Chef

Easy recipes.

Name:
Location: Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, United States

I'm married. I'm the mother of a son and a daughter who are now grown. I have one granddaughter. We share our home with three dogs and a black capped conure.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

CCC Goulash

The following is the recipe for a family favorite. It was passed on to me by my mother-in-law. I'm not sure what the CCC stands for...we think it stands for Civil Conservation Core.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. bulk sausage
1 small to medium onion, chopped
approx. 1/8 cup of sliced green olives with the pimentos
8 - 12 oz. vermicelli (I sometimes use cappelini)
two 10 3/4 oz. cans of tomato soup
Buttered bread crumbs for topping

Brown the sausage along with the onions and olive slices. Drain.

While the meat is being browned, cook the pasta according to package instructions...cook for the minimum time suggested and drain.

Combine the browned meat, onions, and olives along with the cooked vermicelli and the 2 cans of tomato soup. Place in a 2 qt. casserole, top with bread crumbs, and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.


Notes: The recipe as my mother-in-law gave it to me used a couple of tablespoons of butter or margarine to brown the sausage in. I omit it when I prepare this recipe. She also uses only one can of tomato soup. I think it is too dry that way, so I use 2. I suppose any brand of tomato soup could be used for this, but I have always used Campbell's Tomato soup as it was in the original recipe. Sometimes I've used their tomato soup that has bits of tomato in it. This makes it extra special.

BUTTERED BREAD CRUMBS

Melt 2 and 1/2 tablespoons butter or margarine. Add 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Mix well.

Labels: , , , , ,

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

My husband recently retired after 20 years as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service. It occurred to me that I should be able to retire from cooking. After all, I've been cooking for over 40 years. However, it's highly unlikely that retirement is in the cards for me until I die. I am grateful that I'm able to cook, but frankly...I'm getting tired of it. After all, if you figure only 1 meal per day (a minimum) x 300 days a year x 40 years, that comes to a minimum of 12,000 meals to plan and clip coupons for and shop for and cook. So I'm always looking for things to simplify this never-ending task. I hope to share ideas and favorite recipes - most of which require the least amount of fuss.