It has no business tasting this good casserole

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Chief Longwind Of The North

Certified/Certifiable
Joined
Aug 26, 2004
Messages
12,454
Location
USA,Michigan
Ok, I threw together this stove top cooked casserole and it tastes sooo good.

Here's what's in it, most picked fresh from the garden this afternoon.
1. Sweet full sized tomato, diced into bite-sized chunks.
2. overripe snap peas, threads removed, washed and shucked, about a cup.
3. fresh onion, diced
4. several perfect cherry tomatoes, with that great balance of sweet and tart.
5. 1/2 cucumber, diced.
1 cheese packet Kraft, cheesy southwest chipotle cheese sauce mix.
6. one and one-half tbs. ap flour
7. one and one-half tbs. butter
1/4 cup whipping cream
milk.
Black Pepper
1/2 lb. ground beef

Melt butter and add the flour to make a roux. Lightly salt, and lightly brown. Add cream and stir in until absorbed. Add milk until you have a beautifully smooth sauce. Grate in fresh pepper to taste. Add all ingredients except the ground beef.

Brown the ground beef. Season lightly with salt. Add the meat to the veggies and sauce. Cover and simmer for twenty minutes. Add the Kraft cheese sauce mix and stir. Add a little water if required. Cook for ten more minutes. Serve over toast, or in a bowl.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
You really shouldn't be so modest in naming your recipes.

The title wasn't supposed to reflect anything back to me. It was simply an expression of how much I like this particular concoction, really. In fact, I'm going to call it Yooper Gumbo, though the only thing it shares with that southern classic is a roux.

Sorry if I seemed to be a stuffed shirt. It really wasn't my intention. I get a little overexcited occasionally.

But it really is pretty tasty, especially since I just threw it together.

A thought, we could make a thread of thrown together recipes that came out really good. That way, they can be shared with everyone.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
That sounds good, Chief. :) I've stumbled upon some really good throw togethers - the problem is I can never re-create them because they were, well, throw togethers. :LOL: I didn't pay much attention to how much of what went in and often wish I would have.

The last throw together I made was a few days ago, and it was one of the best cream of veggie soups I've had. :yum: Bits of leftover broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, and asparagus....chopped and simmered in chicken broth till tender. Mashed with an old style potato masher. Threw in a little cayenne and thyme, added some half and half, and grated the last of the parm to top.

That's a pretty basic one, but there have been other throw togethers that ended up memorable. I love those kind of meals when everything just comes together and you get to use up leftovers at the same time. Especially since it's just me here, and I often have bits and pieces of this and that, and want to create something new from them.
 
Last edited:
:LOL: Everything I make is a throw together. And I never make the same thing twice. I figure recipes are suggestions, which is another good reason I don't bake.
 
:LOL: Everything I make is a throw together. And I never make the same thing twice. I figure recipes are suggestions, which is another good reason I don't bake.

So what happens when you are asked to make that dish again because it was so good?
 
Then I cobble together a recipe and hope I remembered everything!

I suppose you could write things down as you cobble so you could repeat a great recipe. Wait, if you write down your own recipe, do you take it as a suggestion the next time you want to make that dish?? :angel:
 
I suppose you could write things down as you cobble so you could repeat a great recipe. Wait, if you write down your own recipe, do you take it as a suggestion the next time you want to make that dish?? :angel:


You got it!
 
So what happens when you are asked to make that dish again because it was so good?

Then I cobble together a recipe and hope I remembered everything!
Next time set up your phone or tablet to record yourself as you work, calling out ingredients and amounts as you toss things together willy-nilly. If the meal turns out great, play and copy into a recipe. If it's meh, delete and start again the next day.

Who knows, if you post it to youtube you might end up famous! :cool:
 
Ok, I threw together this stove top cooked casserole and it tastes sooo good.

Here's what's in it, most picked fresh from the garden this afternoon.
1. Sweet full sized tomato, diced into bite-sized chunks.
2. overripe snap peas, threads removed, washed and shucked, about a cup.
3. fresh onion, diced
4. several perfect cherry tomatoes, with that great balance of sweet and tart.
5. 1/2 cucumber, diced.
1 cheese packet Kraft, cheesy southwest chipotle cheese sauce mix.
6. one and one-half tbs. ap flour
7. one and one-half tbs. butter
1/4 cup whipping cream
milk.
Black Pepper
1/2 lb. ground beef

Melt butter and add the flour to make a roux. Lightly salt, and lightly brown. Add cream and stir in until absorbed. Add milk until you have a beautifully smooth sauce. Grate in fresh pepper to taste. Add all ingredients except the ground beef.

Brown the ground beef. Season lightly with salt. Add the meat to the veggies and sauce. Cover and simmer for twenty minutes. Add the Kraft cheese sauce mix and stir. Add a little water if required. Cook for ten more minutes. Serve over toast, or in a bowl.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

Why not brown the beef first? You can then remove it and add the butter and flour to make the roux. Would save on using another pan and get that beef flavor in from the start.
 
Why not brown the beef first? You can then remove it and add the butter and flour to make the roux. Would save on using another pan and get that beef flavor in from the start.

I like my Bechemel super smooth and creamy, with just the right seasonings. when that is where I want it, I add the other ingredients. I get the great flavor of the bechemel, with the other flavors. some of the flavors blend, but mostly, I get to savor individual flavors with each bite.

I'm thinking that this would make an amazing bisque if blended together. But that would be a different flavor than what I was trying to achieve.

CraigC, if I made it the way you suggested, it would be more of a stew, or gravy with veggies and meat. It would still be great. And you could add beef stock to add more beefy flavor too.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
I'm all for recipes I throw together too, that's why some of us don't dare bake.

It drives the organized mind daffy like Steve, when he asks me if we can ever have it again. I always say, "not exactly, but close". It keeps him coming back for more though. Predictability is no fun in cooking or in life.;)
 
I'm in the "cobble" camp. Much to my own chagrin, since I would
like to repeat the successes. Also the reason that I am a lousy baker.


Sent from my iPhone using Discuss Cooking
 
All this talk about being a lousy baker when you like to experiment. I bake and have had a lot of success with my experiments. The key is to know baking basics, and how different ingredients work together. For instance, take a Toll House cookie recipe, add baking powder instead of baking soda, and a little water. You end up with a very light, chocolate chip cookie, with a fine, cake-like crumb, tall and moist. If you further add dutched cocoa powder, you get a chocolate, chocolate chip cookie. If you use undutched cocoa powder, you need to add a little baking soda so as to counter the acidity of the cocoa powder. See what I mean?

Baking is no more difficult than is stove-top cooking, when you understand the rules. You can be just as playful, try many different ideas, etc.

next time you want to make an easy cake, make up your favorite pancake recipe, mine works well for this. Add extra sugar, use melted butter for the fat, and add some vanilla, or cocoa powder for flavor. Put it into a cake pan and be amazed that you have a great cake. It's that easy.

Don't be afraid to bake. See it for what it is, another way to make great food.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom