Aunt Noreen's Lasagna Casserole

One of my favorite dishes growing up was my mom's Aunt Noreen's Lasagna Casserole. Now it's not really lasagna as in the Olive Garden style lasagna. But the casserole is absolutely delicious none-the-less. This is one of those dishes that you have most of the ingredients already in your pantry... except for the ground beef. If that's in your pantry, then I'm thinking it's not edible any more. LOL

This is such a good recipe, it was published in our family cookbook, Tasteful Treasures by the O'Connell Family. For those that are blessed to have a copy of our family cookbook, it's on page 102! :) For those that are friends I'd love to share the recipe with you so you can feed your hungry family something delicious!

Aunt Noreen's Lasagna Casserole
1 lb. hamburger
1 small onion (I use onion flakes)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1 small can mushrooms (or more if you love mushrooms!)
4 oz. uncooked noodles
1 small can tomato paste
1 can tomato soup
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 lb shredded cheddar cheese
1 can corn (I like the Mexi Corn w/ the peppers in)

Brown hamburger and drain. Add onion, salt, pepper, oregano, mushrooms, tomato paste, tomato soup, Worcestershire sauce and simmer. Stir in noodles and half of the cheese.
Pour into 9x13 casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake for 30 minutes at 350.

*Note, to make a larger batch, you can always add another can of tomato soup, more noodles or more corn! I like to bake covered with tinfoil to keep moisture in so my top noodles don't get crunchy. But that's just my preference!

This is great served with bread & butter or Texas toast and cottage cheese! I hope your family can join in love around the dinner table with a heaping helping of Aunt Noreen's Lasagna Casserole! Enjoy!

Ultimate Breakfast Casserole Recipe

A Year of Slow Cooking: Slow Cooker Ultimate Breakfast Casserole Recipe:(click the link for the full recipe!) "low for 6-8 hours, or until eggs have set, or on high for about 3-4 hours. When the eggs have completely set, and your casserole has begun to brown on top and pull away from the sides, take the lid off the cooker and let the steam and moisture evaporate for about 15 minutes before serving."

***I'd like to give credit to Stephanie O'Dea for this great recipe! Her blog A Year of Slow Cooking got her noticed by several media giants and helped to to compile all of her recipes into a great cookbook that you can get right here!



Thanks Stephanie for this great recipe!
~Dawn

My Food Blog Had a Makeover

Yeah... who doesn't like a makeover??? Well over the weekend I updated both this blog and my jewelry blog - Designs By Dawn Marie. For the new year I wanted something fresh and captivating to the eye. So thus, the new look.

I have to thank Cori over at Scrap-e-Blog for the great free templates. She has tons, seriously TONS of designs over there and they are so easy to install. So I've used two of her designs and look forward to updating my blog look more often now.

I also look forward to adding new food experiences throughout the year... both eating and cooking! If you have requests for recipes from my little corner of the world, drop me a line. I'm happy to share the glory of food~

Have a wonderful week and a fulfilling year!
~Dawn

Holiday Celebrations!

Just because the calender says it's January doesn't mean that the holidays are over! Quite the contrary, when the new year rolled in, the celebration has just begun! My personal feeling is that 2010 is going to carry the theme of New Beginnings! Not only is it the start of a new decade, but for so many of my dear friends and family, we're all looking forward to wonderful blessings in 2010!

Because our celebrations are just beginning, last night we were so blessed to help start the year of New Beginnings with good friends, both old & new! We were invited to share in a wonderful evening filled with laughter, love and the most amazing meal with friends through my fiance's office. One couple has been friends of ours for a long time, I just met the hostess and her wonderful husband for the first time last night. What a wonderful, welcoming couple they are.

While the temps outside here in WI were -3 last night, around the family dinner table the temperatures were so warm and full of love! There was a beautiful fire in the fireplace, the candles were all glowing and the Christmas trees (yes, plural treeS) were all still up and decorated beautifully. We toasted a new year, we toasted to our new engagement and we toasted to the prospect of an improving real estate market.

From the very first Waterford Crystal Goblet of a fine white wine from Carmel, CA to the last drop of delicious Kona coffee, and the last crumb of the delectable dessert plate (German Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Cheesecake... mmmmmmm) the evening ranked first class every step of the way.

I've never seen someone entertain so effortlessly and make an entire meal from scratch while conversing with such ease in my life. Diane, my darling, you and Tony are the ultimate hosts! Your cooking was absolutely stellar... your tenderloin, melt-in-your mouth delicious. I've never had a pear served how you had prepared them. The pear was baked in a 3 stage process. The surprise was that the pear was cored and stuffed with a jalapeno pepper. So if you can envision, the sweetness of a ripe, juicy pear, enhanced by the spice of a hot jalapeno pepper... melded together with a divine sauce and baked to perfection... yes, that was a very special taste. (you'll have to note the picture... it was the dessert plate. See, the meal was just so wonderful, that I forgot to snap memories of the beautiful table setting or our other wonderful courses.)

To all my good friends, family and blog followers, I hope 2010 is a year of New Beginnings for you too! There's wonderful blessings happening everyday, sometimes we just need to stop a moment and open our eyes just a little bit wider. Slow down and enjoy the celebration!

Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

With Christmas Days away, I was asked by a dear friend to share a great recipe for a breakfast casserole. Actually it was a facebook request to her universe, and I am her Food Fairy Godmother... so poof, here it is! This was a recipe shared with me from a wonderful co-worker from careers gone by. Thanks Norma, for sharing this delicious recipe with me.

Dawn's Delicious Frittorta
1 Cup Long Grain Rice
1 Cup Chicken Soup Stock or canned chicken broth
1 Cup Water
1 stick butter, melted
1 pint cottage cheese, small curd
1 Cup salami, diced in 1/8th inch pieces
1 Envelope Knorr leek or swiss leek soup mix
1 teaspoon each - garlic salt, onion salt & freshly ground black pepper
12 eggs
1- 10 oz. package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed & well drained (broccoli can be substituted)
2 Tablespoons butter for coating baking dish
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese

Cook rice in broth and water about 20-25 minutes or until tender. When the rice is cooked, place in a large bowl and add the melted butter. Mix well and add the cottage cheese, salami, soup mix, salts & pepper. Beat 9 eggs and stir into mixture. Add drained spinach and mix well.

Grease 11x16x1 inch baking dish with butter. Sprinkle 1/2 of the grated cheese on the bottom of the dish. Add the rice mixture and smooth out the top. Beat the remaining 3 eggs and pour over the top of the dish. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and bake, uncovered at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes. After cooling a bit, cut into small serving pieces.

**Note: Other great additons are green/red peppers, mushrooms, bacon instead of salami, onion... and I live in WI, so more cheese! :)

I hope your Christmas Feasts are wonderful!

Amazing Wedding Reception Menu

Sometimes it's not the food that leaves a lasting memory... it's the ambiance, the table settings and the reason for the gathering. This was such an occasion over the weekend when I was blessed to attend the wedding of one of Chris' lifelong friends since grade school.

The groom searched and searched high & low to find the PERFECT bride... seriously, she had to be perfect! And at last, via an online dating website (Click Here to see the classy, very reputable site they used), he typed in his lengthy list of criteria and low and behold, there really was someone that fit EVERYTHING. I can now see the value for those still looking for their soul-mate to online dating.

So Saturday, December 5th was the big day. Much anticipated by friends and family joyous to share in the Bride & Grooms celebration of commitment to each other. Everything went perfectly for them, the ceremony, the pictures, the cocktail party and the reception.

Personally, I was blown away by their reception. They held their reception at the Delafield Hotel which was exquisite. The bride is a true romantic, with victorian era blood surging through her veins. So the theme of their reception was taken out the the famous story Pride and Prejudice by, Jane Austen . At this point, you can only imagine how elegant and first class this wedding was!

I've uploaded some amazing photos from their reception so you can see what exactly I'm talking about. It was truly beautiful. The food was superb, but the occasion in total left an even bigger impression in my memory.

If you are planning a wedding, I encourage you to take a look at different resources - for ideas and simple planners you can do on your own. They did not use a professional wedding planner and you would never have known! It was that incredible. This is one guide the truly "Takes the Cake!" (pun intended!)

P.S. The wedding cake was even made by the brides mother. It was a delectable Cherry Almond Cake with a butter cream frosting... seriously, to die for! :)

Chilly Morning Warm-up Breakfast

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas... well yes it is. We got our first snow of the season last night. And while what was left this morning was just a dusting, the cold air temperatures and the gusty winds continued.

So before sending my sweetheart out to brave the elements on his way to work, I wanted to surprise him with a good hot breakfast! It's guaranteed to stick to the ribs and start his morning out wonderfully. So what do you make when you want a quick and easy... yet hearty breakfast? Well, I make oatmeal... no not the instant in the package deal. Real, cooked on the stove oatmeal.

But what fun would plain oatmeal be? BORING. (yawn) So I always find creative additions for my oatmeal to make it Dawn Special Surprise Breakfast. Here's the recipe from this morning!

Cherry Vanilla Oatmeal
1 C. Oats
1 3/4 C. Water
1 Tsp. Vanilla
Dash of Cinnamon
1/4 C. dried Door County Triple Berry Mix
(dried cherries, cranberries and blueberries)

Boil the water with vanilla, cinnamon and dried berries for about 5 minutes. Turn heat to medium and add oatmeal. Stir in and cook for another 4 minutes. Pour into bowls and let set for 2-3 minutes... or you'll burn your tongue!

If you have a sweet tooth like me, the extra special treat is a dusting of sugar on top. It adds a delicious sweet crunch and looks like crystals!

Hope your morning started out on the right foot! :)


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