Frugal New England Kitchen

Ham and Spaghetti Casserole | Easy Ham Casserole Recipe | ShopRite Can Can Sale

2012-01-17T04:29:40Z

Here’s a family favorite easy and quick pasta casserole recipe for a weeknight using ham steak, canned stewed tomatoes and spaghetti. It’s pretty inexpensive to make, and I like to keep the canned ingredients on-hand for a hurry-up dinner especially when ShopRite grocery stores are having a Can Can Sale!

Cans for Fans

Attention ShopRite Shopper!

In 2011, ShopRite donated 40,000 cans of food to local food banks in commemoration of 40 years of Can Can savings by way of its famous, annual Can Can Sale.

Now in its 41st year, the Can Can Sale has become extra special with the “Cans for Fans” Facebook program, which enables fans to get involved in the fight against hunger. During the 2012 Can Can Sale (1/5 – 1/21), ShopRite will donate one can of food (up to 50,000 cans) to local food banks in the communities it serves, on behalf of every new ShopRite Facebook fan.

Visit and like ShopRite on it’s official Facebook page. The more “Likes” that ShopRite receives, the more cans it will donate to those in need – it’s that simple!

Visit ShopRite’s “Get Can Canned” website at www.ShopRiteCanCan.com, to upload a personal photo and become a virtual ShopRite Can Can dancer; the image can be emailed to friends, shared via your personal blog, Facebook or Twitter account, or posted to ShopRite’s official Facebook page.

Ham and Spaghetti Casserole

My mother-in-law was Irish and never cooked spaghetti and meat sauce. If my husband and his siblings wanted Italian pasta, they had to order it out! This is my mother-in-law’s version of pasta that we fondly refer to as “Irish Spaghetti Casserole.” It works well using either leftover ham and then use the ham bone to make pea soup! You can also use canned ham or a ham steak in this casserole recipe.

Irish Ham and Spaghetti Casserole

Recipe type: Dinner, Meal, Casserole, Ham, Pasta

Author: Family Recipe

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1 ham steak, cut into cubes
2 cans (16 oz.) stewed tomatoes (or 1 can stewed tomatoes, 1 can regular tomato sauce)
1 large green pepper, seeded and cut into cubes
2 – 3 tbl. cooking oil
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan cheese, to taste
1 lb. cooked spaghetti pasta

Instructions

In a large sided frying pan, add oil, and saute cut up ham steak until golden brown.
Add cut peppers and saute until tender.
Add stewed tomatoes, (including the juice).
Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Cook spaghetti according to package directions separately.
Drain and add to ham mixture. You may not want to add all at once so as not to use up all the juice.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add parmesan cheese if desired.
Serve with crusty garlic bread.

Notes

If there are any leftovers, the next day add a can of tomato juice or V-8 juice as needed.

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The information on the Cans For Fans program was provided to me by ShopRite through MyBlogSpark.

Ham and Spaghetti Casserole | Easy Ham Casserole Recipe | ShopRite Can Can Sale is a post from: Frugal New England Kitchen | Grandparents And Grandkids | Connecticut Mom Blogger

Easy Soups to Make | Frugal Cheap Soup and Meal Ideas | Winter Soups

2012-01-16T14:23:33Z

A lot people, me included, are inclined to think that soup is rather a difficult dish to make. However I’ve discovered that this isn’t the case, and that making soup can actually be really enjoyable and have a delicious result. So, I’ve come up with a few different types of soup that will appeal to many people and are relatively easy to prepare.

Winter Vegetable Soups

First, we have an old favorite of leek and potato soup. There are two ways you can enjoy eating this, either cream, or not blended, and each way has its own distinct merits. If you blend it, you’ll truly enjoy the soft texture that this technique creates and it looks wonderful as well, perfect for serving up at dinner parties, or even enjoying while chilling out sipping wine around the fireplace in winter or playing cribbage or Cheeky Bingo. The ingredients also go very well when prepared as a cream soup too, so if you blend it, add in some of this and you’ll have a meal of pure indulgence.

However you can also leave the soup unblended, allowing you to enjoy the textures of the leeks and the potatoes, as well as the broth it produces. This can be perfect for those cold winter nights when all you want is a hearty, warm dinner. Add some chunky homemade Sourdough bread or Ciabatta and sweet cream butter, and you’ll have a meal to be proud to serve.

A different type of easy healthy soup to make is butternut squash soup, and this can also be blended or not. The wonderful thing about butternut squash is that it’s unusual yet yummy, and you can combine it with most of the same ingredients that you use to make leek and potato soup.

The basic principles of soup making are to chop up all the ingredients, saute them for around ten minutes and then add the stock. Boil until the ingredients are cooked and semi-soft, season with salt and pepper to taste and blend if you prefer. Artisan bread is the perfect accompaniment to this type of dish, and the combination will satisfy you up, while making you feel warm and contented.

Easy Soups to Make | Frugal Cheap Soup and Meal Ideas | Winter Soups is a post from: Frugal New England Kitchen | Grandparents And Grandkids | Connecticut Mom Blogger

Irish Shepard’s Pie | Stout St. Patrick’s Day | New England Shepard’s Pie Recipe

2012-01-27T05:02:24Z

The ultimate food testers in the family are my husband and son-in-law. Today I’m going to show you how to make New England Shepard’s Pie, one of my charming son-in-law’s favorite recipes that he always asks me to make.

Living in New England all my life, I’m pretty used to being holed up in the house whenever we have blizzards. Since I like to cook, it’s the perfect opportunity to try out new recipes on the family and fill the house with delightful aromas waifing from the kitchen!

The kitchen is where this frugal grandmom spends most of her time, and I decided it was time to redecorate and update the kitchen. As I spend a lot of time on Pinterest searching for interesting recipes and craft ideas to keep the grandkids entertained whenever I babysit, I also like to pin photos of DIY home handyman kitchen and household tips.

Charming son-in-law, my favorite handyman, recently installed wainscoting panels in the Frugal New England Kitchen. One remodeling project led to another, and I got tired of looking at the outdated wallpaper in this old house, it just screamed 70′s, 80′s and 90′s. So I rented a wallpaper steamer and spent the entire weekend steaming off wallpaper with a wallpaper steamer. Everyone’s updating their homes with paint and painting techniques – I found some wonderful Martha Stewart paint colors that I’ll tell you more about later.

In the meantime, here’s an easy recipe for Shepard’s Pie that can be made ahead the night before – just pop it in the oven after your projects are done! I like to make this easy casserole dish with Guinness Stout as it adds a nice flavor and cooks out. You don’t have to wait for St. Patrick’s Day to make this Irish Shepard’s Pie! Cook it up for an easy weeknight dinner for your favorite handyman!

Be sure to check out my other dinner and ethnic meal favorite recipes such as Polish Pierogi and Crockpot Chicken Corn Tortillas!.

New England Shepard’s Pie with Guinness Stout

Shepard’s Pie

Recipe type: Shepard’s Pie, Dinner, Supper, Casserole, Vegetables, Potato, Beef, Stout, Holiday, St. Patrick’s Day

Author: Adapted from Gritty McDuff’s Brew Pub, Portland, Maine

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/3 cup diced onion
1 stalk celery, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 cup Guinness Stout
Salt and pepper to taste
3 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into big chunks
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chives
1 16-ounce can whole kernel corn
2 16-ounce cans creamed corn
Paprika

Instructions

Sauté hamburger, onion, celery, garlic, thyme, oregano, red pepper, stout and salt and pepper until meat is brown. Place sautéed burger mixture in large, shallow casserole dish.
Meanwhile, cook potatoes in water. Mash and season with butter, milk, sour cream, chives and salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Drain corn, and mix with creamed corn. Layer corn mixture on burger mixture and spread evenly. Layer on mashed potatoes. Sprinkle paprika lightly over top.
Bake for about 20 minutes.

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Irish Shepard’s Pie | Stout St. Patrick’s Day | New England Shepard’s Pie Recipe is a post from: Frugal New England Kitchen | Grandparents And Grandkids | Connecticut Mom Blogger

Winter Comfort Vegetables | Saute Parsnip Casserole Dish

2012-01-03T01:04:06Z

The holidays are behind us and we’re starting a New Year. All the Christmas cookies and desserts have been baked, consumed and hardly a crumb is left. If it hasn’t already, soon the snow will begin to fly. To me, that means I’ll be hibernating, cocooning and turning to comfort food. I’d like to share my mother-in-law’s recipe on how to cook parsnips, a family favorite winter vegetable Parsnip Saute dinner casserole.

Yes, my family actually ASKS for me to make these sweet parsnips! My mother-in-law used to babysit for my kids when they were tots, and would have dinner started for me one day a week. Once she stopped babysitting, I would have her over for Sunday dinner. I learned to cook some of my husband’s favorite family dishes at her knee.

When winter rolls around, you experience your body slow down, and perhaps you’ll notice that all you want to do is eat breadstuff and cheese. While a certain amount of comfort eating can help raise your spirits when days are short, soon you’ll find that too much of a good thing can, in it’s turn lead to feeling lethargic and groggy, or SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder.)

If the mention of consuming plenty of vegetables, fruits and whole foods seems hard during the winter, think of preparing lots of hot casseroles, soups and baked berry desserts. Try to use what’s in season – all of those root vegetables, carrots, rutabagas, celery, turnips, onions and leeks. You might want to try a combination or choice with a bit of vegetable stock and brown lentils to make a nourishing soup or casserole (add fresh or dried herbs for extra flavor) – follow it with a yummy apple and berry crumble. Comfort food can be nutritious and can help you get rid of the winter blahs!

Parsnip Saute Casserole

Sauteed Parsnip Casserole

Recipe type: Vegetables, Winter Vegetables, Casserole, Side Dish, Parsnips

Author: Family Recipe

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 4-6

My mother-in-law would always serve parsnips with shoulder or loin lamb chops. I think they’d go just as nicely with pork chops.

Ingredients

1 bag (1 lb.) parsnips, peeled and cut into 1″ pieces
1/2 lb. bacon
salt, pepper and seasonings, to taste

Instructions

Par Boil parsnips until fork tender, about 30 minutes.
Fry bacon in frying pan. Remove from pan and set aside.
Saute parnsips in bacon drippings until golden brown on all sides, turning occasionally
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add crumbled bacon pieces if desired.

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Winter Comfort Vegetables | Saute Parsnip Casserole Dish is a post from: Frugal New England Kitchen | Grandparents And Grandkids | Connecticut Mom Blogger