Breakfast Casserole after a night around the campfire

Make your breakfast dish ahead of time and relax with your company.

Visiting friends in northern Michigan, we enjoyed the campfire at night. But breakfast was ready to pop in the oven in the morning. Thanks to helpful hints from hostess Sue Hinton and fellow guest Noel Watts.

Tastes & Treasures cookbook has three easy Breakfast Casseroles on page 195, 143 and 118.

Breakfast Casserole from page 195

3 cups frozen hash brown potatoes (do not thaw)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup cooked crumbled hot sausage
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk, or 1 1/4 cups half-and-half
4 eggs
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Layer the frozen potatoes, cheese, sausage and green onions in a buttered 8 X 8 inch baking dish. Beat the evaporated milk, eggs, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl until blended and pour over the prepared layers. Chill, covered, for 8 to 10 hours.

Remove the cover and place the chilled casserole in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 1 hour. Serve immediately.

Serves 6

Helpful hint: blot excess grease from sausage on a paper towel before adding to egg mixture.

Note: Sauteed mushrooms make a nice addition to this casserole.

Note: We used cubed bread in place of frozen hash browns and Cheddar Cheese in place of Monterey Jack.

Note: We mixed cooked sausage, cheese, bread cubes and sauteed mushrooms together in a large bowl and poured the egg mixture over it. Then added it to the casserole dish.

Antipasto travels well

Want a make-a-head appetizer that freezes well? Thanks to Cathy Viant Priest for bringing this tasty spread to a reunion in Michigan.

Antipasto

Ingredients:

• 1 cup marinated cocktail onions, cut in half
• 20 ounces canned mushrooms, drained and minced
• 1 red bell pepper, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, minced
• 1 cup stuffed green olives, minced
• 1 cup black olives, minced
• 1 cup dill pickles, minced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can green beans, drained
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained and flaked
• 2 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, mix the pearl onions, canned mushrooms, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, green olives, black olives, dill pickles, green beans, tuna, ketchup, vinegar and olive oil. While stirring, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
2. Remove from heat. Allow to cool completely before transferring to sterile freezer containers, leaving 1 inch of space in the containers. Store in the freezer.
3. Makes 12 cups.
   

Amount Per Serving Calories: 23 | Total Fat: 1.1g | Cholesterol: 1mg

World's Best Brownies

After spending a day boating, these brownies are so appreciated. Mary Nomenilli is ready to disembark from the boat. She brought these melt-in-your-mouth brownies for the gathering.

For another brownie recipe try Espresso Brownies on page 163 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

World's Best Brownies

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup sugar
4-1/2 oz squares chocolate
1 cup mini marshmallows
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup flour

Directions:
Mix butter, sugar, eggs together.
Add chocolate chips.
Melt butter and chocolate squares in a saucepan and add to the butter/sugar mixture.
Stir in salt.
Add marshmallows and walnuts.
Bake at 350 8x8 pan for 30-35 min.
Or use 9x9 pan and bake for 25 min.
If you want to double recipe use a 9x13 pan and bake for 40 min.

Zona and Carolyn at ACHE Convention with League books

Zona Lorig and Carolyn Mendoza continue to promote Arizona Recollections and Reflections An Arizona Historymakers Centennial Commemoration and Tastes & Treasures A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona.

They set up a table at the AZ Council for History Education Convention in Mesa on Saturday, August 18 with displays and information.

Thanks to generous sponsors, the Centennial book is now available to libraries across the state. Complimentary copies will be given to libraries. We are in the process of gathering addresses and contact information for those who request Arizona Recollections and Reflections.

Margarita Pie for Reunion

When you have lots of help in the kitchen, the cooking becomes much more fun. Our sorority reunion at Burt Lake, Michigan was outstanding and I had lots of extra hands making Margarita Pie. Thanks to Joann Neher Travillian, Debbie Dorman Ennis, Liz Ohtonen Bahti, Cheryl Richter Neville, Sue Hall Wheatlake.

MARGARITA PIE

Pretzel Crust
1 1/2 cups finely crushed pretzels
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Pie
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1(14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons gold tequila
2 tablespoons Triple Sec
2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped
Green food coloring (optional)

For the crust, pulse the pretzels and sugar
in a food processor several times to com-
bine. Add the butter in a steady stream and
process until well mixed. Press over the
bottom and up the side of a 9 inch pie plate
sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

For the pie, combine the lime juice, con-
densed milk, tequila and Triple Sec in a
bowl and mix well. Fold in the whipped
cream. Tint with green food coloring, if you
desire a deeper color. Spoon into the crust.
Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 4
hours or up to 1 week. Garnish with addi-
tional whipped cream and lime slices.
Note: Do not use fat-free or low-fat pretzels
in the crust or the crust will not hold to-
gether when cutting. You may substitute
graham crackers for the pretzels.

Serves 6 to 8

Nopalitos Soup

How can you make soup from cactus? Using the unique Prickly pear. The pads are called nopales. When the spines are removed and they are cut into small pieces, they are called nopalitos.

Nopales Salad recipe is on page 183 Tastes & Treasures cookbook. Amazing how versatile these pads from Prickly Pear can be.

Nopalitos Soup

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 teaspoon minched garlic
1 (26 ounce can) nopalitos
4 cans fat free chicken broth

Directions:
Heat oil in large saucepan. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in Nopalitos, which have been rinsed; drained and chopped. Stir in chicken broth. We take extra chicken broth as the liquid seems to go faster and people come back for thirds and fourths.

From Plants of the Sonoran Desert and Their Many Uses by Don Wells and Jean Groen.
Photo from DesertHarvest.org.

Cucumber Gazpacho

Cooling and refreshing gazpacho is a summer treat. Traditional Gazpacho has chopped tomatoes, recipe on page 149 Tastes & Treasures. Below is a cucumber version.

Cucumber Gazpacho

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs cucumbers (peeled and chopped)
1 garlic clove (minced)
3 tbsps sweet onions (chopped)
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cups plain yogurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp kosher salt (taste)
1/2 tsp white pepper (taste)

Directions:
Clean and peel cucumbers, chopping them into chunks. If desired, English cucumbers can be substituted for common cucumbers.
Chop onion and mince garlic. Place garlic, onion, cucumber and 1/2 cup of stock into food processor or blender.
Blend until somewhat smooth with some small chunks of cucumber or blend to consistency desired.
Add yogurt, remaining stock, lemon juice, salt and pepper to combined ingredients in bowl and whisk together until well blended. Season to taste.
Pour soup into a tightly covered container and place in refrigerator to chill overnight. (the chilling time mellows the raw onion and garlic and allows the flavors to mingle).
Serve cold.
Garnish with fresh herbs such as coriander, dill, or basil.

Variations call for avocado or pineapple. Spice it up. Be creative and design your own Gazpacho.