Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

Inspiration: Easter traditions and the Kettle Moraine Curling Club's "Hot Off the Ice" cookbook

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs frozen hash browns, thawed
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1 can cream of chicken (or celery) soup
• 1 pint sour cream
• 1/2 c butter, melted (divided)
• 5 cups crushed corn flakes
  

Instructions:

1. Mix hash browns, onion, cheese, soup, sour cream, and 1/4 cup melted butter.
2. Place in 9*13" pan.
3. Mix remaining 1/4 cup butter with corn flaxes and layer over potato mixture.
4. Bake covered in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
5. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer.
   

Tim's Rating: 10/10
Liz's Rating: 7/10

Tim's Queso

Inspiration: March Madness

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Velveeta, cut into chunks
• 1 can cheddar cheese soup
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1/3 cup salsa
• 1/4 pound browned ground beef (optional)
• Tortilla chips
  

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients in 2-quart saucepan.
2. Stir until melted.
3. Serve with chips.
   

Tim's Rating: 10/10
Liz's Rating: 6/10

Easy Meatloaf

Inspiration: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup dried seasoned bread crumbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 1/3 cup ketchup

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the beef, egg, onion, milk and bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste and form into a loaf and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. In a separate small bowl, combine the brown sugar, mustard and ketchup. Mix well and pour over the meatloaf.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-75 minutes.

Tim's Rating: 9/10
Liz's Rating: 7/10

Bean and Kale Soup

Inspiration:
USA WEEKEND columnist Jean Carper

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 4 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cups chopped raw kale (one bunch)
  
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 (15 ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini or navy, undrained
• 4 plum tomatoes, chopped, or one can of diced tomatoes
  
• 2 teaspoons Penzey's Bavarian-Style Seasoning (or dried Italian herb seasoning)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese
  
• 1 cup chopped parsley

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil.
   
2. Add garlic and onion; sauté until soft.
   
3. Add kale and sauté, stirring, until wilted.
   
4. Add broth, beans, tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer 20 minutes. Ladle into bowls.
5. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Tim's Rating: 10/10
Liz's Rating: 9/10

Cheese Enchiladas

Inspiration: Diana Rattray

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) tomatoes, drained and crushed
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon leaf oregano, crushed
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups shredded Mexican blend of cheeses
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onions
• 12-16 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• chopped cilantro and sour cream to garnish
  

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan, combine chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, chili powder, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, and salt.
   
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
   
3. In a small bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups cheese and onions.
   
4. Preheat oven to 350°. Warm tortillas in microwave then dip them in the tomato sauce mixture; lay them in a lightly greased 9x13x2-inch casserole dish.
   
5. Fill each tortilla with cheese and onion mixture; roll. Repeat until dish is full.
   
6. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
   
7. Using a slotted spoon, remove remaining tomatoes from liquid and place on enchiladas. Discard liquid.
   
8. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
9. Top with sour cream and chopped cilantro.
   

Tim's Rating: 8/10
Liz's Rating: 10/10

Tasty Travels: Thailand

Our first new food in Thailand: coconut puffs. They were very yummy! Our guide Tong ordered them from a street vendor through the van window. Thai Fast Food!The famous floating market:
Tong and her "Thai Starbucks!"
Fried bananas, anyone?
How about some chicken wings?This noodle soup was my favorite food item of my entire time in Asia. SO GOOD!Clockwise from top left: fish coated in shrimp paste and then fried, prawns, whole fin fish in tamarind sauce, fresh crab:

Close-up of prawns and whole fish in tamarind sauce:
Close-up of fish coated in shrimp paste and crabs:Tamarind Soup with sea catfish, green beans, and a vegetable similar to morning-glory.
Fried spring rolls:
Prawns with chili and fried basil (very spicy!):
Prawns with lemon sauce:
Mango and sticky rice:

Tasty Travels: Hong Kong

Some dishes we tried during our three days in Hong Kong:

Our hotel had an amazing buffet breakfast, with both Western and Asian items.The Chinese options: noodles, glutinous rice dumpling with chicken and pork steamed in a lotus leaf, and beef dumpling.Here are a few photos of the inside of the glutinous rice dumpling... It was really good. Of course, I seem to like anything made with glutinous ("sticky") rice!
I also had a bowl of plain rice congee. There were four different toppings: salted peanuts, sliced scallions, crushed tortilla chips (?) and something that looked like fish. I tried the first two. Congee tastes like... maybe cream of wheat? I don't know, basically warm breakfast cereal. It's not bad. I am glad I could try it.
Lunch at Ned Kelly's, an Australian Pub:
Nachos... We have seen nachos made with doritos (instead of tortilla chips) in other countries, too!
A broiled, open-face Hawaiian sandwich-- it was really, really good! Ham, pineapple, and swiss:

Lunch at The Yellow Door Kitchen:
We started with dumplings in chili sauce. They were delicious, as was the spicy sauce.
This dish was air-dried ham with garlic stems. The server dropped it off, and we waited to eat it until I had taken a photo, but right after I took the photo, the server re-directed it to our neighboring table. We ordered sliced pork with garlic stems. It was delicious as well. I am looking forward to the green garlic from our CSA this year!This dish was also good, and spicy! Sliced beef with breadcrumbs was served on a bed of shredded scallions.

Tasty Travels: Tokyo

Food we ate in Tokyo.... Not too many Japanese items, unfortunately!

From the convenience store:
Hot Cake Sandwich (tasted like pancakes with butter and maple syrup)
A pale croissant filled with chocolate:
Uni sushi and tuna rolls-- yum! McDonald's in Tokyo (we never even eat it at home, lol)
Breakfast: Iced tea, croissant with dark chocolate chunks, and bread topped with sliced hardboiled egg, bacon, and onion
Breakfast: Americano, Croque Monsieur, and donut-type thing with custard and jelly
Lunch: lemon pesto spaghetti topped with spaghetti, and spaghetti with meat sauce
Treats in the Tokyo airport World Club: