Archive for February, 2010
Grandma’s Succotash or Peas Corn and Gravy
I’m embarrassed to say I make this vegetable dish. It’s not healthy.. it’s doesn’t have ANY redeeming quality’s OTHER than my kids LOVE it… so if you have a hard time getting your kids to eat vegetables.. this might be the side dish for you.
I remember my grandmother making this when I was a teenager. I think she called it succotash. I Googled succotash.. and nothing looked quite like this.
Here’s #2.. he starts in on it before it’s out of the pan.
Here’s what you need:
Butter, salt, pepper, peas, corn, flour, milk and onion
Melt the butter in a sauce pan… (I like to use a 10″ frying pan though)
Add the onions.. cook until translucent.
Add peas, corn and flour.
Salt and pepper and mix together.
Add milk. Stir together.. it will thicken and become the consistency
of gravy. (Don’t tell anyone you are eating vegetables and gravy.. that’s
just embarrassing!)
Yes, this child DOES sit down and eat his food.. he just likes to sample
the meal first. AND.. yes he does close his eyes when he bites into this
dish. I don’t know why.
See that green arrow point at the red dot on the crock? That’s an inventory
sticker from my eBay stuff. I took the crock out of inventory (because I
liked it) and never took the sticker off… good thing my mother doesn’t read this
blog!
Grandma’s Succotash or Peas & Corn Gravy
3 tablespoons butter
small onion chopped
dash of salt
dash of pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 c milk
8 oz frozen peas
8oz frozen corn
melt butter in a sauce pan or 10″ frying pan. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add in peas, corn, salt, pepper, flour and milk. Stir together until they make a sauce that is the consistency you like… we prefer gravy. Serves 8
Sweet & Spicy Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1lb hamburger
- 1lb pork sausage (you can use Italian.. but I like pork)
- 1 1/2 package Lasagna Noodles
SAUCE
- 2 tbs butter
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
- 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
- 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cottage Cheese Mixture
- 16 ounces cottage cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 c Parmesan cheese
Cheese
- 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
- 1 cup of grated mozzarella cheese
I forgot to put a photo of all my ingredients together… (sorry)
Put the lasagna noodles on to boil.
Cook hamburger and sausage. To save time and clean up, cook them together.
Time to assemble the Cheese mixture..
My mother always used Cottage Cheese.. so that’s what I do. I’m sure you could your ricotta if you wanted.
Dump cottage cheese in a bowl.. add 3tablespoons Italian Seasoning
Add the Parmesan cheese
Stir together.. and set aside.
Time to make the sauce!
Hey look.. a photo of the ingredients for the sauce!
Add butter crushed garlic to large sauce pan.
Add the onion to butter and garlic mixture. Once the onions are translucent…
Add Crushed Tomatos
Add Tomato Paste and Water…
Mix together.. so that the tomato paste is incorporated into the water and crushed tomatoes.
Add basil, Italian Seasoning, Brown Sugar, red pepper, garlic and
Parmesan cheese. I let this simmer on low for 10 or 15 minutes.
After it’s simmered for awhile I like to make sure there is just enough
sweet and spicy-ness to the sauce. If not add more seasoning.
Some people lay their lasagna noodles on cookie sheet separating them by
parchment paper. I leave mine in the colander (I’m lazy like that).
Ladle some sauce in the bottom of the pan.
Ok.. this is the time to tell you that I do not have a pan large enough to make
lasagna for my family. I mean.. I have a 14 x 9 baking dish.. but that’s not big
enough. So I cook my lasagna in a paella pan. This pan is about 18″ across.
Round Lasagna.. who ever heard of such a thing?
Place Lasagna noodles on top of the sauce.
Add one layer to the bottom of the pan.
** Do you want to know about that weird plastic ring on my hand? Check it out here.
Put a layer of cottage cheese on the noodles.
Add some hamburger/sausage to the top.
Add sliced mozzarella cheese.
Add another layer of noodles and sauce..
For my next layer.. I don’t add cottage cheese. I add hamburger, cheese and sauce.
If your family LOVES the cottage cheese.. then you should double up on this.
Mine’s not crazy about it.
Alternate cottage cheese and meat until you run out of stuff or pan.
I pour the rest of the sauce on top of the lasagna when I reach the top…
Add the grated mozzarella cheese..
Have some strong man put it in the oven… Bake at 375 until is hot and bubbly (about 35-40 minutes)
Directions
- Cook sausage, ground beef. Set aside.
- Boil Lasagna noodles. Drain when they are finished.
SAUCE
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and water. Season with sugar, basil, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, red pepper. Simmer, 10-15 minutes. Taste to see if it needs more seasoning. It should have a slight sweetness and a bit of a bite from the red pepper
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Cottage Cheese Mixture
- Add cottage cheese, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan cheese. Stir together.
ASSEMBLE
- Sauce
- noodles
- cottage cheese mixture
- hamburger
- cheese slices
- REPEAT
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
I'm not a chef. I'm not professionally trained in anything (except eBay). I do love to cook for my family. The food you'll find here is stuff I make for my family. I hope you will find something here you will want to make!

