Yummy Recipe Wednesday! (Reuben Casserole)

Hello again everyone and welcome to another Yummy Recipe Wednesday recipe post. I apologize for the hiatus last week while I was on vacation but I’m back now so let’s get to it. While we were on vacation we ate at this wonderful New York style deli where I had probably the most delicious Reuben sandwich I’ve ever had and it reminded me of today’s recipe for Reuben Casserole. If you’re a fan of Reuben sandwiches then this is definitely something you need to try. If you’re like me and don’t care for Rye bread you can substitute a sourdough or asiago cheese bread and this is just as wonderful. You can toast your bread any way you like, whether it’s in a toaster or in the oven in advance, but it’s very important that you do toast the bread or this will turn out soggy and while still flavorful it’s just not as good when it’s soggy. Alternatively you can put the untoasted, buttered or sprayed, bread cubes on top of the casserole (as in the picture) instead of the bottom and cook the casserole uncovered until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted. Give this recipe a try, especially if you’re a fan of Reuben sandwiches, and let me know in the comments what you thought. Be sure to check back Friday for another Gluten Free Friday recipe and don’t forget to follow @RecipeBlogger on Twitter if you aren’t already.

Reuben Casserole

• 6 slices Marble Rye Bread, cubed and toasted
• 1 (16 oz) can Sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
• 1 lb Deli Sliced Corned Beef, cut into strips
• 1 cup Russian-style or Thousand Island Salad Dressing
• 2 cups Shredded Swiss Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Spread toasted bread cubes on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Spread sauerkraut evenly over the bread cubes and then layer beef strips over the sauerkraut; pour dressing evenly over the top.
4. Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray and use to cover baking dish, sprayed side down.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
6. Remove cover, sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Gluten Free Friday! (GF Magic Cookie Bars)

Hello again everyone. The end of the week is finally here so that means it’s time for another Gluten Free Friday. As you might have noticed from the blog, I really don’t do desserts much. I don’t typically make desserts and I usually only eat sweets over the holidays when family makes them. However, Magic Cookie Bars are probably one of my favorite sweets to eat and today I bring you a delicious gluten free version of Magic Cookie Bars. The base of these cookie bars is basically the flourless peanut butter cookies, which I posted a recipe for on the blog previous, and I really think this is an ingenious idea. I wish I could say I came up with this on my own but unfortunately I did not. Regardless, these are so good that I just had to share. They’re very very rich so if you don’t like rich desserts you could always use half sunbutter (Sunflower Butter) and half peanut butter. Give these a try and of course drop a line in the comments below to let me know what you think. In case you didn’t see my Yummy Recipe Wednesday post this week, I will be on vacation next week so there will be no recipes next week. Of course I only do Gluten Free Friday every other week so these will still be on schedule when I get back. Everyone have a great week.

GF Magic Cookie Bars

• 2 cups White Sugar
• 2 Large Eggs
• 2 cups Peanut Butter
• 3/4 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips
• 3/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
• 1/2 cup Chopped Raw Pecans
• 1/2 cup Chopped Raw Almonds
• 1 cup Flaked Coconut
• 1 (14oz) can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C); line a 9x13-inch glass baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Mix the sugar and eggs together in a bowl until smooth then stir in the peanut butter until well blended; pour the peanut butter mixture into the prepared baking dish.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the cookie base is partly cooked, 8-10 minutes.
4. Layer the semisweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, pecans, almonds, and coconut onto the cookie base; slowly pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the toppings.
5. Return to the oven and bake until coconut is slightly brown, about 30 minutes.
6. Cool completely before removing the cookie bars from pan; peel away the parchment paper and cut into small squares using a sharp knife.

Yummy Recipe Wednesday! (Jalapeno Popper Dip)

Hello once again food fanatics and welcome to another Yummy Recipe Wednesday. Today I bring you a delicious, hot, cheesy Jalapeno Popper Dip that I just know you’ll love. I’m a pretty big fan of food with a little heat and I love jalapeno poppers so of course when I found this recipe I had to make it. It’s been a long while but I remember making this once for my co-workers on one of our monthly “food days” to celebrate birthdays in that month and it was a huge hit. Unlike most of the other recipes I post on here, there’s really nothing I can think of (right now) that I would do differently to this recipe. This is definitely a crowd pleaser and I highly recommend you give it a try. Drop me a line in the comments below if you think of something that you might do differently. Be sure to check back Friday for another Gluten Free Friday recipe and don’t forget to follow @RecipeBlogger on Twitter if you aren’t already. Also, I will be on vacation next week so there will be no recipes posted next week.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

• 2 pkgs (8oz each) Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 cup Mayonnaise
• 1 cup Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
• 1 cup Parmesan Cheese, divided in half
• 1 can (4oz) Chopped Green Chilies
• 1 can (4oz) Diced Jalapenos
• 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
• 1/2 stick Butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, shredded cheese, half the Parmesan, the green chilies (do not drain), and the diced jalapenos (do not drain); stir well to combine and then transfer to a greased 8x8 (2qt) baking dish.
3. In a medium bowl add the bread crumbs and remaining half of the Parmesan cheese and mix well to combine; pour the melted butter over the crumb mixture and mix well.
4. Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the top of the dip.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until the top is browned and the sides are bubbly.

Yummy Recipe Wednesday! (Lasagna Alfredo Roll Ups)

sHello everyone and welcome to another Yummy Recipe Wednesday. The week is half over and the weather is getting nice. Just add some delicious food and what more could you ask for. Today I bring you an amazing dish that I think you will love and want to make many times. I’m sure I’ve mentioned it previously but I’d much rather have a white pasta sauce than a red sauce. You can always mix a red and white sauce or just use a red sauce on this but it’s amazing just the way it is. I also feel like adding some shredded chicken to these would be wonderful as well. One important thing to mention with these is that you need to use a good quality sauce so these don’t turn out bland. You could make your own sauce but it’s really not necessary if you just avoid the cheap store brand alfredo sauces. A nice four-cheese or roasted garlic alfredo sauce is your best choice. Give these a try and let me know what you think and what changes you made if any.

Lasagna Alfredo Roll Ups

• 8 Lasagna Noodles
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 (10 oz) pkg Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed and drained
• 2 Tbsp Thinly Sliced Green Onion
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 pint Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese
• 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 Egg
• 2 jars Alfredo-Style Pasta Sauce
• 1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
2. Add lasagna and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; rinse in cold water and drain well, blot dry with a paper towel.
3. In a large sauce pan over medium heat sauté the garlic in oil until toasty and fragrant.
4. Add the spinach and green onions and cook until tender, stirring frequently.
5. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt and egg.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
7. Place the noodles in a single layer on a sheet of waxed paper; evenly spread some of the cheese mixture onto each noodle and roll up the noodle from the short end, jelly-roll style.
8. Spoon about 3/4 of the Alfredo sauce onto the bottom of an 8x12 inch baking dish and spread evenly.
9. Arrange the rolled noodles, seam side down, in the dish; top with mozzarella cheese and the remaining sauce.
10. Cover loosely with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and the cheese has melted; serve hot.

Gluten Free Friday! (Cabbage Roll Casserole)

Welcome back friends and food lovers. Friday is upon us once again which means it’s time for another Gluten Free Friday recipe. About 6 months ago I posted a recipe on my Wednesday feature for Cabbage Rolls, which are actually gluten free and super delicious but can be a little time consuming to make. Well today I bring you a Cabbage Roll Casserole recipe that taste just as good as actual cabbage rolls but is so easy to make. I know cheese isn’t a standard ingredient in cabbage rolls, and it's not part of this recipe, but personally I think shredded cheese added to the top of the casserole just before it’s done would be pretty awesome as well. You could even make this in a slow cooker instead of in the oven if you wanted to. If you do go the slow cooker route, I would say you probably need to parboil the cabbage and rice first and give everything as least 4-6 hours in the slow cooker depending on how done you like your rice and cabbage. Give this a try and let me know what you think in the comments below. Also, don’t forget to do the new poll to the right if you haven’t already. Have a great weekend everyone and enjoy that nice weather if you’re lucky enough to have it.

Cabbage Roll Casserole

• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 1/2 cup Diced Onion
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 (8 oz) cans Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 head Cabbage, chopped
• 1/2 cup Uncooked White Rice
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 (14 oz) can Beef Broth

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet over medium heat sauté the onions and garlic in a little oil until the onions just begin to turn translucent.
3. Add the ground beef to the pan and cook until no longer pink; drain off excess fat.
4. In a large mixing bowl combine the tomato sauce, cabbage, rice, salt, pepper, chili power, and Worcestershire sauce; add the meat mixture and stir to combine.
5. Pour the mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish then pour the broth over meat mixture.
6. Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour; after 1 hour stir, replace the cover and bake for another 15-30 minutes.

April 2014 Poll

This month's poll, now available at the top of the sidebar to the right, is all about the protein in our meals.  What do you like to cook with most?  When you go hunting for new things to make, do you hunt for recipes with certain types of protein?  Personally I think I go for chicken and beef more and I suspect this is probably the 2 most popular choices.  Of course when I'm using my smoker you can't beat a good rack of pork ribs or some pulled pork.  Let me know what you like by voting on the poll.  Also, don't forget to follow @RecipeBlogger on Twitter if you aren't already so you don't miss anything important.

Yummy Recipe Wednesday! (Slow Cooker French Dip)

Happy Wednesday friends and food lovers. Welcome to another Yummy Recipe Wednesday! Growing up my grandmother used to take me to a little restaurant called The Black Kettle where I first tried, and fell in love with, French Dip. Since then I’ve tried plenty of good French Dips at other restaurants but none of them were quite as good as what I used to get at The Black Kettle. Well today I bring you a recipe for a delicious and simple Slow Cooker French Dip that I believe is as close as I could possibly get to what I remember from my childhood. If you’ve never had French Dip but have wanted to try it then I highly recommend you give this recipe a try. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Feel free to leave comments below with your thoughts and ideas and be sure to check back Friday for another Gluten Free Friday recipe.

Slow Cooker French Dip

• 4 lb Chuck Roast
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• 1 (10.5 oz) can Campbell’s Beef Consomme
• 1 (10.5 oz) can Condensed French Onion Soup
• 1 (12 oz) Beer
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 6 French Rolls
• 2 Tbsp butter

1. Trim any excess fat from your roast and then sprinkle generously with garlic powder and onion powder; place the roast in the slow cooker.
2. Add the beef consomme, onion soup, beer, Worcestershire sauce, and minced garlic to the slow cooker.
3. Set the slow cooker on LOW and cook for 7 hours.
4. Remove the roast from the slow cooker, slice it as thinly as possibly then return the meat to the slow cooker for another 30 minutes to 1 hour.
5. When the meat is about ready, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
6. Split French rolls, spread with butter, and lightly sprinkle with garlic powder.
7. Bake French rolls for 10 minutes, or until heated through and lightly toasted.
8. Place sliced beef onto each roll and top with provolone cheese. (Optional – place under the broiler until cheese is melted and bubbly.)
9. Serve the sauce from the slow cooker for dipping.