JOYCE GALE CASSEROLE

This is one of those recipes where you're gonna look at the picture and think "Really? Your family likes that?" But yes, my family loves it. Even the picky eaters. It's a recipe that came from The Trail Boss' mom, and her mom. As for the name, no one knew what it was really called, so they just named it after the lady that his grandma got the recipe from. (At least I think that's the story. If he wasn't gone unloading a trailer full of hay right now, I'd ask him. For now that's MY story...yeah.) The tomato and corn are a bonus for veggies for my kids, too. Anyway, it's a SIMPLE recipe, and that's what we're here for, right?
So here it is... (and yes, I tweaked it a bit, but not much. I tend to do that.)

1 lb ground beef (my MIL uses 2 lbs)
1 small onion, diced
1 12 oz pkg wide egg noodles, drained (she uses 6 oz)
1 can cream style corn
3 cans tomato soup
1-2 cups cheddar cheese, grated (I never measure the cheese, I just use enough to cover the top)

Cook noodles according to the instructions on the package.
Brown the beef and onions. Add the soup, corn and noodles. Combine thoroughly.
Pour into a large casserole dish and cover with shredded cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Told ya it was an easy one. And despite the look of it, it really is a good casserole.
Hope ya enjoy it!

Mushroom Swiss Burger

We really like to grill hamburgers at our house, and even though the kiddos are all fine with a plain old CHEESEBURGER, I like to switch mine up a bit. Tonight I really liked the concoction I put together. It's pretty SIMPLE, but that's what is so nice about it. Now if you go with the ONION RINGS too, well that takes a little bit of the SIMPLE out of it. But, DANG, they were good. Here we go...

Obviously, you will need some hamburger buns. I'm really liking Judy's Hamburger Buns (I got mine at Macey's) They are sooo good! I've also used Sandwich Thins and it still makes a great burger with not so many calories. :)
Choose you Ground Beef. I usually buy Lean. Extra Lean can make a good burger too, if you shred a little fresh onion and mix it in before you cook it. It helps add a little moisture and I love he flavor that it gives the beef.
The Trail Boss LOVES Spade L Steak Seasoning. (You can usually find it by the meat counter.) I usually throw several Tbs in the ground beef and mix it up. Then you can form your patties and give 'em a grill.
For my burger tonight, I used my Spicy Honey Mustard, a slice of Swiss Cheese (not the processed stuff), and some Sauteed Mushrooms.
That's it! I told you it was SIMPLE. Oh, I guess maybe I should tell you how to make the Spicy Honey Mustard, huh. It's one of those little sauce recipes that you can make to your own liking. I use about 1 cup of Mayo, a couple of squirts of Yellow Mustard (I'm guessing 3-4 Tbs), Honey (3-4 Tbs) and Horseradish. Yup, Horseradish. That's where you decide how much. Start with a tsp or so and keep adding until it has enough heat for ya. (I probably use 2-3 Tbs, at least.) You could leave out the Horseradish if it scares ya, but it makes it sooo good. Ya gotta at least give it a try.

This is how it came out...

At this point, let me remind you that I am NOT a professional photographer, and that this picture does NOT do it justice. That thing was gooin' all over the place. And as for the onion rings, I'll save that for another post.

ENJOY!