This Michigan weather… LOVE IT!! I am on cloud 9, over the moon, etc. over this weather. Isn’t it the greatest to bundle up when you go outside? This is THE perfect weather. Side note: The only thing that is a downer….. (well now is..) is when I go running, I need to be mindful of my little running buddy and the cool crisp air. Which… don’t get me wrong, is just fine. I just push those runs a bit later in the day; but I know that those days are numbered…

BUUUUUTTTT! Casseroles, comfort foods, desserts, cookies…. it’s the baking season! It’s the, “let’s turn on the oven and heat up that kitchen.”

Whenever I tell someone that we’re having Zamazetti, they always say they same thing…what is that. Well my friends, this is one  of THE best quick, weeknight family meals. It is something that you can make the cream of mushroom soup from scratch (just an added 10 minutes to prep) or do it mega quick with canned.

This recipe comes from my dad’s mother. I believe she may have gotten it from either her camping group or… maybe another family member? Either or, this is a family favorite.

I don’t know how many times we have made this casserole… too many to count/keep track of apparently (Ha!!). But if you want to have a quick and somewhat cheap meal, this is it.

Michigan Ingredients: Meijer Cheese, Meijer Butter, Spartan Tomato Soup, local ground beef

Please, use a block of cheese and shred it. It’s what dreams are made of.  Plus, there is no weird powder that prevents clumping. I actually got rid of a bag of cheese because I thought it was mold. Brand new, only a week old… That’s when I made the switch…

Chop your onion and garlic and set aside.

Let’s start the cream of mushroom soup from scratch. If you want, you can simply use a can of cream of mushroom soup. For the full recipe and amounts, please visit Simply Scratch.  She is amazing and I love love love her site.  Chop another small onion and about 3-4 portabella mushrooms.

Melt some butter in a skillet and saute your onion for a couple minutes, then add your mushrooms. Saute for a few more minutes.

Add some flour. The flour and the butter are going to become friends and act like the thickening agent to the “cream of mushroom soup.”

Whisk in some veggie broth and bring to a bubble.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Try not to eat the entire pan because oh my goodness!!! So good!

Now the start of the Zamazetti (you know… in case you wanted to just use a can of cream of mushroom soup). Start some water in a large pot for your egg noddles. You know, multi-task.

Brown your beef, drain, rinse and set aside and forget to take a picture… lol

Saute your onion and garlic in some olive oil (you know the onion and garlic we chopped earlier and set aside?) until translucent.

Add your meat back to the onions and garlic. Salt and pepper “to taste.”

You know how casseroles have a “sauce” slash….. cream mixture that makes it so the casserole doesn’t dry out… this is that sauce. Combine your cream of mushroom soup, tomato soup, and shredded cheese. Sometimes I’ll hold some cheese to put on top before baking, but…. I apparently wasn’t feeling it, and wanted to show that it is still just as beautiful of a dish without a cheese top.

By now, your water has boiled, and your noodles are done. 

Add your noodles and beef mixture to the sauce mixture. Go ahead and take a little nibble…

Place your casserole into a 9×13 pan and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until bubbly.

Serve this casserole with garlic bread and love.  This is a casserole that even your pickiest of picky eaters will eat. My daughter eats this like crazy. Mind you she didn’t eat the meat, but that’s a different story for a different time.

Zamazetti

 

Author:

Michigan from Scratch

Recipe type: Dinner

Serves: 5-6

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 40 mins

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A casserole dish that is comforting and perfect for any weeknight dinner!

Ingredients

• 1 pound Ground Beef
• 1 Onion
• 2-3 cloves of Garlic
• Olive Oil
• 1 can Tomato Soup
• 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup (or from scratch*)
• 1 Block of Sharp Cheddar Cheese (2 cups), shredded
• 1 package of No Yolk Egg Noddles

Instructions

1. Start some water for your noodles.
2. While your beef is browning, chop your onion and mince the garlic and set aside. Once the beef is browned, drain and rinse.
3. Saute your onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add your beef back to the pan. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. In a large bowl, combine your tomato soup, cream of mushroom soup, and shredded cheese.
5. By now, your noodles are either just being added to the water or are done. Add your noodles and beef to the "sauce" mixture.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until bubbly. Serve with garlic bread.

Notes

Note: You can make your cream of mushroom from scratch like in the blog post. Please go to Simply Scratch for said recipe

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The Steak Hoagie: a man style sandwich that even a woman will crave. This sandwich is one of the reasons why I cannot be a vegetarian. My mom use to make this when I was younger and over the years, I have perfected it. I believe that my mom did not add green peppers to hers; but I love green peppers so…. of course this happens. I have added mushrooms before, but my favorite is the onion and green pepper version, as it is simpler and I usually have them on hand.

In order to make this hoagie amazing, you have to top it with Velveeta cheese. Something about sliced Velveeta cheese makes it even more amazing. ANNNND I discovered (most recently) that they have a sharp version, so that was a must.

When my husband and I were dating, this (along with other manly type meals) was one of the first dinners I made for him solo. I mean come on; a way to a man’s heart is through his chest stomach.

Michigan Ingredient: Beef Sizzlers

I have never lived in another state so I can’t tell you if this is only available in Michigan or not. But if you want to make these beauties, you have to have this type of meat.   It’s very thin, already seasoned, and cooks quickly.

If you can see, they are separated with wax paper as they are very thin.

Cut the meat into strips. Seriously look at that “marbling.”

Look at that…. I don’t even have words to describe it.

Chop your green pepper and onion into thin  strips (almost like strips for chicken fajitas).

Drizzle some olive oil into a large skillet and pour in your meat. Add some salt and pepper.

Brown the meat until it is almost completely browned. Use a slotted spoon and place your meat onto a glass (don’t use a foam or paper plate because it will not end well) plate and set aside. You will want to keep the fat in the pan so that you can saute your onions and green peppers. (Now I know that this sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen, but keep in mind that this is not labeled as a “diet” dish or low fat. This is a mega splurge and usually something that you don’t eat too often. Moderation is KEY).

Saute your veggies until the onion is translucent and the green peppers have softened.

Add your meat to the veggies and finish browning the meat. Salt and pepper to taste. This steak hoagie is so simple, it hurts. Again, you don’t need fancy seasonings with this meat because it comes already seasoned.

Spoon the mixture onto a super sub/hoagie bun and top with 2 slices of Velveeta Cheese. The cheese will melt from the heat of the meat. Serve with steak fries.

IF (key word if) you have leftovers, this is great with eggs…. just saying…

Steak Hoagies

 

Author:

Michigan from Scratch

Recipe type: Sandwich

Cuisine: American

Serves: 6

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 25 mins

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A classic steak hoagie that melts in your mouth!

Ingredients

• 2 packages of Premium Beef Sizzlers (6 count each)
• 1 Green Pepper
• 1 Onion
• Olive oil for drizzling
• 6 Super Subs/Hoagie Buns
• 12 slices of Velveeta Cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cut your beef into strips.
2. Chop your green pepper and onion into thin strips (like you would for chicken fajitas).
3. Drizzle olive oil in a large skillet and add your meat. Add salt and pepper.
4. Brown your meat until it is almost done and use a slotted spoon and spoon the meat onto a glass plate.
5. Use the fat from the meat and saute your green pepper and onion until the onion is translucent and the green pepper is softened.
6. Add the meat back and brown the rest of the way. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Spoon the mixture onto a Super Sub/Hoagie Bun and top with 2 slices of Velveeta cheese per hoagie.
8. Serve with steak fries.

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Have you ever had that “I need to eat more veggies,” feeling; and all you can think about is if you can make a meal out of mostly vegetables that fill you up? This is that recipe. I love making this recipe when my husband is working crazy shifts because it makes a lot and the leftovers are AHHH-MAAAZZZING!

Michigan Ingredient: Meijer Cheese

Surprisingly, this cheese has a “richer” flavor and is actually cheaper and goes on sale more. Ever since the little one starting eating solid foods (about 1.5 years ago), we started getting full fat dairy products. We are at the point where we can switch back to 2%; it’s just hard when cheese tastes as amazing as this.

Of course there is a little bit of prep work when it comes to making this dish and if you have certain appliances and/or tools such as a food processor, mandolin, etc. it is real simple. I use to use the food processor to chop my carrots and celery… and one thing led to another and yada yada yada, I chop them by hand now.

When I prep vegetables such as celery, carrots, onions, green peppers, tomatoes; I like using paper plates to help make clean up a snap. Unfortunately, for the broccoli and cauliflower, I have to use a bowl.

Once your veggies are chopped (and ham too – or you can cheat like I did and buy pre-diced ham), melt your butter and add your oil to a dutch oven pan. There is a reason why the vegetables are separated the way that they are in the pics above (yes, a method to my madness); you add the broccoli and cauliflower first, then add the celery, carrots, onions, and ham. It’s like a little bit of a layer effect because you want the hearty more towards the bottom and the not so hearty toward the top. Now I know you are thinking that carrots could pass as a heartier vegetable; but when you have it sliced thin, it will soften quickly.

Give it a bit of a stir(not too much), cover, and cook for 25 minutes. This is usually when I prep my rice because I try to always multi-task in the kitchen. Bring your water to a quick boil and add your ¾ cups of rice (brown or white, whichever is your preference) and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Once your veggies are soft, yet crisp; add your cooked rice. Now this is where your preference comes in- you can either add your cheese to the top of your veggies while they are in the pot or add it to each individual serving. It all depends on if you want to look fancy OR if you are trying to make your cheese stretch (I know that not everyone has almost an entire cheese aisle in their fridge).

Now I know that you are thinking… there is no seasonings, no flavor… OH MY GOODNESS!!! The ham adds a great deal of flavor and you can salt and pepper to taste. This is truly a simple dish that my family eats as a meal, but you could easily bring it to a potluck as a side dish if you wanted.

Colorful Vegetable Medley

 

Author:

Michigan from Scratch

Recipe type: Main Dish

Serves: 4-5

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 40 mins

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Light and Healthy Main Dish!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 3 tablespoons of oil
• 1 cup ham
• 3 carrots sliced thin
• 2 celery sliced thin
• Small onion – diced small
• Half head of cauliflower - chopped
• 3 cups broccoli chopped
• 1 cup Shredded Cheese of your choice
• salt and pepper to taste

Rice

• ¾ cup dry rice
• 1 ½ cups of water

Instructions

1. Slice your carrots and celery thin. Dice your onion small. Set these 3 vegetables aside.
2. Chop your broccoli and half a head of cauliflower; combine in a bowl.
3. Melt your butter in a dutch oven and add your oil over medium heat.
4. Add your broccoli and cauliflower mix to the pot first; then add your celery, carrots, and onion. Add your diced ham.
5. Cover your pot and cook for about 25 minutes until the veggies are soft and crisp. Stir semi-often to ensure even cooking/so your veggies do not stick to the bottom.
6. Prep your rice while the vegetables are cooking. Bring the water to a boil, add the rice, and cook on low for 15-20 minutes.
7. Once your vegetables and rice are cooked, combine and stir.
8. Add your shredded cheese to either each individual serving or on top of the mixture in the pot until melted. Serve.

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