The air is crisp, the days are getting shorter and frost has halted the yard work. Why does time go so quickly? Why, our Christmas catalogue is already in shreds and I have not even got into making my list yet. Let’s try to slow times down and enjoy some comfort cooking.
This casserole was so tasty, but so easy. People are going to think that I am a good cook. Make the meal complete by tossing a fresh green salad, topped with a garden tomato.
Perogie casserole
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1 tablespoon butter 15 mL
1 chopped onion
1 diced green pepper, optional 16-20 perogies
2 cups diced, 500 mL
cooked ham
1/4 cup milk 60 mL
1 can (10 oz.) 284 mL
mushroom soup
1/2 cup shredded 125 mL
cheddar cheese
In a skillet, melt butter and sauté the onion and green pepper for five minutes. In a medium casserole dish, combine the perogies, onions, green pepper and ham. Combine milk and mushroom soup and pour over casserole. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 F (180 C) for 30-40 minutes.
Banana chocolate pie
1 cup milk 250 mL
1 4-serving size vanilla instant
pudding
1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2 mL
2 cups whipped topping
or whipped cream 500 mL
1 prepared graham wafer pie
crust
2 medium ripe bananas
1/3 cup chocolate 75 mL
ice cream topping
In a large bowl, beat milk, pudding mix and vanilla with wire whisk for one minute. Whisk in whipped topping.
Spread one-third of the pudding mix in the crust. Slice bananas on top of the pudding. Carefully spread the remaining pudding mixture over bananas.
Refrigerate at least two hours or until set. Drizzle with ice cream topping. Store in the refrigerator.
Sandwich cookies
3/4 cup butter 175 mL
or margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar 125 mL
1/2 cup packed 125 mL
brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk 30 mL
1 teaspoon vanilla 5 mL
11/4 cups flour 310 mL
11/4 cups graham 310 mL
cracker crumbs
1/2 teaspoon baking 2 mL
soda
1/4 teaspoon salt 1 mL
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 0.5 mL
2 cups semi-sweet 500 mL
chocolate chips
30 large marshmallows
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugars. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla. Combine the flour, graham crumbs, soda, salt and cinnamon; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop by tablespoonfuls approximately two inches (5 cm) apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for eight to 10 minutes or until golden. Cool.
Place four cookies bottom side up on a microwave-safe plate; top each with a marshmallow. Microwave, uncovered on high for 15 seconds or until marshmallow begins to puff. Top each with another cookie to make a cookie sandwich.
Consumer corner
Fall is a busy time for consumers. New school clothes, jackets, boots and equipment for activities … the list goes on. We all need good consumer resources to be smart shoppers.
- Check out a new book called The Shopping Bags: Tips, Tricks and Inside Information to Make You a Savvy Shopper by Anna Wallner and Kristina Matisic. Find out which brand-name products really are worth more than their generic counterparts and why plain vinegar will keep you from buying glass cleaner ever again. The authors host one of my favorite shows, The Shopping Bags on the Women’s Network or visit www.theshoppingbags.com.
- I keep all my Consumer Reports magazines and refer to them often. A latest test to share is laundry detergent. The top rated detergent was Tide with bleach, followed by Tide cold water and Tide HE. But right behind the Tide team was the Kirkland Signature line from Costco. I decided to give the soap a try. I was impressed and the price was half that of the Tide. The Wal-Mart brand called Great Value also tested well.
Did you know?
Mom was right. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. They are low in calories and high in fibre and nutrients. Eaten after a meal they will cleanse your mouth of more than 95 percent of the bacteria that causes tooth decay.
In a study reviewed in Prevention Magazine, there was new information for kids with the sneezes. Does your child have a favourite quilt? An Australian study of 6,378 seven year olds found that comforters made from synthetic materials such as polyester were more likely to cause wheezing and breathing difficulty than those made with feather filling and cotton.
Cookbook draw
We are planning another cookbook draw for early December. What does your family serve at seasonal celebrations like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah or New Years? To enter the draw and to share your traditions, send them by e-mail to team@producer.com or mail to TEAM Resources, c/o The Western Producer, P.O. Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask. S7K 2C4. The deadline for entries is Dec. 6.
Jodie Mirosovsky is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@
producer.com.
