Quick, Easy and Economical Recipes For Your Table: Island Burgers and Penne Pasta Casserole

If you are a busy cook who wants to feed your family good meals on a tight food budget, the recipes in this article will be perfect for you. Each is a tasty recipe your family will love yet you can have it on the table quickly. The Island Burgers with their ingredients of honey, spices, soy sauce, and pineapple will transport your taste buds to an exotic island. The Penne Pasta Casserole will treat those taste buds to a bit of Italia!

ISLAND BURGERS
1/2 cup honey
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 lbs lean ground beef
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 can (23-oz) sliced pineapple, drained
8 hamburger buns or sandwich rolls, split, buttered, and toasted
Lettuce leaves, optional

In a large bowl combine the honey, paprika, curry powder, ground ginger, and ground cinnamon. Add the ground beef to the mixture and mix together well. Shape into 8 equal patties.

Grill hamburgers over medium-hot heat 3 to 4 minutes per side. Brush with the soy sauce and grill another 5 or 6 minutes until juices run clear or burgers are done to suit you. Baste and turn a couple of times during this cooking. Shortly before burgers are done, grill the pineapple slices until browned, turning once to brown each side.

To serve, place burgers and pineapple slices on the toasted buns or rolls and add a lettuce leaf if desired.

PENNE PASTA CASSEROLE
1 lb lean ground meat (beef or turkey)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 can (14 1/2-oz) diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings
1 can (6-oz) tomato paste
1/2 cup water
3 1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Prepare the uncooked pasta according to the package directions.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

While pasta is cooking, brown the meat and onion in a large skillet until the meat is no longer pink; drain off any excess fat. Return meat and onion to skillet and stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, and water. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add some garlic powder, if desired. Cook just until heated through.

Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine the cooked and drained pasta with the meat mixture. Stir in 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese. Pour the mixture into the sprayed baking dish. Spread the remaining cup of cheese evenly over the top of the casserole.

Bake uncovered for 20 to 35 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Enjoy!

For more of Linda's quick and easy recipes visit her blog at http://grandmasquickfixrecipes.blogspot.com/
For her crockpot/slow cooker recipes visit her at http://grandmasslowcookerrecipes.blogspot.com/

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Old Fashion Casserole Recipes for Your Family's Table and They Are Economical, Too

Sometimes I find that the best recipes are the old ones. So I have pulled a collection of casserole recipes from my old-fashion recipe collection. These old time recipes are tasty, easy, and economical. And in today's economic climate, most of our families are looking for economical ways to put meals on the table. Why not add these dishes to your family's table: Gourmet Potatoes with Sausage, Hamburger-Zucchini Casserole, or Cornbread Pie.

GOURMET POTATOES WITH SAUSAGE
6 medium potatoes
1/4 cup butter + 2 tbsp
1 1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion, including tops
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb smoked sausage

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a 2-quart casserole dish.

Place the potatoes, unpeeled, in a large saucepan; cover with water and cook until fork tender. Drain water and allow potatoes to cool. Peel the potatoes and shred coarsely. Over low heat, in another saucepan, combine the cheese and the 1/4 cup butter and stir until almost melted. Remove from the heat and blend in the sour cream, onion, salt and pepper. Fold in the potatoes. Turn the mixture into the casserole dish. Dot the potato mixture with the 2 tablespoons of butter and sprinkle with the paprika.

Slice the sausage into about 1/2-inch pieces and fry to remove the grease and drain on paper towels. Place over the top of the casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Leave casserole uncovered.

HAMBURGER ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE
1 lb hamburger
1 medium onion
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 cup water
1 small zucchini, chopped
salt and pepper (as desired)
garlic or chili powder (optional)
1/2 stick butter
4 to 5 slices day old bread, crumbled

Brown hamburger and onion; drain. Add tomatoes, water, salt, pepper, and garlic or chili powder if using; mix together well. Stir in the zucchini. Cook on low for about a half hour or until the liquid is absorbed.

Pour the mixture into a buttered casserole dish. Mix the bread crumbs with the butter and sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Brown under the broiler for about 6 minutes or until golden brown but be careful not to burn.

CORNBREAD PIE
Combine in a skillet:
1 lb hamburger
1 large onion, chopped
Brown well and add:
1 can tomato soup (10 1/2-oz)
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 can (12-oz) whole kernel corn
1/4 cup chopped green pepper

Mix well and let simmer 15 minutes. Turn into greased casserole or baking dish. Top with cornbread. Bake in moderate oven, 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

CORNBREAD TOPPING:
Stir together:
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

ADD:
1 egg, well beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbs. bacon drippings

Pour onto the beef mixture. Do not worry if this topping sinks during baking. It will rise again and look crispy.

For more of Linda's old-fashion recipe collection visit her blog at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com/
For more of her recipes and diabetic information visit http://diabeticenjoyingfood.blogspot.com/

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Quick and Easy Recipes for Tasty Salads That Are Delicious! Perfect for Your Buffet Table, Too

Whether you are looking for an entree salad or a side dish salad, we have a recipe for you. Choose from the recipe for on Orange Pineapple Salad or one for a different twist on an old standby, Ham Waldorf Salad. Both are very tasty but about as different as two salads can get. Perfect for luncheons, an entree salad or a side dish, both would add a great touch to a brunch or buffet table. The Ham Salad has some great variation ideas. You could replace the ham with diced or shredded chicken for a completely different taste. Want to go a little fancy? Replace the grapes with fresh pineapple chucks and serve the salad in a hollowed out half pineapple. Wouldn't that be pretty on your buffet? The Orange Pineapple Salad is a totally different yet very refreshing salad made with dry flavored gelatin, pineapple, mandarin oranges, whipped topping, and crunchy pecans. Both are quite yummy!

HAM WALDORF SALAD
2 cups cooked lean cubed ham
2 cups chopped red Delicious apples
1 cup thin sliced celery
2/3 cup seedless grapes, halved
1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
3 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Splenda granular (or sugar)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cups chopped pecans for garnish, if desired
red lettuce leaves for salad plates, if desired

Combine the ham, apples, celery, grapes, and the toasted pecans in a bowl.

In a small bowl blend together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and Splenda; stir into the ham mixture. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, place lettuce leaves on 4 salad plates and top each with 1/4 of the salad mixture. Sprinkle with the pecans, if desired.

Variations:
Replace ham with chicken.
Replace the grapes with pineapple chunks and serve in a hollowed out half pineapple.

ORANGE PINEAPPLE SALAD
2 small (4-serving size)pkgs orange-pineapple gelatin
1 can (11-oz) pineapple tidbits, drained (save juice for later use or drink it)
1 can (11 3/4-oz)mandarin oranges, drained, juice discarded
1 large carton frozen whipped topping, thawed
3 cups large curd cottage cheese
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix the cottage cheese with the whipped topping. Stir in the gelatin powder to blend well. Gently fold in the drained pineapple,oranges, and pecans. Refrigerate until serving time.

Enjoy!

For more of Linda's quick and easy recipes visit her blog at http://grandmasquickfixrecipes.blogspot.com/
For her diabetic diabetic recipes and information visit her at http://diabeticenjoyingfood.blogspot.com/

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