Reuben Casserole

Last night, I was looking through an old church cookbook for some practical and easy recipes. Church cookbooks are a great way to find new recipes to try. One benefit of these fundraiser type cookbooks is that you know somebody has made the recipe and liked it.

This one caught my eye and since we were headed to the grocery, I decided to pick up the
ingredients and make it as soon as we got home. It was awesome, if you love a Reuben sandwich.

Reuben Casserole

16 oz. sauerkraut, drained
1/4 C. chopped onion
1/4 C. parsley
1 t. caraway seed, we skipped the seeds because our bread was seeded.
1/4 C. melted butter
2 C. shredded swiss cheese
2/3 C. thousand island dressing
1/2 lb. sliced, cooked corned beef (we bought Boars Head from the deli)
3 slices rye bread, cut in cubes

Drain kraut, then combine kraut, onion, parsley and caraway seed in bowl. Mix well. Layer kraut mixture in bottom of 8 inch square baking dish. Top with 1 cup cheese, 1/3 cup dressing. Cover with corned beef. Top with remaining cheese and dressing. Toss bread cubes with 1/4 cup melted butter and sprinkle on top of casserole. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

This recipe came from Ladies Of The Church, Favorite recipes of The Ladies of the First Congregational Church, Mansfield, Ohio. 1984. The recipe was submitted by Missy Bell.

Carrot Casserole

Carrots from our organic garden


Carrot Casserole
1 1/2 lbs carrots
2 T. grated onion
1 T. prepared horseradish
1/2 C. light mayo
1/4 C. cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and Pepper to taste
bread or cracker crumbs for topping

Slice carrots into thin discs and cook in water for five minutes. Drain and reserve 1/4 cup of the water. To water, add onion with its juice, horseradish, mayo and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add the carrots and place mixture into a 2 quart casserole. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top and dot with butter.

This is a delicious dish and even the most finicky eaters will love it! I like to add a little more horseradish for some extra "kick". Enjoy!!!

JoAnne's Beef Dip

My friend and co-worker, JoAnne, is retiring today. Although I'm happy for her and wish her all the best, I will miss her. Jo is one of those people who is good at everything. She can craft, sew, cook, garden. Last year, she took a class on making stained glass. Her first pieces were beautiful! They looked like she had been doing it for years. When I complimented her on them, she replied with a modest, "thanks". Sometimes, I don't think she realizes how very special she is. It's been a long time since I've met someone who is truly kind and who restores your faith in people. So for that, I thank her.

We always like to talk about food and recipes at work. We especially love any excuse to bring food to work. Jo brought this dip to our first potluck and the bowl was scraped clean. We have asked her to bring it each time we have food at work. When my husband's family came last month, Jo gave me this dip to serve them and they absolutely loved it. I shudder to think how much electricity was used because the refrigerator door kept getting opened and closed because someone was getting the dip back out.

Jo's Beef Dip

1/3 cup sour cream
1 small jar or pkg dried beef
1 1/2 tablespoon horseradish
1 pkg cream cheese

Wash and dry the beef to remove the saltiness. Cut up or shred. Mix all ingredients. Chill. Serve with crackers. (We liked it on bread or toast.)