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

3.5.3208

This is the version of Sloppy Joe’s that I grew up with. My dad would make this in a jiffy, and it was always amazing to have with either plain potato chips or my favorite, tater tots.

My husband great up with Manwich, so when we started living together, it was a bit of a shocker to him of making it from scratch. It’s not the same comfort that he grew up with, but he knows it is just as good. We usually will rotate so that the other can have their memories of childhood come flooding back.

Michigan Ingredient: Hamburger and Meijer Brown Sugar

I prefer to get beef from a local butcher and also in bulk. It makes more sense to me to purchase your meat in bulk, separate it to the amounts you need, and freeze until you are ready to use. I know that some prefer not to freeze their meat, but for my family, that mainly only applies to steak.

Now I bet you are a bit shocked to see that brown sugar is even an ingredient for this recipe. How else are you suppose to get that sweetness?

Brown your meat ( I used beef for this time, but sometimes I use turkey or chicken. Both are just as good.)

Meanwhile, chop your onion and mince your garlic while your meat is browning. It’s all about multitasking in the kitchen. That’s how things can get done quickly. Once your meat is browned, drain the fat (rinse with hot water to remove excess fat). Leave in the colander.

Saute your onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent.  If you notice, I actually use a bit of salt and pepper when I saute my onion and garlic so that it will saute a smidgen faster.

What is it with the smell of onion and garlic sauteing that makes it smell like home? Every time I do it, I think of home with my parents or my grandparents. It’s amazing what a smell can do for you.

Add your meat. Add a little bit more salt and pepper if you like. NOW for the sauce. It’s very simple… ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar. That’s it. 

It takes some adjusting, but I learned what the exact amounts of each are that I need in order to get the flavor of deliciousness.

You can adjust the flavor that will suite your family’s taste buds. Sometimes you may want a tangier taste, which means a little a bit more yellow mustard, or calm the tangy with more ketchup. Of course you don’t want to add too much brown sugar, because it is a bit harder to “mask” the sweetness.

Serve with chips (or tater tots) and a veggie. Enjoy!!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Sloppy Joe's

 

Author:

Michigan from Scratch

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 25 mins

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A childhood comfort food that is perfect for a quick and east meal!

Ingredients

• 1 pound of Beef, Chicken, or Turkey
• 1 medium Onion - chopped
• 1-2 cloves of Garlic - minced
• Olive Oil
• ¾ cup of Ketchup
• ¼ cup of Yellow Mustard
• 2 tablespoon of Brown Sugar
• Salt and Pepper
• Buns

Instructions

1. Brown your meat. While your meat is browning, chop your onion and mince your onion.
2. Drain the fat (and rinse any excess fat with hot water if you wish)
3. Saute your onion and garlic in olive oil until your onions are translucent. (You can add salt and pepper at this stage if you wish.)
4. Add your meat to the onions.
5. Ad the ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar and stir until thoroughly combined. Adjust to suite your family's taste buds if need be. Spoon onto buns (or if need be, bread) and serve!

3.5.3208

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.

3.5.3208