Grandma's Norwegian Spaghetti

Ok, so before you look at the picture and decide it doesn't look delicious, please forgive my photo taking skills, or lack thereof. It's hard to photograph a mainly white-ish food in a white bowl under fluorescent light at night, ok? So this is the best I could do…

But anyways, this is Grandma Renae's Norwegian Spaghetti recipe. Her mother came to America from Norway, and I'm not sure if this recipe came with her or if she created it in a Norwegian state of mind during a cold Michigan winter… However it came to be, it's an old family recipe that's graced our table more than once, in memory of our sweet grandma. It's warm, cheesy, ham(my?), and I can't really explain the flavor, but it's good, ok? Don't knock it until you try it.

Norwegian Spaghetti
What's Cookin Sister?
Serves 4-5

2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 cup sliced green onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
8 oz cooked spaghetti
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cottage cheese
1 can French style green beans
pepper to taste
3 cups cubed, cooked ham
1 1/2 cups shredded jack cheese

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add garlic salt, green onion, and celery; cook until tender. Add ham and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream and cottage cheese. Add pepper to taste. Stir in green beans, spaghetti, and cheese. Stir until combined. Transfer mixture to a greased 9x13 baking dish and bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes, until heated through and bubbling.

Quick and Delicious Shepherd's Pie

So, shepherd's pie wasn't one of those things we grew up on. We probably would have laughed mom out of the kitchen if she tried to feed us something like this. But we shouldn't have- this stuff is good! Husband requested it a few times, and I came up with this recipe on my own by trying out and tweaking a few different ones. I think it's perfect. One thing I like about this recipe is that it's super flexible. I don't measure anything, just eyeball it until it looks right. The thing I really like about shepherd's pie, though, is that it's so versatile. You can use your own gravy sauce (this is one of the two recipes I use condensed or cream of anything soup in. The other is here), choose your own veggies, modify your mashed potatoes any way you like, and change the type of cheese or leave it off altogether. It's like a choose-your-own-adventure in the kitchen! Add that to quick and easy, and you've got a great supper.

You can also make this ahead and/or freeze it. If you make it ahead, store it in the refrigerator and add 10-15 minutes to the baking time. If you freeze it, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as above. If you do freeze it, hold the cheese until right before you put it in the oven- the texture is just different if the cheese is frozen first. 

Try this tonight! You're gonna like the way it tastes. I guarantee it.

Shepherd's Pie

what's cookin' sister?

1-1/2 lb ground beef, whatever leanness your preference

1 1/2 cups frozen mixed veggies (I use carrots, green beans, corn, peas)

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon marjoram

1 can condensed tomato soup (If you can find the 15(ish) oz cans, use those instead. It just makes for a saucier filling).

2 cups prepared mashed potatoes (I do mine with milk, butter, salt and pepper)

shredded cheddar cheese

Cook ground beef until no longer pink, drain if desired, remove from heat. In the same pan, add Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, marjoram, and tomato soup, stir to combine. Add frozen veggies, stir to coat. Pour mixture into a 9x13 pan. Spread mashed potatoes evenly over ground beef filling, top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, until heated through and bubbly. Serve immediately.