Clipping 'good-sounding' recipes

I know that many of you clip recipes from magazines, newspapers (hopefully The Press) with good intentions of trying the recipe. You read through it and decide, because it sounds good, that you should clip it out and put it in the recipe box, also known as a show box! Funny thing..

I do the same, but my recipe box is pretty classy. It’s about an 8x11 plastic see-through tote box with a blue cover. The box has gotten pretty full, minus several recipes that I tried, so that’s a good start making some of these “good-sounding” recipes. And I have. It’s a little of this and a little of that today... right out of the box. This is not your run-of-the-mill overnight egg bake. I think you’ll like it.

BRUNCH EGG BAKE
3 c. (12 oz.) each, shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese
1-4-1/2 oz. can mushroom pieces, drained
1/3 c. sliced green onion
1/2 c. diced sweet red pepper
2 T. butter or margarine
2 c. pork sausage, cooked until no longer pink, drained (can substitute 2 c. cubed ham)
8 eggs
1-3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. flour
2 T. snipped fresh parsley
1/2 t. dried basil leaves
1/4 t. each, salt and pepper In a large bowl, combine cheeses; put 3 c. in an ungreased 9x13” baking dish and set aside.
In a medium skillet, saute mushrooms, onions and pepper in butter until tender; drain. Spoon over cheese; top with ham (or sausage). Sprinkle with rest of cheese. In a medium bowl, beat eggs; add rest of ingredients; mixing well. Slowly pour over cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Makes 10-12 servings. Note: serve a fresh fruit cup, muffins or a quick bread and a good old-fashioned sugar cookie for a delicious brunch. No time to bake cookies? The grocery stores have a nice variety!

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A salad just for two
CREAMY BANANA AND LETTUCE SALAD
1 large banana, sliced
1/2 t. lemon juice
1/2 t. sugar
1/4 c. mayonnaise or salad dressing
2 c. torn lettuce
2 T. chopped peanuts or pecans
In a medium bowl, combine banana slices and lemon juice.
In a small bowl, mash 1/3 of banana slices, saving the rest of slices to mix with lettuce. Add sugar and mayo to mashed bananas. Mix lightly. Combine rest of slices with lettuce; toss lightly. Turn into 2 salad bowls; spoon dressing over and top with peanuts. Makes two servings. Note: You might add a few dried craisins sprinkled over top also. I did...pretty!

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HAM ‘N NOODLE CASSEROLE
1 lb. thin spaghetti noodles or vermicelli noodles, broken in 2” lengths, cooked according to pkg. directions and drained well
2 cans cream of mushroom or celery soup
1/4 c. snipped fresh parsley
1/2 c. diced onion
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1-3/4 c. milk
2 c. cubed ham
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
In a large bowl, toss spaghetti with next 5 ingredients; spread on bottom of greased 3 qt. casserole. Layer ham and cheese on top. Cover and bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbly. Makes six servings.

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There’s a tart and sweet in this refreshing dessert.
CHERRY-LEMON REFRIGERATOR PIE
1-14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. lemon juice
1/2 t. each, vanilla and almond extracts
1/2 c. whipping cream
1-9” baked pastry shell
1-21 oz. can cherry pie filling (I used “lite”)
In a medium bowl, combine milk, lemon juice and extracts; whisk until thickened, about 2 minutes. Beat cream until stiff; fold into milk mixture. Turn into pastry shell. Refrigerate 10 minutes; top with pie filling. Chill at least 2 hours or overnight. Makes six-eight servings.

Thought for the Day: Wild flowers don’t care where they grow!