Reuben Casserole

It's like a big Reuben sandwich in a baking dish. There are never leftovers when I take this dish to a pot-luck.

1 (32oz.) bag sauerkraut, very well drained
1 pound deli-style corned beef, chopped
1/2 (8 oz.) bottle Thousand Island dressing
1 pound shredded Swiss cheese
12 slices buttered rye bread, cut into 1 inch pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2 inch casserole, layer the sauerkraut (you may need to squeeze it dry with your hands), corned beef, dressing, and cheese. Top with the buttered rye bread cubes. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Let cool slightly to set before serving. Serve with extra Thousand Island dressing, if preferred. I'm not sure how many servings this makes, because everyone goes back for more.

Lemon Cream Chicken

When you read the list of ingredients for this dish, you may think it seems too rich, with the 4 tablespoons of butter, the cup of heavy cream. Hey, indulge! (Just don't indulge too often.) The sauce you'll create is velvety and decadent. It's so good you'll want to put it on everything - veggies, fish, ice cream... well, maybe not ice cream. This is a simple to prepare, yet elegant meal. It's great to serve when you're wanting to impress someone.

1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
4 Tablespoons butter
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream, divided
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 1 cup flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken and shake to coat. (if you'd rather not do the flour thing, just go ahead and brown the naked chicken. It's good that way as well.) In a large skillet, cook chicken in butter for 8-9 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Remove chicken and keep warm.
Add broth to the drippings. Bring to a boil over medium heat; stir to loosen browned bits from pan. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until broth is reduced to 1/3 cup (which will probably actually take more like 20 minutes). Stir in 3/4 cup of the cream, then the lemon juice and mushrooms (feel free to omit the mushrooms if you don't like them - it will taste fabulous anyway). Cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
Combine remaining flour and cream until smooth; stir into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Return chicken to skillet and heat through. Serve over white rice. Don't count on having leftovers. You'll probably be licking the plate clean at the end of the meal. Yield: 6 servings.

Swedish Meatballs

This is probably not authentic, but it's pretty good anyway.

1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

Combine ground beef, egg, onion, bread crumbs, 1/4 cup of the milk, parsley, salt, allspice, and pepper. Shape into about 30 meatballs. Brown meatballs in skillet; add soup and remaining milk, heat through. Serve over buttered noodles sprinkled with parsley. Serves 4 to 6

Hawaiian Ginger Beef

I got this recipe when I lived in Hawaii. You can use a cheaper cut of meat, you'll just need to simmer it longer.

1 1/2 pounds boneless sirloin, sliced into thin strips
1/4 cup beef stock
2 teaspoons dry sherry
1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic, mashed
2 or 3 slices of fresh ginger root
3 green onions, diagonally sliced into 1/2" pieces
2 Tablespoons oil
1 Tablespoon each of cornstarch and water

Combine soy sauce, sherry, beef stock, and sugar; set aside. Heat oil in large frying pan; saute garlic and ginger for 1 minute. Add meat and onions to the pan and stir-fry over high heat. When meat is almost completely browned, pour in the soy sauce mixture; cover and simmer about 3 minutes. Mix cornstarch and water, gradually stir into the liquid in the pan. Cook until slightly thickened, stirring to coat meat. Remove ginger slices before serving. Serve with steamed rice. Makes 4 to 6 servings.