Grandma's Reuben Casserole

Curtis loves Reuben sandwiches. I think he would claim that they are his favorite food...next to brats of course. :P My grandma had asked me probably 20 times if I had tried to make her casserole recipe yet, so last night I finally decided I would. So easy to make - I already have it memorized and I definitely will make it again.

I bought the "normal" ingredients this time around, but you could "skinny" it up a little bit by buying Fat Free Thousand Island dressing or by cutting back on the cheese, but I think it's fine just the way it is...maybe even with a little bit of extra cheese in my opinion. 

Another note, I only made this last night, so I am curious to see how left-overs taste today, what with the bread likely being on the soggy side now. I think I'll reheat it by putting some in the toaster oven instead of the microwave, in hopes of getting the rye bread to toast up a bit again. We'll see how that goes. 

Ingredients:

• 1 (14 oz.) can sauerkraut, drained
• 1 c. Thousand Island Dressing
• 1 lb. deli corn beef
• 2 c. Swiss cheese
• Rye bread, buttered on one side

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Mix sauerkraut and dressing together and smooth in even layer into greased 9 x 13 dish.
3. Cut or shred beef into smaller pieces and layer on top of dressing and sauerkraut. Then top with Swiss cheese.
4. Cover with slices of rye bread, buttered side up.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes until bread is toasted and cheese is bubbly.

White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

I think these are my favorite cookies of all time. And they don't even have peanut butter in them! (Crazy.) These cookies are super flavorful, crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and can clearly pass for breakfast, because let's face it...it's basically oatmeal topped with cranberries. (Highly nutritious. Let's just keep telling ourselves that.) 

Anyways, these make really great cookies, they freeze well, and the dough tastes amazing pre-baked. ;) And as a side note, in my experience with these cookies, they taste EVEN better if you allow 24 chill time in the refrigerator before baking. 

Enjoy! This one is a winner.

Ingredients: 

• 1-1/2 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 c. butter, softened
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 c. old fashioned oats
• 2 c. dried cranberries
• 2 c. white chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. Using mixer, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy. 
4. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well with each addition. Then add vanilla.
5. Slowly add flour mixture until incorporated. Then add oats. 
6. Fold in cranberries and white chocolate chips.
7. Spoon 1.5" inch balls onto baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes until tops start to turn a golden brown.

Cheeseburger Pizza

So this is pretty manly pizza, but it's fantastic. I put a few different recipes I found online together, made some small modifications and came up with this delicious thing to use up some of the plethora of left-over burgers we have sitting in our fridge. I would have NEVER ordered a pizza like this at a restaurant, but having tried this one, I will definitely consider it next time. 

This recipe is super easy and takes no time at all. No waiting for the bread machine to make your pizza dough, no buying dry crusts at the grocery store. What you're left with is a really flavorful pizza and flaky crust. YUM!

Ingredients:

The Crust:

• 2 c. flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 2/3 c. warm water
• 1/2 tsp. instant yeast

The Toppings:

• 3/4 lb. ground beef, browned
• 8 slices of cooked bacon (optional)
• 2/3 c. ketchup
• 2 tbsp. yellow mustard
• 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 c. chopped onion
• 1 jalapeno, diced with seeds
• shredded lettuce and diced dill pickles for topping

Directions:

1. Sift together flour and salt in large bowl. Add butter and mix with pastry cutter or hands until the mixture is crumbly.
2. In a small bowl, mix sugar and water. Add yeast and cover with saran wrap until mixture is frothy.
3. Add yeast to dry mixture and mix until together. Then turn over onto floured surface and knead until smooth (about a minute). Form into ball and allow to rest for 30 minutes, covered with a damp towel.
4. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. If using a baking stone, heat with stone inside.
5. After dough has rested, roll out into a 14" circle on a floured surface. Transfer dough to heated stone or parchment lined baking sheet. Poke holes in with fork and bake for 5 minutes.
6. Reduce heat to 425 and take the stone and crust out of the oven. Top with ketchup and mustard mixture, then top with remaining toppings (besides the lettuce and pickles).
7. Bake for another 15-20 minutes until cheese has melted and crust is golden brown.
8. Top with shredded lettuce and dill pickles and enjoy!