COMFORTING CASSEROLES

FOOD & DRINK

COMFORTING CASSEROLES

TThese casserole dishes are great for potlucks, school nights, weekends or any time. Casseroles can also be made ahead of time and refrigerated to be baked later.

This easy chicken noodle casserole is made with egg noodles, chicken, a cheesy, tasty filling and topped with buttered bread crumbs. You’re going to love it. This is a great recipe to make with leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken or even leftover turkey.

INGREDIENTS

• 12 oz. egg noodles, (cook according to package directions) • 3 tbs. butter, divided use • 2 tbs. all-purpose flour • 2 c. milk • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, optional • 1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded • 2 c. cooked chicken, diced or shredded • 1 c. frozen peas • 1 c. bread crumbs, see note

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To begin, preheat your oven to 350°F. 2. Grease or oil a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Set it aside for now. 3. Cook your egg noodles according to package directions. 4. While the noodles are cooking, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. 5. Whisk in the flour and let it cook for 1 minute. 6. Add in the milk, salt, pepper and onion powder (optional.) Stir and cook until the milk mixture begins to boil and thickens. Remove it from the heat. 7. Stir in all but about 1/3 cup of the cheddar cheese, mixing until it is melted. 8. In a mixing bowl, combine the sauce, noodles, cooked chicken and peas. 9. Note: We like the peas just cooked with still a little crunch. If you want the peas cooked softer, add them to the noodles in the last few minutes while they are cooking. 10. Spread the mixture into your prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. 11. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and combine it with the bread crumbs. (See the note below.) Sprinkle the buttered crumbs over the top of the casserole. 12. Bake covered for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes. 13. Enjoy

Note: I make my own bread crumbs by toasting a couple pieces of bread. Let them cool and pulse in a food processor.

Deliciously cheesy pasta with ground beef and pepperoni. You’ll love this family-friendly supper. This recipe is made with ground beef and pepperoni, but you could also use Italian sausage.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. pasta, such as fusilli, bowties, rotini, etc. • 1 lb. ground beef • 1 green bell pepper, diced • 1/2 c. onion, diced • 2 c. pizza sauce • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper • 4 oz. turkey pepperoni • 2/3 c sliced black olives • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning • 1/4 c parmesan cheese, grated or shredded • 1 1/2 c mozzarella cheese, shredded

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To begin, preheat your oven to 350°F. 2. Grease or oil a 9×13-inch baking pan, and set it aside for now. 3. Cook your pasta according to package directions. 4. Meanwhile, combine the ground beef, diced onion, bell pepper, salt and pepper in a skillet. Cook over medium heat until the ground beef is cooked through and the onion and pepper are tender. Drain off any excess grease if necessary. 5. In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, ground beef mixture, pizza sauce, Italian seasoning, and olives. Save a few slices of pepperoni and add the rest in.

Stir it all to combine. 6. Spread the mixture in your prepared baking pan. 7. Sprinkle the parmesan and mozzarella cheese over the mixture. 8. Arrange the reserved pepperoni slices on top. 9. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until the mixture is nice and bubbly and are kissed with golden spots around the edges. 10. Enjoy

WWe have had a great summer at the William Bradford Huie Library of Hartselle, with 1,198 participants in our summer reading program. We had some great prizes this year including four Amazon Fire tablets, gift bags and gift cards from local merchants. A great big shout out to all the parents who took time out of their busy summer to bring their kids to the programs. We also want to thank Mayor Randy Garrison, our city council, Rita Lee, our library board and the merchants in downtown Hartselle that supported our programs. Lastly, a warm thank you to all of our volunteers for their participation and support. Looking ahead, our programs for the fall include pre-k story times, kids paint night, adult paint night, movie nights and much more. Announcements for our programs can be found on the City of Hartselle’s Facebook page, the Friends of Huie Library’s Facebook page, or our calendar of events. Stop by the library to pick up a copy each month.

Don’t miss all the library has to offer We also want to remind everyone about our digital programs. We offer two services, Libby and Hoopla. Libby contains eBooks, audiobooks and magazines. Libby works well on smartphones and Chromebooks. Unfortunately, it will not work on Amazon tablet devices. Hoopla works on many devices from phones, laptops, tablets and Roku TVs. All you need is an active library card and the Hoopla app to BY MICHELLE BLAYLOCK have access to eBooks, audiobooks, movies, LIBRARY MANAGER television series’ and music. Patrons are allowed WILLIAM BRADFORD HUIE LIBRARY OF HARTSELLE seven checkouts per month on Hoopla. “Binge passes” are also available that allow you to check out an entire series (book, movie or TV series) using only one of your allowed seven checkouts. This digital platform also has no waiting on anything they offer. If you haven’t been to visit us recently, please stop by and see what we have to offer you and your family. Our hours are Monday 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Tuesday – Friday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. We look forward to seeing you soon. Happy reading!

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