Welcome!

Welcome to Simple Fare, Fairly Simple. This is a place for me to post recipes of all kinds...along with other miscellaneous fodder from my so-called life here in the south. Who knows what you will find here. Could be anything from my husband...known as IT Guy...to my kids and beautiful grandbabies that are growing up way too fast right before my eyes. But...mostly this will be a place for food. I hope you'll see something you like and if you decide to try something from the list...leave me a comment and let me know!



Thursday, May 15, 2014

Kielbasa Casserole

Okay...I have to tell you...if you are in any way a fan of Kielbasa...you MUST make this! I've been making it for my family for years and it just never gets old. It doesn't make a HUGE amount so it's nice for a small family or just a couple of people with some leftovers. It's easily doubled if you need to feed more. You can use any kind of Kielbasa...the regular kind..or turkey...whatever you prefer. It's one of those one-dish wonders that everyone enjoys.



Kielbasa Casserole



1 pound Kielbasa – sliced into ½ inch rounds
2 cups pasta noodles – bowtie, penne, etc.
1 10-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
¼ cup milk
1 cup grated cheese
½ cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter – melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cook pasta until al dente and set aside. Slice sausage into ½ inch rounds and brown in a skillet. Drain. Combine sausage and pasta. Add soup to milk – stir well. Pour soup mixture over sausage/noodle mixture and stir. Add cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Pour mixture into a greased 8-inch square casserole dish.

Combine bread crumbs and melted butter. Stir until all crumbs are coated. Sprinkle bread crumbs over sausage mixture. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes until bubbly.

Serves about 6

Okay...let's get going....
Okay...let's get going....
 
Slice the sausage and brown it in a skillet.
Slice the sausage and brown it in a skillet.
 
Combine the soup and milk...and mix it up good.
Combine the soup and milk...and mix it up good.
 
Cook the pasta until al dente. (Do you know what "al dente" means? It means "to the tooth".)
Cook the pasta until al dente. (Do you 
know what "al dente" means? It means "to the tooth".)
 
Stir the cooked sausage and soup mixture into the cooked pasta.
Stir the cooked sausage and soup 
mixture into the cooked pasta.
 
Stir it up....then....
Stir it up....then....
 
...add the cheese.
...add the cheese.
 
Stir THAT up until the cheese is stirred through. Pour it into a greased 8 x 8 casserole dish.
Stir THAT up until the cheese is 
stirred through. Pour it into a greased 
8 x 8 casserole dish.
 
Combine the bread crumbs and melted butter.
Combine the bread crumbs and melted butter.
 
Stir well....then...
Stir well....then...
 
...sprinkle that over the sausage mixture in the dish.
...sprinkle that over the sausage 
mixture in the dish.
 
Bake it up then eat it up!
Bake it up then eat it up!
  Copyright © 2011 Simple Fare, Fairly Simple. All rights reserved.

Traci's Strawberry Cake

I have some of the best friends. They willingly share their recipes with me and I'm so thankful for that. Here's one my good friend Traci shared with me. It's her strawberry cake and oh my, but is it delicious! It's kind of poke-cake-ish...but kind of not. Some of the yummy frosting you use after you poke the cake, but most of it goes directly on top. Use frozen, thawed strawberries for this because they are juicier. A great cake for a crowd or a birthday!!


Traci's Strawberry Cake



1 package yellow cake mix
1 3-ounce package strawberry jello
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 16-ounce package frozen strawberries ~ thawed


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour 13 x 9 x 2 pan.

Mix together cake mix, Jell-O and flour.

Make a well in the center and pour in water, oil, and eggs.

Stir in half of the container of strawberries. Beat on low speed until blended.

Beat an additional 4 minutes on medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Immediately after cake is done and out of the oven, poke holes all over it then spread 1 - 1 1/2 cups frosting (recipe follows) on top. Reserve remaining frosting to use on top of cake when it's cooled.



Strawberry Frosting:


1/2 cup butter
4 -5 cups powdered sugar
Remaining strawberries from cake

While cake is baking, mix frosting and place in fridge.

Combine butter, confectioners' sugar and the remaining half of the frozen strawberries.

Beat on high speed until creamy.

Spread 1 - 1 1/2 cups frosting onto hot cake after holes are poked.

Keep remaining frosting in the fridge until cake has cooled completely, then frost.


Here we go!
Here we go!


Mix the cake mix, jello and flour into a mixing bowl.
Mix the cake mix, jello and 
flour into a mixing bowl.


Blend it all together...
Blend it all together...


...then throw in half of the strawberries. No need to chop. Let the mixer do the work!
...then throw in half of the strawberries. 
No need to chop. Let the mixer do the work!


Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.


Bake, then poke holes all over the cake.
Bake, then poke holes all over the cake.


While the cake is baking,make up the frosting. Combine the powdered sugar and the butter.
While the cake is baking, make up 
the frosting. Combine the powdered 
sugar and the butter.


Then add the remaining strawberries. Again...no chopping needed!
Then add the remaining strawberries. 
Again...no chopping needed!


Spread a little bit of the frosting over the hot cake, reserving the remaining frosting.
Spread a little bit of the frosting 
over the hot cake, reserving the 
remaining frosting.


After the cake has completely cooled, frost with the rest of the frosting.
After the cake has completely cooled, 
frost with the rest of the frosting.


See how pretty? And it's delicious, too!!
See how pretty? And it's delicious, too!!