Common Cuisine |

I was amazed to find that this ordinary dish from my childhood went over so big with my own kids. And it is so easy!

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cans french style green beans, drained
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 package frozen tater tots

Preheat oven to 350. Brown ground beef and onion together in skillet. Drain off fat. Place mixture in a layer in bottom of 13″ x 9″ baking dish.

Layer green beans on top of beef mixture. Stir together soups and layer on top of green beans. Arrange tater tots in layer on top of all.

Bake 30-45 minutes.

Serve 4-6 with salad and a loaf of crusty bread.

Here I have turned classic enchiladas into a layered dish, thereby relaxing the need for an exact count of how many enchiladas each person might want. This is one of those dishes I never make just a single recipe of. Either I make two and freeze one, or I double or triple the recipe for a crowd.

• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 5 green onions, chopped
• 1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce
• 8 tortillas
• 2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
• ½ tomato, chopped
• 8 black olives, sliced (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.

In medium bowl, combine sour cream, cheese, and green onions. Pour enchilada sauce into a shallow dish. Cut tortillas into quarters.

Dip one-third of wedges into enchilada sauce, and layer in bottom of 2 qt casserole dish. Layer one-third of chicken on top of tortillas. Layer one-third of sour cream-cheese mixture on top of chicken.

Repeat layers two more times. Pour remainder of enchilada sauce on top. Top with chopped tomatoes and olives. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until bubbly in middle.

Serves 4-6.

For some reason this dinner is a favorite in our household simply because of the name. It actually goes by a different name in our house, but what’s in a name, really? The kids love it for the novelty value. I think it’s the soy sauce that gives it the interesting twist.

• 1 medium pumpkin
• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ cup chopped celery
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
• 1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups cooked rice

In a large skillet, brown ground beef with salt and drain off fat. Add celery and onion and cook until vegetables begin to soften a little bit.

While that is cooking, preheat oven to 375. At a diagonal angle from outside edge toward center, cut a 3-inch hole around stem of pumpkin and remove top. Remove seeds and pulp. You can discard the seeds or save them for roasting later.

In a large bowl, stir together beef mixture, soy sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms, soup, and rice. Pour mixture into pumpkin and replace lid. Place pumpkin on greased baking sheet and bake for about an hour until pumpkin is soft.

Serves 6 to 8.