Cooking for Two

My husband and I are brand new empty-nesters since our oldest daughter was the last of our three children to move out this past May.  You would think that since I had been cooking for three up until then, that cooking for two would be just about the same....well, it's not.  Even when our daughter was home, we still had lots of leftovers so I already needed to gear down the amounts I was fixing for meals.

Sometimes I can cut a recipe in half easily.  I also like to make the whole recipe, divide it into two separate containers and freeze half of it before cooking, then I have a meal already made and all I have to do is thaw it out and pop it in the oven, and decide what to serve with it.

This recipe has been cut in half and it still can serve 4.  It's called Reuben Casserole and my husband thinks it's FABULOUS!

I got the recipe online and tweaked it a bit.  Like a reuben sandwich, it calls for corned beef and caraway seeds.  Living out here in the boondocks I don't often get my hands on corned beef and I HATE caraway seeds.  So, I like to use sausage instead of the corned beef and I just nix the caraway seeds altogether.

I get the munchies when I'm cooking sometimes, so tonight I am indulging in kettle cooked jalapeno chips and diet ginger ale....quirky combination, right?

Anyway, back to the cooking...first you mix water, milk and margarine in a saucepan until slightly boiling.

While that's heating up, slice up some sausages (you can pretty much use anything...kielbasa, smoked sausage...these are some sort of smoked sausage with ham and swiss cheese inside).

At our home, it's always been tradition that if you are cooking any sausage of this sort, you must deliver a chunk on a toothpick to everyone in the house - sorta like an appetizer-thingy.  My mom always did this when I was a kid, so I carried on the tradition and my kids always loved it, too.  Unfortunately, while I was cooking this tonight, no one but ME was home!         So.....I'll eat yours, thank you!  YUM!

Once the milk-stuff starts boiling, remove from heat and stir in mustard and mashed potatoes

and whip it good....whip it into shape...shape it up...it's not too late...to whip it....oops, sorry

Layer half the potato mixture in a greased baking dish and cover it with all the sausage

and then you layer some sauerkraut and some swiss cheese

and then the rest of the mashed potatoes along with more swiss cheese on top of that.

Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
Now, I know I've made a huge cooking faux pas by serving such a monochromatic meal, but, really...who cares!

We picked the corn fresh on Sunday night from a friend's garden and I just can't get enough of it, it is SO GOOD!

I know...I'll have a glass of wine - that should add a little bit of color!

Oh, and for dessert....I'll be having some of these cookies and homemade coffee ice cream

yeah, I know....more monochromatic food...oh well...shoot me!

Here's the link to the original recipe if you want to try it:
Reuben Casserole

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