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"Recipes that I Swear By Instead of At..."
- Loosely misquoted from the "I Hate to Cook Book" by Peg Bracken


Terrific and Easy Tuna Casserole Sweep SteakPaprika Beef Goulash
Paprika-Baked Chicken


Terrific and Easy Tuna Casserole
(My own creation...of sorts...I cannibalized 3 different recipes, put them together & this is the result - it's wonderful!)

1 1/4 c. dry macaroni
1 can tuna
1 can (10 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
1 can mushrooms
1/2 med. onion, minced
1/3 cup of milk
grated parmesan cheese, bacon bits or whatever

Cook macaroni. Heat soup with milk, onion & a dash of salt & pepper. Mix macaroni with soup mixture. Add mushrooms. Drain & break up tuna & mix together. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle generously with grated parmesan, bacon bits, parsley flakes, whatever. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25-30 minutes uncovered. Serves 2 adults who love it and 2 children who aren't fond of tuna. Or one hungry teenager.

Note: You can also add frozen vegetables or chopped green pepper for some colour.
Hint: I cook macaroni in the microwave, it's a lot faster and less messy. Just put it in a glass bowl with about 1 3/4 cups of water and cook on high for, oh, about 9 or 10 minutes. Stir every 3 minutes or so.
Anecdote: I once cooked this and forgot to put in the tuna. We didn't notice until clearing the table and I saw the can still sitting there on the counter. Tuna casserole please - hold the tuna!


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Sweep Steak
Credit the "I Hate to Cook Book" by Peg Bracken

2-3 lbs. of a cheap roast, or blade steak
1 package onion soup mix

Put the meat on a big sheet of aluminum foil. Sprinkle the soup mix on top & fold the foil, airtight, around it. Put in a baking pan & bake at 300 degrees F. for 3 hours (or 200 degrees F. for 9 hours; it doesn't matter). If desired, open it up an hour or so before it's done & surround it with potatoes & carrots.

Also, you can pour 1 can of undiluted condensed mushroom soup on over the onion soup mix. Makes a nice gravy.


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Paprika Beef Goulash
I think this one came from Peg Bracken's book too, but my mother used to make something that tasted just like it...

In a deep skillet or pot, brown 2 lbs of stewing beef in 4 tbsp. of oil. Then saute for about 3 min. an onion, thinly sliced, with 1/2 tsp. garlic powder. Now stir in:
3 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. tomato sauce or paste
1 can bouillon, undiluted, or 2 cubes with 1 c. water (mixed)

Bring the whole works to a boil, then simmer it, covered, about 2 hours, till the meat is tender. just before serving time, stir in 1/2 c. sour cream. My mom always served this on those broad flat egg noodles, it is delicious! Butter the noodles if you have the time and/or energy.


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Paprika-Baked Chicken
It's just too easy! (That's why I love it...)

1/2 c. butter or margarine
1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a large baking dish, melt the butter or margarine. Meanwhile, in a pie plate or large plastic bag*, combine flour, salt, paprika & pepper. Coat chicken evenly with mixture. Place chicken pieces, skin side down, in melted butter. Bake 30 minutes. Turn chicken over and bake 15 minutes more or until fork-tender.

*I always keep an empty bread bag in the freezer for this. Chuck it out after using it for this though, and just stick the next empty one in the freezer.


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