Sometimes field meals need not be served in the field. Today, the crew moved to our home giving me an excuse not to load hot pans and dinner paraphernalia in the car, and giving the farmers a chance to sit at a table in a kitchen to enjoy a meal. We’re six weeks in to this harvest season; the simple things are keeping us going now.
Meal 6: Sausage & Rice Casserole, Herb & Sun-Dried Tomato Muffins, Veggies, Caramel Chocolate Brownies
Sausage & Rice Casserole (from my mom)
- 1 pkg. wild rice mix (Uncle Ben’s instant rice works well.)
- 1 lb. sausage, browned
- 1 can cream o’ mushroom soup, undiluted
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- 1/2 cup chopped onions
- 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
- 1/4 cup minced celery
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 tsp. parsley flakes
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
Combine and cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Herb & Sun-Dried Tomato Muffins (from Taste of Home)
Green Giant Steamed Vegetables (Convenient food can also be healthy food. Frozen veggies are a great way to get your daily dose of vitamins.)
Caramel-Chocolate Brownies (from my mom with a twist from me)
Sunday night after dinner the kids’ say, “What’s for dessert?” I say, “Nothing.”
“Geesch Mom,” scuffs my farm boy. “Nana always has something sweet to eat.” Of course, she does. She is a Nana.
The next morning I succumbed to mom-guilt and pulled out the recipe for Caramel-Chocolate Brownies. Having no cake mix, though, I resorted to a made-from-scratch German chocolate cake and discovered this substitution for the boxed mix combined with condensed milk results in an amazing Caramel-Chocolate Cake.
- 1 pkg (14 oz.) caramels
- 1 can (5 oz.) evaporated milk
- 1 pkg Betty Crocker Super Moist German Chocolate Cake
- 2/3 cup melted butter
- 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1 pkg (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup flaked coconut
Heat caramels and 1/4 cup evaporated milk, stirring constantly, until caramels melt. Keep mixture warm over low heat, stirring often. Mix dry cake mix, butter, remaining milk and nuts. (This is where you’d substitute with the made from scratch cake. More work. But oh, so worth it!) Spread half of the mixture in a 9 x 13 pan. Bake 6 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven. Sprinkle chocolate chips and coconut over baked cake layer. Drizzle caramel mixture over all. Drop remaining dough by spoonful onto caramel layer. Bake 15-20 minutes longer. Cool. Refrigerate.
TIPS if making the recipe as written: Combine the cake mixture first and then melt the caramels. I’ve burned one too many pans trying to mix the cake and keep an eye on the stove. Spreading the bottom layer will feel like a losing battle. The batter will be thin in some spots and thick in others. Don’t worry. Once baked you’ll pull out a pan covered in ooey-gooey brownies!
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