Monica's Tallerini

As my sister tells this story, this is the first meal Monica ever cooked for the Bauernfeind Family in New York when we were first married without any children, and it was a hit.  I hope you enjoy this as much as we did every year she made it.

 Ingredients:

2 pounds of ground beef

2 onions, chopped (large)

1 bell pepper 

1 clove garlic 

1/2 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed

2 cans chopped black olives

salt and pepper

1 can cream of mushroom soup (or celery)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can whole kernel corn, drained(original Monica's recipe called for a can of creamed corn - I liked the full kernel so I modified her recipe a dot))

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 12 ounce pkg medium egg noodles (large)

Package egg noodles we used to use medium-sized, but the new "Large" egg noodles are equivalent to the old medium we used to use.  Don't cook the noodles all the way, say just 8 minutes.  They will finish cooking when they are mixed and baked in the finished product.

Prepare:

Fry: In a large pot with a lid:

2 lb. ground meat

When the ground beef is almost cooked then add the following

2 chopped onions

1 chopped green pepper

1 chopped clove of garlic

Once the above is cooked and thoroughly mixed then add to the fried mixture:

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 can chopped olives

1 can cream style corn

1/2 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed

Mix all these ingredients and after the cheese has melted and is mixed thoroughly throughout the Tallerini then add the noodles.

1 (10 oz.) pkg. egg noodles, cooked

Once mixed put the mixture into a serving dish that is ovenproof, make sure you Pam the dish so the Tallerini will not stick, and place in the oven, covered for 40 minutes.  Uncover and leave in the oven for another 15 minutes.  If you are topping the mixture with Mexican or Cheddar cheese now is the time to do it during these last 15 minutes.

Optional:  Top with graded cheese

Frikadellen/Frikadeller

While there are many variables to this recipe, this is relatively close to my father's recipe, with small changes sometimes noted.  Here's a link to a video my brother-in-law Warren and sisters Pat and Mary Ellen put together and cooked.  

Here are the ingredients:

1. 1.5 pounds of ground beef and select the 85/15 percent fat ground beef for better flavor
2. 5 cloves of garlic, chopped/chunked
3. 2 eggs
4. Salt and pepper
5. 1 medium onion chopped
6. .5 tbs of Worcestershire sauce
7. 1.5 cups of Italian-flavored bread crumbs
8. 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
9. Real whole milk or half-and-half approx. 3oz

Mix together in a large bowl the ground beef, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper, and the milk together with your hands in a kneading fashion.  After thoroughly mixed add the bread crumbs and continue to knead until the mixture is relatively smooth.  Form into oval hamburger-sized patties and place them in an aluminum cooking pan that the bottom has been coated in olive oil.   There are several methods to cook these; we cooked them on the grill in the pan at approximately 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.  Once cooked transfer the frikadellen to the grill to sear and grill for a few minutes.  Serve with mayo tomato and lettuce and Bob's your uncle.