Lifestyles

For Laura Booher, of Scottdale in Westmoreland County. From Billie McNally, of Houston in Washington County.

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Hash Brown Casserole

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• Vegetable cooking spray
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 bag (2 pounds) frozen shredded potatoes, thawed
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 13- by 9-inch baking dish with vegetable cooking spray.

Melt the butter in a large saute pan and add the onion. Cook until soft. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the soup, sour cream and salt. Add the potatoes and stir until combined. Spread into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the cheese. Bake for 1 hour.

Variations: Top with buttered bread crumbs or buttered crushed cornflakes.

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Hash Brown Casserole

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For Laura Booher, of Scottdale in Westmoreland County. From Sue Rice, of Scottdale, who writes, "I found this in my book of 'Top Secret Recipes.' Great book." "Top Secret Recipes" is a series of books by Todd Wilbur, whose Web site is www.topsecretrecipes.com. Wilbur writes, "Those who know Cracker Barrel well love the restaurant for its delicious home-style breakfasts. This casserole, made with hash browns, Colby cheese, milk, beef stock and spices, is served with many of the classic breakfast dishes at the restaurant. The recipe here is designed for a skillet that is also safe to put in the oven. If you don't have one of those, you can easily transfer the casserole to a baking dish after it is done cooking on the stove." Cheddar cheese can substitute for the Colby, but Wilbur prefers Colby.

• 1 bag (26 ounces) frozen country-style hash browns
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Colby cheese
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup beef stock or canned broth
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
• Dash garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the frozen hash browns, cheese and onion. In another bowl, combine the milk, beef stock, half of the melted butter, the garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix until well blended, then pour the mixture over the hash browns and mix well.

Heat the remaining butter in a large, ovenproof skillet over high heat. When the skillet is hot, spoon in the potato mixture. Cook the hash browns, stirring occasionally, until hot and all of the cheese is melted, for about 7 minutes.

Put the skillet into the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes or until the surface of the hash browns is brown. If you do not have an ovenproof skillet -- because it has a plastic handle, for example -- you can spoon the potatoes into a 9- by 9-inch glass baking dish and microwave the potatoes until they are hot and the cheese is melted. Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake until the surface of the potatoes has browned.

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Does anyone have these recipes?

• I would like to have a good recipe for meatloaf -- I have tried to make them but have had no luck.

-- Signe Smallman, New Kensington

• I am looking for a sugar cookie recipe, the one my mom always made. Instead of rolling the cookie dough on a floured board, you pressed the dough in a cookie cutter. After that, you would tap the cutter on the board gently and the cookie would come out of the cutter. The taste of the dough and the dryness of the cookie reminds me of a Peaches cookie I make, but it isn't the same recipe. All I can remember in the dough are flour, granulated sugar and shortening.

-- Donna Bolt, New Kensington

• I would like a recipe similar to Old Country Buffet's bread pudding.

-- Lori Bell, Greensburg

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