A Snow Day and Hungry Jack Casserole

I just love a good, old-fashioned snow.  I especially love it when it falls on or near the weekend and I've had time to stock up on food and something to read.  :)  There's just nothing more cozy than being inside where it's warm and watching the snowflakes falling outside the window.  I totally understand that in some areas, people get so much snow every winter that they're quickly sick of it; I would be too.  But we don't get a lot here in North Carolina; I don't think we even had a big snow at all last year.

This was what the world outside our windows looked like today.

  

At one point, the sun came out, the sky was clear blue, and it looked like a winter wonderland out there.

The sun shone brightly for a few hours today, but I don't think this snow is going anywhere anytime soon. Tomorrow (Sunday) the highs are forecast to be in the 20's and the low tomorrow night is expected to be near 5°F.  Brrrr!

Tonight I made an easy casserole for our dinner, and I thought you might like to have the recipe.  I first had this dish when my mother-in-law made it many years ago.  It's so easy, but it has always been one of Hal's favorites, I think because his mom made it, and I used to make it on a pretty regular basis during our early years of marriage.

The great thing about this casserole is it's (almost) a one-dish meal.  You brown your ground beef and onion in a skillet, and everything else is baked in one dish.  There's not a lot of cleanup, and it really is tasty on a night like tonight.  It definitely qualifies as comfort food.

This recipe is called Hungry Jack Casserole because it uses Pillsbury "Hungry Jack" biscuits -- the kind you find in the dairy case.  Here's what you'll need for the recipe:

• 1b. ground beef (I used very lean ground beef)
• 16 oz. can pork 'n beans
• 3/4 cup barbecue sauce (I changed mine to 1/2 c. ketchup and 1/4 c. barbecue sauce)  I don't like the barbecue sauce to overwhelm the taste of the casserole.  I've always used Kraft barbecue sauce, but use what you like best
• 1 teas. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 T. brown sugar
• 2 T. minced onion flakes (I chopped a small onion for mine)
• 1 can Pillsbury "Grands" (they used to be called Hungry Jack) original flaky biscuits from dairy section - 8 biscuits
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese ( I used Colby Jack)

Brown ground beef and onion, draining any excess fat from skillet.  Add next four ingredients.  Put into casserole dish, cut biscuits in half and place in a circle on top.

Your biscuits should look like this when you arrange them on top of the meat and bean mixture.

Add grated cheese.  Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes.

This really does stick to your ribs, and you've got almost everything in one dish -- meat, beans bread, and cheese.  Hal was so excited that I made this tonight because I haven't made it in a long time.  It sure smells good when it's cooking.  :)

To accompany the casserole, you could fix steamed broccoli or asparagus, corn, potatoes, applesauce, or a tossed salad, and you've got a filling meal.  I hope you give this a try, and let me know if you enjoy it.

Did it snow where you are today or yesterday?  If so, I hope you're safe and warm.  Thank you so much for your visit and have a wonderful weekend.

Denise