Kiss the Cook: Fond memories of Yumzetti fuel heirloom recipe

This week’s column is part of a new once-a-month heirloom recipe addition.
Many of us have recipes we enjoyed while growing up and later someone passed them along us so we could make and enjoy with another generation.
Many times, we have great memories attached to the recipe and the person that gave it to us. Once a month, I hope to share the heirloom recipes of friends and readers and the story behind it.
Leslie Mersinger submitted this week’s recipe.
She is so excited to share this recipe with others. She has fond memories, as a young girl, of going to her grandparents’ house once a month on what she called Yumzetti day.
“Yumzetti Day was the best day of the month. We would all gather around the table waiting to be served,” she said.
Mersinger remembered the smell of cheese hanging in the air when they arrived.
Her grandmother would pull this out of the oven and everyone wanted to dig right in. The most popular part was the crispy cheesy layer on the top. Grandma had just the right touch for her family.
Today, Mersinger makes this for her family. The creamy cheese and noodles bring back many good memories of her grandmother.
Mersinger said she has tried to replicate the dish completely, but “I can’t quite seem to make it exactly like Gram does.”

Yumzetti
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook: 40-45 min
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground hamburger
1 can (approx. 10.75 oz.) condensed tomato soup
1 can (approx. 10.5 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can (approx. 10.5 oz.) condensed cream of celery soup
1 lb. Velveeta Cheese (I used 2%)
1 tbs. white sugar
1 pack (12 oz.) medium egg noodle
Directions:
1. Slice ¼ of the Velveeta Cheese block into 1/8” slices (about 10-12 slices), cube the remaining cheese, set aside. Preheat your over to 375 degrees F.
2. In a skillet, brown the hamburger and drain, set to the side
3. While the hamburger is cooking, bring 4 qts. of water to a boil in a large pot and slowly add the egg noodles, cook for 6 minutes and then drain the water, do not rinse.
4. Add the cubed cheese to the hot noodles, stir until the cheese is melted. Add the soups and sugar to the noodle/cheese mix and stir well. Add the hamburger and stir until it’s well blended.
5. Transfer this to a 9” x 8” x 3” deep baking dish. This was the perfect size for this recipe. Add the sliced Velveeta cheese to the top of the noodle mixture.
6. Bake uncovered in center of your preheated oven for 35-45 minutes. The cheese on the top will start to darken and become crispier the longer you bake it.
7. Remove from the oven and sit for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!