This is what we had for dinner tonight. It is maybe the easiest recipe ever. The only remotely time consuming part is grating the pepper jack cheese. I like it because it's super-fast, tastes good and makes me feel like I put in slightly more effort than just heating up a can of soup.
Zesty Potato Soup
Adapted from a recipe that originally appeared in Simple & Delicious, I think
3 - 10 3/4 oz. cans cream of potato soup, undiluted
2 - 12 oz. cans evaporated milk (or just use regular milk if you'd rather)
2 large baking potatoes
2-3 tbsp. cooked and crumbled bacon, optional (the "real bacon pieces" in the baking aisle work great)
Toppings:
Shredded cheddar jack cheese
Shredded pepper jack cheese (If anybody finds this ready in a bag, let me know - I just grate from a block of pepper jack. Skip this if you want to, but it's worth it to have it.)
Fried tortilla strips, available near the bagged salad in the grocery store (The Santa Fe flavored ones are particularly good.)
1. Bake the potatoes in the microwave, and cut them into chunks.
2. In a large pot, combine the potatoes with all the other soup ingredients. Heat 5-7 minutes or so...until it's heated through.
3. Top with cheeses and tortilla strips.
It really is so good. It does make a lot for two people, but it's easy to adjust the amounts to make less.
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Thanksgiving recipes
I've been meaning to post these for several days, and now that the holiday is practically upon us, I figured I'd better get it done! These are the two recipes I make every year for our family Thanksgiving dinner. People demand the Pumpkin Cake Roll, which is a recipe I got from my friend Lisa, who got it from her mom, in college. I admit I make the Ricotta Spinach Pie mostly for myself, because it is AWESOME, but other people do enjoy it. Even Hannah likes it - I just tell her it's "cheese pie," conveniently forget to mention that it has a vegetable in it, and she eats it up.
Pumpkin Cake Roll
3 eggs
1 c. white sugar
2/3 cup solid pack pumpkin puree
1 tsp. lemon juice
3/4 c. flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 c. chopped pecans (optional, but definitely better with)
Filling:
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. butter
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) cream cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a jellyroll pan (large cookie sheet, with sides).
2. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs on medium to high for 5 minutes. Gradually add white sugar, pumpkin, and lemon juice. Add flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and ginger. Spread batter evenly in pan. Sprinkle with pecans on top and press lightly into batter.
3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until it springs back when touched. Loosen edges with a knife. Turn out onto a dishtowel that has been sprinkled with powdered sugar. Roll up cake and let cool for about 20 minutes.
4. To make filling: Mix powdered sugar, vanilla, butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
5. When pumpkin roll is cool, unroll and add filling. Re-roll and wrap with foil. Refrigerate until serving.
Ricotta Spinach Pie
1 refrigerated pie crust (Pillsbury is my favorite)
Filling:
10-oz. pkg. frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 egg
16-oz container ricotta cheese
8 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp. butter
Stir all filling ingredients EXCEPT the butter together and put into the pie shell (a 9-in. pie pan works best). Sprinkle more parmesan over the top; cut up the 1 tbsp. butter into small pieces and dot the top of the pie with it. Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 min. to 1 hr. until top is golden brown.
It's really better to make the Pumpkin Cake Roll the night before you plan to serve it, because it gives the filling plenty of time to set.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Pumpkin Cake Roll
3 eggs
1 c. white sugar
2/3 cup solid pack pumpkin puree
1 tsp. lemon juice
3/4 c. flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 c. chopped pecans (optional, but definitely better with)
Filling:
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. butter
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) cream cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a jellyroll pan (large cookie sheet, with sides).
2. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs on medium to high for 5 minutes. Gradually add white sugar, pumpkin, and lemon juice. Add flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and ginger. Spread batter evenly in pan. Sprinkle with pecans on top and press lightly into batter.
3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until it springs back when touched. Loosen edges with a knife. Turn out onto a dishtowel that has been sprinkled with powdered sugar. Roll up cake and let cool for about 20 minutes.
4. To make filling: Mix powdered sugar, vanilla, butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
5. When pumpkin roll is cool, unroll and add filling. Re-roll and wrap with foil. Refrigerate until serving.
Ricotta Spinach Pie
1 refrigerated pie crust (Pillsbury is my favorite)
Filling:
10-oz. pkg. frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 egg
16-oz container ricotta cheese
8 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp. butter
Stir all filling ingredients EXCEPT the butter together and put into the pie shell (a 9-in. pie pan works best). Sprinkle more parmesan over the top; cut up the 1 tbsp. butter into small pieces and dot the top of the pie with it. Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 min. to 1 hr. until top is golden brown.
It's really better to make the Pumpkin Cake Roll the night before you plan to serve it, because it gives the filling plenty of time to set.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Baby shower recipes
I've been meaning to post these for a few days, but it's been rather busy to say the least. And Friday night, I was so tired from the week that I fell asleep at 8:30. *chuckle*
Anyway, the baby shower menu seemed to be a great success, so I thought I would share the recipes I used. I'm sharing the recipes in their original quantities; I multiplied the amounts several times over to feed the big crowd we had here on Tuesday!
Tomato Basil Sauce
This is adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe. The only difference is that she uses 20 leaves of fresh basil and I only had dried. I made three times this amount for the shower, but I think this recipe would easily serve 6 to 8.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (28-0z.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14-oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
Salt and pepper
About 1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil
Heat a medium pot on the stove over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and onion. Let onions cook with garlic slowly over 15 minutes. Be careful not to brown the onions; just keep an eye on the heat and stir the onions frequently. After 15 minutes, stir in tomatoes and raise heat to medium-high. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in basil and heat through. Serve over pasta.
Parmesan Cream Sauce
This is adapted from an Emeril recipe. If you want the original, go here. Supposedly it serves 4, but I have doubts; it's not that much sauce. I made 6 times this much for the shower, but I did have a lot of leftovers.
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (I only doubled this for the huge amount I made; it's a lot of butter)
1 shallot, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (although I think it would probably work okay with fresh grated regular parmesan...)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sautee until tender. Add cream and bring to a boil. Cool until sauce has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted and well-blended. Serve over pasta.
Pasta Bar
Tomato Basil Sauce
Parmesan Cream Sauce
Grilled chicken, sliced
Cooked shrimp
Sauteed veggies: green, red and yellow peppers; mushrooms; red onion
Bow-tie pasta
Whole grain penne pasta
Parmesan cheese
Mixed green salad with croutons and various dressings
Dinner rolls
Dutch Apple Pie
I have had this recipe since approximately 9th grade, when I learned it in Mrs. Stephen's Foods class. I made it the first time Brock came to my house for dinner when we were 15. We weren't far enough in our relationship yet for him to tell me he didn't like apple pie, so I just assumed he didn't like MY apple pie. *chuckle* But Hannah likes this one.
Pie crust (I use Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts)
4 c. sliced Granny Smith apples
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 c. flour
1/3 c. soft butter
1/2 c. sugar
Place pie crust in 9-in. pie pan and flute the edges. Heap apples in crust. Mix 1/2 c. sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples. Make a crumb mixture of the sugar, flour and butter. Sprinkle evenly over the sugar-cinnamon mixture, covering the apples completely. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 min. or until bubbly and brown. (Extra-good when served warm with ice cream, but tastes good cold, too.)
Punch
Brock's mom introduced me to this. I have no idea what to call it, but it was a very big hit at the party. Double it for a crowd.
2 liter bottle of Canada Dry Ginger Ale
Country Time Lemonade Mix (measured to the top line in the cap)
Be careful when you mix it together, because the reaction is rather explosive. :)
I also made Garlic Onion Cheese Dip with crackers.
And finally, I had a LOT of leftover dinner rolls. I just baked the Pillsbury frozen dinner rolls, and after a couple of days we still had several left and they were starting to go stale. So yesterday I made bread pudding with them - and they made GREAT bread pudding. So here's that recipe.
Bread Pudding
Hannah really loved this.
4-5 c. soft bread crumbs (just tear up whatever bread you have)
2 c. milk, scalded with 1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 c. chopped apple (I usually use apple instead of raisins, but just use raisins if that's what you prefer)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread crumbs in 1 1/2 or 2-qt. baking dish. Blend in remaining ingredients - start with the milk, because it helps make room for the other things. Place baking dish in 9x13 pan of hot water, about 1 in. deep. Bake 40-45 minutes or until knife inserted 1 in. from the edge of the pan comes out clean. (If you have a good glaze recipe, feel free to use it.)
I love good food!
Anyway, the baby shower menu seemed to be a great success, so I thought I would share the recipes I used. I'm sharing the recipes in their original quantities; I multiplied the amounts several times over to feed the big crowd we had here on Tuesday!
Tomato Basil Sauce
This is adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe. The only difference is that she uses 20 leaves of fresh basil and I only had dried. I made three times this amount for the shower, but I think this recipe would easily serve 6 to 8.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (28-0z.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14-oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
Salt and pepper
About 1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil
Heat a medium pot on the stove over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and onion. Let onions cook with garlic slowly over 15 minutes. Be careful not to brown the onions; just keep an eye on the heat and stir the onions frequently. After 15 minutes, stir in tomatoes and raise heat to medium-high. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in basil and heat through. Serve over pasta.
Parmesan Cream Sauce
This is adapted from an Emeril recipe. If you want the original, go here. Supposedly it serves 4, but I have doubts; it's not that much sauce. I made 6 times this much for the shower, but I did have a lot of leftovers.
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (I only doubled this for the huge amount I made; it's a lot of butter)
1 shallot, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (although I think it would probably work okay with fresh grated regular parmesan...)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sautee until tender. Add cream and bring to a boil. Cool until sauce has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted and well-blended. Serve over pasta.
Pasta Bar
Tomato Basil Sauce
Parmesan Cream Sauce
Grilled chicken, sliced
Cooked shrimp
Sauteed veggies: green, red and yellow peppers; mushrooms; red onion
Bow-tie pasta
Whole grain penne pasta
Parmesan cheese
Mixed green salad with croutons and various dressings
Dinner rolls
Dutch Apple Pie
I have had this recipe since approximately 9th grade, when I learned it in Mrs. Stephen's Foods class. I made it the first time Brock came to my house for dinner when we were 15. We weren't far enough in our relationship yet for him to tell me he didn't like apple pie, so I just assumed he didn't like MY apple pie. *chuckle* But Hannah likes this one.
Pie crust (I use Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts)
4 c. sliced Granny Smith apples
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 c. flour
1/3 c. soft butter
1/2 c. sugar
Place pie crust in 9-in. pie pan and flute the edges. Heap apples in crust. Mix 1/2 c. sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples. Make a crumb mixture of the sugar, flour and butter. Sprinkle evenly over the sugar-cinnamon mixture, covering the apples completely. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 min. or until bubbly and brown. (Extra-good when served warm with ice cream, but tastes good cold, too.)
Punch
Brock's mom introduced me to this. I have no idea what to call it, but it was a very big hit at the party. Double it for a crowd.
2 liter bottle of Canada Dry Ginger Ale
Country Time Lemonade Mix (measured to the top line in the cap)
Be careful when you mix it together, because the reaction is rather explosive. :)
I also made Garlic Onion Cheese Dip with crackers.
And finally, I had a LOT of leftover dinner rolls. I just baked the Pillsbury frozen dinner rolls, and after a couple of days we still had several left and they were starting to go stale. So yesterday I made bread pudding with them - and they made GREAT bread pudding. So here's that recipe.
Bread Pudding
Hannah really loved this.
4-5 c. soft bread crumbs (just tear up whatever bread you have)
2 c. milk, scalded with 1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 c. chopped apple (I usually use apple instead of raisins, but just use raisins if that's what you prefer)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread crumbs in 1 1/2 or 2-qt. baking dish. Blend in remaining ingredients - start with the milk, because it helps make room for the other things. Place baking dish in 9x13 pan of hot water, about 1 in. deep. Bake 40-45 minutes or until knife inserted 1 in. from the edge of the pan comes out clean. (If you have a good glaze recipe, feel free to use it.)
I love good food!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Dip it - dip it good
At work, I am becoming somewhat famous for my dip recipes. Once a month, we have "birthday day," when everyone in the department brings in food to celebrate whomever's birthday falls that month. (Luckily, every month has at least one birthday in it.) Then we just eat all day and compare recipes. It's excellent for morale. :)
Anyway, I'm becoming known for dips because usually about all I can muster the night before birthday day is stirring. I would love to bake or make something more complicated for my lovely coworkers, but this is life. So pretty much every month, I bring dip. Sometimes I really take the shortcut and just throw a mix in some sour cream and call it a day. But occasionally I put in a little extra effort.
That said, here are my three favorite birthday day dip recipes. The first one on the list is one I just tried for the first time today, and it was super good.
Garlic Onion Dip
Adapted from Simple & Delicious magazine (I think!)
2-8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened
3 green onions, green parts only, chopped
2 strips cooked and crumbled turkey bacon
3 tbsp. apricot preserves
1 tsp. minced garlic
Dash of pepper
Really good on whole wheat crackers.
Spicy Avocado Dip
From kraftfoods.com; EVERYONE loves this one, and it makes a lot
2 medium avocados, mashed
16 0z. sour cream
1/4 cup chopped green onions (about 4-5 onions)
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
1 tbsp. lime juice (I just squeeze half a lime without trying very hard)
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
This is good on everything - veggies, Wheat Thins, other crackers...but it's the best on blue corn chips.
Salsa Onion Cheese Dip
I think I made this one up.
16 oz. sour cream
1 envelope onion soup mix
About 1/2 cup salsa
About 1/4 cup shredded cheddar jack cheese
The best on Fritos Scoops...but works on other chips and veggies, too.
I would rather eat chips and dip than cake. I know that's weird, but I can back this up - because there's always cake on birthday day, and I hardly ever eat it because I'm full of chips and dip.
Anyway, I'm becoming known for dips because usually about all I can muster the night before birthday day is stirring. I would love to bake or make something more complicated for my lovely coworkers, but this is life. So pretty much every month, I bring dip. Sometimes I really take the shortcut and just throw a mix in some sour cream and call it a day. But occasionally I put in a little extra effort.
That said, here are my three favorite birthday day dip recipes. The first one on the list is one I just tried for the first time today, and it was super good.
Garlic Onion Dip
Adapted from Simple & Delicious magazine (I think!)
2-8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened
3 green onions, green parts only, chopped
2 strips cooked and crumbled turkey bacon
3 tbsp. apricot preserves
1 tsp. minced garlic
Dash of pepper
Really good on whole wheat crackers.
Spicy Avocado Dip
From kraftfoods.com; EVERYONE loves this one, and it makes a lot
2 medium avocados, mashed
16 0z. sour cream
1/4 cup chopped green onions (about 4-5 onions)
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
1 tbsp. lime juice (I just squeeze half a lime without trying very hard)
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
This is good on everything - veggies, Wheat Thins, other crackers...but it's the best on blue corn chips.
Salsa Onion Cheese Dip
I think I made this one up.
16 oz. sour cream
1 envelope onion soup mix
About 1/2 cup salsa
About 1/4 cup shredded cheddar jack cheese
The best on Fritos Scoops...but works on other chips and veggies, too.
I would rather eat chips and dip than cake. I know that's weird, but I can back this up - because there's always cake on birthday day, and I hardly ever eat it because I'm full of chips and dip.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Chippendale skillet
Brock has made the observation that my blog is quickly becoming all about politics and food. I guess there are worse things I could spend a lot of time thinking and writing about. Anyway, here's another new recipe, which we really enjoyed. I found the original in Simple & Delicious, where it was called "Kielbasa Bow Tie Skillet." But I hardly ever use recipes exactly the way they're written and I changed this one too, so Brock re-named it....
Chippendale Skillet
8 oz. uncooked bow-tie (farfalle) pasta
1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced
1 jar (4.5 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tblsp. butter
1 tblsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 c. milk
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 c. veggies (I used frozen California Blend, zapped in the microwave for about 3 min.)
Cook the pasta according to package directions. At the same time, in a large skillet, sautee sausage, mushrooms and garlic in butter. Combine the cornstarch and milk until smooth; stir that into the sausage mixture. Bring to a boil and keep cooking and stirring for a couple of minutes until the sauce thickens. Add the cheese and stir till it's melted. Stir in the pasta and veggies and cook till it's heated through.
"Why is it called Chippendale Skillet?" you ask.
Because it has bow ties and sausage! ;)
Chippendale Skillet
8 oz. uncooked bow-tie (farfalle) pasta
1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced
1 jar (4.5 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tblsp. butter
1 tblsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 c. milk
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 c. veggies (I used frozen California Blend, zapped in the microwave for about 3 min.)
Cook the pasta according to package directions. At the same time, in a large skillet, sautee sausage, mushrooms and garlic in butter. Combine the cornstarch and milk until smooth; stir that into the sausage mixture. Bring to a boil and keep cooking and stirring for a couple of minutes until the sauce thickens. Add the cheese and stir till it's melted. Stir in the pasta and veggies and cook till it's heated through.
"Why is it called Chippendale Skillet?" you ask.
Because it has bow ties and sausage! ;)
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
What a crock of chili!
I know that there are a million recipes for chili, and that many of them are for crock pots, and that what I'm about to put here is not an earth-shattering culinary achievement. But it was our first attempt at using our (seven-year-old, wedding present) crock pot to make chili, and it turned out to be quite delicious so I thought I'd share.
Crock Pot Chili
(A modified version of a recipe from the Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook)
1.5 lbs. ground beef
2 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
Two 14.5-oz. cans diced tomatoes, undrained
One 15-oz. can tomato sauce
One 15-oz. can whole kernel sweet corn, drained
4 or 5 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Cook ground beef, onion, bell pepper and garlic in a large skillet or Dutch oven until ground beef is completely browned. Drain. Combine the ground beef mixture and everything else in the crock pot. Set to low and cook for 8 to 10 hours. Enjoy the fact that when you come home from work, it smells like someone has been cooking for you. Top with more raw chopped onion, sour cream, shredded cheese and oyster crackers if desired. Yum!
Note: I put in corn because my friend at work did this for a potluck lunch, and it was really good. Also, we are not big fans of beans in chili. But if you want to use beans, the original recipe just said to use two cans of drained kidney beans. The original recipe also did not have cumin in it, but I just like the flavor of cumin so I went for it.
Crock Pot Chili
(A modified version of a recipe from the Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook)
1.5 lbs. ground beef
2 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
Two 14.5-oz. cans diced tomatoes, undrained
One 15-oz. can tomato sauce
One 15-oz. can whole kernel sweet corn, drained
4 or 5 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Cook ground beef, onion, bell pepper and garlic in a large skillet or Dutch oven until ground beef is completely browned. Drain. Combine the ground beef mixture and everything else in the crock pot. Set to low and cook for 8 to 10 hours. Enjoy the fact that when you come home from work, it smells like someone has been cooking for you. Top with more raw chopped onion, sour cream, shredded cheese and oyster crackers if desired. Yum!
Note: I put in corn because my friend at work did this for a potluck lunch, and it was really good. Also, we are not big fans of beans in chili. But if you want to use beans, the original recipe just said to use two cans of drained kidney beans. The original recipe also did not have cumin in it, but I just like the flavor of cumin so I went for it.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Yum
For my bridal shower many moons ago, one of the things the organizers did was have all the ladies bring recipes to put in a book for me. I confess that I got rid of a lot of them because I knew I would never, ever make them - but I won't say which ones, so if you were at my shower 7 years ago and brought a recipe, you'll never know if yours was one that didn't make the cut! Ha! But I kept a lot of them, too...it's actually a very cool idea for a bridal shower, especially when the bride (like I was then) is very young and just starting a household.
This is one that I still make fairly often, and also make for friends on occasions when the nice Midwestern girl in me knows you should "bring a covered dish" - like surgeries, or births or deaths or whatever. I just made it yesterday and I've decided I shouldn't keep it to myself any longer. Props to my friend Lisa from high school for this one:
Taco Casserole
2 c. crushed tortilla chips
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 packet taco seasoning
8 oz. tomato sauce
8 oz. cottage cheese
8 oz. sour cream
8 oz. bag shredded cheese (cheddar-jack is really good)
Preheat oven to 350. Brown the ground beef, remove from heat and drain. Stir in onion, taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Set aside. In separate bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. In 2 qt. casserole dish (greased or sprayed with cooking spray), layer half the chips, half the meat mixture, half the sour cream mixture and half the shredded cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and bake for about 30 minutes or until heated through.
It is SUCH good comfort food. What I especially love about it is that you can go buy all the stuff for it in the pre-packaged quantities you need, so you don't even have weird amounts of leftover ingredients. Delicious AND efficient. Yum, yum, yum.
This is one that I still make fairly often, and also make for friends on occasions when the nice Midwestern girl in me knows you should "bring a covered dish" - like surgeries, or births or deaths or whatever. I just made it yesterday and I've decided I shouldn't keep it to myself any longer. Props to my friend Lisa from high school for this one:
Taco Casserole
2 c. crushed tortilla chips
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 packet taco seasoning
8 oz. tomato sauce
8 oz. cottage cheese
8 oz. sour cream
8 oz. bag shredded cheese (cheddar-jack is really good)
Preheat oven to 350. Brown the ground beef, remove from heat and drain. Stir in onion, taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Set aside. In separate bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. In 2 qt. casserole dish (greased or sprayed with cooking spray), layer half the chips, half the meat mixture, half the sour cream mixture and half the shredded cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and bake for about 30 minutes or until heated through.
It is SUCH good comfort food. What I especially love about it is that you can go buy all the stuff for it in the pre-packaged quantities you need, so you don't even have weird amounts of leftover ingredients. Delicious AND efficient. Yum, yum, yum.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Christmas chicken
Merry Christmas! We have had a fantastic day here with the Christmas-crazy toddler. There were gifts, there was merriment, there was food. And that's what I wanted to post about, because today I cooked my first-ever whole chicken.
A couple of weeks ago it just sort of hit me that I'd never cooked a whole bird of any kind, and I thought I needed to try it. We've been trying to figure out a good Christmas dinner for about four years (ever since we stopped visiting out-of-state relatives on the actual day), with the only constant during that time being broccoli casserole. One year we had lasagna. One year we had ham. I kind of can't remember what we had last year. So roast chicken sounded pretty good, and appropriately Christmas-y. I'd just never cooked one.
So, after consulting with the Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook, my mom, my sister, and various people at work, and calling my parents from the grocery store to find out the difference between a "roaster" chicken and a "broiler" chicken (turns out the roaster is just bigger, but you can roast either one; do they just label them that way to be confusing?), I was ready to give it a shot today. And I must say, it turned out really good, and I don't mind saying I am quite proud of my culinary accomplishments.
My sister swears if you cook a bird upside-down, it keeps it from drying out. I believe her, but since the logistics of bird-cooking were new to me, and I spent a solid couple of minutes just staring at the cookbook illustration of how to tuck the wings (which I still don't think I did right), I just cooked our chicken right side-up. I didn't think I should try to get too fancy on my first chicken-cooking adventure.
I started off with a recipe and some recommendations from the cookbook, and then sort of made it up from there...I didn't have all the herbs that were called for, but I had some other ones, so I just went with it. Below is my "recipe," mostly so I'll remember it if I ever want to try this again (like, next Christmas):
Christmas Roast Chicken
1 "broiler" chicken (mine was 4.3 pounds)
About 4 tablespoons melted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 garlic cloves, chopped in half
Half an onion, chopped in big pieces
About a 1/2 cup of celery, chopped in big pieces
About 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
About 1 tablespoon dried basil
About 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
About 1 teaspoon dried parsley
About 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt
Pepper
So, I remembered to pull the little bag of icky stuff out of the chicken, and I rinsed out the chicken and patted it dry like the book said. And after tucking the wings and skewering the neck skin (also like the book said), I stuffed the chopped onion, celery and garlic in "the cavity." That was kind of a gross thing to do, and I had to keep myself from thinking about it very much. (By the way, we didn't eat the "stuffing"...it was just to add some flavor and keep everything moist.) Then I put the whole bird in a cooking bag that had some flour and water in it. I rubbed the melted butter on the chicken (I would have brushed it on, but I couldn't find a basting brush so I just used my hands), and then the minced garlic. In a separate bowl (before all this chicken handling), I mixed all the dried herbs, salt and pepper, and then I put that on the chicken. I closed up the bag (and cut slits in the top) and baked it all at 375 for a little over an hour and a half. And it was really good.
Cooking a whole bird successfully makes me feel more grown-up for some reason. And with some mashed potatoes, our favorite broccoli casserole and some whole wheat dinner rolls, it made a very nice Christmas dinner. :)
Merry Christmas (again)!
A couple of weeks ago it just sort of hit me that I'd never cooked a whole bird of any kind, and I thought I needed to try it. We've been trying to figure out a good Christmas dinner for about four years (ever since we stopped visiting out-of-state relatives on the actual day), with the only constant during that time being broccoli casserole. One year we had lasagna. One year we had ham. I kind of can't remember what we had last year. So roast chicken sounded pretty good, and appropriately Christmas-y. I'd just never cooked one.
So, after consulting with the Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook, my mom, my sister, and various people at work, and calling my parents from the grocery store to find out the difference between a "roaster" chicken and a "broiler" chicken (turns out the roaster is just bigger, but you can roast either one; do they just label them that way to be confusing?), I was ready to give it a shot today. And I must say, it turned out really good, and I don't mind saying I am quite proud of my culinary accomplishments.
My sister swears if you cook a bird upside-down, it keeps it from drying out. I believe her, but since the logistics of bird-cooking were new to me, and I spent a solid couple of minutes just staring at the cookbook illustration of how to tuck the wings (which I still don't think I did right), I just cooked our chicken right side-up. I didn't think I should try to get too fancy on my first chicken-cooking adventure.
I started off with a recipe and some recommendations from the cookbook, and then sort of made it up from there...I didn't have all the herbs that were called for, but I had some other ones, so I just went with it. Below is my "recipe," mostly so I'll remember it if I ever want to try this again (like, next Christmas):
Christmas Roast Chicken
1 "broiler" chicken (mine was 4.3 pounds)
About 4 tablespoons melted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 garlic cloves, chopped in half
Half an onion, chopped in big pieces
About a 1/2 cup of celery, chopped in big pieces
About 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
About 1 tablespoon dried basil
About 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
About 1 teaspoon dried parsley
About 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt
Pepper
So, I remembered to pull the little bag of icky stuff out of the chicken, and I rinsed out the chicken and patted it dry like the book said. And after tucking the wings and skewering the neck skin (also like the book said), I stuffed the chopped onion, celery and garlic in "the cavity." That was kind of a gross thing to do, and I had to keep myself from thinking about it very much. (By the way, we didn't eat the "stuffing"...it was just to add some flavor and keep everything moist.) Then I put the whole bird in a cooking bag that had some flour and water in it. I rubbed the melted butter on the chicken (I would have brushed it on, but I couldn't find a basting brush so I just used my hands), and then the minced garlic. In a separate bowl (before all this chicken handling), I mixed all the dried herbs, salt and pepper, and then I put that on the chicken. I closed up the bag (and cut slits in the top) and baked it all at 375 for a little over an hour and a half. And it was really good.
Cooking a whole bird successfully makes me feel more grown-up for some reason. And with some mashed potatoes, our favorite broccoli casserole and some whole wheat dinner rolls, it made a very nice Christmas dinner. :)
Merry Christmas (again)!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
I am the champion
Today was a big day for me...we had a holiday cookie baking contest in my department at work, and I won "Most Delicious" (for my baked goods, not me personally). I would like to stress that there were no rules for this contest; however, I still feel like I may have cheated a little bit because 1) I didn't actually make cookies, because I'm not that great at baking cookies and am much better at baking other things; and 2) I started with a boxed mix. But I still won, which made me feel better than it probably should have. (When the best thing to happen to you in your professional life in recent memory is that you won a completely informal cookie taste test - and you are not any sort of pastry chef - you have to admit that things could be better.)
However, the very best thing about today was that there were like 22 kinds of cookies to taste in our department, so we were all on happy sugar highs and in very good spirits. :) I ate a very large salad for lunch with a lot of green vegetables on it, so I figure I've compensated enough for the massive amount of cookies I ate.
Here, for your enjoyment, is my now award-winning recipe, which I got from an "America's Best Brand-Name Baking" cookbook, but which can also be found pretty easily online (and not just here; I Googled it because I didn't feel like getting off the couch to actually go get the cookbook from the kitchen and copy the recipe):
Cheesecake-Topped Brownies
1 large (family-size) box fudge brownie mix (Mine was Duncan Hines, about 21 oz.)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 tablespoon cornstarch
14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Ready-to-spread chocolate frosting (the recipe says this is optional, but I think it's absolutely mandatory)
1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Spread evenly in well-greased, 9 x 13-in. pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, margarine and cornstarch until fluffy. Gradually beat in the sweetened condensed milk, egg and vanilla until smooth. Pour evenly over the brownie batter. (I know it sounds like this might not work, but don't worry, it does.)
3. Bake 45 minutes or until top is lightly browned (keep an eye on it after about 40 minutes so it doesn't get too brown).
4. Cool completely. Spread with frosting. Cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator.
In my experience, making these the night before you want to serve them works really well. Frost them, but don't cut them; keep them in the fridge overnight and cut them the next day.
Mmm, brownies.
However, the very best thing about today was that there were like 22 kinds of cookies to taste in our department, so we were all on happy sugar highs and in very good spirits. :) I ate a very large salad for lunch with a lot of green vegetables on it, so I figure I've compensated enough for the massive amount of cookies I ate.
Here, for your enjoyment, is my now award-winning recipe, which I got from an "America's Best Brand-Name Baking" cookbook, but which can also be found pretty easily online (and not just here; I Googled it because I didn't feel like getting off the couch to actually go get the cookbook from the kitchen and copy the recipe):
Cheesecake-Topped Brownies
1 large (family-size) box fudge brownie mix (Mine was Duncan Hines, about 21 oz.)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 tablespoon cornstarch
14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Ready-to-spread chocolate frosting (the recipe says this is optional, but I think it's absolutely mandatory)
1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Spread evenly in well-greased, 9 x 13-in. pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, margarine and cornstarch until fluffy. Gradually beat in the sweetened condensed milk, egg and vanilla until smooth. Pour evenly over the brownie batter. (I know it sounds like this might not work, but don't worry, it does.)
3. Bake 45 minutes or until top is lightly browned (keep an eye on it after about 40 minutes so it doesn't get too brown).
4. Cool completely. Spread with frosting. Cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator.
In my experience, making these the night before you want to serve them works really well. Frost them, but don't cut them; keep them in the fridge overnight and cut them the next day.
Mmm, brownies.
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