The Much Maligned Casserole

Often, when you say "casserole" people cringe. There is an aura of "ick" that typically follows casseroles, bringing childhood images of funky smelling tuna-noodle casserole, slimy green been casserole, and mayonnaise laden dishes to mind.

I for one, am trying to emancipate casseroles from such stereotypes. Casseroles are great ways to use excess food in a new way. They are also great "make-a-head" meals, meaning you can prep them days ahead of time and just pop them in the oven when you're ready to serve. They also freeze well. The following recipe is one of my family's favorite. I hope you try it and re-think your approach to the much maligned Casserole.

Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken and Rice Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 (8.8 oz) packages Uncle Ben's ready rice ( or 4 servings of Minute Rice)
• 1 1/2 lbs Chicken (tenderloins, boneless skinless breasts or boneless skinless thighs)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 4 Tbl butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 C flour
• 1 C chicken broth
• 1/2 C heavy cream
• 1 1/2 lbs broccoli florets
• 3-4 Tbl Whole Grain Dijon Mustard (I like Maille)
  
• 1 1/2 C grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

• Steam Rice packets (or prepare Minute Rice according to directions on the box)
• Spread Rice evenly over the bottom of a broiler safe baking dish
  
• Steam Broccoli until it is fork-tender(either in the microwave or on the stovetop); set aside
• Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.
• Melt 1 Tbl of butter in a large skillet over medium heat
• Cook chicken until golden brown and done all the way through (3 min per side for tenderloins; 4-5 for thighs)
• Remove and let cool, then slice into strips and arrange in a single layer over the rice
• Add 3 Tbl of butter to dish and melt
• Saute onion in butter until it is golden, 4-5 minutes
• Stir in flour and cook about 1 minute
• Whisk in broth and cream and simmer until thickened, 3-5 minutes
• Stir in mustard, 1 C cheese and broccoli into the sauce
• Season with salt and pepper
• pour sauce evenly over the chicken and rice in the dish
• Sprinkle 1/2 C of cheese over the top
• If you are going to serve this dish later--pause here. Just cover and refrigerate. Then, when you are ready to serve, bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and heated through
• If you are going to serve this dish immediately, broil until cheese is browned, 2-4 minutes.
  

Chimichurri: Condiment Heaven

Clint and I fell in love with Chimichurri sauce when we visited Argentina nearly three years ago. After we returned to the states a co-worker of Clint's (who is an Argentine) came to our house and grilled what seemed like a whole side of beef (cause that's what Argentines do folks!). While the steak was good, my favorite dish was the grilled sausage served on a crusty hunk of bread, doused in homemade Chimichurri sauce poured straight out of an old glass jar (I think it had formerly contained store-bought marinara).

It is a perfect summer condiment-- incredibly fresh and nothing fancy. Since this event and anytime the temperature cracks 60 degrees, we have a large serving constantly on hand. I don't claim my version is 100% authentic, but it is our favorite recipe after a bit of trial and error. Our preferred way to serve this is with grilled sausages on rolls with a side of grilled peppers and onions, but it is a great sauce or marinade for steak, chicken or even a meaty fish.

Chimichurri Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 C water
• 1 Tbl Coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbl red pepper flakes
• 1 head of Cilantro, roughly chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 Tbl finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 Tbl fine chopped fresh oregano
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/4 C red wine vinegar
• 3/4 Olive Oil

Directions:

• In a small nonreactive saucepan, bring the water to a boil
• Add the salt, bay leaves and pepper flakes
• Remove from heat and stir until the salt has dissolved
• Remove the bay leaves
  
• In a blender, add the rest of the ingredients. Blend and stream in the water mixture
• To store, pour into a glass jar, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
• I suggest bringing the mixture to room temperature before serving.
  

New Year's Celebration

Our New Year's Celebration was pretty staid this year. We celebrated early by having some very good friends over for dinner and board games on the 30th. Our friends brought salad and sparkling wine ("J"). We made the following goodies and served the pasta with 2 bottles of Sacreterre. Needless to say, a good time was had by all.

I prepared most of the pasta dish ahead of time, so all I had to do when our friends arrived was boil the pasta and combine everything together. The recipes are from Cook's Illustrated Magazine.

Mexicali Cheese Ball

Ingredients:

• 2 C pepper jack cheese, shredded
• 1 block of cream cheese, softened
  
• 3 heaping Tbl of Salsa
• Handful of minced fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 C blue corn chips, crushed

Directions:

• Process all ingredients except tortilla chips in the food processor until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.
• Transfer cheese mixture to the center of a large sheet of plastic.
• Holding the corners of wrap in one hand, twist cheese with other hand to seal and shape into a rough ball.
• Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours
• Reshape as necessary into a smooth sphere
• Unwrap cheese ball and roll in tortilla chips
• Let sit at room temperate for 15 minutes before serving.
  

Pasta With Roasted Broccoli, Garlic and Almonds

Ingredients

• 2 heads of garlic, paper skins removed and top quarter of heads cut off and discarded
• 6 Tbl + 1 tsp of olive oil
• 1 head of broccoli (1 1/2 lbs)
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 lb tortellini pasta
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tbl frsh basil
• 1 C shredded manchego cheese
• 1/4 c Slivered almonds, toasted
  

Directions:

• Place large rimmed baking sheet on the middle rack in the oven. Heat to 500 degrees
• Cut a large sheet of foil.
• Place garlic heads, cut side up, in center of foil
• Drizzle 1/2 tsp of oil over each head and seal as a packet.
• Place packet in oven and roast until garlic tender, approximate 40 minutes. Open packet and set aside to cool
• Meanwhile, cut the broccoli at the juncture of the crowns and stems. Remove peel from stems and cut stems into 2 to 3 inch lengths, about 1/2 inches thick.
• Cut crowns into 4 or 6 wedges.
• Place broccoli in a large bown and toss with 3 Tbl of oil, 1 tsp salt, pepper to taste, and sugar
• Remove baking sheet from oven
• Place broccoli on baking sheet, cut side down.
• Return baking sheet to oven and roast for 10-15 minutes.
• When cooled, transfer broccoli to cutting board and chop into rough 1/2in pieces.
• Cook pasta according to directions, reserving 1 cup of cooking water.
• Squeeze roasted garlic cloves from their skin into a small bowl.
  
• Using a fork, mash garlic into a smooth paste, stir in red pepper flakes and 2 Tbl of lemon juice.
• Whisk in remaining 1/4 C of oil
• After draining pasta, return to pot. Add chopped broccoli and stir in garlic sauce, 1/4 C cooking water, basil and 1/2 C of cheese.
• Adjust consistency with cooking water and season with salt, pepper and additional lemon juice
• Top with the remaining cheese and toasted nuts; serve immediately.
  

Holiday Goodies (Savory)

Since holiday cooking isn't just about the sweet stuff, I thought I should add a post about some of my favorite savory holiday dishes.

Mary's Corn Pudding
This stuff is so good that I usually end up making 2 batches at a time

Ingredients

• 1/2 C Butter, melted
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 16 oz can of whole kernel corn
• 1 16oz can of cream style corn
• 8 oz sour cream
• 8 oz corn bread mix (I prefer Jiffy Mix)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350
  
• Mix butter, eggs, corn and sour cream together
• Add corn bread mix, stir to combine
• Lightly grease a 2 quart casserole pan
• Bake for 45-60 minutes until golden brown and set in the middle

The Best Holiday Cheese Ball

Surprisingly easy to make and delightful to consume

Ingredients

• 2 C shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tbl mayonnaise
• 1 Tbl worcestershire sauce
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 tsp cayanne pepper
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 c sliced almonds, toasted
  

Directions

• Process all ingredients except almonds in a food processor until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary, about 1 minute
• Transfer cheese mixture to center of a large sheet of plastic wrap
• Holding the corners of wrap in one hand, twist cheese with other hand to seal wrap and shape cheese into a rough ball
• Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours
• Once cheese ball is firm, reshape as necessary into a smooth sphere
• Unwrap cheese ball and roll in almonds
• Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving

Breakfast Strata

Its tradition in my family to have a large breakfast buffet while unwrapping gifts on Christmas morning. A breakfast casserole, or strata, is perfect for such an occasion. I've included a basic recipe but you can change out the various cheese, meats and veggies as you want.

WARNING: This recipe takes some time and planning ahead. Do not try to put it together the morning you want to eat it.

Ingredients

• 8-10 (1/2) inch slices of French or Italian Bread
• 3 Tbl unsalted butter, softened
• 8 oz bulk breakfast sausage, crumbled
• 3 medium green onions, minced
• 8 oz mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
• 1/2 C dry white wine (Sauvingnon Blanc)
• 6 oz Monterey Jack Cheese, grated (1 1/2 Cups)
• 6 large eggs
• 1 3/4 C half and half
  

Directions

• Heat oven to 225 degrees
• Arrange bread in a single layers on a large baking sheet and bake until dry and crisp, about 40 minutes, turning over halfway through drying time (or leave them out overnight to dry).
• When cooled, butter slices on 1 side and set aside
• Brown sausage in a skillet, about 4 minutes
• Add green onions and cook until softened and translucent
• Add mushrooms and cook until they no longer release liquid, about 6 minutes
• Transfer mixture to a medium bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper
• Add wine to skillet and simmer until reduced to1/4 C, 2-3 minutes; set aside
• Butter an 8 inch square baking dish and arrange half of the buttered slices, buttered side up in a single layer in the dish.
  
• Sprinkle with 1/2 of the sausage/mushroom mixture then add 1/2 C of cheese over the slices; repeat
• Whisk eggs in a medium bowl until combined
• Whisk in reduced wine, half and half, salt and pepper to taste
• Pour egg mixture evenly over bread layers
• Cover surface flush with plastic wrap
• Weigh down and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight
• Remover dish from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes
• Preheat oven to 325
• Uncover Strata and sprinkle remaining cheese over surface
• Bake until both edges and center are barely puffed and edges have pulled slightly away from the sides, 50-55 minutes (or 1 hr, 20 minutes for a doubled recipe)
  

Holiday Goodies (Sweet)

I love Christmas for many different reasons, one of which is making all the goodies that signify the holiday season for me. Below are number of recipes, some of which (Cyclops Cookies) are family traditions, while other are new additions.

I made most of the cookie dough in one evening and refrigerated it until (a) it was easy to work with and not sticky, and (b) I had the time to make them with my wonderful sous chefs, Clint and Cece. I would highly suggest doing something similar. Also if the recipe calls for balls of cookie dough to be rolled in sugar, a good tip is to put the sugar in a non-stick cake pan, add the cookie dough balls and shake until coated--this keeps you from handling them too much and getting doughy, sticky hands.

Mom's Cyclops Cookies
Last year, my brother, his wife, Clint, and Cece all took part in baking this recipe for my Mom who was craving Christmas cookies but didn't have the time to bake them. We surprised her with a big batch of these goodies, and good ole Uncle Jim introduced my 1 year old daughter to chocolate by letting her bite the tops off the Hershey Kisses. She has been a fiend ever since.

Ingredients

• 1 stick of Butter
• 1/2 C Creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 C granulated sugar
• 1/2 brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbl Milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 3/4 C flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• bag of Hershey Kisses, unwrapped
  

Directions

• Cream the butter in a stand mixer
• Add peanut butter, then the sugars
• Add egg, milk and vanilla and beat well
• In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture
• Cover and chill at least 1 hour
• Preheat oven to 375
• Shape dough into 1 in balls (I use a melon baller for consistent size) and roll in additional sugar
  
• Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets
• Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating halfway through, until edges are firm
• Remove from the oven and immediately press a Hershey Kiss on top of each cookie
• Cool and serve. Makes 60 or so

Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies

These cookies quickly became a favorite of a large contingent of my office mates, my mother, and myself. They're just plain yummy!

Ingredients

• 1 C Shortening
• 1 1/2 C granulated Sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 C Molasses
• 4 C flour
• 4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ginger
• additional sugar for dipping

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350
• Cream shortening and sugar
• Add eggs and molasses
• Sift flour with cinnamon, baking soda, salt and ginger
• Add to sugar mixture and mix well
• Cover and chill for at least 1 hour
  
• Roll into 1 inch balls and coat with granulated sugar
• Place on an ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart
• Bake 12-15 minutes rotating halfway through baking time
• Cool on a cooling rack
  
• Makes 3 dozen

Iced Sugar Cookies

No Christmas would be complete without iced and decorated sugar cookies. My daughter had a blast decorating the cookies with her Daddy, but I'm not sure my kitchen will ever fully recover!

Ingredients

Cookies:

• 2 C Flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 C butter
• 2/3 C granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  

Icing:

• 2 C powdered Sugar
• 2 Tbl Milk
• Food coloring
• Sprinkles (if desired)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350
• Sift dry ingredients together for the cookies
• Cream butter and sugar together in a stand mixer
• Add egg and beat until well blended
• Beat in Vanilla and reduce speed to low
• Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until just combined
• Cover and Chill for at least 1 hour
• Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface
• Cut out about 40 cookies, re-rolling scraps as necessary
• Place cookies 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
• Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until lightly browned on bottom
• Cool on a wire rack
• Meanwhile, combine powdered sugar and milk, stirring until smooth
• Decorate cookies as desired

Peanut Butter -Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

These pretzels are incredibly easy to make and are a hit with a crowd.

Ingredients

• 1/2 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 C creamy peanut butter
• 1 bag of Honey Wheat Pretzel Twists
• Sprinkles, if desired (they add a festive air to the goodies)
  

Directions

• Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper
• Place chocolates in a micro-wave safe bowl
• Microwave for 30 seconds and stir, repeat until chocolate melts
• Add peanut butter and stir until smooth
• Dip and roll 1 end of a pretzel at at time in the chocolate mixture
• Place pretzel on pan and top with sprinkles if desired
• Repeat until you run out of chocolate and pretzels
• Refrigerate until served

Peanut Butter Carmel Corn

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 2 Tbl canola oil
• 1/2 C unpopped pocorn kernels
• 2/3 C packed brown sugar
• 2/3 C light corn syrup
• 2 1/2 TBL butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 C creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  

Directions

• Preheat oven to 250
• Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper
• Coat with cooking spray
• Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat
• Add popcorn, cover and cook 4 minutes, shaking pan frequently
• When popping slows, remove pan from heat
• Let stand until popping stops
• Uncover
• Meanwhile, combine sugar, syrup, butter and salt in a medium saucepan
• Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally
  
• Remove from heat
• Add peanut butter and vanilla; stir until smooth
• Drizzle over popcorn and toss well
• Spread mixture out onto prepared pan
• Bake at 250 for 1 hour
• Cool completely and break into bite sized chunks.
  

Squash, Glorious Squash

I've come to see squash of all kinds as a comfort food in the fall. Its an incredibly versatile ingredient, one that can be used in sweet and savory dishes, can be hidden amongst other ingredients or showcased as a star. The recipes below are some of my new favorites.

Indian-Spiced Roasted Squash Soup
I sent this soup home with a for a friend whose family was ill. She reported back that her three boys (ages from 6-12) gobbled it up.

Ingredients

• 1 Onion, quartered
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped thickly
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 acorn squash, quartered
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped thickly
• olive oil
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
  
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp cayanne pepper
• 4 C + Chicken Stock
• salt to taste
  
• Greek yogurt, to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 500
• Arrange veggies on a jelly roll pan in a single layer
• Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
• Roast for 30 minutes, until veggies are tender turning once
• Cool
• Peel squash and discard skins and any other burned items
• Puree veggie mixture in food processor, adding chicken stock as needed to keep mixture moving
• When the mixture is at the desired consistency, scrape it into a large saucepan
  
• Add spices and more stock to thin the mixture out; bring to a boil
• Add scoops of greek yogurt and salt to taste
• Serve (you may want to puree further using an immersion blender for a totally smooth consistency)
  

Smokey Beef and Squash Chili
Clint had a grand old time making the Chili over our fire-pit on Sunday afternoon. Needless to say, cooking over a fire-pit is not a "must have" element to this dish. Simmering over the stove for a number of hours will do just fine.

Ingredients

• Canola Oil
• 1 1/2 + lbs chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• smoked salt, or salt + liquid smoke
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 Tbl tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can diced green chiles
  
• 1 Bottle Beer
• Beef Stock, as needed
  
• Dash Cayenne Pepper
  
• Handful of Oregano
• Dash of Red Chili Flakes
• Handful of cumin
• Pinch coriander
• Pinch cinnamon
• 1 28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 15 oz can of Kidney Beans, rinsed

Directions

• Heath dutch oven, add 2 turns of oil
• Sprinkle beef with salt and add to pan; saute until browned on all sides; remove beef
• Add onion and bell pepper to pan, saute 3 min.
• Add tomato paste, garlic and green chilies to pan, stirring constantly
• Add beer and beef stock as needed and bring to boil; cook 2 minutes; return beef to pan
• Stir in spices and rest of ingredient through beans; bring to a boil
• Cover and reduce heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour or until beef is tender
• Top with cheddar cheese and sour cream
  

Mimi's Persimmon Pudding

Mimi was what my brother and I called my Mom's mom, LaVerne. She was a wonderful lady in so many ways and I have great kitchen memories of her and her cooking. One of my all time favorite kitchen memories is of her Persimmon Pudding, a pudding/brownie like concoction that she would make every fall. When I was little, I was so in love with this dish that I would sneak into her fridge where she kept the 9x13 pan to gobble up servings of it when she wasn't looking. I even remembering using the food mill to process the sticky, weird fruit into a pulp. Persimmons, for those of you who don't know, is an edible fruit (actually a berry) from a species of tree in the ebony wood family. Traditionally found in the far east, the American Persimmon is native to the eastern United States. The flesh is mushy and the texture is unique. See this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persimmon

I still have an obsession with persimmon pudding and make it every fall in honor of my Mimi. While I can eat it cold, I find that it is best served warm with a bit of Cool Whip or vanilla ice cream on top. There are lots of Persimmon pudding recipes running around Indiana, but to me, this is the best!

Ingredients:

• 2 C persimmon pulp
• 1 C milk
• 1/2 C melted butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/4 C flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 C sugar
  
• Dash Cinnamon
• Dash Nutmeg
• Dash Allspice
  

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350
  
• Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl
• Mix wet ingredients together in another bowl
• Add wet ingredients to the dry, and stir until just combined
• Pour into an ungreased 9x 13 pan
• Bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes, until set in the middle