bring it on

Nothing says togetherness like being snowed in, and that just might be the case for many of us Midwesterners tonight and tomorrow. I already loaded up on the milk, eggs, bread and such. Now I’m just trying to figure out what I’ll do with the kids home for a snow day … just when the teachers and parents were up for a full week of school! (We had only one other full week in November because of conferences, teachers meetings and the holiday.) So, here are a few of my ideas, along with an easy, yummy soup recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, Dierbergs. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

1. Finish cleaning out the 7-year-old’s room. We found actual carpeting in one spot the other day, maybe we could find the rest of his room. Build some of the 5-year-old’s dismantled castles or pirate ships. Maybe host a salon day for my daughter’s dolls.
2. Finish putting up holiday decorations.
3. PLAY IN THE SNOW … DRINK HOT CHOCOLATE … WATCH PRANCER.
4. Bring up the box from Oriental Trading and a bottle of glue. Leave it on the kitchen table and see who asks to do some crafting.
5. Bake some muffins, make a dessert or plan the treats we’ll give friends and family.
6. Break out the Easy Bake after lunch.
7. Let each kid have a long turn in the bathtub … with toys. Usually they only have time for showers.
8. Design wrapping paper with some foamy Christmas stamps, washable paint and clean newsprint.
9. PLAY IN THE SNOW … DRINK HOT CHOCOLATE … WATCH AN AMERICAN GIRL MOVIE.
10. Make dinner together … one kid can Crock-pot the soup together, one kid can put the Pillsbury Crescent Rolls on the cookie sheet and one kid can help Daddy make hot chocolate for dessert.

I’d love to hear about your perfect snow day. Snuggle up, winter’s really here this time!

Tuscan Vegetable Soup From the Best of Dierbergs
This warm and wonderful soup is a meal that the whole family will love. Keep the ingredients on hand for a dinner that’s ready in minutes.

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
½ cup thinly sliced celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1 15.5-oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1 14-oz. can beef broth
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
1 15-oz can cannelloni or navy beans, rinsed and drained
Shredded asiago cheese

In a dutch oven or large saucepan, cook ground beef, onion, celery, and garlic over medium-high heat until beef is no longer pink; drain any fat. Add tomatoes with their juice, broth, carrots, and seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in beans. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Top each serving with asiago cheese. Makes 6 servings

*Note: No celery for my gang … I double this to feed the five of us and we just use Kraft grated parmesan on top because it’s what’s always around. (It's also good with Italian sausage.) Enjoy!

resolute

What does it say about me that I came down from my pumpkin-pie high, shook off my tryptophan hangover (You know that sleepy stuff in turkey?) and already am contemplating what I want to change about my life in the New Year? Furthermore, what does it say about me that I am unwilling to attempt change until that mystical, magical 1-1 date?

Maybe these are questions for another place but I have been asking them of myself as I look at the last white room in my house and remember the paint awaits me in the basement. I have been asking them of myself when I’m gasping for breath at karate … or when I don’t get up in the morning and do a few exercises to get in better shape.

And as the pages turn I’ve been asking myself about changes as I look at my calendar. December is full already. It is a dazzling, dizzying to-do list out of which has been squeezed every moment we can manage with family, friends and colleagues. And, as I looked at it, my commitment to family meals became even more resolute.

I missed dinner with Hubby and the three kids last night because of a meeting. He’ll miss dinner with the four of us for the same reason tomorrow. That leaves Friday as the first time this week the five of us will eat dinner together … a very unusual thing for us, just one dinner together in a week. But it got me to thinking about something that might help people who want to make regular family meals a New Year’s Resolution.

Book now.

Let’s be honest, in this world certain plans must be made a month out to get them to happen. Put a family meal on that list. Write it in on the family planner. Color code it so you know everyone has that block of time set aside. Consider it an appointment that can’t be changed, just as you would a doctor’s appointment or work deadline. Take that fresh, clean calendar and color in one day a month … or two days a month … or even one day a week … that will be your time to sit down and eat together. We can talk about what to eat later. Right now we just have to whip out that jellyfishing net and catch the whisps of change as they float through a crowded sea of holiday thoughts. After all, if we can block out time for the company gathering, the school function, the church activities, scouting commitments and team parties can’t we block out one night a month for the people we live with?

I’ll probably spend the next few days re-reading the statistics that have convinced me to share the importance of regular family meals with as many people as I can reach; putting together a few posts that bring some numbers into focus. Then as the holidays draw near I hope we can swap some more recipes, exchange a few mealtime strategies and share some of the traditions that make this the most wonderful time of the year for people from so many different traditions. Can’t wait to hear from you as block out those calendars!

grandma and grandpa

It was a modest home, just right for the single-floor lifestyle of two folks in their 70s … 80s … 90s. My grandparents were in that house more than 40 years. This is only the second November that won’t see it filled with relatives Saturday. Every year, since the dawn of time it seems, Grandma and Grandpa had the family over on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It allowed for Thanksgiving with all the in-laws as well as a chance for all of us … whether 15 or 35 … to pile in for some time together.

The table stretched nearly the length of the house. It’s a rare memory of a kids’ table at Gram’s place. She always wanted everyone together. Sometimes we were sitting so close to each other I had to lean down to my fork because there was no space to lift my arm! It was hot in there. It was loud in there. The years spent there are a blur of one big holiday memory.

The buffet was always the same, set up in the same place, served on the same dishes … some of which are mine now. As she aged a switch was made to food everyone brought in. Her finery was replaced with Chinette and nobody cared. The women dutifully put out the tablecloths and the coasters under Grandma’s supervision. The men dutifully removed the trash from a busy kitchen so Grandpa wouldn’t try to navigate the crowd with his walker. I often think how fitting it was that her kitchen actually sat in the center of her house.

I think that way because I really don’t remember the eating. There are little flashes, like the year that proud old Illinois farm girl insisted I taste minced meat pie. Out of respect I did. I knew I’d be in trouble if I spit it out. Needless to say, I’ve never touched the stuff again. Cauliflower with cheese sauce. Those tiny cereal boxes she would arrange so carefully for her breakfast buffet. Why did Frosted Flakes taste better out of that cool little box?

Then there was the time at that house-long table that the over-21 cousins casually allowed the teen-ager some wine. The parents (sitting at the same table but literally in another room) probably knew. But the teen-ager thought she was getting away with something, just as she had thought so years earlier when her cousins would eat what she didn't like or feed it to their dogs.

Mostly when I think about it though, I think about collecting pine cones in their yard, or being allowed to stay up and watch Saturday Night Live for the first time, or meeting my cousin’s husband for the first time, or Scrabble games, or sitting with a silver Schnauzer puppy asleep in my lap and learning about the work that goes into breeding and raising puppies.

When Grandma or Grandpa said it was time to eat we all knew what that meant. The TV went off (or the sound was turned down ... no mute in those days!) and we would all squeeze into the kitchen. More often than not a prayer was said before the line would form. Plates would be filled, as would the chairs at the house-long table.

As you settle in to savor your day’s work Thursday I hope the food fades into the background for you, too. So what if Uncle John is complaining the turkey is dry. He’s laughing at that same story he and your dad always tell about the year your grandma dropped the bird and the dog got to it. So Aunt Shelly is bemoaning the absence of can-shaped cranberries. She had three helpings of your sweet potatoes while telling your mom all about her cruise last month. And so it will go across the country. Tensions will rise and fall. Buffets will be set and cleared. Trash cans will fill and be emptied.

I hope the company you’ve gathered fills your house with the sights and sounds of the holidays. The laughter … the stories you know by heart … the new stories you'll tell again ... the football commentary … the children bobbing in and out of a forest of knees … the familiar debate that ends with the familiar refill, all parties agreeing to disagree … the ringing in you ears once all have called it a day … the sigh you release as the last dish is dried … the creak in your bones as you put your feet up in the silence, satisfied not only in the making of a meal, but in the making of memories.

The table is set. Enjoy your day.

deap breath ... long lines

I used to love coming back to my cashier’s job at Thanksgiving. I worked through part of high school and most of college at a Tulsa grocery store. But Thanksgiving was always the best. Sure, you were worn out by the end of the day, but that Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (yoiks!) went by so fast because of how busy the store was. I went out yesterday and encountered the crowds I usually avoid by grocery shopping during the week. Over the next days the lines will only get longer, the aisles more crowded. All I could think was: “I gotta meet the bus at home! But getting stressed out is only going to make it worse. OK. Just take a deep breath and you’ll be out of here before you know it.”

So I hope all of you out in it this weekend find what you need on the first trip and can enjoy passing the time “on que” with Brittany, Brad-gelina, TomCat and company.

I thought I’d round up some make-ahead Thanksgiving dishes with appetizers. We space out the day by eating a few appetizers somewhere between noon and two, then have the feast about 5 and dessert later. But these little gems come in handy for the other three nights we have visitors … something to fill the void after a long drive on Wednesday or to nibble during the card games. Most of them are easy to make with the kids, even really young ones. My daughter started learning to make the Olive Cheese Spread when she was about 4. Except for chopping the onions, everything else is ready for her to mix together. At 8 she can get all the ingredients and tools together and just waits for the onions to be ready. Usually we talk about her favorite stories or what she’s reading at the time, but sometimes something more significant will come up and we’ll have an important talk. Can’t wait to see how much more I learn when she can do the dishes!

Other times my brothers will show up in the kitchen. They both do all of their cooking and are great help. Usually these conversations are never serious … just a lot of laughter and maybe a few stories about when we got in trouble as kids. The work goes by almost as quickly as one of those turkey shifts in the grocery store, and I fall asleep quite thankful for Thanksgiving traditions.

Aunt Lesa always has a great appetizer for family gatherings. Here are two quick, easy ones.
Artichoke Dip
1 14 to 15-oz. can artichokes in water
¾ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. garlic powder Drain and chop artichokes, mix with other ingredients. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or microwave on high for 6 minutes, stirring halfway through. Serve warm with an assortment of crackers.

(Lesa notes to use the regular-sized packet of Italian dressing mix for this one.)
Fiesta Salsa Dip
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 4½-oz. can black olives, chopped
1 4½-oz. can diced green chilies, drained
Mix 1 packet (0.7 ounce) Italian dressing according to the directions. Pour over all ingredients and mix well. Chill 4 hours or more. Serve with tortilla chips.

My cousin Gayle shared her mom’s much-sought-after meatball recipe. “Throw the finished meatballs in a crock pot and you have a great hot appetizer,” Gayle writes.
Cocktail Meatballs
Meatballs: 2 lbs. ground beef
1 envelope Onion Soup mix
1 cup bread crumbs
3 eggs
Mix the above, roll into small balls and put in a shallow roasting pan
Sauce: 1 small can sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
1 12-oz. can whole cranberries
1 cup brown sugar
1 bottle Heinz Chili Sauce
1 chili sauce bottle filled with water
Simmer sauce ingredients for 10 minutes. Pour over meatballs. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours. Do not brown the meatballs

The next few are from my mom and are great to make ahead. Garnish the LID to a plastic container with leaf lettuce and place the cheese ball on top. Seal the container to the LID and later serve the cheese ball on the disguised LID, saving you from damaging your carefully crafted cheese ball.
Cheese Ball
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
½ t Lawry’s seasoned salt
½ t Worcestershire sauce
1-8 green onions, chopped
1 5-ounce package dried beef
Finely chop half of the beef and onions. Combine with other ingredients, mixing well. Shape into a ball. Cover the cheese ball with the remaining beef and onions to prevent drying. Chill at least two hours.

Many years ago I would offer to assemble these for Mom whenever guests were over … one for them, one for me! And from there, my husband’s family learned to serve it cold as a spread on anything from taco chips to rye bread. As for me, well, it was often a meal when I was in college, and still serves as lunch every now and then.
Olive Cheese Spread
8 ounces grated cheddar cheese
2¼ ounces (1 can) chopped black olives
2-3 chopped green onions
mayonnaise
1 loaf party rye bread
Combine cheese, olives, onions and mayonnaise, using only enough mayonnaise to make the mixture spreadable. Chill at least two hours. Spread mixture on rye bread and place under broiler until cheese melts. Serve hot.

Aunt Sally forwards a quick make-ahead starter, too.
Raspberry Cheese Spread
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack orprovel cheese
6 chopped green onions
1 cup chopped pecans
4-6 Tbsps. mayonnaise
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce Line a 9-inch pie pan with plastic wrap. Mix all ingredients together and press into pan. Chill at least 2 hours. When ready to serve, invert pie pan onto a plate. Remove plastic wrap and spread with rasberry fruit spread or raspberry preserves. Serve with an assortment of crackers.

more than the main celebration

Either of these creamy, cheesy side dishes does great at a brunch. They are easy to whip up ahead of time and then pop in the oven when you need to. When the holidays roll around there is usually one house in our family that ends up stuffed with people. When it’s mine that means about 11 of us under one roof for as much as four days, so I try to have a pretty good plan not only for the main celebration, but for all the eating that has to go on between shopping, decorating, trips to the movies and card games. We’re pretty easy going, so I can set my family a breakfast buffet and they will take care of the rest, popping a pre-made single-serving rendition of the 7-Layer Side dish into the microwave and pouring a cup of coffee. These family recipes offer the same flexibility, with some scrambled eggs and fresh fruit on the side. (I’ve been known to pull the fully cooked dish from the fridge and they’ll scoop out and microwave what they want! Don’t ya’ just love ’em?) The second has a lighter sauce, because it is made with twice as many potatoes. Have fun.

Those Potatoes
1 lb frozen hash browns
½ cup butter
½ cup chopped onion
1 10-ounce can cream of celery soup
1 10-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
1 pint sour cream
Thaw hash browns. Preheat oven to 350. Sauté onion in ½ cup butter. Add soups and sour cream. Place thawed hash browns in a greased 9x13-inch casserole dish. Pour sauce over the potatoes and stir. Pour ¼ cup melted butter over mixture. Bake 30 minutes at 350 or until bubbly hot in the middle. Add 8-12 (10) ounces shredded cheddar cheese and continue to bake 15 minutes.

Hash Brown Potatoes
2 lbs frozen cubed hash browns
1 cup sour cream
½ cup onion
1 can cream of celery soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup butter, melted
¼ cup butter, melted
¾ cup corn flakes, crushed
Preheat oven to 375. Mix ½ cup melted butter over hash browns; mix in cream of celery soup, sour cream, 2 cups cheese and onion. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Mix ¼ cup melted butter into crushed corn flakes; spread over the top of hash browns. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Remove cover and bake 15 minutes more.

we are all connected

In the 1940s James Beard, a mentor to the home chef, published the first major cookbook dedicated to appetizers then followed it up with the likes of outdoor cooking, cooking on a budget and many other cookbooks. He made regular contributions to Woman’s Day, Gourmet and House & Garden. He opened his cooking schools in the 1950s and traveled the country teaching cooking classes for more than 30 years. I share a bit of his history as an introduction to his foundation’s annual awards for food journalism.

Food sections at newspapers around the country are rolling out their Thanksgiving advice these next days, so I’ve re-organized the sidebar to better connect you to the ones the experts at the James Beard Foundation have said were the best in the nation the past two years. You might be asked to register for free membership or you might have to pull down from the paper’s home page to get to the food section, but these weekly food sections are a great way to keep up with regional trends and food news (such as the big spinach recall). They also plump-up my recipe binder. You might find a new favorite resource or share your a link you use regularly. I love exploring new places for recipes.

And, as long as I’m sharing links, I offer this reminder from the major grocers in my hometown of just how connected we are. Scouting for Food is a year-round program so, if a bag wasn’t on your door last weekend, watch for it in the future.

Happy surfing … back with more starchy recipes tomorrow!

is it stuffing or is it dressing?

Grandma always put the turkey livers and gizzards in her stuffing/dressing. It was what made it hers. Mom says my uncle used to try to swipe the finely chopped bits from the kids’ plates, but we all liked them, too. In the giant pan they were tiny treasures to those who enjoyed the surprise texture and flavor they added to Grandma’s stuffing/dressing.

It was the second Thanksgiving dinner I ever prepared and I had learned my lesson: Get help. Hubby’s great about these things and had no problem taking over the bird AND the stuffing/dressing. He got recipes from his mom and made them his own (“Just say ‘NO!’ to celery,” Hubby says.) and my Mom has raved about his stuffing/dressing ever since. It was then that her secret came out: She had never cared for her mother’s recipe … all because of the same ingredient everyone always raved about! And that leads to this point: It is impossible to 100 percent satisfy the many palettes you will try to please next Thursday. Have fun in the creating and keep a little voice in the back of your head: “Taste’s good to me!”

So, the first of these stuffing/dressing recipes is my husband’s … except for the celery. Usually he has me chop one rib just so people can see it there. :) The second recipe is one that was shared with me for a story I did several years ago for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

For more than 30 years Julius Hunter brought St. Louisans the local evening news. Before his retirement he agreed to be featured in the Food Section for Thanksgiving. It was the beginning of friendship that still brings me surprise phone calls or e-mails … each with a new tip or culinary creation he has to share. This cornbread-sausage stuffing has been done in his family for years. Aside from Thanksgiving, Hunter says it’s wonderful with pork chops or in the center of a crown roast. “But nothing, absolutely nothing under the sun is better than this stuff with eggs,” Hunter says. You can bet that next Friday morning he’ll be enjoying it topped with two eggs over easy.

Old-Fashioned Dressing
3 sticks butter or margarine
1 cup finely chopped onion
3-4 cups finely chopped celery
1 Tbsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
12 cups (about one loaf) fresh-white-bread cubed

Melt ½ cup butter in skillet over low heat. Add onion and celery; sauté until golden—about 10 minutes. Toss lightly with rest of dressing ingredients in large bowl just until mixed. Spoon dressing into neck cavity. Bring skin of neck over back; fasten with poultry pin. Spoon dressing into body cavity. Be careful not to pack it. Insert about 5 poultry pins, at regular intervals, to draw body opening together. With long piece of twine, lace cavity closed, bootlace fashion; tie with knot. Bake any leftovers in a covered casserole. Keep a can of chicken broth nearby to add to stuffing a little at a time in case it begins to dry out in casserole pan.

Julius Hunter’s Cornbread-Sausage Stuffing
This recipe has been updated from what Hunter’s grandmother, Hattie Coates, taught him years ago. For a more festive stuffing, Hunter uses 1 cup red bell pepper and 1 cup green bell pepper. And for a more cake-like texture, use two eggs in the breadcrumbs. Temper the stuffing by choosing your favorite sausage. Hunter enjoys spicy food and so usually uses hot sausage. “I say go for it,” he says. “It shouldn’t overwhelm the turkey, but it should be flavorful.”

2 cups coarsely chopped onion
2 cups coarsely chopped celery
2 cups coarsely chopped green bell pepper
4 cloves peeled, chopped garlic
1 pound pork sausage
¼ cup olive oil
Sage to taste (Hunter uses about 3 Tbsps.)
1 Tbsp. pepper
1 tsp. oregano
2 cups herbed, seasoned stuffing (white and wheat bread crumbs)
2 cups corn bread stuffing
1 level tsp. baking powder
1 egg
3 cups turkey broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sautee vegetables and garlic in olive oil until the onions are transparent. At the same time, crumble the sausage into a separate pan and brown. Combine vegetables and sausage. Add sage, pepper and oregano to the vegetables. Mix well. Cover and turn off heat. Let steam 7-10 minutes. While vegetables steam, combine breadcrumbs, egg and baking powder until egg is absorbed. Add the sausage-veggie mixture to the breadcrumb mixture and mix well. Slowly stir in broth until the bread is just moistened. Let stand about 15 minutes so broth can be absorbed. Place in a greased, 9x13 pan. Bake about 1 hour or until the sides and bottom are brown and bubbling. The stuffing should rebound when you poke it with your finger.

me and mashed puh-taters

For all of you planning to host the biggest meal of the year, we’re getting down to the wire … well, for planning that is. There’s still time to make appetizers, side dishes and desserts, as well as some other fun things, ahead. Getting that done will give you more time to visit with your guests. After all, that what it’s all about. Sometimes, though, pleasing all of our guests can create unexpected stress for a hostess. For me that stress comes with the obligatory mashed potatoes.

I love mashed potatoes. I love the way they just melt away. I love the way they can be sculpted into a culinary terrain, the perfect Gravy Lake surrounded by Mountains. I do not enjoy making them. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty bad at it. On the recommendation of a friend, I’ll be trying the Bob Evans heat and serve mashed potatoes sometime soon. Nothing beats saving time (and stress) so I can enjoy my time with family more.

In readying myself for this week I came to a sudden realization. I don’t really make many potatoes, unless you count Ore Ida. I love Ore Ida. Easy to make. Easy to clean up. Aside from that, though, rice and pasta are much more common in our house, or a nice, warm loaf of bread. But I know how it goes. If the mashed potatoes aren’t there, somebody inevitably will ask, “Where are the mashed potatoes?” If it isn’t the relative who just flat out says it loud it will be an undeniable rumble beneath the surface of your feast. “Why wouldn’t she make mashed potatoes?”

Because I can’t, that’s why. They either come out soupy or lumpy. OK? The flavor is good, but the texture is bad, so I just don’t make them. Please try the casserole, it’s one of our favorites.

Here are some of the mashed potato recipes I have tried, none of which have come out quite as creamy as the mashed potatoes our moms or my brother make. I always enjoy leftover mashed potatoes, but making them ahead is up to you.

And mentioning our moms and my brother brings up one more point about family meals and holiday stress. After my first effort at hosting Thanksgiving dinner (Lumpy potatoes and salty pie are family lore now!) I discovered how much more enjoyable the weekend is when you ask for help. When the gang’s all here I usually ask my mom to do the potatoes and his mom to make the gravy (which I also make lumpy and salty!). Teamwork creates great conversation in the kitchen and lowers stress in the host. My brother, king of Ranch Potatoes, usually helps me the day before with appetizers. It’s a good time for one-on-one conversation … nobody else can bear to watch the fixins fly as the two of us chop … chop … chop and the dog circles the kitchen, retrieving runaway bread, cheese and vegetables from the floor!

(P.S.—All the links in this post will take you to recipe finders I just found. Enjoy!)

Hidden Valley Ranch Mashed Potatoes
Prepare 4 cups of mashed potatoes from scratch, or instant mashed potatoes according to package directions, omitting salt. Stir in Hidden Valley Original Ranch Salad Dressing Mix and, if desired, add butter or margarine.

Swanson Skinny Mashed Potatoes
Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook Time: 15 minutes.
5 large potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces*
2 14.5-oz cans Swanson Chicken Broth
Generous dash pepper

In saucepan place potatoes and broth. Over high heat, heat to a boil. Cover and cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain, reserving broth. Mash potatoes with 1 ¼ cups broth and pepper. If needed, add additional broth until potatoes are desired consistency.
*You can use instant potato flakes or buds. Substitute the broth for the water and milk and omit the butter.

This one is from the Dec. 2000, issue of Better Homes and Gardens. Click on the link in my sidebar for their recipe finder. Click on the images to see them larger. (Jolly Holidays, by Melanie Bernard. Photo by Colleen Duffley. Food Stylist: Pouké. Prop Stylist: Karen Johnson.)

This one came from Easy Everyday Cooking.

recipe finders

I don’t do it very often, about once a year really. It used to be I would host a home party, you know, Mary Kaye, Pampered Chef, Southern Living at Home. This year, however, I took a different approach. As happens so often to me, food was the excuse for the togetherness.

I invited some new friends over for a night of treats and recipe swapping. The coffee table was mounded with cookbooks. We had two scanner/printer/copiers plugged in and we talked about how we get our families together for meals, survive the holidays, savor secret pleasures and seek out easier, faster ways to get the same great results our mothers and grandmothers got. Everybody left with a fistful of new recipes to try … and I snuck away with a few new links. They will be added to the fun food finds links in the sidebar. Hope they help you out when you’re in a pinch. And if you’re interested in this cute cake, click on the picture for the Parents Magazine recipe. Happy weekend!

Taste of Home

Kraft Food and Family

Woman’s Day

Rival Crock-Pot

Parents Magazine

dare to go there

Today we’re going to go where no kid (and where many adults!) would rather not … Spinachville. It’s a very happy place, actually, if you pack the right spices, some butter and maybe some cheese. I offer one disguise and one pick-and-play ... my sons have become experts at extracting the offensive greenery and eating the mushrooms, noodles and potatoes. I use these recipes as a segue because I’m hoping to share some potato/pasta/rice recipes next week, some of which I like to serve for brunch. Either of these recipes is good at brunch, too, with some fresh fruit and warm turkey croissant sandwiches. Assemble the soufflé ahead of time and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake. Bake the 7-layer dish (which can be made in a plain casserole pan) and just reheat to serve. It's one of those great finds from the coupon section in the newspaper. One last note … I usually only make a half recipe when I make soufflé. Enjoy!

Spinach Soufflé
2 packages frozen spinach
6-8 T flour
½ lb. American cheese
½ lb. margarine
½ lb. brick cheese
6 eggs
2 lbs cottage cheese
dash pepper

Cook and drain spinach. Mix butter, cubed American and brick cheeses and flour in the warm pan from the spinach until cheeses melt. Combine with spinach in a large bowl, mix well and cool. Add other ingredients, mix well. Pour into a buttered 2 qt. casserole, leaving about ½-inch of space at the top. Bake uncovered for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

(Click on the image below to enlarge.)

More from my spy kit

Here’s another disguise that even the youngest can assemble if you do the chopping. Prep it and put it in the fridge until it’s time to bake.

Sometimes my kids eat this one, other times not. Either way, it has to do with the onions. Some cooks go with the school of thought that if vegetables are so small the kids can’t see them then the kids will eat them without knowing the difference. Others go with the idea of leaving veggies big so kids can just pick out the offensive tidbits and get on with it. For the “the smaller the better” bunch, we’ll leave out the onions and add some onion powder to the spice mix. For the “let ’em pick it out” pack, coarsely chop the onions and tomatoes rather than slicing them. Chunks are easy to flick to the side of the plate. My mom found this in a Green Giant cookbook somewhere and it’s been passed around the family since. Sell them as “Spaghetti Beans.”

Green Beans Italian Style
1 16-oz. can French Cut green beans, drained
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. garlic
¼ tsp. oregano
1-2 large tomatoes, sliced
1 small onion sliced and separated into rings
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsps. butter or margarine

Heat oven to 350. In a small bowl combine beans and seasonings. Spread half of bean mixture in an 8x8 baking dish. Top with tomato slices, onion rings and ½ cup cheese. Spread remaining beans over cheese and dot with butter or margarine. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

art of disguise

There are lots of ways to hide vegetables on your kids’ plates. Sometimes, though, you just put them right out there in the open … with sugar on top. Sounds strange, I know, but these carrots offer a sweetness I can only describe as “Thanksgiving sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top.” My sons, however, find those to be an unpleasing texture. But they fight over the leftovers from this recipe, which they call “Favorite Carrots.” It was handed from a friend to hubby’s mom and then to me. Whip it up, cover it, and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake. P.S.—I just boil a 1-pound bag of baby carrots. Why peel and slice?

Carrot Soufflé
1 lb. cooked carrots, sliced
3 eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsps. all purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 stick sweet butter, melted
Dash nutmeg or cinnamon
For Topping:
3 Tbsps. brown sugar
2 Tbsps. softened butter
½ cup crushed corn flakes

Preheat oven to 350. Combine cooked carrots and eggs in a blender or food processor (fitted with a chopping blade). Pulse in the sugar, flour, vanilla, butter and spice. Pour mixture into a 1½ -quart baking dish. Bake for one hour uncovered. Meanwhile combine topping ingredients until you get a crumbly mixture. Add topping to soufflé and bake 10 minutes more.

a bid for holiday harmony

Now more than any other time of the year our thoughts turn to gathering at the table. Whether you’re playing host or traveling, food again is the excuse for the togetherness. So who wants to spoil the season with what the folks at Iron Chef might call Battle Vegetables? In an effort to bring peaceful holiday meals to moms everywhere I hope to offer some easy side dishes this month that your kids might like to make … and eat!

I got this one from Jennifer Benes, wife of former Cardinals pitcher Andy Benes, when I did a story on her family and how they cook together. It never really had a name, but her oldest always called it “that good casserole,” so that’s what it is. Easy and yummy. Feel free to put “low-fat” in front of any of the ingredients. I’ve substituted cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soups for the cream of celery. Make it ahead and keep it in the fridge until oven time. Avoid the microwave … the topping won’t get crunchy.

“That good casserole”
1 15-ounce can corn, drained
1 14-ounce can cut green beans, drained
½ cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 10.5-ounce can cream of celery soup
1 sleeve Ritz crackers (about 36 crackers), crushed
1 stick melted butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix corn and green beans, layer at the bottom of a casserole dish. Combine sour cream, soup and cheese. Pour over vegetables. Stir crackers into butter until butter is absorbed. Sprinkle crumbs over top of casserole. Bake covered for 45 minutes.

tradition

Tradition is tradition and we’re coming up on a time of year where that word is tethered to the family table. For our family it starts on Halloween, a night on which none of my children has ever begged candy without first taking in a warm bowl of Grandpa’s chili. His chili and a heavy bucket of candy are linked in their minds. So, in honor of this Halloween tradition I share this story, which I wrote for Sauce Magazine in 2003. There are three recipes at the bottom … all good in a Crockpot. Enjoy!

One look at “an original recipe for chili” shows that what we call chili just isn’t the same thing. By and large, Midwestern chili has chopped vegetables, beans, and ground beef. The beef stands alone in a traditional Texas Red. And, newer to the table, are the bean-packed, meatless chilis so many Americans enjoy.

What makes this dish so uniquely American isn’t its history on the wide open range. It’s that it’s a regional dish, it’s a controversial dish and it’s a powerful force.

No, the power isn’t packed in the cayenne pepper. The power is packed in our ability to respectfully disagree. For all the differences in us and in what we call chili, no matter how it’s served, chili brings us together.

An on-line search for the history of chili only confirms that, when it comes to this dish, no one agrees on anything. Not even the history. It can be said with certainty, however, that chili was popularized on the cattle trails of the Old West. Born of necessity, this dish accomplished two things. The seasonings adequately disguised meat that would be otherwise unacceptable and the combination of meat and finely ground cornmeal filled the stomachs of hungry men.

But even then, there were arguments as to who made the best chili, as well as signs that nothing brings us closer than a quality bowlful.

The James boys were said to enjoy more than one bowl of Texas Red, but apparently had strong opinions about what they ate. According to legend, there was a chili parlor so good in Fort Worth, Texas, that Frank and Jesse decided to spare the local bank. Still other stories tie chili to outlaws and lawmen alike. Pat Garrett apparently found at least one redeeming quality in William “Billy the Kid” Bonney, reportedly saying, “Anybody that eats chili can’t be all bad.”

The concoction made its way from the trails to the towns, and soon to the cities. By the late 1800s, the Chili Queens were perfecting their recipes, in hopes of winning the most late-night customers on San Antonio’s Military Plaza. The women would cook at home, then load brightly decorated carts and head for the plaza. There they would build mesquite fires and customers would perch themselves on small stools, partaking in their favorite blend from small crocks. Eventually health officials put a stop to the tradition, but not before chili had found its way across the country.

It was inevitable, really. Chili warms you up, feeds a crowd and is cheap. Those were especially important qualities for food during the Great Depression ... and we still appreciate those qualities today. That’s why one unifying force among Midwestern chili chefs is the chili season. On this they agree: It starts in October. But, when does it end?

“Thanksgiving?” asks Ed of Des Peres, Mo. He’s surprised by the response of one of his teammates at the Missouri State Chili Cook-Off. “How are you going to have it for the Super Bowl? You start making chili in October and you stop about St. Patrick’s Day, when you switch to corned beef.”

By and large, the rule around here seems to be to start making chili when it gets cold and to stop when it warms up. But what goes in the pot stirs more friendly debate than any of the other disputed facts about the dish. All that can be determined from some of the area’s most die-hard chili chefs is this: It’s not soup, and it’s not stew

“I don’t like it thin,” says former cook-off winner Mike of Manchester, Mo. “Sometimes, it gets too thick. I like it just down the middle of the road, where the spoon just gently rocks to the side.

“If I wanted thin, I’d eat vegetable soup,” he continues. “If I wanted it thick, I’d eat beef stew.”

Chili should hold its place, on a spoon or atop a hot dog. It can be over things, such as crackers or macaroni. It can be topped, usually by grated cheddar cheese. Beans, no beans; tomatoes, no tomatoes; meat, no meat … it’s all up for grabs.

“It’s like a snowflake,” says cook-off competitor Mike of South St. Louis County. “Even though it’s similar, it’s never the same twice.”

And in that lies the beauty of the dish. It’s up to the individual. Strict followers of written recipes might never climb the ranks to chili greatness. More than any other meal, you make it up as you go along, using what you have on hand, just as those cooks did so long ago on the trail. And when those who come together to eat it argue over what makes it great, you’ll know you’ve found a winner.

Original Texas Red
This recipe, adapted from one found at www.recipesource.com, is based on the originals. Note the minimal ingredients … it seems real cowboys didn’t have time to soak beans or chop vegetables.

3 lbs ground or cubed chuck
¼ cup oil
2 cups water
1 tsp. salt or to taste
10 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
¾ cup chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried cayene pepper or to taste
½ tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
½ cup Masa (fine ground corn meal)

In a large skillet, saute meat in oil until browned. Add water and simmer 1½ to 2 hours. In a small bowl, mix chili powder, salt, garlic, cumin, oregano, cayene pepper, black pepper and sugar. Add to skillet. Simmer 30 minutes ... cooking longer will cause spices to lose flavor. In a small bowl mix flour and Masa. Wisk flour-Masa mixture into chili ... stirring constantly to prevent sticking. Bring mixture back to simmer until thickened. Remove from heat. Serve over beans, rice, hot dogs, enchiladas, burritos, or eat plain. Top with grated cheese.

5 beans, 3 peppers and a beer
1½ cups finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 cup finely chopped yellow bell pepper
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1½ tsp. dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15-oz. can Great Northern beans
1 15-oz. can butter beans
1 15-oz. can navy beans
1 15-oz. can kidney beans
1 15-oz. can black beans
6 oz. beer (I use Hofbrau House Oktoberfest)
Optional: 3 Tbsp. flour mixed with ½ cup Masa (fine ground corn meal)

Combine ingredients in a large crock pot, stirring thoroughly. Cook at least 3 hours. To thicken chili, whisk in flour-Masa mixture 15 minutes before serving.

Chicken With 3 White Beans
This recipe is my adaptation of QB Drew Bledsoe's Patriotic White Chicken Chili, found on Page 7 of AllStar Feast Cookbook, compiled by Wendy Diamond (1997).

1 lb. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 medium carrots cut in 2-inch sections
2 stalks celery, with leaves, cut in 2-inch sections
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
10 cups cold water
6 chicken bouillon cubes
3-4 cups diced cooked chicken
1½ cups chopped onion
1 15-oz. can Navy beans
1 15-oz. can butter beans
1 15-oz. Great Northern beans
1 7-oz. can diced green chiles
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. ground cumin
1½ tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. dried cayenne pepper
4 cups chicken broth

In a large pot, combine chicken, carrots, celery, quartered onion, sliced garlic cloves and water. Cook covered, over medium heat, about 45 minutes. Remove chicken and reserve. Add bouillon cubes and cook, uncovered over medium heat, about 15 minutes more. Strain. Reserve broth and discard vegetables. In same pot, combine chopped chicken and onion, beans, chiles, seasonings and broth. Cook, uncovered over medium heat, until it reaches a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, over low heat, 1 to 3 hours more. Serve topped with grated Monterey Jack cheese. For more power, serve with grated pepper-jack cheese.