Cooking with KP: May 2011

Zucchini Casserole

Here is another great recipe that Amanda prepared for dinner. Very good.

3 large zucchini squash,

sliced 1 medium onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cans cream of celery soup (you could sub mushroom or use 1 of each)

2 eggs (beaten)

2 Tablespoons mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

pepper to taste

8 ounces of shredded Monterrey jack cheese

8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups Garlic and Herb or Italian bread crumbs

1 1/2 stick margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet add olive oil and saute zucchini, onions, and bell peppers until nearly done. In mixing bowl, mix soup, eggs, mayonnaise, sugar, pepper and cheeses. Stir in sauteed zucchini, onions, and peppers. In another bowl, mix bread crumbs and margarine. Put a layer of zucchini mixture in casserole dish. Top with 1/2 bread crumbs mixture. Continue with another layer of squash and then bread crumbs. Bake 25-30 minutes.

Berry Cobbler

Amanda made this last night and it is amazing. Try it for Memorial Day and let me know if you like it.

1 pint whole fresh blueberries
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 1/2 cup self-rising flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 stick margarine

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place stick of margarine in glass baking dish. Let melt in oven as oven is preheating. In a large bowl, hand mix flour, granulated sugar, milk, cinnamon and vanilla. When margarine has melted, pour batter into baking dish. Margarine will bubble somewhat to the top and sides. Do not mix. Add berries to top of batter; do not mix. Then add nuts to top of berries. Sprinkle brown sugar on top of entire cobbler. Bake 50-75 minutes until golden brown and toothpick inserted into the middle of cobbler is nearly clean. If the sides of cobbler start to get too brown while you are waiting for middle to cook, cover edges with aluminium foil. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Chicken and Stuffing in Shells

Here is a recipe a friend shared with me. She makes it often for pot luck suppers and it is a huge hit. We had it for dinner tonight. Totally awesome!

2 cups cooked chicken breasts, diced small (great for leftovers)
1 box Stove Top Cornbread Stuffing (put in dry; do not cook)
1 cup light mayonnaise
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 can milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 box of large pasta shells, cooked, drained, and cooled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom and sides of a large casserole dish. Mix chicken, stuffing mix and mayonnaise in a large bowl. Fill shells with mixture. Place shells in casserole dish. Mix soups and milk. Pour on top. Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbling and light brown on top. Top with cheeses. Bake 5 minutes until cheeses are melted and bubbling.

West Point Broccoli Salad

There are lots of broccoli salad recipes around, including one that is sold at Walmart. However, the original broccoli salad recipe was created by an US Army chef at West Point. Here is his recipe, which I got from a military wives recipe swap. It is amazingly good. I hope you enjoy it.

2 eight ounce packages of fresh broccoli florets (I put them in the food processor for a spin or two to make smaller at times)
8 slices of bacon crisply fried, drained and broken into small pieces
1 medium red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup of raisins, especially good with golden raisins
1/4 cup of sliced almonds, try smoked ones for a different test
1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
(I have added 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese to mine at times.)
Mix all ingredients in large bowl.
Mix in small bowl:
1 cup Miracle Whip (or mayonnaise with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
Pour dressing on top of salad ingredients. Toss well. Refrigerate for 2 hours prior to serving.

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Cheaper Cuts of Beef Don't Have To Be Tough

Most people avoid the cheaper cuts of beef because they tend to be tough. With 8 children and three adults in our home, my mother had to find ways to tenderize the cheaper cuts of beef. One way to cook "down", as my mother used to say, a tough cut of beef steak is to season both sides of the steak with garlic powder, seasoned salt and pepper. Lightly brown the steak in a large skillet and on top add a diced green bell pepper, medium onion, a bay leaf, parsley flakes, a few dashes of Worchestershire sauce, and a can of diced tomatoes. Cover with lid. Let the steak simmer for 30-50 minutes. Remove lid and thicken juices by cooking 5-10 more minutes. You can also do the same with a cheap beef roast in a crock pot. Add all the ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. The flavor is simple, amazing and great with mashed potatoes.

Fall Vegetables for a Healthy You

As the fall approaches, we will all start to stay indoors more hours. This will lessen our vitamins, such as vitamin A, D, and K, which are enhanced by sunlight. Below are a few vegetables you might want to increase in your diet as the fall and later winter days approach. Besides, they are very tasty. In fact, in the next few weeks, I will be posting recipes that incorporate many of these delicious veggies.

Sweet potatoes and yams are very rich in carotenoids, vitamins A, B6, C, potassium, iron and fiber and are delicious when baked and eaten plain (without butter) or used in soups, casseroles or stir-fries.

Bell peppers are great sources of potassium, manganese, fiber and vitamins A, B, C and K. These sweet peppers are flavorful additions to salads and healthy stir-fries. You can choose from a rainbow of colors, including: green peppers,yellow peppers, orange peppers,and red peppers.

Summer and winter squash are rich in carotenoids, vitamins A and C, potassium, magnesium and fiber and can be served alone or added to many dishes.

Just a few tips for you...

Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato- based sauces. No more stains!

Use lifesavers candy to hold candles in place on your next birthday cake! Kids love them.

Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugarcone to prevent ice cream drips!

Zap garlic cloves in the microwave for 15 seconds and the skins slip right off!

If your celery begins to wilt in the fridge, fill a large cup half full of water and place celery in the cup. Put back in the fridge for two hours--it will be crisp. (Learned this from my mother).

Cooking Myth Busted

A Potato Can Save a Salty Soup or Stew. True or False? False. "This is an attractive idea, but it doesn't work because potatoes are not particularly absorbent," says Wolke, who conducted his own soup-and-potato experiment for his Cooking Myth Busters book. "There is no reason they would attract salt." If you remove the raw potato from the soup, the potato will taste salty, but so would a sponge — it has simply soaked up some of the salty liquid. Still, there is hope for salty stews: Adding a bit of vinegar or sugar can "cancel out" the saltiness by giving your taste buds competing flavors.

Super Moist Turkey

If you are looking for a way to get a moist turkey, you might try one of these family hints:

1--bake the turkey upside down--breast down for the first half of the cooking time. It will help the darker meat cook more thoroughly and the fatty juices of the darker meat will drip down to the breast and add moistness. Use a deep roasting pan for this.

2--bake the turkey with the breast up, but rub it with butter, garlic powder and pepper only. Do not salt the skin. Instead, mix salt in a cup of warm water and pour that cup of salted warm-not hot-water inside the cavity of the turkey. The salt water will steam up into the turkey, making it very moist.

3. bake the turkey with the breast up and slice two lemons and one orange in halves. Place the halves inside the seasoned turkey and the juices will steam into the meat, adding moisture and flavor.

Hint of the Week

Here is something I learned from my wonderful Mother, the greatest cook I have ever known. When you have just a small serving of cooked vegetables leftover from dinner, don't throw them away. Keep a large plastic container in the freezer and put the vegetables in the container. Mix them--carrots, corn, green beans, broccoli, etc. When the container is full make a pot of soup or stew. Also, if a recipe calls for 1/2 a chopped onion, chop the whole onion and add the half to the freezer container. My mother made the best vegetable soups from this idea.

Hint for the Week

With Fourth of July quickly approaching, you might be thinking of making Deviled Eggs. If you want perfectly boiled eggs, place eggs in a large pot and completely cover with cold water. Do not layer eggs on top of one another. Bring water to a rapid boil for 2 minutes, reduce to simmer and let eggs simmer 8 minutes, return to boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and empty hot water and fill pot with cold water. Let sit for 5 minutes. To peel easily, slightly crush shell in your fist and roll on counter with a firm grip. Of course, you don't want to push through the egg, but by making the shell crack in many small pieces, it is easier to peel. My father saw this on a cooking show years ago and taught me this. It truly works.