Cooking with KP: September 2018

Butter Pecan Bread Pudding

We had some extra bread, so I search the internet for a bread pudding that was a little bit different than what I normally make. I found one on KITCHME.com and made a few adjustments.
This is the end results.

1 3/4 cups white sugar
5 large eggs, beaten
2 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups of bread, cubed (I used 9 slices of regular sandwich bread. I put them on a cookie sheet and let them dry out for 7 hours. Dry, not toasted bread, soaks up the egg/milk mixture so much better than fresh bread)

Topping:
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
1 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray or grease with butter a large casserole. If you use a 9x13 baking dish, your bread pudding will be flatter than a round or oval pan. I used an oval and we scooped it out rather than cut it into squares. You decide.

To make the bread pudding: Put cubed bread in a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl mix together white sugar, eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Pour over cubed bread and let sit for 20 minutes.

While bread is soaking, in a small bowl, use your hands to mix together brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and pecans. Mixture will be crumbly.

Pour bread mixture into prepared pan, then sprinkle with brown sugar mixture.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until set. Remove from oven.

This bread pudding is very rich and really doesn't need a sauce, but here is one that is excellent with it.

Cream Cheese Glaze:
8 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2 Tablespoons evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix with mixer until well blended (about 3 minutes).
Heat mixture in microwave for about 20 seconds to thin. Drizzle on top of slightly warm bread pudding.

Spicy Chicken and Corn Casserole

This recipe just came to me one night.

It is very similar to the

traditional

corn and cornbread casserole that so many people make. It is amazingly moist and amazingly delicious.

1 1/2 cup cooked chicken, shredded (great when you have a little left over chicken)

1 8-ounce box of Jiffy cornbread mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 stick butter, melted

1 15-ounce can of whole kernel corn, drained

1 4-ounce can of green chilies, undrained (hot or mild)

1 cup of Fiesta blend shredded cheese

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon pepper

1-3 dashes hot sauce

2 green onions, finely chopped to top

Preheat oven to 375. Spray medium to large casserole dish with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients (except green onions) in a large bowl and pour into casserole dish. Bake 40-50 minutes until top is golden brown and sides are beginning to pull from sides. The center will be soft but should not be runny. Sprinkle with green onions.

Creamy Chicken and Stuffing Bake

There are many recipes online similar to this one. Most that have cheese call for Swiss cheese. In fact I have one on this page with Swiss cheese (Creamy Swiss Chicken Casserole), but because some members of my family don't like Swiss cheese, I made this recipe.

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 Tablespoon Seasoned Salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 boxes of cornbread stuffing mix
water and butter listed on box to make stuffing
1/2 cup additional water to make super moist

2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make cornbread stuffing mix as directed on package but add 1/2 cup more water to make stuffing extra moist. Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Season both sides of chicken breasts with seasoned salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Brown in olive oil for 2-3 minutes each side. Remove from skillet and place three breasts at either end of the dish. You are leaving a space for stuffing in the middle.
Mix the 2 shredded cheeses together and cover each breast with the cheeses.
In a mixing bowl, combine soups with sour cream, chicken broth, garlic powder and pepper. Place one serving spoonful of soup mixture on top of each breast. Then place 1-2 tablespoons (a good serving spoon size) of stuffing mixture on top of each breast. Place remaining stuffing in center of dish. Pour the remaining soup mixture on top of breasts and stuffing. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 25-30 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 180 degrees in each breast.

Sweet and Sour Ham Steaks

My mother often cooked ham steaks in brown sugar, pineapple chucks, and butter, but I found this recipe online sometime ago and made a few changes. It is so tasty.

2 large ham steaks, cut into pieces and fat removed
¼ cup butter
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
dash cinnamon

Pineapple Sauce:
1½ cup crushed pineapple (use a slotted spoon to scoop and measure pineapple)

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
dash of ginger

dash cinnamon
2 Tablespoons apple jelly

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add vinegar, cinnamon and brown sugar over medium high heat until combined. Simmer for a couple minutes until bubbly.
Add pieces of ham steak to skillet. Simmer for ten minutes and flip steaks. Simmer for ten more minutes. Remove from skillet and set on plate. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm until serving time.
Add pineapple, cinnamon, mustard, ginger and apple jelly to skillet. Simmer until thickened.
Serve over ham steaks.

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

This is an amazing meatloaf recipe that I adapted from one by Alton Brown. It is easy to prepare and delicious to eat.

Loaf:
2 pounds hamburger meat ( I use 93/7)
1 onion, diced
1 medium bell pepper,diced
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
2 Tablespoon parsley flakes
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 Tablespoon seasoned salt
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs, beaten
7 slices bacon, four full slices and 3 cut in half

Glaze:
1/3 cup chili sauce (or ketchup and add some pepper)
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray large baking pan (9 x 10) with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients for loaf, except bacon. Place in pan and form into a loaf.
Mix all ingredients for glaze in a small bowl and stir well until sugar is completely dissolved.
Brush on top and sides of loaf. Use all of it!
Then create a lattice of bacon on top of glaze.
Bake in oven for one hour or until bacon is crispy and meat reaches 165 on meat thermometer inserted in the middle. Let loaf rest for 15 minutes prior to cutting.

Big Momma's Baked Ravioli

This is a super easy, but super tasty entree. It is perfect for weeknight when you are tired and don't want to be in the kitchen all evening. It takes less than 15 minutes to prepare and you can relax while it is baking. It is also a great covered dish for potlucks Honestly, it is good anytime!

1 24-ounce bag frozen ravioli (cheese filled, spinach filled, or meat filled)
1 25-ounce jar of marinara sauce (I use Emeril's)
1 14.5-ounce canned diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tablespoons Italian Blend Seasoning (I use McCormick)
1/2 Tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sugar (cuts the can taste of the tomatoes)
2 cup shredded Five Blend Italian cheese
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese (not the green can)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. In a bowl, mix marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasonings, garlic powder, pepper and sugar. Spoon 3-4 tablespoons of sauce mixture in the bottom of the pan, just to cover it. . Layer half of the frozen raviolis on top. Spread half the sauce on top of raviolis. and then top with 3/4 cup of Italian blend cheese. Layer remaining raviolis, then 3/4 cup of cheese and sauce. Top with remaining Italian blend cheese and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 more minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

You can add sliced pepperoni, cooked ground Italian sausage, or hamburger if you like.

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.