Back in the Saddle....Slowly!

I'm getting back in the blogging saddle after a 3 week hiatus.

Mom signed the papers yesterday and my dear husband moved the last bit of stuff out and closed the door on the home he grew up in. It's been tiring and emotional, but very satisfying that we managed to get Mom moved out, moved in, and all settled. She is comfortable and content in her new apartment and already making new friends. I think the financial simplicity without the big home to care for has given her a sense of freedom. A new chapter in her life has begun.

For us it's back to life as usual. Never boring, but busy nonetheless. Spring is beginning to appear and we're way behind on our garden tasks. March 17 has always been our day to start the process by planting potatoes, but I'm afraid they're gonna be a little late this year!  The weather has been so rainy and cold and thinking about the garden has been the last thing on our minds lately but our 2011 plan is ready to go. Probably in the next week or two we'll start in so we can have the pleasure of fresh vegetables again this year.  This is what it looked like last year and the harvest was bountiful. 

I think our favorite was the corn. Being able to pick those ears right before dinner was amazing and words can't describe how delicious they were!

We learned so much last year and although we wouldn't be so bold as to consider ourselves "experts," there will probably be a few changes. Nothing will be planted in the same space and we'll probably do something different to support the tomatoes and peas. The biggest challenge will be keeping the chickens out. Thankfully we've got a few rolls of garden fencing to surround the space. Scratching is what they do best, but we'd rather they do that when the garden is empty!

Once the sun comes out, we'll be knee deep in the dirt and I can hardly wait! Fresh air, fresh earth, and a new harvest to look forward to.

It's so good to be back and I hope you'll stay tuned for some great home cooking in the days and weeks to come.

French Green Bean Casserole

It's a shame what's been done to Green Bean Casserole. 

In an effort to make it "convenient" it's been turned to mush! The old-fashioned-from-scratch way is not at all difficult and the results are superior. So why serve mush?

Grandma always made hers from scratch. The one time she made it the "convenient" way, she quietly returned to the old way the next time. Without a doubt, she knew what tasted good and you will taste the difference too!

French Green Bean Casserole

2 pkg frozen French-style green beans
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
½ to ¾ cup Corn Flakes, crushed with 2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 350F. 

Cook beans; drain on paper towel. Put in buttered 9x13 baking dish.  In saucepan melt butter, stir in flour, salt, pepper, and sugar until mixed then sprinkle over beans. Spread sour cream over bean mixture and top with grated cheese. Mix cornflakes with melted butter and put on top of green bean mixture. Bake covered for 10 minutes then uncovered for another 10 minutes. Serves 6.

Golden Potato Casserole

Back in the saddle again and glad to have a couple of deadlines behind me!

However, in front of me are potatoes. Lots and lots of potatoes. They're on sale this month because February is supposed to be the ever-memorable "National Potato Lover Month" and all sorts of potato varieties are on sale. I picked up a bag of Idahoes and thought I'd pull out the recipe archives to see what sounded delicious, different, and befitting these worthy spuds. Lo, and behold, I found a casserole that sounded especially hearty and a great pairing to the meatballs we were having. 

In posts past, we've shared a couple of potato casseroles: Hamburger Potato and Cheesy Potato. But compared to both of those, this one is a little lighter, cheesier, crunchier and just plain good!

Another plus to all this excitement was my 16 year old son, "hovering" high above me (he's 6'1" to my 5'6") and willing to help out with the prep--which I'm all for! I peeled, grated, and chopped and he mixed, seasoned, and poured. What a great kid!

So here it is and it may be your new favorite potato side! Let me know what you think or if you have suggestions for improvement!


Golden Potato Casserole

8 medium potatoes, cooked and cooled
1/4 cup butter
1 can cream of chicken soup (try Grandma's Basic Cream Soup instead of canned)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 pint sour cream
1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cornflakes, crushed with 2 tablespoons melted butter

Peel and grate the cooked/cooled potatoes. Heat soup and butter in large pan. Blend in onions, sour cream, cheese, salt, pepper, and grated potatoes. Put in buttered casserole dish and top with buttered cornflakes. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes.

Hasselback Potatoes

We have really traveled the world with our cuisine this week. Today we've migrated from Ireland all the way to Finland. Seems like a real stretch, but this potato recipe gem is worth it. 

There's some controversy surrounding the name of these potatoes. Hasselblad or Hasselback. I'm going with Hasselback because that's what Grandma's recipe book says. Either way, they're an easy peazy keeper. Try the technique given for slicing the potato. It really does work!

The only thing I might do differently is the cheese on top. There just wasn't enough. I didn't recall Grandma having used Parmesan cheese (unless she really piled it on there--which may very well have been the case). Next time I might pile on some cheddar or Swiss. Either one would be a great substitute but the heat would have to be reduced I'm sure. We'll have to play with this one a little.

Here's the charming recipe directly from one of Grandma's quaint guild cookbooks. It was a well-loved and well-used book!

French Onion Soup

Grandma loved onions. In fact, she would order Vidalia Onions from some mail-order place in Georgia every year. We could tell too. After getting them it seemed all of her recipes calling for onions were magically transformed into something downright miraculous simply because of this change-up. 

There's just something about a Vidalia onion that is unsurpassed. Meaning no disrespect to our nearby Northwest farms, but Walla Walla Sweets just don't compare with Vidalias. It may very well be worth expanding my carbon footprint to have them shipped from across the country. 

So with every order of Vidalia onions welcomed from down South, Grandma would always make up a big batch of French Onion Soup and it was the absolute best. It wasn't the squishy melted cheese or hunk of brioche on top, but the salty-sweet liquid underneath overflowing with Vidalia onions. 

If you are heaven-blessed enough to have Vidalias readily available in your local market, grab a bunch, send some to me, and then make this French Onion Soup. You will thank me (and Grandma too).

French Onion Soup

3 tablespoons butter

6 large Vidalia onions, thinly sliced

1 tsp sea salt
1 cup white wine
2 quarts beef broth
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

6-8 slices Brioche or your favorite French style bread
1½ cups grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese (or blend either one half & half with grated Parmesan cheese)
¼ cup Madeira or sherry

Over medium heat, melt butter in Dutch Oven and add onions. Toss onions with sea salt and gently stir until onions wilt in the pot, then reduce heat to low. Cook onions about 30 minutes, stirring periodically (do not allow them to burn). 

When they turn a rich golden brown color, add white wine and bring to a boil allowing liquid to reduce until almost evaporated. Increase heat to medium and add broth. Bring to a bubbling simmer then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45-50 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut loaf of bread into 1 inch slices or chunks, butter each piece if desired, then place in single layer on a baking sheet and toast in oven until golden brown.

After soup has simmered for 45-50 minutes, taste broth and add sea salt (if additional is necessary) and pepper to taste . Add Madeira, stir into broth, then ladle into oven-proof soup bowls set on a rimmed cookie sheet. Top with slice of toasted bread and divide cheese among the bowls. Bake until bubbling and cheese is slightly browned (about 20 minutes). Servings: 6-8. 

Serve with tossed lettuce or spinach salad. Also asparagus wrapped in a crepe would be an impressive side dish!

NOTE: If you don't use up all the broth, save the extra for french dip sandwiches.

Beef Broccoli Quick Stir

Fresh vegetables were a favorite of Grandma and she knew the less you cooked them, the better they maintained all those wonderful nutrients they contain. This recipe for Broccoli Beef is about as simple as it gets and another "stir fry in the skillet" that Grandma made. 

Four or five ingredients you probably have on your pantry shelf, purchase the rest fresh and you have yourself a healthy and tasty meal.

As an added bonus, this is another one of those wonderful  modifiable (is that a word?) recipes that enable you to accommodate your own particular taste. Add whatever veggies you enjoy! You could add in bok choy, bean sprouts, peppers, or whatever. I will say that with each vegetable you add, you may need to keep a close eye on the level of liquid as the beef cooks. It evaporates quickly, so perhaps a little more beef broth at the ready would be a good idea. If the mix in the skillet ended up too dry, you could add the broth in without diminishing the flavor. 

As a side dish we prepared--now don't be shocked--frozen pot stickers from Costco. No, this wasn't a Grandma dish, but something we thought would be a sensible companion to this meal. Grandma may have done the same thing! (Well, probably not because she would have made the pot stickers from scratch! I'm sorry, Grandma!)  Perhaps a rice dish or an egg drop soup could also be a good side for this. It comes down to the "theme" of the meal and what you have available or what your tastes would appreciate. 

Okay, I went off on a tangent there...back to the pot-stickers! To prepare we followed the package instructions (simmering them in vegetable oil and water for about 10 minutes) and then we took a "detour" and added them to the beef and veggie mix. The result? They turned out glorious because they absorbed that gingery flavor from the sauce we cooked the beef in.

Don't you just love cooking?! What other "art" enables you to be creative and have that creativity result in something that tastes glorious?  I love the arts in general, but I never walked out of the art museum or symphony hall feeling full!!  Maybe that's why Grandma enjoyed cooking so much. It really was a 5-sense experience!

Beef Broccoli Quick Stir

1 lb flank or sirloin steak, cut in strips (against the grain, or use whatever is on sale)

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
1 can beef broth
3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 tsp ground ginger
1 cup carrot, thinly sliced
3 cups broccoli florets

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat and stir fry the beef together with the onions until beef is slightly pink, but browned on all sides (don't cook all the way through). Add beef broth, teriyaki sauce and ginger. Bring meat and sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer until meat is done, about 10-15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking time add carrots and broccoli; cover skillet again and cook until veggies are bright in color.

Stir Fry & Sauce

This week I think we're on a theme of quick and easy meals. There is no requirement of a lengthy preparation or laundry list of ingredients for a recipe to be good! Grandma would pull out her George Foreman or a plain old electric skillet to prepare some of her finest meals!

This chicken stir fry is an example of one of those fine dishes...cooked right in a skillet, not a fancy wok or anything like that. Grandma used to tell me that today's popular small appliance is tomorrow's garage sale fodder--and I know only too well how true that is! So no wok. Just a skillet.

The real secret behind a tasty stir fry is to get the freshest vegetables possible and a high quality (homemade preferred) sauce, although too much of a good thing isn't necessarily good either.  Limit the sauce, since the vegetables should be the real star of the show! 

As for the noodles, Grandma didn't use them in her stir fry but our kids love 'em so they're mandatory! 

Prefer no meat? Meatless is certainly do-able and the healthiest option of all. Use vegetable broth when making the sauce.

Modify, modify, modify to your liking, but the sauce is definitely a keeper and you can control the MSG, gluten or sodium by what goes into it. Prepare it the night before so the flavors have time to "ripen." You'll have plenty sauce for at least 2 stir fry meals. You can also use it for a regular marinade even if you're not making stir fry.

Stir Fry Sauce:

1-2 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ cup brown sugar, packed

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ tsp ground ginger

1/3 cup soy sauce (whatever variety you prefer--gluten free, MSG free, low sodium)

1/4 cup cider or white vinegar

1/3 cup water

1 cup chicken broth (use beef if you are preparing beef stir fry or vegetable if meatless)

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate overnight so the flavors are enhanced.   Mix well before using.

Grandma's Chicken Stir Fry

¼ cup canola or vegetable oil

2 large boneless chicken breasts

4 cups of fresh vegetables (broccoli, carrots, bok choy, onion, pea pods)

1-2 packages yakisoba noodles (or your preferred variety)

1 cup sauce (recipe above), divided

Prepare noodles according to package directions (they may have to be rinsed and separated).

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.

Wash chicken and pat dry. Cut into cutlets, strips, or chunks and place in bowl. Pour ½ cup sauce over chicken until oil is heated; brown chicken in heated skillet. Prepare vegetables and add to skillet with cooked chicken. Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in noodles with remaining ½ cup of sauce and stir to combine for 1-2 minutes. Stir fry is done when vegetables are heated through and have bright color.

Sausage Potato Supper

This is one of those "stovetop alchemy" concoctions that probably would not make the cover of Gourmet magazine, but the results are--as I recall being exclaimed by my picky eater--"amazing!" Now from a picky eater, that is the holy grail. 

Who says every single recipe result has to be beautiful in presentation? This isn't the Ritz! Ours is just a humble kitchen on a budget trying to make a few hearty dishes the family will love and many of them will even have a Grandma story behind them.

This is one of those recipes containing sausage that Grandma made and Grandpa actually enjoyed. As you will recall, he never liked sausage of any kind--that means hot dogs too. The only variety he ate was the breakfast kind and that was rare. But in this dish the blending of sweet, tart, salty and a little spicy just couldn't be refused. Plus there's something about meat and potatoes that resonated with Grandpa. He was, after all, a meat-n-potatoes Midwest guy!

A couple of suggestions: You can lower the calorie count by using chicken kielbasa (of course you can still use pork or beef too if you prefer the flavor). We also used Trader Joe's Dijon Mustard instead of the dry mustard called for in this recipe and brown sugar instead of the granulated for a richer flavor. These added so much depth that we thought it was worth adjusting the recipe a bit. Whatever modifications you make will probably enhance this recipe. As Grandma always said--"Cooking isn't that hard. Don't be afraid to be creative!"

Sausage Potato Supper

1 pound fully cooked sausage, thinly sliced (we used chicken Kielbasa)
1 Granny Smith apple (peeled), cored and diced in 1/2 inch chunks
1-½  pounds (about 8) boiling potatoes (unpeeled), sliced in 1/4 in thick slices
About 6 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 large onion,diced coarsely
½ cup celery, chopped
½ cup dill pickle
¾ dill pickle liquid
2 tsp sugar (we used brown)
½ tsp dry mustard (we used Trader Joe's Dijon)
salt and pepper
chopped parsley for garnish

In a large skillet, heat sausage and apple together until the sausage is browned, then remove from heat and set aside. In the same pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter and add potato slices a few at a time making sure each slice gets coated with butter, and turn frequently, adding more butter as needed to coat all the potatoes thoroughly.  Add onion and cook, turning often until onion and potatoes are golden. Gently stir in celery, dill pickle and browned sausage mixture.

Combine pickle liquid, sugar, and mustard and pour over potato mixture. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes until potatoes are fork tender. Turn often. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley, if desired. 4 servings.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

This is a no-frills potato dish that is a delicious side to serve along with almost anything. It's sort of an alternative to Macaroni Au Gratin (the fancy pants name for Mac & Cheese) and it is--well, you know...delicious AND easy! 

If you have a mashed potato technique that you prefer, then by all means use it with this dish. Some folks add in sour cream or even whipped cream--there are no set rules with this. Matter of fact, Grandma had a note in the margin of this recipe that said, "put slices of smoked sausage on bottom of casserole dish and top with potatoes."  Now I haven't tried that and I don't remember her ever preparing it that way, but it really sounds good and would convert this side dish to a main course! Grandpa didn't care for Kielbasa, Polish Sausage, or hot dogs, so that's probably why I don't remember that variation. However, for you recipe pioneers out there, it's worth a try!

Cheesy Potato Casserole

8-10 russet potatoes, peeled and halved

1/2 stick of butter

1/2 cup whole milk (or half & half)

1 tsp granulated garlic

salt and pepper

1 cup shredded cheese (we used Colby)

Boil the potatoes until done (if easily poked with fork, they're done). Drain water and add butter. Using potato masher, mash until butter is melted and combined. Add in milk and continue mashing until smooth. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Put in buttered casserole dish and top with shredded cheese.  Bake in 350F oven for 1/2 hour or until lightly browned and cheese is melted.