Reese's Tater Tot Casserole

For a long time, no one seemed to cook.  I knew people who even bragged about how they could not cook.  We were proud of our inability to prepare a few simple dishes.  Then along came Martha Stewart and Food Network.  And all of a sudden, cooking was back in vogue.  Thank God! 

Somewhere along the way we seem to have forgotten about the shear joy of sharing a meal with people we care about.  A lifetime of memories are made in the kitchen and at the table.  Sharing a meal is often where we learn the art of conversation and manners.  It is where we pass on values and traditions. 

Cooking may seem frivolous in a time-crunched society, but cooking stimulates creativity.  The late Julia Child believed that food is more than sustenance and children must be taught that cooking is akin to art.  Cooking is as creative as music, drawing.  Cooking helps children learn to love food - children should experience food hands on.  Research shows that hands-on cooking is a great way to improve mealtime practices and eating habits of children.  They need to taste, to touch, smell and listen to food. 

But enough with all the soft, feel good and scientific stuff, cooking and eating are just plain fun. 

Tater Tot Casserole is a favorite of a colleague's daughter.  Her favorite thing about this casserole is lining up the tater tots exactly the same.  Her mother says that even though the recipe states to dump it all together, it actually cooks better when the tater tots are "lined up". 

Tater Tot Casserole

Serves 8 to 10.

Ingredients:

1 package (32 ounce) tater tots, thawed
2 cups (8 ounces) American or Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can (10¾ ounce) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
½ cup onion, finely chopped
¼ cup butter, melted
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup corn flakes, crushed
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
Cooking spray

Directions:

1.  Coat a 9 X 13-baking dish with cooking spray.  Place tater tots in baking dish; set aside. 
2.  In a large mixing bowl, combine cheese soup, sour cream, onion, butter, and pepper.  Pour over tater tots.  (If desired, casserole can be assembled up to this point and refrigerated.)
3.  Toss together cornflakes and one tablespoon of butter.  Sprinkle over casserole.  Bake in a 350F oven for about 1 hour or until casserole is golden brown.

To make this dish a little healthier, use reduced fat cheese and sour cream.

Quench Your Thirst

I am one of those people who does not like to drink water.  Yes, I teach in a nutrition department and I do not like to drink water.  There! I have admitted it!

However, I have also learned that I need to drink water.  So drink I do.  I find that if I add something to water, it becomes more like a beverage and can be quite enjoyable.  When I was a poor and broke graduate student, I used bottled lemon juice.  Occasionally, I reach back for the lemon juice.  Hey, old habits die hard.

Since I am from the south, I am also a semi-reformed Coke-a-holic.  Yes, I have been trying to kick the habit for several years.  Now I am down to less than one (12 ounce) can per week.  To help me drink water and fight my Coke habit, I have started making flavored water.  I start with a simple syrup (sugar and water) and add a few extras, like fruit, ginger, citrus zest.  In addition to using these syrups for water, they can also be used to sweeten lemonade and ice tea. 

Simple Ginger Syrup

Makes about 2 cups.


Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 piece (about 4 ounces) ginger 

Directions:
1.  Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar.
2.  Peel and coarsely chop ginger.  (You should have about ½ cup ginger.)  Add ginger to syrup.  Remove from heat, and let steep for 30 minutes. 
3.  Strain syrup to remove the ginger.  Store in an airtight container.  Refrigerate up to one month. 


Raspberry-Lemon Syrup

Ingredients:
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
1 (10 ounce) package raspberries

Directions:
1.  Bring water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar.
2.  Add lemon zest and raspberries.  Refrigerate for 24.  Strain the syrup.  Store in an airtight container. Refrigerate up to one month.
Note:  For extra tartness, use the juice from one lemon.


Carrot-Ginger Elixir

Serves 4. 


Ingredients:
⅓ cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons chopped peeled ginger
1 cup carrot juice
½ cup fresh lime juice

Directions:
1.  Bring sugar, ginger, and 1/3 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. 
2.  Remove from heat; let steep for 10 minutes.  Strain to remove ginger.  Cover and chill syrup. 
3.  Combine syrup, carrot juice and lime juice.  Divide among four glasses and serve.

Source:  Bon Appetit, April 2012

For addtional syrup recipes check out the Dallas News site.

Strawberry Shortcakes

I don't know where or when strawberries and shortcakes got together.  But like all classics, strawberry shortcakes have never gone out of style.  And numerous imitations has come along - like peach shortcake, mixed berry shortcake, and summer fruit shortcake. 

I remember my first introduction to strawberry shortcakes.  My mom asked her grocer what those little cakes were for.  He explained that they were used to make strawberry shortcakes.  Her version was that little Hostess sponge cake.  But now, there is a whole assortment of cakes that one can use, sponge cake, biscuit, and angel food cake.  They can be dressed up with real whipping cream or mascapone cheese.  With the use of whole wheat flour and reduced or nonfat whipped cream, strawberry shortcakes are quite healthy.

Whatever your choice of ingredients, now that spring is finally here, give strawberry shortcakes a try.  You may just stir up a few childhood memories.

Strawberry Shortcakes

Serves 6.

Ingredients:
1 pound strawberries, sliced
¼ cup sugar, optional
1/3 cup oatmeal, old fashioned or quick
2 cups baking mix, such as Bisquick
3 Tablespoons sugar
½ cup milk
¼ cup butter or margarine, melted

½ cup whipping cream

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 425°F.

2.  In a large bowl, mix strawberries and ¼ cup sugar; set aside.

3.  Place oatmeal in a food processor or blend and pulse until oatmeal is finely ground.  In a medium bowl, stir oatmeal, baking mix, 3 tablespoons sugar, milk,and the butter until a soft dough forms.  On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by 6 spoonfuls.

4.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.

5.  Split warm shortcakes; fill and top with strawberries and whipped cream.

One of my colleagues may her strawberry shortcake with real half & half.  Since she was so proud of it, I thought I would show it.

Thanks for stopping by and trying the shortcake.

Your Lucky Little Easter Bunny

In a few days Easter will be arriving.  If your little Easter bunny gets lucky during the hunt and you have way too many hard boiled eggs, this post is for you. 

Scandinavian Flower Eggs with Sweet-Tart Mustard Dill Sauce - I first heard about this recipe from the public radio show, The Splendid Table.  I thought it sounded interesting and maybe I could work it into an Easter blog.  I liked the recipe because I saw it as a slightly different take on deviled eggs.  Someone else stated that it's a potato salad with lettuce.  My foodie colleague stated that this would be good with salmon. (We are a nutrition department and lately we've been hooked on salmon.) Since I agreed with her, I also added salmon.

I also decided to put mine together differently than the original recipe.  First, I grilled the salmon and brushed it with the sauce during the final few minutes of cooking.  I also cut the potatoes in quarters and coated with the sauce.

Scandinavian Flower Eggs with Sweet-Tart Mustard Dill Sauce

Serves 4 to 5.

Ingredients:

Dill Mustard Sauce:
(Makes about 1½ cups)


1 garlic clove, minced
3 Tablespoons minced onion

¼ cup white wine or apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons sugar, or more to taste
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup coarse grain mustard
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
⅓ to ½ cup chopped fresh dill
Salt and pepper, to taste

Salad:
1 pound salmon fillet
8 large hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut into 4 wedges each
1 pound small red-skinned potatoes
4 to 6 cups red leaf lettuce
Directions:


Dill Mustard Sauce
In a medium bowl, blend together the garlic, onion and vinegar.  Set aside.  In a separate bowl, combine, sugar, olive oil, mustard, mayonnaise, and dill.  Slowly add in vinegar mixture.   Add salt and pepper to taste.  Sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. 


Salad
1.  Coat salmon with olive oil. Grill or broil until fish flakes with a fork.  Brush with sauce during the final minutes of cooking.  Set aside.
2.  Cook eggs, peel and quarter.
3.  Cook potatoes.  When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into quarters.  Coat warm potatoes with about ¼ cup of mustard sauce.  Set aside.


Assembling the Salad
1.  Place lettuce down the center of a large platter.  Place salmon and potatoes on platter.  Depending on the size of your platter, eggs may need to be placed on other ingredients.
2.  Drizzle with mustard sauce and serve.

Cupcakes! Cupcakes!

The world seems to be going crazy over cupcakes.  There are cookbooks devoted  to cupcakes, bakeries for cupcakes, blogs about cupcakes. The word, cupcake, is even used as a term of endearment.
 
I don't get it!  I just don't!  It's just a cake in a little piece of paper baked in a muffin tin.  Well, there's the old saying, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.  So this week I'm joining the 'cupcakers'.  Only for one week, so don't get too excited.

I decided to post on cupcakes for my little friend, Carson.  She drops by sometimes to give me a hand in the lab.  And cupcakes are her favorite thing to bake.  So Carson, this is for you!

I decided to make chocolate cream-filled cupcakes.  I thought chocolate would be a good place to start for someone not into cupcakes.  This recipe contains a few steps, but it is easy to make.  So, grab your little cupcake and head to the kitchen.

Chocolate Cream-filled Cupcakes

Makes 24.

Ingredients:

1 package (18.25 ounce) devil's food cake mix
1 jar (7 ounce) marshmallow creme
1 stick butter
6 ounces dark chocolate
¾ cup whipping cream

Directions:

1.  Prepare cake mix according to package directions.  Fill 24 muffin wrappers.

2.  Bake according to package directions.

3.  In a medium bowl, combine softened butter and marshmallow creme.  Mix thoroughly to combine.  Refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes.

4.  Break chocolate into small pieces.  Combine chocolate and whipping cream.  Melt chocolate over low heat.  Stir thoroughly to combine.

5.  Attach a round pastry tip to a pastry bag.  Place cream filling in bag.  Squeeze to remove air pockets.  Push pastry tip into top of cupcake and fill center of cake. (I count to 20 to get enough filling into cupcake.)  Remove excess filling from top. 

6.  Dip top of cupcakes into chocolate.  Refrigerate for about 15 minutes.  Dip cupcakes again.

Spring is on the Way!

Well, I am not sure if spring is on the way or if Mother Nature is playing with us.  But whatever, in the Midwest it's in the 70's.  That means we can take the cover off the grill and head outdoors.

Salmon always makes me think of spring.  Not sure why, but it does.  So this week, I am posting on salmon.  This dish is easy, peasy.  Because you gotta go enjoy this nice spring weather.  'Cause in the Midwest, we could have snow next week!

Salmon with a Mustard Sauce

Serves 1.

Ingredients:
1 (4 ounce) salmon fillet
Olive or vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar

Directions:
1.  Coat salmon with a small amount of oil.  Season with salt and pepper.

2.  Either broil or grill fish.  Combine mustard and brown sugar.  Brush fish with mustard mixture in the final few minutes of cooking.  Pass any extra sauce with the fish. 

National Pi(e) Day

March 14th is National Pi(e) Day.  Oh, I get it, pi is 3.14 and those geeks thought a foodie would miss the pun. 

The idea for this posting started, not with National Pi(e) Day, but when someone approached me with a problem they were having with lemon meringue pie.  You see, here is the problem.  A layer of water formed between the filling and the meringue.  I approached one of my foodie colleagues about this problem.  Her reply, "Well, I never liked meringue.  So as far as I am concerned that's a good thing.  Makes it easier to take the meringue off."  OK, so she wasn't going to be any help.

I checked out one of my favorite resources, Bakewise by Shirley Corriher.  According to Ms. Corriher, the watery layer between the filling and the meringue is caused by undercooking.  When meringues do not cook completely, the egg whites weep as they slowly dissolve and release liquid.  Meringues also bead when they have been cooked at too high of a temperature.  Beading is caused by proteins on the surface that overcook and squeeze out moisture.   

Another issue with meringue topped pies is shrinking away from the filling.  The addition of cornstarch aids in a reduction of shrinkage. 

For those of you who just want to bake a good pie for National Pi(e) Day, here is my 'perfect' lemon meringue pie.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Serves 8.

Ingredients:

Crust:
6 whole graham crackers
¼ cup butter, melted
18 vanilla wafers

Filling:
1 can (14 ounce) plus ⅔ cup sweetened condensed milk
½ cup fresh lemon juice
3 large egg yolks

Meringue:
3 large egg whites
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup sugar, divided
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
⅓ cup water
Grated rind of 1lemon

Directions:

1. Crust:  Finely grind graham crackers in food processor.  Add melted butter and blend until moist crumbs form.  Press into the bottom (not the sides) of a 9-inch pie plate.  Arrange vanilla wafers, rounded side out, around the side of the dish.  Set aside.

2.  Filling:  Preheat oven to 325°F. 

3.  Whisk together milk, lemon juice and egg yolks.  Let stand 15 minutes to thicken.  Pour filling over crust and bake for 30 minutes.

4.  Meringue:  In a small saucepan, combine 3 tablespoons of sugar and cornstarch.  Add water and stir.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens.  Cool 10 minutes.

5.  In a large bowl, combine egg whites and lemon juice.  Beat egg whites until foamy.  Gradually, add the remaining 5 tablespoons sugar, beating to the soft peak stage.  Beat in warm cornstarch, 1 tablespoon at a time.  Beat until meringue forms glossy peaks.  Gently fold in lemon rind.

6.  Spread meringue over hot filling.  Make sure meringue covers the entire surface, including the crust.  Increase oven temperature to 350°F  and bake until meringue is golden brown, about 18 minutes.  Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.