French Rustic Potatoes

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Is there anyone who is unfamiliar with what surely must be the most popular casserole in casserole nation? I’m referring, of course, to the potato concoction known as Party Potatoes, Company Potatoes, or Funeral Potatoes, depending upon the region in which you nosh. They have certainly been a favorite around here for many years. As a result, even though I love them, they began to bore me. I started thinking about it, and decided that I could give this recipe a much more complex taste by swapping out cheddar cheese for Gruyere and brie (the former proving a wonderful nuttiness, while the latter adds creaminess), and dumping those corn flakes for what we all really love, French fried onions. Face it, wouldn’t you rather have French fried onions than corn flakes? Corn flakes! I mean, really! So, here is my version, and it always gets raves. People are expecting the standard recipe, but are always pleasantly surprised with this one.

French Rustic Potatoes

1 32-oz. pkg. frozen shredded hash browns, thawed

1/4 c. chopped scallions

1 c. sour cream

1 c. grated Gruyere cheese

1 8-oz. wheel of brie, cubed

1 14.5-oz. can condensed cream of celery soup

1 6-oz. container French fried onions, divided

½ c. butter melted

¼ t. kosher salt

Few gratings freshly ground black pepper        

 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 2-quart casserole, or 9” x 13” pan with PAM; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine hash browns, scallions, sour cream, Gruyere, Brie, soup, and half of the container of French fried onions. Stir to combine. Drizzle butter over all and combined thoroughly (I use my hands and I wear kitchen gloves. I find kitchen gloves to be invaluable in cases like this. I recommend these.)

 

 

My Mom’s Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

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There are a number of reasons why I am not going to be celebrating Easter this year with a brunch or dinner, none of them particularly interesting. I will say that last weekend I had my aunt over for Palm Sunday brunch, reminiscent of those that my mother used to host. I used a combination of both her and my recipes, as well as her decorative pieces. The food was delicious, and we waxed nostalgic over a box of family photos that I had found in her bottom desk drawer when I cleared out her and dad’s house.

One thing that she served every year without fail was Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake. People would get pretty surly if she didn’t. One taste and you will know why, it is delicious! Here’s her recipe.

 My Mom’s Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

For cake:
2¼ c. flour
¾ c. sugar
¾ c. unsalted butter
½ t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
¼ t. salt
¾ c. sour cream
1 egg
1 t. almond extract

For filling:
1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
¼ c. sugar
1 egg
2/3 c. raspberry preserves

For topping:
1/2 c. sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring-form pan with Baker’s Joy.

In the work bowl of a food processor combine flour and 3/4 cup sugar. Pulse until blended. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; reserve one cup crumb mixture. To remaining crumb mixture and baking powder, baking soda, salt, sour cream, one egg, and almond extract. Pulse until dough forms (It will be slightly sticky.).

Spread dough over the bottom and up 2 inches of the side of the prepared pan. Batter should be about 1/4 inch thick on the sides.

In a small bowl combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and one egg; blend well. Pour cream cheese mixture over batter in pan. Carefully spoon preserves evenly over cheese filling.

In a small bowl, combine the 1 cup reserve crumb mixture and sliced almonds. Sprinkle over top. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until cream cheese filling is set, and crust is a deep golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Remove sides of pan and cool completely. Cut in wedges; serve.

 

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas Florentine

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 As much as I love Mexican food, prior to making them myself, I had never had chicken enchiladas. Recently I’d heard of no fewer than three of my friends making these for dinner, so I had to jump on that bandwagon. Generally, I leave the making of Mexican food to the Mexicans, because they do it so well. This was easy enough to do, so I will be making them again at some point, experimenting with the filling. This recipe makes plenty, so I enjoyed a delicious meal many nights in a row, and have a couple of frozen ones for the future. The addition of mushrooms and spinach (both of which you can leave out, if you must) made this a hearty and nutritious meal. I served it with a side of cilantro rice, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

 Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas Florentine 

1 T. vegetable oil

1 lb. chicken breast, diced

2 Melissa’s shallots, minced

1 c. sliced mushrooms

½ t. Montreal chicken seasoning

2 handfuls baby spinach

8 (8”) flour tortillas, softened

2 c. Mexican blend cheese, divided

¹⁄₄ c. butter

¹⁄₄ c. flour

1 15-oz. can chicken broth

1 c. sour cream

1 4-oz. can chopped green chilies

 Preheat oven to 400° F. Lightly spray a 9” x 13” baking dish with nonstick vegetable coating, like PAM.

 While oven is preheating, prepare chicken mixture.  In a 10-inch sauté pan heat oil until shimmering. Add chicken, shallots, and mushrooms, and sprinkle seasoning overall. Sauté over medium-high heat until chicken is just done. Add spinach, and stir until wilted.

 Divide cooked chicken evenly between 8 tortillas; top each with 1/4 c. cheese. Roll enchiladas and place seam-side down in prepared baking dish.

 Melt butter in a medium saucepan; stir in flour and cook until bubbly, stirring occasionally. Gradually whisk in chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and green chilies.

 Pour sauce evenly over enchiladas.

 Top with remaining cheese and bake at 400° F for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce near edges of baking dish is bubbly.

 

 

It’s Not Complicated: Simple Recipes for Every Day, Reviewed

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After years of throwing lavish, carefully planned dinner parties, hosting numerous food shows, and jet-setting across the globe, Katie Lee Biegel, co-host of Food Network’s The Kitchen, and author of Katie Lee’s Easy-Breezy Eats: The Endless Summer Cookbook, has settled down. She now prefers quiet dinners with her family to multi-day cooking affairs for dozens of guests. Smart girl. It took me decades to figure this out for myself. I now prefer small, quiet, simple dinners, with just a few people to the big parties that I used to host. Good food, and being able to relax while I eat it, is so much more important than acting as a high-end server to a house full of family and friends. That’s why I love her latest book, It’s Not Complicated: Simple Recipes for Every Day.

There are four things I look for in a good cookbook. First of all, I want a lot of good, easy to prepare recipes. Second, I want beautiful photographs of nearly all of the dishes in the cookbook to use as both guide and inspiration. Third, I want a wide variety of recipes to suit a multitude of tastes. Lastly, I want recipes written in a clear and concise fashion using ingredients that I’m not going to have to run out and buy in some obscure specialty shop. This book fits these criteria. It is, in a word, wonderful. It is loaded with delicious, but simple dishes that will be sure to please every member of your family. In addition to being family friendly, a good many of them are company worthy as well, and who doesn’t love that?

The photos are mouthwatering, and there is a wonderful variety of recipes to suit all tastes and preferences. To my way of thinking, it is worth owning for the vegetable recipes alone. Think Crunchy Ranch Corn on the Cob, Soy and Lemon Roasted Broccoli, Fondant Potatoes, and more. Not a vegetable person? OK. How about the mouthwatering Animal-Style Burgers, Barbecue Potato Chip-Crusted Salmon, or Prime Rib with Beef Gravy, the latter far easier than you might think.

This is not to say that Biegel skimps on desserts; quite the contrary. Here you will find all forms of sweet deliciousness including Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Cannoli Trifle, and Mocha Swirl Ice Cream.

It’s Not Complicated: Simple Recipes for Every Day is a book designed for a variety of skill levels, a plethora of tastes, and makes the perfect hostess, Mother’s Day, or wedding shower gift. You can buy a copy here; you might want to pick up one for yourself as well. In fact, I insist upon it.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Abrams as a part of their Abrams Dinner Party Program in exchange for an honest review.

 

Animal-Style Burgers

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Despite all of the unique and complex things that I have prepared over my decades and decades (groan) of cooking, my favorite food continues to be the cheeseburger. I tend to not make them at home, however, because I never seem to be able to replicate the taste of a restaurant cheeseburger...until now. This recipe for Animal-Style Burgers from Katie Lee Biegel’s latest book, It’s Not Complicated (review coming Sunday), is one of the best burgers I have ever eaten, much less made at home. Topping the burger patty with yellow mustard before it is grilled is genius; it adds juiciness and flavor. Making two very thin patties instead of just one thicker patty, topping each with a slice of cheese, takes this burger over the top. For me, her recipe is burger perfection.

Animal-Style Burgers

From It’s Not Complicated

1 onion, ½ grated, ½ thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, grated
1 large egg
1 t. kosher salt
¼ t. freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. ground beef
1 T. unsalted butter
3 T. yellow mustard
8 slices American cheese
Special Sauce (recipe follows)
4 potato buns, buttered and lightly toasted
Iceberg lettuce
Sliced tomato*
Pickles

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grated onion, garlic, egg, salt, and pepper. Add the ground beef and use your hands to gently mix until combined. Divide the mixture evenly into four portions, then divide each into two, to give you eight total. Form each into a thin patty and place on the prepared baking sheet. The mixture will be wet and a bit sticky. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Heat a griddle or large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and sliced onion and cook, stirring every so often, until the onion slices have a nice cedar to them, 45 minutes. Set aside.

Wipe the griddle clean and return to medium-high heat. Put the patties on the grill, working in batches if necessary. Spoon 1 teaspoon mustard (or squeeze directly from the bottle) onto the top raw side of each patty. Cook for about three minutes, then flip and cook for an additional three minutes. Top each with a slice of American cheese.

Spread some special sauce on each bottom bun, then add lettuce, one patty, some onions, a second patty, tomatoes, pickles, more sauce, and a top bun. Serve.

Special Sauce
Yield: About 1 cup

½ c. mayonnaise
3 T. yellow mustard
2 T. sweet relish
1 T. ketchup
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
1 t. paprika

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until well blended.

 *I used a Melissa’s organic heirloom tomato. A burger like this deserves to be topped with only the best!

 

 

Smoky White Bean Queso Dip

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A major staple in my diet during my high school years was jalapeño bean dip. That, and a bag of nacho cheese Doritos, and I was good to go. Good times. It wasn’t the greatest diet for a growing teenage girl, but at least the beans provided protein. It could’ve been a lot worse. Today, that love for bean dip continues, only now instead of buying it in a can, I make my own. This recipe is a favorite. If you like it extra spicy, feel free to add more jalapeños. Me? I think it’s perfect as it is.

Smoky White Bean Queso Dip

1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
1 10-oz. can [Rotel] diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
1 15-oz. can white chili beans, drained
½ t. kosher salt
¼ - ½ t. cumin
Few gratings coarsely ground black pepper

In a medium microwave safe bowl, combine cream cheese and tomatoes, and microwave on high for one minute. Stir in beans and microwave again for two minutes, stirring after one minute, until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add remaining ingredients, and serve warm with tortilla chips. Garnish as desired.

Creamy Olive Dressing

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I eat a lot of salad; I think I get that from my dad. There was not a day that would go by that he didn’t have a salad. Those, and his martinis, are probably what led to his long life. He chalked it up to clean living, but who knows? (Insert wry smile.) Unlike my dad, I don’t have bottles of salad dressing stacked up in my fridge like cord wood as he did. No, I make my dressing fresh. One thing that makes homemade salad dressing super easy is having a mini ninja blender. If you don’t have one of these, you need to get one. It has a multitude of uses, of course, but it makes brilliant salad dressing. When you use this blender to make salad dressing it will stay emulsified no matter how long you keep it in the fridge. No more shaking in the hopes of returning it to the wonderfully blended state that it was initially, it stays that way. This creamy flavorful dressing will delight olive lovers. If one of them happens to be you, you must try this. It is equally as good on a green salad as it is in a pasta salad.

Creamy Olive Dressing

½ c. mayonnaise

½ c. sour cream

1 garlic clove, halved

¼ c. roughly chopped parsley

1 T. chopped scallion (1 medium)

1½ T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1½ T. olive oil

1/3 c. ripe (black) olives, drained

1/3 c. Kalamata olives, drained

1/8 - 1/4 t. kosher salt

Few gratings freshly ground black pepper

Place all ingredients into a blender (I use a mini ninja blender) and process until smooth. Keeps in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days.