Whining and Dining

Crunchy and Cheesy Kari's Potatoes

When you're cooking for the masses, it's good to go with simple dishes. This was the case when we cooked for 16 people for our friend's recent birthday. We grilled pork tenderloin, panzanella salad, grilled asparagus and "Kari's Potatoes." With the exception of the late dinner service (it was almost 9 when we got dinner on the table) and an asparagus shortage, our customers were pleased with the meal overall. Whew! Glad we pulled that one off!

I thought you'd like to get the scoop on the potatoes, which were a big hit. Also, this is a great recipe to make with your budding Emeril. Your little one will love crunching up the corn flakes and spreading them on top of the potatoes. So fun!

Warning: This dish is OBVIOUSLY not so healthy. And the ingredients are, quite frankly, appalling. But it's delicious for that party or special occasion, for a little splurge.  The big bonus is that  recipes don't get easier than this. So turn a blind eye to the ingredients and enjoy.

Kari's Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 8oz. sour cream

1 t. salt

½ small onion, chopped

2 c. corn flakes, crushed

1 can undiluted cream of chicken soup

½ c. melted butter

12oz. cheddar cheese, grated

32oz. shredded hash browns, thawed

 

Directions:

Place potatoes in 9” x 13” dish. Mix ingredients together and pour over potatoes. Top with corn flakes and drizzle melted butter over.

 Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Ramen Cole Slaw

Here's a great slaw recipe just in time for Memorial Day Weekend. I'm not your typical slaw fan, so this says a lot coming from me. Thanks to my sis-in-law and mother-in-law for opening my eyes to a new kind of slaw.

Ramen Cole Slaw

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (I think olive would work here, too)
3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 cabbage, chopped
5 green onions, chopped
1 pkg. (3 oz.) chicken-flavored Ramen noodles
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds*
1/4 cup sliced almonds*
*Buy roasted sliced almonds from Trader Joe's and toasted sesame seeds.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Evenly spread sesame seeds and almonds on baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes or until slightly browned. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, Ramen noodle spice mix and salt and pepper. In a large salad bowl, combine the cabbage, green onions and Ramen noodles. Pour dressing over the cabbage and toss to coat evenly. Top with toasted sesame seeds and almonds.
Makes 4 servings.

Note: I plan to try this with rice wine vinegar and fresh cilantro for an Asian twist.

Celebrity Scoop: Apple Martin's Organic Roast Veggie Sticks

Mama Gwenyth Paltrow shares a few healthy, eco-friendly food tips in the April 21 issue of People Magazine. Once her kids were old enough to eat solids she would, "make organic brown rice and keep it in the fridge. I'd puree it with organic vegetables that I'd steamed. It's easy to make organic oats for them in the morning with a little pure maple syrup, or yogurt with flax meal and fruit. As the kids get older: brown rice and black beans with soft tortillas and guacamole - they love dipping."

She also gave People the recipe for Apple's Organic Roast Veggie Sticks. Here goes....

My kids eat these with their fingers. When they cool, the sticks are caramelized and delicious.

-Peel carrots, sweet potatoes and parsnips and cut into thick French-fry size pieces. Toss with a drizzling of olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees. After 20 minutes, stir in maple syrup, then return to oven until lightly browned. Allow to cool before eating.

Try This: Roasted Fennel

Oh fennel, you sassy little gem of the winter vegetables. You have truly impressed me! During a very bitter cold weekend in Boston, dear friends Bob & Kelly roasted up some yumminess - roasted fennel and butternut squash with a Cuban-styled orange roughy. It's amazing what roasting veggies can do for you on a freezing winter night.

After returning from Boston, I found the below primer on roasting fennel from Simply Recipes, of course!

Normally fennel tastes like a cross between celery, cabbage, and licorice. Roasting, however, brings out an entirely new flavor - as if pine nuts decided to join the party. Unfortunately, it is very hard to take an appetizing photo of this roasted vegetable. Believe me, it is much, much tastier than it looks. And if you enjoy raw fennel, I recommend roasting some just for the heck of it.

• 2 fennel bulbs (thick base of stalk), stalks cut off, bulbs sliced
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar

1 Preheat oven to 400°F.

2 Rub just enough olive oil over the fennel to coat. Sprinkle on some balsamic vinegar, also to coat. Line baking dish with silpat or aluminum foil. Lay out piece of fennel and roast for 15-20 minutes, until the fennel is cooked through and beginning to caramelize.

Serves 4.

Don't Forget to Eat Your Black-Eyed Peas!!

First off, Happy New Year! Hopefully, you are enjoying time with your family today. Or maybe you are glued to the TV with all of the good football that is on today (Go Trojans!). Whatever it is,  I do hope that you get a hold of some black-eyed peas. Why? For luck in 2008, of course!

According to Wikipedia, the "good luck" tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day in the South dates back to the U.S. Civil War. "Union troops, especially in areas targeted by General William Tecumseh Sherman, would typically strip the countryside of all stored food, crops, and livestock and destroy whatever they couldn't carry away. At that time, Northerners considered "field peas" and corn suitable only for animal fodder, and as a result didn't steal or destroy these humble foods. Many Southerners survived as a result of this mistake." Thus, the reason Southerners typically eat their BEP's with cornbread.

On my hunt for a black-eyed pea recipe, who better to turn to than Paula Dean for advice on how to cook up this traditional Southern dish. So, I'm going with a modified version of Paula's "Spicy Black-Eyed Pea" recipe. Instead of serving this with cornbread, we're going to scoop it up with tortilla chips for an appetizer during the Rose Bowl.

Wishing you much love, luck and health in 2008!

Acorn Squash Deconstructed

It truly is amazing what happens when you bake, broil or microwave winter squash. It's sweet, hearty and delicious. Oh and the smell....I recently baked an acorn squash, and the smell was heavenly.

Now I know there are some of you out there, you know who you are, that are turning your nose up at my squash post. You don't like it. You never have. We'll I think you might like acorn squash, so give it a try. Think of it as a cousin to the pumpkin. And if you don't like pumpkin or pumpkin pie for that matter, then I really can't help you here and you should gloss over this post.

Cutting It

Now, the acorn squash as with other squash or pumpkins are a little challenging when it comes to getting to the inside goods. You'll need a sturdy knife to begin with. Try piercing it in a few places and cook in the microwave for 2 minutes. Let it stand for another few minutes and then cut it. Always cut stem to bottom rather than across the middle.

Open up the squash and scoop out the seeds. Get your kids to help you scoop out the insides. It's a fun way to get them involved in the process. (Save the seeds for later to bake like pumpkin seeds. Older kids will love cinnamon & sugar seeds and adults would love salt & cayenne pepper seeds on a salad).

Microwaving It

If you don't have much time, you can microwave your squash easily. Click here for a microwave recipe from the Food Network.

Baking It

Also, try Elise's recipe for Baked Acorn Squash. I haven't yet, but it sounds wonderful.

What is a grit anyways?

“What is a grit anyways,” asked Vinny Gambini in the hit 1992 film, “My Cousin Vinny.” The wise guy lawyer from Brooklyn posed the question while eating grits for the first time in a diner in rural Alabama.

According to grits.com, “grits are small broken grains of corn. They were first produced by Native Americans centuries ago. They made both "corn" grits and "hominy" grits. Falls Mill produces "corn" grits.”

If you are a Southerner, you were raised on this dish for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner. The baked garlic cheese variety is a very popular way to enjoy them. However, us Texans like to spice up this typical Southern side with crazy things like sugar, green chilies, chipotle, etc.

Why all this talk of grits? For a couple of reasons: 1) I have made green chili cheese grits a lot in the past three weeks. 2) My daughter really, really likes them. Even picky Auntie Ellen liked them. 3) Tre from Top Chef won last night’s challenge with a bacon-wrapped shrimp and grits recipe. 4) After a recent trip to Savannah, GA, my dad is obsessed with finding a good shrimp ‘n grits recipe.

Baking grits is fine and all, but I don’t always have time for that. I have included the short and long way to make them below. This is a great side for brunch with eggs or dinner with BBQ chicken.

Green Chile Cheese Grits

(adapted from “Necessities and Temptations” Junior League of Austin cookbook)

¾ cup white grits

3 cups water

¾ tsp. Salt

½ cup butter

½ pound grated cheddar cheese

1 tsp. Seasoned salt

½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 4-oz. Can chopped green chiles

Paprika or cayenne pepper, optional

If you have 10 minutes:

Bring water to a boil. Add grits and salt. Cook over low heat for 2 to 5 minutes, stirring  occasionally. Add butter and cheese. Stir until melted. Add seasoned slate and Worcestershire. Fold in green chiles. Sprinkle with paprika or cayenne pepper. Serve.

If you have 1.25 hours:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Follow steps above, but add 2 eggs, well-beaten at end.

Pour in buttered 1 ½ quart baking dish. Bake 1 hour.

If you have even more time, try Tre’s recipe. http://recipes.bravotv.com/top_chef/season_3/episode_7/baconwrapped_shrimp.php