Crunch Time

I wish I was talking about this kind of Crunch time…

But instead, I am referring to this kind..

Well and this crunchy casserole….

 

but more that in a second.

Yesterday marked the last day of spring semester classes, finals week starts tomorrow, and that means I am just one week away from becoming a senior in college! Wow, I felt like I just said I was going to be a senior in high school last year—time flies is an understatement these days.

I also have an interview next Tuesday in Minneapolis at Macy’s for the Culinary Professional position which entails:

• Set up inviting Demo Cart displays, including recipes and food products
• Conduct gourmet foods and candy product knowledge seminars for the Foods Team members
• Produce and present freshly prepared products to customers, encouraging them to sample items while enthusiastically educating to guide customers in their buying decisions
• Assist with special events, including shopping and prepping for guest chefs, cookbook authors, and celebrities

So please keep your fingers crossed for me!

Now back to more crunch time!

I’m sure you remember in the last post I talked about two more recipes I’ve made to use up leftover holiday ham. Well here’s another coming at ya! This one is a really unique—a creamy ham and potato mix topped with a crunchy Corn Flakes mix. And what’s easier than a casserole? One pan to bake, one pan to clean—count me in!

 

Crunch Top Ham & Potato Casserole

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

16 oz frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed (1/2 32 oz package)

1c cubed cooked ham

1/2 cup (8 oz) fat-free sour cream

1/2 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) fat-free condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1/4 c I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Fat Free

1/3 cup chopped green onions

1/3 c chopped green pepper

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

Topping:

• 1 c crushed Corn Flakes cereal

Directions:

• In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients.
• Transfer to a greased 8 x 8 inch baking dish.
• Sprinkle crushed topping evenly over casserole.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 hour or until heated through.

What’s your favorite candy bar?

Mine has always been a tie between Crunch, Skors, and Heath!

Hop to It

Hope everyone had a super Easter—it was just good to be home even if it was just for a day. Oh and the good meal didn’t hurt things either :-) You know when you leave so stuffed you can barely move, it was a success!

Mom made a glazed spiral ham that she got from Sam’s Club.

Mom also made some mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows…a yummy classic!

 

My grandpa made my mom’s Stunning Sausage Stuffing to help her out a bit…

I also had to make my beloved Lean Green Bean Casserole…even the leftovers of this dish are to-die-for!

And last but not least, I am always looking for new vegetable side dishes, preferably roasted because I love the rich flavor vegetables develop after a long time in the oven. I came across a recipe for Lemon-Chive Roasted Vegetables and with lemons in season now, I paid just 0.50 for one. It’s the perfect excuse to try these out any night for dinner,  no special occasion required!

Lemon-Chive Roasted Vegetables

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, halved

1 bag frozen Brussels sprouts, thawed

1 pound baby carrots

2 medium Vidalia or other sweet onions, each cut into 8 wedges

1 tablespoon olive oil

Cooking spray

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425°.
• Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well to coat. Arrange vegetables in a single layer on 2 jelly-roll pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes or until tender and lightly browned.
• Combine vegetables, chives, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; toss gently to coat.

And saving the best for last of course is dessert! Cupcakes courtesy of Cassie’s Cupcake Creations.

Whopper Cupcakes

Chocolicious cake, whipped malted milk ball frosting, topped with whoppers.

Cookies n’ Cream Cupcakes

Cookies n cream cake, whipped vanilla frosting, Oreo cookie garnish.

I wish holidays came around more often—we all had a really great time!

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Even if your feast is outstanding, leftovers are usually inevitable, and in this case, we have tons of leftover ham. I’ve been brainstorming new ways to use it up and I came up with three. Today’s recipe is also going towards this-->Barilla is challenging Foodbuzz Featured Publishers to imagine an Italian-inspired recipe or meal created with Barilla Tortellini.

For my recipe, I am using Barilla Three Cheese Tortellini.

Italian Chicken Cordon Bleu Tortellini

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 bag Barilla Three Cheese Tortellini
• 1/4 c flour
• 2 c milk, preferably 2%
• 1 Tbsp pesto
• 1 1/2 c shredded Italian blend cheese
• 2 c chopped roasted/skinless chicken breast
• 1 c cubed ham
• 1 c sliced jarred roasted red peppers, drained well
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• dash of red pepper flakes, if desired

Directions:

• Cook noodles according to Barilla’s package directions.
• While noodles cook, combine flour and 1/4 cup milk in a heavy saucepan, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Place the pan over medium heat; whisk in 1 3/4 cups milk and pesto. Cook 6 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low.
• Add the cheese, stirring until melted. Stir in the chicken, red pepper slices, ham, and seasonings.
• Serve over Barilla Three Cheese Tortellini

Keep an eye out for two more recipes on how to use up your leftover holiday ham!

Have you tried a new pasta dish you loved lately?—share!

Casserole Week: Lightened Up Tuna Casserole

I was pleasantly surprised that a lot of you have never had tuna casserole before either—I thought I would be in a minority!

Recap of yesterday—it’s my birthday on Monday and Mother’s Day on Sunday, so my mom and I always like to combine the two celebrations and go on a little getaway. This time we headed up to Thief River Falls—which is somewhat in the middle of nowhere, but has the Seven Clans Casino with a huge water park. Waterslides are about the only “rides” you’ll catch me on, because any other kinds make me sick unfortunately. So water parks are by far my favorite, and this is the closest one to home.

The Seven Clans has a few restaurants—the Malt Shoppe and the Sizzlin’ 7’s.

We chose the Sizzlin’ 7’s.

They had their Friday night Walleye Special. For just $7.95, you got a huge baked wallet fillet breaded with their special seasoning, corn, baked potato and dinner roll. It was the best tasting fish I’ve had in a long time, and made a overall 5 star tasting meal!

After I got hooked on the tuna casserole in yesterday’s post, I thought why not try and lighten it up? Sometimes you want the  tastes of a comforting dish without the feeling of being weighed down. I think I accomplished this with today’s recipe!

Lightened Up Tuna Casserole

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb spaghetti squash (approx 2 cups), microwave prior to baking casserole
• 1 can FF cream of mushroom soup
• 1/3 c skim milk
• 1/2 c FF shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 c canned peas
• 1/2 c diced onion
• 1/2 c sliced mushrooms
• 1 Starkist Chunk Light Tuna Sandwich Ready Pouch
• 1/4 c crushed cheddar soy crisps—I use Mr
• Dash of black pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly spray a 8 x 8 baking pan.
• In a medium bowl, mix soup, milk, cheese, peas, onions, mushrooms, and tuna until thoroughly combined.
• Mix in spaghetti squash and bake for 30-35 until top is brown and bubbly.
• Sprinkle pepper on top before serving if desired.
• Let cool—makes 4 portions.

Casserole Week: Top Notch Tuna Casserole

 

It seems like tuna noodle casserole is one of the more popular comfort foods. A lot of people I’ve talked to grew up eating it—all in different versions. Even just typing “Tuna noodle casserole” in a Google search box brings up 1,090,000 results. Hello variety! And ever better, tuna provides these health benefits:

Heart

Tuna, like other fish, is full of omega-3 fatty acids. These help to eliminate erratic heart beats, and that lowers the risk of blood clots and heart attacks.

Triglycerides

Triglycerides are a type of fat that--when present in great amounts--contributes to high cholesterol. Eating tuna lowers the triglyceride content in a person to normal, healthy amounts.

Stroke

Since eating tuna helps prevent blood clots and also improves blood flow, it can help prevent strokes. Eating only 1 to 3 servings a month is enough to lower the risk of stroke in a person.

Skin

The omega-3 count in tuna is greatly beneficial to skin care. It helps to reduce inflammation, which helps reduce the risk of sunburn and skin cancer.

Liver

Tuna is a good source of selenium as well as omega-3. This is important in liver health, which helps to promote detoxification of the body.

Surprisingly, I had never had tuna casserole up until a couple months ago. After a few different versions, I settled on this one!

Top Notch Tuna Casserole

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

12 ounces uncooked egg noodles

2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

1/3 cup milk

1 can (12 ounces) tuna, drained and flaked

1 cup VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product—I used the Mexican spicy version.

1 medium onion, chopped

1 jar (2 ounces) diced pimientos, drained

1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained

1 cup crushed potato chips

Paprika

Directions:

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. In a large bowl, combine the soup, sour cream and milk. Stir in the noodles, tuna, cheese, onion, pimientos and olives.

Pour into a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with potato chips and paprika. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.

 

What’s your favorite tuna noodle casserole recipe?

Casserole Week: Mexicali Casserole

I really should have posted this yesterday since it was Cinco de Mayo, but as well all know, life can sometimes get in the way. So consider this a day late celebration!

Did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo? If so, how?

The sun finally decided to come out of it’s shell and shine a bit yesterday. It’s been raining, cloudy, and gloomy for days and now they are talking SNOW tomorrow. Hopefully it’s a late April Fool’s joke or something.

I really enjoyed this Mexican casserole, not only because it’s easy to whip together, but it’s healthy and filling as well! You can serve it with lettuce, taco shells or warmed tortillas.

Mexicali Casserole

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground turkey

1-1/2 cups chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup water

2/3 cup uncooked long grain rice I used thinly grated butternut squash

1/3 cup sliced ripe olives

1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions:

In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, cook the turkey, onions, green pepper and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Sprinkle with chili powder and salt. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, water, grated butternut squash and olives.

Transfer to a 2-1/2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and bake at 375° for 50-55 minutes or until rice is tender. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

What is your favorite Mexican dish?

Casserole Week: Cheesy Zucchini Bake

Well I’ve got another semester of college under my belt. I am entering my Junior year already—time really does fly! I thought I was so burnt out over courses this semester, but I decided to take another course throughout May. It’s every day a week for about 4 hours, but I can get the same amount of credits for it vs. stretching it out in a whole semester. So I have a week off now and then back to school!

Now onto the first installment of casserole week..I am so excited that summer produce will be in full swing sooner than later. Zucchini is one of the vegetables that people grow and then they always end up with piles of it and no clue how to use it all. I try to compile zucchini recipes all year long, so I can have various uses for it when the time comes.

This recipe caught my eye due to the Italian flare it had—and with me being Italian there was a good chance I would like it. I made it twice in one week—definite keeper in my zucchini recipe file!

Cheesy Zucchini Bake

(Note: I halved this recipe and made it in a 8 x 8 the first time, and it works perfectly fine!)

Ingredients:

4-1/2 cups sliced zucchini

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 large onion, chopped

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) tomato puree

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 cans (2-1/4 ounces each) sliced ripe olives, drained

3 cups (12 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

6 eggs, lightly beaten

1-1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a large skillet, sauté zucchini in oil until tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; stir. Transfer to an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.

 

In the same skillet, saute onion until crisp-tender. Add garlic; saute 3 minutes longer. stir in tomato puree, tomato paste, sugar, Italian seasoning and basil. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in olives. Pour over zucchini. Sprinkle with mozzarella.

 

Combine the eggs and Parmesan cheese; pour over zucchini. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Yield: 12-16 servings.

What are your favorite recipes using zucchini?

Catch up & Casseroles

A crazy few weeks would be an underestimate. I haven’t cooked much, but instead have been forced to spend hours with my head buried in books and notes. If only life could always be spent doing what you want when you want! When I get busy, I tend to lean towards making casserole dishes. There are so many variations from breakfast casseroles, pasta casseroles, etc. That way I can just make one mess and have a meal for a couple days, which truly helps when your on a tight schedule.

But everyone still needs some sort of distraction from concentration—a chance to recharge, so the fam and I took off to Grand Forks for a few days to shop and just have fun.

We ate at the Golden Corral Buffet, which I had never heard of/been to. Wow—usually buffets can be a bit of a downer with the same ol’ food that can sometimes be less flavorful than hoped for. Not this one! We liked it so much that we ended up going back for dinner every night we were there. Amazing food—so far it’s put every other buffet I’ve eaten at to shame!

And you can watch the bakers and chefs in action which is great eating entertainment!

Have you been to a Golden Corral Buffet?

Here’s some of my plates..

Baked potato, grilled chicken, grilled peppers/onions, coleslaw, and stuffed mushrooms.

Corn on the cob, lemon pepper tilapia, fish Florentine, baked beans, and steamed veggies.

Then I had to stop at one of my all-time favorite ice cream places..yes it’s even a close second to ColdStone for me! TCBY has amazing soft-serve frozen yogurt flavors..check out my creations!

White chocolate mousse frozen yogurt with strawberries.

Half strawberry and half vanilla frozen yogurt with blueberries.

Then we stopped at  Applebee’s on our trek home and I decided to try another one of their Under 550 Calorie menu items. The Asiago Peppercorn Steak is one of their newer items in the line.

“Our classic 7 oz. sirloin, grilled and topped with cracked peppercorns and melted Asiago cheese. Served with steamed herb potatoes and seasonal vegetables.”

My thoughts: This meal was obviously perfectly portioned, but I found it a little high priced for the small amount of food you got. At $11.29, I can’t see myself ordering it again. I would definitely go with the Dijon Chicken and Portabellas like last time.

So now all I have left is finals this Monday and summer vacation is here! Not sure what my plans are for the summer; hopefully work, fun, and just enjoying the sunshine. Lots to come on the blog..hopefully things will get back to some sort of scheduled posting. Product reviews, new summer recipes, etc. And starting Monday, a whole week is going to be focused on casseroles, so if you have a favorite casserole dish you want to feature, I’d love for you to email me (apinchandadash@live.com) the recipe and a picture.

(May 3rd-9th)

Easter Success

A new week already!

Hope everyone had a nice Easter weekend. In my opinion it was too short, but aren’t weekends always that way? Anyways, this week will be a short one for me. I am currently in Minneapolis for a few days to do some spring shopping, so that should be a fun little getaway.

Easter here was a busy Sunday. I was in the kitchen from 12-5 preparing the meal, but got outside a bit to enjoy the high 60’s temps and sunny blue skies. I was a little nervous on how I could cook everything to get done at the same time, but I did it! I’ve learned when cooking for a crowd it helps to not panic, but instead sit down a few days before and write down a plan of action. (Groceries to buy, dishes that can be prepped the night ahead, how the oven is going to be occupied, etc.)

Here’s how I planned:

• 2 days before: Get groceries(try grouping things in the fridge/freezer to make it easier come cooking time), get all recipes together in one spot(envelopes are handy),and write down all cooking times and temps on one sheet of paper. Thawed turkey out.
• 1 day before: Make sure you have all cooking utensils and equipment necessary beforehand. I made the green bean corn casserole(not adding cracker topping yet) and the wild rice stuffing that night.
• The day of the get-together: With the plan to eat at 5 o’clock, I baked the angel food cake at 10 am. I also cleaned, chopped, and soaked the strawberries in sugar. Let it cool till 11, sliced it and put in the fridge. At 11:30, sliced up onions and apples for the turkey, injected it, and had it in the oven by noon. Next I prepped the Bob’s Red Mill Potato Bread, which I eventually made into rolls. They take about a good 3 hrs from start to finish. At around 4 I popped the buns into the oven to finish cooking. Then I mixed the cream cheese filling for the cake and layered that and the strawberries on. I finished by frosting it in whipped cream and garnishing with more strawberries and almonds. 4:30 came and I popped in the 2 casseroles and took the buns out. Prepped the instant mashed potato and made the gravy on the stove. Turkey came out at a little before 5, and we all sat down to eat shortly after.
• Bon appétit!

Apple&Onion Cajun Turkey

Ingredients:

• 1-15 lb turkey
• 2 apples
• 2 red onions
• 14 sprigs of sage
• 10 injections of Creole Butter (see photo below)

• 1/2 stick of butter, melted

Directions:

Prepare turkey by cleaning it out.

Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Add a quarter inch of water into the bottom of the pan. Inject turkey with Creole Butter and. Brush the top of the turkey with butter.

Cut up apples and onions into wedges and scatter throughout the pan along with the sage.

Bake at 375 F for 4 1/2 to 5 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 180°, basting occasionally with pan drippings. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.)  Cover and let stand for 15 minutes before carving.

Notes: This turkey was by far the most moist turkey I have had—even the turkey legs were moist and usually they are on the dry side. The apples, onions, and sage really helped add flavor and were good to eat afterwards too.

Green Bean & Corn Casserole

Ingredients:

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) reduced-fat condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted

1 cup (8 ounces) reduced-fat sour cream

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 package (16 ounces) frozen French-style green beans, thawed

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1/4 cup crushed reduced-fat cheese crackers

Refrigerated butter-flavored spray

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, cheese and onion. Stir in the beans and corn. Transfer to a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes.

Uncover; sprinkle cracker crumbs around the edges. Spritz several times with butter-flavored spray. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through and edges are lightly browned. Yield: 7 servings.

Notes: This recipe was actually voted the best of all—it’s light and healthy, yet you wouldn’t guess it by a long shot!

Mom’s Stunning Sausage Stuffing

Recipe here.

Notes: This is really the only way I will eat rice—it’s been around at our family holidays ever since I can remember—and it makes a lot, so it’s perfect!

Bob’s Red Mill Potato Rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of Bob’s Red Mill's Potato Bread
• 2 tsp oil
• Water
• Butter spray

Directions:

• Follow mixing directions on package, and follow all steps exactly up until forming into a loaf.
• Instead roll into 12 balls and place in a lightly greased 8 x 8 baking dish. Bake a directed.
• Top with butter spray while still warm, and serve.

Notes: The company sent me these awhile back to review and I wanted to save them for a special occasion. They are very dense rolls being they are potato bread, but they browned and baked well.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Angel Food Cake

Ingredients:

• 4  cups  sliced strawberries
• 3/4  cup  sugar, divided
• 2  tablespoons  evaporated skim milk
• 1  (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 angel food cake baked in 2- 9 x 12 loaf pans
• 3  tablespoons  triple sec (orange-flavored liqueur) or orange juice, divided
• 1  (8-ounce) tub frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed
• 2  tablespoons  sliced almonds

Directions:

• Combine strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl; cover and let stand 1 hour. Combine 1/2 cup sugar, milk, and cream cheese in a medium bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer until smooth.
• Cut cake horizontally into 2 layers using a serrated knife; place bottom layer, cut side up, on a serving plate. Brush with 1 tablespoon liqueur, and spread half of cream cheese mixture over cake. Spoon one-third of strawberries over cream cheese mixture using a slotted spoon. Repeat layers, ending with cake and liqueur. Spread whipped topping over top and sides of cake. Cover; chill 30 minutes. Arrange remaining strawberries on top of cake before serving; sprinkle with almonds.

Notes: This was easy to prepare, although I am still trying to find a fool-proof and clean method for slicing a cake in half horizontally. Very appealing in color and presentation—and I loved the combo of cream cheese and angel food cake. This was a keeper for sure!