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!

Almost April

Glad you all enjoyed the re-cap on my latest cooking class! The next one is coming up on April 8th and is titled Spring Fling—it’s going to be all on how to prepare a spring themed five course meal highlighting produce that is in season now, so stay tuned for that! =)

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The past week has been a busy one which is the norm lately. Friday I was down in Minneapolis again at the Kenny Chesney concert! It was a great show—Billy Currington and Uncle Kracker opened for him and the show ended up being 5 hours long—it was Kenny’s birthday the next day, so he insisted on jammin’ till midnigh. We definitely got out money’s worth at the concert!!

Before the concert though, we decided on Red Lobster for dinner. I was dying to try their new Lobster Feast! After much debate, I decided on the Grilled Maine Lobster and Shrimp. “A wood-grilled split Maine lobster tail, paired with two skewers of garlic-grilled shrimp topped with creamy lobster butter sauce. Served over wild rice pilaf.” I got it sans rice and subbed a baked potato instead.

Two words: excellent choice!

Then we were off to the concert.

Had to have the right apparel of course—cowboy hats!

Here’s a few videos from the concert too—Kenny Chesney ones coming soon!

Being that the concert was on a Friday, we had the whole weekend to fill yet. We ended up spending it at the Mall of America and just hanging out. There was some giant chef’s cook-off going on at the mall this weekend, we caught a few glimpses.

Shopping and eating out—I’d say that’s a guaranteed good weekend, right?!

Speaking out eating out, Saturday night we went to a new-to-me place called The 5-8 Club in Champlin. It’s actually been featured on Travel Channel’s Food Wars and Man Vs. Food. They are famed for their “Juicy Lucy Burger” which is basically a 1/2 lb burger stuffed with cheese. Did I go with their most popular item? Nope. But what I ordered was still pretty amazing!!

The Buffalo Chicken Sandwich with Jojo Fries

 

We came home with some leftover food like usual, so I already had my thinking cap on for what to do with the half of a baked spiral ham we had. I decided to use it two different ways so that we didn't get bored!!

First up: Ham, Broccoli, and Pepper Jack Stuffed Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon (1 turn around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1/2 pound baked ham from a deli ham, sliced 1/8-inch thick, cut into 2-inch thick strips

4 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons butter, in small pieces

1/2 cup milk

1 cup chopped and cooked broccoli florets

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Rub potatoes with a drizzle of oil and pierce skins with the tines of a fork. Microwave on high 12 minutes or until tender.

While the potatoes cook in the microwave, heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and saute chopped onions 2 to 3 minutes or until bits are just tender.  Add in broccoli and ham to heat through. Set aside.

Cool potatoes for 5 minutes, split potatoes down the center, and scrape flesh into a bowl. Set skins aside on a non-stick baking sheet. Preheat broiler to high with oven rack 6-inches from the heat source.

To the cooked potato in the mixing bowl, add shallots, ham strips, broccoli,  grated cheese, butter, milk, and season with salt and pepper. Mash mixture with a potato masher or dinner fork until mixture is combined, but not entirely lump-free.

Scoop mixture in even amounts into skins and broil 2 or 3 minutes to lightly brown stuffed potatoes on top.

Second up: Ham and Pineapple Bisquick Bake

 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups chopped fully cooked ham
• 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple in juice, drained
• 4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)
• 1 cup Original Bisquick® mix
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
• 1 cup shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese (4 oz)

Directions:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray.
• Sprinkle ham, pineapple and onions in pie plate. In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk, eggs and mustard until blended; pour over ham mixture.
• Bake uncovered about 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 3 to 4 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

 

What is your favorite recipe featuring ham?

Boston Bound

Sunday afternoon I arrived into Boston and was greeted with 60 degrees and sunshine beaming through the clear blue skies. A great start to a vacation! I love flying into the Boston airport—right over the ocean!

I was ready to get off the over-packed plane and stretch my legs—where better to do it than Harvard Square!? It’s been a tradition to go there every time I come out east—so much energy, people, and sights to see.

We had planned on eating at the renown Bartley’s Burgers, but being Sunday it was closed unfortunately.

 

My aunt & I

So instead of eating there, we walked around and stumbled on a little cafe. I ended up getting a bowl of unpictured blueberry chicken soup which sounded different, but was surprisingly delicious!!

Then of course I had to venture inside the gourmet cooking shop! So many things to browse through.

But backing up to Saturday—I made up a new strata recipe to clean out the fridge. I wrapped it all up in tinfoil to take for snacking on the plane. Then Saturday night, I went out to eat at the Green Mill and got my favorite, the Chicken Parmesan. They upped the serving to 3 chicken breasts now instead of 2, which is way too much to eat at one sitting, especially when you have a big baked potato too. So instead of getting rid of it, I decided to wrap that up to and made this for Monday’s lunch…

A chicken parmesan sandwich with mushrooms, and some roasted kabocha squash. 

I also tried a newer flavor of yogurt in the Dannon Light N’ Fit line, the Banana! It was actually really good—no artificial banana taste.

It was even better topped with some  Tropical Dried Fruit pieces on top…

 

Here's the new strata recipe!

Start Your Day Strata

‘Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c yellow onion, sliced
• 1/2 c yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 c mushrooms
• 1/2 c spinach
• 1/2 c cottage cheese
• 1/2 c eggbeaters
• 1/2 c milk (I used 8th Continent soymilk)
• 1/4 c chunky salsa
• 2 light whole wheat buns (I use Village Hearth)
• 5 thin slices of deli ham
• 1 Yukon gold potato—sliced very thin
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray.
• Take whole wheat buns and split in half. Tear up into cubes and press evenly into the bottom of the dish.
• Mix cottage cheese, milk, egg beaters, and salsa until combined.
• Meanwhile, sauté onions, mushrooms and bell peppers on medium until fork tender—5 minutes. Pour on top of bun cubes and spread evenly.
• Next, pour egg mixture over the vegetables and let sit for 15 minutes. Layer spinach over the top.
• Cover the egg mixture evenly with the slices of ham and top with the thin slices of potato. Sprinkle seasoning and fennel seeds evenly over the top.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Cool and cut into 4 large slices.

We finished the day with dinner at Pub 99. I was craving some good New England seafood, so luckily they had just what I was looking for.

Captain's Combo Platter - A hearty sampling of all your fried favorites - shrimp, sweet scallops and haddock served with french fries and coleslaw.

I got it broiled instead of fried, a baked potato instead of fries and butternut squash instead of coleslaw—so good!

**Stay tuned for the other half of my trip!**

Baked in a Bowl

Can anyone agree that winter weather is becoming a tad old and it’s only January? I woke up yesterday to 35 mph winds and about 2 ft of snow drifts—no school wasn’t cancelled, so off I went like a crazy college student in a Cougar sliding through stoplights—what a great way to start the day—it sure woke me up!

But one good thing about cold and blustery days is that it calls for warm-you-up meals! I think we all probably have some sort of meal that we grew up eating that strikes our appetite every so often. For me, it’s my mom’s homemade baked potato soup—this time I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand, so I figured it was a good opportunity to make my own twist on it. What was your favorite growing up food?

And having soup was the perfect opportunity to showcase one of the recipes I will be teaching in my cooking class “Bisquick Bonanza”. The description of the class reads:

“No longer think of Bisquick as just an everyday baking mix. With this class, you’ll learn to add some pizzazz to this pantry staple. Appetizers, desserts, and hearty main dishes are all bounding from a box.”

So here’s your first sneak peak at one of the recipes, and why not make this soup for an all-around great winter meal?

 

Semi-Homemade Baked Potato Soup

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 1-11 oz bag of Bear Creek Creamy Potato Soup mix and ingredients called for on package (pictured below)
• 8 oz pre-cooked cubed ham
• 1 c canned sweet peas
• 1/2 C yellow onion, sliced
• 2 c fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

• Start water called for on package to a boil. Meanwhile sauté onion in a sprayed pan until translucent. (5 mins)

• Once water reaches a rolling boil, dump in soup mix. Stir until well combined. Pour onion, peas, and ham in.

• In the last 5 minutes, add in the spinach and pepper.

Bisquick Bread Bowls

(I recommend using the Bisquick Heart Smart mix to up the nutritionals!)

Serves: 5

**You will need Pyrex or some other type of oven-safe bowl to make this recipe.**

Ingredients:

• 1 package regular active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
• 3 cups Bisquick Heart Smart® mix

Directions:

• In large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Stir in Bisquick mix until dough leaves side of bowl and forms a ball. Turn dough onto surface lightly dusted with Bisquick mix; gently roll in Bisquick mix to coat. Knead about 1 minute or until smooth. Cover and let rise 10 minutes.

• Heat oven to 375°F. Grease outsides of five 10-ounce (large) custard cups. Place cups upside down on large ungreased cookie sheet. Divide dough into 5 equal parts. Pat or roll each part into 7-inch circle. Shape circles over outsides of custard cups. (Do not curl dough under edges of cups.)

• Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Tap custard cups to loosen bread bowls. Cool 3 minutes; carefully lift bread bowls off custard cups. (Custard cups and bread will be hot.) Cool bread bowls upright on wire rack.

What’s your favorite soup?

Comfort Food Fix

First off, thank you all SO SO much for your kind words regarding the unfortunate event with my cat. I wish I could come and hug you all. So here’s a *virtual hug*! I have never been good at dealing with death, but I just really need to remember all the great times I had with him and then I feel truly blessed. Some of my favorite memories with him were always giving him at least a handful of my Cheerios in the morning because he wouldn’t leave till I did, playing for hours with bouncy balls in the kitchen, trying to discreetly open tuna cans so he wouldn’t meow until he got a hefty serving, and most of all just having a snuggle partner to always keep you warm. This week will still be hard, but my Tuesday made it much better. Here’s why..

• First off, my mom came to visit me as I said before, and came not only bringing her smiley face, but this…

She obviously  knows what can cheer me up! I can’t wait to get started with this gem. Looks like I can check one thing off of my Christmas list  a little early!

So here’s some other things that were rather comforting during this sad week…

Homemade Hawaiian Pizza

Ingredients consisted of:

• One recipe of my homemade whole wheat crust
• 3/4 c pizza sauce
• 1/2 c mushrooms
• 1/2 c chopped green pepper
• 3/4 c precooked/cubed ham
• 1 small can of chunk pineapple, drained
• 2/3 c mozzarella cheese

Directions are simple:

• Preheat oven to 450 F.
• Prick dough with fork after rolling out onto pan and bake for 8-10 minutes.
• Take out of the oven, add toppings, and bake again for about 10-12 minutes.

Easy does it!

Obviously this week I am on a ham kick…

Breakfast Bonanza Tomato

Ingredients:

• 1 tomato, medium to large
• 1/4 c shredded cheese, your choice of kind, I used a fiesta blend
• 3 slices of thicker deli ham
• 1 egg + 1 egg white
• 2 tbsp chopped mushrooms
• 2 tsp hot sauce, optional

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 F. Get your tomato all shiny any pretty. Just kidding, but make sure to wash it good!

• Pulp out the inside leaving a 1/2’ shell. Discard seeds and liquid, but reserve the pulp.

• Now take the three slices of ham and place inside the tomato so the ham goes up the sides.

• Meanwhile, scramble one egg ,one white,  and mushrooms in a sprayed skillet until they are no longer watery.
• Stuff mixture into tomato once it has cooled. Top with cheese and hot sauce if you choose.

• Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and tomato has softened to the touch.

In other news:

• Yesterday I viewed the beyond gorgeous Home-Ec room I will be teaching my classes in which made me even more excited for this new opportunity!! My classes need to be finalized by Sunday, so I am busy planning away.
• I have some really REALLY good bars you are not going to want to miss and a soup that my old Italian neighbor lady used to make which is divine to say the least.
• Tomorrow in lieu of all this sadness hanging around here, I decided on a giveaway to make you all  a bit happier =) I will give you one hint….

Or two I suppose..