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!

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?

Italian 101

“Mangiando insieme, godiamo la vita”

(By eating, we enjoy life)

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Any person who likes to cook or eat (usually a person likes at least one—in my case both!), can relate to the above Italian quote which is commonly used in Italian kitchens worldwide. There’s just something that screams comfort food, family, and fresh flavors when anything Italian hits the table. But in all reality, I haven’t cooked or eaten as many Italian foods as I’d like. And another reason I want to widen my Italian food palate; remember how I teach cooking classes? Well they implemented a new feedback/suggestion program, and one of the requested themes has repeatedly been Italian—brilliant, huh? I love my students!!

So how about I start this goal to get “in touch” more frequently with Italian food by making gnocchi? I’ve eaten it quite a bit, but I’ve never made it completely from scratch. And what better day to do it then on a lazy snowy Sunday afternoon?

Didn’t think you’d complain!!!

Gnocchi with Chicken and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs whole baking potatoes

• 2 beaten egg yolks

• 1 1/2 cups flour

• 1  medium yellow onion, finely chopped

• 1  large can of chicken, drained

• 1 large can of Italian stewed tomatoes, drained

• 1  clove garlic, finely chopped

• 1  5-ounce bag baby spinach

• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper

• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) grated Parmesan, plus more for garnishing

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spear the potatoes with fork tines in several places around each potato to vent moisture as the potatoes cook. Bake the potatoes in their skins until tender, about an hour. Let cool on a rack, cutting them open to help cool and let more moisture escape.

Scoop out the potatoes from their skins. Mash the potatoes by hand and fluff them up a bit with a fork. It is best to work with the potatoes when they are still warm.

Add the flour, egg and a pinch of salt. Mix by hand until you have a nice pliable ball of dough. Do not overmix.

Prepare a work area and dust it with flour. Take the dough, a piece at a time, and roll it out gently with your hands until you have rolls about 3/4 inch in diameter. It is very important to keep a light touch while you are rolling the dough. Gently roll the dough with your fingertips while while exerting the lightest pressure outwards, not down, to draw the dough out.

Cut the tubes of dough into pieces about one inch long. Using either the tines of a fork or your fingertip, press against a piece of the dough and roll it slightly to form an indentation (good for catching the sauce). As the gnocchi are made, place them on flat baking pan, lightly dusted with flour or lined with wax paper. At this point you can freeze the gnocchi ahead of time. Freeze them first on a floured or lined tray, then once frozen you can put them into a freezer bag for more easy storage. Bring water to a boil in medium sauce pot. Add a few gnocchi at a time—once they float to the top, place them on a wax papered cookie sheet. Reserve 1/4 c cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and  the tomatoes, garlic, spinach, salt, and pepper and cook, tossing frequently, until the spinach wilts, about 3 minutes. Add the drained gnocchi, the reserved cooking liquid, and the Parmesan and toss. Divide among individual bowls and sprinkle with additional Parmesan.

NOTES: This literally took 45 minutes from start to finish, which I think is quite good for such a delicious meal that tastes like it took all day!

What’s your favorite Italian dish? 

Hittin’ The Texas Roads (Part II)

Spring semester started as of this past Monday. I am taking 18 credits, so my life is a bit jam-packed as of now. Bare with me and the sporadic posting if you will! :-)

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Glad everyone enjoyed the recap of the first half of my trip. So here’s the part two recap I promised….

Like I said, this trip was a lot of things food-related, but another reason for going was to visit my aunt and uncle (my gram’s mom’s sister). And I have to add in that they are 90 years old, but would you have guessed if I didn’t tell you?!

They took my grandma and I to a Texas chain restaurant called The Black-Eyed Pea.

They pride themselves on all home-cooked style meals. Everything we ordered was delish, which was evident by the clean plates all scattered on our table! ;-)

I ordered their grilled Atlantic salmon with Cajun seasoning & a baked potato on the side. I guess I was on a salmon kick this trip!

My aunt ordered their homemade chicken pot pie. We couldn’t get over how “cute” it was when it came!

And my uncle ordered their home-style meatloaf which he couldn’t stop raving about.

My aunt actually doesn’t like to cook one bit, so they also took us out to Red Lobster one night and I got the steak and shrimp—my fav!

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Then for what I like to call our “adventurous” day, we went to both the Natural Bridge Caverns and the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch. They are located between Austin and San Antonio.

I had never been into any caverns before, so I had no clue what to expect. The only thing I can say to sum up caverns is “absolutely breathtaking”! It’s amazing how fascinating untouched nature can be!

And on a side note, this 3/4 hike was quite the workout, so I was kind of glad that at the Wildlife Ranch you get to sit in your car ha ha! :-/

The whole concept of the Wildlife Ranch is that you drive through a 4 mile fenced in area that is supposed to be like a realistic African safari. You are given a bag of food, and you basically feed all the animals right out of your car window. It seemed scary at first, but it’s by far the best “zoo” experience I’ve had, and believe me, I’ve been to a lot of zoos in my day.

The food.

Giraffes=my second favorite animal.

Obviously everyone today was a bit hungry!

This was proven true my the lick of Mr.Goat’s lips…

Gram’s favorite animal=the buffalo!

Buffalo photo shoot…

And of course a goat photo op couldn’t be passed up..

And finally I spotted my all-time favorite animal—the zebra.

 

Lucky for us, we got a zebra who had quite a personality.

I was laughing so hard I was in tears!!

I would highly recommend both of these attractions. They were $15 each which is a great price for all you get to experience!

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To say are adventurous afternoon worked up an appetite would be somewhat of an understatement. I was hungrier than our new zebra friend was. Luckily, we came across one of my favorite restaurants—The Golden Corral!

Various plates included steak, shrimp, salad, baked potato, grilled veggies, and steamed cabbage.

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I really wanted to see the San Antonio Riverwalk, and being that we were only ten minutes away, we decided to venture downtown to see it.

It’s basically a bunch of shops and restaurants all along the river—it’s very similar to what I imagine Italy to look like!

And did you really think I’d go a day without some fro-yo? Nope!

Hello Fruity Frogurt!

By far the cutest decor I’ve seen in a fro-yo shop so far!

I got the strawberry cheesecake flavor with strawberries and graham cracker crumbs—priceless :-) 

Well all, hope you enjoyed my trip to Texas—I know I sure did! Have a fabulous weekend! :-)

What is your favorite animal?