Funeral Potatoes Sans Cream of Soup

This comes from my friend Jenny Ball Tufford (over at Happy Hausfrau).  She was in LTYM with me last May and is quite fantastic.  They call these Roadside Potatoes in her family, but these will forever be funeral potatoes to me.  (Is that a Mormon thing?!)  Anyway, we've been cream of soup free for quite a while now (although I did find one last can of cream of mushroom in the back of the pantry last week.  Sending it to school for the next food drive, methinks, since Elsa the cat is more than willing to take care of the tuna we have).

Without further adieu, here you go:


1 (30 oz) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (I use sharp)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup half and half 
1 medium onion, grated (I just chop fine)
salt
pepper
paprika (I use an all purpose Penzy's spice)
additional 6 T. butter

Combine potaotes, melted butter, cheeses, cream, onion, salt and pepper. Spread mixture in a 9x13 inch well-greased baking dish. Sprinkle with paprika, dot w/ butter. Bake 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Tastes like butter and self loathing.

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Green Bean Casserole

Over the last year or two, Matt and I have completely phased out cream of whatever soups.  So this year, when we were presented with the task of Green Bean Casserole for Thanksgiving, I had to do some thinking.

I contacted my friend Lisa who went to culinary arts school.  She raised an eyebrow at me when I first asked her about green bean casserole, with a look of disgust similar to the one on Aaron's face as he is reading this.  I quickly explained that I needed to know how to do it without the nasty cream of mushroom soup.  She gave me a couple of basics, I took mental note and tried it out.  The first round wasn't that great (although better than it would be with the canned soup).  The second round turned out delightful.  Sadly, I didn't write down any exact measurements, but here's the gist:

1 container mushrooms
1/2 container of half and half
pepper
a couple baby spoonfuls of cornstarch
some water
3 cans of green beans
a couple dollops of sour cream
french fried onions

Sautee the mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil.  When they soften a bit, add the half and half and some pepper to taste.  Make a slurry with the cornstarch and water.  Make it pretty thick.  When the half and half and mushrooms are simmering pretty well, add the slurry.

In a casserole pan, empty the green beans.  Add the sour cream and about half of the onions.  Pour the mushroom sauce over it and mix well.  Top with the rest of the onions and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

You'll want to add salt to taste as well.  And these are particularly good the second day with a few spoonfuls of gravy.

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Sweet Corn Restaurant Side

This is a re-creation of that scoop of sweet corn stuff they put on the side of your plate in Mexican Restaurants.  Don't know what it is called...

Beat together:
2 sticks butter
2/3 c corn flour (masa harina)
1/2 c water

Separate bowl mix:
1/2 c corn meal
2/3 c granulated sugar
1/4 c cream (I think milk would work)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Merge the two along with a bag (approx 3 cups) of corn (frozen or fresh), lightly chopped.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes in a 13 x 9 floating in another pan of water.

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Smashed Potatoes

small, yellow potatoes
cheddar cheese
crumbled bacon

Bake the potatoes until soft.  On a pan covered with parchment paper, smash each potato individually- just one smash so they look flattened.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon.  Put them back in the hot oven and let the cheese get all melty.

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Mothers' Day Salad

Chicken, Grilled and cubed (season with lime juice, chili powder, and salt)

Canned whole kernel corn
cherry tomatoes
sliced radishes
cubed avocados
mixed greens

Toss with spicy dressing - combine italian dressing with cumin, ground red pepper or chili posder, and black pepper.

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Homestyle Green Bean Casserole

From the South Beach Diet Cookbook- This is much healthier than the normal version, and I think it tasted better. I think it could have used more seasoning in the sauce, but I put it down here like it is in the book.

1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup ground walnuts
1 onion, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch slices (onion rings)

Preheat oven to 500. Mix bread crumbs and walnuts together. Dip rings in buttermilk first and then bread crumb mixture. Be careful not to keep liquids in the crumbs to the bare minimum. Once it gets wet, the crumbs won't stick to the onions any more. Lay on a baking sheet that was sprayed with cooking spray. Spray onions with cooking spray, and baked for 20ish mins until golden brown.

Meanwhile, saute:
1 onion, chopped
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon of thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt

Saute until mushrooms release their liquid (about 3 mins). Sprinkle with 1/4 cup whole wehat flour and stir for 1 min. Then, add 3 cups 1% milk and stir constantly for about 3 mins until thick.

Add 1-16 oz bag of frozen green beans. Stir until beans are coated.

Place beans in baking dish (sprayed with cooking spray). Lay onions on top. Baked for 25 mins in a 400 degree oven.

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Spinach & Tomato Pasta Salad

Sautee minced garlic in olive oil.

Toss in a lightly chopped pile of spinach and some halved cherry tomatoes. Salt & Pepper.

Add some pre-cooked spiral pasta, lightly salted. Sprinklie on Grated Parmesan and Asiago cheese.

I think the basic idea came from Giada (Food Network) but I can't find it online. But it was very tasty, served as a side to broiled salmon.

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Mubba's Green Bean Casserole

I know Nancy posted our usual recipe for this, but I learned a trick in college from my roommate Kim. This makes green bean casserole absolutely amazing- even Brody will eat it this way. I made it the other night and there were no leftovers.

Here's my secret:

Use the same recipe that Nancy posted, but add 1 dollop of miracle whip and 2-3 dollops of sour cream to the cream of soup before you mix it with the green beans. Thats for one of mom's oval casserole dishes, so for a 13x9, I'd at least double it.

It does make it incredibly less healthy. In fact, health wise, you'd probably be better off eating that cheesecake that Aaron posted earlier.

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BLT Pizza

This is an invention of yours truly, with a little help from mom. This summer, I did the linger longer food every week for the singles branch. I wanted to make this salad stuff I had at some random baby shower in Worthington, but it was in cute little pastry cups, which i could not afford for the linger longer. so it got all twisted around and made into BLT Pizza!!

You need:
Cresecent Rolls
Sour Cream
Cream Cheese
Lettuce
Tomato
Bacon

Okay, its like vegetable pizza, where you take pillsbury crescent rolls (You know, the little tubes that *POP* when you squeeze em) and bake them flat on a cookie sheet. Then you make an amazingly unhealthy spread with cream cheese and sour cream.

Then you pile lettuce on top ( I liked using romaine, because its pretty :) ) and some tomatoes, and some bacon pieces and VOILA! bacon lettuce tomato pizza. Its amazing.

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Raspberry or Strawberry Salad

I made a most lovely salad this summer for movie night at my friend Becca's house. It was the first original recipe I have made, I think. I used Merle's salad with the mandarin oranges and almonds as a basis for thinking of the ingredients, and then found my own combination. It was extremely easy, and I got so many compliments, I have made it a few times now.

Spring Greens bagged lettuce (no, not iceburg - this texture is important to the berries, plus it is healthier by far)

1 Pint Raspberries or Sliced Strawberries, whichever is in season

1 Cucumber, peeled and sliced

Butter Toffee Glazed Almonds (found in the salad toppings area near the produce section)

Ken's Steakhouse Raspberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing (this is a fabulous brand - it makes the salad, so I won't guarantee your results unless you buy this brand).

Rinse and dry lettuce. Add berries and cucumber slices. Sprinkle on almonds - I normally use about 1/3 of the bag. Add the vinaigrette just before serving.

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Cookie Salad

Nancy's salad post reminded me that nobody has posted Cookie Salad yet. This isn't dessert, no way! It has been served on the table with the meal every time I have eaten it, so it can't be dessert. Besides, it has fruit in it, so it is healthy.

Instant Pudding

Whipped Cream

Bananas

Mandarin Oranges (optional)

Keebler Fudge-Striped Cookies

Mini Marshmallows (optional)

To start, make some instant pudding. I like vanilla. Do as many servings as you have people who are going to eat it.

Stir in a container of whipped cream.

Cut up some bananas into slices. Add them to the pudding. Some people like some drained mandarin oranges, too, but others don't. Just make sure they are really well drained, or they will water down the salad, and we don't want that!

Just before serving, break up some Keebler Fudge-Striped Cookies and mix them in, but save enough whole cookies to decorate the top of the salad. Don't ever try adding these more than an hour in advance of serving, or they will be soggy. However, I have been known to enjoy a bowl of leftover cookie salad for as many as three days after making it. I just wouldn't serve it to guests that way.

Mini Marshmallows could also be added at this time. I haven't had it that way more than once, and I could take them or leave them.

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The vinaigrette

In a shameless attempt at garnering more points and further procrastinating my paper, I am posting the vinaigrette for the preceeding salad as a seperate recipe.

In my defense, lest you judge to harshly, it applies to much more than this salad, and has so many possible variations that it was a cumbersome addition to the salad post.

You really need to know one major principle in the making of any vinaigrette. Are you ready? Its a ratio. 2:1.

Tough, right?

That's 2 parts oil for one part vinegar. This is your base.

You can use whatever kind of oil you want, although olive oil is both traditional and healthy, peanut oil can make for a nice flavor, and canola oil works if you are a poor starving student forced to improvise on a crappy budget or on the leftovers people have in the cupboards.

And, while the options for the vineagar are infinite, I must warn you to not eliminate the possibility of using just plain white vineagar. It has its benefits, and it depends on the salad.

Next you need to think about the essence of your vinaigrette. Do you need a citrus feel to it? Add some lemon juice. Are there crasins in your salad? Try a little orange juice in your dressing. Is the salad mostly made up of tart or bitter ingredients? Put mustard in the dressing. (Weird logic? not really. Mustard is very good at drawing out sweet flavors, especially if you are just putting that yellow "French's" stuff into it. Which I give you permission to do, as long as you tell NO ONE.) The rule for any of these additions is that however many you use, one or 5, the amount should equal your vinegar.

(Incidentally, if you insist on making the vinaigrette without adding these flavors, you should increase the vinegar to equal the oil, making it a 1:1 ratio.

But thats not all! Simply mixing oil and vineagar will never impress anyone, so start thinking spices. Salt and pepper, yes, but you know that spice rack you got as a wedding present that you never really touched except for the cinnamon which is now empty? Yeah, open that up and start smelling things. If you like the smell, throw it in. It only takes a couple of tries before you find a combination that really expresses your flavor. Or, if you don't have a spice rack at your disposal, start digging through the cupboards and discover the random spices you have accumulated over the years.

Make the dressing a few times and put it on the side, pretty soon you will find the simplicity of mixing it as easy as grabbing a bottle out of the fridge, and you might even start preferring it so much, you stop buying dressings altogether.

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Tomato Mozzarella salad

I am avoiding a paper, and by doing such, noticed that other's neglect gives me ample opportunity to win this particular challenge.

So let's talk salad for a moment. An important pronciple I learned from the French is that salad does not always mean lettuce and dressing. In fact, since salad really just refers to the blending of various fresh things, it doesn't even necesarily have to refer to vegetables at all, meaning fruit salad could simply be referred to as salad, and if you wanted to, say, create a salad using pudding and cookies, it could simply be referred to as a salad as well. Although I don't know anyone who would do such a thing, and if they did, there would be GREAT debates as to whether it counted as a salad or as a dessert.

But I digress. My favorite salad from France is one I had my very first week there, and many many times after.

You will need:
Tomatoes (Roma work really well for this)
Mozzarella (I like to get the fresh kind, packed in water, for this, since its more of a feature of the dish than just grating it over the top)
A vinaigrette. You can use a pre-mixed kind, but if you want to make a really nice one, I will give you the recipe for that as well.
You can add fresh basil as well. It brings the flavors together quite nicely.

Slice the tomatoes and the mozzarella so that the slices are basically the same size (and if you got the fresh mozzarella in the round packages, then they are nice and uniform!) Layer them out on a plate, in a pretty pattern, alternating between the tomato and mozzarella. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and the chopped fresh basil and some salt and pepper.

Yup, thats all there is to a marvelous salad. I might add that if you are particularly wealthy or trying to impress someone, Havarti cheese works well too.

And, I might add again, that its in our blood, in our own heritage to love this salad. After all, how many times did we have tomatoes and cheese for lunch at Grandma and Grandpa Pratt's house? Remember how you could just pick a tomato and eat it like an apple, catching the juice dribbles with that unreasonably large hunk of yellow cheese that Grandma would cut for you? This is simply less portable and less messy.

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Parmesan Picnic Bread

We all liked this one. Also from Congressman Kline:

1 Loaf French Bread, sliced in half lengthwaise.

Combine

1/2 C Refrigerated Creamy Caeser Dressing

1/3 C Grated Parmesan Cheese

3 T Finely Chopped Onion

Spread on bread halves. Brown 4 inches under oven broiler.

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Grean Bean Casserole

Ah the Thanksgiving staple. I'm surprised you requested this, aren't you the one that refuses to allow it on the table? It was always my job to get this one going, probably because I would generally be the one to consume half the pan. Between this and mashed potatoes, I didn't eat a whole lot else on thanksgiving.

For the record, the green beans really should be the french cut ones. The others work, but they don't quite bake into the sauce the same way.

four normal sized cans of french cut green beans
2 cans campbells cream of soup. (you know the routine, chicken or mushroom. the recipe calls for mushroom, but SOME people won't eat the mushroom stuff, so you have to consider who you are serving this to)
Frenchs fried onions
salt and pepper

drain the beans, mix them with the soup and some milk and about half the can of onions, salt an pepper to taste. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, then scatter the rest of the onions on top so they get crispy during the last 5 minutes of bake time.

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The bestest homemade syrup I have ever tasted in my whole entire life...

Seriously, you know how at a restaurant the butter and the syrup sort of melt together and there is this hint of melty goodness that sits on top and you wish all of your syrup could taste like that first bite?

This is that syrup.

1 cube butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup sugar

Boil it together, then once it boils, remove it from the heat. Add:

1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda

Yummmmmmmmmmm.

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Mom's Spinach Dip

A necessary addition to the family cookbook, this was a standard when Mom and Dad went to a fancy party when we were kids. We got the leftovers, which was often best because we got to tear up the bread bowl.

1 - 10 oz package Frozen Spinach
1/2 Pint Sour Cream (approx.)
3/4 Tsp Salt
1/8 Tsp White Pepper
1/8 Tsp Finely Chopped Onion
1/8 Tsp Worcestershiire Sauce
4 drops hot sauce (optinoal)

Cook spinach according to directions. Drain, the cool by running cold water over it in a colander (makes the color stay green). Dry by squeezing or mashing.

Put spinach in blender to chop. Add enough sour cream to moisten until it is the right thickness of a dip. Then add other ingredients and blend until combined. Chill.

Big Sourdough rounds turned in to bread bowls are best for serving - cut off the top, scoop out the insides, cube the insides and place on a plate, then fill the bowl with the dip and replace the top. Some additional rye bread cubed is tasty and adds color variation (especially since you can't tear apart the bowl until some of the dip has been consumed.

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Cheesy Hash Browns

We have always believed in accepting truth regardless of its source, and one of the enormous benefits I have had by my association with Minnesota Lutherans has come in the form of food. When called upon to provide a side dish for a ward dinner, I went straight to the House of Hope cookbook for a recipe. This one has become (with some small alterations) a standard for Easter in my house.

2 Cans Cream of Chicken Soup
4 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
24 Ozs Sour Cream
2 Tsp Salt
1 Cup Melted Margarine
4 Lbs Frozen Hash browns.

Mix all the ingredients together except half the butter and the hash browns first, then add the hash browns in. Pour the remainder of the butter on top after putting it in the crock pot. It's supposed to bake for about an hour in the oven in two 13x9 pans, the nice thing is this can be kept warm for ever in the crock pot, so start it early and let it be. We do it in the crock pot because it goes well with ham, which takes up the whole oven.

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Another Favorite Salad Combination

Baby greens- meaning spinach, red leaf lettuce, etc.
Chopped broccoli and cauliflower- chop it really small
croutons
sunflower seeds
chunked deli turkey (about a 1/4 inch slice)
craisins
Kraft Asian toasted sesame dressing

The raw cauliflower and broccoli sound a little weird- but with the dressing, they're quite good. Don't mix the dressing in with the salad- the salad keeps really well for a day or two, but not if you've already added the dressing.

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Green Rice

This is a variation on standard chicken and rice. Add finely chopped brocolli (HOW DO YOU SPELL THAT WORD ANYWAY?) to the rice. Tell your kids its just green rice instead of white rice. Prepare as you would standard chicken and rice. Chris used to do this to get her kids eat their vegetables.

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