Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Jamestown1630]

Many years ago, we invited a bunch of people for lunch two days after Christmas, to use up the leftovers from an enormous holiday dinner party. We had just found a great soup recipe that we thought would be a perfect addition to the leftover casserole. We added a crisp salad with a light dressing, and it was a great meal.

The casserole comes from an old edition of 'The Joy of Cooking', and uses leftover turkey. This was also a 'food memory' from a visit with a friend who invited me to lunch after a Thanksgiving.

The soup is a somewhat spicy Navy Bean-Spinach-Hot Sausage recipe; but you can tone it down by using mild sausage, and not using as many of the red pepper flakes as we do. (We like stuff hot ;-)

The day of our brunch was an extremely cold day, and some people had just come from the local, annual Christmas Count. They said that this soup was just the thing for their nearly-frozen extremities!

Sausage, Spinach and Bean Soup

8 oz. Hot Italian Sausage, casing removed (or your favorite sausage - I usually use one of the little 'chubs' of hot sausage)

1 tsp. Olive Oil

5 cloves Garlic, minced (Yes, 5; you may want to tone this down, too)

1/2 tsp. dried Red Pepper flakes

2 10-oz packages of fresh Spinach, torn (Baby Spinach is good here)

2 15-oz cans of Great Northern Beans, undrained

1/4 cup unsalted Butter

1/2 c. shredded Parmesan Cheese

2 plum Tomatoes, diced (can use canned)

2 T. chopped Parsley

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

3 cups Chicken Broth

Brown sausage in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat for 10 minutes, breaking it up and stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink.

Add garlic and crushed red pepper, and saute 2 minutes.

Add spinach and saute 2 minutes, or until wilted.

Stir in the beans and cook 1 minute. Add broth, and bring to a boil. Add butter, cheese, tomato and 1 T. parsley.

Cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in salt and pepper.

Sprinkle each serving evenly with 1 T. parsley.

And, the casserole:

Turkey or Chicken Casserole with Vegetables

(this is almost the same recipe as the one in 'The Joy of Cooking'; I add chopped walnuts or pecans sprinkled on top before baking, as per the original:

http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/turkey-or-chicken-casserole-with-vegetables/22145

-JT

[Hardens Hollow]

“My parents get together with a group of friends a couple days after Thanksgiving every year for what they call “dab day.” Everyone brings their leftovers, even if it’s just a dab of this or a dab of that. They have a potluck style meal and great time trying out each others’ recipes.”

Now that’s a great idea. I’ve been thinking of ways to get the holler people together -that’s one I’ll try.

[Jamestown1630]

One of the ladies here informed me about Kerrygold butter. This seems like a good use for it, as long as it’s lightly melted and not heated too much. (I’m buying it now, to use on bread, or melted over steamed veggies; and I keep a pack of it in the freezer, for later. Not sure if freezing impacts the nutrition, or not....)

-JT

[jjsheridan5]

Kerrygold is so good I will eat a slice like I would cheese. But the butter I get at one of the local farms is beyond even that. I try not to eat much in the way of grains, so I don’t have many opportunities to have butter. Otherwise, I would subsist solely on dinner rolls and butter :) The great thing about using butter as a salad dressing is that you really taste the butter, in a way that you don’t if it is over cooked vegetables (maybe that is just me).

[greeneyes]

That soup recipe looks interesting. I am on the lookout for soup recipes and others with spinach, so I'll have it on file for the cold weather soup pot time of the year.

I am in the process of cutting back on carbs for the summer, and with all the fresh spinach I have, I'm looking for Low Carbs recipes with spinach.

I am not fond of cooking it - always to mushy. I did try a stir fry Thai recipe and it wasn't too bad, but I am looking for additional ways to use it raw or stir fry or hidden in casserole or something-as long as it is relatively low carb.

I am currently targeting 100g of Carbs. Next week it goes down to 80g of Carbs. Have been busy looking for low carb breading for oven baked chicken, bread, and crackers/snacks.

I have also been stuck with about 4 egg whites a week, and have made a meringue type cookie, and a Strawberry Scrumptious which is basically meringue baked in a cookie crust and topped with cool whip and strawberries.

Both are too high in sugar, so I'm going to add extra egg whites to my pancake recipe this week for my grand daughter, but if anyone has some sort of low carb treat, then I sure could use it.

It's hard to get nutritious food into her stomach. She would eat nothing but Twinkies, ice cream, and Popsicles if I let her.

[greeneyes]

When you get a chance, could you post a couple of those recipes. One way I get myself through eating low carbs is to have a couple of cups of broth between meals.

The stuff in stores is too salty, though I do use it sometimes as my beef broth never seems hearty enough.

[greeneyes]

LOL. The reading room. What a lovely euphemism. I wish I had thought of that. You don’t mind if I steal it and use it in the future do you?

[greeneyes]

That butter dressing sounds like something I should try while I’m phasing in low carb eating. Maybe it will make me crave spinach.

I have a huge amount of home grown spinach right now from the winter garden - I planted winter giant, and it really has giant leaves and is very tall. With the cool spring, it just keeps on producing.

I’ve picked a big bag every few days, and put half in the freezer, and added the rest to salads, and tried a little stir fry. Still searching for a way to “like” spinach salad. LOL

[Liz]

You will like these. Spinach and feta in tiny puff-pastry packages.

SPINACH PUFFS

FILLING Mix 2/3 cup squeezed-dry cooked chp spinach,
1/2 cup crumbled feta, 1/4 cup minced onion, tb ol/oil, tsp
ea chp dill, minced garlic. Add ks/p. Fold in beaten egg.

ASSEMBLY Cut 12" thawed puff pastry sheet into 3 equal
strips. Cut each into 3 squares--total of six. Press
into bottom/up sides of muffin cups; corners point up.
Add filling. Fold pastry up and over, corners meet in center.

GOOD DO-AHEAD assemble to here 3 hrs ahead. Cover/chill.

READY TO BAKE Brush tops w/ egg wash for a nice glaze.
Bake golden/puffed, 450 deg 25 min. Cool in pan on rack
10 min. Loosen edges w/ knife tip; turn out on rack;
cool slightly before serving.

NOTE: leftover puff pastry can be sugared and baked for a sweet treat.

[ken5050]

Just want to add an equipment review...

I suspect that most here own a Kitchen Aid Stand mixer..well, a few months ago, I had a coupon from BB&B..so I bought the Kitchen Aid flex edge beater and it is just awesome...Amazing what that flexible edge can do...you hardly ever have to scrape down the bowl, and creaming butter, as one example, is a joy..They should, IMHO< make it standard issue with all their mixers..

Shop around before you buy.. you should be able to get one for about $20-25..

You'll thank me..

[ken5050]

That looks good

Try these spinach squares It's similar, but a heck of lot easier...and great when you need to make lots for a party

[Liz]

I like the bowl w/ lid used in tandem w/ this. Nice to store leftovers.

Thanks.

[Liz]

Mmmm.....the Spinach Squares look deelish....nice appy.

[jjsheridan5]

For a while, I used to make an avocado/coconut milk dressing. Essentially, it was guacamole sweetened and thinned out with coconut milk. I used it on salads, any kind of meat, pretty much everything. Even stir fried broccoli tasted better with that dressing. I stopped making it because, even though I made huge quantities in bulk, I eventually got out of the habit. I don’t have a recipe — I just go by taste: avocado, lemon juice, garlic, coconut milk, turmeric, and whatever else seemed good at the time — fish sauce, anchovy paste, mustard, etc.

The best part is that while it isn’t low-carb, it is very good-carb. So you can take a spinach salad (or a dry cut of meat), and have as much dressing/sauce as you want.

Having watched the technique of a food preparer at one of those newer Mexican chains, and how quickly she handled a large basket of avocados, I may have to go back to making this.

[azishot]

That is something I will definitely get. What a pleasure it would be to not have to stop and scrape the bowl every few seconds.

Never knew anything like that existed. Thank you so much for a wonderful hint!!

[Hardens Hollow]

Looks like we can’t get to the recipe without being a member of the site, though. They do look good.

[Hardens Hollow]

I dropped by Kroger 2 days ago and hamburger buns were on sale for 50 cents. They must’ve anticipated more people buying them for memorial day barbeques than did!

So I bought 8 packages because croutons turn out great using hamburger or hot dog buns. They torn out light, yet crunchy. Using other breads, croutons can sometimes get too hard. I like to dry mine thoroughly, since I make a big batch at one time and store them for several months.

My husband’s favorite crouton recipe is: 2 T melted butter, 2 T EVOO, .5 tap garlic powder and 1 1/2 tap Italian seasoning. stir together and toss un 4 slightly stale cubed hamburger buns to coat. bake at 325 for about 40 min, stirring once or twice. easy, cheap, and no salt needed in the recipe. you can use all olive oil too. the original recipe called for 1/4 cup butter, but I cut that in half and added olive oil.

[ken5050]

Sorry, I didn't realize that. My bad. Therefore, I shall cut and paste away:

Spinach Squares From Cook's Country | October/November 2012

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Spinach squares are warm, cheesy, finger-food hors d’oeuvres with a simple dump-and-stir method, but many versions are greasy and pale, with lackluster flavor. Swapping butter for vegetable oil spray and reducing the cheese slightly cut the grease. We boosted flavor by using strong, nutty Gruyère instead of cheddar, exchanging relatively bland milk for more savory chicken broth, and topping the squares with a layer of grated Parmesan (which also helps with browning). Upping the oven temperature and cooking on the upper-middle rack finished the job, creating a deeply browned top.

MAKES 32 SQUARES

You can thaw the spinach in the microwave or overnight in the refrigerator. Cooled Spinach Squares can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours and reheated, covered in foil, in a 375-degree oven.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (5 ounces) plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 large eggs
1 1/4 pounds frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
12 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (3 cups)
1 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 13 by 9-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne together in bowl. Add broth and eggs and whisk until smooth. Stir in spinach, Gruyère, onion, and garlic until combined.

2. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until browned on top and bubbling around edges, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes. Cut into 32 equal-size squares. Serve warm.

SQUEEZE SPINACH DRY

FYI, I think you can sign up for a free 15 day trial look. I love the website..use it for years..

Enjoy!!

[ken5050]

My pleasure...let me know after you use it the first time..

[Hardens Hollow]

Thank you!

They sound great.

I have to come up with more appetizer recipes, since I keep bringing baked desserts - my favorite - to a church study group. But a lot of the people there are diabetic, so I best be more considerate!

[ken5050]

My pleasure..FYI...I have several BIG bowls..so I just double everything..make two batches.. If you're gonna mess around with spinach..do it all at once. I bake one batch..freeze one unbaked..then just pop it in the oven when I need something hot.

I head the kitchen at my parish..I have lots of help..we do a hot breakfast every Sunday...lots of baking..and we do about 8 dinners a year..for about 250 people..I've learned it takes a LOT of planning.. About two years ago, several people started asking for gluten free muffins, brownies, etc..so I did some research..and now the gluten free blondies are MORE popular than the old fashioned ones...go figure..

FYI...check out this website ..she's a FReeper, I forget her screen name.. but I've made several of her recipes, and they are OUTSTANDING. Last Christmas, for the parish dinner,we made the rum balls and the sweet potato bread pudding with whiskey hard sauce. Huge hit..However, if you're a Baptist...you'll need a plan B

Have a great weekend..