Shepherd's Pie Lasagna

My Venture into Non-Traditional Lasagna
Today's recipe is a work in progress. Initially, I was trying to make a meat and potato version of pierogi lasagna. I've had pierogi lasagna made with only potatoes, caramelized onions, and cheese. It was tasty but a bit too carby for my taste. After tweaking this recipe several times, it's now to the point that it's more like a shepherd's pie – hence the name "Shepherd's Pie Lasagna." It has all of the key ingredients in a shepherd's pie but is layered like a lasagna.

I'm not ready to say this recipe is exactly to my liking. Don't get me wrong – it's very tasty. This is comfort food at its finest. If you like meat and potatoes, I think you'll like this dish. That said, I think it can stand some improvement. Sometimes when I'm developing a recipe, I have to step back and not make it for a while. Every so often, I like to post in-progress recipes like this one so my blog buddies can offer advice on improvements. What would you do to make this recipe better? If you make it, what did you think? What does it need? What should I tweak. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Do any of you watch the television show "Lost" on ABC? The series finale is tonight (Sunday) and I CANNOT WAIT to watch it. Right before it comes on, I'm turning off my cell phone, shutting off my lights, and making some popcorn. For two hours of ecstasy, I will be sitting in my easy chair without blinking or moving. That show is almost as good as Star Trek. Almost. This Shepherd's Pie Lasagna is a perfect send off for the show. Do you know why? Because the main character's name is Jack SHEPHARD. Get it? Huh?! See…see! Yeah, I know. I need to get a life.

I often get emails from people requesting recipes for dishes they don't know how to make – especially recipes for foods from their favorite restaurants. As many of you know, I really enjoy developing recipes so feel free to let me know what you'd like to see on my blog. If you have any requests, just leave a comment at the bottom of this webpage. If I think your request will have public appeal, I'll try to post a recipe sometime. I hope you like today's experimental recipe. Enjoy – and happy getting "Lost"!

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Shepherd's Pie Lasagna
(Printable Version)

For the Potato Layer:
2 egg yolks
2 c leftover thick mashed potatoes
1/2 c freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 c freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 - 3 TBSP flour (depending on how thick your mashed potatoes are)
1 TBSP butter
1/2 bunch scallions (white and light green parts), chopped

For the Meat Layer:
1 TBSP oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c red wine (such as a merlot)
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1 can (10 3/4 oz) low-sodium cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 tsp beef bouillon
1 TBSP worchestershire sauce
1 1/2 c milk
1 1/2 c freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

For the Top Layer:
1 1/2 c freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 to 3 TBSP cooked and crumbled bacon pieces (I use "Real Bacon" from the salad aisle)

Other Ingredients Needed:
9 No-cook lasagna noodles
Chopped scallions or parsley for garnish

For the Potato Filling: In a large bowl, add the egg yolks, leftover mashed potatoes (cold or room temperature), the cheeses, and the flour then stir to combine. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped scallions and sauté until soft – about 3 minutes. Add the scallions to the potato mixture and stir to combine. Set aside until needed. Note: It is important to you use somewhat thick, leftover mashed potatoes (or use store-bought). If you normally prepare thin mashed potatoes like my grandmother does, the potato filling will not set up properly and will be a bit messy when you cut into the cooked lasagna. It'll still taste good but it will be a bit messy.

For the Meat Filling: In the same skillet you cooked the scallions in, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the hamburger and a little salt (not too much since you'll be adding salty bouillon later) and some pepper. Brown then drain. Return the browned meat to the skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is really hot and the hamburger is sizzling really well, add the wine and stir until it has mostly evaporated and absorbed into the meat – about 4 minutes. This cooks off most of the alcohol so the meat does not end up tasting "boozy." Add the peas and carrots and stir to combine. Add the soup, bouillon, worchestershire sauce, and milk and stir to combine. When the mixture begins to simmer, reduce to medium heat and cover. Simmer 10 minutes (covered), stirring after 5 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to simmer uncovered for 5 additional minutes or until the mixture is pretty thick. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Set aside until needed. You will add the cheddar cheese during assembly.

Assembly Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350F. When the meat is in its last 5 minutes of cooking, fill a 9 x 13" dish with very hot tap water. Place the lasagna noodles in the water and allow them to sit for about 5 minutes – swishing them around every so often to make sure they're not sticking together. After 5 minutes, remove the softened noodles one-by-one from the water and place them on a clean kitchen towel to drain.

Spray a 2-quart dish with cooking spray. Place about 1 cup of the meat filling on the bottom of the dish. Add a layer of the noodles – tearing the noodles as needed to get them to fit in the dish. Place half of the meat filling on the noodles followed by 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese. Add another layer of noodles. Next, add the potato filling and spread the potatoes as evenly as possible – going all of the way to the edge of the dish. Add a final layer of noodles then top with the remaining meat mixture. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese on top. Spray a piece of foil with cooking spray and cover the lasagna. Bake for 30 minutes then remove the foil and bake an additional 30 minutes. Sprinkle the bacon pieces on top and return to the oven for 3 minutes to crisp up the bacon. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped scallions or parsley.

Individual Chicken Casseroles

My Venture into Motherhood
To be celebrated properly, Mother's Day needs to be a lot longer than a single day! After all, for many of us, your mom was there to fix you dinner, keep your house clean, hug you when you were sad, teach you right from wrong, be your #1 fan at sporting events, and protect you from the monsters that lived under your bed. Cardinal Mermillod once said "A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take." Truer words have never been spoken.

Today's recipe is quick and easy-to-make. It's really tasty and nice to serve in individual gratin dishes. Don't make this for Mother's Day. It's not special enough. Instead, as a surprise, make it for Sunday dinner sometime when she's least expecting it just to remind her that you still care.

I am blessed to have such as great mom who inspired me with her great cooking. I hope you've all been equally blessed and have wonderful memories from your childhood. I know I do! One thing that many of us can agree on is that we love our mothers but they can be a little nutty sometimes – my mother being no exception. I'm sure we all have tales of the crazy, little things our mothers did when we were growing up. For today's post, I came up with a list of things you can do to prove you're a good mother.

You know you're a good mother if you can…
1) Gracefully smooth things over when grandma asks "Now who's that nice young man you brought with you today?" while pointing to your daughter's lesbian girlfriend.
2) Spin your head around like that girl in the Exorcist while driving down the freeway and, in a possessed voice, threaten your son with bodily harm if he doesn't stop bugging his sister.
3) Give your husband the look of death when he asks you to come change the channel since he can't find the remote control for a TV that's 10 feet away.
4) Scream from the bathroom "%$^&#!!! Who left the &@#$% toilet seat up?!" – not realizing a priest is standing in the living room after having just arrived for an unexpected visit.
5) Resist buying something at the store unless it's double-coupon day at the Piggly Wiggly.
6) Guilt your kids into doing something by reminding them that you were almost ripped to shreds after 36 hours of labor that required a 5-stitch episiotomy.
7) Remind your kids on several occasions that, 35 years ago, you ruined her priceless collection of records by using them to skate across the basement floor.
8) Yell loud enough to be heard at a friend's house down the street because somebody ate the last %&#$@ can of fruit cocktail.
9) Smack your husband for allowing your daughter to shave the cat with your leg razor while he calmly watches the nightly news.
10) Maintain your girlish figure while taking care of 4 young kids and subsisting on a diet of entirely Pepsi and cigarettes.

My mother must be a GREAT mother because she's done several of the above things. I love you Ma and Happy Mother's Day!

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Individual Chicken Casseroles
(Printable Version)

2 TBSP softened butter
1 bunch of scallions (white and light green parts), chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (10 3/4 oz) low-sodium cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
1/2 c milk
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules or Better than Bouillon (or 1 chicken bouillon cube)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 oz softened cream cheese
1 3/4 c sharp cheddar or your favorite cheese, divided use
1 c cooked cubed or hash brown potatoes (I use Simple Potatoes brand in the refrigerated section of my supermarket)
2 c cooked chicken cut into bite-size pieces (I used leftovers from a roasted chicken)
25 butter crackers (such as Ritz or Townhouse), roughly broken into small pieces
2 TBSP butter, melted
1 c french fried onions (optional)
Garnish with chopped scallions and finely diced red bell pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.

Heat a skillet over medium heat with the butter. After the butter has melted, add the scallions and cook about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the soup, milk, bouillon, paprika, and black pepper and stir to combine. Heat until the mixture is hot then add the cream cheese and 1 cup of cheddar cheese (reserve the remaining cheddar cheese for the top). Stir until the cheeses melt. Fold in the potatoes and chicken. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

Spoon the chicken mixture evenly into 3 individual gratin dishes (or an 8x8" baking dish) that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/4 c of cheese on top of the chicken mixture in each dish.

In a medium bowl, break the crackers into small pieces (about 1/2"). Do not pulverize into crumbs. Add two tablespoons of melted butter and stir to combine. Top each gratin dish with 1/3 of the crackers. Place the gratin dishes on a sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes or until the top is nicely browned and the casseroles are bubbling around the edges. If using french fried onions, add to the top during the last 4 minutes of cooking. Garnish with chopped scallion tops and finely diced red bell pepper.

Breakfast Enchiladas

My Venture into Breakfast Food
I could eat breakfast foods at every meal. By far, breakfast is my FAVORITE meal of the day. Bacon. Eggs. Sausage. Hashbrowns. Pancakes. No wonder my thighs rub together when I'm walking down the hall. Today's recipe can be made full-flavored (which is the nice way of saying "fattening") or it can be made more figure-friendly. I certainly love the high octane version but the lighter alternative is actually quite tasty as well.

You'll notice in the recipe below, there are quite a few ingredients. Although it is not difficult to make, you would not normally make this for a normal weekday breakfast unless you like getting up at 5:00 a.m. This would be perfect for Sunday brunch, Christmas morning, or even a Saturday night card game with the guys. I tried to incorporate several short-cuts to help everything come together faster (although I don't normally use those short-cuts when I make it myself).

I was not sure if this recipe would be "blog worthy" so I made it, took quick pictures, and drove to my mother's house with the breakfast enchiladas in-hand. My mother loathes sausage so I assumed she would hate this recipe. My teenage nephew and middle-aged sister were also visiting so it was a good chance to get input from different people. Would they like this concept? Would they think it was too spicy? Would they think it was too heavy? Would they run screaming from the house and vomit uncontrollably in my mother's front yard…again? To my surprise, they all loved it! It's always hard to please people when it comes to spiciness level. Mom thought it was just a hair too spicy for her (she thinks water is spicy). My sister, who also doesn't like spicy food, thought it could be spicier. My nephew thought it was perfect. They all agreed it would be blog worthy and cannot wait for me to make these breakfast enchiladas for them again.

You'll have to forgive my uninspired pictures. I baked the enchiladas at my place because I hate cooking at my mother's house. I normally would have plated a couple of enchiladas and made them pretty for you all but that would have taken too long and they would have gotten cold before I got to my mother's house. So, I opted to take the easy way out and photograph them while they were still in the dish. It's not as pretty this way and you don't get a sense of what they look like but my mother comes first! You know, Mother's Day IS coming up and Mother's Day is not so much a DAY in my family as it is a SEASON.

These breakfast enchiladas are meaty and creamy on the inside. They're very filling. The cheese sauce on top is to-die-for. Very cheesilicious! I hope you enjoy my latest creation. Enjoy – and happy eating!

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Breakfast Enchiladas
(Printable Version)

Filling:
1 TBSP oil
1 small onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz breakfast sausage or chorizo
1 1/4 c cooked cubed potatoes or hashbrowns (I use Simply Potatoes® from the refrigerated section of
my grocery store)
Scrambled Eggs (recipe follows)
1 2-oz jar chopped pimentos, drained
1 4.5-oz can green chiles, drained
4 oz (1 cup) freshly grated cheese such as sharp cheddar, monterrey jack, or pepper jack (or a
combination of cheeses)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Scrambled Eggs:
1 TBSP butter
5 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste

Chipotle Cheese Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (3/4 tsp table salt)
1/2 tsp pepper
2 TBSP adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce (plus 1 minced chipotle pepper if you are living on the wild side)
8 oz (2 cups) freshly grated sharp cheddar, monterrey jack, or pepper jack (or a combination of cheeses)

Other Ingredients:
8 fajita-size flour tortillas (about 6")
4 oz (1 cup) freshly grated cheese such as sharp cheddar, monterrey jack, or pepper jack for topping
Optional garnishes such as finely diced red bell pepper, chopped tomatoes, chopped scallions, or chopped cilantro

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat with 1 TBSP oil. When hot, add the onions and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the sausage and cook until brown – breaking the sausage into small pieces as it cooks. Add the cooked potatoes and heat for 2 minutes to warm the potatoes through. Drain off any excess oil and transfer the sausage to a medium bowl. Set the mixture aside to cool while you prepare the other ingredients.

To make the Chipotle Cheese Sauce, heat a sauce pan over medium heat with the butter. When the butter has melted and the foaming has subsided, add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, whisking often. Slowing add in the milk while whisking the sauce. Add the salt, pepper, adobo sauce, and whisk in. Heat the sauce until it barely simmers then very lightly simmer for 2 minutes longer. Turn the heat to low. Add the cheese in small amounts, whisking between each addition. Whisk until the cheese has completed melted and the sauce is smooth.

While the sauce is heating, scramble the eggs. To scramble the eggs, heat a skillet over medium heat with the butter (I use the same skillet I cook the sausage in). Once the butter has melted and the foaming has subsided, add the beaten eggs and some salt and pepper. Scramble the eggs until they are firm. Transfer the eggs to the bowl with the sausage mixture.

To the sausage and egg mixture, add the remaining filling ingredients including the cilantro (if using), pimentos, green chiles, and 4 ounces of cheese. Stir to combine. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed. Gently fold in 1 cup of the Chipotle Cheese Sauce.

Spoon about 1/2 cup of the filling into the center of a tortilla. Roll it up and place it seam-side down into a 9x13" dish that has been coated with cooking spray. You should place the enchilada lengthwise in the dish so that you can get 2 enchiladas in each row running the length of the dish. Repeat with the rest of the filling. You may have a little of the filling leftover. If so, refrigerate it and use it for leftovers. Pour the remaining cheese sauce all over the enchiladas – making sure they are completely coated with the sauce. Top with 1 cup of cheese and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling around the edges. Garnish with chopped red bell pepper, tomatoes, cilantro, and/or scallions.

NOTES:
1) With 2 tablespoons of adobo sauce (and no chipotles), you will have a subtle background kick in the sauce. My sister, who doesn't like spicy food, says it could be spicier. My mother thought it was spicy but not too much. My teenage nephew didn' t think it was spicy. If you are very sensitive to spicy things, I recommend decreasing the amount of adobo sauce. If you really want a kick, throw in a minced chipotle.
2) To lighten the recipe, use 2% cheddar, 2% milk, fat-free tortillas, and reduced-fat sausage. You could also use egg whites instead of whole eggs.

Oven-Roasted Potatoes

My Venture into Red Potatoes
Potatoes and I have a strange relationship. I'll go months without cooking any and then, suddenly, I'm hit with a craving for spuds and I can't get enough of them – as you can probably see from my recent post for Ham and Potato Soup.

For a while, eggs were considered unhealthy so I stopped eating them. Then pasta was evil so I stopped eating it. Then potatoes became the wicked food du jour. So I was relegated to eating unflavored rice cakes – until eating rice became as heinous as chowing down on bald eagles. So, after giving up all of the food I loved, I became bitter and angry and didn't lose a pound – which, in turn, made me more bitter and angry. Today, I eat eggs in moderation. I cook whole wheat pasta (which I really like!). At home, I rarely eat white rice because it really has very little nutritional value. Potatoes are NOT in the same class as white rice and all-purpose flour. Potatoes, with the peels on, are high in vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, and fiber. And they taste really good – especially with lots of butter, sour cream, and bacon on top … or deep-fried for french fries.

All joking aside, it is not the potato that's unhealthy – it's what we add to them! If you left out the cheese, this recipe is fairly healthful (aside from the sodium level in the onion soup and ranch packets). You could even cut back a bit on the olive oil without significantly sacrificing flavor. I decided to add some cheese when I took the above picture just because I think it photographed better with the contrasting colors. I used 2% sharp cheddar and it tasted great! However, normally, I don't add any cheese at all if I want a simple side dish.

This recipe is also incredibly EASY-to-make. My inspiration came from the recipe for onion-roasted potatoes on the back of the onion soup box. I have only one complaint with that recipe. It's BLAAAAND. That's why I decided to bump up the flavor. If, after making my recipe the first time, you think it's too salty, add a couple of extra potatoes the next time you make it. If it is not salty enough, don't use as many potatoes. Play with it until you get it the way YOU like it.

I have a confession to make. The major reason I made this recipe today is because I had an "incident" at the grocery store. I wanted to buy a couple of red potatoes to add to a different recipe I was making. The red potatoes were beautifully stacked in a pyramid shape. Well, stupid me, decided to take one of the potatoes on the bottom of the pyramid and I caused the whole thing to collapse – sending red potatoes and various other vegetables all over the floor. I picked up, like, two dozen potatoes, six red bell peppers, and a yellow onion. I think the onion was already on the floor but I picked it up anyway since I was already on my hands and knees. Did I mention it was a BIG pyramid of potatoes? Anyway, I didn't want to put them back onto the shelf since they were probably all bruised from dropping on the floor. That, and because an old lady was standing nearby and gave me the look of death like "You BETTER not put those back on the shelf or I'm gonna smack you with this English cucumber." So, I have LOTS of red potatoes to use up. Enjoy – and happy roasting!

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Oven-Roasted Potatoes
(Printable Version)

3 lbs small red potatoes (skins on) –each approximately 2" in diameter
1/3 cup olive oil (not extra virgin)
1-1 oz packet onion soup mix
1-1 oz packet ranch dip mix
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 c freshly grated parmesan cheese or sharp cheddar (optional)
Chopped scallions or parsley for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400F. Mix the olive oil, onion soup mix, ranch dip mix, garlic powder, and pepper. Set aside while you prepare the potatoes.

Cut each potato in half and then each half into quarters. Add the potatoes to a medium bowl. Stir the olive oil mixture and pour it on to the potatoes. Toss to evenly coat. Spread the potatoes onto a sided sheet pan which has been sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure that one of the cut sides of potatoes is touching the bottom of the sheet pan (so that it browns nicely). Cover the sheet pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes then remove the aluminum foil. Do not stir. Bake another 20 minutes (uncovered), stirring after 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and, if desired, toss with your choice of cheese. Garnish with chopped scallions or parsley.

Ham and Potato Soup

My Venture into Simplicity
Aaaaah. Spring is my favorite season. The days are longer. Flowers are blooming and the birds are singing. Spring has always been a time of renewal and rebirth. I have been getting tired of the look of my blog so, in the spirit of spring, I decided to freshen it up a bit.

You'll notice a new header at the top of my blog. I've also added a navigation bar at the top so you can more easily search for ingredients or recipes by clicking in the search field in the upper-left part of the page. I've made my blog about 20% wider so there is less dead space in the left and right margins and the background color is no longer white but rather a greyish blue. I'm not into "busy" webpages that have a lot of extraneous images and patterns. As with my cooking and recipes, I appreciate simplicity the most.

Today's recipe is so quick and easy-to-make but tastes SO GOOD. Isn't it interesting that the simpliest of ingredients can make the best tasting food? Ham and potato soup is really inexpensive to make. I used leftover ham and the rest of the ingredients I either had on-hand or were very inexpensive to buy. Simple, wholesome, inexpensive, and great-tasting. That's my kind of cooking!

Leave a comment and let me know how you like the new look my blog. Enjoy the Ham and Potato Soup – and enjoy the beauty of spring!

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Ham and Potato Soup
(Printable Version)

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
6 TBSP butter, divided use
1 1/2 bunches scallions (white and light green parts), chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 c diced cooked ham
3 1/2 c water
2 TBSP chicken bouillon granules
1/2 tsp black pepper
5 TBSP flour
2 c half-n-half
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional garnishes: Freshly grated cheddar cheese, scallion tops, and cooked bacon pieces

Heat a dutch oven over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of butter. When melted, add the scallions, garlic, and ham. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the potatoes, water, bouillon, and pepper. Cover and crank up the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. When boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 12 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

While the potatoes are simmering, in a separate saucepan, melt the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When melted, add the flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the half-n-half. Once the mixture comes to a simmer, cook about 3 minutes, whisking often.

When the potatoes are tender, add the half-n-half mixture to the dutch oven and stir. Allow the mixture to return to a simmer then cook 2 minutes longer. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. If the mixture is too thick, add a little water. If it is too thin, cook a few minutes longer.

Ladle the soup into a bowl and top with any optional garnishes such as freshly grated cheddar cheese, scallion tops, and cooked bacon pieces.

Beefy Mushroom Soup with Tots and Cheese

My Venture into Beefy Mushroom Soup
When I was a vegetarian, I made a variation of this soup all of the time. My inspiration for the soup came from three sources: French Onion Soup, traditional Mushroom Soup, and Tater Tot Casserole – all of which I could eat everyday. I love the cheese that melts into French Onion Soup. Mushroom Soup has such a beefy and earthy warmth to it, I just can't get enough. I love the simplicity and down home goodness of Tater Tot Casserole. The soup I'm posting today has fingers from each of those dishes. Well, not actual fingers. A recipe with fingers will come in a future post.

The only complaint I have about a traditional Tater Tot Casserole is that the tots turn to mush when baked on top of the stew. I hate that. I like my tots crispy. You'll notice I don't bake this concoction like a traditional casserole so as to avoid the mushy tots. French Onion Soup also suffers a similar problem. The crispy bread mushifies when you're melting the cheese under the broiler. Mushroom Soup, especially Mushroom Soup from a can, can often be one note. When you eat it, it's not "TA-DAH"! It's more of a whimpering "blah". This recipe tries to remedy all of that.

The only place you can go wrong in this recipe is not cooking the onions and mushrooms until they're deep brown. Those caramelized goodies add such a rich flavor to the final soup, everybody will know if you took a shortcut and didn't brown the onions and mushrooms long enough. I was going to throw in a little red wine in the soup as an experiment when I made it but I seem to have run out of wine. I normally keep some in the fridge, in the pantry, or in the nightstand next to my bed, but alas, I was out. OUT I SAY! Crud. If you're feeling adventurous, throw in some red wine immediately after the onions and mushrooms have caramelized, let the wine reduce until it has nearly evaporated, and then add the rest of the ingredients. If the wine tastes good in the soup, let me know.

As you will see, I'm using hamburger in this particular version. To be honest, this is a recipe I make when I want to use up some leftover roast so I don't often make it with hamburger. I just cut some roast into bite-size pieces and throw it in during the last 5 minutes of cooking. I also prefer to use the jus from the roast (or, even better, some roast gravy) instead of the beef broth. It's SO good this way. Unfortunately, I didn't have any leftover roast but I was hungry for this soup so, today, I made it with some ground beef. It's not bad but I prefer it with roast.

This soup is easy-to-make and the leftovers are GREAT! I know there's a few of you out there who hate mushrooms. How could you not like the tasty goodness of a fungus grown in darkness in moist, smelly dirt? Hmm? Craziness. For those of you who like to partake in the occasional fungus, enjoy – and happy souping!

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Beefy Mushroom Soup with Tots and Cheese
(Printable Version)

1 1/2 TBSP butter
1 onion, chopped
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, chopped into 1/4" pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP soy sauce
1 cup water
1 tsp beef bouillon or 1 beef bouillon cube
1/2 cup milk or cream
1 10-3/4 oz can Golden Mushroom Soup
1 10-1/2 oz can French Onion Soup
1 cup peas and carrots
1 lb or so ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb Tater Tots
8 oz Monterrey Jack, Fontina cheese, or Gruyere shredded
Chopped Scallions for garnish

Preheat oven to the temperature specified on your package of tater tots.

Chop the onion. Put the mushrooms into a food processor and pulse them maybe 5 to 7 times to get them quickly cut up into small pieces. In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, add 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter. Add the onions and mushrooms. Stir to coat (do not salt). Cook the mushroom mixture for about 15 minutes or until they are starting to brown nicely – stirring every 5 minutes or so. During cooking, you may need to turn down the heat to medium to keep the mixture from burning.

While the onions and mushrooms are cooking, brown the hamburger in a skillet over medium heat. Drain. Set aside until the mushroom mixture is done.

After the onions and mushrooms have nicely browned, add the garlic and cook one minute longer. Add the soy sauce, water, beef bouillon, the soups, the peas and carrots, and some pepper to the mixture and stir – making sure to get any brown bits off of the bottom of the pan. Add the milk and stir to combine (if using cream, do not add it until the soup is almost ready. Otherwise, the cream may separate as it simmers). Add the browned and drained hamburger to the soup mixture and stir to combine. Cover and bring to simmer.

When the soup has begun to simmer, put the tater tots in the oven.

While the tater tots are heating, continue to lightly simmer the mushroom mixture over medium-low heat, stirring every few minutes to keep the contents from burning on the bottom. If using cream, add it just before the tots are ready to take out of the oven. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

When the tots are done, pull them out of the oven. Ladle some of the soup into a bowl and top with a few tater tots and a little cheese. If desired, sprinkle with some chopped scallions for garnish.

Notes:
1) Ground turkey works great in this.
2) Instead of ground beef, I prefer to throw in some leftover roast (cut into bite-size pieces) during the last 5 minutes of cooking. I also prefer to use the jus from the roast (or some of the roast gravy) instead of beef broth.
3) As mentioned above, I like to chop my mushrooms in a food processor. Feel free to slice them instead if you want larger chunks of mushrooms in your soup.
4) Serve this soup with a crusty bread and your family will think you're a rock star

Potato Boats

My Venture into Elegant Side Dishes
The holidays are coming up! Many of you may host a dinner party during the coming weeks. If so, this is the perfect recipe to try. It's easy to make and makes a beautiful presentation. What's really nice is that you can make the mashed potatoes the day before and assemble the boats a few hours before your guests arrive. This way, you can throw them in the oven and forget about them while you're preparing the rest of the meal. Most important, they're really good!

I know this recipe might seem long and complicated. It's not! Essentially, you plop some cold mashed potatoes on a little piece of pie dough and bring up the sides – leaving some of the potatoes exposed at the top. You bake them a little while, top them with some cheese and bacon, and then bake them a little longer. That's it! You certainly do not have to use my mashed potato recipe. Feel free to use your own! In fact, plain' ol mashed potatoes work just fine in this dish.

My inspiration for this recipe comes from a common Finnish food called Karjalan Piirakat. With those, you use rye dough instead of pie dough. They don’t have any cheese or fancy stuff in them. I love them! My recipe is a very Americanized version of those delicious pastries. Karjalan Piirakat are sometimes eaten with something called munavoi – a spread made of hard-boiled eggs and softened butter. For whatever reason, many Americans are grossed out at the thought of eating hard-boiled eggs and butter but it's really tasty. The next time you're in Finland, make sure you try the real thing.

My holiday baking is not going well! There is just not enough hours in the day. I'm sure you can all relate. I hope you try this recipe sometime whether it's for an intimate dinner party or Sunday dinner with the family. They're really good and simple to make. Enjoy – and happy eating!

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Potato Boats
(Printable Version)

1 box (2 sheets) of refrigerated pie dough

Seasoned Mashed Potatoes:
3 1/2 lbs Yukon gold or russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
Salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened – divided use
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 bunch) scallions, chopped (white and light green parts only)
4 cloves garlic, minced
About 1/2 cup milk, half and half, or cream
3 TBSP sour cream
Salt to taste
Black Pepper (optional)

Toppings:
sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
3 oz package of real bacon bits (sold in the salad dressing aisle)
Chopped Scallions (the dark green parts)
Chives (the oars of the boat)
Sour Cream or Ranch Dip

I know this recipe might seem long and daunting. It's not! Essentially, you plop some cold mashed potatoes on a little pie dough and bring up the sides – leaving the potatoes exposed at the top. You bake them a little while, top them with some cheese and bacon, and then bake them a little longer. That's it!

To make the mashed potatoes (the day before serving):
You, of course, do not need to make my version of these mashed potatoes. Feel free to substitute your own favorite mashed potato recipe. Plain, 'ol mashed potatoes work great. If you want to try a new mashed potato recipe, I think you will like this one.

In a large pot, add the peeled and cut potatoes. Cover with cold water by 1". Bring to a boil and add about a tablespoon of kosher salt or 1/2 tablespoon of table salt. Cover and reduce the heat and simmer the potatoes until fork tender – about 12 to 14 minutes. Turn off the heat and drain the potatoes. Immediately return the hot potatoes to the hot pan and allow the excess water to evaporate.

While the potatoes are simmering, heat a small skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the scallions and cook about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute or two. Set aside until needed.

Add the cream cheese to a mixing bowl and beat a few seconds.

Use a ricer or potato masher to mash the potatoes. Transfer the potatoes to the mixing bowl with the cream cheese. Add the scallion/garlic mixture as well as the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter. Beat the potatoes until everything is incorporated – scraping the bowl as needed. Add about 1/2 cup of milk (or half and half or cream), the sour cream, and some salt. Beat until incorporated. If desired, add additional milk – but don't get the potatoes too thin. Add pepper if desired. Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Place the potatoes in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

To assemble the boats:
Unwrap one sheet of the dough and unroll it. Use a rolling pin to smooth out the dough and roll it out just a tad thinner. Cut three 5-inch circles out of the dough (I use the lid of a 42 oz oatmeal container as a guide). You may reroll the scraps and make additional circles.

Add 1/3 cup of the cold mashed potatoes to each of the centers of the dough. Lightly brush some water (not too much!) around the outer edge of the dough. Slide your index finger and thumb about 3/4" under the dough on the right side of the circle. Lift up slightly and allow a little of the dough to drop between your index finger and thumb. Squeeze together to form the bow of the boat. Repeat using your left hand on the left side of the circle to form the stern of the boat.

Decoratively pleat the sides of the boat. When finished, the boat should be an oval shape. If desired, you may add some additional mashed potatoes to the top. NOTE: The more potatoes you add, the more likely the boats will spread out (or the pleats will open) during baking. When using extra potatoes, take extra time to make sure your pleats are well sealed. The recipe for my mashed potatoes makes more than you will need for the boats so you should have plenty of extra mashed potatoes left to mound more on the top, if desired.

Repeat this process for the other boats. You may also roll out the second sheet of dough and cut out more boats – making a total of six. After all of the boats have been made, you may place them in a deep dish, cover with plastic wrap, and keep refrigerated until ready to bake. I often do this a couple of hours before my guests arrive for dinner. This way, I only need to throw the boats in the oven when everybody shows up for dinner. This is why this recipe is perfect for small dinner parties.

To bake the boats, preheat the oven to 350F. When the oven is hot, place the boats on a sheet pan (uncovered) and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the boats from the oven and top with a small mound of sharp cheddar cheese. Return the sheet pan to the oven and bake 4 minutes longer. Remove the sheet pan one additional time and add some bacon bits to the top. Return to the oven and bake about 3 minutes longer.

When fully cooked, add a small dollop of sour cream or ranch dip on top (if desired) and sprinkle with some chopped scallions. Crisscross a couple of chives on top (to look like oars for the boat). Feel free to warm up any extra mashed potatoes in case people want a second helping of the potatoes.

Sweet Potato Mousse with Gooey Praline Sauce

My Venture into Sweet Potatoes
'Tis the season for sweet potatoes! A few years ago, my friend and co-worker, Theresa, brought a delicious sweet potato mousse to an office potluck. I fell in love with it and immediately had some ideas on how I'd like to change it. You know me – I love experimenting with recipes!

Theresa got the recipe from her sister, Catherine, who first got the recipe in 1977. Catherine got an incomplete version from her mother-in-law, who was not known for being a great cook, so Catherine had to play with the recipe a lot to get it just right. She has shared the recipe with countless people from around the world. What I particularly like with Catherine's version is that it's not too sweet. You, of course, can make it as sweet as you like but her version allows the wonderful flavor of sweet potatoes to shine through.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are people who really enjoy sweet potatoes on the very sweet side. My version of Catherine's recipe incorporates spices often used in pumpkin pie and a gooey praline sauce with pecans that bake on the bottom of the mousse. I've tried lots of sweet potato recipes that have a praline topping. The problem with a lot of those is that the topping doesn't melt properly and gets crusty – but crusty in a bad way. When you bite into it, you often bite into sugar that, instead of having melted, has crystallized. Not pleasant. Have you ever had cinnamon rolls with a sticky bun topping? That's essentially what I'm doing in my version of the recipe. I put the nuts and gooey sauce on the bottom of the pan, add the mousse on top, and bake it. When you serve it, you should dig all of the way to the bottom with your serving spoon so you can get some of the rich, gooey sauce. When its baking, it smells like sweet potato sticky buns! Very tasty.

So, you have choice of recipes today:
Catherine's Sweet Potato Mousse
Or
Vince's Sweet Potato Mousse with Gooey Praline Sauce

Try one or both! You can't go wrong with either one. Enjoy -- and Happy Thanksgiving!

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Sweet Potato Mousse with Gooey Praline Sauce
(Printable Version)

Sweet Potato Mixture
5 lbs medium-sized sweet potatoes (about 6 to 7)
1/4 cup sour cream
5 TBSP honey
1/2 tsp table salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup heavy cream

Praline Sauce
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 TBSP honey
6 TBSP butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup pecans (or more to taste)

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350F. Wash the sweet potatoes and prick them all over with a fork. Wrap each potato individually with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until the potatoes are very soft. Carefully unwrap the hot potatoes and place them on a cooling rack. Slice lengthwise through each potato and spread them open. If baking the mousse the same day, leave the oven on while you are preparing everything else.

Step 2: While the potatoes are baking, butter the bottom and sides of a 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle the bottom of the dish evenly with the pecans.

Step 3: Also while the potatoes are baking, make the praline sauce by combining the brown sugar, honey, butter, and cinnamon in a saucepan over medium heat. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer then cook for 2 minutes. Pour the warm sauce over the pecans in the bottom of the dish. Make sure the mixture has cooled and solidified (waiting at least 10 minutes) before adding any of the sweet potatoes on top.

Step 4: When the sweet potatoes have cooled enough to handle, remove the skins and put the pulp in a mixing bowl. If needed, use gloves or paper towels to keep from burning your hands. Using a mixer equipped with a whisk attachment, whip the potatoes until smooth (about 2 to 4 minutes at medium speed). Add the sour cream, honey, spices and salt and beat until combined. Next, add the eggs and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Finally, add the heavy cream and whisk to combine. Spoon the sweet potato mousse into the dish with the cooled praline sauce.

Step 5: Bake the mousse until the center has reached an internal temperature of about 155F (about 1 hour and 10 minutes). Serve hot. When serving, make sure to dig all of the way to the bottom to get some of that gooey praline sauce with each spoonful.

Alternate Preparation: On the day before serving, do Steps 1 through 4. However, make sure the potatoes have cooled completely before adding them to the mixer. After completing Step 4, cover and refrigerate overnight.

On the day of serving, remove the dish from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature (45 minutes to an hour). About 20 minutes before baking, start preheating the oven to 350F. Bake the potatoes until they have reached an internal temperature of 155F (about 1 hour and 20 minutes).

Scalloped Potato Pot Pie

My Venture into Potatoes
Who doesn't love potatoes? Potatoes can be part of a healthy diet and provide a fat-free way to get important vitamins and minerals. That is, unless you make this dish. This recipe is not fat-free. It's not reduced-fat. It's comfort food at its finest. I think I owe one of my chins and both of my thighs to this very recipe. I'm not saying you should eat this every day. Make it for special occasions like Thanksgiving or Christmas. Or Tuesday's.

The filling is like thick scalloped potatoes. It's not meant to be soupy. I used to be a vegetarian and made this dish without the bacon. To flavor the cream, I used vegetable bouillon instead of chicken – and it was tasty that way. Still fattening, of course – but meat-free. You might opt to use some cheddar cheese instead of parmesan (or a combination of the two). If using cheddar, I highly recommend grating your own because pre-shredded cheeses do not work as well. I also recommend using 2% cheddar. Otherwise, the filling can get rather oily. Don't be frightened by the amount of garlic. You need it to flavor this quantity of potatoes. If you're in the mood, feel free to make your own pie dough!

I need to take a class on how to get a nice, clean piece of pie out of the dish on the very first try. You'll have to excuse the top photo – it was the best piece I could get out of the dish. The first piece looked like I scooped it out with my bare hands. The second piece wasn't much better. If practice makes perfect, I'm going to have to make a lot more pies!

I took some pictures, ate a piece of the pie, and quickly threw the rest in the trash. It was horrible. You'll hate it. Bacon, potatoes, onion, garlic, and pie dough all taste bad. It would have definitely tasted better with tofu. And Brussels sprouts. When it was baking, my apartment filled with the most INCREDIBLE aromas. Wait. They were BAD smells! Bad smells! It would have smelled so much better with tofu and Brussels sprouts. You believe me, right?!

This dish is really easy to make and feeds a crowd. It's so warm and comforting – your family will love it. Better yet, fix 'em some tofu and Brussels sprouts and your family will treat you like a queen. You know, like Marie Antoinette. Of course, the peasants hated her so she was guillotined – probably after making them eat tofu and Brussels sprouts. Hmm. Something to think about. In any case, enjoy – and happy spudding!

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Scalloped Potato Pot Pie
(Printable Version)

1 3-oz package real bacon bits (sold in the salad dressing aisle)
1 TBSP butter
1 bunch scallions (white and light green parts), minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cream
1 tsp chicken-flavored bouillon (or 1 cube of bouillon)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup freshly grated parmesan (or sharp cheddar)
2 lbs russet potatoes (3 medium), peeled and thinly sliced
2 refrigerated pie dough sheets

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon bits and cook them for a few minutes to re-crisp them and freshen their flavor. When crispy, spread them out on a plate to cool.

Add the butter to the saucepan. When melted, add the scallions and cook about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook one minute longer. Add the cream, bouillon, and pepper then stir to combine. Heat the mixture until it is hot but yet not simmering. The goal here is to melt the bouillon and infuse the cream with the onion mixture. Take the pan off the heat and allow the sauce to cool slightly while you are preparing the remaining ingredients.

Unroll one of the sheets of pie dough and press it into a 9" deep-dish pie plate. Place the pie dish and remaining pie dough in the refrigerator while you are preparing the potatoes.

Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly. Do not add the potatoes to water because you need the starch from the potatoes to keep them from sliding around when you cut into the pie after it is cooked. I use a mandolin to cut the potatoes but you can use a knife. Shingle 1/3 of the potatoes on the bottom of the pie crust – stacking the potatoes slightly thicker around the edges and thinner in the middle. There's already a lot of salt in the bouillon, bacon, and cheese but I still like to add a pinch of salt to the potatoes because they suck up so much salt when baking. They taste OK without the additional salt so I'll leave that up to you. Sprinkle the potatoes with 1/3 of the bacon and 1/3 of the parmesan cheese. Spoon 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes. Repeat this process two more times to use up the remaining ingredients. Add another sheet of dough to the top of the pie then seal and flute the edges. Cut a couple of slits in the top of the crust to allow steam to escape. Cover the edges of the pie dough with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 25 to 30 minutes or until the crust is a deep brown. When properly cooked, you should be able to easily insert a knife into the potatoes but they should still be firm enough to retain their shape. Let cool 10 minutes before serving – if you can wait that long.

Dill-icious Potato Rolls (formerly known as Hong Kong Potato Roll Thingies)

My Venture into Bad Recipe Names
Hong Kong Potato Roll Thingies. The name doesn't exactly roll off your tongue. I developed this recipe years ago and never made the effort to properly name it. That's why I need your help. At the bottom of this page, you will learn more about a chance to win a US$25 gift certificate to Bed Bath and Beyond by thinking of a great name for this yummy recipe.

I've been to Hong Kong several times and used to frequent a western-style bakery that served the best French breads and pastries. One day, I tried one of their roll-looking things that were filled with, what looked to me like, shredded potatoes and dill. They were SO tasty and elegant looking. I had no idea what they were called because all of the signs in the bakery were in Chinese. The employees would not give any hint as to how they were made so I had to guess what was in them. Although I saw these in a bakery in Hong Kong, there is absolutely nothing Asian about them. This recipe is my attempt to recreate those wonderful potato roll thingies from just the memory of how they tasted.

On one of my frequent visits to that bakery over the years, I was in a hurry because I had several errands to do before a big meeting. It was raining cats and dogs but I braved the weather anyway just to get one of those tasty treats. The bakery was located inside a large department store. About 15 feet inside the store, you had to go over a 1-inch step. Well, it wasn't so much a step as it was a lip since it was only about an inch high. Over the years, I had seen my fair share of people tripping over it when they entered the store. What purpose did that little step serve? I have no idea. If the store had been located in the U.S., it would have been sued a million times.

In my haste, I wasn't watching where I was walking and my foot caught the edge of that little lip in the floor. Unfortunately, there was an old, Chinese lady who was walking toward me when I tripped. As I fell uncontrollably toward her, her eyes widened and she got the most horrified look on her face. You know, the same kind of look you'd have on your face if you looked up at the Leaning Tower of Pisa on the day it decided to fall on you. Somehow, I managed to pivot my big patootie out of the way and only grazed her as I fell face-first onto the floor. I hit the tile with a thunderous SLAP and then slid across the rain-slick floor for what seemed like a mile. The frightened old lady mumbled something in Chinese, whacked me with her umbrella, and walked out the door. Not speaking Chinese, I took that to mean "Oh, you poor man. Are you alright?"

I hurried and got up – confident my fall had set off seismometers 1200 miles away in Japan. I tried to look nonchalant as I picked up my glasses, which had been thrown off in the fall, and realized that I was no longer wearing my right shoe. I looked around the crowd of shoppers, who had witnessed my acrobatics and were trying not to laugh, but I could not find my shoe anywhere. Who would steal a size-11 penny loafer with scuff marks and uneven wear? I mean really! A shoe that big would fit a family of four in Hong Kong! Some nice girl approached me and said that my shoe had flown onto the nearby escalator and was on its way up to the second floor. I rolled my eyes and got onto the crowded escalator – worried that my fall had been caught on security cameras and the footage would be posted on the internet by nightfall. On my way up to the second floor, I looked up and could see people furrowing their eyebrows trying to figure out why there was a single shoe bouncing up and down at the top of the escalator without anybody around to claim it. I put on my shoe, gathered up what was left of my dignity, and made my way to the bakery – undeterred in my quest for those wonderful potato roll thingies. That day, I even bought two…and savored every bite.

After countless attempts to create a clone of those potato roll thingies, this is the closest I have been able to come. Sadly, that bakery is now closed so this recipe is my only tie to those WONDEFUL treats I used to buy in Hong Kong. You HAVE to try making them! Don't forget that I need your ideas for a recipe name! Scroll down to the bottom of this page to learn how enter the contest for a chance to win a US$25 gift certificate. Enjoy – and happy falling for this recipe!

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Dill-icious Potato Rolls
(Formerly known as Hong Kong Potato Roll Thingies)
(Printable Version)

Filling:
2 TBSP butter
1 bunch scallions, minced (white and light green parts only)
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 TBSP crème fraîche or sour cream
¾ TBSP chopped fresh dill
½ c freshly grated parmesan cheese (or Romano cheese)
1 tsp kosher salt (or ½ tsp of table salt)
½ tsp black pepper
1½ c refrigerated hash browns (or frozen hash browns that have been thawed in the fridge)

9 Rhodes Roll Dough balls, defrosted in the refrigerator

Lightly spray a dinner plate with cooking spray. Place 9 frozen dough balls evenly spaced out on the plate – making sure that the rolls are not touching. Spray the rolls with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to slowly defrost for about 5 to 6 hours or overnight.

After the rolls have been defrosting for 5 to 6 hours, preheat the oven to 350F. Start the filling by melting 2 TBSP butter over medium heat in a small skillet. Add the scallions and garlic and cook until the onions are tender – about 4 minutes. Add the scallion mixture to a large bowl. To it, add the crème fraîche, dill, parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper then stir to combine. Add the refrigerated hash browns and gently mix thoroughly. Divide the filling into 6 portions.

Butter or spray six wells of a muffin tray.

Take the rolls out of the refrigerator and cut 3 of the rolls in half. Pick up a whole roll and one of the halves and use your palms to smash them together. Do this with the remaining dough. You will have six flatted dough disks when finished. Next roll out one of the dough disks into a 4 1/2" circle. You should not need to use any flour. If the dough wants to stretch back, let the disks sit for about 5 minutes and then reattempt to roll them out. Place the rolled out dough in your cupped palm and add 1/6 of the filling to the center of the dough. Gently place the dough and potatoes in one of the muffin cups making sure that the dough is evenly spaced around the sides of the muffin cup. The potato mixture should be open at the top and should not be covered with dough. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

Bake for about 18-22 minutes or until the dough is well browned. Serve them warm or at room temperature (they are great either way). Before serving, add a small amount of dill to the top as a garnish. Want to be daring? Add some chopped smoked salmon to the potato mixture before filling. Yum!

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*** CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED ***

1) You must be 18 years old or older to enter.
2) The prize is a US$25 gift certificate to Bed Bath and Beyond. Only one prize will be awarded.
3) Entrants must think of a name for the above recipe and email me their best idea. Be as creative as you would like. Only one entry per person. Send your idea for the name of the recipe to cookingventures@gmail.com. Remember – only one entry per person. Your email should include:
a) Your ONE idea for the name of the above recipe
b) Your complete first name and the first initial of your last name (such as
Michael J.)
c) The city and state where you live (international entrants should also include their country)
4) The winning name will be chosen by me after consultation with my mother. It is theoretically possible that two different people may submit the same idea for a recipe name. In the event this occurs and I chose that recipe name as the winner, the prize will go to the person who submitted the recipe name first.
5) Ideas must be submitted by Friday, August 28, 2009 at 11:59 pm (Central U.S. time). Entries after that date and time will not be considered.
6) I will post the winning recipe name, the winning contestant's partial name, and his or her location in my blog on Saturday, August 29. The winner will also be notified by email. In that email, I will request the winner's full name and mailing address for the gift card. The winner's full name and mailing address, however, will not be posted on my blog.

Ready to enter? Just email me at cookingventures@gmail.com with your recipe idea and the other information required in #3 above. I look forward to reading your emails!

Ranch Chicken and Potatoes

My Venture into the Outback
I love Outback Steakhouse. They have great food but you walk in a size 6 and waddle out a size 16. The cheese fries with bacon and ranch dipping sauce are out of this world but they are a coronary just waiting to happen. I'm not much of a steak eater so I normally order a chicken or fish dish. They used to serve (and probably still do) a dish called Alice Springs Chicken. It is a chicken breast that has been marinated in honey mustard sauce, topped with mushrooms, bacon, and cheese then baked to perfection. Very tasty but a bit fattening. Add to that the cheese fries, a salad with fat-laden croutons, some of the Bushman Bread bathed in butter, and a delectable dessert and you will have consumed the same amount of calories as the average Ethiopian does in a year.

I came up with this recipe as a way to get some of the same flavor profiles without all of the guilt afterwards. In one dish, you get some chicken, potatoes, ranch dip, mushrooms, cheese, and bacon – with a lot less calories and fat but all of the same great taste. This dish is perfect for small dinner parties. I like to serve it in individual au gratin dishes but it also works great "family-style" in a larger glass dish. The recipe can be easily doubled or tripled if you need to serve more people. You HAVE to try it! G'day mate – and happy eatin'!

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Ranch Chicken and Potatoes
(Printable Version)

Ranch Dip
8 oz light sour cream (or regular sour cream)
1-1/2 TBSP Ranch Dip Mix (from a 1-oz packet)

Marinade
2 chicken breasts
1 tsp of Ranch Dip Mix
3 TBSP of the prepared Ranch Dip as prepare above

Mushroom Topping
1-1/2 TBSP butter
8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
1 large shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 TBSP water
2 tsp soy sauce
Pepper to taste

Ranch Potatoes
2 cups cubed frozen hash browns (such as Ore-Ida Southern-Style Hash Brown Potatoes), thawed
1/2 TBSP oil
The remaining Ranch Dip Mix

Additional Toppings
4 oz 2% sharp cheddar (or regular sharp cheddar), shredded
2 to 3 TBSP of real bacon bits (sold in the salad dressing aisle)
1 scallion (the light and dark green parts), chopped

Prepare the ranch dip by mixing the sour cream with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the ranch dip mix.

Add one teaspoon of the powdered ranch dip mix to the chicken breasts and massage into the meat. Place the chicken in a sealable bag and add 3 tablespoons of the prepared ranch dip to the breasts. Seal and use your hands to massage the dip all over the chicken then refrigerate for 3 hours. Cover the remaining prepared dip and refrigerate it until it is needed later. Reserve the remaining powdered mix for use on the potatoes.

After the chicken has marinated for three hours, preheat the oven to 400F. Start the mushroom topping by heating a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the butter. As soon as it melts, add the mushrooms and flatten them into an even layer. Sprinkle the shallot over the mushrooms and sauté for three minutes without stirring. After three minutes, reduce the heat to medium, stir, and heat an additional three minutes. After three minutes, stir again, and heat an additional three minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and some pepper then cook for one minute longer. Add the water and soy sauce, stir, and allow the liquids to evaporate (about 30 to 45 seconds longer). Spoon the mushrooms onto a clean plate.
While the mushrooms are cooking, add the frozen cubed potatoes to a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and heat for two to three minutes, stirring them once during heating. Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the heated potatoes and toss. Sprinkle the leftover powdered dip mix over the potatoes and some black pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Taste for salt and adjust as needed.

After the mushrooms have finished cooking, wipe out the skillet, add one tablespoon of oil, and increase the heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the marinated chicken. Add some pepper to the top of the each breast. Sauté on the first side for two minutes, flip, then sauté the other side for one minute longer. Place the chicken into two individual au gratin dishes or two small pyrex dishes (or add both pieces to one 8x8" glass dish). The chicken will not be fully cooked after three minutes but will finish cooking in the oven.

Add one cup of the potatoes around the sides of each chicken breast. Spread 2 tablespoons of the prepared ranch dip on top of each breast. Pile some of the mushrooms on each of the dip-covered breasts. You may have some of the mushrooms leftover. If so, use them for another purpose.

Add two ounces of cheese in a heaping pile to each of the chicken breasts. If any of the cheese gets on the potatoes, don’t worry. Bake for 17 minutes. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the bacon bits to top of the chicken and potatoes in each dish. Bake another 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish each chicken breast with a dollop of the prepared ranch dip and some of the chopped scallion.

Mom's Potato Salad

My Venture into Potato Salad
Everybody loves the potato salad they grew up on. I'm no exception. I have to say though that my mother makes the world's best potato salad. It's unapologetically sweet and tart and is not too mustardy. It's not too soupy and it's not too dry. Unlike many other potato salad recipes, mom's doesn't contain anything overly healthy or crunchy in it. You know, like celery. In fact, the only crunchy thing I remember in my mother's potato salad was an occasional stray egg shell.

When I asked her for her recipe, she said she didn't have a "recipe." She gave me the list of ingredients and told me to add them "until it tasted right." THIS was how she made her famous potato salad?! Add stuff until it tasted right?! No tattered recipe card with stains all over it? Oy. I, therefore, set out to recreate her wonderful potato salad -- measuring the ingredients as I added them until it tasted right. The recipe below is about as good as I could get it with my mother standing over my shoulders criticizing my every move and making disapproving, passive-aggressive comments about my new-fangled cooking techniques. You know, like using measuring cups and all. Love you mom! Anyway, in the end, she deemed my rendition of her famous potato salad "acceptable."  Whatever.  With that in mind, I present you an "acceptable" rendition my mother's potato salad recipe. Enjoy – and happy eating!

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Mom's Potato Salad
(Printable Version)

6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
2 lbs small red potatoes
1 TBSP kosher salt (or ½ TBSP table salt)

Dressing:
2 c. (or a 16-oz jar) of Miracle Whip
5 TBSP juice from the sweet pickles (or to taste)
½ tsp kosher salt (or ¼ tsp of table salt)
2 tsp mustard
1 medium red onion or sweet onion, finely diced
16-oz jar of Baby Sweet pickles, chopped in a small dice (reserve the juice)
2-oz jar of chopped pimentos, drained

In a small saucepan, add the eggs and cover with cold tap water. Cover and bring to a rolling boil. When the water is boiling, remove the pot from the burner and leave covered for 12-13 minutes. The eggs will be fully cooked using this method – and won't leave a green ring around the yolk either! Dump out the hot water and cover the eggs with cold tap water. Allow the eggs to sit in the cold water for a couple of minutes. Drain the water and repeat. If the eggs still feel warm, repeat. When cool, place the eggs in the refrigerator to cool down even more.

Clean the potatoes but do not peel. Add them to a large pan and cover with water. Add 1 TBSP kosher salt (or ½ TBSP table salt to the water). Cover and bring to a boil and simmer until a sharp knife easily penetrates the potato when pierced (about 16-18 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes). Pour off the hot water and put the potatoes on a rack to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the Miracle Whip, 5 TBSP of juice reserved from the sweet pickles, salt, and mustard. Stir to combine. Add the onion, sweet pickles, and chopped pimentos (if using). Taste. Does it need more pickle juice? If so, add as much as you want. Remember, once you add the potatoes, the sweet/tart flavor of the dressing will be muted so bump up the flavor. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator until the potatoes have cooled.

Assembly:
After the potatoes having cooled enough to handle, peel and chop them into 1/2" cubes. Peel and dice the eggs. Add the potatoes and eggs to the dressing you prepared earlier. Gently stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Alternate Preparation:
This potato salad has a medium level of soupiness. Some of you may like your potato salad with a lot of dressing while others may prefer it rather dry. If you want a soupier potato salad, make the dressing the same way but add fewer potatoes. Like it drier? Add 1 or 2 more potatoes to the mixture.