The Creamiest Creamed Corn

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Jackie Mack

In 2003 my auntie from Minnesota shared with me a recipe her daughter had found called “Ritz Carlton Creamed Corn”. She had made this recipe for family gatherings and it always tasted great and as it turns out is simple to prepare. I have made this recipe for Thanksgiving and sometimes Christmas for many years now and have passed on the Ritz’ recipe to other family and friends and it seems to be a hit whatever table it’s served on. A personal note – sniff sniff – I developed a sensitivity to corn a few years back so I can no longer eat the sweet stuff. I’m sure it couldn’t have had anything to do with me watching the documentary  “King Corn” earlier that same year?  Hmmm. I’ll never know. But this year I’ve decided my daughter will make the creamed corn for Thanksgiving for all to enjoy and I’ll admire it from afar again.

The Creamiest Creamed Corn

  • 40 ounces of frozen corn, white or yellow
  • 8 ounces whipping cream
  • 8 ounces milk
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • Parmesan cheese

Combine first 6 ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Mix melted butter and flour well and stir into to the corn mixture. Place the corn in a well buttered casserole dish and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees 15-20 minutes until heated and top is golden and corn is bubbly.

To make ahead – follow directions above except do not add parmesan. Cool after cooking and cover to refrigerate overnight. After removing from refrigerator sprinkle with parmesan and bake at 350 for about an hour until bubbly and golden brown.

Serves 6-8.

Source: Adapted from Ritz Carlton Creamed Corn recipe.

 

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Holiday Make-Ahead Sides

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Jackie Mack

Are you looking for a couple of make ahead dishes? Here are two mashed potato recipes that are great for making the day before the holiday and refrigerating, then putting in the oven to heat as the last of the big meal is being prepared. I can’t tell you how nice it is to go to bed the night before Thanksgiving knowing that two labor intensive sides are complete and ready to put in the oven. When they come out of the oven they are delicious and who ever knew you made them the day before?

Creamy Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

 

Steamed Mashed Yams

 

Steamed Mashed Yams

 

 

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Marinara Sauce

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Jackie Mack

For most of my life a major comfort has been spaghetti night. Our family would ask for spaghetti for special dinners and occasions. I’m sorry that I never got my Mom’s recipe written down (and I’m not sure she followed one – if anyone reading this has Carol’s recipe – do share!!) but I remember her saying many times that the trick to a good spaghetti sauce is to cook it all day long…she learned that from an Italian neighbor in Boston in the 50s. So when I started making spaghetti sauce in my 20s I found a book with a good looking recipe in a cookbook called Pasta Favorites by Nancy Berzinec, that was priced at $2.95 and housed many yummy pasta recipes. I used that recipe for a base for my marinara sauce but there is one glaring detail that I never followed and that was the direction to cook the sauce for 1 hour total.  The best spaghetti/marinara sauces I’ve made are those that have been simmered on the stove top practically all day.  When they get too thick you simply add a little more water, stir and keep the sauce simmering on low.  By the time dinner time rolls around you have the most delicious sauce ever. You can fudge on the ingredients here and there – it’s just a good sauce takes time. I’m going to give you options for this recipe for the crock pot (not as thick of a sauce but extremely practical for our busy lives), and vegetarian…which is basically everything except the pork sausage.  Take a weekend day to cook up some marinara and enjoy. Your family will love you for it.

Marinara Sauce

  • one extra large chopped onion or 2 cups
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 – 28 ounce cans peeled, diced tomatoes
  • 3 – 6 ounce cans tomato paste
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 6 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 3 teaspoons dried basil
  • 4 bay leaves

Optional Ingredients:

  • 2 packages (5 pack) sweet italian sausage (I used uncured with no nitrates)
  • 2 – 8 ounce packages white mushrooms, washed and sliced
  • 1/4-1/2 cup red wine

Instructions for stove top:

In large stock pot, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add rest of ingredients including options if desired. Cook on medium heat until coming to a simmer, turn down to lower heat so it simmers constantly but low. Do not cover sauce completely with lid because you want the sauce to thicken and simmer down for best flavor. I put lid on pan but not completely covered so steam is released all day. Cook at least 6 hours or more, stirring occasionally and adding a small amount of water when sauce thickens too much. Add optional sausage and mushrooms about 1/2 way into your cooking time. You may choose to cut sausage into small slices before serving.

Serve with your favorite pasta noodle. Serves 10+. Lemony Caesar Salad  is an excellent side with this dish.

Instructions for Crock Pot:

Combine all ingredients in large (6 quart) crock pot. Cook on low all day. Serve with your favorite pasta and Lemony Caesar Salad. For the last hour if you are home, you could cook uncovered or lid to the side to try to thicken the sauce. You may choose to cut sausage into small slices before serving.

Adapted from Nancy Berzinec’s Pasta Favorites Cookbook.

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Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Jackie Mack

Are you bringing a dessert to a Halloween party tomorrow?  Here’s one that’s moist and pumpkin filled with just the right spice. I found this recipe a long time ago in the Minneapolis Star and Tribune Food section and it was called Lori Beach’s Prize Winning Pumpkin Bars. I’ve made these bars turned cake (I use a 9×13 pan instead of a jelly roll) so many times and each time the cake is declared yummy. The original recipe called for vegetable oil and I’ve subbed apple sauce for it throughout the years and did this last weekend.  However, next time I make the cake I will sub the apple sauce for some good old fashioned melted butter and I expect the results to be phenomenal.

Pumpkin Cake

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup apple sauce (or butter)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 – 15 ounce can pumpkin
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all cake ingredients in a large mixing bowl and blend well. Butter a 9×13 cake pan. Put all batter in the pan. Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes testing cake before taking out to make sure it’s done in the middle. Let cake cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 6 ounce cream cheese at room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons butter at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 cups powdered sugar

Prepare the frosting in a large mixing bowl. I use my KitchenAid with great results but a hand blender would work, too. Combine cream cheese and butter at room temperature, adding milk, vanilla and powdered sugar one cup at a time. Frosting is done when well mixed and smooth. Frost the cooled cake and serve immediately. Serves 12 or more.

Source: Adapted from Lori Beach’s Prize Winning Pumpkin Bars, Star and Tribune.

Posted in Baked Goods, Desserts, Fall Season | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Overnight Pumpkin Steel Cut Oats

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Jackie Mack

The pumpkin season is in full swing and if you’ve got little time to prepare breakfast in the morning and want a fall flavored treat, try this Pumpkin Steel Cut Oats adapted from SparkPeople. I cut the original recipe in 1/2 because the recipe makes A TON of oatmeal and one average sized family doesn’t need a whole crock pot of oatmeal. Try this when you want to save time in the morning and serve with a dollop of yogurt, honey or maple syrup for sweetener.

Overnight Pumpkin Steel Cut Oats

At bedtime, in a crock pot combine:

  • 1 cup Steel Cut Oats
  • 1/2 of a 15 ounce can pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 1 1/2 cups 2% milk
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Cook on low overnight about 8 hours. Stir and serve in the morning with plain or vanilla yogurt and top with honey or maple syrup. Serves 4-6.

Adapted from: SparkPeople, Crock Pot Pumpkin Steel Cut Oats

 

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Chili and Lemony Caesar Salad for a Crowd

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Jackie Mack

It’s definitely weather for chili and a side of caesar. My daughter’s soccer team came over last night for the last team dinner of the season to a big pot of chili and a rather large caesar salad. I did serve cornbread, too, but I’ll admit that was from a box due the twenty something I was feeding. What fun to hear the laughter and excitement and flashing of iPhones and texting and Instagramming and Tweeting all in the midst of eating and having a good time and noone was offended that the other was looking solely at their device!

I’d say we had about 25 here last night and these recipes fed the crowd with a little chili left over. And I made 4 boxes worth of cornbread (I hate to admit that on this blog, but I did.) and there was a bit left over. Don’t forget to serve the cornbread with lots of real butter and honey.

Chili for a Crowd

  • extra virgin olive oil to coat bottom on 16 quart stock pot (or two smaller ones)
  • 3 big sweet onions, chopped
  • 6 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
  • 4.5-5  pounds of good quality hamburger
  • 5 – 15 ounces cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 6 – 28 ounce cans diced tomatoes (undrained)
  • 1 – 25 oz jar marinara sauce or the equivalent of tomato sauce
  • 5 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
  • 5 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 5 tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup
  • 5 tablespoons chili powder
  • 5 tablespoons cumin

Coat bottom on large stock pot with olive oil. Add chopped onions and garlic sauté a short time. Add the hamburger and cook until all meat is no longer pink and chop meat into small pieces while cooking. Drain juices from meat after fully cooked.

Add the rest of ingredients and spices and simmer on medium to low heat at least 3 hours or more. You can add a bit of water if sauce gets too thick. Serves 20+.

Source: Adapted from my sister-in-laws recipe

 

Lemony Caesar Salad for a Crowd

In a super huge salad or mixing bowl combine the following salad ingredients. Use two large salad bowls if you don’t have the super huge variety.

  • 6-8 heads of romaine lettuce, rinsed and torn or cut
  • 3 large red peppers, chopped
  • parmesan cheese to taste

Lemony Caesar Dressing for a Crowd

  • juice of 4 lemons or 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
  • 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/3 cups extra virgin olive oil
  • sea salt and pepper to taste

Put all dressing ingredients into small mixing bowl. Whisk and set on counter until ready to mix with salad right before serving.

Mix dressing and salad and parmesan cheese well in a super huge bowl (or two large salad bowls). Serve immediately to 20+.

Source: Adapted from The New Basics Cookbook

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Red Lentil Soup

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Jackie Mack

A chill is in the air in Oregon. This fall has been especially lovely and I must admit this is one of my favorite times of the year. That short snippet of time when the sun shines brightly in blue skies and the days are warm but the morning and night bring a chill for great sleeping weather. This soup recipe, adapted from My Recipes, is great for those days with a chill. The soup has many fine features as meat free, gluten free and I made the soup in the crock pot. Red lentils offer a variety of nutritional benefits including ample amounts of fiber, manganese, iron and protein. See WH Foods/Lentils for details. My daughter really loved this soup but got a few comments on the color when I put in in her lunch box. Her friends at school aren’t used to the non-standard soup instead a sandwich in the lunchbox! Just imagine the looks she gets when she eats her salmon patties out of the thermos.

Red Lentil Soup

  • 1 sweet or yellow onion, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
  • 1 – 32 ounce chicken broth
  • 1 – 14.5 ounce can diced and fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles (or your favorite)
  • 1 1/4 cup red lentils (I used red split lentils) rinsed
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

In crock pot combine all ingredients. Cook on high for 4 hours or low 6-8 hours. Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top. Serves 4-6.

Adapted from: MyRecipes.com

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Coconut Curry Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Butternut Squash

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Jackie Mack

On a Sunday afternoon after doing some serious discarding/giving away of long overdue ‘goods’ in our home I was in the mood for a good dinner but didn’t have all afternoon. I did have chicken in the freezer and a can of coconut milk on the shelf so I concocted a Coconut Curry Chicken and roasted red potatoes and butternut squash to go along with the curry. I roasted 1/2 the squash and steamed the other half (the roasted squash is the tastier of the two) although the photo above is of the steamed. The curry was creamy and flavorful and really was set off nicely with the roasted potatoes and squash.

Coconut Curry Chicken

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1-2 teaspoon curry powder (to taste)
  • 8 pieces chicken thighs or breasts (I used boneless but bone-in would be flavorful)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
  • 1 – 13.5 ounce can whole fat coconut milk
  • 6-8 fresh basil leaves or 1 tsp dried basil
  • 4 large tablespoon dollops sour cream or more to taste
  • sea salt and pepper to taste

In large stock pot, heat to medium add the olive oil and chicken. Coat the chicken with curry powder. Flip chicken pieces every few minutes to cook evenly.  About 10 minutes into the cooking, add onion and garlic. Depending on the thickness of the chicken, fry in oil until no longer pink. (If you used bone-in chicken remove chicken from bone). Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces in pan (unless it’s non-stick). Add the can of coconut milk, the basil and cook another 15-20 minutes on medium heat. Just before serving mix in dollops of sour cream. You can use whisk or hand blender to blend sour cream well. Serve with Roasted Potatoes and Butternut Squash. Serves 4-6.

Roasted Potatoes & Butternut Squash

Red Potatoes – Cut and rinse red potatoes for your family into bite size piece.

Butternut Squash – Cut, scoop out seeds and cut butternut squash into bite sized pieces, cutting off and discarding the peel. In two – 8×8 baking dishes, put potatoes and squash (or mix potatoes and squash in a 9×13 pan). If you have too much squash for one meal, you can refrigerate or steam extra.

Add at least 2 tablespoons olive oil to each 8×8 or four tablespoons olive oil to a 9x 13 pan. Salt and pepper and coat potatoes/squash with oil and spices.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and roast until soft and brown, stirring occasionally (about 40 minutes or until tender). Serve with Curry Coconut Chicken. Serves 4-6.

Source: Jackie Mack, Lingonberry Lane

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Creamy Salmon Pasta

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Jackie Mack

I created this recipe with a leftover filet from the Grilled Salmon with Garlic Lime Butter on Cedar Plank. I was in the mood for a creamy pasta and this is almost like mac and cheese with salmon. When I was first beginning to cook I remember my Mom saying every good cook needs to know how to make a white sauce – and I thought white sauce? Well, after some good practice from Betty Crocker’s recipe I use a white sauce here and there and sometimes it works out to be a pretty good meal. The white sauce is the base of  this recipe with some yummy grilled salmon (can replace with smoked salmon), lots of cheese and jalapeño for a bit of kick. It turned out good and gooey and the family gave a thumbs up.

Creamy Salmon Pasta

  • 1 filet of leftover grilled salmon or 1 small filet of smoked salmon, flaked into bite sized pieces
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 1 cup (or more to taste) shredded cheese of your choice – I used a 3 cheese, cheddar, mozzarella, monterey jack
  • 1 jalapeño, chopped finely
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
  • 16 ounce package of pasta (rice or wheat, penne works well)

In sauce pan add 4 tablespoons of butter and melt over low to medium heat. When butter is melted stir in 4 tablespoons flour and combine into paste. To paste, add 1 cup milk over low heat. Stir often with whisk. When mixture thickens add the last cup of the milk and continue to stir often then add the half and half. When sauce is a consistency to your liking add shredded cheese, the filet of salmon flaked in bite sized pieces and chopped jalapeño and combine until warm. Mix with hot pasta and serve immediately. Serves 6.

Source: Jackie Mack, Lingonberry Lane

Meal suggestions: Serve with a Caesar salad and steamed broccoli or asparagus on the side.

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Broccoli with Lemon and Parmesan

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Jackie Mack

This recipe may sound familiar because it’s very similar to the Asparagus with Lemon and Parmesan I posted in April. Simply Recipes had posted the parboiled asparagus and I loved them the 1st time for two reasons – they tasted great AND parboiling is an easy, no fail way to cook asparagus. I was serving broccoli one night and thought I should try parboiling the broccoli, too. Well, it turned out great. The only thing I would do differently is perhaps cut up the stalks because it was difficult to stir the large stocks. So, that was it – another way to make broccoli, easy, quick and delicious. One cup of broccoli provides us with 135% of our daily Vitamin C and 115% of Vitamin K. Bring on the broccoli!

Broccoli with Lemon and Parmesan

  • Broccoli – large bunch (separated and cut), broccolini stalks (cut up for easier stirring later) or florets
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • sea salt and pepper to taste

Fill a large saucepan 1/2 full with water and bring to a boil. While water is heating, prepare broccoli and cut into 2 inch pieces (no need to cut florets) and zest your lemon. After water has reached boiling, turn down the heat to a simmer and add broccoli. Parboil broccoli for 2 minutes – set your timer. Drain the hot water after two minutes and toss the broccoli in the pan with the olive oil, parmesan cheese, lemon zest and salt and pepper. Serves immediately. Serves 4-6.

Source: Adapted from Simply Recipes.

 

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