Cheddar Cheese Puffs

Years and years ago, my sweet Mom invited my girls and I to a Mother/Daughter program.  I have no other memory of what went on there, other than these little gems that were part of a Soup & Salad Buffet.  I asked for the recipe, and made them often as my kids were growing up.  Tonight I decided it's time to brush up on this old favorite.



If you've made cream puffs or eclairs - this is exactly the same method (and ingredients), other than the addition of cheddar cheese.  They are delicious served warm from the oven - but are surprisingly good cold.  



You really can't ruin this - so go in feeling confident.  

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (one stick) butter
1 cup water
Salt (if desired - I added 1/2 tsp)
1 cup flour
4 eggs
1 cup (+ or -) grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°.  In a large saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil.  Quickly add flour and stir until mixture forms a thick ball.  Remove from heat, and add eggs - one at a time.  Stir hard until smooth between each addition.  At this point, add about 1/2 - 3/4 of the cheese.  

Using a small cookie scoop, drop 1-2 Tbs dough onto an greased cookie sheet.  Make sure they are at least 1-2" apart.  Top with a pinch of the remaining cheese.  Place in preheated oven and bake for at least 20 minutes before checking.  Puffs won't be completely golden at this point, but remove from oven and pierce sides of each puff with a fork.  Return to oven (that has been turned off) for up to 30 minutes until desired color and doneness has been achieved.  (The longer they remain in the cooling oven, the less moist they are in the center).  Remove and serve warm or cold as desired.

Fabulous "Brown" Rice

If you're looking for a side dish that is NOT potato based - here it is.  Disclaimer:  This is not health food, but everyone loves it and it goes with just about anything.  And being simple and easy makes it even better. 

You'll find this recipe all over the web with the title "Stick of Butter Rice".  And it's not exactly easy to photograph to look appealing - it reminds me of plush multi-color carpeting (can't get that picture out of my mind).  But it's delicious.  

You can double or triple the recipe to serve more. You can also add fresh or canned mushrooms for a more savory flavor.

Fabulous "Brown" Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked white rice (NOT instant)
1 10-oz can condensed French Onion soup
1 15-oz can Beef Broth
1/2 cup (one 'stick') butter, sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°.  In a 9" x 9" (or similar size) baking dish - combine rice, soup, and broth.

Cut butter into slices and place on top - the butter slices will 'float".

Cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.

Notice the rice is not quite done at this point.  Removing the cover helps.

Remove cover and bake 30 minutes more.

The final 30 minutes at high heat 'caramelizes' the onions and gives it a wonderful flavor.

Stir before serving to distribute onions.

Leah's Thanksgiving Dressing

This is a moist, heavy dressing that my mother made (without fail) every Thanksgiving.  I love it even more than turkey, rolls, AND pie (and that's saying a lot).  It's a simple recipe without any exotic or unusual ingredients - and my family and I enjoy it with a LOT of (jellied) cranberry sauce.  I'm missing Mom this year - it's the first year without her.   Any holiday is just not the same without her here to enjoy it with us.  

Mom was always diligent about cubing her bread and letting it set out to dry for a few weeks before Thanksgiving.  Now you can pick up bags of dry cubed bread at most bakeries - but it's fun to do it anyway.  I buy the cheapest bread out there - it really doesn't matter.  But I make sure that half of it is wheat bread - which gives it a better flavor and color than all white bread.  Mom saved her scraps and "heels" of bread for her dressing.  

Here it is in all it's simplicity:

1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup water (reconstitute bouillon cubes in this amount)
1 pound loaf of bread, cubed
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup melted butter
1 Tbs poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Additional chicken broth

*This dressing is better if you cube the bread at least 1-2 weeks before, to allow it to air-dry.

Brown onion and celery in melted butter.  

Place bouillon cubes in water and microwave until combined.

Combine all seasonings in a small bowl and mix lightly.  Sprinkle over the dried bread cubes in a large bowl.  Toss to distribute seasonings evenly.  Set aside.

Combine bouillon/water mixture with onion/celery/butter mixture - then distribute over seasoned bread.

If baking alone (and not stuffed in a turkey) - place in a buttered casserole dish or dripper pan.  Add a small amount of liquid (additional chicken broth) to compensate and moisten the mixture.  

Cover and bake at 300-325° for about 1 hour.  Uncover near the end of cooking to allow the dressing to "brown". 

My daughter Aryn made sure we had "kids" tables...

The kids had fun "checking off" all they had eaten.

The best we could do as far as photos before everyone enjoyed eating.
No... we aren't a "magazine-worthy" family - but we eat well!

Aryn outdid herself with these beautiful centerpieces.

Cheesy Sour Cream Potatoes

Research papers could be devoted to the origin of the infamous “Funeral Potatoes” recipe that graces every family, church, and organization cookbook ever written.  This is our humble Petersen version.  Very slight variations from the usual - but we love how smooth, creamy, and CHEESY these turn out.

I have just assumed that all my children know how to make the “basics” (like pie crust, bread, and FUNERAL POTATOES).  But I still get phone calls from my kids that they want to see those basic recipes posted and not printed.  Forgive me for not taking step-by-step photos here, but it’s such an easy thing to put together I talked myself out of it.

I’ve made these for almost 40 years now, beginning in my college days and now for my grandchildren.  These are classic - and I’m not ashamed to acknowledge they are not health food.  My husband’s side of the family calls these “Anne’s Potatoes” - (I’m flattered).

My family likes them one of two ways - WITH the buttery cornflake topping, and WITHOUT.  I prefer them WITH (only if I’m sure we won’t have leftovers - where the cornflakes lose their appeal with reheating).  But they are so nice to prepare on a Sunday - and that lends itself best to baking them during church WITHOUT cornflakes, covered with foil.  

I used to boil potatoes, skin them, and then painstakingly grate them on a box grater.  Then I used a food processor to grate them.  Now I buy frozen hash browns - realizing I don’t get a prize for going to all that work.  The only drawback to frozen hash browns is you need to up the baking time by at least 1/2 hour or more, and they combine with the other ingredients better when you partially thaw them first.

I’ve seen these made by substituting part of the sour cream with milk, leaving out part of the soup, and totally skipping the butter.  All I can say is this... if you’re going to truly enjoy funeral potatoes for what they've always been - don’t mess with tradition.

For our version of this classic comfort food, go to:
www.changeabletable.com

Cheesy Summer Squash Bake

The heat is on, and so is the squash!  I spend 9 months of the year wishing I didn’t have to buy it at the grocery store, and then when it comes on, it’s here in a BIG way.  I found this on a book club website - which was so interesting.  I adapted it so it wasn’t so “seedy” - and I think we have a keeper.

All summer squash is welcomed around here with open arms (for the first week, anyway).  Like most families - my kids would tolerate it well for the first few recipes - and then they would start eyeing everything with suspicion for flecks of green & yellow.  

This recipe makes no apologies for the fact that it has squash.  But it’s more “likable” because I  decided to scoop out the seeds first.  That gives you two advantages.  One - the amount of water that seeps out of the squash as it cooks is reduced a LOT.  Two - those picky eaters spend a lot less time removing the seeds before they enjoy it.  

I also appreciated the fact that there is no “cream-of-something” soup in this recipe.  It doesn’t need it.  The Ritz cracker crumbs, egg, and milk add a great texture to the casserole without adding condensed soup.  

Then... there’s the cheese.  Squash is so bland that it really needs something to get you invested in a dish where it is the main ingredient.  

I decided to use my microwave to pre-cook the squash and onion - couldn’t be simpler.  From start to finish - this took me about 15 minutes to get ready to bake in the oven.  Another half hour to bake - and you have a delicious (non-seedy) side dish that is a great addition to a summer meal.  

For the recipe, go to:
www.changeabletable.com

Homemade Gnocchi

Every time I store a container of mashed potatoes in the refrigerator after Sunday dinner, I know I’m sending it to it’s death.  There are relatively few things to incorporate leftover potatoes into that get me excited.  This recipe is one that makes me look forward to hanging onto the leftovers so I have enough.

A few weeks ago, I posted the recipe for Roast Chicken Gnocchi Soup.  Since I was relatively unfamiliar with what gnocchi actually IS - I picked up a package in the pasta section at the store and used it.  It was acceptable, but not quite how I remembered the fluffy texture of the gnocchi at Olive Garden.

The use of potatoes is a recent innovation in making gnocchi - only since the 16th century when potatoes were introduced in Europe.  Leftover potatoes are great to use in Shepherd’s Pie and in Potato Rolls - but I’ve never ventured into Pierogies, Croquettes, etc...  When I learned you could use them to make your own Gnocchi - I was excited to try.  

I store my leftover mashed potatoes in baggies in my refrigerator...
Saves on space, (and I can send a bag with my college kids when they leave to go back)

There are a few tricks that certainly help.  One is to use CHILLED leftover potatoes.  Chilled potatoes use less flour - making them more fluffy when boiled.  Since cold mashed potatoes are not exactly easy to press into a measuring cup - you might try measuring them while they are still slightly warm into 2 cup portions before you refrigerate them.

Notice the pale yellow color of the potatoes?
That is how they look with the addition of an egg yolk.

Next - do not add ALL the flour at once.  Just like bread, use the smallest amount possible while still using enough to keep the dough from sticking excessively.  Gnocchi dough can be kneaded like bread dough - which gives it a smooth texture.

This dough is SUCH fun to play with.
I had to restrain myself and actually MAKE gnocchi with it.

Last - you can use a fork to press lines in the cut dough, but it’s so easy to do a little “thumb roll” down the tines of a fork to make the gnocchi have a hollow middle.  I thought it looked hard, but once I tried it - it was really fun.  I could picture doing this with my grandkids - almost like playdough.  

The easy way to shape & form gnocchi - press with the tines of a fork.

It works... but the next method is so much more satisfying.

Roll into a ball.

Press & lightly roll down the tines of your fork.

Makes a hollow little dumpling.  

Finally - use the formed gnocchi as soon as possible after making it.  Do not store it at room temperature (which I did - and it turned an unsightly “grey” color) - if you have to delay cooking it, be sure to cover it in the refrigerator.  Fresh is best.

For this (fun) method of making your own gnocchi that will RIVAL Olive Garden's - go to:
www.changeabletable.com

Easy Lemon Rice

If you’ve ever enjoyed lemon rice at a Greek diner - it’s the best side dish to ANY meal.  Grilled chicken is my favorite meal to serve this with.  From start to finish - it takes an hour (tops).  The most tedious step is zesting the lemons - but don’t substitute.  Converted rice makes a real difference in the outcome - so avoid using standard long grain rice.

This side dish has a heavenly light lemon flavor, the rice doesn’t stick together, and (best of all) you can just throw it in the oven and forget about it.  My wonderful neighbor, JoAnn (an amazing cook), shared this with me.

You’ll want to make sure you follow a few important details in the recipe. You might be tempted to ignore placing the baking dish on the bottom oven rack.  For some reason, this just makes it “work”.  Remove your top rack and just use the bottom rack.

If you aren’t familiar with what “converted” rice is - it was developed during WWII so that rice could be air dropped to troops without the risk of weevil infestations.  It also drastically reduced the cooking time of the rice so they could cook meals more quickly.  In case you care (?) - converted rice is “parboiled” - which involves vacuum drying of the whole grain, then steaming, and finally vacuum drying and husking.  Although it has more “processing” - it increases the nutritional value of the rice.  Who knew?

Converted rice does not have the ‘sticky’ consistency of standard long-grain rice.  It makes a prettier presentation in dishes like rice pilaf, etc.  Uncle Ben’s had a corner on the market until recently.  I have found other brands of parboiled (or converted) rice in Sam’s Club & at Costco.

You may wonder about the high baking temperature.  Not sure why this works - but it does.  The only problem is it will make a mess of your baking dish - so transfer it to a prettier serving dish if that concerns you.

I haven’t found anyone who hasn’t loved this method of making lemon rice.  Better than any you’ll have in a restaurant.  It rewarms beautifully in the microwave.

For the recipe, go to:
www.changeabletable.com