Welcome friends and family to the table with these warm, hearty meals.
Cooking On The Go
By Janet Groene, F47166
February 2008
Whether you winter in a cold climate or flee to the Sunbelt, these recipes send a warm and welcoming message from your galley. As always, these dishes were chosen for goodness, a touch of class, and easy cleanup.
Crock Cooker Beef Burgundy
2 to 2 1/2 pounds lean, boneless beef for stew
1 8-ounce package sliced mushrooms
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
½ soup can water and ½ soup can dry red wine, OR 1 soup can dry red wine.
1 1-ounce packet dry onion soup mix
Lightly coat a slow cooker with nonstick spray or use a liner, and add the beef and mushrooms. Whisk the soup, water, and wine together; stir in the onion soup mix; and add to the slow cooker. Cook for four hours on high, stirring after two hours and adding 1/2-cup water if the mixture is too thick. Serve over steamed rice or boiled egg noodles. Garnish with snipped parsley, if it’s available.
Blue Highway
This recipe makes approximately 1 1/2 pounds of the dip or spread. Serve it for a potluck or as a company meal.
2 8-ounce bricks cream cheese
1/3 cup blueberry jam
1/3 cup dried blueberries
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 4-ounce carton crumbled blue cheese
Crackers or crudités
Let the cream cheese come to room temperature and combine it with the jam, then add the blueberries and walnuts. Spread the mixture on a large dinner plate and sprinkle with the crumbled blue cheese. Serve at room temperature with crackers or raw vegetables.
Fudge Volcano
This is a great hot dessert to throw in when you’re making an oven meal. Don’t use instant pudding in this recipe.
1 10-ounce package dry fudge brownie mix
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons water
1 egg
1 4-serving-size chocolate cook-and-serve pudding mix
2 cups hot water
Whipped topping, whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, etc.
In a greased 1 1/2-quart baking dish, use a spoon to combine the dry brownie mix, oil, water, and egg until evenly mixed. In a bowl combine the pudding mix and hot water; spoon over the brownie mix; and bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 400 degrees. The pudding will bubble and ooze around the edges of the brownie center. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, or just pour on some half-and-half.
Tricked-Out Ramen Noodles
1 packet ramen noodles
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 small onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
2 stalks bok choy including green leaves, cut up
Put the chicken, broth, and water in a pot, then add the flavoring packet from the ramen noodles. Bring to a boil with the onion, carrot, and bok choy. Cover and simmer over low heat until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the broken-up block of ramen noodles and cook over medium heat until the noodles are tender, which should take approximately three minutes. This recipe makes three to four servings.
Tex-Mex Chicken Bake
Toss baking potatoes in the oven with these toasty chicken pieces and dinner is ready in less than an hour. Choose whatever chicken parts you like best. This recipe serves four, so you’ll need two small pieces, such as drumsticks or small thighs, per person. If you’re cooking four large pieces, increase both the marinating and the baking times.
½ cup ranch dressing
Few drops hot pepper sauce
8 small pieces of chicken
2 teaspoons taco seasoning mix
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 stick butter, melted
Set the oven for 400 degrees. Mix the ranch dressing and hot pepper sauce in a plastic bag; add the chicken; seal shut; and marinate in the refrigerator for several hours, turning from time to time. Mix the taco seasoning and cornmeal in a clean plastic bag. Shake off the excess marinade from the chicken; discard the marinade; and shake the chicken in the cornmeal mixture. Arrange in a well-greased pan and drizzle with the melted butter. Bake for 40 minutes or until the chicken tests done with an instant-read thermometer.
Baked Beans, Brats, And Braeburns
6 bratwursts
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 Braeburn apples, cored and sliced into six wedges each
1 28-ounce can brown-sugar baked beans
1 18-ounce can sweet potatoes, drained
In a large skillet, brown the brats in hot cooking oil; cover; and cook over low heat until the brats are done. Stir in the apples; cover; and cook until they are crisp-tender. Stir in the beans and sweet potatoes; cover; and cook on low until everything is heated through.
Waffles With Vanilla Gravy
8 round toaster waffles, thawed
1 apple, cored and cut into eight thin rounds
4 slices round ham or Canadian bacon
1 4-serving package cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
2 cups cold milk
Make four sandwiches using two waffles, two apple slices, and one slice of ham for each. Set aside while you stir the cold milk into the pudding mix in a small saucepan. Cook the pudding, stirring over low heat, until it thickens. Heat the sandwiches in the microwave oven for 30 to 40 seconds each, and then cover with 1/2-cup of the hot pudding “gravy.” Serve at once. This makes a hearty breakfast or brunch for four.
Sunday Night Scramble
If you prefer a vegetarian scramble, start with 2 tablespoons olive oil, complete the scramble, then stir in a tablespoon or two of vegetarian bacon bits just before serving.
2 slices bacon, cut up
1 15-ounce can diced potatoes, drained
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 small yellow squash, diced
6 eggs, beaten
Salt, pepper to taste
Sizzle the bacon in a large, nonstick skillet and stir in the potatoes and onions as the bacon starts to become crisp. Cover and cook over low heat until the onion is tender. Scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and continue to stir as you add the tomato and squash. When they are crisp-tender, add the beaten eggs and keep stirring until the scramble is firm but still moist. This recipe serves four.
Hot Bacon Shrimp Salad
4 slices bacon, cut up
1/4 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 12-ounce package baby spinach, torn up
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 10-ounce package cooked, deveined shrimp, thawed and drained
In a large skillet, cook the bacon until it is crisp, and then add the vinegar and sugar to the skillet. Over medium heat, stir in the spinach, mushrooms, and shrimp until everything is coated with dressing and thoroughly heated. This recipe makes four servings.
Banana Bread Pudding
Make this in the morning and serve it by dinnertime. Everyone will wonder about the secret ingredient (banana bread) in your bread pudding. Make your own banana bread or buy a loaf at the bakery.
1 4-serving package instant vanilla pudding
2 cups cold milk
3 medium bananas
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 16-ounce loaf banana bread or banana nut bread
1 8-ounce container whipped topping
In a large bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk. Halve the bananas lengthwise; slice; and toss well with lemon juice to prevent browning. Cut the banana bread into bite-size cubes and fold into the pudding with the whipped topping and the well-drained bananas. Cover and chill for several hours.
Blushing Ham “˜N Cabbage
1 pound diced ham
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 16-ounce package grated cabbage for slaw
1 can condensed cream of tomato soup
½ soup can water
Brown the ham and onion in hot oil, then stir in the shredded cabbage, soup, and water. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion and cabbage are tender. Serve with buttered cornbread and a side salad. This recipe makes four to six servings.
Good Luck Vegetarian Stir-Fry
In the South, black-eyed peas are said to bring luck. Make instant rice or use leftover rice. This recipe serves two to three people as a vegetarian main dish.
2 cups cooked rice
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 6-ounce package baby spinach leaves
1 15-ounce can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
Salt, pepper to taste
Stir-fry the rice in the hot oil, gradually stirring in the thyme, spinach, and black-eyed peas. The stir-fry is done when everything is heated through and the spinach is limp. Adjust seasonings and serve.
Panini Salad
Take a knife and fork to a meal that contrasts a hot, toasty sandwich with cold, crunchy lettuce.
Soft margarine
8 slices bread
Grainy mustard
4 tablespoons real bacon bits
8 slices deli roasted chicken
8 slices from large tomatoes
8 slices cheese
4 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
Creamy salad dressing such as Thousand Island
Spread margarine on one side of four slices of bread and spread the other sides with grainy mustard. Set in a skillet, butter side down, and sprinkle the mustard side with the bacon bits. Arrange the chicken, tomatoes, and cheese on top. Top with the four remaining slices of bread, spreading margarine on the tops. Cook until toasty on one side. Turn and brown the other side, pressing with a pancake turner to flatten. Place the paninis on plates, shower with shredded lettuce, and drizzle with dressing.
Easy storage
Look for Quick Seals on the paper goods shelf at supermarkets and mass merchandise retailers. Peel-off sticky strips allow these zipper seals to be firmly attached to any opened plastic bags, creating a resealable opening for bagged potato chips, frozen foods, and so on.
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