Easter Dinner, April 1, 2018

Easter dinner is nearly always the same menu for me, the same menu my grandmom made when I was growing up, for the most part. We have ham, au gratin potatoes, asparagus, rolls, and some kind of dessert. My wife is usually in charge of the ham and potatoes (just boxed, doctored up). She often takes care of the rolls, as well, leaving asparagus and dessert to me. However, I really want to learn to make good yeast rolls from scratch, so that may become my job, if I have any success at all. Since she's not much of a lemon buff, I don't usually go with my first Easter instinct, which is to make some kind of lemon pie or cake. Often, I make the lamb cake my grandmom made. Other times, just a simple white cake with white icing and pastel sprinkles.

This year, though, I made a carrot cake. I used to hate carrot cake, but it's been growing on me in the last few years, especially with cream cheese frosting. I just made a boxed cake mix yesterday, with tub frosting, not nearly as good as from scratch would be. I forgot I have my friend Nicola's secret family recipe for carrot cake. Next time I make it, I shall use that. However, for last night, the Duncan Hines mix was not the worst thing in the world. Y'all should have smelled the wonderful aromas floating from my kitchen! I decided to try the non-iced edges look when my tub of frosting fell short of a thorough coat of icing all over. I actually really liked how it turned out. I tossed some large polka dot sugar confetti atop the cake, much to the delight of my wee boy, who ended up helping with that part (while tucking a few bits directly into his mouth).

I made a couple different things this year, too. I made scalloped pineapple and strawberry Jello Jigglers--so retro! The Jigglers were my son's favorite part of the meal. The pineapple wasn't as good as the version I remember from women's group at church when I attended as a kid with my grandmom, but it was tasty. It was less pineapply and more bread and eggy than that, but my wife loved it. It would make a nice brunch dish. I'll make the church version next time, if it's in the Taste and See cookbook.

Scalloped Pineapple

1 stick butter, room temperature

1/2 c. sugar

4 eggs

20 oz. can crushed pineapple

6 slices white bread, cubed (I just left the crusts on my Wonder bread)

1/4 c. milk (I used 2%)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs. Mix in pineapple. Gently add cubed bread and milk, combining thoroughly. Place in a greased 2-quart casserole and bake for an hour. Serves 6-8. 

Sunday Dinner: Burgers on the Grill, May 24, 2015

Due to various schedule conflicts, illness, and vacation, we haven't had Sunday dinner with the kids in quite awhile. Jeannene loves feeding people and especially loves holidays that include grilling. While, of course, Memorial Day isn't about grilling at all, it is still the first time we usually fire up the grill. I know better than to try to usurp Jeannene's menu-planning for holidays like Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day. She was so excited about cooking that she got out a bunch of cookbooks early in the week and started to plan. She also decreed that bingo would be played and went shopping for bingo prizes, coming home and showing me her dollar store loot with a great deal of glee.

She also exhibited a great deal of glee as we went grocery shopping for the event. I love seeing her so excited---and I certainly don't mind the occasional meal where I'm not responsible for a thing. Jeannene grilled burgers (specialty ones from Whole Foods---salmon burgers for Pie, beef & cheddar for Bubbles, Boca burgers for their vegetarian friend, a garden turkey burger for her, and a really stellar buffalo chicken burger for me) and cheddar brats for our first grill usage of the year.

For the (many) side dishes, she served her special sweet & spicy baked beans (she doctors Bush's using her dad's technique), a corn & rice casserole called "Connie's Death Corn Five" from The Sweet Potato Queens' Big Ass Cookbook (and Financial Planner) (I liked it, the kids loved it, she was disappointed with it---the name made her think it would be more fabulous), dill potato salad from Kroger (I have got to get my aunt's recipe), a bagged iceberg salad with taco dressing and corn chip pieces, and grilled pineapple & maraschino cherry kebabs similar to the ones she had growing up.

If you want the Death Corn Five recipe, I recommend you buy the book. Jill Conner Browne is absolutely hilarious, her recipes are yummy, and the way she writes them is just great, like having her on the phone with you, telling you what to do in between sips of a Big Ass Margarita. If you can't find the book, though, or need the recipe ASAP, you can find it here.

To make the fruit kebabs, pick up a pineapple (she likes to buy them pre-peeled & cored) and cut it into chunks. Soak some wooden skewers for at least half an hour. Meanwhile, mix together 3 tbsp. melted butter, a couple good squeezes of honey (about 2 tsp), and 4 or so dashes of hot sauce. Brush the pineapple with the mixture before threading it on the skewers, alternating with extra-large maraschino cherries. Grill for a couple minutes per side. Me, I would probably add some brown sugar to the mix, but it was delicious as it was.

For dessert, we took the girls to Eva's, a little ice cream joint nearby, for our first visit of the year. Pie didn't want any ice cream, so he napped on the couch until we came home. Jeannene's favorite is a peanut butter sundae---peanut butter ice cream with peanut butter topping and chopped peanuts. Bubbles had, very characteristically, a vanilla soft serve cone with rainbow sprinkles (she claims she is a giant 2-year-old), while their friend picked a strawberry smoothie and praised the freshness of the flavor. I had a simple small vanilla soft serve cone. It was all I could ever have wanted. Eva's is always packed and, once you taste their product, you'll know why. It's also tremendous fun to sit at a picnic table, savoring your ice cream, and watch all the people and dogs there for treats, too.

Chicken with Garlic-Sumac Yogurt Sauce, January 5, 2015

When I was visiting my bestie in Pittsburgh, we stopped in a Penzey's store. I picked up a few different things. Culinary grade lavender, vanilla beans, some grilling spices for the wifey, and a little jar of sumac, which I knew was required for a proper fattoush salad and which I assumed I would find some use for in the future. In addition to fattoush, and probably hundreds of other things I haven't yet discovered, it turns out to make for a tasty yogurt sauce. The original recipe comes from Bon Appetit, but I altered it to be a little less oily and a little more garlicky. I used this on chicken, but I suspect it would be great on veggies, fish, baked potatoes, baked tofu, and any number of other things. It would make a stellar dip for veggies, Turkish-style bread, pita, or crackers. We put it on our pilaf, too. My vegetarian mom is trying it today on beans. Vegans could sub soy yogurt. With the chicken, I served pilaf (Near East Original, although I personally really love their lentil pilaf), a butter lettuce salad with some goat cheese crumbles, apricots, and pepitas, and baked acorn squash with pineapple. Oh, and with the salad, Maple Grove Farm's fabulous strawberry balsamic vinaigrette, my very favorite salad dressing.

Chicken with Garlic-Sumac Yogurt Sauce

Enough chicken breasts (skinless, boneless) for the number of people you have eating (or cook extra and put the rest on salad or in a wrap the next day)

Cooking spray or a little olive oil or wine or broth

Salt & pepper

Oregano

6-8 oz. Greek yogurt (I used Fage 0% fat---I also really love Greek Gods brand) per 3-4 people

A dash of olive oil (this can be omitted, as well)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. ground sumac (also available at Middle Eastern groceries; I've seen it at the local Whole Foods, as well)

Season chicken with salt, pepper, and oregano to your liking. Sauté in a pan sprayed with cooking spray (or in a smidgy bit of olive oil or poach in wine or broth) until cooked through. While the chicken's cooking, whisk the other ingredients together, adding a little salt and pepper to the sauce, as well. Serve chicken with sauce. 

Baked Acorn Squash with Pineapple

1 acorn squash, halved & seeded

8 oz. crushed pineapple, drained

1 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. brown sugar

A sprinkle of salt

A grinding of pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place squash in a small baking dish. Mix the other ingredients together and bring to a boil. Simmer until it gets syrupy, about 5 minutes. Scoop into squash halves, making sure to drizzle some over the cut sides of the squash. Bake an hour to 75 minutes. Serves 2-4. You can, of course, just use the pineapple, if you are concerned about the butter and sugar. It would add a delicious flavor all by itself. 

Scrumptious Kidney Bean Burgers

I try to have at least one or two meatless meals every week. My mama & stepdad are vegetarian & I learned growing up that there is a wide world of deliciousness available to vegetarians. Our meal last week of kidney bean burgers, cheesy chile rice, salad with green olive orange dressing, and scalloped pineapple was a perfect example. My friend Kira gave me the burger recipe. It comes together easily and is cheap, to boot!

Kidney Bean Burgers

1/2 c. sour cream (I used light)

2 scallions, chopped

A pinch of oregano

15 oz. can kidney beans, drained

3 tbsp. dry breadcrumbs

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

A good grinding of pepper

1 egg, beaten 

Oil

Mix the sour cream with scallions & oregano. Mash the beans and mix in bread crumbs, garlic powder, pepper, & egg. Shape into 4 patties. Fry about 5 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Serve with dollops of sour cream. To be honest, I completely forgot the egg when I made them last week & they held together fine, so if you're vegan, you can omit the egg & sub vegan sour cream. I also had some avocado and cotija cheese on hand, so I added those with the sour cream topping. Serves 2.

Cheesy Chile Rice

1 c. rice

2 c. sour cream 

2 c. shredded Mexican cheese blend (or Monterey Jack or pepper Jack)

8 oz. chopped green chiles

Several drops hot sauce

Cook rice as you usually do. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix everything but 1/2 c. cheese together & put in greased 2 qt. casserole dish. Top with reserved cheese and bake 15-20 minutes. Serves 4-6. The leftovers are stellar in scrambled eggs or an omelet.

Green Olive Orange Dressing

1/2 c. orange juice

1/4 c. good olive oil

A healthy splash red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. ground fennel seeds

Salt & pepper

A handful of chopped green olives (Castelvetrano is my preferred variety, but kalamatas are good, too. I got lazy & just used the pimiento-stuffed green olives from a jar & they worked.) 

Mix everything together, whisking to combine well. This is good on any sort of salad, but does better with sturdier lettuces and bitter greens, as it is fairly chunky and fairly assertive. Jeannene's favorite is romaine hearts.

Our pineapple dessert was a deliciously cozy, spicy end to the meal. It's much like pineapple upside-down cake, without the cake. Me, I don't miss the cake. You can do this with any kind of canned fruit you like, but I think pineapple is the best. If you're feeling a little daring and your dining companions don't mind, you might toss in just a smidge of chile powder or cayenne.

Scalloped Pineapple

2 cans pineapple slices

1/4 c. + 2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tbsp. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

2 1/2 tbsp. room temp butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put fruit in lightly greased (I do recommend butter for greasing in this case) casserole or cake pan. Mix the other ingredients together & put over fruit. Bake 1/2 hour. This times out well if you pop it in the oven while you eat supper.