Breakfast casserole

 

The Alter clan—or most of them—had a grand morning today. We slept later than usual, and then Colin made his usual run to Starbucks—now that’s an addiction I don’t understand, but they don’t want to make coffee at home, and I’ve stopped buying it for them. I had decided to make a breakfast casserole. With twelve of us for breakfast which would be our only “big” meal at home, days ago I started hunting through my cookbook that holds breakfast dishes—several egg and sausage casseroles, an enchilada casserole, a Velveeta cheesy bacon casserole discarded because I didn’t like the picture,  casseroles that only feed six or eight. I needed something that would feed all of us without doubling the recipe, and I remembered having this casserole at Janet and Dave Douglass’ house several years ago.

It’s one of those that requires overnight refrigeration, so I had most of the parts ready last night and popped it in the fridge when we came home from Joe T. Garcia’s. I put it in a cold oven, even though it had been warming to room temperature for about forty-five minutes. I’m always afraid glass baking dishes, even Pyrex, will crack with a sudden change of heat.

At first I thought I’d fix waffles for the grandkids—ages 5-8—but I realized that would mean only seven eating a casserole meant for 12. Some of them ate heartily; some didn’t. Christian brought the remnants of a potato casserole he’d made for a business breakfast, and I made biscuits. A hearty, last-all-day breakfast.

And then they were all in a whirlwind of packing the cars and leaving. Tonight, Sophie and I are in a quiet, empty house. We’re both a little tired, and I think she’s sort of shell-shocked.

But here’s the recipe:

 

 

Sausage and Egg Casserole

 

Spread 8 slices fresh bread, cube, or croutons (about 3 cups) on bottom of greased 9x13 pan (I used garlic cheese croutons)

1-2 lbs. pork sausage (I used the full 2 lbs.), browned and drained

2 c. grated cheddar cheese (I do not like the pre-grated kind you can get in the grocery)

1 4-oz. can mushrooms stems and pieces, drained (optional and I omitted it because some of us are not mushroom eaters)

4 eggs beaten

¾ tsp. dry mustard

3 cups milk, divided

1 can cream of mushroom soup (you can get by with that even with non-mushroom eaters)

 Spread bottom of pan with bread cubes or croutons. Layer sausage, cheese and mushrooms. Beat eggs and add to 2-1/2 cups milk. Add dry mustard. Pour over the ingredients in the pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight. When you’re ready to bake it, combine the mushroom soup with the remaining half cup of milk and spread over the top.

Bake in a preheated overn at 300 degress for 1-1/2 hours. Serves 12.

Cheese--A new trend in food? Sort of

Food magazines, which I devour, are always predicting coming trends, like a couple of years ago they started talking about kale and all its various uses. Gourmets and gourmands have long talked about artisan cheeses, but these days the talk seems to be filtering down to the rest of us. I have a friend who is promoting cheese from Texas creameries (Facebook fans check out the Texas Cheese Tour page) and also researching the health benefits of cheese.
Now a trendy cheese restaurant has opened on our avenue that has lots of trendy places--sorry to keep overusing the word, but it fits. I went to the Magnolia Cheese Company with my neighbors and good friends, Jay and Susan, a few nights ago. Here's what worked and what didn't"
Perfect ambience in an old building with windows all around, mismatched antique wooden chairs and tables, old-fashioned floor of tiny tiles--all contrast with walls painted bright turquoise. Display cases that look like they could have come from an old butcher shop hold all kinds of cheeses, and the menu is hand printed on a blackboard with what Susan, our resident artist, called great graphics.
Jay had the turkey and cheddar sandwich (I'd had it once before and liked it although a review said the grain bread overshadowed the contents. I didn't think so.) Jay liked the sandwich but said he didn't get much of the cranberry that was supposed to be in the cheese.
Bread really did overwhelm the sandwich in what Susan and I chose--the fraiche fish, with lox, avocado, cucumbers, and house-made creme fraiche on a baguette. For the cost, it was way too much bread and way too little filling. Next time--because I will go back--I want to try the serrano ham and brie sandwich. Sandwiches come with salty, crip kale chips that are wonderful.
We remembered the soup and decided to split one serving after our sandwiches. That's when the fun began. Mushroom soup with brie was rich, creamy and delicious--served in small mason jars no more than three inches tall on a plate that looked like Depression glassware. Jay got to chatting with one of the cheesemongers, said he was from Vermont and shared his theories about it taking good forage for cows and goats to make good cheese--i.e. Texas won't produce great cheese. The cheesemonger and then the owner trotted out small bites for us--a mild, mild blue (like Gorgonzola) which Jay, who hates blue cheese, liked; a manchego with no flavor (she told us she was bringing negative examples), a cheddar that she warned wasn't very good, and a much better cheddar with jerk seasonng. Finally the owner brought some fromage fort, and was delighted that we knew what it was. The evening became an education in cheese tasting, and we had a lot of fun.
One nit to pick: the wine selection by the glass is limited, and that's putting it mildly. They had a cabernet and a prosecco--I'm a white wine drinker but prefer chardonnay or sauvignon blanc. I would like to believe the excuse that they ran out is not a ploy to urge you to buy the bottled wine available.
The owner of this highly focused restaurant is personable and obviously enthusiastic about what she does. Talking with her was a delight. I want this place to succeed, and I hope some of the disappointments I found were just early days bugs that will get worked out.
For Fort Worthians: the Magnolia Cheese Company is at 1251 West Magnolia; phone 817.945.2221

Chicken with dressing

The holidays are barely over, but I have to confess they always leave me with a longing for more--more turkey, more gravy, more dressing. So when I saw a recipe in the newspaper recently for chicken with drssing on the outside, I was intrigued. And tonight I served it to two guests. Basically, you put dressing or stuffing--whatever you want to call it--on a cookie sheet and then bake the chicken pieces on top of it.

Here's what I did--a variation on the recipe that appeared in the newspaper:

4 chicken thighs
one apple, such as Gala or other semi-sweet variety
About 2 large stalks celery
1 Tbsp. poultry seasoning, sage, whatever you want
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided use
Eight slices coarse white bread
One cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a large, rimmed cookie sheet with oil.

Dice apple with 1/2 cup celery (rough chopped, not too fine) and mix with one tsp. poultry seasoning or sage or whatever seasoning suits your fancy.

Add about eight slices cubed bread--I used sourdough and the pieces were fairly large. At that I ended up with too much bread, so you might cut down to maybe four cups cubed bread.

Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Mix until olive oil is thoroughly distributed, and spread evenly on cookie sheet. Bake ten minutes.

Remove from oven. Pour one cup chicken broth evenly over the bread mixture, stirring to make sure all the bread is dampened.

Rub each piece of chicken with remaining olive oil (you may have to use a little more--I didn't measure) and place on bread mixture. Season chicken and dressing with salt and pepper as desired. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until bread is golden and chicken is cooked. Watch it carefully, as I found the bread turned golden and was done before the chicken was. But the chicken ends up with lovely crisp skin.

Pile dressing on a serving platter and top with chicken. Enjoy!

Twelfth Night and a pot of soup

Tonight is Twelfth Night--some marked it last night on the eve of Epiphany, but my family has always celebrated it on January 6, as the night the magi arrived at the Bethlehem stable with their gifts. We each, from youngest to oldest, take a turn throwing a tiny branch of the tree into the fire and making a wish for the coming year.  You must NOT share your wish with anyone.
I've learned lately it is British custom to bake a bean and a pea into a cake; whoever gets the bean is king and whoever gets the pea is queen. If a woman gets the bean, she chooses her own king. Wonder what happens if a man gets the pea? Another part of the tradition involves pranks and chaos, but I'm not telling my family that.
There will be eight of us tonight, and I considered a roast and all kinds of things--and finally decided on a hearty soup that will use the New Year's ham. Of course, Texas weather has called for soup all week--until today. It is sunny and gorgeous, predicted to go into the high fifties. No matter the weather, we're having soup and salad--and a fire in the fireplace. Tomorrow all the Christmas decorations come down.

Here's my version of potato/ham soup. I started with a recipe and went from there, adding about twice the amount of diced ham and 8 oz. Velveeta.

3-1/2 c. diced peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 c. diced celery
1/3 c.  chopped onion
chicken broth--about 3 cups or more for consistency you want
1/2 tsp. salt (Iused an herbal salt substitute)
1 tsp. white pepper
2 c. diced ham
5 Tbsp. butter
5 Tbsp. flour
8 ox. Velveeta original

Cook potatoes, onion, and celery in broth until potato is tender. Add salt and pepper and ham.

Separately, melt butter and whisk in flour. Slowly stir in milk to make a white sauce. Stir into potato/ham mixture, along with diced Velveeta. Serve immediately when cheese melts.

Should serve eight easily.

PS. Soup was delicious. Hearty, warm and good. Wanted to post picture but Blogger has changed something and I can't figure out how to post pictures.

A P.S. to Sunday's post

Sunday I posted a recipe for Reuben dip that called for Thousand Island dressing, but I forgot to add that I make my own. Here's the easy simple way to have fresh Thousand Island with maybe not quite to many preservatives:

2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. ketchup
1/2 tsp. pickle relish (I prefer dill but you can use sweet)
1/2 tsp. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. black peppeer.

Actually, if you want to just use the mayo, ketchup and pickle relish, it tastes great. I'm always leery of sugar in things, but it does smooth off tomato-ey recipes.

Good luck for the New Year

As a child, growing up in the North, I don't remember any traditional New Year's foods, though I do remember my parents ate oyster stew on New Year's Eve and I hated it. Doesn't sound good to me today, though I love oysters. But now that I'm sort of a southerner, I've run into the ham and black-eyed peas tradition./
A variety of reasons are suggested for why we eat ham for good luck, ranging from it fits with the menu of cornbread and black-eyed peas to the Oriental belief that pigs are smart and therefore signify succeess in business. The most common origin of this tradition seems to be that pigs are rotund (success) and they root with their noses, so they are always moving forward. Eat pig in some variety for the New Year and  you'll move forward. Black-eyed peas signify coins, so if you want wealth in the coming year, you have to eat a whole lot of peas. Greens indicate the green of money and are also supposed to bring wealth.
When I first discovered this tradition, I hadn't yet learned to like black-eyed peas, so I made Hoppin' John, that stew of diced ham, onions, celery, black-eyed peas, and rice. We called it Hoppin Uncle John in honor of a favorite uncle. But these days I just serve peas, and since I love a good ham, I fix that. So my menu for Tuesday night is ham, black-eyed peas, cheese grits (instead of cornbread), and a spinach casserole. My daughter wants chilis in the grits but I said no because I want her son to eat them. An appetizer of cream cheese with two toppings--pesto on one small block and jalopeno jelly on the other. And for my son-in-law, who will be mightily disappointed that I'm serving spinach, I'll offer an appetizer of sliced radishes on cream cheese covered pumpernickel. He loves radishes--and surely somewhere there must be something about them bringing luck.
I'm on a new campaign to make my local grandson a less picky eater. I will tell him if he doesnt like something, please do not announce it at the table. He really doesn't like meat, and I figure he should respect that, but I figure he'll eat grits nd peas. His distaste for meat distresses his father who is strictly a meat and potatoes person. I've forbidden my daughter to hop up and get him chicken nuggets--do you know how bad those things are for him? Plus that's rude, and that sturdy child is not going to waste away. I will ask both my daughter and son-in-law to take a small serving of spinach, taste it at least once, and if they don't like it, do not mention it. I'm tired of picky eating being a conversation topic at the dinner table. My son-in-law is vegetable-challenged, and seems to think it's sort of a cute trademark. No more.
So where's my recipe for this column? Totally unrelated, here's a dip that confirmed sauerkraut haters, including said son-in-law, love:

Reuben dip

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Thousand Island dressing
1/3 lb. sliced deli corned beef, chopped
3/4 cup sauerkraut, well drained
8 oz. Swiss cheese, copped

Mix cream cheese and dressing, then stir in other ingredients. Spead in a 9-inch pie pan and bake until heated through. Stir gently.
Serve with rye crackers or cocktail rye bread.

Happy 2013 everyone!

Gougere with Ham and Mushsrooms

A Facebook friend posted recently about having gougere for the first time--someone brought cheese-filled gougere puffs to a party She had never heard of it or tasted it but was enchanted and determined to try. Gougere is actually the French pate a choux and can be used lots of ways, not just for cheese-filled puffs (the puffs are also good just on their own--kind of like a popover).
The post reminded me that I used to fix a gougere ring filled with ham and mushrooms. It's perfect this time of year when many of us serve ham for Christmas or New Year's dinner and have leftovers to deal with.
So, Laurie Moore, here's another gougere suggestions for you.

Gougere with ham and mushrooms

Bake at 400 for 40 minutes

Six servings

 For the paté à choux:

 1 c. sifted all purpose flour
Pinch each of salt and pepper
1 cup water
½ cup butter, (one stick), cut up
4 eggs
1/8 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, diced or grated

Filling

4 Tbsp. butter
2 medium onions chopped, about 1 cup
½ lb. mushrooms sliced
1-1/2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 envelope or tsp. instant chicken broth
1 cup hot water
(This is an old recipe I’ve had for years—now days I’d substitute 1 c. good chicken broth for the water and inst. broth)
2 large tomatoes, peeled, quarter, and seeded (about 2 cups)
6 oz. cooked ham, cut into thin strips (1-1/2 cups)
2 Tbsp. sharp cheddar
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley

To make the paté à choux:

Sift the flour, salt and pepper onto a  sheet of wax paper. Heat the water and butter in a large saucepan until the butter melts. Turn up the heat and bring to boiling. Add the flour mixture all at once and stir vigorously until the mixture forms a ball in the center of the pan—this will take about a minute.
Allow the mixture to cool for at least five minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating very well after each addition. (This beating is important if you want your gougere to puff). Stir in the diced cheese.

To make the filling: Melt the butter in a large skillet; sauté onion until soft but not browned. Add the mushrooms and cook for two minutes. Sprinkle with flour, salt and pepper; mix and cook an additional two minutes.  Add the chicken broth and simmer about five minutes.

Remove from heat. Cut tomato quarters into strips and add with ham. Taste and add additional seasoning as you wish.

Butter a 10” or 11” skillet, pie pan, etc. Spoon paté à choux around outside edge, leaving center for the filling.  Sprinkle all over with cheddar. Bake until gougere is puffed and brown and filling is bubbling. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve, cut into wedges.