Concoction

A mixture of various ingredients - Yes, that is what I created today. I have been eager to use my new casserole dish. I thought about it and thought about it. I am only one person to eat it, whatever I make, but....

After cooking for my large growing and hungry family for so many years I had to invent meals often with whatever was on hand. This is what I did today.

I had a few small elbow macaroni in a jar; maybe about 1 1/2 cups. I had a small can of chunk white albacore tuna packed in water. I had a can of cream of mushroom soup. I had several packages of freshly blanched and frozen string beans in the freezer. I had milk. I had butter. I had dried parsley, onion powder, paprika, celery salt, black pepper and a final chunk of garden tomato. 

This is what I did: 

I cooked the macaroni and drained it. Then, in a separate bowl I mixed the drained tuna fish into the soup. I took some of the frozen string beans and chopped them into small pieces, then added them into the mixture. Some of the parsley, onion powder, celery salt, and black pepper were incorporated. I put a chunk of butter into the clean casserole dish and zapped it in the microwave for about 20 seconds. I poured the mixture into the dish, added a coating of parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of some milk. Topped it off with some paprika and tomato chunks. Baked it all in my new dish for about an hour at 325°. Then I hit the broil level for about 5! OH MY GOODNESS! SooooGood SooooGood SooooGood SooooGood! Yes I'm still a "foodie." I almost forgot how much fun it is to make up a tasty and nutritious meal.

Before 

Baked

There is a lot left over! Now I know why casseroles are favored for gatherings. I'll have to freeze portions to enjoy at another time. This sure was a success! YUM!

You can't smell it,

You can't taste it,

You CAN see it larger by tapping on image!

Spare Time in the Kitchen

My neighbor dropped off four Patty Pan squash as my daughter had mentioned that in the past, her mother-in law loved them, but she had never had any. Well I never had any either and researched how to use them. The first thing I realized was that the ones that were donated were very large. Most recipes on the internet said they are best about 3-4 inches in diameter. Well two of these are 7" and two others are 8" in diameter! What to do? How not to waste these?

Before daughter comes over to get them I experimented on one, just because I could! 

I happened to have a pound of maple bacon thawed and figured I'd incorporate some of it into a mixture of squash chunks. I remembered that I have three hot dog rolls in the freezer and thought I could cut them into small bread cubes. I had recently chopped and froze some onions and also have some fresh cloves of garlic on hand, so I proceeded to work on these items. 

The first thing I did was to scrub down all four squash. Then I picked one and put it in a pot of water about 1 inch deep and par-boiled it for about 10 minutes because the skin seemed very tough and thick. After letting it cool down I scooped out the (large) seeds and cut off the skin and made small chunks. All were put into a large bowl.

After draining and mashing the bacon, I smashed it in a baggie with my marble rolling pin, making smaller bits and pieces. About half went into the bowl. The cut up hot dog rolls went in next. The chopped onions, one minced garlic clove, shakes of pepper, salt, oregano, basil and thyme followed with about 1/2 cup of Parmesan-Romano cheese. All was mixed together by hand. I then patted it into a foil-lined glass baking dish, topping with drizzles of EVOO and a little 1/2 & 1/2. This was covered and put into the refrigerator overnight. 

Results tomorrow. I already had thawed some jumbo shrimp for my dinner.

Good Stuff

Of course I'm referring to food, what else? Last night I put together a casserole with leftovers, and it was very tasty; especially delicious. There are no rules in my kitchen, except "waste not, want not."  This was a combination of potatoes, sliced thinly as scalloped dishes require. Then I had cut up a slice of ham into 1/2" square cubes and added. Left over string beans, milk, butter and pepper went in next with a dusting of flour. On the top I sprinkled a few of French's crispy onion pieces and a little shredded sharp cheese. Baked at 350° for an hour, rested for ten minutes and the one dish meal was served.

This morning I baked a lemon pudding cake in a flat pan and added a couple of cups of frozen blueberries. I do hope this treat will last a few days. Whipped cream coming up!

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Tasty Casserole

A friend called me a "FOODIE" and I think it is a complement - anyway I'll take it as one. Yes, I like to bake and cook and encourage others to use some of my recipes. I share them all. So...here is another foodie story.

A friend gave me some summer squash and I used my old Bluffton slicer and ripped right through the tender vegetable. Carrots and onions were shredded with the old type of utensil and then I made this recipe. I will tell you it was very good and the mister and I ate almost the entire casserole bowlful!

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I admit I added some extra bread crumbs on top, hoping it would bubble up and create a crispy crust. It didn't. The next time I make this I will try baking it in my cast iron skillet. That will brown the edges as the glass dish didn't do that. I used Progresso Italian bread crumbs in this recipe. I also used carrots as we don't care much for peppers.

Recipe

How to make Scalloped Squash: By Suzanne McMinn

2 cups (or so) sliced yellow squash
1 cup chopped onions and/or peppers (hot or sweet)
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheese (Cheddar or whatever)

Depending on how big the squash is, after slicing, either cut in halves or quarters.

Cook the squash and onions (and/or peppers) in butter till tender.

Combine egg, milk, bread crumbs, and a dash of salt and pepper in a large bowl. For me, one cup of bread crumbs is one thick slice of Grandmother Bread, crumbled finely in my mini food processor.

Stir in the squash mixture and the shredded cheese. Pour into a 1.5 quart greased casserole dish. Top with a sprinkling of fresh chopped chives if you’ve got ’em! My herb garden this weekend (the chives just got a haircut):

Bake at 350-degrees for about 30 minutes.

Also excellent for zucchini!

Now go forth and scallop.

http://chickensintheroad.com/cooking/its-summer-and-the-living-is-squashy/