Nature Valley adds Thins to Granola collection.

Hiking desert trails or climbing Red Rock formations doesn't make a person just thirsty, but a might bit hungry as well. I always make sure to pack granola bars with the bottled water. While they can be crunchy and have a little sweetness to them, they are boring.

Then there are the times you might want a granola snack, but eating just one of the 2 bars that come in a package is enough; but what do you do with the other bar? Nature Valley came up with a solution that solves the problems of boring and too much with Granola Thins. A two by two granola square, one side smeared with a dark chocolate or peanut butter coating; just the right size and loaded with flavor.

The granola square, however, is half the thinness of one regular granola bar, so that makes for easy crumbling. Taking a small bite, you will probably break off more than you intended. Opening up the little package, it's not surprising to see a part of the square broken off and crumbled, or even the whole square crumbled apart. The coating doesn't do much for keeping it together as it tends to melt and stick to the packaging.

It's sort of a 50-50 deal with these Thins, sometimes they are perfect and sometimes not. Might depend on how many times the employees at the grocery store dropped the boxes while putting them on the shelves. Overall though, they are a tasty treat, especially when you're looking for just a little something to snack on.

Mary Cokenour

Cast Iron Skillets and Elk Burgers.

The last time I had made Elk Burgers was on July 4, 2011 and that was on the grill outside. Here I was again planning to make them for dinner, but Roy was going to be home late and I wanted them cooked up hot and fresh for him. While I would have liked to grill them again, I had no intention of standing outside in the dark, with a flashlight, flipping burgers.

I certainly didn't want them done up in the oven; just wouldn't get the caramelization that we liked, so the stove top was my last option. Stove top burgers require the ultimate in a skillet...the cast iron skillet. These little beauties cook evenly, retain high heat and last forever if taken cared of properly. I have had my skillets for over 25 years and they're still going strong.

Cast iron skillets do not come preseasoned, so prepare to do this before any attempt at cooking in them. Set the temperature on your oven to 450F, give the inside of the skillet a light coating of vegetable oil and leave it in the oven for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the skillet cool down. Hold on though, you're not done yet; repeat this process two more times. Why? The baked on oil is sealing up pores in the skillet and developing its own nonstick surface.

Every time you use your seasoned skillet, clean up is basically hot water and paper towels. Using soapy water, steel wool pads or scrubbing pads will just take off that seasoned coating and allow rust to form in the skillet. Clean up with hot water, use paper towels to scrape off any stuck food bits, dry thoroughly and then smear on a light coating of oil with a paper towel. When storing, place a paper towel inside the skillet to keep dust particles from sticking to the coating.  I might be redundant, but paper towels are a best friend for your cast iron skillets.

Time to make some Elk Burgers...

Cast Iron Skillet Elk Burgers

Ingredients:

3/4 lb ground Elk meat
1/4 lb lean ground beef
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp each sea salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and chili powder
3 Tbsp butter
1 medium red onion, cut into slivers
1 large green bell pepper, cut into slivers

Preparation:

In a medium bowl, mix together the Elk, ground beef, tomatoes and seasonings. Form 4 patties which will be one inch thick.

On medium-high heat, melt butter in skillet and put in the onion and bell peppers slivers. Place the patties on top of the vegetables. Cook for 12 minutes on one side, lift up burger, mix vegetables up underneath and flip uncooked side of burger down on vegetables. Do this for each burger and continue to cook for another 12 minutes each. This will allow the vegetables and the meat to caramelize, and the meat will be cooked well, but still juicy.

Remove to plate and let rest 5 minutes before putting on buns. Serve with lettuce, cheese and condiments if desired.

Makes 4 burgers.

Mary Cokenour

Runner Up Turkey Recipe is still a Winner.

Back in February 2011 I posted my recipe for Four Cheese Chicken Pasta Bake which is a decadent blend of cheeses baked with penne pasta and chicken. Later on in the year, Taste of Home magazine was running a recipe contest featuring leftover turkey. Since my recipe featured poultry already, changing from chicken to turkey wasn't a big step. I submitted my recipe with the change and under the name "Four Cheese Turkey Pasta Bake".

While it did not win, it is being featured as a Runner Up recipe in Taste of Home's November 2011 issue; their photo is on page 71 while the recipe is on page 72. This recipe is a good example of comfort food and is versatile as it can feature not just poultry, but beef or seafood as well.

Taste of Home only made a couple of minor adjustments, but primarily kept my recipe as I submitted it. It's not available for viewing online yet, so I'm posting the recipe as I wrote it and with my photo.










Four Cheese Turkey Pasta Bake
(Runner Up Recipe, Taste of Home November 2011 issue, page 72.)

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp butter

1 small onion diced

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 (10 ¾ oz) can cream of mushroom soup

1 (4 oz) can or jar sliced mushrooms cut mushrooms in half

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese

½ cup each of shredded parmesan mozzarella and Swiss cheese

1 cup each heavy whipping cream and warmed milk

¼ tsp each ground black pepper and nutmeg

2 cups cooked turkey breast ( ½” cubes)

½ lb cooked penne ziti or small rigatoni

½ cup Italian seasoned dried bread crumbs

3 Tbsp melted butter

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 2 qt casserole dish with nonstick spray.

In a small skillet, on medium heat, sauté onion in butter till softened; add garlic and cook for 5 minutes more.

In a large bowl, mix together thoroughly the soup, mushrooms, all cheeses, cream, milk, black pepper, nutmeg, turkey, pasta and the onion-garlic mix. Spread evenly into the casserole dish.

In a small bowl, mix together bread crumbs and butter completely; spread over the mixture in casserole dish.

Bake for 30 minutes, covered with aluminum foil. Uncover and bake for additional 15 minutes, or until topping is golden brown. 

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Home Run Inn's Frozen Pizza.

Home Run Inn is an actual pizza establishment in Illinois, so when they say real Chicago pizza, they mean it.  The pizza business itself started in the 1940's and has expanded into 8 restaurants and the frozen food market.

While shopping at City Market in Moab, Utah, I noticed a new display in the frozen pizza section; what really got my attention was the "Chicago's Premium Pizza" written on the box. I wondered if this was just an advertising ploy by another California chain, but no, the company is from Illinois. I purchased one of the cheese pizzas, went home and tried it out; the next day we went back and purchased a few more.

Home Run Inn does NOT use preservatives; check the ingredient label and you'll find you do not need a degree in chemistry to read it. After baking in the oven, you can better see all the cheese, sauce and other toppings, depending on which type you purchased, and the taste is awesome.

Our one big problem is the crust; we just can't seem to agree on it. Cheese pizza #1 - baked directly on rack in oven; the outer rim was very hard while the bottom was crispy, but it had an overall good taste.

Cheese pizza #2 - baked on top of aluminum pizza pan that had air holes in it - the outer rim was now crispy while the bottom was not as crispy as the first pizza we made; however it was cooked all the way through.

Sausage Deluxe - baked on top of aluminum pizza pan that had air holes in it - the outer rim was crispy while the bottom was not at all; it was very dense.

Now I'm not going to fault the crust on Home Run Inn; the directions do say to bake directly on rack, but I used a pan to avoid getting an overdone crust, but ended up with somewhat or heavily underdone. Will I make Home Run Inn frozen pizza again? Most definitely, but I'm following their directions; as a frozen pizza, it is the closest to fresh baked than any other on the market. The sauce, cheese and toppings are outstanding!!! I just have to get that crust baked correctly, but that's on me.

Mary Cokenour

Chinese BBQ Sauce? Hoisin Sauce.

The first time I'd had Hoisin sauce, or should I say knowingly had it, was at a Chinese restaurant in New York City's Chinatown.  I had been asked to a celebration dinner which consisted of many delicacies, one being Peking Duck.  There was a thick, dark sauce served with the duck; smearing just a small amount onto a Chinese pancake, a few slivers of duck and scallion were then wrapped within the pancake.  The first bite was a surprise, but the continuing bites lead to ecstasy; such a rich, heady flavor came from the sauce.

My next conscious experience with Hoisin was having Mhu Shu (also written as Moo Shu or Mu Shu) Pork; a pork and vegetable mixture which is eaten inside a pancake smeared with Hoisin. A most excellent dish and if pork is not to your liking, it can be prepared with shrimp, chicken, beef or a combination.

Hoisin sauce is the Chinese version of barbecue sauce which, besides grilling, can be used in stir fries, marinades, as a condiment or a thickener. It is a soy based sauce having the components of salty, sweet and spicy due to the additional ingredients of garlic, vinegar, sweeteners and chilies. The texture of the sauce is usually thick, but can be thinned with the addition of sesame oil or water until the desired consistency is achieved.

While Hoisin can be purchased in a store, it can just as easily be made at home. Having a mortar and pestle handy in the kitchen is an asset for creating the paste quality of some of the ingredients. Patience is also necessary as it needs a good amount of mixing to help the ingredients meet and marry together; using a blender is quite useful for this and easier on the wrist.

Hoisin Sauce
Ingredients:

6 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp each creamy peanut butter and black bean paste
1 Tbsp each honey and dark molasses
2 tsp white vinegar
¼ tsp each garlic and onion paste
2 tsp sesame oil
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Hot sauce – dependent upon how mild, medium or hot is desired, or add pieces of chopped chilies to the garlic and onion when creating the paste.

Preparation:

Add all ingredients into a medium bowl, or into a blender, and mix until smooth. The texture will be thick; if a thinner consistency is desired, add a teaspoon of sesame oil or water until achieved.

Makes ½ cup.

One item I like to use Hoisin on is salmon; giving the fish a rich, smoky flavor from the sauce and a mild sweetness and spice from the glaze it creates. As a side dish, I make up my Oriental Chicken, Vegetables and Noodle recipe, but leave out the chicken of course.

The salmon has the skin and bones removed and cut into 4 to 6 ounce portions; depending on how large the side of salmon is. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. Use a pastry brush to spread a half cup of Hoisin sauce over the foil, wherever the salmon will be lying. Place the salmon on the foil and brush it liberally with sauce; sprinkle a little ground ginger over all. Bake the salmon for 20 minutes; test for doneness in the thickest part of the filets. While the salmon is baking, the side dish can be made.

Simple and quite delicious!

Mary Cokenour

These Shells you won't find at the seashore.

Last week I was going to make lasagna. I got out the 6 qt crock pot, placed in the ingredients to make homemade pasta sauce; but also browned a pound of lean ground beef with diced onions and minced garlic to make a meat sauce. After 6 hours of cooking, the sauce was ready to be used, but now I wasn't in the mood to make lasagna. So what do I do now after all that work, do I freeze it all to have ready for next time, or...? Until I remembered that I had purchased large shells to make stuffed shells sometime; guess this was that sometime.

The filling for stuffed shells is basically the one I would use for lasagna, but I use my immersion blender to make the cheese smoother. I also had no small curd cottage cheese on hand, so used ricotta, mozzarella and romano exclusively. If you don't have an immersion blender, a handheld mixer will do the trick of smoothing out the cheeses for easier filling.

Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

20 large shells
3 lbs ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided in half
1 cup shredded provolone cheese
1 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup mixture of minced fresh herbs (oregano, parsley, basil and thyme)
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp ground black pepper
6 cups homemade meat sauce

Preparation:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil on high heat; cook shells for 10 minutes, or until al dente. Strain shells out and place in large bowl of cold water to stop cooking process and keep shells from sticking together.

While waiting for water to boil and shells to cook, prepare the filling by place all remaining ingredients, except one cup of shredded mozzarella and the meat sauce into a large bowl. Use an immersion blender or hand mixer to smooth out the cheeses.

Preheat oven to 350F; spray a 4 qt baking dish with nonstick baking spray; spread 3 cups of sauce over bottom of dish. Use a teaspoon or piping bag to fill each shell, so there is just enough room for the edges of the shells to just touch. Place each shell, open side up, into the baking dish; when all shells are filled, spoon remaining 3 cups of sauce over them. Evenly spread the remaining mozzarella cheese over the shells; cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for 30 minutes and let rest for 5 minutes before serving; serve 2 stuffed shells per person.

Makes 10 servings.

Mary Cokenour
June 10, 1982

Meatloaf Again...Stuff It!

So there I was, staring at the package of ground beef and wondering, "what do I serve with the meatloaf this time?"  There was the leftover macaroni and cheese; wow, how original, can you tell I just wasn't feeling it?  I'm not really sure how it happened, but sometime during the ingredient gathering process, this idea popped into my head and wouldn't let go.  What if I wrapped the meatloaf around the mac n' cheese?  Could I even achieve such a thing; what the heck would it look like; more importantly, what would it taste like???  Ok, call me crazy, but I just had to try it, just to see if I could do it mostly.

I took photos of the process to go along with the recipe.  The aroma in the kitchen was awesome, but the taste of the final product was out of this world.  Now I can't wait to try out other types of fillings, but don't worry Roy, I will make my regular meatloaf from time to time as I know how much you like the original.  Trial and error...who would have thunk it?

Stuffed Meatloaf

Ingredients:

3 lbs lean ground beef
1 (12 oz) bag dried stuffing cubes
1 cup milk
1 (15.5 oz can) diced tomatoes with sweet onions
1 cup diced green bell pepper
2 Tbsp saltless seasoning mix
1 tsp ground black pepper
5 cups macaroni and cheese (see Note)
Ketchup for glazing

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375F; line a 4 qt baking dish with aluminum foil and spray foil with nonstick cooking spray. Line a large jelly roll pan with parchment paper, wax paper or aluminum foil.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients except the macaroni and cheese and the ketchup. Invert bowl over center of jelly roll pan and deposit mixture onto it. Flatten mixture out to edges of pan. Cut macaroni and cheese into 3 sections and line up edge to edge down lengthwise center of flattened meatloaf mixture.

Put hands under lining and carefully lift mixture over filling, press down firmly and carefully peal back lining; repeat with other long side. Seal the seam over the filling and the sides of the meatloaf; smooth the meatloaf mixture over to create a firm seal.

Turn the baking dish over the meatloaf; with one hand hold down the baking dish while lifting the jelly roll pan with the other hand; flip over and let the meatloaf drop into the baking dish. Remove the lining off the meatloaf; make sure to position the meatloaf down the center of the baking dish; smooth over any cracks that may have opened. Brush ketchup over top and sides of meatloaf to create the glaze.

Place baking dish on center rack of oven and bake for one hour; brush a second layer of ketchup over the top and sides and bake for one additional hour.

The meatloaf will be too large to remove from the baking dish, so cut slices and use a narrow spatula to remove to a plate.

Makes 12-14 servings depending on how large the slices are cut.

Note: (The Macaroni and Cheese used should have been made previously and refrigerated in a rectangular container to make for easier slicing.)

Mary Cokenour