Homemade vs. Store Bought

When it comes right down to it, purely homemade tends to taste so much better than premade, packaged and store bought.  The majority of products are geared towards those of us who are alone.  Canned meals to plop into a saucepan and heat up on a stove top.  Frozen boxed meals that pop into a microwave for 5 minutes, ding, and it is ready to eat.  Of course there are the products pushed upon those wishing to lose weight, and, thereby, become healthier.  Atkins, Weight Watchers and Lean Cuisine are the big three in this regard.  Unfortunately though, and this is my personal opinion on many products tried, the taste, smell and texture are quite questionable.  The ingredient list is usually long, but instead of food edibles, it is chemicals.

Now do I use products geared towards convenience?  Of course!  Whether it is time constraints, a spur of the moment recipe idea, or simply clueless as to what to make; these products help with these issues.  Take, for example, Campbell’s Soups, the creamed varieties especially, can be easily used to blend ingredients together into a hearty, tasty, and fulfilling dish.

Some time ago, an ad link popped up on Facebook and it referred to a recipe called "Angel Chicken".  Basically it was a crock pot recipe where Campbell's Golden Mushroom soup, a packet of Italian salad dressing mix, cream cheese and white wine cooked for about 4-5 hours and was then served over angel hair pasta.  Simple recipe and I was willing to give it a try; that is until I went grocery shopping.  Pricing out a 10.5 ounce can of the soup, at various stores, ranged from $1.50 to $2.19, and I became, well, indignant about it.

I went home, got online and looked up the ingredient list for the soup; salt and sugar were the first two ingredients and the listing of preservatives and chemical additives was longer than the natural ingredients.  Breaking down the basic ingredients, the beef broth already has salt in it; then came tomato sauce, white wine, a roux of butter and flour, water and mushrooms.  Certainly no need for sugar, or additional salt.

Whenever I see mushrooms on sale, I will buy a couple of boxes and dehydrate them for future usage, so I had those on hand; as well as the other ingredients.  The task to make a complete meal now turned into a two-fold project; making the soup, then making the chicken recipe.  The idea of deconstructing the processed soup, and then recreating from scratch was a pretty exciting concept.

As the cooking process of the soup commenced, the smell in the kitchen was heavenly; if the entire recipe tasted as good as it smelled, this would be one heck of an accomplishment.  Now unknowingly, I had run out of angel hair pasta, so served the chicken, mushrooms and sauce over linguine instead...it was amazing; simply amazing!  More work than opening a little can of soup? Oh yes, but so, so worth all the effort.

So sorry Campbell's, but mine is better.

 Golden Mushroom Chicken

 Ingredients:

8 Tbsp. butter

8 Tbsp. flour

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, cut into cubes and softened

1 (14.5 oz.) can beef broth plus ½ can water

¼ cup white wine

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

½ tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. each crushed, dried basil, thyme and marjoram

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed of fat

1 lb. sliced white mushrooms

1 and ½ lbs. angel hair pasta (linguine can be substituted)

Preparation:

In a large saucepan, medium-high heat, melt butter and whisk in flour; add cream cheese and stir until cream cheese begins to combine with the roux. Add beef broth, water, wine, tomato sauce, garlic powder, herbs and black pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low; let simmer for 5 minutes.

Set 6-quart crock pot on low; place in chicken breasts, mushrooms on top of chicken; pour the sauce over all. Cover and let cook for 5-6 hours; until chicken is moist and tender.

Prepare pasta according to package directions; place a chicken breast on top a serving of pasta and spoon sauce over all.

Makes 8 servings.

With holiday meals being planned out, think about taking some time to figure out how to avoid using processed products.  Yes, it will be a little more work, but the smiles on family and guests faces will be quite worth it all.  Then again, maybe you have wanted to develop your cooking skills, or even begin learning how; so start from scratch!

Mary Cokenour

Redo a “Holiday” Classic

Holiday time is coming upon us and soon we will be seeing the television commercials that try and define the season for us. Unfortunately the holiday season has become very commercialized, so the original true messages of the season may not get through to many.   No lecturing this time from me, as I believe the dramatics of 2020 are bringing back much of the true meanings.

What I would like to address though is a holiday classic recipe, the Green Bean Casserole.   With my family, or most people I knew, this was not ever served for Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's Day.   Why is it considered a “holiday classic”?  We never really see any commercials for it from Campbell's or French's until the holiday season, so it is, to me, a classic recipe because these companies say so.

The origin of the recipe came from the Campbell’s Soup Company, located in Camden, New Jersey, in 1955.  Home economist, Dorcas Reilly worked in the test kitchen, and Campbell’s needed a new idea to promote their Cream of Mushroom Soup.  Now this product had been around since 1934, but was mainly used as a filler.  It was so popular with Minnesota potluck casseroles, it was nicknamed “Lutheran Binder”.

During an interview, Ms. Reilly stated that she did not truly know how she came up with the recipe; it was mostly trial and error.  However, adding green beans to the soup mixture created an unappetizing color.   Reilly determined that fried onions on top were an easy way to add texture and color to the grey-green dish.  The fried onions also added a touch of “festive flair”, and festive meant the holiday season.

My hubby and his family, along with the Watkins family, like this dish, so I make it for them whenever I feel like it, not just because a holiday dictates it.  I was a good girl and prepared the dish using the Campbell's recipe verbatim.  Nope, did not play with it at all, the first time I made it.

Here is the original recipe from the Campbell's Kitchen website: 

Classic Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or Healthy Request®)
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Dash ground black pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 1/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions

Directions:

Stir the soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 1/2-quart casserole.

Bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the bean mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining onions.

Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

Serves 6

 By now, my readers know I often do not stick to recipes; I need to play!

Here is my version of the recipe and my hubby says it is better than the original by far.  It has a headier flavor from the Worcestershire, is creamier and just has an overall better flavor.  The French fried onions are crispier, since they are entirely on top of the casserole, not mixed inside and getting soggy.  Seconds are always gone after, and leftovers are slim to none.  Try my version and judge for yourself, but it is perfectly fine if you still prefer the original.

 

Green Bean Casserole
(An old classic redone)

Ingredients: 

2 Tbsp. butter
1 small onion diced
1 (4 oz.) can sliced mushrooms
3 (14.5 oz) cans French style green beans, drained
2 (10.75 oz) cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. each ground black pepper and paprika
2 cups French fried onions

Preparation: 

On medium heat, melt butter in small skillet; sauté onion and mushrooms till the onions just begin to soften; do not brown. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350F; spray a 2 quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sautéed onions and mushrooms with all other ingredients, except the fried onions. Spoon into the casserole dish and spread the fried onions evenly over the top.

Bake for 30 minutes; remove from oven and let settle for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Halloween/Samhain has passed, and I hope you enjoyed making those apple cider donuts I wrote about last time.  Here comes Thanksgiving; hey, those donuts would go well with this holiday as well!  Be grateful for what you have, love those closest to you, be kind to acquaintances and strangers alike; and this too shall pass.

Mary Cokenour

 

 

Difference a Change Can Create.

Change, change can be quite annoying at times.  Rattling around in a purse or pocket, those elusive pennies never there when needed; or too many taking up precious space.  For many years there has been consideration of doing away with the penny.  Has not happened yet as that would lead into another type of change altogether.

Change, “the act or instance to make or become different”, “to alter, vary or modify to make or become different”.  Change is evolution, growth, development which goes hand in hand with making or creating something different.  This is often sort by some, but feared by the majority; it is comforting to be one of many, then alone on an unsure roadway.  I believe there lies the rub; to be different, unique, in a smaller grouping where one can stand out.  Why be different when the “same old, same old” has always been good enough?  Why, why be good when there can be better!?!

When it comes to recipes, a first attempt will be following word for word, measure by measure, ingredient by ingredient; no changes or differences.  The resulting culinary creation might be liked, even enjoyed so much to spark the word love; pretty close to perfection.  However, I am an adventurer in, as well as out of, the kitchen; my pantry is a wonderland of spices, herbs, seasonings and sauces from around the world.  The second, third, even more attempts are play time; changing original designs to make/create different tastes, textures.  The ultimate goal is to be better, not just good!

As an example, let’s use Campbell Soups’ recipe for One-Dish Chicken & Stuffing Bake, a simple dish to make and very tasty too.  (Recipe from: https://www.campbells.com/kitchen/recipes/one-dish-chicken-stuffing-bake/)

Ingredients:

4 cups Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Stuffing

1 3/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup or Campbell's Condensed 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/3 cup milk

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

How to Make It

Step 1

Heat the oven to 400°F.  While the oven is heating, prepare the stuffing according to the package directions.

Step 2

Spoon the stuffing across the center of a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Place the chicken on either side of the stuffing. Sprinkle the chicken with the paprika.

Step 3

Stir the soup, milk and parsley in a small bowl. Pour the soup mixture over the chicken.  Cover the baking dish.

Step 4

Bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Made it once or twice as is, very good and no leftovers, but not good enough, so I made it again and again; changing ingredients like cream of celery, instead of cream of mushroom; using cut up, precooked chicken instead of raw chicken breasts; adding frozen or canned vegetables to see which tasted better.  Each time it went from good to better, better to betterer to betterest; yes, yes, I know I am not using proper English and I can hear the groans of teachers everywhere.  Each time though, it was a delicious concoction devoured by all who tasted it; success in making different!

So now I will share with you my latest changes to Campbell’s most basic recipe.  Do not fear change my friends; accept, embrace and remember most of all; Fear is the Mind Killer.

Chicken Corn Stuffing Bake

Ingredients:

1 box (10 oz.) Mrs. Cubbison’s Herb Seasoned Cube Stuffing (personally like this brand)

2 cups homemade chicken broth (or used canned)

2 cups precooked chicken, cut into small pieces

1 can (15 oz.) whole kernel sweet corn (do not drain liquid)

1 tsp. each ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder

1 can (15 oz.) sweet cream styled corn

1 bag (8 oz.) shredded, medium Cheddar cheese

Preparation:

 Preheat oven to 350F; spray a 9” x 13” baking dish with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, mix together cube stuffing, broth, precooked chicken, whole kernel corn and seasonings.  Spread out evenly in baking dish; spread creamed corn evenly over all; spread Cheddar cheese evenly over creamed corn. 

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes; remove foil, bake another 20 minutes; cheese will be completely melted and browning at dish edges.  Remove from oven, let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Well Yes to New Campbells Soups.

When I began to see the advertisements for Campbell's new "Well Yes!" soups, I immediately thought, "Oh great, another product that is supposed to be healthier and tastes like garbage.  What a waste of money this will be."  I purchased two varieties, waited for a cold, snowy day which called for soup, and opened up the "Sweet Potato Corn Chowder".

After heating, I dipped the spoon into my bowl and gave it all a stir; thick yet creamy; diced vegetables yet generous; the taste?  Wow, simply wow; this was very like homemade, and absolutely delicious.  I ate the entire bowl full and...well, licked the bowl clean as much as I could.

While this soup does have salt added (590mg per serving); what I truly loved is that it's diabetic friendly.  Only 25 grams carbohydrates per serving (only 6 grams of sugar!)

Well Yes! Soups (https://www.campbells.com/well-yes/soups/) currently carry 9 varieties; and more than likely I'll be trying all of them; choosing my favorites to keep purchasing afterwards.  So long as Campbell's continues to make them tasting homemade, low in sugar and delicious; I'll be a loyal consumer.

Mary Cokenour

Chicken Thighs ala Campbell's.

Campbell's soup has a recipe for a chicken stuffing casserole consisting mainly of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, stuffing and soup, baked in the oven.  It's a simple recipe, but I find that the stuffing and chicken tend to get on the dry side, so I don't make it very often.  Now my mother-in-law found boneless, skinless chicken thigh strips on sale again, and even though we told her not to buy them anymore, she did anyway.  The thigh strips usually have a lot of fat attached to them and after trimming the fat away, the pieces are so small.  Tyson either needs to make larger pieces or stop making the product altogether.  Anyway, I have that recipe for  Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs, but believe it or not, I wasn't in the mood for Asian food. What the heck do I do with them?

Looking through the pantry, I found cream of mushroom soup and Stove Top stuffing; I also found a bag of chopped broccoli in the freezer and knew I could make this work. Knowing that the original recipe usually comes out dry, I opted to use the crock pot instead and hoped it would produce a moister dish.  I also thought that the fat would melt off the chicken and help to add moisture to the stuffing.

Now I have to warn you that the dish is not a pretty sight, but the taste was pretty darned good. I'm still not a fan of chicken thighs, but my hubby and mother-in-law liked the results which leads me to wonder, "Will she be buying chicken thigh strips again?"

Crock Pot Chicken Stuffing Broccoli Bake

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thigh strips
1 bag (10 oz) Stove Top stuffing
1 bag (16 oz) frozen chopped broccoli
2 cans (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup plus one can of milk
1 tsp each ground black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder

Preparation:

Set 4 qt crock pot on low; spray interior with nonstick cooking spray.

Place chicken strips on bottom, spread stuffing over chicken and then the broccoli over the stuffing. In a medium bowl, mix together the soup, milk and seasonings; pour over the broccoli. Cover and let cook for 5 hours.

Makes 8 servings.

Note: boneless, skinless chicken breasts can be used instead of thigh meat.

Mary Cokenour

Sorry Campbell's, My Recipe is Better.

The other day a link to a recipe popped up on Facebook and it referred to a recipe called "Angel Chicken".  Basically it was a crock pot recipe where Campbell's Golden Mushroom soup, a packet of Italian salad dressing mix, cream cheese and white wine cooked for about 4-5 hours and was then served over angel hair pasta.  Simple recipe and I was willing to give it a try, that is until I went grocery shopping.  At City Market, a Kroger store, they had 2 cans of the condensed soup for $3...that's $1.50 per can if you had a shopper's card.  Otherwise it was $1.79 per can...seriously, almost $2 for a 10.5 ounce can of condensed soup?  I don't think so!

I went home, got online and looked up the ingredient list for the soup; salt and sugar were the first two ingredients and the listing of preservatives and chemical additives was longer than the natural  ingredients.  I broke down the basic ingredients to beef broth which already has salt in it, tomato sauce, white wine, a roux of butter and flour, water and mushrooms.  Finding 8 oz packets of sliced mushrooms on sale for 2 for $3 and having the other ingredients at home; I was off to make my own golden mushroom soup.  But wait you're now saying, the price for the mushrooms was the same as if I'd just bought the 2 cans of soup.  I know, but the idea of deconstructing the processed soup and then recreating from scratch was a much better prospect than convenience.

As the cooking process of the soup commenced, the smell in the kitchen was heavenly; if the entire recipe tasted as good as it smelled, this would be one heck of an accomplishment.  Now unknowingly, I had run out of angel hair pasta, so served the chicken, mushrooms and sauce over linguine instead...it was amazing; simply amazing.  More work than opening a little can of soup...oh yes, but so, so worth all the effort.

So sorry Campbell's, but mine is better.

Golden Mushroom Chicken

Ingredients:

8 Tbsp butter
8 Tbsp flour
1 (8 oz) package, cut into cubes and softened
1 (14.5 oz) can beef broth plus ½ can water
¼ cup white wine
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp each crushed, dried basil, thyme and marjoram
¼ tsp ground black pepper
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed of fat
1 lbs sliced white mushrooms
1 ½ lbs angel hair pasta

Preparation:

In a large saucepan, medium-high heat, melt butter and whisk in flour; add cream cheese and stir until cream cheese begins to combine with the roux. Add beef broth, water, wine, tomato sauce, garlic powder, herbs and black pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low; let simmer for 5 minutes.

Set 6 qt crock pot on low; place in chicken breasts, mushrooms on top of chicken; pour the sauce over all. Cover and let cook for 5-6 hours; until chicken is moist and tender.

Prepare pasta according to package directions; place a chicken breast on top a serving of pasta and spoon sauce over all.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Redo a Classic - the Green Bean Casserole

Holiday time is coming upon us and soon we'll be seeing the television commercials that try and define the season for us. Unfortunately the holiday season has become very commercialized, so the original true messages of the season may not get through to many.  I'm not getting into all that, but what I'd like to address is a holiday classic recipe, the Green Bean Casserole.  Now my family, and most people I know have not ever served this recipe for Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's Day, so I'm not really sure why it's a "holiday classic".  I mean you never really see any commercials for it from Campbell's or French's until the holiday season, so it's, to me, a classic recipe because these companies say so.

Anyway, my hubby and his mom like this dish, so I make it for them whenever I feel like it, not just because a holiday dictates it.  I was a good girl and prepared the dish using the Campbell's recipe verbatim; nope, didn't play with it at all.; that is until now.

Here is the original recipe from the Campbell's Kitchen website:

Classic Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or Healthy Request®)
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Dash ground black pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 1/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions

Directions:
Stir the soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 1/2-quart casserole.

Bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the bean mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining onions.

Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

Serves 6

...and now here is my recipe and my hubby says it is better than the original by far; it has a headier flavor from the Worcestershire, is creamier and just has an overall better flavor.  The French fried onions are crispier, since they are entirely on top of the casserole, not mixed inside and getting soggy. Try my version and judge for yourself, but it's ok if you still prefer the original.

Green Bean Casserole
(An old classic redone)

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter
1 small onion diced
1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms
3 (14.5 oz) cans French style green beans, drained
2 (10.75 oz) cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp each ground black pepper and paprika
2 cups French fried onions

Preparation:

On medium heat, melt butter in small skillet; sauté onion and mushrooms till the onions just begin to soften; do not brown. Remove from heat.

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

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sautéed onions and mushrooms with all other ingredients except the fried onions. Spoon into the casserole dish and spread the fried onions evenly over the top.

Bake for 30 minutes; remove from oven and let settle for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Mary Cokenour