Chicken Enchilada Bake

I ran across this recipe--think I followed a link to the blog, and thought:  This looks cheap!  This looks easy!  This looks quick!  Can't get much better than that.  I had all the ingredients except the enchilada sauce.  Normally, I would have made my own taco seasoning, but I actually wanted to try it to see what was in it and how it tasted.

Here is the original recpe:  Chicken Enchilada Bake By the Country Cook

The old saying, haste makes waste came into play.  I actually didn't read "10 ounches mild green chili enchilada sauce."  Nope.  Read "10 ounces of  mild green chilies."   I bought 8 ounces because I didn't want to buy 3 cans  and  when I came  home with the taco seasoning and the chilies, then, and only then, I realized (with a few expletives) that I should have bought 10 oz. mild green chili enchilada sauce.

I wasn't going back to the store, so I decided to wing it and make my own.  My neighbor had recently given me some hot red peppers that came with her weekly produce (one of those co-op deals), and I needed to do something with them.  Soooo....

Sauteed  1/3 onion and one small seeded red pepper (removed the pith, too, as that sucker was HOT!).   Once the veggies softened I added  a clove of chopped garlic, the 2 cans of mild green chilies, and a little chicken broth.  Salt and pepper.  I sampled a bit,  and it tasted wonderful-spicy, but not too spicy.  Added the taco seasoning and the chicken and the soup and the cheese (I always have a bag of shredded Mexican cheese in the fridge) and  mixed it all up.

I mixed the Bisquick with water and dumped it in the casserole.  I could tell it was going to be hard to spread, so I got out my offset spreader and sprayed it with PAM and made short work of spreading the base.

The Food Network has provdided good hints over the years, and the offset spreader (great for frosting) and spraying Pam or its equivalent on any tool or measuring cup likely to  become sticky are cool things to know about. 

Sprinkled the rest of the cheese on top and baked the casserole.  This was GOOD, moderately spicey and it provided two dinners and a main course lunch for the two of us.

I try to keep chicken pieces in the freezer as well as having the soup on hand and always Bisquick.  Bisquick can save your life.  The dish was not keep-a-box-of-kleenex-on-the-table spicy.  You get the picture.   If I made it again in the summer when the herb garden was in full flower,  I'd sprinkle a bit of cilantro or chives on the casserole for color.  The little bits of red pepper did look nice on the inside.

Once the weather gets cool again, I'm making a pot of chicken and dumplings.  Right now, New England has been in the 70's and there's no call for hearty fare yet.

Happy Cooking!

The Cheeseparer

Smoked Pork Chops on the Grill

Sometimes pork chops are dirt cheap.
Did you know your grill can become a smoker?  Build a modest fire on one side of your grill, add some wet chips (your choice of flavor) thgat you've soaked.  Put the chops on the side of the grill with no fire.  Put the lid on, and barely open the vents.  We also used a bit of apple wood which is particularly good with pork.

To start with, I put a rub on the chops.  We're having a German meal, so I used carraway seeds, granulated garlic, white pepper, a pinch of ginger and some paprika.  Stash the the "rubbed" chops, covered,  in the fridge for a couple hours.

The pork chops take about 2 hours to smoke, and when I sneaked a bite---heaven!

I'll cook some carrot and onion in a bit of oil and then add some white wine,a big jar of saurkraut, drained, and a grated potato.  Usually grate in an apple, too, but we have none so I'll use a bit of agave nectar.  Add more wine, cook a while, and serve the chops with the saurkraut, mashed potatoes and a green salad.

Major yumminess.     We're having an Indian Summer Day, so it was perfect to watch the Ryder Cup and smoke the pork chops.  Now the Red Sox and Yankees are playing the last game of a disappointing season, but the new Red Sox rookies are tremendous.  Really inspiring.  I expect good things in 2015.  From worst to first to worst to first?  Now that will be historical.

Bon Appetit! 

The cheese parer. 

Going Bananas with Banana Waffles

Come home from a rare week out of town and the milk is sour.  I recall tossing a ripe banana into the freezer before we left.  Looks like we'll be eating banana waffles.  Sour milk makes great pancakes and waffles.  I always assume everyone know this, but maybe not.  I thawed the banana gently in the microwave, peeled it, and tossed it into the batter.  Mashed around a bit until pieces of banana were distributed.  Heat up the waffle iron, fry some bacon and get out the maple and strawberry syrups.  We're weird.  We like cottage cheese with our pancakes and waffles.  Quite yummy.   No one was ready for lunch before 1:00.  #1 son makes banana-chocolate chip pancakes and waffles, but that's too decadent for me.  And remember, you just pop the overripe banana into the freezer, skin and all.  When  you have three of them, you make banana bread.  We waste nothing in this household. 

Even the Wall Street Journal Carps about Food Prices

I couldn't believe the WSJ, a publication that prints a section called "Mansion" every Friday, had a story last week complaining about food prices.  After I read a bit, I realized the woman involved was entertaining 200 guests and serving lots of expensive booze, so naturally the price would be a concern if one is not "made of money" as the saying goes.  Sticker Shock at the Supermarket?

Meat prices are  high, cereal is high, honey will be going through the roof.  What's a shopper to do?  Eggs are still a bargain, and a good omelet (try spinach) or quiche is always within reach.  The Boston Globe's recipe section today (September 3rd) had a quiche with tomtoes and basil featured.  We're going to eat one of those tonight.  Tomatoes and basil from the garden and shredded mozzarella from the grocery story.  The grated cheeses are frequently on sale.  Don't get carried away, as they don't last forever.  Never tried freezing them.  If you've done this successfully, let me know. 

It really pains me to pay $4.00+ for a loaf of decent bread.  I have a good recipe for food processor bread that is easy (just 10 minutes max of total concentration) and tasty.  I invested in a special bread pan for it, as it makes two loaves.  Eat one, freeze one.  Food processor French bread

We're been using tomatoes from the garden in many recipes, and I've tried some new kebab meals that have been successful, both with chicken and with pork.  There was also a fab orzo salad with eggplant, fennel and zucchini.  I'm not a big fan of zucchni which is basically tasteless, but it was o.k. in the salad and also in a vegetable crostata the next night with a whole wheat crust. 

The recipe was for tomatoes,  zucchini and eggplant, and I added some spinach.  It called for fresh mozzarella which I didn't have quite enough of, so I added feta.  Unless you are baking, use the ingredients as a guide.  Of course I made the crust exactly according to instructions. and it was tender and tasty.  Keep your whole wheat flour in the fridge and it will stay fresh. 

Hope this gives you some new ideas.  Think Quiche, Crostata and Kebabs.  Less meat and lots of flavor.  And if you cater a party for 200, serve chicken not beef!  

Bon Appetit! 

Fresh Corn Griddle Cakes

Now that fresh produce season is in high gear, this recipe is cheap.  I always buy stone ground corn meal--so healthy and delicious.  One of the things I like about this recipe is that the corn meal mixture is NOT gunked up with a lot of sugar.   Here is the way our dinner looked.

I had problems chopping the onion (crying jag) so dumped all the coarsely chopped ingredients into the food processor.  This makes for a soupier salsa, but still good.  Couldn't find quesco fresco  but did find a very reasonable grated mixture of REAL Mexican cheese for chump change, and it will be perfect for the pork tacos we're having on Monday.

My garden has fresh mint, basil, parsley, chives, sage, oregano (great to Mexican cooking), tarragon, thyme and rosemary.  Orange cherry tomatoes we have to pick daily.  I dumped a few of them into the salsa.  They're little pops of color and flavor.

Here is the recipe from the New York Times.  Make the salsa early, and you can also prep the batter and dump the wet and dry together when  you're ready.  Really tasty.  Filing, too.  And cheap.

Fresh corn griddle cakes

I use Bob's Red Mill stone ground cornmeal.  Makes all the difference. I like the yellow, but the white is good, too.

Mediterranean Bread Salad

With the produce coming in fast and furious, consider making a bread salad.  You will need half of a baguette,  and if you can find a reduced price day old one, so much the better. cut in 1/2 inch cubes and toast with a bit of olive oil in a 425 degree oven for 5 - 10 minutes. 

6-8 tomatoes, from the garden (or someone's garden) if possible, cut into one inch chunks.
4 oz. baby spinach, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced really THIN!
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/4 cup chopped basil, fresh, of course.
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese


Mix tomatoes thru basil in a large bowl.  Save all tomato juice from chopping.  Dress with 2 T. balsamic vinegar (I use white) and 3-4 T. olive oil.  Toss in bread cubes and toss well to miss ingredients.  Salad can sit a few minutes for bread to absorb juices.  Just before serving, sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Serves 4-6. 

Although it seems counter-intuitive, the salad can be eaten with sliced bread.  Serve a soup or a hearty dessert.


Enjoy!    I like to eat the soggy salad the next day. 

Fruit desserts, especially home made pie

Now that cherries and berries and peaches are in season, we can have some wonderful desserts.  Long ago, in Cambridge, MA, there was a restaurant called The Woven Hose because it was housed in an old building where woven hoses (whatever they are) were formerly made.  At noon, there was a buffet, and sometimes they had homemade peach pie.  Whatever the pastry chef was doing, he/she was doing it right.  I come from a long line of pie bakers, and this peach pie had wonderful flaky crust, juicy peaches, not too much thickening or filling.  It was sweet with a bit of the tang of ripe fruit.  OMG it was so good.

And lo, one day there was no pie and when I asked, the pastry chef was gone!  They never had it again, and the only decent peach pies I've had since were if I made it myself (rare) or a friend did (also rare).  Guess I'll make one this summer.  They do look lovely with a lattice crust.  My grandma must have made a million of them, because she got bushes of peaches from "Old Zelick".  The woman had such a light hand with pastry.  Bread, too.

As a kid, you never REALLY appreciate these things until they are gone.  How many people do you know who make peach pies?  How many restaurants do you know that serve it?  I thought so. Damned few.

My uncle had a restaurant/variety store in Hesston, Kansas, back in the day, and every morning a few old ladies with round stomachs and arms would arrive early, don aprons and hairnets, and get to work on the pies.
Cherry.  Apple.  Peach.  Custard.  Apricot.  Chocolate.  Each one indescribably delectable.  Of course they always sold out.  They were so close to heaven.

This  recipe looks pretty close to what I remember without being gunked up with creative touches.

Lattice crust peach pie

The Blue Room now occupies the spot where the Woven Hose used to be.  Great creative food.  Good wine, too.  A pleasant place to pass an evening.

The cheeseparer.

Steak on the Grill for Mother's Day

Yesterday was Mother's Day.  We never go out to eat then, because it's crowded, noisy, frenzied, even,  and the food deteriorates accordingly.  We have a Mother's Day meal on Saturday at a restaurant of my choosing.  This year it was the Garden Restaurant at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA.  Always a treat with decent food at reasonable prices and lots of good exhibits at the museum. 

For THE DAY itself, I had some sale-purchased $5 each strip steaks which we grilled.  Also grilled Vidalia onions and I made cherry tomatoes Provencal and a salad of baby spinach and avocado.  Delicious, and husband did the grilling and set the table.  The onion recipe is a keeper: Grilled Vidalia Onions

We each ate half a steak (plenty, believe me) so there's steak-fried-rice tonight.  I'll cook some Basmati rice and add scallions, the rest of the spinach and some Asian spices, garlic and a bit of cilantro.  Easy, delicious and now bordering on cheap. 

Baby lettuces have sprouted.  We eat the thinnings in salads, too, and the chives are rampant.   Sage, hit hard by the winter is recovering, and oregano is coming along.  Thyme also took a beating from winter.  Will have to replace. 

The hummingbird is back, and lots of nesting is going on right now.  The titmice are pulling the stuffing out of my wire planter and using it for nesting materials.  They are so cute (and the liner is so old) I can't be angry.


The Cheeseparer 

Hummingbird at feeder with Clematis in background

Real Men DO Eat Quiche

We had a classic quiche Lorraine for dinner the past two nights.  I make a shortbread crust of 1 cup flour, 1 stick unsalted butter, 1/2 t. salt and 2 T. half and half  Use  your fingers to blend the flour and shortening, then add salt and half and half.  Press into a 9 inch pie plate.

I used the classic bacon and swiss cheese filling.  Used more like 1/4 lb of bacon than half of pound which seems excessive although delicious.  That (sauteed until done but not crispy) goes into the bottom of the chilled crust  which you have pierced with a fork a few times.

On the bacon, add 1/2 pound grated (or cubed) Swiss cheese (I use Emmental or Jahrlsburg).  The recipe calls for 2 oz. Gruyere, but I had some leftover Mancheco and Iberico (both from Spain) and used that.  Put it on top the bacon. 

My filling calls for 4 eggs and 1 1/2 cups half and half, beaten together with a little more salt, some pepper and a pinch of cayenne.   Pour on top the cheese. 

For ease of cleanup, I line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper, and put the quiche into the oven on that.  400 degree preheated oven.  Bake about 40 minutes or until done in the center.  A bit of parsley or chives on top the filling add a bit of color but are not necessary.  Serves 4 or maybe 6 for lunch, but not at our house.

You can experiment with broccoli, spinach, mushrooms and any number of veggies, although I draw the line at zucchini.  Onion is good.  Combos are better.  With a salad, it's a complete meal.  We had salad AND broccoli last night.  Yummy.

I made a dessert of ricotta
cheese, a soupcon of sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder and instant espresso coffee powder, thinned with a bit of cream.  This is a South Beach Diet dessert and quite good.  You can use artificial sweetener if you like.

The weather is warming up and thoughts of main course salads and grilling are upon us.  Put up the hummingbird feeder yesterday.  Ah, spring! 

Classic Quiche Lorraine with a short bread crust

End of the month meals

Yikes!  Four days to go before some money comes in.  I had about forty dollars to spend at the grocery store.  The menus were two days of Chinese rice noodles with  ground pork, seasonings and baby bok choy.  Just needed the bok choy. Checked the pantry and decided on ramen for Monday and Patty Melts on Tuesday.  Off to Trader Joe's.

The Chinese meal (really delicious) will serve two for 2 meals.  What else?   Ah, the ever popular ramen, but I  never just open a package.  First of all, for a meal we need two packages, which were in house.  There are grape tomatoes, ginger and carrots and a few leaves of spinach can be plucked out of the salad mix.  And!!!  I have  a few ounces of cubed roast pork in the freezer.  All the Asian spices we keep around like soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and Sichuan pepper corns.  It will be a feast and hey, we're big into a latish celebration of the Chinese New Year, right?  With leftover for lunch.

What next?  A small package of lean ground beef in the freezer.  Just enough for two burgers.  I bought cheddar cheese, and patty melts it is.  Found a can of baked beans.  Bought more grape tomatoes and some nitrite-free bacon (so good) and spent all told, with bread, cold cuts, more cheese, onion, bananas, etc. $34.00.  A little over $8 a day for two people.  Not bad.

The night before, I had been busy writing all day and had no plan for dinner.  A quick peek into the freezer.  Ah!  A bit, but not much frozen turkey white meat.  A turkey neck and a turkey backbone.  I made stock out of the latter, using carrot, celery, onion, bay leaf and salt and pepper.  I also had some frozen turkey gravy and a frozen pie crust.  Leftovers from Thanksgiving. Hmmm.  Can we do a turkey pot pie? 

Took the meat off the neck and back, and strained the stock.  In a pan, I browned more onion and carrots and the celery, then added the stock and cooked the veggies a bit.  When they were almost tender, in went the gravy.  Made a nice thick sauce, and I dumped the turkey into the pot, too.  After I cut it up, it seemed like more, a kind of miracle of the loaves and the turkey.  Added a handful of frozen peas.  So handy for impromptu cooking.

Lots of pepper and a bit of salt.  The gravy had been homemade and well seasoned.  I put the turkey/gravy/veggies mixture into a glass pie pan and laid the crust on top.  Crimped it and slashed a few holes.  Put the whole business into a 400 degree oven until the crust was golden brown and the gravy was bulbbling up thru the vents. 

We ate this with some fresh broccoli from the vegetable drawer and it was really delicious.  The moral of this story is that it pays to save leftovers, label and date them, and freeze.  Just like the pork that will go into the ramen.  A well-stocked pantry is a cook's best friend, and those bits and pieces of leftovers can become a meal.  

You can make a good fruit salad out of apples, oranges bananas and dried cranberries.  Add a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of sugar.   Of course berries or fresh pineapple will make it even better, but you can "make do."

"Making do" is something my parents who both survived the depression learned to do.  Not a bad idea for our times either.  

We gobbled the pot pie down before I could take a photo.  By the way, if you don't have a pie crust, mashed potatoes will do, either homemade or from a box.  Here's a photo with cut up pieces of pie crust if you have a dish too big for one crust.  Be creative. 

The Cheeseparer