by jphilo | Mar 2, 2011 | Recipes
Between a speaking engagement and the April first deadline for the Different Dream Parenting manuscript, time is short. So I’m pulling another recipe from the Shadow Valley Camp Cookbook. Snicker Apple Salad is easy to make, but the dish is mired in controversy. It begs the same question year after year at camp when it is served:
Is Snicker Apple Salad really a salad? Or is it a dessert?
Rather than share my point of view, I’ll share the recipe. Then you can try it and decide for yourself, then leave your opinion (salad or dessert) in the comment box. I’ll tally the votes and present the evidence at this summer’s Family Camp. Just think, your opinions could put our family controversy to rest. Now that’s real power!
Snicker Apple Salad
1 box instant vanilla pudding (3 oz.)
1 cup milk
8 oz. Cool Whip
6 chopped apples
6 chopped Snickers bars
Mix milk and pudding. Fold in Cool Whip. Then add apples and Snickers. Stir well and guard carefully until serving.
by jphilo | Feb 17, 2011 | Recipes
Today’s recipe is a family favorite at the Philo house. It comes from old South Dakota friends. Connie, who was Allen’s babysitter, served it often when our families had supper together. About six months after our move to Iowa, I developed a serious craving for tetrazzini. Finally, I called Connie, and she gave me the recipe over the phone. We had it for supper the next night, and it’s been a staple on our menu ever since.
Connie’s recipe was peppered with amounts like “half a chunk of cheese,” “some broth,” and “a handful of spaghetti noodles,” and my version hasn’t progressed much further. That means you can take the recipe and adapt it for your use, too.
A few FYIs are in order, too. First, chicken and turkey can be used interchangeably in this recipe, as can chicken and turkey broth. Second, if you want to make your own broth, go to this link and scroll to the bottom for directions, Third, this is a wonderful way to use turkey leftovers. Fourth, fix double or triple batches when cooking because it freezes well. Fifth, my recipe has no salt and pepper. People add it at the table, along with Parmesan cheese.
Turkey (or Chicken) Tetrazzini
2 – 3 cups cooked, deboned, cubed chicken or turkey
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups chicken or turkey broth
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup green or sweet red pepper, chopped
12 ounces spaghetti
6 slices of bread, toasted and cubed
1/4 cup melted butter
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put cubed turkey and cheese in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Cook spaghetti according to package directions and drain. Rinse with cold water and place in pan with turkey and cheese. Stir well.
While spaghetti is cooking, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a sauce pan. Add onions and pepper. Saute until onions are transparent. Add flour and mix well. Slowly add broth, whisking and stirring constantly until it boils. Let it boil gently for one minute. Pour sauce over noodle/meat/cheese mixture and stir well.
Toast the bread and cut into cubes. Drizzle with 1/4 cup melted butter and stir well. Sprinkle croutons over the noodle mixture. Bake for 1/2 hour. Serve with a green salad and fresh fruit. Yum!
by jphilo | Feb 10, 2011 | Recipes
I’ve been gone this week, unable to whip up any tasty treats to feature as the recipe post. So here’s another of my fave’s from Shadow Valley Family Camp. You’re probably thinking, “She says recipe from Family Camp is her fave,” and you’re right. Every recipe is my favorite because the cooks are amazing, the company is delightful, and the scenery makes everything taste good.
Of course, that means my jeans are a little tight by the end of camp, and today’s recipe is one of the main reasons. Pam’s featherbeds are light, flaky, and buttery. They are so good, I don’t dare make them at home for fear of eating myself sick. Instead, I wait patiently for the July day when they’re on the menu and eat two slowly, savoring their flavor.
On the next cold or snowy day, when cabin fever hits, make a batch and see what you think. The aroma of featherbeds baking in the oven may improve your outlook on winter!
Featherbeds
1 large potato, peeled and chunked
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, cut up
1 teaspoon salt
1 package yeast
1 egg
3 1/4 – 3 3/4 cups flour
Cook potato in boiling water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, reserving 3/4 potato water. Mash potato and set aside. In large bowl, combine potato water, sugar, butter, and salt. Let stand until butter is melted and mixture is warm. Stir in yeast. Let stand 5 – 10 minutes.
Beat in potato and egg by hand. Stir in as much flour as you can with a wooden spoon. Turn onto a floured surface and knead in flour to make a soft dough, 3-5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and turn once. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 –
1 1/2 hours. Punch down.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On lightly floured surface, roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a 3 inch round cutter. Place rounds 1/4 inch apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, 30 – 40 minutes. Bake 18 – 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm. Makes 16.
by jphilo | Feb 3, 2011 | Recipes
Does anybody know how to pronounce the name of this Greek pasta dish? The recipe was in the Cook Smart column Pam Anderson writes for the USA Weekend newspaper magazine. (www.usaweekend.com – January 21-23 edition) Though I can’t pronounce it correctly, my husband and I can tell you this. It is absolutely delicious.
As always, I messed with the recipe a bit, so this is my version of Pam Anderson’s version of pastitsio. I can’t wait to serve it to company or when our kids visit again. Give it a try and see what you think. If you create your own version, leave a comment about what you did. That’ll give me excuse to make it again!
Pastitsio
1 pound lean ground beef or lamb (I used ground beef)
6 garlic cloves
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon (you read that right, 4 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Salt and ground black pepper
1 can (28 ounces) crushed or ground, peeled tomatoes
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 pound penne
1 can (12 ounces) regular or low-fat evaporated milk (I used low fat)
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I used chicken)
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 large eggs (whisk in a small bowl)
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add ground meat. Brown, then crush 4 cloves of garlic and add them to meat, along with the cinnamon, oregano, pepper flakes, and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and sauce. (You can also add 1/4 – 1/2 cup water or red wine if you like a juicier sauce. I didn’t add either.) Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce is thick and richly flavored, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring two quarts of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to boil in a large pot. Add penne and stir frequently at first to prevent sticking. Follow cooking directions on the back of the box, then drain pasta and return it to the pot. Stir in a generous cup of the meat sauce.
Meanwhile, microwave milk and broth in a covered Pyrex bowl or measuring cup until steamy hot (the mixture, not you), about 8 – 10 minutes. Heat butter in a large sauce pan. Crush remaining two cloves of garlic and add to butter. Whisk in flour until well-blended, then slowly add hot milk mixture, whisking vigorously until sauce is smooth and starts to bubble and thicken. Stir in 1/2 cup of cheese, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Add a few tablespoons of hot mixture to eggs, while stirring eggs with a fork. Then add eggs to hot mixture, whisking vigorously. Remove from heat. (If you aren’t using white sauce immediately, place plastic wrap directly on surface to keep a skin from forming.
Spread 1/2 of pasta in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Top with meat sauce, and 1/2 cup of cheese. Add the remainder of pasta, then the white sauce, and the rest of the cheese. Cover with foil and bake on middle rack until very hot, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and turn oven to broil. Watch carefully, 2-3 minutes, until the top is spotty brown. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 – 15 minutes. Cut and serve.
by jphilo | Jan 26, 2011 | Recipes
Several years ago, in an attempt to make breakfast healthier and mornings easier, I searched for a whole grain muffin recipe to make ahead and freeze. When the search proved fruitless, I altered an oatmeal muffin recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook (1976 edition) my grandmother gave me when I got married. I exchanged sugar for honey and replaced most of the white flour with whole wheat. After three or four tries, a new breakfast favorite was born.
This recipe can be doubled or tripled. A dozen muffins fit in a gallon freezer bag. On busy mornings, take however many are needed and heat them in the microwave. Combine with fruit or fruit juice, and you’ve got a breakfast that will last until lunchtime.
Honey-Oatmeal Muffins
1 egg, beaten 1/3 cup corn oil
½ cup honey 1 cup buttermilk
1 cup whole wheat flour ¾ cup white flour
1 cup oatmeal ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl combine beaten egg, oil, buttermilk and honey. Stir. Mix the dry ingredients together and add to liquid mixture. Stir by hand until dry ingredients are moistened, but batter is still lumpy. Line muffin pan with muffin papers. Spoon batter into cups until they are ¾ full. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until the edges turn golden brown. Serve them warm. Or let them cool and store in gallon freezer bags. Makes one dozen.
by jphilo | Jan 21, 2011 | Recipes
It’s cold in Iowa today. Our thermometer said – 8 this morning. And though my grandparents used to say this kind of weather was too cold for snow, it’s snowing. Not hard, but enough to make the countryside blowy and unwelcoming.
So this is a day for comfort food, warm and homey. It’s a day for shortcuts, too, since the writing of the first draft of Different Dream Parenting has been crowding out normal, every day activities like cooking and trying new recipes. Which means this is a day for another recipe from Shadow Valley Family Camp!
This recipe comes from Hiram’s cousin, Beth. It’s easy and tasty, and makes good leftovers, though there usually isn’t much left over at Family Camp. It tasted great, eaten in the open air pavilion on the side of a mountain. And it tastes great on a cold winter night when memories of summer fun are the warmest thing in sight.
Beth’s Chicken Enchiladas
Boil a 2-3 pound chicken for two hours in salted water. When slightly cooled, pick off the meat, chop into bite-size pieces, and refrigerate.
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 tablespoons butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 small can green chilies, chopped
12 cornmeal tortillas
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brown onion in butter. Combine soups, broth, and chilies. Add chicken. Tear tortillas into small pieces and stir into soup mixture. Pour into a 9 x 13 cake pan sprayed lightly with PAM. Top with cheese. Bake 30 minutes and serve.
