My kind of casserole: Mushroom and Bacon Barley Casserole

In hate to admit it, but I'm a bit of a food snob.  I prefer homemade mac and cheese to the stuff in the blue box, I won't eat plastic that comes in individually wrapped slices masquerading as cheese, and the idea of a casserole usually doesn't interest me.

It's not so much the idea of the casserole, as the idea of certain kinds of casseroles.  Growing up in Western PA, the typical casserole was a combination of meat, cream of ____ soup, and potato chips.  Sort of an odd conglomeration.  But really, any dish that combines various ingredients and is baked is a casserole.  And if the ingredients are good, the casserole is the perfect kind of meal.

This casserole is chock full of deliciousness.  I love the chewiness of barley, so a dish in which it stars is usually a good start.  Add in some dark green spinach, some earthy mushrooms and some melty cheese and you're almost home-free.  And of course, everything is better with bacon.

Mushroom and Bacon Barley Casserole (From Prevention RD)

4 cups beef broth

3 cups water

8 slices nitrate-free bacon, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1 Tbsp thyme, minced

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups pearl barley

1/3 cup Madeira wine

4 oz gruyere, shredded

1/2 cup sundried tomato halves, chopped

2 tsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Bring stock and 3 cups of water to a simmer in a saucepan.
2. Cook bacon until crisp, remove and set aside.
3. Add onion, thyme, and garlic to bacon grease and saute until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
4. Add mushrooms and salt and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Stir in barley and cook for 1 minute.
6. Add Madeira and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the wine is absorbed.
7. Reduce heat to medium and stir in 2 cups of the broth.  Cook until the liquid is dearly absorbed.
8. Add remaining broth mixture, 1 cup at a time, letting each addition get absorbed by the barley before adding in the next.
9. Stir in half of the gruyere, the tomatoes, soy sauce, pepper, spinach, and bacon (chopped).  Place the mixture in a baking dish.
10. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake 15-20 minutes.

Tea and Peppers: Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole

 

Last Thursday Thatbaby's daycare held their annual Mother's Day Tea.  Thatbaby's class made our welcome sign.

Thatbaby was in rare form.  Mostly because there was a table of food.  And where there's a table of food, you will find my guy standing beside it asking for more.  He did take a break to give me a flower.

But then he took it back and gave it to one of his classmates.  I eventually got it back because his friend was totally confused by the gift and handed it over to me.  After several meltdowns involving all the crackers being gone and my refusal to let him walk around with a hand of melty chocolate pastry, we headed home, where I opened the gift he made me this year.

There are very few things moms like better than a handmade gift (At least at this age.  I'm not sure how I'd feel about a handprint once Thatbaby is 25), but an easy dinner ranks right up there.  This goes along with my favorite "dump in a pan and bake" cooking I've been doing lately.  Especially because lately I've been cooking after dinner for the next day, so it's ready to go when we get home and I can go for a run later.   Casseroles are perfect for this, because they don't take a lot of time in the kitchen and they reheat really well.

Bell Pepper Casserole (From Branny Boils Over)

 1 lb ground beef

 2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 large bell peppers, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp worcester sauce
pepper
1 cup brown rice
2 cups chicken broth, heated
2 cups shredded cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350.  Heat a skillet over medium heat and brown beef.
2. Combine beef with the remaining ingredients (except for the cheese) in a casserole dish.  Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.
3. Uncover (but reserve the foil!) and add cheese. Bake for additional 15 minutes.
4. Remove from oven, put the foil back on and let stand for 15 minutes or until rice has absorbed all broth.  Serve.

An Ode to Quinoa: Southwestern Quinoa Casserole

 On Saturday, Thatbaby and I made "Oobleck" a cornstarch and water mixture that is both a solid and a liquid.  Quinoa is food's version of Oobleck.   It's a seed that seems to be both a protein and a grain.  In a way it's really all three.

Because it's grainlike, it works as a fantastic substitute for couscous, rice, or the like, but it's a seed, so you can feel so much better about eating it.  Add the fact that it carries a hefty amount of protein makes it almost the perfect food.

We do our fair amount of quinoa eating here.  I feel like it factors into at least one lunch or dinner during the week.  I tend to make a large portion over the weekend to use for lunches or dinners.

When I saw this recipe, I knew it would be a great use for quinoa.  We don't usually do baked quinoa, but there's no reason why not to, and the rest of the ingredients are those that we're big fans of.

Southwestern Quinoa Casserole (From Muses and Meringues)

• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

• 1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped

• 2 cooked chicken breasts, diced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp taco seasoning
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded monterey jack
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 tsp cold butter, cut into small pieces

1. Preheat oven to 375. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.  Mix together all ingredients but the panko and butter in a large bowl.
2. Pour into the baking dish and sprinkle with panko.
3. Dot butter evenly over the panko and bake for 45 minutes.  

Subbing in

There is something necessarily comforting about the casserole.  The creaminess of it, the heat, scooping it out of a casserole dish and onto an awaiting plate.

However, I frequently have an issue with the ingredients in casserole.  I tend to create my own rather than working with a recipe that calls for things I can't stand, like mayonnaise or cream of X soup.  The plus side of making my own casseroles, means I have a fairly good base of knowledge on how to create the same delicious effect without those ingredients.

When looking for a way to use up some leftover water chestnuts (HA!  I bet you thought I was going to say Chipotles!)  I stumbled across the recipe for an "Unforgettable Chicken Casserole."  It's been a while since we had casserole, and I liked the idea of using the water chestnuts in a non-stirfry type dish.  But this is one of the most stereotypical casserole dishes out there and therefore had to be grossly modified to pass muster on my table.

The original recipe calls for 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup mayonnaise, and a can of cream of chicken soup.  Just thinking about it almost makes me arteries close up in protest.  To be fair, I can't promise that my solution is much healthier - butter isn't winning any awards lately,  but I do prefer a nice white sauce as a base, and then I can control the fats and sodium that go into it.  Typically I would make this white sauce with skim milk.  It's just how we do things around here.  But to get the "sour cream" kick, I made this with lowfat buttermilk.  Buttermilk and chicken just go so well together.  In fact, the only thing that buttermilk and chicken need to sweeten the pot is nice quick fry.  Which is accomplished by topping the casserole with fried onion strings.  The onion strings are also part of the original recipe - calling for a can of them.  However, once again I like to take matters into my own hand where I have more control, and I made my own.  And it's a great way to use up some of that buttermilk you now have hanging out in your fridge!

Buttermilk Chicken Casserole (adapted from Unforgettable Chicken Casserole)

1 large sweet onion (vidalia, maui, etc.), sliced thin

3 cups of buttermilk

1/2 cup of flour 

canola or peanut oil (for frying)

4 Tbsp butter

3 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 cups finely chopped celery

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1. Make the onion rings.  Separate the slices of onions into their rings.  Put them in a shallow dish and pour 1 cup of the buttermilk over.  Soak for 30 minutes, turning halfway through.
2. Spread 1/4 cup of the flour in another shallow dish and dip the rings into this mixture, coating them completely.
3. Heat the oil to 370.  Fry the rings in batches until they are golden brown - you want them pretty crispy for this dish.  Place on paper towel to drain.
4. While onions are cooling, preheat the oven to 350 and melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.  
5. Add the remaining flour, stirring until combined.  Continue cooking and stirring until a bubbly paste forms.
6. Slowly pour in the remaining buttermilk, stirring as it is added in.  Continue cooking until the sauce thickens (2-3 minutes).
7. Add the chicken, celery, cheese, water chestnuts and almonds to the sauce.  Stir until combined and then spoon into a casserole dish. Bake for 40 minutes.
8. Crumble the onion rings over the top of the casserole. Bake 5 more minutes or until bubbly around edges. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Shower the People You Love with Love

We headed out of town this weekend for a very very important reason.  K1's baby shower!!!! When we met with them to tell them about my pregnancy last year the Ks confided that they had just started trying for a baby themselves.  After months with no success, the Ks planned an anniversary trip to Spain.  "You know what this means, don't you?"  I told them.  "Now that you've planned this trip, you're going to end up pregnant."  I love being right.

The Ks are expecting their little boy at the end of  April, so we all gathered this weekend to shower this beautiful mother-to-be with love and presents!

K1 is another one of those gorgeous pregnant women.  I mean, look at this picture.  With the present on her lap you can't even tell she's pregnant.  Which shows all her pregnancy weight is in her chest and stomach - the best places for pregnancy weight to be!

And in just a few short months, Thatbaby will have a new friend to play with!  We just can't wait.  I know they're probably equally as anxious although K1 thinks they're not ready.   I assured her that in just a couple more weeks she'll be more than ready to have that baby on the outside!

Sunday we spent the day catching up with friends and family.  I met up with a mutual friend who couldn't make it to the shower and filled her in on all that she'd missed.  Good thing I took a lot of pictures!  And then it was lunch with Thatbrother and UDubb.  All that running around town meant we got in a little later Sunday night than we were anticipating, but that's okay because I had dinner preparations all ready to go.

I love meal planning because when we get home late I can easily throw it together.  This was a weekend meal, but Sunday nights never feel like a weekend when you're trying to get ready for the upcoming week.  It comes together really quickly when you have cooked chicken all ready to go.

 Chicken Marsala Casserole

3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup hot milk

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 sprig of thyme
1 sprig of parsley
1/4 cup Marsala wine
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

2 cups cooked chicken, diced
2 Tbsp breadcrumbs

1. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a small saucepan.  Slowly stir in the flour and heat until a paste forms.  Slowly stir in the hot milk.  Continue to stir and cook until bubbling.  Cook 2-3 minutes more.  Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350.  Heat olive oil and remaining butter in a new saucepan.  Add the mushrooms, onion, thyme, and parsley.   Cook until the onions are translucent.
3. Stir in the Marsala and remove from heat. 
4. Add the sauce from the first pan,  2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, and the chicken. Pour all of this into a casserole dish.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs over the mixture. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook for 5-10 minutes, until breadcrumbs are golden brown.

The beginning for birthday boy

A couple of weeks ago, when we were both still home with the new baby, Thatboy went surfing with one of his friends. When they came back, the two were talking about Thatboy's upcoming birthday. The friend noted that Thatboy had already declared that this year his birthday "was going to suck."

His birthday has always been a little on the sucky side. It's hard having a birthday the week of Thanksgiving. It is always overshadowed. And his parents never really did anything to celebrate his birthday separately from Thanksgiving. Instead they just added an ice cream cake onto Thanksgiving dinner. Even when we used to go up at the beginning of November to celebrate his brother's birthday, Thatboy's birthday was never acknowledged.

And then, of course, he met me. While dating, we still did separate family Thanksgivings, but once we were married he started attending the one my family hosted. And I started making a big deal of his birthday. The first year I decorated our entire apartment with balloons and streamers while he was out surfing. And when we reached my parent's home for Thanksgiving dinner, it was similarly outfitted. Since then, I've always made a big point of making his birthday extra special - whether that meant a surprise trip to Vegas to see one of his best friends, or driving around Thatboy and 14 of his favorite friends on a beer extravaganza.

This year, however, I really dropped the ball planning-wise. I blame the whirlwind that was our life in October, but at the same time, feel like I certainly had enough time to do something. And so last weekend the call went out. I emailed a couple of his friends to see if we could get together as a mini-surprise for his birthday and planned a day of fun for him. I'll fill you in on that tomorrow.

One of the people I reached out to was Workwife, who then decided to take it upon herself to make sure there was also a work celebration for Thatboy. (See - that's why she's his Workwife.) She initially emailed me to see if Thatbaby and I could make it to a lunch next Tuesday, but when I pointed out that Thatboy would be out of town for work that day she moved the lunch to Friday.

And so Thatbaby and I headed downtown yesterday to join in the frivolities with Thatboy and his coworkers at Extraordinary Desserts. Thatboy was very excited to try their dulce de leche cake which he had seen on Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate." What? Your husband doesn't watch the Food Network when left to his own devices? There must have been nothing on Fuel TV. So after our lunches he ordered a slice and it was passed along the table. The consensus was that although the cake was delicious and decadent, it was a bit of a misnomer to call it a dulce de leche cake. More like a "chocolate cake with a smear of dulce de leche on top."

When Thatbaby and I got home, I set about making a quick and easy dinner. I know, you're all anticipating pasta, but I thought I would change it up a bit. It'd been a while since we'd had chicken, so I decided now was as good a time as any to start working it back into our meal plan. The original Tuesday lunch plan was at a Mexican restaurant, so when we switched over to Extraordinary Desserts I still had a hankering for something with a bit of Mexican flavor. Good thing I keep tortillas in the freezer! A casserole style dish is one of the easiest ways to make an easy dinner - since I can get all the flavors without having to stand over the stove playing with spices and heat. Just layer it all up and let the oven do the work.

And, like I said before, I'm going through a mild obsession with celery root. This one does require some standing over the stove time, but it cooks so quickly that I could wait until Thatboy came home and took over the baby to make it. And it combines some fantastic fall flavors - celery root, apple, and grape. With the cider and grape it's also good for those of you with a sweet tooth. Maybe not an extraordinary dessert, but definitely an above average side.

Taco Lasagna
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 can diced green chiles
16 0z of salsa
1 cup sour cream
12 corn tortillas
1 cup shredded "Mexican style" cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine chicken, chiles, salsa, and sour cream in a bowl.
   
2. Heat the corn tortillas. I place them over a burner on my gas stovetop till they get fire roasted. Use 4 of the tortillas to cover the bottom of an 8x8 square baking dish.
3. Place half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas and sprinkle with 1/3 cup of cheese.
4. Repeat with 4 more tortillas, the rest of the chicken mixture, and another 1/3 cup of cheese.
5. Place the final four tortillas on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 30 minutes

Celery Root with Grapes
1 celery root
1 cup apple cider
juice of 1 lemon
3 Tbsp of butter
1 Tbsp of parsley, minced
1 cup of green grapes
salt and pepper

1. Peel and slice the celery root. Place the celery root, cider, lemon juice and butter in a saucepan, cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, or until the celery root is tender.
2. Add the butter, parsley, grapes, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat through.
   

My Lazarus Rice Cooker

I have a deep, dark, kitchen secret. I probably have more than one, but the one I'm referring to is my complete inability to cook rice. I'm not sure what it is about it, not that it's that difficult, but it either comes out a soupy mess or it burns to the pot.

When Thatboy and I were married, we registered for a life-changing device. (Other than the Kitchenaid, of course). I'm talking about a rice cooker. This thing is a godsend. I honestly can't mess up rice in this thing. Not only that, but it also works as a steamer and a slow cooker. (I did say it was life changing.) I haven't messed up rice in almost 5 years!

About a month ago, I went to make rice for dinner. I poured in the rice, the water, and plugged in the rice cooker. Nothing. No helpful light, no indication that the thing was on. I was devastated. I mean, for electronics 5 years is a good stretch, but how on earth was I going to survive if I have to make rice on my own?

Given the move, I put the rice cooker up on a high shelf with plans to dump it before our move. And then, since most of our other appliances were already packed, last week I decided to give it one last go before bidding a fond farewell. And you'll never guess what happened. That's right - lights, action, rice cooking!

I can't even begin to tell you how much this made my night, my week, and obviously, my dinner. Which meant today I had to find a box to put the rice cooker in, but well worth it. I'm sure you'll agree.

Lamb and Rice Casserole
1 cup cooked lamb
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 Tbsp onion, diced
1/4 cup chicken broth
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup cracker crumbs (I'm really into the all bran crackers right now, but you use what you like)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Combine the lamb, rice, onion, chicken broth and lemon juice in a bowl.
2. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Place in casserole.
3. Combine the melted butter and cracker crumbs and sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Cover and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes.
   

Not Your Mama's Casserole

When I was growing up in Small Town, Pennsylvania any "life event" would involve the neighbors bringing over a covered casserole. These casseroles were always kind of gross. Basically they were some form of meat (usually chicken) coated in cream of soup with potato chips sprinkled on top.

It made me start dreading casseroles. In my head they always looked like something congealed.

But this, this casserole is probably my favorite casserole of all times. I found it in the Fannie Farmer Cookbook (natch). No cream of anything soup, instead this casserole features a tomato sauce. And add in some feta and brown rice and it's almost *whispers* healthy. Well, as healthy as any casserole can be. I love the tang the feta and olives add, tempered by the sweet mellowness of the tomatoes and Parmesean. It's like Italy and Greece got together with your favorite hippy friend to create this dish.

Beef, Brown Rice, and Feta Casserole (From the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 cup canned tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 /2 cups cooked beef, chopped
3 oz feta cheese, crumbled
6 black olives, pitted and sliced
2 Tbsp grated Parmesean cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400. Saute onion in oil for 5 minutes and add the tomatoes and garlic. Cook 10 minutes.
2. Add salt and pepper to taste, then mushrooms. Cook another 5 minutes.
3. Line the bottom of a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with 1 cup of rice.
4. Add the cooked beef and sprinkle feta over. Then sprinkle olives and half the sauce.
5. Add the remaining rice and the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesean. Bake 20 minutes.
   

Deep in the Heart of Texas

I've only been to Texas once. It was an eye opening experience. As with most places I traveled, I fell in love with certain things. Houston didn't thrill me, but Austin was full of life, music, and bats. San Antonio was charming, with the river winding through town, and of course, The Alamo.

Growing up on the East Coast, we didn't learn much about the history of the West Coast. Pretty much California was introduced only through the Gold Rush. Anything between the Mississippi and the Pacific Ocean was pretty much a blip. So I knew NOTHING about The Alamo. I guzzle up history with glee, so I could have spent days wandering the site and trying to read everything.

Texas food is known to be big and bold on flavors. Barbecue, Mexican, even their very own Tex-Mex style. So when I spotted a recipe for "Texas Hash" in my Fannie Farmer Bible, I knew it would be brimming with taste. It's almost like my favorite beanless chili, with rice and cheese. Are you sold yet? If you want to get technical, it's definitely a stovetop casserole. Meat, veggies, rice, and cheese baked together in a sauce made from tomatoes. It's a one pot wonder that will have you leaving your heart in Texas.

Texas Hash (From the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)
1 onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 tsp chili powder
16 oz can of tomatoes
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
salt
3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1. Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the onion, celery, pepper until tender.
2. Add the meat and brown.
3. Add the chili powder and tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the rice and heat until the rice is warmed through.
5. Pour into a shallow baking dish, top with cheese and run under the broiler for a minute or two until it bubbles.