Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Comfort Food--February 7, 2019

February's Recipe Club theme was Comfort Food, and we had some good options to choose from! Many of the dishes were childhood favorites.

Mary B. brought "Chicken Parmesan Casserole." She wanted to try something different and turned a classic dish into a casserole! 

Sue S. brought "Mac and Cheese." This comforting dish was a recipe she remembers her mother making and she tried to recreate it! 

Sue S. also finds comfort in delicious "Chocolate Chip Cookies." 

Sue R. made "Easy Mac & Cheese." She uses a thicker pasta and under-cooks it so it doesnt overcook during the rest of the cooking process. She also uses queso in this recipe!

Rose Mary and Fred brought "Scalloped Potatoes with Vegetables and Ham." Filled with creamy goodness, vegetables, and ham, this is a warm and comforting dish perfect for the long Wisconsin winter.

Rose Mary and Fred also brought "Chocolate Pecan Bars." Fred loves pecan pie and Rose Mary made these bars for him!

Pat R. made "Bread Pudding." Her mom used to make it when she was a kid, and so she made this comforting dish to share.

Roger made "Tater Tot Casserole." This type of dish is popular in the Midwest and is really easy to throw together!

Josh brought "Sloppy Joes." It's his wife's favorite dish that his mother-in-law makes! 

I brought "Creamy Butternut Squash-Apple Soup." Slightly sweet and savory, this soup will warm you up during the cold winter months.

There were many great recipes shared and more to try next time! Getting hungry? Join us March 7 at 6:30pm at Franklin Public Library. The theme is Casserole Cooking--Whether it's breakfast, lunch, or dinner, casseroles are filling for any meal of the day!


All you have to do to join is cook a dish from the monthly theme, and bring the dish and the recipe to the meeting! It's as easy as pie! See you soon!

Chocolate Pecan Bars

Ingredients:

  • 1-1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup dark corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 squares semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled (3 tbsp. chocolate chips)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1-1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
  2. Sift the 1-1/2 cups flour, cinnamon and baking powder into a large bowl; stir in the 1/2 cup brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Pat into greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan. 
  3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove to wire rack. Leave oven on.
  4. Beat eggs, remaining brown sugar, syrup, remaining flour, chocolate , vanilla and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until blended. Pour over dough layer in baking pan. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. 
  5. Return to oven and bake 30 minutes longer. Cool on wire rack. Cut into bars.
Serves: 24

Submitted by Rose Mary Walecki

Scalloped Potatoes with Vegetables and Ham

Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 4 carrots, sliced 
  • 1-2 medium onions, chopped
  • 4 stalks of celery, sliced
  • 1/4 cup red pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 cup broccoli
  • 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
  • 1 lb. ham, cubed
  • 5 tbsp. butter
  • 5 tbsp. flour
  • 5 cups milk (or 2-1-2 cups milks and 2 -1/2 cups broth)
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • 5 lbs. potatoes, sliced
  • 1 lb. cheese, shredded
  • 2 tbsp. Penzy's Sunny Paris seasoning
  • 1-2 tbsp. roasted garlic
Directions:
  1. Heat frying pan and add 2 tsp. olive oil. Saute vegetables in stages beginning with the carrots and adding the next vegetable when previous vegetable has had a couple minutes to cook. (Do not add broccoli.)
  2. Remove vegetables and reduce heat to medium. Melt butter in pan, add flour, and stir. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add liquid and scrape side of pan gently to remove the glaze formed by the vegetables. Add pepper. Add potatoes and cook to desired doneness. add ham and vegetables. Add cheese and stir until smooth. Thin with additional broth as needed. Add broccoli 5 minutes before serving and stir. 
*NOTE: This dish can be baked in the oven at 350°F for 1-1-1/2 hours, cooked on the stovetop, or in the the slow cooker on LOW for 4-6 hours.

Submitted by Rose Mary Walecki


Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

  • 3 lbs. ground beef
  • 1/3 cup vinegar
  • 1-1/2 cups water
  • 2 cups ketchup
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup chopped onions
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 tbsp. dry mustard
  • 1/2 tbsp. salt
Directions:
  1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet.
  2. Combine remaining ingredients in a slow cooker. Add the ground beef to the sauce mixture.
  3. Set slow cooker to LOW and cook for 6 hours.
Submitted by Josh Price

Tater Tot Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 lb. ground pork
  • 1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
  • 1 (8 oz.) can mushrooms, stems and pieces
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 stalk of celery, chopped
  • 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
  • 1 cup frozen green beans
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • Bag of frozen tater tots
Directions:
  1. Fry and drain beef and pork. Remove from pan and set aside.
  2. In same pan, saute onion, celery, corn, and beans until tender. Add soups, mushrooms with juice, seasonings, and meat to pan. Add more liquid (water, stock, or milk) as needed and simmer to preferred thickness. 
  3. Bake tater tots for extra crispiness. 
  4. Place meat mixture in the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 inch roasting pan.cover with one layer of tater tots and bake assembled casserole at 350°F to 400°F until entire dish is hot and bubbly. If preferred, cover with 1-2 cups cheese of choice for last 10-15 minutes. 
  5. Try any variations of ingredients and spices to make it your own.
Submitted by Roger Torgerson

Creamy Butternut Squash-Apple Soup

The "Creamy Butternut Squash-Apple Soup" can be found in Everyday Slow Cooker: 130 Modern Recipes with 40 Gluten-Free Dishes and 50 Multicooker Variations by Cooking Light.

Submitted by Sarah Bublitz


Cooking Light. “Creamy Butternut Squash-Apple Soup.” Everyday Slow Cooker: 130 Modern Recipes, with 40 Gluten-Free Dishes and 50 Multicooker Variations. New York, NY: Oxmoor House, 2018. Print. 213.

Bread Pudding

The "Bread Pudding" recipe by ELLENMARIE can be found at Allrecipes.

Submitted by Pat Reilly


ELLENMARIE. "Bread Pudding." Allrecipes, https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/7177/bread-pudding-ii/. Accessed 6 March 2019.

Easy Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

  • 1 (16 oz.) box Cellantani pasta
  • 1 (15 oz.) jar queso cheese sauce
  • 1 cup shredded cheese
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 8 oz. bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
  • Milk, if needed
Directions:
  1. Cook the pasta for 10 minutes; drain. Return pasta to pot.
  2. Add queso, cheese, salt, pepper, and bacon to pot and combine.
  3. Add milk, if needed, to gain desired creaminess.
Submitted by Sue Richichi