Vanishing Velveeta

According to news reports, Velveeta -- the processed cheese known for its creaminess when melted -- is in short supply.  I only use Velveeta in queso dip so I'm not too worried yet.  Other people, though, use Velveeta regularly in a variety of dishes from appetizers to entrees, sides and, believe it or not, even dessert.  If you rely on Velveeta for broccoli rice casserole, here's a recipe that will make you forget all about the shortage.  

I don't remember when or where I first discovered broccoli rice casserole. My mother never made it so I probably tried it at a church potluck or a friend's house.  My mother-in-law used to make it and gave me a copy of her recipe.  I tried making it like she did with Cheez Whiz, but my husband thought it was too cheesy.  The next time I used her recipe, I substituted grated Cheddar cheese, but it still wasn't as good as the casserole I fondly remembered from my youth.  I tried several other recipes unsuccessfully and resigned myself to the fact that I'd probably only enjoy this casserole when I could find it on the menu at a restaurant.  

A couple of years ago, an acquaintance shared her broccoli rice casserole recipe with me.  It was similar in some ways to the recipes I'd tried in the past, but at the same time different enough that it piqued my interest.

The recipe starts like most broccoli rice casseroles by sauteing chopped onion in margarine.  However, the broccoli, instead of being cooked separately in a pot of water, is sauteed with the onion.  I think the texture and flavor of the broccoli is better when it's sauteed rather than boiled.

Evaporated milk and soup are stirred into the sauteed mixture.  Instead of the traditional cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup, this recipe uses a can of broccoli cheese soup.  This adds additional broccoli -- even if it is tiny -- and, more importantly, cheese.  However, it's not the only source of cheese in the recipe.  The casserole gets it cheesiness not from Velveeta, Cheez Whiz or grated cheese, but from a can of Cheddar cheese soup! 

Cooked long grain rice -- no Minute rice in this recipe -- is mixed in before the dish goes into the oven.

I've written more than once that I'm a creature of habit, especially when it comes to ordering food in a restaurant.  When I find something I like at a restaurant, I tend to order it every single time I eat there.  One of my favorite restaurants has broccoli rice casserole on the menu.  I always order it with cooked cabbage, lima beans, sweet potato casserole and a corn muffin. This is how I serve the casserole at home for a meatless meal, except I omit the cabbage since I'm the only one that likes it. 

Hopefully, the vanishing Velveeta will be back on store shelves soon.  I certainly hope it will be plentiful when Cinco de Mayo rolls around so I can make queso dip.  To be on the safe side, though, I'm going to pick up a box the next time I'm at the grocery.  After all, I can't make queso dip without Velveeta!

Broccoli Rice Casserole

6 to 8 Servings

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped broccoli

1 Tbsp. butter or margarine

1 (5 oz.) can evaporated milk

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can broccoli cheese soup (undiluted)

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can Cheddar cheese soup (undiluted)

1 cup long grain rice, cooked according to pkg. directions

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute onion and broccoli in butter or margarine 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove skillet from the heat and stir in milk and soups until smooth.  Stir in rice.  Pour into a greased 2-quart baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350° for 45 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly.

© Margaret's Morsels 

Best of 2013

This is the time of year when TV news shows and newspapers have stories that highlight the year in review.  With that in mind, I thought I'd count down the top 10 most viewed recipes I posted during 2013. Some of the top 10 came as a surprise, but none more than the recipe that took the number one spot.  I almost didn't post the recipe because I was afraid it wouldn't appeal to many people.  I'm glad this old family favorite was a hit with my readers!  

10.  Strawberry Delight Cake:  A cake recipe that doesn't require any baking!  It doesn't get much easier than that!

9.  Peanut Butter Fudge:  If you think you can't make candy, think again! There's no cooking involved, unless softening ingredients in a microwave counts as cooking!

8.  Carrot Cake:  This cake takes some time to make, but it's worth the effort!  Unlike most carrot cake recipes, this one doesn't use pineapple.

7.  Chocolate Dream Pie:  A chocoholics dream.  A pie that only uses four ingredients and half of them are chocolate!  

6.  Chicken Parmesan:  This version is baked not fried.  It's also kid friendly, delicious and ready in under an hour!

5.  Salisbury Steak:  A tasty one dish recipe that turns ground beef from ho hum to wow!

4.  Cherry Pie Filling Salad:  This versatile dish can be served as a salad or dessert.  It can also be frozen in paper baking cups for a cold treat on a hot summer day!

3. Unfried Refried Beans:  These beans look and taste like refried beans, but there's a twist.  They're not fried at all!

2.  Eggs Benedict Casserole:  You don't have to poach a single egg to make this version of Eggs Benedict.  With this recipe, it's easy to make brunch for a bunch!

1.  Loaf Cake:  This unfrosted, made from scratch, plain pound cake made with my grandmother's recipe was the most popular recipe I posted this year.  It's an oldie, but goodie!

As 2013 draws to a close, I want to thank everyone for reading Margaret's Morsels.  I especially appreciate the comments, emails and feedback. This interaction is what makes sharing the recipes worthwhile!  This year was challenging on several levels and I wasn't able to post as frequently as I wanted.  Hopefully, I'll be sharing a lot more recipes in 2014.  My husband gave me a 35mm camera with lenses and some other blogging necessities for Christmas, so I have some things in mind for Margaret's Morsels in 2014.  In the meantime, 

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS!!!!!

© Margaret's Morsels  

Crazy about Carrots

My Thanksgiving table will look different this year.  Thirteen family members will be absent and two, who normally don't come for Thanksgiving, will be here this year.  There will still be slices of turkey on a colorful platter; a big bowl of cornbread dressing; potato salad made with my mom's recipe; Aaron's green beans; a basket of homemade rolls hot from the oven; gravy in a turkey shaped gravy bowl; a congealed cranberry salad; a pitcher of refreshing fruit tea and, for dessert, pecan pie and pumpkin pie. Different faces around the table won't be the only difference, though. Sweet potatoes -- either in the form of sweet potato souffle or quick and easy candied sweet potatoes -- will be noticeably absent.  This year, sweet potatoes are being replaced by Carrot Souffle.

Carrot souffle isn't a souffle in the true sense of the word.  Traditionally, a souffle is comprised of two parts:  a thick egg based sauce or puree which gives the souffle flavor and beaten egg whites which gives the souffle lift. Carrot souffle doesn't use beaten egg whites which makes it more of a puree:  a thick, soft dish made by processing cooked food through a sieve or mixing it with a mixer, blender or food processor.  Carrot souffle definitely sounds more appealing than carrot puree!

I have three versions of this recipe, but the one I'm sharing is my favorite because it uses less sugar than the others.  Carrots are naturally sweet and, in my opinion, don't need as much sugar as the amounts called for in the other recipes.  I use baby cut carrots for two reasons.  One, I always have them on hand.  Two, I don't have to peel and cut the carrots, a real time saver when you're cooking a holiday meal.  Another way to save time is to assemble the remaining ingredients while the carrots are cooking in boiling water.

 The cooked carrots

When the carrots are tender, drain them thoroughly and combine them with the remaining ingredients.  One ingredient, baking powder, acts as a leavening agent.  However, don't expect the souffle to rise to the top of the baking dish like a souffle made with beaten egg whites.  It actually rises very little, if any.

Ready to be baked

A nice touch is to bake the souffle in a souffle dish -- a round bowl with straight edges -- but it can be baked in any 2-quart baking dish.  Grease the dish and coat it with granulated sugar.  Sprinkle the sugar in the bottom of the dish and rotate it like you would if you were coating a cake pan with flour, making sure to coat the bottom and sides.  The sugar adds a slight crust around the edges and additional sweetness to the cooked shuffle. Add the carrot mixture and bake until the souffle is set in the center when pressed lightly with your fingertip.

The souffle can be served hot, but I think it tastes better lukewarm.  This is helpful at the holidays since the souffle can be cooling while the rest of the food cooks in the oven.  I let the souffle cool 30 minutes on a wire rack before garnishing the top with powdered sugar. The easiest way to add the powdered sugar is to put it in a small mesh strainer and sprinkle it on the souffle.

If you want to cut out the additional sugar, serve it plain.

Carrot souffle is a nice change of pace from traditional sweet potatoes. Like sweet potatoes,  it's orange and sweet, but unlike sweet potatoes, most kids eat carrots!

Carrot Souffle

8 to 10 Servings

2 lb. peeled carrots

1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs (room temperature)

1/4 cup butter, softened

powdered sugar (for garnish; optional)

Put carrots in a large saucepan and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook carrots 30 to 45 minutes, until very tender.  Drain.  Heat oven to 350°.  Lightly grease a 2-quart souffle dish. Coat the bottom and sides with 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.  Set aside.  Put carrots in a mixing bowl and add the flour, baking powder, vanilla and 3/4 cup sugar.  Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add butter and mix well.  Put carrot mixture in prepared souffle dish.  Bake 45 minutes, until souffle is set in center when lightly pressed with fingertip.  Let cool 30 minutes on a wire rack.  Sprinkle powdered sugar on top, if desired, and serve.

© Margaret's Morsels 

Spotlight on Summer: Picnic Fare and Quick Cooking

Last week, I posted links to previous blogs that contained recipes for cool and creamy foods.  Today, in part two of the series, I'm doing the same thing, but with foods that are good to take on a picnic or can be prepared on busy summer days with very little effort.  Click the words in bold to go to the page with the recipe.

Picnic Fare:

What better way to celebrate summer than with a picnic?  Picnics are fun, but be sure to keep food safety in mind:  keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold!

Chicken Salad:  This has been my favorite chicken salad recipe for over 20 years!  When I take it on picnics, I serve it just like I do at home:  on a plate with croissants on the side.  If you want to use it for sandwiches, keep the chicken salad in the cooler and assemble the sandwiches when you're ready to eat.  This will keep the sandwiches from getting soggy.

Deviled Eggs:  I like to take chicken salad on a picnic, but my mother liked to take fried chicken.  To accompany the chicken, she always took a batch of deviled eggs.  They're better made the day before so you can pack and go the day of the picnic.  Make sure to leave them in the cooler until you're ready to eat.

Fruit Salad:  My grandmother made this simple salad -- apples, bananas, crushed pineapple and orange juice -- for my mom and her siblings; my mom made it for her kids and now I make it for my family.  It's ideal for a picnic because it doesn't contain mayonnaise, sour cream or Cool Whip. Serve it straight from the cooler as a refreshing fruit salad or as dessert.

Peanut Butter Cookies:  No one will ever guess these cookies only use three ingredients.  They bake in just minutes so you can whip up a batch at the spur of the moment.  They're also easy to pack and mess free since they're not frosted.

Mini Mason Jar Cakes:  Mason jars aren't just for canning anymore.  You can use the four ounce jars to make cute desserts -- cakes, cobblers, pies and crisps -- that are wonderful for a picnic or casual get together.  Don't forget to pack spoons!

Fruit Tea:  Soft drinks and Kool-Aid might be easy to pack for a picnic, but they're not as refreshing as an ice cold glass of fruit tea.  This dressed up sweet tea uses lemon juice, pineapple juice and, the secret ingredient, ginger ale!

Quick Cooking:

Life tends to move a little slower in the summer.  The weather is warmer, days are longer and there's more to do outside.  Who wants to be stuck inside cooking?  These recipes let you put dinner on the table without having to do a lot of work or get the kitchen too hot.

Sauteed Pork Chops:  You won't heat up the kitchen when you cook these pork chops.  They cook in just 11 minutes!  The only thing you need other than the ingredients is a skillet with a lid.

Easy Pork Chops and Apples:  This dish is as easy as they come.  You don't even have to brown the pork chops or cut and peel the apples.  Cook a vegetable separately and you've got a meal that's very easy to prepare.  

Hamburger Macaroni Casserole:  A reader once described this dish as homemade Hamburger Helper, but better.  The macaroni doesn't even have to be cooked separately.  Everything is cooked in the same pan and, from start to finish, takes less than 45 minutes to cook.

Marinated Baked Chicken:  This dish takes very little work, but you do need to plan ahead since the chicken has to be marinated overnight.  The marinade is super easy to mix up:  you use equal parts of Italian salad dressing and soy sauce.  The recipe can easily be doubled or, if necessary, halved.

Broccoli with Lemon:  This recipe starts with fresh steamed broccoli.  If you don't have time to steam the broccoli, microwave a package of fresh broccoli florets that's sold in a microwave-safe bag.  You can mix up the rest of the ingredients while the broccoli is in the microwave.

Potato Salad:  You might not think of this dish as quick, but it can be when you don't have to peel, cut and boil potatoes.  Ore-Ida Steam 'n Mash cut Russet potatoes -- which cook in only 10 minutes in the microwave -- can be substituted for fresh potatoes.  No one will ever taste the difference.

Check back next week for this series finale:  foods that won't heat up the kitchen.

© Margaret's Morsels

Say Cheese: Vegetable Edition

A couple of years ago, I shared a recipe for fresh steamed broccoli with lemon -- not cheese -- sauce.  When I don't have fresh broccoli on hand or I want to serve something a little fancier, I pull out a recipe my mom used to make called Broccoli Au Gratin.  The name may sound intimidating, but the recipe is really easy to make.  Au gratin is just a French word that means to sprinkle food with bread crumbs, grated cheese, or both and then brown it in the oven.

Instead of fresh broccoli, this casserole uses a 16 ounce package of frozen chopped broccoli that's cooked according to package directions.  While the broccoli is cooking, crumble enough Ritz crackers to equal 1/2 cup crumbs -- about 13 crackers.  The easiest and neatest way to do this is to put the crackers in a plastic bag

and crush them with your hands.

When the broccoli is almost done, bring a can of undiluted cream of chicken soup to a boil over low heat.

Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the grated cheese until it's melted.

I use 98% fat-free soup which has less sodium than regular soup.  For that reason, I stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt when I add the cheese.

Thoroughly drain the broccoli, stir it in the soup mixture and spread it in a greased casserole dish.

Most recipes call for cracker crumbs to be combined with melted butter or dotted with butter, but not this one.  It doesn't use any butter.  I actually prefer it this way because the crumbs won't be soggy when you reheat the leftovers.  Sprinkle the cracker crumbs on top 

and bake the casserole at 350° for 30 minutes.

My mom served Broccoli Au Gratin with a variety of entrees, but I especially like to serve it with Microwave Tuna and Noodle Parmesan.

No matter what you choose to serve it with, the recipe is a nice alternative to steamed broccoli.  It's also an easy, tasty and inexpensive way to dress up an ordinary package of frozen chopped broccoli.

Broccoli Au Gratin

6 Servings

1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped broccoli, cooked and drained

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup (undiluted)*

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup crushed Ritz cracker crumbs (approximately 13 crackers)

Cook broccoli according to package directions; drain.  Bring undiluted soup to a boil over low heat; remove from heat and stir in cheese until it's melted.  Stir in broccoli.  Place mixture in a greased casserole dish; sprinkle with cracker crumbs.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

*If using 98% fat-free soup, add 1/2 teaspoon salt when you add the cheese.

© Margaret's Morsels

Brunch for a Bunch

  

I've always thought eggs Benedict was the perfect brunch dish.  Not only is it delicious, it also looks elegant:  a toasted English muffin topped with Canadian bacon, poached egg and a dollop of Hollandaise sauce.  As much as I like eggs Benedict, it wasn't something I wanted to fix at home, especially for a lot of people.  Poaching all those eggs wasn't something I wanted to do!  A couple of years ago, I found a recipe in the newspaper that lets me serve eggs Benedict without poaching a single egg!

Eggs Benedict Casserole uses the same basic ingredients as eggs Benedict, but they're not used in the same way.  The casserole starts by cutting the Canadian bacon into pieces and placing half of them in the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish.

Instead of toasting the English muffins, they're split in half,

cut into 1-inch pieces and placed on top of the Canadian bacon.

The remaining Canadian bacon is sprinkled on top of the English muffins.

Eggs are whisked with milk -- it helps bind the casserole -- salt and pepper and poured over the ingredients in the baking dish.

Although salt and pepper aren't used in traditional eggs Benedict, they enhance the flavor of the casserole.

Cover the baking dish and refrigerate overnight.  My experience has been the longer the casserole is refrigerated, the softer the finished product. Since my family prefers a firmer texture, I refrigerate it a minimum of four hours and no more than six.

Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking and let it sit at room temperature.  Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue baking until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Traditionally, Hollandaise -- a rich sauce made with butter, egg yolks and lemon juice -- is spooned over each serving.  You can make Hollandaise from scratch or, what I do, use two packages of Hollandaise sauce mix.  If I'm making the casserole for a bunch, I fix both packages of sauce.  If I'm only cooking for the three of us, I fix one package the day I make the casserole and the other when I reheat the leftovers.  Instead of pouring the Hollandaise over the casserole, I serve it separately so people can take as much or as little as they want.

The next time you need brunch for a a bunch, whip up a batch of Eggs Benedict Casserole.  Add some grits or Potatoes O'Brien, a fruit salad and some muffins and you've got a meal that won't break the bank!

Eggs Benedict Casserole

8 Servings

2 (5 oz.) pkg. Canadian bacon, cut into pieces

6 English muffins, split and cut into 1-inch pieces

8 eggs, beaten

2 cups milk

1 tsp. salt

dash of pepper

2 (1.25 oz.) pkg. Hollandaise sauce mix, prepared according to pkg. directions

Place half the Canadian bacon in a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the English muffin pieces into the baking dish and top with the remaining Canadian bacon.  Whisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper together and pour over the ingredients in the baking dish.  Cover and refrigerate overnight or a minimum of four hours.

Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking and let it sit at room temperature.  Cover the dish with foil and bake at 375° for 35 minutes.  Uncover and continue baking until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 10 to 15 minutes.  

Prepare the Hollandaise sauce according to the package directions.  Serve with the casserole.

© Margaret's Morsels

Ways to Use Leftover Ham

Not sure what to do with leftover Easter ham?  Here's two recipes that will make you forget you're eating leftovers!

Broccoli Ham Ring

This entree may look complicated, but it's actually very easy to assemble. Refrigerated crescent rolls are wrapped around a filling made with ham and four other ingredients.  Step by step directions can be found here. 

Ham and Potato Casserole

Any form of cooked ham -- including canned, deli or packaged luncheon ham -- can be used in this layered casserole.  You can make a little or a lot, but be sure to adjust the baking time accordingly.  The recipe can be found here.  

© Margaret's Morsels