Repurposed Recipes

I love to repurpose recipes.  Chili turns into taco salad;

Nutter Butter cookies become ghosts in October

and snowmen in December;

Ritz crackers and peanut butter dipped in chocolate coating and decorated for Christmas

get a makeover for patriotic holidays.

Instead of dipping the crackers in chocolate coating, I dip them in vanilla coating instead.  The white color makes the perfect background for red, white and blue sprinkles.  If you prefer, Oreos can be substituted for the Ritz crackers and peanut butter.  Click here to find step by step directions for making these tasty treats.

© Margaret's Morsels

A Sizzling Summer Side

Parts of the country are already in the throes of a heat wave and it's only the third day of summer!  When it's sizzling outside, beat the heat and serve food that can be eaten cold.

Coleslaw, better known as slaw, is a great warm weather side.  It's delicious served with a variety of meat, doesn't require any cooking, can be made ahead of time and, best of all, it's cold.

In its most basic form, slaw is nothing more than shredded cabbage mixed with a dressing.  Most versions call for additional ingredients such as vegetables and seasonings.  Some versions even include apples and pineapple.

Although the ingredients run the gamut, the dressing falls into two distinct categories:  vinegar or creamy.  The former is made with vinegar and other seasonings while the latter is made with dairy products such as milk or sour cream.

My mother's slaw recipe used equal parts of vinegar and mayonnaise.  It was creamy, but with the flavor of vinegar.  My husband didn't care for the vinegar taste so I found another recipe that we all love.

The original recipe called for a head of grated cabbage.  I used to grate the cabbage, but wised up a few years ago and started buying a package of angel hair coleslaw mix instead.  If you use a mix that doesn't contain carrots and you'd like them in the slaw, finely grate a medium carrot or several baby carrots and add to the mixture.

The dressing for this slaw definitely falls into the creamy category.  It doesn't use one dairy product, but two:  milk and buttermilk.  The dairy products are whisked together with sugar, salt, pepper, mayonnaise, white vinegar and lemon juice.  Normally, I'm a fan of apple cider vinegar, but this is one time I use white vinegar.  Apple cider vinegar would make the dressing too strong.

The cabbage is added and the mixture is thoroughly combined.

The slaw needs to be made and refrigerated at least two hours before serving.  I think it's best made a day ahead of time.  This gives the slaw time to get cold plus it allows the flavors to blend.

My mother always served slaw with pot roast, but I like to serve it with baked salmon patties or meat loaf.  I still have to heat up the kitchen, but at least there's one less dish to cook.

Meat loaf, scalloped potatoes and slaw

Coleslaw

4 to 6 Servings

1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 Tbsp. white vinegar

2 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 (10 oz.) pkg. angel hair coleslaw mix or 1 head cabbage, finely grated

1 medium carrot or several baby carrots, finely grated (if desired) 

Whisk the first eight ingredients together in a large bowl.  Stir in the cabbage and carrots, mixing well.  Cover and refrigerate.  This is best made one day ahead of time.

© Margaret's Morsels 

Doughnuts for Dad

Last year, I posted a muffin recipe for Mother's Day.  Father's Day is Sunday so I thought I'd stick with alliteration and post a doughnut recipe for dad.  The recipe is easy -- you don't even need an electric mixer -- and chances are you have the ingredients on hand.  Unlike the muffin recipe, the doughnuts don't start with a cake mix, but like the muffins they're baked in the oven.  If you don't have a mini doughnut pan, bake them as mini muffins, but keep in mind the quantity and baking time may differ.   

Baking is a science which is why recipes for baked goods need to be made as directed.  That said, there is a little leeway in this recipe.  The recipe is flavored with cinnamon, but you change the spice to suit your taste.  My family loves cinnamon so I increased the amount to one teaspoon.  If you're using another spice, you might need to reduce the amount so it won't be too overpowering.  

You may not be able to alter the recipe, but you have choices when it comes to the topping.  You can leave the doughnuts plain or brush the tops with a powdered sugar glaze.  If you use a glaze, you also have the option of decorating the top with sprinkles.

Other possibilities include dusting the tops with powdered sugar or, what I use, a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.

Whichever topping you choose, make sure to have it ready before you start baking the doughnuts.

Once the ingredients are combined, spoon the batter into a disposable pastry bag.  Snip off a corner of the bag and pipe the batter into a greased mini doughnut pan, filling each cavity 2/3 full.

The doughnuts only take about 5 minutes to bake.  Don't rely on the color to tell when the doughnuts are done; the tops don't get very brown.  The doughnuts are done when they start pulling away from the sides of the pan and the tops spring back when touched.  If you're not sure, insert a toothpick into a doughnut.  If the toothpick comes out clean, the doughnuts are done.

Remove the doughnuts from the pan and add the desired topping.  Put the doughnuts top side up on a wire rack to cool completely.  Be sure to grease the pan before baking the next batch of doughnuts.

In addition to gifts of tools, gadgets or gizmos, give dad a gift from the kitchen.  If you use the doughnut recipe, but bake them as muffins, think of them as muffins for your man.  If your man prefers "dude food," fix him a grilled steak instead.  They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but it's also a good way to show him how much you care.   

Baked Mini Doughnuts

42 Servings

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted (for topping)

cinnamon sugar (for topping)

Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; set aside.  Combine 2 tablespoons melted margarine with milk, sugar and egg; beat with a whisk until smooth.  Add mixture to flour mixture and stir until well blended. Spoon or pipe the dough into greased mini doughnut pans, filling each cavity 2/3 full.  Bake at 375° for 5 minutes.  Remove doughnuts from pan and brush with 1/4 cup melted margarine.  Coat the tops of the doughnuts with cinnamon sugar.  Put doughnuts top side up on a cooling rack and cool completely.

© Margaret's Morsels

National Peanut Butter Cookie Day

Today is National Peanut Butter Cookie Day.  In case you missed it, here's the blog I posted last year with an award winning peanut butter cookie recipe.

© Margaret's Morsels

A Recipe in Persistence

Every recipe I post is a tried and true family favorite, affectionately known in our house as a "keeper."  Some keepers I've been making for years while others are new additions.  A few became keepers without any changes, deletions or additions, but most recipes require some tweaking. No keeper underwent more tweaking than the recipe I'm sharing today.

My son loves chicken alfredo and, although I've made it for years, he never liked my version.  A few years ago, I found a recipe for chicken alfredo that sounded so good, I went to the grocery and bought the ingredients so I could cook it that night.

I had to tweak the recipe before I even went to the grocery.  The original version called for broccoli, a vegetable my son will not eat.  I omitted the broccoli and prepared the rest of the recipe as directed.  It was good, but it needed more tweaking.  Two years and half a dozen versions later, I ended up with a recipe my family deemed a keeper.

In addition to omitting broccoli, I changed the chicken from boiled -- too bland -- to rotisserie; added salt and pepper; reduced the amount of milk; changed the assembly and cooking directions.  Two of the biggest changes -- using ziti instead of egg noodles and the addition of Mozzarella cheese -- were suggested by my son.

While the ziti is cooking, combine cream of chicken soup with milk, cubed rotisserie chicken, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and Mozzarella cheese.  

Drain the ziti and add it to the soup mixture; stir well to combine the ingredients.

Pour into a greased 2-quart casserole dish and bake until hot and bubbly.

Since I don't add broccoli to the mixture, I steam fresh broccoli to serve either on the side

or on top of a serving.

Normally, I wouldn't be so persistent with a recipe, but I knew I could turn this tasty dish from good into a keeper.  Thank goodness most recipes don't require this much tweaking!  

Chicken Alfredo

4 Servings

1/2 (8 oz.) pkg. ziti

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

1 1/2 cups milk

2 cups cubed rotisserie chicken

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 cups finely shredded Mozzarella cheese

Cook ziti according to package directions; drain.  Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine soup, milk, chicken, Parmesan, salt, pepper and Mozzarella. Add ziti; stir to combine ingredients.  Pour mixture into a greased 2-quart casserole dish.  Bake at 400° for 30 to 45 minutes until hot and bubbly.

© Margaret's Morsels 

Hats Off to the Graduate

My son graduates from middle school tomorrow.  To celebrate, I made mortarboard cupcakes like the ones I made for his kindergarten graduation eight years ago.  The cupcakes may look complicated, but they're really easy to prepare.

Start by preparing any flavor of packaged cake mix.  Line mini muffin pans -- it helps to have more than one -- with miniature cupcake liners.  Scoop 1 heaping tablespoon batter into each cupcake liner.  Don't skimp on the batter or your cupcakes will look like the ones on the top row instead of the ones on the bottom.

I've read many explanations about what causes cupcake liners to separate from cupcakes.  The reasons run the gamut from the amount of fat used in the recipe, to the amount of wax in the cupcake liners, to the amount of time the cupcakes are left in the pan after being removed from the oven.  I have my own hypothesis:  If you don't use enough batter, the baked cupcakes don't reach the top of the liners which causes the liners to separate from the cupcakes.  This is why you need to fill the liners 1/2 to 2/3 full.

You may be wondering why you even need to use cupcake liners.  There are two reasons.  One, if you bake the cupcakes without a liner, the top of the cupcakes are rounded instead of flat.  This matters because the cupcakes will be turned upside down when assembled.

Two, if you remove the liners when the cupcakes are baked, the sides will be sticky when the cupcakes are removed from the serving tray.  

Cupcakes with the liners removed

Cupcake liners solve both those problems.

Bake the cupcakes 10 to 15 minutes or until done.  Put the pans on a cooling rack for 1 or 2 minutes.  Remove the cupcakes from the pans and cool completely on a cooling rack.  I bake the cupcakes a day or two ahead of time and store them in a covered container.

It's a good idea to prep the remaining ingredients before you start assembling the cupcakes.  My son's school colors are red and white so I leave the frosting white.  If you want a different color, tint the frosting with food coloring.

The tassels can be made from licorice strips or fruit roll snacks.  I've used both, but prefer Twizzlers Pull 'n' Peel licorice.  The licorice may not be as flexible as the fruit roll snacks, but it's definitely easier to cut!  Separate the licorice into strands.  

Cut the strands into pieces approximately 2 1/2-inches long.

It's better to err on the side of caution and cut the tassels a little long.  You can always trim them if they're too long.

You also have a choice when it comes to the candy:  Skittles or M&M's.  If the school name starts with an "S" or "M," it's cute to leave the letter facing up.  Otherwise, turn the candies upside down so the plain side is showing.

I find assembly is faster when I work on five cupcakes at a time.  Turn the cupcakes upside down so the paper liner is on top.  Spread a little frosting on the center of each liner.  The frosting keeps the cookies from moving. Don't use too much frosting; you don't want it to ooze down the sides when the cookies are added.

Turn the cookies upside down and spread some frosting on the center of each cookie.  Place a cookie on top of each cupcake liner.

Add the tassels and a candy piece to each cookie to complete the mortarboard.  If the tassels are too long, trim them with a pair of kitchen scissors.

If you have someone graduating -- from preschool to graduate school -- a batch of these mortarboard cupcakes decorated with school colors is a tasty way to say "conGRADulations!"

Mortarboard Cupcakes

60 Servings

1 (18 1/4 oz.) pkg. cake mix (any flavor)

1 (16 oz.) can frosting

food coloring (optional)

1 (21 oz.) pkg. Twizzlers Pull 'n' Peel licorice, separated into strands and cut into 2 1/2-inch pieces or 1 (4.5 oz.) pkg. fruit roll snacks, cut into 1/2-inch strips then cut into 2 1/2-inch pieces

60 Lorna Doone shortbread cookies

60 Skittles or M&M's

Prepare cake mix according to package directions.  Line mini muffin pans with miniature cupcake liners.  Fill liners with 1 heaping tablespoon of batter.  Bake at 350° for 10 to 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Remove from oven and cool in pan for 1 or 2 minutes.  Remove cupcakes and cool completely on a wire rack.

Tint frosting with food coloring, if desired.  Cut licorice or fruit roll snacks into pieces approximately 2 1/2-inches long.

Turn cupcakes upside down so the cupcake liner is on top.  Spread a little frosting on the center of each liner.  Turn cookies upside down and spread frosting on the center of each cookie; place a cookie on top of each cupcake liner.  Add the tassels and a candy piece.  Store in a covered container. 

© Margaret's Morsels

A Well Stocked Pantry

When I was in my early 20's and living on my own, I didn't mind going to the grocery.  It was relatively easy because I wasn't cooking for a family. After I got married and started cooking for two, then three and as many as 23 on holidays, grocery shopping became a chore.  Like most chores, I don't care for this one either!  To make the best of the situation, I got in the habit of planning a weeks worth of meals and going to the grocery once a week. The advantages of this are twofold.

One, I'm not constantly running to the grocery to pick up a forgotten ingredient.  Two, when my day doesn't turn out as planned, I can easily alter the menu and still have dinner on the table for my family.  By keeping a variety of nonperishable ingredients on hand that can be used alone or combined with fresh, refrigerated or frozen food, I can prepare an impromptu meal.  These pantry items can be grouped into categories.

Baking:

This includes three kinds of flour -- all-purpose, bread, Wondra -- and sugar  -- granulated, brown, confectioners -- plus other dry ingredients necessary for baking cakes, cookies and breads.

Spices:

Spices have a short shelf life, about 6 months, so I only keep spices on hand that I use on a regular basis.  I try to buy small bottles unless they're spices I use regularly or are only sold in large sizes.

Beverages:

I always keep apple juice, pineapple juice and tea bags on hand.  We drink the juices plus I use them in other recipes.  The apple juice is used in baked apples; the pineapple juice goes in fruit tea.  

Liquids:

Unlike beverages, these liquids aren't for drinking.  They are sometimes used alone, like barbecue sauce, but are usually combined with other ingredients.

Milk:

This category consists of evaporated, sweetened condensed and nonfat dry milk powder.  Each one is used for a different purpose.  Evaporated milk is good for gravy and sauces while sweetened condensed milk is used in desserts.  Dry milk powder can be combined with water to make milk, but I keep it on hand for one reason:  macaroni and cheese.

Meat:

I keep canned chicken, salmon, tuna and hash plus a jar of dried beef in the pantry.  The chicken is great in chicken pot pie and the salmon makes delicious baked salmon patties.

Fruits:

Most of the canned fruit I keep on hand is eaten as a side dish or snack. The mandarin oranges and crushed pineapple are also used in congealed salads.  The pie fillings can be used for dessert, but the apple pie filling is also a key ingredient in a pork chop and apple entree.

Vegetables:

Most of the canned vegetables are heated and served as a side dish, but I keep two of them on hand for specific dishes.  The mixed vegetables are for chicken pot pie while the whole beans are used for green bean bundles.

Soup:

Most of the soups are used in other dishes, but tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches have been known to appear on the dinner table on busy days.  The chili is good heated in the microwave for a quick and easy lunch.

Pasta, Rice and Grains:

I keep a variety of pasta -- spaghetti, ziti, macaroni and egg noodles -- on hand for casseroles.  The egg noodles can be combined with other pantry ingredients for a quick and easy microwave tuna casserole.  The oatmeal is used more for chocolate oatmeal cookies than for breakfast, while grits are served at breakfast and occasionally dinner.  Rice is a quick, easy and inexpensive side dish, but is also good for casseroles and other main dishes.

Miscellaneous:

These are ingredients that don't really fit in any other category, but are helpful to keep on hand.  Cooking spray is a must when you do a lot of cooking.  I never make Jell-O per se, but use it for fruit and congealed salads.

Everything Else:

I keep bread mixes on hand for times I want to serve cornbread or muffins with a meal.  The Bisquick is good for sausage balls and pancakes. Sometimes I use the stuffing mix as a side dish, but most of the time I use it for easy pork chops and apples or stuffed breast of turkey.  I use Hamburger Helper on nights when I have ground beef, but don't have time to make Meat Loaf or Salisbury Steak.

When your plans fall apart faster than an ice cube in boiling water, don't turn to take out or delivery for dinner.  Turn to Plan B:  a well stocked pantry!

© Margaret's Morsels