Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole

(8-10 servings)

Ingredients:

8 medium Sweet Potatoes (6 lb.)

As needed Water (enough to boil potatoes)

1 cup Milk

¼ cup Butter

3 tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 tbsp. Orange Juice

¼ tsp. Ground Cinnamon

¼ tsp. Ground Nutmeg

¼ tsp. Salt

1 pkg. (10.5 oz.) Miniature Marshmallows

Directions:

Bring sweet potatoes and water to a boil and cook 20 to 30 minutes or until tender.  Drain and peel the sweet potatoes and place in a large bowl.  Heat milk, butter, sugar and vanilla in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar is dissolved (do not let it boil).  Next stir into the mixture the orange juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Beat potatoes on medium speed with an electric mixer until mashed.  Continue beating as you add in the milk mixture until smooth.  In a greased 9x13 baking dish, spoon in half of potato mixture and top with half the marshmallows.  Top the marshmallows with the remaining potatoes and smooth out.  Place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.  Now top with remaining marshmallows and continue to bake 10 minutes more or until marshmallows are golden.

Note:               You can peel and quarter potatoes before boiling if that works

                        better for you.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Planning for Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is getting close and I'm sure many are starting to panic.  What are we going to do for our "Thanksgiving Meal"?  Don't panic just take a minute to plan.

First you need to know who all is coming or how many will I serve for dinner.  Then you need to plan a menu.  If this isn't your first "Thanksgiving Dinner" you have served it will be easier to do that menu.  You have past history of what worked and didn't work.

As you plan that dinner remember that you can always have guests bring a dish.  Do any of the guests have a special dish they usually make for Thanksgiving?  If so and it is a popular dish, ask them to bring it.  Be sure to let them know how many total guests there will be for the meal.

Once you have that figured out and communicated, you can tackle the rest of the meal.  An overwhelming majority of families serve turkey for this special occasion.  If that is what you're doing, figure out what recipe you will be following and make sure you have everything that is needed for it.

If you haven't ever had a turkey that has been brined before cooking, you might want to try it.  My recipe for a brine is Brine for Whole Turkeys (Chickens).

Next you need to decide on the side dishes to support the turkey.  I've several good ones already on my recipe page.  So be sure to check them over for one that might fit your needs.

I'm also adding two new recipes this week to give you some different choices.  My first one is for a "Sweet Potato Casserole" and it is layered with sweet potatoes and marshmallows.  The second recipe is for a "Crab & Wild Rice Dressing" which is easy and done on top of the stove to save oven space for your other needs.

That reminds me, when you are doing your menu for your Thanksgiving day meal think about cooking space, time and temperatures.  You can come up with a great sounding meal and then realize it doesn't all fit in your oven when needed.  That's why we plan things and then work our plan.

Next week I'll be talking leftovers.  That's one of the nicest things about Thanksgiving - the leftovers.  I know my mouth is watering just thinking about what I'm going to do with some of the leftovers.  I'll have a couple of recipes for that leftover turkey besides the ones already on the recipe page from last year.

Have a great week and "Happy Cooking."

Egg Drop Soup

Egg Drop Soup

(2-4 servings) (about 2g carbs per serving)

Ingredients:

4 cups Chicken Broth

½ tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Sugar

3 tbsp. Cornstarch

1//2 cup plus 2 tsp. Water, divided

1 Fresh Egg

2 Green Onions (scallions), green part thinly sliced

Directions:

Heat the broth to a boil in a large sauce pan over medium heat.  Combine the salt and sugar then add to boiling broth.  In a small bowl combine the cornstarch and ½ cup of water.  Slowly add it to the broth mixture whisking to help thicken the broth.  In a small bowl beat the egg and add the water and continue to mix.  Remove the sauce pan from the heat and immediately add the egg mixture very slowly stirring constantly.  Portion into bowls and garnish with the onions/scallions and serve.

Note:               You could use vegetable broth instead of the chicken broth to make it vegetarian.  That is if you’re a vegetarian that eats eggs.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Thai Chicken Soup

Thai Chicken Soup

(6 servings) (15g carbs per serving_

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. Canola Oil

1 lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, ¾ inch cubes

4 cups Chicken Broth

2 cups Carrots, sliced on bias (about 4 medium sized)

1 cup Yellow Onion, chopped

2 tbsp. Fresh Ginger, grated

3 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced or grated

2 stalks Lemongrass cut in 1 inch lengths

½ tsp. Crushed Red Pepper

1 can (15 oz.) Unsweetened Coconut Milk

1 medium Sweet Pepper (you pick the color) ½ inch pieces

2 cans (4 oz.) Mushrooms (your choice)

¼ cup Fresh Cilantro

1/3 cup Roasted Peanuts, chopped

Directions:

In a large pot over medium heat add oil.  When oil is hot add the chicken, carrots and onion to pot and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.  Next add the ginger, garlic, lemongrass and red pepper to pot and continue 2 more minutes.  Now combine broth with chicken mixture and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and add the milk, sweet pepper, mushrooms and cilantro and continue for an additional 10 minutes.  Remove the lemongrass and serve.  Top each serving with some chopped peanuts and enjoy.

Note:               You can use 1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel in place of the

                        lemongrass.

Note:               This recipe can be done in slow cooker.  Start with everything up through the red pepper on low for 6 to 8 hours.  Add the remaining for the last 10-15 minutes before serving.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Several Asked about Low-Carb Soups

I had several responses from the soup blog week.  So I'm going to talk a little more on soup.  The questions had to do with "healthy" soups.  I'm going to make a statement that I have no factual information on.  "I believe most soups/chilis/stews are good for you".  Now some of them may be too high in sodium, carbohydrates or something else for your diet.  But most of these dishes can be adjusted to help fit your needs.

Most of the questions I received concerned low-carb soups.  So let's tackle that first.  I have two recipes coming out on this week's blog.  They are both oriental soups.  The first is for a "Thai Chicken Soup" and then the classic "Egg Drop Soup."  These two soups come in at 15 grams and 2 grams respectfully.

I'm going to use 20 grams and below per serving as being low-carb.  Each of you watching your carbohydrate consumption probably have a different number for what you want to stay below.  I'm just putting out choices for you.  Remember that you can make adjustments to the recipe or change the portion size to what will work for you.

My cookbook More Than Your First Cookbook has 12 soup recipes in it.  Of those recipes, 7 of them offer less than 20 carbs per serving.  The three that are the lowest come in at 8, 11 and 13 grams.  They are in that same order; "Barry's Chili (No Beans)", "Hearty Vegetable Beef Soup" and "Chicken Noodle Soup." 

With this weeks two soup recipes, I now have 10 soup recipes on the blog.  I have not had nutritional information done on any of the recipes appearing in the blog as of now.  I'll have to talk to my dietitian and see if I can get her to do some work on it.  But as I look at those recipes, my guess is that at least half of them will come in under the 20 gram amount per serving.

I will address both low-sodium and low-fat soups in future blogs over this winter season.  If you have any specific questions on these two types of soup please let me know so I can do a little research before blogging on the subject.  Thank you.

As we are starting to get into the holiday season I'll remind you that my cookbook makes a great gift to someone who needs a little help in the kitchen.  The newest thing about the cookbook is that it is available as an e-book for most of your devises.  You can order the e-book through my website for just $10.00.  It seems to be the new way for this coming generation.

Also a quick reminder that I'm doing a cookbook signing on Saturday, November 17th at the Good Food Store Co-op in Rochester, Minnesota from 1:00 to 3:00 PM.  Please come if you are close and tell her family and friends.  Thanks and have a great week.

Bechamel Sauce

Béchamel Sauce

(Also known as Basic White Sauce)

(4 cups)

Ingredients:

8 tbsp. Unsalted Butter

8 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. White Pepper

4 cups Milk (your choice)

Grated Nutmeg (optional)

Directions:

In a 3 qt. sauce pan over medium heat melt butter.  Whisk in the flour and cook for about 2 minutes.  This is to cook out the flour taste.  Add the salt, pepper and milk as you continue to whisk until mixture starts to boil.  It should be thickening at this point.  Continue cooking for one minute and then remove from heat.  The nutmeg can be added after removing from the heat.  Just whisk it into mixture.

Note:               It is easy to cut this recipe by 4 to make just one cup of sauce.  From there you can make any amount of sauce needed for a recipe or dish.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Cannelloni with a Meat Filling

Cannelloni with a Meat Filling

(6-8 servings)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 medium Yellow Onion, very finely chopped

¾ lb. Lean Ground Beef

¼ lb. Cooked Ham, finely chopped

1 tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped

2 tbsp. Tomato Paste

1 tbsp. Warm Water

1 large Fresh Egg

1 tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Black Pepper

1 box Pasta Tubes

3 ½ cups Béchamel Sauce, warm (see recipe on blog next day)

½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

3 tbsp. Butter (more to grease baking dish)

Directions:

In a 3 qt. sauce or sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat and add the onions.  Sauté for about 5 minutes or until onions become translucent.  Next add the ground beef crumbling as you add it to the pan.  Cook ground beef until all the pink is gone.  Remove from heat and place in a large bowl.  Add the ham and parsley to the meat mixture and combine.  In a small bowl combine the tomato paste and water before adding the egg.  After mixing together add this to the meat mixture and season with the salt and pepper.  Mix well and then set the meat mixture aside.  Cook the pasta tubes according to package directions.  While pasta is cooking grease a 9x13 baking dish with the butter and spread 3 tbsp. of Béchamel sauce over bottom of the dish.  Also combine 1/3 of Béchamel sauce with the meat mixture.  Take one paste tube at a time, fill with meat mixture and arrange in the baking dish.  Once all the tubes have been filled with the mixture, top them with the remaining Béchamel sauce.  Now sprinkle the cheese over the sauce and dot with the butter.  Place in a pre-heated 425 degree oven uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until bubbling and lightly browned.  Remove the dish from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes before servings

Note:               This recipe was made with dry pasta tubes instead of pasta sheets.  Typically cannelloni is made with pasta sheets and manicotti is made from dry pasta tubes.  They are truly interchangeable for either and the tubes are easier to find.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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