Chive and Onion Hash Browns

This hash brown casserole sounds and looks seriously delicious!

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1 container (8 ounces) spreadable chive and onion cream cheese
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 packages (20 ounces each) refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives, divided
2 tablespoons butter, cubed



Directions

Preheat oven to 375°. 

Combine the first five ingredients in a Dutch oven, cook and stir over medium heat until blended. Stir in potatoes.

Grease a 13x9-in. or 3-qt. baking dish.  

Layer 1/3 of the hash brown mixture and 2/3 cup Swiss cheese and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon chives. Repeat layers. 

Top with remaining hash brown mixture and cheese; dot with butter.

Bake, covered for 35 minutes. 

Bake, uncovered for 10-20 minutes longer or until edges begin to brown and potatoes are heated through. 

Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with remaining chives. 

Yield: 12 servings (3/4 cup each)

Photo and recipe source

Originally published as Chive & Onion Hash Brown Potatoes in Taste of Home December/January 2012, p35

Quick and Easy Cherry Cobbler

It doesn't get any easier than this Cherry Cobbler recipe from Betty Crocker. OK, I guess you could use canned biscuits, but other than that . . . easy enough for a beginner!

Let me deviate from the recipe for a minute and discuss the concept of semi-homemade, using convenience foods in meal preparation.  

A comment from a disgruntled reader brought this discussion to a food website comment board making advocates of semi-homemade cooking seem lazy and uncaring about their family by fixing a meal using these shortcut tricks.  

You know, there is a time and place for everything!  

I am an advocate of both styles of cooking.  While I can make the best "from scratch" biscuits using the same recipe I've used since junior high school home ec class, there are times I want quick and easy.  That is why I always have a box of Bisquick on hand.  The Captain and I have recently added canned fruit filling, puff pastry sheets and OMG . . . jarred spaghetti sauce to our pantry for those times.  If I really think about it, we probably stock many other convenience foods . . . oh yeah, chicken stock!

There have been times that I've spent hours in the kitchen making a spaghetti sauce using tomatoes, peppers and herbs from my garden.  No convenience there!  It is all about the time you have on your hands.

In my working days, I wanted quick and easy semi-homemade meals since after a day at the office, I didn't want to spend hours in the kitchen.  A good meal and time to unwind is what I wanted.  On the weekends, I would go crazy cooking and many times making and freezing extra food for during the week. It is all about choice!

She probably thinks that using a slow cooker is also evil . . .

OK, rant over . . . the woman's comments really upset me!

So . . . having said all that . . . you can change up this recipe by using a different canned fruit like apple.  If it makes you feel better to make your scratch biscuits, knock yourself out!  It is a guide . . .

Thank you to Betty Crocker for providing these convenience foods and showing us how to use them  :)

Ingredients

1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling

1 cup Original Bisquick™ mix

1/4 cup milk 

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened


Directions

Spread pie filling in ungreased 1 1/2-quart casserole. Place in cold oven and heat to 400ºF and let heat 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven.

While pie filling is heating . . . stir remaining ingredients until soft dough forms. Drop by spoonfuls onto warm pie filling. Sprinkle with additional sugar.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until topping is light brown.

Photo and recipe source

Homemade Zesty Italian Salad Dressing

As time goes on, I want to make my own concoctions so I know what is in it.  

Baked chicken and potatoes topped with italian salad dressing is one of my favorite ways to bake chicken.  Why not make it fresh?

Commercial salad dressing in a bottle is a convenience food and has its place in the kitchen for those who want the convenience.  

If you have the time, there is nothing like making your own kitchen concoctions that only has those ingredients you want in them.

Ingredients

1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 large clove of garlic – minced
2 TBSP finely chopped shallots
2 TBSP finely chopped red bell pepper
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Pinch of red pepper flakes

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid
Shake until well combined and thickened.



Recipe and photo courtesy of Old World Garden Farms

Easy Stromboli

Yum!!!  Looks delicious . . . great as a main meal or appetizer.

This is a fast and easy recipe that comes from Pillsbury and utilizes convenience foods to make it easy enough for a beginner.

One of the things I would change is the addition of italian sausage and mushrooms.  The beauty of this recipe is versatility . . . use it as a guide and add what your family loves.  

You can use your own pizza dough, use leftover spaghetti sauce, make a delicious ham and cheese stromboli . . . you get the idea!

Ingredients

1/2 lb. lean ground beef

1 (13.8-oz.) can Pillsbury™ refrigerated classic pizza crust

1/4 cup pizza sauce

4 oz. (1 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese 

1/4 cup chopped green and/or red bell pepper, if desired

1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning



Directions

Heat oven to 400°F.

Unroll dough and place on sprayed cookie sheet.

Press out dough with hands to form a 12x8-inch rectangle.

Spread sauce over dough (within 2 inches of long sides and 1/2 inch of short sides).

Place cooked ground beef lengthwise down center, forming 3-inch-wide strip (within 1/2 inch of short sides).

Top with cheese, bell pepper and Italian seasoning. 

Fold sides of dough over filling and press edges to seal.

Bake at 400°F. for 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Photo and recipe source