quickandeasycooking

            Grocery store salad bars are the best. Now, I realize there are those of you out there (including my very own mother) who would never, ever eat anything off the grocery store salad bar. Too many germs. You could catch something.

            Well, yes you could. But is it any more unsafe that eating from the salad bar in a restaurant? Or, just eating at a restaurant period?  You just can’t worry about everything.

            My favorite grocery store has an absolutely wonderful salad bar. Everything is fresh, and there’s a great variety. They always have romaine, spinach and iceberg lettuce. You can always find several different pasta salads, and you can help yourself to chopped ham and turkey. Sometimes, they even have fried chicken tenders.  Every day there are two soups to choose from.

            So, here’s an easy entertaining idea. Just stop by the grocery on your way home from work and load up on the salad bar. It’s no more expensive than buying everything from scratch, and most of the time, it seems to be less expensive. That’s particularly true when you realize there’s no waste. You just get exactly what you need.

            When you get home, dish it all up on your best china, slice up that great loaf of fresh bread you also picked up at the grocery and break open a nice bottle of wine. Light some candles, put on some dinner music and you’re set!

I have a Super Wal-Mart and a Super Target within about five minutes of where I live. The two stores are actually side by side, which I found incredible when they first opened within a few months of each other. I’ve grocery shopped at both, and there are only a few good things I can say about Wal-Mart. One, it’s really cheap. If you’re buying for seven kids and three dogs, it’s the place to hit.

I refuse to buy meat at Wal-Mart. The few times I have it’s been pretty bad. The produce is not the best. One time they were out of lemons; since when is a grocery store out of lemons? If I have 10 items on my shopping list, they’re out of least three of them.

On a positive note, you can also get lots of non-grocery stuff while you’re there. Tires, for instance. (By the way, you can do that at Cost, too.) I’ve never gotten a hair cut or manicure there, but you can if so desire. My kids love the chicken tenders from the deli, and the Wal-Mart brand of grits is the best I’ve ever tasted.

But that’s it. I’d rather take a beating than go to Wal-Mart. You have to park miles away no matter what time of the day. I know, the exercise is good for me. There are three zillion check-out lines, but only five are open. Be prepared for a long wait. If you have to take something back, the customer service line is even longer.

Target, on the other hand, is the upper class store of the great middle class. Although their grocery section is not nearly large enough, it’s pretty darn close to gourmet. They bake fresh bread every single day. They have Maytag blue cheese, and I’m a sucker for that. They have little individual portions of soup, so everybody gets their favorite.

The produce is fabulous. The asparagus at mine are to die for. I love the little packages of beans and potatoes and carrots that are ready to pop in the microwave. I know they’re not cheap, but they are super convenient when you’re in a hurry.  The spices and rubs and marinades are incredible. Every time I’m there, I want to rush home and start cooking.

And it smells good. My Wal-Mart smells terrible. I’m sure they all don’t, but there you have it.

I know there are a lot of you out there who agree with me, and also a lot of Wal-Mart fans. What’s your take?

Rum cake is big in the South. I guess it’s a great way of boozing it up without really drinking. When I was growing up, my relatives made it all the time. You actually make it from a mix, but the trick seems to be not using an electric mixer. Use a fork instead. I absolutely don’t know why.

Rum Cake

1 “super moist” yellow cake mix

4 eggs

¾ cup water

2 TB run

1 box of instant vanilla pudding mix

2/3 cup vegetable or canola oil

½ tsp vanilla

Mix all the ingredients with a fork. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Let cool about 20 minutes. Remove from pan. Pour on glaze while cake is still warm.

Rum Cake Glaze

Bring ½ cup water, 1 cup sugar. 1 tsp vanilla and 2 TB dark rum (I’ve used light) to a boil.

Here’s an easy breakfast or brunch Danish using one of the old standby products, Pillsbury Crescent Rolls.  Give it a try this weekend!

Cream Cheese Danish

2 cans of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

1 egg, separated

2 8 ox. Packages of cream cheese, softened

1 cup of sugar

1 tsp. of lemon juice

1 tsp. of vanilla

¾ cup of walnuts or pecans, chopped

Powdered sugar

Press one can of rolls in a 9×13 baking dish that you have sprayed with Pam. Beat egg yolk, cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla at medium speed with electric mixer. Spread over the rolls. Top with the second can of rolls. Wisk the egg white and brush over the top of the dough. Top with the chopped nuts.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Feel free to add raisins or other extra to this!  I’ve never added chopped fruit, but I think it would work just great.

There are a lot of small kitchen appliances that should have never been invented in the first place. Remember the hot dogger? At least, I think that’s what it was called. There’s also something that melts butter for your corn-on-the-cob. And let’s not forget The Pampered Chef’s famous apple peeler-corer-slicer. I bought that one when the twins were little, and while it was fun and got them to eat apples, it was unfortunate that it only seem suitable for the firmer Granny Smith apples. Red ones just fell to pieces. And then — my apple peeler-corer-slicer fell to pieces, too. Never fear, it came with a lifetime warranty. The hostess at the Pampered Chef party failed to mention you needed the receipt. Who saves the receipt from a friend’s “cookware party?”

But there are some kitchen appliances, tools and gadget I can’t do without. They make cooking as quick and easy as possible.

1.  Good knives: I have to have them. I can’t cook without them. I will fight to the death for my serrated bread knife from Chicago Cutlery.

2. A huge wooden cutting board: Rachael Ray is right about this. You need a large cutting board to speed your kitchen tasks along. We also have an acrylic one for chicken, but I’mn not sure that’s completely necessary if you wash the wooden one well.

3. An electric juicer: This one is probably optional for many, but I love my electric juicer. I add a couple of juiced oranges every morning to the jug of store-bought juice in the frig.

4. A great spice rack: I got it at Costco. It’s attractive and sits on my kitchen counter within easy reach.

5. A manual nut chopper: I received this at my kitchen shower 27 years ago and still use it almost every day.

6. The Cuisinart food processor: I don’t use it often, but when I need it, I really need it! It always performs faithfully.

7. My green rubber thing: I don’t know what the official name is for this green rubber thing that helps me open tightly closed jars. I have absolutely no upper body strength, and this grips the lids perfectly. It was a give-away from a bank in 1978, and I still use it just about every time I cook.

What about you? Any favorite gadgets you can’t live without?

My mother has never made a “box” cake in her life. When I was growing up in the rural South, every cake was homemade. I’m willing to put in the extra time to make a cake from scratch, but here’s my problem. You can’t beat the moistness of a cake mix. So, I want the flavor of a homemade cake with the moistness of the box cake. I’ve finally discovered how to do it.

I wish I could take credit for this, but I can’t. I read it in the local newspaper several years ago and was intrigued. Try it; it really does taste great!

Homemade Cake with a Mix

1 yellow cake mix

All the ingredients listed on the box

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 stick butter or margarine

1 cup water

4 eggs

Put the cake together using the ingredients on the box. Then add in the extra ingredients. (You’ll have about seven eggs!) Bake your cake according to the directions on the box. Cool the layers for about 15 minutes, then release from pans. When completely cooled, frost with your favorite icing.

This is just about the best cake I’ve ever eaten. You can’t exactly file it under “quick,” but it’s certainly easy. And truly delicious!

Elaine St. James, the best-selling author of several simplification books, says she and her husband have simplified by eating the same menu every week. They have grilled chicken and steamed vegetables every Monday, a salad every Wednesday – you get the picture. On Saturdays, they have blue corn tortilla chips and fresh guacamole. That’s all? It gets better. On Sundays, they eat popcorn, apples and cheese.

I don’t know about your family, but I’d have mutiny on my hands if I said we were only going to eat tortilla chips and guacamole on Saturdays.

She’s right that this would certainly simplify your cooking, but gracious – even I, who loves to simplify, think this is taking things a little too far. There are other ways to simplify your kitchen life, although I guess she really is eating to live rather than living to eat.

Some women try this: each night has a theme. For example, Tuesday might be Italian and Friday might be Mexican. Then, within the theme, you have lots of variations.

Another way is to freeze meals. As I’ve said before, my family doesn’t care for frozen food, but for many people, this is a good alternative to eating junk or eating out every evening. I have some friends who purchase the pre-packaged frozen meals that are so popular right now. Our church does this, with the proceeds going to the mission fund.

How do you simplify your cooking?

I didn’t like squash when I was a little girl, but once I was grown and out on my own, I started eating it. Now, it’s one of my favorite vegetables. I first tasted this squash casserole at an office party when I was working on Capital Hill in
Washington, D.C.  I’ve been making it ever since. You can easily make this ahead of time and refrigerate it until you’re ready to bake.

Squash Casserole

About 5 or 6 yellow squash, sliced or cut up in chunks

1 onion, chopped

1 to 2 carrots, grated

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 8 oz. carton of sour cream

1 stick of butter or margarine’1 package of herb seasoned stuffing

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the squash and onions in boiling water for about five minutes. Drain thoroughly. Add, carrots, soup and sour cream to squash. Salt and pepper the mixture. Melt the one stick of butter and mix with the herb stuffing. Spread half of the stuffing mixture in a 9×13 baking dish. Spoon the squash mixture on top. Spread the other half of the stuffing mixture on top of the squash. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

I almost always leave out the carrots. It’s not because I don’t like carrots; I just can’t think of a kitchen chore worse than grating carrots.

I’ve been told you can substitute zucchini for the yellow squash, but I’ve never tried it that way.

As I’ve mentioned before, I love potatoes cooked any old way. Several years ago, I had this casserole at a church dinner and thought it was just about the best thing I had ever eaten. The woman who made it, a professional caterer, wouldn’t give me the recipe, since she actually sold it. I did purchase it from her a few times for parties, but I kept looking for a similar recipe.

Then, I heard another caterer reference this casserole as “hot potato salad.” I wondered if it was anything like German Potato Salad. But then she also mentioned ranch dressing, and I knew that had to be the secret ingredient. A few months after that, I found this recipe in a free cookbook left in my mailbox by the neighborhood realtor. I tried it, and eureka! I had the recipe.

It’s not super quick, but it’s worth the few extra minutes it takes to put it together. Give it a try soon!

New Potato Casserole

10 to 12 new potatoes (you may call them red potatoes), peeled, quartered and boiled in salted water until tender

Drain the potatoes well. Place in casserole dish.

Sauce

2 cups mayonnaise

1 cup milk

1 pkg Ranch dressing mix (the kind that uses milk, not buttermilk)

Mix sauce ingredients. Pour over the boiled potatoes.

Top with about 8 oz of sharp cheddar cheese and 6 slices of bacon, crumbled. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

No, it’s not healthy. Yes, it’s delicious. It’s okay to eat something like this every now and then.

Stuffed Sourdough Bread is an incredible appetizer that can be put together in minutes. It will give you the reputation of being the best cook in town. Guests will look at you with awe, I promise. Every time I have ever served this, people have praised me as they literally broke the bread bowl trying to scrape out the remains.

Stuffed Sourdough Bread

1 round loaf sourdough bread (do not substitute any other kind of bread)

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 jar dried beef, diced

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup sour cream

3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

4 to 5 green onions, chopped

Slice off the top of the sourdough bread and hollow out, reserving the bread chunks. Combine all the ingredients. Spoon inside the bread, replace the top of the bread, wrap in aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for at least 90 minutes. Serve with the reserved bread chunks, toasted, and corn chips.

It’s fine to make this a day in advance and refrigerate.

DO NOT skip the sourdough and put this in a casserole dish. It’s way too salty this way. It has to be baked in the sourdough bread.