By Tanya Manus

We’ve been eating a lot of BLTs at our house lately. In a household like ours, where schedules change often and mealtime varies, having all the ingredients pre-assembled - including the bacon - makes it easy to have BLTs any time.

Right now, we’re enjoying fresh lettuce from a friend’s garden. We try to keep lettuce and sliced tomatoes ready to go on a plate in the refrigerator, along with a packet of bacon we pre-bake ourselves.

You could buy pre-cooked bacon, of course, but pre-baking bacon doesn’t take a lot of time and you can use the kind of bacon you prefer. In our house, we like to use the thick-sliced variety. Simply lay as many strips as will fit on your broiler pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, turning bacon after 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain on several layers of paper towels.  As it cooks, the fat drains away, the strips of bacon seem to shrink less, and you can prepare more bacon in less time than if you fried it.

When you’re ready for a sandwich, reheat the bacon for about 30 seconds in the microwave. What a great grab-and-go summer meal!

By Tanya Manus

Who doesn’t love the semi-homemade craze?

A few store-bought ingredients, some creativity, and you end up with food that looks and tastes homemade, but cuts down on the time you spend cooking.

Cake mixes are great starters for semi-homemade treats. And just because the box says you’ve bought a cake mix, you don’t have to use it for cake.

Recently, when I was getting ready to entertain a group of friends, I was trying to find something different to serve. Usually, at our weekly gatherings, we take turns bringing dessert. I was rifling through my cupboards when I came across a box of Nana’s Apple Cake Mix from Tastefully Simple. I started with cake mix but ended up with a cobbler that left my friends raving. Rich and sweet, it was terrific paired with vanilla ice cream.

Cherry Cobbler

21 oz. can cherry pie filling (or any flavor pie filling you like)

1 box Nana’s Apple Cake Mix

1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter

Spread pie filling into greased 8- by 8-inch baking dish. Cut cake mix and butter together until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over pie filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Serves 9.

Nana’s Cake Mix in particular is what gave the cherry cobbler its extra-good taste, but if you don’t have that in your pantry, try this recipe from Cooks.com.

Quick Cobbler

1 can of your favorite pie filling

1 stick butter

1 small box (enough for 1 layer) white, yellow or spice cake mix (such as Jiffy cake mix)

Pour pie filling into 1-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle cake mix over pie filling. Cut cold butter into pats and arrange over top. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 1 hour. Serve plain, with ice cream or whipped cream

P.S. We’d love to hear from you! What are some of your favorite recipes?

By Tanya Manus

A well-stocked pantry is a great way to save time, money, and still put together meals that will please your family, that you can put together easily when you’ve got unexpected company, or that you can turn to when you’ve got to take a dish for a party or potluck.

Start with a few basic items. “Everyday Food” magazine editor Anna Last’s pantry list is one of the best and most practical I’ve seen. She recommends:

- Cans of tomatoes, beans and chickpeas

- Cans of tuna (some in oil, some in water)

- Cartons of stock (chicken, beef, vegetable, whatever you prefer)

- Various types of pasta

- Various types of rice and couscous

- Bread crumbs

- Extra-virgin olive oil, red-wine vinegar and Dijon mustard

- Peppercorns and sea salt

- Garlic, Parmesan cheese, capers

I also like to be sure I have a good variety of spices available for both sweet and savory dishes.

Chicken Bruschetta Casserole is a great recipe to keep in your files because it uses several items you might want to keep in your pantry. This dish can be assembled in about 15 to 20 minutes and, when prepared in a pretty casserole dish, is an attractive meal you can take from the oven to the table.

Chicken Bruschetta Casserole

1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1 cup prepared stuffing mix, dry

2 cups canned diced tomatoes in juice

1/2 cup water

1 tbsp. chicken bouillon concentrate

1 tbsp. Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cube chicken and place in the bottom of a casserole dish. Sprinkle the basil, pepper and mozzarella cheese on top of the chicken.

In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Layer this mixture over the chicken and cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes. Serves 6.

By Tanya Manus

Rotisserie chicken is a cook’s best friend.
It’s not a sentiment as poetic as my fellow blogger JoMay Steen’s recent haiku hotdish entry, but some days, it’s really true.
If you’re still burned out from big meals and lots of baking over the holidays, a rotisserie chicken can be the basis of an easy and healthful meal.
Rotisserie chicken is wonderful as is - juicy, flavorful meat so tender it falls off the bone. Add a couple of side dishes and dinner’s on the table. But it’s also a great start for a quick casserole you can make and pop in the oven, or assemble and freeze for later.
Nacho Chicken Casserole is my favorite use for rotisserie chicken. Nutritious, easy and child-friendly, this entree can literally be assembled in minutes with ingredients you’re likely to have in your pantry. The bonus - one good-sized rotisserie chicken provides enough meat for two casseroles.
Nacho Chicken Casserole pairs deliciously with Taco Rice - also something you can put together in minutes and keep in the pantry for quick preparation at meal time.
With this duo in your freezer and cupboard, making dinner will be a snap. And if you’ve still got some holiday turkey in your freezer, try this casserole as a zesty new way to use up leftovers.

Nacho Chicken Casserole
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 (16 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz.) condensed reduced-fat reduced sodium cream of chicken soup
1 can (11 oz.) whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, undrained
1 tsp. taco seasoning (from a 1.25 oz. package)
1-1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (5 oz.)
1 cup tortilla chips OR nacho cheese-flavored tortilla chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. In casserole, stir chicken, beans, tomatoes, soup, corn, taco seasoning and 1 cup of the cheese until well mixed. (At this point, casserole can be covered and frozen for serving later, if desired).
Cover and bake about 1 hour or until mixture is heated through. Top with tortilla chips; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake about 10 minutes longer or until filling is bubbly and cheese is melted. Serves 5 to 6.
- Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker’s Most Requested Recipes

Taco Rice Mix
In a quart-sized sealable plastic bag, combine the following ingredients:
1 cup long grain brown rice OR white rice
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. dry onion
Dash red pepper flakes, if desired

Seal and label the bag. Store on pantry shelf.
 
To prepare Taco Rice:
1 package of Taco Rice Mix
1 or 2 tablespoons oil
1 (8-ounce) can reduced sodium tomato sauce or 1 cup chopped fresh or canned tomatoes
2 cups water

Heat the oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the contents of the Taco Rice Mix. Saute the rice and seasonings in the hot oil until the rice is toasty and slightly opaque. Add the tomato sauce or tomatoes, and water. Stir it up and bring it to a boil. When it starts to boil, cover the pan with a good lid and reduce the heat to very low. Brown rice will cook in 45 minutes. White rice will cook in 20 minutes. Top with cheese before serving, if desired. This recipe doubles easily. Cook it in a 3-quart saucepan if you double it. Makes 4 servings.

By Tanya Manus

I bet you’ve given in to this temptation.
There you are, wandering the aisles of the grocery store, trying to figure out what to make for dinner. Suddenly, some ingredient or vegetable or food you don’t usually eat catches your attention. You’ve never tried it, but it’s on sale.
You buy it, but there it sits in your refrigerator or in your cupboard, until you throw it out or it spoils. But I want to share a happy accident I had recently when I gave in to the temptation buying stuff on sale I’d never eaten before.
I found frozen cheese ravioli on sale. Curious, I decided to try it. I just didn’t know quite how I’d serve it - in alfredo sauce, marinara sauce, or something else? There was a recipe for Ravioli Bolognese on the package that actually turned out to be easy and delicious.
The ravioli cooked quickly - faster than ordinary pasta. And the meat sauce recipe on the package called for ingredients I already had in my kitchen. The meal came together in about 30 minutes, and got good reviews from friends to whom I served it. This is a dinner even your kids will love.
I’ve already bought another bag of cheese ravioli. Give this recipe a try the next time you’re wondering what’s for dinner.

Ravioli Bolognese
1 (24 oz.) package frozen Rosetto small round cheese ravioli
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 to 3/4 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth or red wine
1 can (4 ounces) mushrooms, drained
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning or basil
1/4 tsp. oregano or thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare frozen pasta as directed.
Meanwhile, for sauce, heat oil in large frying pan. Add ground beef and brown. Stir in onion and garlic; cook until soft. Mix in remaining ingredients. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over prepared ravioli. Serves 5.

I’ve made it pretty clear in my prior blogs that I don’t have all of the kitchen equipment a person might need. But, I make due. And sometimes I have to use items for something other than what they were designed to do. (Ice cube trays for candy molds, coffee grinder for cuisinart, blender for … well, everything else.)

But I was recently reminded of the famous grilled-cheese and French fry scene from the movie “Benny and Joon.” In the scene Johnny Depp’s character, Benny, used a tennis racket to julienne his French fries and an iron to make his grilled cheese sandwiches.

Now that’s what I call a pannini in a pinch.

And I can’t help but wonder if it would work. When I was a freshman in college the hall that all the soccer boys lived in had an iron in the kitchen. Those guys always joked that they used the iron to make grilled cheese sandwiches, but I just think they all ironed their clothes in the kitchen.

Well, I’m guessing that if you really wanna do a panini up right a bona fide panini press is the way to go. But I’ve see Rachel Ray and others use two cast iron pans a to press up a panini. Rachel heated both of the pans and then she put the sandwich on one pans and used the bottom of the other pan on top of the sandwich.

My mom actually assisted me with this panini technique on Monday night when me made a huge muffalatta panini (which I plan on telling you all about next week). If you go with this two-pan technique and you want to get nice grill marks on both sides of the sandwich you will have to flip it. So, it’s nice to have tongs or a nice big spatula.

So this blog has two purposes today. First of all have some more classic sandwiches that might make nice paninis for you folks. These ideas are a bit more complicated, but if I can do it you can do it. Second, I was wondering. What kinds of items do you use in a pinch in your kitchen when you don’t have the right specialized item?

Patty Melts
Hamburger
Garlic
Worcestershire sauce
Vidalia Onions
Whole wheat bread
Cheddar Cheese
Swiss Cheese
Butter

The first step here is to make up your meat patty the way you like it and get it and the onions cooking. I like to put chopped garlic in with the meat for my patty along with a little Worcestershire sauce.

Okay, I can never time this sort of thing. The onions should be cooked before the sandwich, if they are put them aside. If not, well, put the burger aside and wait for the onions to finish.

Once you have the onions cooked and burger almost cooked to the temperature you want ( the burger should be a little under done because it will keep cooking in the panini press) butter the outside of your whole wheat bread (I use whole wheat because it’s sturdier and because it make me feel better about eating all the butter and cheese).

Then assemble the pieces of the sandwich and grill.

Monte Cristos with Raspberry Chocolate Sauce
Sturdy bread (sometimes I like to use raisin bread)
Turkey
Ham
Swiss Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
2 Eggs
½ tsp. Nutmeg
½ tsp. Cinnamon
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1 C. Raspberry jelly
1 oz. Hershey’s dark baking chocolate (I use the 1-oz. Pouches)

Okay, first of all, this is one of my favorites. The raspberry chocolate sauce rocks and it works great as a ganache between cake layers too.

Raspberry Chocolate Sauce: Start with 1 cup of raspberry jelly in a microwave safe bowl. Heat the jelly for 30 seconds, then stir – continue heating and stirring until jelly is liquid. Careful the jelly and the bowl it is in will be super hot. Combine one pouch of Hershey’s dark baking chocolate and stir until well combined. Set aside.

Egg wash: Wisk two raw eggs together with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. I always use 2 eggs even if I don’t need that many. Set aside

Sandwich: Next, just assemble the sandwich – bread, Swiss cheese, turkey, cheddar cheese, ham – and dip it in the egg wash. Then grill until the egg wash is cooked and cheese is melted. Serve warm with raspberry chocolate sauce.

Chuckwagon
Kaiser Roll
Ham
Salami
Bologna
Cheddar Cheese
White American Cheese 

Because this sandwich is on a roll you don’t need to butter the bread. It should grill up nicely without butter, but if you want butter go for it. I like to alternate cheese and meat inside this sandwich, but you can assemle it any way you like. That’s part of the fun of the sandwich.

What’s buttered on the outside, has melted cheese on the inside and is grilled all over?

Well, that’s a dumb question — grilled cheese, duh.

Wrong-ola.

I was referring to one of the newest food fads, the panini.

If you’re a cook, a chef, a restaurateur, or you just like to watch the Food Network, you’ve probably been hearing about panini’s like crazy in the last few months. Personally, I first heard of a panini this past November while I was Christmas shopping with my mom. My sister had asked for a panini press for Christmas and as a result mom and I were left confused and bewildered in search of this specialty item. (By the way we found a great one at Kohl’s.)

Well, ever since I learned what a panini was I feel like I’ve been hearing the word every time I turn around. In fact, I just Googled “panini” and got 9,240,000 results. Now that’s a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches.

Yes, I said it, and I’ll say it again: paninis are just grilled cheese sandwiches. Now, to be fair, it is clear that these are the fancy version of this old-fashioned favorite. But let’s be honest and call a rose a rose — or at least call a sandwich a sandwich.

Well, whatever you call them, this food fad has some great appeal for several reasons. One, we love to grill everything here in America. Two, the charm and versatility of the sandwich is impossible to deny. Three, melted cheese is the ultimate in comfort food.

According to Wikipedia the panini (or panino if you’re going to use the real Italian word for this snotty version of the grilled-cheese sandwich) is a sandwich made from a small loaf of bread, typically a ciabatta. The loaf is often cut horizontally and filled with salami, ham, meat, cheese or other food and sometimes served hot. A grilled panini is buttered on the outside and grilled in a press.

Now, if you’ve been watching the Food Network you know that to qualify as a panini on TV it has to be hot, grilled and include cheese. Plus, no one seems to care if you use ciabatta, rye, frech bread or even sour dough. That means there are a lot of classic sandwiches — some are even my personal favorites — that can be reinterpreted into panini-style yumminess.

So, now that I’ve insulted this food fad it’s time to give you some of the panini ideas I got from my sister — who is both a Food Network junkie and panini-press owner. Remember, one of the great things about making any kind of sandwich is the fact that you don’t have to be very precise about the amounts of ingredients you use.

Panini Reuben
Rye Bread
Corned beef
Sauerkraut
Swiss cheese
Reuben sauce or Thousand Island dressing
Butter

Assembly couldn’t be easier. Put the amounts of each ingredient that you want into the sandwich, butter the outside of the sandwich and grill. If you don’t use a panini press or similar device you’ll have to flip it on the grill — just like you do when you make a grilled cheese.

Cheesy BLT Paninis
Sour dough bread
Cooked bacon
Sliced tomatoes
Swiss Cheese
Spinach
Butter

Again, put the ingredients on in the proportion you want and grill until the cheese melts. You don’t have to butter the outside of the bread, but butter is just good stuff.

Pizza-nini
Crusty garlic bread
Spaghetti sauce
Mozzarella Cheese
Other pizza toppings (like pepperoni)
Butter

Spread the sauce on the bread. Put cheese on the sauce. Stick any other toppings in there you want, butter the bread and grill it!

Bruscetta Panini
French bread
Mozzarella
Sliced tomatoes
Basil
Butter

By now you get it right? Assemble to your liking and grill.

I’ve got more panini goodness for you all next week!

So, several fast food chains have recently started selling breakfast in the area. All I can think is that some super-secret information has been leaked from McDonalds about how profitable their breakfast endeavors have been.

Just a few short years ago Hardees expanded it’s breakfast menu. Since then Arby’s has joined in. And recently Taco Johns has joined the breakfast action.

That’s right. You can now get tacos for breakfast.

Well, they aren’t really tacos, they’re burrito thingies. Personally I don’t do spicy food for breakfast. My German heritage and my Irish stomach can’t handle it. But this morning I did go to Taco John’s for breakfast because I had an insane craving for Potato Ole’s.

Now I didn’t have much hope that they would have the lovely golden bits of potato goodness available before 10 a.m. – I mean, McDonald’s doesn’t serve French fries in the morning – but I was pleasantly surprised! I got my Ole’s and started the day off with a kick. Well, as much of a kick as my South Dakotan digestive system would allow.

I don’t think I’ll do that very often, but it’s great to know that the option is there. How about all of you? What do like to eat for breakfast? Does anyone out there gett a craving for fast food items in the a.m. – or is it just me?

Say “Mmmmmmmmmm” if you love those gourmet beer bread mixes that you can buy at in-home parties or upscale stores.
The bread is great. The price of the mix, not so much.
Everyone I know seems to love beer bread made from those mixes, especially this time of year when a loaf of fresh-from-the-oven bread is perfect with soup or chili. So I decided to look for an affordable, and delicious, homemade beer bread mix.
I searched several sites online and found a recipe for Easy Beer Bread at allrecipes.com. It’s a gift and a side dish all in one. The woman who posted the recipe says she mixes all the dry ingredients together, then gives the mix and recipe as a gift.
I love that idea so much that (after taste-testing the recipe on a friend, who liked it and shared the bread with her co-workers) I made about a dozen batches of mix that I gave to friends this holiday season.
When I baked the test batch for my friend, I added a cup of shredded Cheddar cheese, and used club soda instead of beer.  My friend said the bread tasted similar to Red Lobster’s famed cheese biscuits - just another reason to love this recipe.

Easy Beer Bread
2-1/2 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 (12 fluid ounce) can beer
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-5-inch baking pan.
In a bowl, mix the self-rising flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. Pour in the beer, and mix just until moistened. Transfer to the prepared baking pan. Top with the melted butter.
Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Variations: Use club soda instead of beer.
Add 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese to bread batter, if desired.

By Deanna Darr

I’m a bit ashamed to admit this, but I’ve been leaning on some convenience foods lately. Last night, for instance, we had a hankering for mashed potatoes but little patience. At the store, I found some premade mashed potatoes in a bag; just boil the bag and serve. They were pretty tasty.

By far, my favorite item is precooked bacon. Yes, it’s expensive, but when you’ve got to have a BLT now, there’s nothing like it.

What are your favorite convenience foods? I’m sure there are some good quality ones out there. Let us know.