By Tanya Manus

 A few days ago, on one of our warmer sunny days, I thought I felt a hint of spring in the air.

I know it’s too early for spring, but the brief bursts of nice weather have made me anxious for green grass and sunny days. Until spring arrives, I’ll savor the tulips and daffodils that have arrived in local stores, and I’ll enjoy asparagus, a vegetable that typically makes me think of light, fresh, warm-weather menus.

To get the best flavor and least stringiness, try oven-roasting your asparagus. Drizzle it with olive oil and top it with a few simple seasonings before roasting. This is well-liked at our house, and it’s particularly delicious when paired with baked salmon or your favorite fish entree.

Roasted Asparagus

In place of the lemon juice, you can drizzle a little balsamic vinegar over the asparagus. Add a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese for extra flavor.

1 pound asparagus spears (thick spears are best for roasting)

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

Kosher salt

Freshly grated black pepper

Lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400°F. Rinse clean the asparagus. Break the tough ends off of the asparagus and discard.

Lay the asparagus spears in a single layer in a baking dish or a foil-covered roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil over the spears, roll the asparagus back and forth until they are all covered with a thin layer of olive oil.  Sprinkle with minced garlic, salt and pepper. Rub over the asparagus so that they are evenly distributed.

Place pan in oven and cook for about 8-10 minutes, depending on how thick your asparagus spears are, until lightly browned and tender when pierced with a fork. Drizzle with a little fresh lemon juice before serving.

Serves 4.

By Jomay Steen
The other day, I went into Menard’s to find wood glue to fix a wobbly chair. While I was there, I discovered a dirty little secret. Who knew that Menard’s sold toiletries, tooth paste, eggs, orange juice and milk? It’s like finding a bakery at the mechanic’s garage.
For years, my friend Zonya has been sending her sons off to Safeway, Wal-Mart or Family Thrift—with coupons and canvas tote bags, no less—to have the boys return home hours later with an incomplete list of hodgepodge products and the same coupons stuffed in the bottom of the tote bags. The receipt was usually missing, too.
The boys (both now college students) typically had some dreamy looks on their faces when they returned home probably from thinking about flutter valves and toggle bolts that they had been ogling as they meandered through the store. At the last minute, they’d dash into the home building supply store’s food section to load up their shopping cart. At home, they were finished with groceries. Meanwhile, mom is none the wiser.
OK, what did it hurt? I’m not sure. Today I picked up for less than $15 two rag rugs, dish soap and cotton swabs as I trolled Menard’s for a bottle of wood glue.
Yet, Zonya was intrigued.
What other secret grocery markets are out there disguised as furniture stores, clothing boutiques or lumber yards? She really wants to know.

By Tanya Manus

A friend of mine and former Journal colleague is expecting a bouncing baby boy any minute now, so I’m helping her mother plan and host a baby shower this weekend.

We’ll be serving guests an array of hors d’oeuvres and a luscious chocolate-raspberry cake. But I didn’t want just any ordinary sherbet and 7-Up punch to go with the menu; my friend has more sophisticated, and healthful, tastes than that. And obviously, cocktails with alcohol are out of the question.

So I’ve opted for a fun, fruity “mocktail,” courtesy of Rachael Ray. It’s refreshing (try it on a hot summer day!), easy and festive - perfect for toasting the arrival of little David Alexander.

Mango-Ginger Mocktails
4 cups ginger ale, chilled
4 cups mango nectar, chilled
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, plus lemon slices for garnish
Ice
  
Just before serving, mix together the ginger ale, mango nectar and lemon juice in a large pitcher. Pour into tall glasses filled with ice and garnish with lemon slices.

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.

Listening to Lynne Rosetto Kaspar on public radio the other day, I was much interested in what she had to say about chocolate chip cookies. That’s because my chocolate chip cookie making ability surprisingly has gone downhill over the years. In particular, it seems I have to add more and more flour to the recipe in order to have cookies that don’t turn into little lumpy chocolate puddles on the cookie sheet.

For years, I thought this was because I live at an altitude above 3,500 feet — but even so, and even adding what seems to be ever more amounts of flour, my cookies are less than what they once were.

Kaspar was commenting about the original Toll House cookie. It seems that when that recipe was recorded, regular flour had more protein in it than today’s version. Her advice for remedying flat and wimpy chocolate chip cookies was to use bread flour, which has more protein. She also suggested refrigerating the dough overnight, which gives the ingredients more time to combine so that a superior cookie is produced.

 Ahah, I thought. This weekend, I made up the cookies using bread flour and refrigerated the dough. I added no extra flour in hopes that Kaspar’s advice would make that unnecessary. Wrong! My first batch of cookies came out puddled up in a most regrettable fashion. After adding the usual 3/4 cup more flour, I was back to square one.

 After being led astray by a nationally known expert, I am returning, properly chastened, to local bakers. What’s the trick to baking cookies that come out just right in terms of consistancy? Do you adjust for altitude? Any suggestions would be humbly appreciated.