Embrace the Casserole

A casserole is probably not what you think of as a romantic dinner but frankly, tasty is romantic! And this casserole is such a marvelous blend of favorite foods. And what's tastier and has more memories than a delicious cheeseburger?

This recipe is a family favorite that I grew up having for dinner. Actually, a wonderful neighbor brought it for dinner right after my mom and I came home from the hospital on February 12, 1987.

We have altered it by using plain mushroom soup rather than the tomato mushroom soup and we added more water. It has lasted years with the Chaston family and it's possible it could become a favorite in yours. So embrace the casserole. You won't be sorry!

To help you embrace the casserole, take a listen to "Embraceable You" sung by Ella Fitzgerald. And what is more romantic than an embrace to keep with the Valentine's Day theme?

CHEESEBURGER CASSEROLE

1 pound ground sirloin

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cheddar cheese soup

1 ½ cans water

1 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese

1 pound frozen tater tots

1 pound frozen shoestring potatoes

garnish of grated cheddar cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cook ground sirloin until browned then drain off any excess liquid.
3. Combine soups, water, and grated cheese. Add cooked ground sirloin. Mix together.
4. Place tater tots in a single layer in the bottom of a 9”x13” pan.
5. Pour soup and ground sirloin mixture over the tater tots, spreading to the edges of the pan to cover the tater tots.
6. Place the shoestring potatoes over the top in a haphazard way so that they are not pressed into the soup and ground sirloin mixture.
7. Cover the pan with foil.
8. Bake covered for 20 minutes.
9. Remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes longer until the shoestring potatoes are slightly crispy.
10. Serve with a garnish of grated cheddar cheese and put some ketchup on the side!

Valentine's Day is at Hand...And Maybe Some Romance?

So it's still a bit early for Valentine's Day...okay, really early. But it's not too early for my favorite Valentine's Day candy: Jelly Belly® Little Petite Hearts!

I've never been a particularly romantic person. I mean, I'm allergic to roses and lots of other flowers! But when it comes to great jazz songs, I love romance. It's hard to choose just one jazz song about romance but I narrowed my list down to one to go with today's sweet and sour candy jelly hearts: "Isn't It Romantic" sung by Ella Fitzgerald.

It's a Winter Wonderland!

This is actually a picture from last year's snow...I didn't get a photo while it was still light outside!

It just keeps snowing! The flakes today were so big that it almost looked as though it was snowing fake snow! But it was real snow!

I love winter and fresh, cold air and snow. This could be for many reasons: (1) I'm from Iowa and grew up with snowy winters. And snow reminds me of home, my childhood, and holidays; (2) cold weather affords me the opportunity to wear winter coats, scarves, hats, and gloves. I do love to accessorize; (3) I just love the beauty of snow.

So what better song to celebrate this winter wonderland today than the song "Winter Wonderland" sung by Ella Fitzgerald?

A Marshmallow World

It's been snowing all day! So what goes great with a wintery little snow shower? Homemade pesto chicken pizza with a white alfredo sauce! The cool thing is the alfredo sauce makes itself--kind of like snow just falls when weather conditions are just right!

So of course, today's song has to be "A Marshmallow World" sung by Ella Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby.

PESTO CHICKEN PIZZA

½ cup warm water                                      

¾ teaspoon yeast                                       

1 teaspoon sugar, divided                        

1½ tablespoons olive oil, divided           

½ teaspoon salt                  

1½ cups all-purpose flour                       

1 cup pesto

¼ cup heavy cream

¼ cup parmesan cheese

¾ cup feta cheese

2 cups fresh spinach

1 large chicken breast, cubed, cooked

½ pound mozzarella cheese, grated

¼ cup cornmeal

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
2. Combine warm water, ½ teaspoon sugar, and ¾ teaspoon yeast in a bowl and set aside.
3. Put 1½ teaspoons olive oil, salt, ½ teaspoon sugar in a large bowl. Stir then push the mixture to the side of the bowl. Put the flour on the side opposite of the salt mixture. Pour the yeast mixture in the bowl and stir to combine all ingredients.
4. Knead the dough to make it consistent—just for a minute. Set aside covered for 15 minutes to rise.
5. Pour off the olive oil at the top of the pesto purchased in the store. Measure 1 cup of pesto and set aside.
6. Measure into separate containers the heavy cream, parmesan cheese, feta, spinach, and chicken and set them aside so they are ready to put on the pizza dough as soon as it is rolled out.
7. Grate the mozzarella cheese and set aside on a plate.
8. Put ½ tablespoon olive oil in a jelly roll pan and spread it around to the edges with your fingers. Sprinkle cornmeal over oil to coat it lightly.
9. Put pizza dough on a floured surface. Roll into a large rectangle 12 inches by 24 inches.
10. Lay rolled dough on oil and cornmeal in the jelly roll pan and press it to the edges.
11. Quickly spread ½ tablespoon olive oil over the dough with the back of a spoon.
12. Then spread the pesto with the back of a spoon all the way to the edges of the dough. 
13. Drizzle the heavy cream over the pesto, using the back of a spoon to slightly mingle the pesto with the heavy cream.
14. Sprinkle the parmesan then the feta evenly over the pesto layer on the dough. Lay the spinach over the cheeses. Put the cooked chicken pieces over the spinach to apportion it on the pizza.
15. Gently lay the mozzarella cheese over the chicken.
16. Bake for 3 minutes on the lowest shelf of the oven. Then move the pan to the middle shelf and bake for 12-14 minutes more or until done.

Bounce is Key with Cranberries

I love cranberries! But just like pecans, you have to sort them before you use them. Throw out any soft berries; each berry should be firm. Plus, a good cranberry bounces!

So to help remind you that you should only keep cranberries that bounce, check out "Billie's Bounce" sung by Ella Fitzgerald.

FRESH CRANBERRY SAUCE     

3-4 cups fresh cranberries, sorted

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup water

1. Sort cranberries. Put cranberries in a strainer. Rinse with water. Put all the firm cranberries in a large multi-cup measuring container.
2. Reserve one cup of cranberries aside. Put remaining cranberries in a large saucepan. Add sugar and water.
3. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.
4. After all cranberries have popped, add cranberries that were set aside. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and uncover.
5. Let stand for 20 minutes.
6. It will be very thick after being refrigerated.