Tater Tot Hotdish Burger

The cool weather of late (of course, not today) has me in a 

Minnesota State (Fair) of Mind! 

It might also be that I just saw the official roll out of new delicacies

on a stick that one can find at said fair...but regardless of the reason

this little creation I dreamed up a few weeks ago has me thinking

of home.

Two things that Minnesotans love: Hot dish (anything baked in a 

casserole dish, for those not in the know) and Burgers. 

Minnesotans especially love the classic Tater Tot Hotdish, which

is a ground hamburger and cream of mushroom soup base, topped

with tater tots.  Sounds rather rude, but it is perfection in a 9x13.

 Marrying these two favorites seems like a no brainer, 

SO WHY DID I JUST THINK OF THIS? 

Oh dear lord, this is absolutely a must try.  

And on the plate in under 30 minutes...what are you waiting for?

 What you need?

burgers (however you like: turkey, veggie, beef, buffalo)

frozen tater tots

3/4 cup yellow onion (chopped)

3/4 cup mushrooms (dry cleaned and chopped)

6 oz. whipped cream cheese

hamburger buns

salt & pepper

oil for sauteing

Saute the onions and mushrooms in 2 T. oil, generously cracking

salt and pepper while they cook down over medium heat.  

Do this while cooking the burger, season each side of the 

burger with salt and pepper.

Also oven cook tater tots (according to package directions)

 When the onions are transluesent and the mushrooms are soft, 

turn off the heat and fold in 6 oz of whipped cream cheese.

This will act as the "cream of mushroom soup" 

component of the classic Tater Tot Hotdish.

 Building the perfect Tater Tot Hotdish Burger:

bottom toasted bun

burger

generous dollop of creamy mushrooms and onions

5 crispy tater tots

top with the other toasted bun.

And because gluttony likes green company,

serve with a mixed greens salad.

I want full report, if you make this for your

great aunt in Northern Minnesota.

xo.

October Fest Egg Bake

 

Just under the end-of-October-wire I knocked out this egg bake today.

I have been thinking about it for weeks (as pretzel buns feel like a pantry

staple this time of year AND who doesn't love an egg bake on a Sunday morning?)

Slice (or chop, however you desire) a large yellow onion, over medium/high

heat slowly saute with 3 T of butter.  Add salt & pepper.

After ~10 minutes the onions will be soft and translucent. Transfer to 

a bowl and pop in the refrigerator to cool.

Some of the other ingredients, in addition to the sauteed onions:

pretzel buns

peppers (mild, slightly sweet)

sausages (any variety would work just fine)

 3 T spicy brown mustard

Not pictured:

shredded cheese (any variety will do, so use up what you have)

Eggs (I used a 32 ounce carton of egg whites)

Wash the peppers, cut off the tops, and cut down the middle lengthwise.

Use a spoon to scoop out all of the seeds. Then chop the peppers.

 I did to say how much peppers to add, as you can add as little or many

to your liking.  I cut enough peppers to yield 1/2 cup chopped.

I cubed 6 cups of pretzel buns.  To the bowl of sauteed onions I added

the chopped peppers, spicy brown mustard and sausages.  

 Place the pretzel bun chunks in the base of a greased pan (this oval

is just  a couple inches shy of being the equivalent of a 9x13 pan).

Top the pretzel chunks with the onion & sausage mixture.

Top with cheese (I used 2 cups total of shredded jack, asiago and parmesan)

Like I said, any cheese will work. I had a bag of shredded jack in the

refrigerator and always seem to have a wedge of parmesan and asiago on

hand.  The combo of these cheeses was excellent!

Top with eggs (I used a 32 ounce carton of egg whites) that have been 

whipped with salt and pepper and cover for the night.  

A true egg bake always sits in the refrigerator overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350, uncover the 

dish and bake for ~1 hour.

The egg bake will be golden brown, crusty and puffy like a souffle!

Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving!

It's probably appropriate to serve this with beer, at breakfast!

Heavenly (seriously I heard angels singing) Cheesy Pumpkin Noodles

I cannot quit the squash family, this time of year.  It is a deep seeded love, 

and I am super excited to share this quick and super tasty recipe with you.

What you need:

1- 15oz. can of pumpkin puree (I prefer Trader Joe's brand)

1- 8oz tub of whipped cream cheese

2 cups whole milk

1 & 1/2 bags of 1 lb. spaghetti noodles

5 T. butter

1 large onion, sliced thin

1 & 1/2 cups finely grated parmesan cheese

1 T. pure maple syrup

8 sage leaves

hearty pinch of grated nutmeg

salt & pepper

 

Begin melting the butter in a saute pan.  Add the thinly 

sliced onions, salt & pepper.Cook over medium heat.

The butter will be bubbly and slowly start to brown.

 After the onions start to tenderize and the butter starts to brown, toss in 

the sage (I stack the sage and slice twice down the length of the leaves, then

chop across).  Cook an additional few minutes, while stirring the sage around.  

 Brown butter and onion perfection.  This will smell like heaven, 

infused with fresh sage!

 Toss the prepared spaghetti noodles in the onions and brown butter

 (the spaghetti is cooked to al dente in a big pot of boiling salted water),

coating each noodle with the infused butter.

Set the noodles aside on a platter, while you whip up the sauce in

the saute pan 

In the noodle free saute pan, add the milk, cream cheese, pumpkin,

maple syrup and fresh grated nutmeg.  Combine, then salt and pepper 

to taste. Like with any milk base sauce, I always think I end up 

needing more salt and pepper than I originally thought, so taste as you 

go and continue seasoning.  

After the milk, cream cheese and pumpkin are combined, stir

in the grated parmesan cheese. Taste it.  Is it seasoned appropriately?

The sauce will be thick and absolutely mouth watering!  If it is too 

thick for your liking, thin out with a tiny bit of milk.

 I simply garnished with some maple spiced pecans I had in the

kitchen. They are so good and were the perfect tiny crunch.

Do click above to see how absolutely simple they are to whip up.

I think some other wonderful additions to this heavenly pasta 

would be:

sauteed portobello mushrooms, chicken, bacon...mmmm!

Report back with the goodies you throw in. 

 Enjoy!!

Chicken Marsala Parcels

I really wanted to make Chicken Marsala, but didn't want to make it the way I always 

make it: with pasta or smashed potatoes...so I looked to my favzy box of frozen pastry 

and decided it would be the perfect addition to the wine drenched chicken breasts.

First, butterfly and pound chicken breasts, between 2 sheets of plastic wrap.

You will need 2 pounded chicken breasts, for this recipe.

Remove the pounded chicken breasts from plastic wrap and dredge in:

1/3 c. flour

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

heat 2 T oil in a saute pan, over medium heat

brown the dredged chicken breasts, remove from pan once cooked through 

(a few minutes on each side)

After you finish browning all of the chicken breasts (add a splash of oil to the pan

between each browning process, if needed), add the following to the pan, leaving

all the brown bits from the chicken in the pan:

1 T. butter

1/2 cup finely chopped white onion

Cook the onions for a couple minutes.

To the onions add 1 cup chopped portobello mushrooms.  Continue

cooking cook until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are tender.

to the pan add:

1 cup Marsala wine and 1 cup chicken stock, heat until simmering then add:

roux (in a cup mix 1 T. flour with 2 T. chicken stock, use a fork to 

combined into a chunk-free slurry which will thicken the sauce)

1 T. brown sugar

4 T butter

sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

Continue to simmer the wine sauce, allowing the flavors to meld and sauce to thicken. 

 Then return the chicken, cut up into bite size chunks, to the pan. 

 Remove the chicken and sauce from heat and allow to cool completely, before 

wrapping in the puff pastries (this can be done the night before...chill in
the refrigerator, and pull out when you are ready to assemble the parcels)

 Puff Pastry.  Find it in the freezer section at the market.  Remove the 

puff pastry from the freezer the night before, place in the refrigerator. Pull out
of the refrigerator about 1/2 hour before assembling the marsala parcels

Use a rolling pin to lightly roll out each rectangle of pastry 

(2 rectangles of pastry, per box).

Then, have completely cooled chicken and sauce, 

along with shredded mozzarella ready to go.

Use a pizza wheel to cut the pastry into 2" by 3" sections. Place

a scoop of chicken and sauce in the middle of the pastry, and top

with a sprinkle of shredded mozzarella.  Keep the edges of the

pastry free of chicken and sauce.

 Top with another piece of pastry, 2" by 3" (this does not have to

be exact, at all) and press edges from top and bottom pastry together,

using the pad of your finger (or use the prongs of a fork).

Continue making parcels, until you run out of pastry.  Then gently

brush the top of each parcel with an egg wash (1 egg white, 2 T. water)

and if desired, crack black pepper and sea salt the tops.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until pastry is golden brown.

Yum!!!

last minute I decided the parcels needed a sauce on top...so in a saucepan I heated to boil:

1 cup Marsala wine

1 cup chicken stock

Roux (mix 2 T. butter & 1 T flour together into paste, before adding to

 the heated wine/stock, this will thicken the sauce- I used butter this time
to add a little richness to the sauce)

2 T. brown sugar

sea salt and cracked pepper to taste 

(why yes, this is the same thing the chicken, onions and mushrooms are 

soaking in, it needed to happen!)

Once the sauce boils for a couple of minutes, allowing the roux to fully cook through, 

reduce heat to simmer for a couple more minutes and it will be thick and delish.

I served the parcels with a loaded green salad and wild rice.

Harvesty Wild Rice

I call it 'Harvesty' because this is thee o' Minnesota staple (wild rice),

 jazzed up with delicious tastes of things enjoyed by yours truly when the weather dips.

What you need:
 

• 5 cups prepared wild rice (prepare the night before, to lighten your load).  A friend recently gave me a cooking tip, as I often burn wild rice (the water dries up), add additional water from the get go of cooking, and when the grains are adequately cooked, drain off the additional water.
• 2 T oil
• 1/2 large onion (white or yellow, chopped)
• 1/2 cup portobello mushrooms (patted clean with cloth and sliced)
• 3 T. dried cranberries (or cherries)
• 1/3 cup raw pecans
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 3 T butter
• sea salt and cracked black pepper
  
  

  

  Set aside the prepared wild rice.  In a large saute pan heat 2 T. oil over medium heat, 

  add the chopped onions and sliced mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes.

  
  

 

Add the chicken stock, dried berries, pecans and s&p.  

Reduce heat to medium low and allow the sauce to simmer for about 4 minutes

 

After it simmers, it will look like this bit of 'harvesty' heaven.  

Add the prepared rice and butter to the saute.  Stir and continue to 

season  with sea salt and cracked black pepper.

 NomNomNomFest2013.  Pairs well with anything, even a fork!