Tag: sour cream

The holidays are the ‘zest’ time for refreshing lemon pie

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date November 3, 2022

Sour cream lemon pie is a refreshing dessert that is really easy to make, especially with a pre-made graham cracker crust.

I’m constantly amazed by the things I don’t know, despite having spent a lot of time trying new ingredients and recipes over the years.

One of my favorite discoveries over the past couple of years came from a random post I saw online about store-bought graham cracker crusts.

I’m sure I am the last person to discover this, but I never knew that you could use the plastic cover on a store-bought crust as a lid if you just flip it upside down.

Joey came in the kitchen last week, just as I was washing the plastic from my crust and looked at me like I lost it.

I’m sure he thought it was one of my strange money-saving schemes.

But when I placed it handily on top of the pie I just finished, crimped the edges of the pie tin down and slid it in the fridge, he was mildly impressed.

The pie recipe I tried comes from the blog “Bunny’s Warm Oven,” by Mary Bostow. You can find the original post at https://bunnyswarmoven.net/sour-cream-lemon-pie. I didn’t change anything other than omitting the addition of whipped cream once the pie was done.

Sour Cream Lemon Pie

Sour cream lemon pie is a refreshing dessert that is really easy to make, especially with a pre-made raham cracker crust.

Course Dessert

Keyword easy dessert, fresh lemon, graham cracker crust, lemon juice, lemon zest, pie, sour cream

Ingredients

1 nine-inch graham cracker crust pre-baked
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
zest of one large lemon
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 egg yolks
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sour cream

Instructions

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the cornstarch, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolks and milk. Stir well and heat over medium heat, stirring continuously.
After about 10 minutes, the mixture will start to thicken. Keep stirring until it begins to boil, and then remove the pan from the heat.
Stir in the butter until it’s fully melted and combined.
Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes and then stir in the sour cream.
Pour the lemon mixture into the prepared crust, and refrigerate it a few hours (or overnight) until it’s completely cooled through. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

This was just a bit sour and a bit sweet, and while you could definitely use a normal pre-baked pie crust for this recipe, I was especially happy with the flavor profile of the graham crackers pairing with the lemon filling.

If you’re looking for a new pie to try out or just need a quick dessert as the holidays come around, keep this one on hand. It was easy to make and was a really tasty, refreshing dessert, too.

And if you’re like me and quickly start to run out of space in your pie-shaped Tupperware containers during this time of year, at least you’ll have one dessert that comes with its own lid.

This piece first appeared in print on Nov. 3, 2022.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Tags easy dessert, easy pie, graham cracker crust, lemon juice, lemon zest, pie, sour cream

Breakfast Dessert

New baking technique delivers ‘dome sweet dome’ for muffins

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date October 27, 2022

Sour cream double chocolate muffins are moist with the perfect amount of chocolate flavor to pair with a cup of coffee for breakfast.

I learned something new this week that totally blew my mind: how to create muffins with perfectly domed tops.

It’s been a mystery for me for a long time how bakeries and other super bakers manage to get their muffins to rise so tall, puffing perfectly over the edges of their cupcake liners.

This week’s recipe finally gave me the secret. I was reading the post on the recipe for sour cream double chocolate muffins I wanted to try this week, and the author started talking about how the secret is starting your muffins at a higher temperature and then lowering it during the baking process.

I decided to trust her wisdom and give it a try, and it was awesome. I managed to create huge, beautiful muffins. Oh, and they tasted really good, too. If you’re like me and want to finally conquer domed muffins, this is the recipe for you.

This recipe comes from the blog “JaJa Bakes.” You can find the original post at https://jajabakes.com/sour-cream-double-chocolate-muffins/. I doubled the vanilla in my version below.

Sour Cream Double Chocolate Muffins

Sour cream double chocolate muffins are moist with the perfect amount of chocolate flavor to pair with a cup of coffee for breakfast.

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Keyword chocolate chips, cocoa powder, muffins, sour cream, vanilla

Ingredients

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cup sour cream
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips divided (I used semi-sweet)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a 12-well muffin tin by placing cupcake liners in it.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the oil, sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla and sour cream until well combined.
Add in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt and beat until the mixture is smooth.
Fold in about two-thirds of the chocolate chips and spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each all the way to the top of the well.
Sprinkle the leftover chocolate chips on the tops of the muffins, and bake for five minutes. Then, without opening the oven door, lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake about 15 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centers of the muffins comes out clean.
Let the muffins sit in the tin on the counter for about five minutes before removing them and placing them on a baking rack. Once the muffins are cool, serve them or store in an airtight container.

These were moist and chocolatey and perfect with a hot cup of coffee for breakfast. These would be a showstopper for a bake sale, too, and they were super easy to make.

We ended up sharing them with friends for dessert during Sunday afternoon football, and they went over really well.

Nobody else commented on how beautiful my muffins were, but I was still really excited to finally cross making gorgeous little cakes off my baking bucket list.

Hopefully I can use that same technique the next time I pull out my muffin tins, but in the meantime, I’ll just revel in my own awesomeness.

This piece first appeared in print on Oct. 27, 2022.

Tags bake sale, breakfast buffet, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, muffins, sour cream, vanilla

Main Dish

Casserole might be better on taste then eating with your ‘rice’

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date October 20, 2022

Taco sour cream rice casserole is extremely kid-friendly, with no spiciness, but it also is a nice way to enjoy taco flavors over dinner in an easy, quick casserole form.

There’s a popular saying that people eat with their eyes.

Food that looks good tends to taste better, and food that looks like slop tends to, well, taste like slop.

I was worried that the saying was going to come back to bite me with this week’s recipe when I decided to add a Sazon seasoning packet into the rice, sour cream, cottage cheese mixture in the casserole I tried. I looked at the bland, white concoction and decided it needed color—and flavor.

What I didn’t plan on was what would happen when the bright orange seasoning mixed in with the colorless, creamy assortment in my pot. It turned movie-theater-popcorn orange.

Unfortunately, that was the moment Joey decided to pop his head into the kitchen to see how my experiment was turning out.

His face told me I may have been eating an entire casserole by myself if the entire thing ended up looking like some sort of traffic-cone-inspired amalgamation. Luckily, it ended up looking much better once the casserole was done.

The recipe I tried comes from the blog “Plain Chicken.” You can find the original at https://www.plainchicken.com/taco-sour-cream-rice-bake/. I added onion, garlic and Sazon seasoning to my version.

Taco Sour Cream Rice Casserole

Taco sour cream rice casserole is extremely kid-friendly, with no spiciness, but it also is a nice way to enjoy taco flavors over dinner in an easy, quick casserole form.

Keyword cottage cheese, diced green chiles, diced tomatoes, garlic, ground beef, ground turkey, kid-friendly, Mexican-blend cheese, onion, rice, Rotel, Sazon seasoning, sour cream, taco seasoning, tomato sauce

Ingredients

3 cups cooked rice
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1/4 of a medium onion diced
4 to 6 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup taco seasoning
2 Sazon seasoning packets
10 ounces diced tomatoes with green chiles
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups Mexican blend cheese shredded

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an eight-by-eight- or nine-by-nine-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
Cook your rice according to package directions. (It should be three cups after it’s done cooking; don’t start with three cups uncooked rice, or you’ll have way too much!)
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the ground beef and onions. Crumble the meat as it browns. When it’s done cooking, drain off as much grease as you can. Add in the garlic and saute for about one minute.
Add in the taco seasoning, one of the Sazon packets, salt and pepper, the diced tomatoes (do not drain them) and the tomato sauce.
Stir to combine, and let the mixture simmer.
When the rice is done cooking, add the sour cream, cottage cheese, the other Sazon packet and salt and pepper to the pot and stir to combine.
In the prepared baking dish, smooth out the rice mixture into an even layer. Top with the meat mixture, and then sprinkle the shredded cheese on the top.
Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese is browned to your liking.
Let the casserole sit for at least five minutes before serving. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

This was pretty darn good, but it definitely lacked the spice Joey and I prefer. I would say this dish, the way I made it this time, was extremely kid friendly. It would be easy, though, to add extra kick by using the hot kind of diced tomatoes with green chiles or use tomatoes with jalapenos, instead. It would be amazing to add a drained can of jalapenos to the rice mixture on the bottom, too.

I was really glad, in the end, that I added the Sazon packets. I think they added some good flavor to the overall dish—even if I almost had to blindfold my husband during dinner.

This piece first appeared in print on Oct. 20, 2022.

Tags casserole, cottage cheese, diced green chiles, diced tomatoes, freezer meal, garlic, ground beef, ground turkey, hot dish, kid-friendly, Mexican-blend cheese, onion, rice, Rotel, Sazon seasoning, sour cream, taco seasoning, tomato sauce

Breakfast Dessert

Lots of leftovers results in some recipe (sour) scheming

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date October 13, 2022

Sour cream donuts are cake-y, sweet and simple, with a light sugar glaze to really make them something special. Enjoy these for breakfast or as a dessert.

So much sour cream.

Seriously, you should see the nearly literal vat of sour cream in my refrigerator right now.

We hosted a catered meal about a week ago, and I ended up with the leftovers in my fridge. I’m not complaining, mind you, because the meal was absolutely delicious, and I’m never going to complain about somebody else cooking something amazing for me.

But now, even after the rest of the goodies are gone, there’s the sour cream.

Not being one to let things go to waste if I can help it, I’m starting a sour cream series this week. I’m not sure quite how many weeks of recipes it will take for me to clean out the bowl, but I’m no quitter.

To kick it off, I decided to try out a recipe for some baked donuts that looked fantastic, and they turned out great.

The recipe comes from the blog “Semisweet Sisters.” You can find the original post at https://www.thesemisweetsisters.com/2014/09/03/baked-sour-cream-donuts-recipe/. I added extra nutmeg and vanilla in my version.

Sour Cream Donuts

Sour cream donuts are cake-y, sweet and simple, with a light sugar glaze to really make them something special. Enjoy these for breakfast or as a dessert.

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Keyword baked donuts, donuts, glaze, nutmeg, powdered sugar, sour cream, vanilla

Ingredients

Donut Ingredients

1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 heaping teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Glaze Ingredients

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a donut pan by spraying the wells with cooking spray (I got seven large donuts out of my batch, for reference).
In a mixing bowl, whisk the sour cream, egg, vanilla, oil and sugar until well combined.
Whisk in the remaining donut ingredients until the mixture is smooth.
Spoon the batter into the prepared donut tin.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the donuts comes out clean.
Once the pan is cool enough to handle, remove the donuts and let them cool completely. Bake the rest of the batter if you still have some left.
Once the donuts are cooled, prepare to glaze the donuts by lining your countertop with a large piece of waxed paper and setting a cooling rack on top. In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla for the glaze and mix well. You’ll want it thick enough to coat your spoon and thin enough that you can easily dunk the donuts into it.
Dunk each donut fully to coat it in the glaze, and place them on the cooling rack so the glaze can set up.
Once the glaze is dry, enjoy the donuts immediately or store them in an airtight container for later.

These were cake-y and not overly sweet. Even Joey, who tends to shy away from anything that’s overly sugary, really liked these. They are a fantastic pairing for a cup of tea or coffee for breakfast.

I must admit, I was a little disappointed that scooping a mere half cup of sour cream out of my bowl didn’t seem to make much of a dent, but I still have quite a few new recipes to try before I’m all done.

This piece first appeared in print on Oct. 13, 2022.

Tags baked donuts, cake donuts, donut pan, donuts, doughnuts, nutmeg, powdered sugar, sour cream, vanilla

Appetizer Snack

Wow guests with an appetizer that’s a ‘tini’ bit fancy

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date March 10, 2022

It may seem like a strange combination, but a creamy blue cheese spread, combined with warm, roasted grapes on crunchy crostini is a fantastic, fancy snack or appetizer.

Joey and I aren’t normally Valentine’s Day people. Generally, romance on Feb. 14 is us hanging out at home and playing a board game or watching TV.

But when some good friends of ours asked us to go on a double date with them this year, we were ready to celebrate.

We ended up at the Coneburg Grill and Pub in Peabody for their Valentine’s dinner, which consisted of several courses and some specialty cocktails, too.

We had a fabulous time, and as has always been my experience at the Coneburg, we had a fantastic meal, even though it was far, far more upscale than the décor of the restaurant would’ve otherwise dictated.

Since we went, I haven’t been able to get the appetizer we were served out of my head. It was one of those dishes that looked super weird at first, but the flavor combinations were perfect, and I finally decided I just had to try it.

So I started Googling and found a recipe that seemed to fit the bill from the blog “Babaganosh.” You can find the original post at https://www.babaganosh.org/blue-cheese-spread-roasted-grapes/. I added to the instructions for making your own crostini and added a bit more thyme in my version.

Roasted Grapes and Blue Cheese Spread

It may seem like a strange combination, but a creamy blue cheese spread, combined with warm, roasted grapes on crunchy crostini is a fantastic, fancy snack or appetizer.

Course Appetizer, Snack

Keyword baguette, blue cheese, crostini, fresh thyme, olive oil, red grapes, sour cream

Ingredients

Crostini Ingredients

1 baguette
olive oil for brushing
fresh cracked pepper and salt to taste

Grapes Ingredients

4 cups seedless red grapes rinsed and drained
4 sprigs fresh thyme
cooking spray

Spread Ingredients

4 ounces blue cheese crumbled
1/2 cup sour cream
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 pinch nutmeg

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Slice the baguette into about one-quarter inch slices. Brush each slice with a light coating of olive oil and place them in a single layer on a large baking sheet (line it with parchment or foil for easy cleanup). Sprinkle the slices with salt and pepper, and bake for about 10 minutes, checking after 5, until the slices are at your desired crispiness.
For the grapes, spread the grapes out in a baking dish (an eight-by-eight-inch or a nine-by-13 would each work fine). Spray the grapes with cooking spray, and place the sprigs of thyme around the pan.
Roast the grapes at 375 for 15 to 25 minutes or until they are starting to burst. Stir them at around the 10-minute mark.
(You can roast your grapes and brown your crostini at the same time.)
Transfer the grapes to a serving dish, and serve warm.
For the spread, combine the blue cheese, sour cream, leaves of the thyme sprigs and nutmeg into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a small serving dish and top with a few more thyme leaves for decoration.
To eat this dish, spread some of the blue cheese mixture on a crostini and then top with a few warm grapes.
Refrigerate any leftover spread or grapes, and store crostini in an airtight container.

So, yeah, I served roasted grapes, which sounds super weird, but it’s so, so good. Adding that fruitiness to blue cheese is a great combination, and who doesn’t like eating crispy crostini?

I wouldn’t say my version is better than the pros at the restaurant, but since I’ll probably have to wait another 11 months to have theirs again, this is a darn good substitute.

I never would have guessed you could learn about fine dining in a humble town like Peabody, but I am (and my tastebuds are) so glad I did.

This piece first appeared in print on March 10, 2022.

Tags blue cheese, crostini, fresh thyme, olive oil, red grapes, sour cream

Appetizer Side Dish Snack

Dip into something awesome for game day

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date February 4, 2021

Cheesy bean dip elevates boring canned ingredients into something truly spectacular for your snack table.

Until the Chiefs became a part of the post-season, the best part of Super Bowl Sunday for me over the years has been the snack table.

From the days when our church youth group would watch the games while playing a football-themed bingo game to ones with friends gathered in our living room, there has always been a fabulous spread of great food to eat along with the fellowship the game brings.

Of course, it goes without saying that this year’s game will be very different than last year’s Chiefs victory. Last year, our house was packed with people, everyone screaming and yelling when the final seconds ticked down on the game clock, and we all realized we were the Super Bowl champs.

This year, there will likely be more yelling and screaming, and hopefully that will come along with another Lombardi Trophy, but it will be a much quieter din without the crowd of friends and family around us.

Despite the lack of a crowd, Joey and I will still be enjoying some favorite snacks, though, and after I test-drove this one for the AFC Championship game, I have to share it with you.

This comes from Lauren Allen over at her blog, “Tastes Better From Scratch.” You can find the original post at https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/cheesy-bean-dip/. I doubled the seasoning in my version below and substituted refried beans for whole pintos.

Cheesy Bean Dip

Cheesy bean dip elevates boring canned ingredients into something truly spectacular for your snack table.

Course Appetizer

Keyword bean dip, cheese, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, salsa, sour cream, taco seasoning

Ingredients

2, 15- ounce cans of refried beans
4 ounces cream cheese softened (I used fat free)
2/3 cup sour cream or plain non-fat Greek yogurt
2 packets 1/4 cup taco seasoning
1/4 cup salsa any kind. I used a tomatillo salsa.
1 to 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese divided

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In an eight-by-eight-inch baking dish, combine the refried beans, cream cheese, sour cream, taco seasoning, salsa and about 1/4-cup shredded cheese.
Mix it well so that the ingredients are evenly distributed, and then spread it evenly in the dish.
Top with as much cheese as you like and bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and just starting to brown around the edges.
Serve with tortilla chips or as part of a taco bar.

This was absolutely amazing. I know it isn’t a health food by any stretch, but by using fat-free refried beans, fat-free cream cheese and non-fat Greek yogurt to make this, I felt a lot better about placing a big scoop on my plate during the game.

And it certainly did not taste low-fat, either. The variety of cheese gave it fantastic flavor, and the leftovers quickly disappeared over the next few days, as we integrated them into tacos for lunch.

It won’t be the same to watch the Super Bowl without a crowd of friends this year, but I’m hoping that a few fun dishes on the coffee table might make up for it. Of course, another Chiefs victory wouldn’t hurt, either.

This piece first appeared in print on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021.

Tags bean dip, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, refried beans, salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream, taco seasoning

Side Dish

Don’t get cheesed by too many leftovers

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date January 7, 2021

Cheesy mashed potatoes is a great way to elevate leftover mashed potatoes after a big meal.

I’ve heard a lot of folks complain over the years that they never know how many spaghetti noodles to cook when making pasta.

A friend of mine literally just throws in an entire box every time she makes spaghetti and ends up with leftovers that last forever.

That hasn’t been an issue for me, now that I figured out how to use the holes on my spaghetti server to measure it out, but I still have a major portion control problem for another dish: mashed potatoes.

I never know how many potatoes to toss into the pot when I make mashed potatoes. It doesn’t matter if I’m just making them for Joey and myself or a crowd, I never manage to make the amount I need. Instead, I end up with loads and loads of leftovers.

For Christmas this year, Joey and I cooked enough food for a small army when we had his folks and aunt over to our house to celebrate the holiday. When we were all finished feasting, the serving plates all still looked full—especially my big bowl of mashed potatoes.

Over the years, I have transformed leftover taters into everything from fried potato cakes to potato soup, but this week, I tried something completely different that I absolutely have to share with you.

This recipe comes from “Taste of Home” magazine, and you can find the original recipe on their website at https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cheesy-mashed-potatoes/. I added garlic and onion powder to my version, and of course, I used leftover mashed potatoes instead of making some fresh for this dish, but you can do it either way.

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

Cheesy mashed potatoes is a great way to elevate leftover mashed potatoes after a big meal.

Course Side Dish

Keyword cream cheese, garlic, Greek yogurt, mashed potatoes, sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream

Ingredients

6 large potatoes cut into one-inch pieces
8 ounces cream cheese softened
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese plus more for topping
1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon onion powder
6 to 8 cloves minced garlic
1 large egg
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Boil your potatoes until they are fork tender, drain them, and then mash with a potato masher until nice and fluffy. (Or skip this step if you already made mashed potatoes and are using leftovers. Just heat them up in the microwave.)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and prepare a two-quart baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
Stir the rest of the ingredients into the potatoes until everything is well combined.
Spread the mixture into your prepared dish, cover it with an oven-safe lid or aluminum foil, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the dish is heated through and the potatoes are a little browned around the edges.
Top with more cheese, and if desired, pop it under the broiler for a couple minutes, uncovered, until the cheese is nice and bubbly.
Serve while it’s nice and hot.

I mixed this up for our New Year’s Eve meal, and it was like I made a completely new dish, even though it started with leftovers. These were phenomenal with tons of cheesy flavor, and the added garlic was awesome.

Also, since we ended up with leftovers of these, I can tell you they reheat really well, and they go nicely with leftover ham, too.

Unfortunately, this probably hasn’t taught me any lessons about overdoing it with my mashed potatoes in the future, especially since I can’t say no to cheese, but at least it makes our leftovers a little less boring.

Now, if we can figure out what to do with my friend’s spaghetti problems, we’ll be in business.

This piece first appeared in print on Jan. 7, 2021.

Tags cream cheese, garlic, Greek yogurt, mashed potatoes, sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream

Main Dish

I’ll take all the Tex-Mex you can ‘chimi’

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date September 24, 2020

Chicken chimichangas with white sauce are a scrumptious weekday dinner that tastes like it took a lot longer to make than it really did.

The debate about “authentic” food always fascinates me.

I recently listened to an episode of NPR’s “The Splendid Table,” where the host and guest were discussing the different ways people make sauce in Italy, and some of the recipes sounded very different than what I’d always thought was uniquely Italian.

The same debate seems to happen with Mexican food, too. People turn up their nose at “Tex-Mex,” claiming only the real thing is worth eating.

But I would argue that a lot of the amazing dishes in the States have benefitted from being tampered with a little—creating something new and delicious.

The recipe I tried this week for chimichangas is an example of that. A chimichanga, according to “What’s Cooking, America,” originated in Arizona, a creation by Mexican immigrants, where a traditional burrito received a deep-fried treatment.

This recipe is another step away from the original because it is baked, but despite its departure from the “authentic” version, it is absolutely delicious.

The recipe I tried comes from the blog “Munchkin Time.” You can find the original post at https://www.munchkintime.com/easy-30-minute-chicken-chimichanga-recipe/. I’m combining two of her recipes together for you, and I doubled the cumin in my version.

Chicken Chimichangas with White Sauce

Chicken chimichangas with white sauce are a scrumptious weekday dinner that tastes like it took a lot longer to make than it really did.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword baked, cheese, cheese sauce, chimichangas, Tex-Mex, tortillas, white sauce

Ingredients

Chimichanga Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup Monterey Jack shredded cheese
4 ounces diced chiles
1 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste
6 soft-taco-size flour tortillas
melted butter to brush tops

White Sauce Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream I used fat free
4 ounces cream cheese I used fat free
4 ounces green chiles drained
1 to 4 teaspoons hot sauce I used chipotle Tabasco
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In an oven-safe skillet, heat a tablespoon of canola oil over medium heat.
Add the chicken breasts and cook for about four minutes (or until you get a nice sear). Flip the breasts over and slide the skillet into the oven. Check the chicken after about 10 minutes, and remove it from the oven when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
While the chicken is cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once it is melted, whisk in the flour and let it cook for a couple minutes.
Whisk in the broth slowly, making sure to break up clumps as you do. Once the mixture is smooth, add the rest of the sauce ingredients and let the mixture come up to a slow boil, stirring regularly to incorporate everything. Once the mixture starts to bubble, remove it from the heat.
For the chimichangas, shred the chicken and add in the shredded cheese, chiles, cumin, salt and pepper and one cup of the white sauce and stir until well combined.
Warm the tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Spoon about 2/3 cup of the chicken mixture into the center of each tortilla, and wrap them by folding in the sides and then the ends to seal them.
Place them seam side down on a baking sheet.
Brush each chimichanga with the melted butter and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
Serve them with a ladle of the white sauce over top.

These were amazing. I think Joey told me at least four times during dinner how much he liked them, so I will be making these again, I’m sure.

The cheese sauce was absolute perfection, and honestly, even if you don’t want to make the chimichangas, make the white sauce and use it as a dip for chips. It’s fantastic.

This probably wouldn’t meet the approval of those who look only for “authentic” Mexican food, but I can tell you without a doubt that my stomach didn’t mind the lack of authenticity even a little.

This piece first appeared in print on Sept. 24, 2020.

Tags baked, cheese, cheese sauce, chicken, chimichanga, cream cheese, green chiles, quick dinner, sour cream, Tex-Mex, tortillas

Main Dish

Let’s embrace the ‘pasta’bilities this week

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date August 20, 2020

Ziti pasta bake is full of lots of cheese and Italian herbs. It's perfect for a quick weeknight meal.

Until I began this column, I had no idea how many variations of pasta there are.

I used to think I was pretty knowledgeable until I continued to discover new types that often were tough to find in small-town Kansas grocery stores.

My recipe this week called for ziti, a tube-shaped pasta I’m definitely familiar with, but my local store didn’t have any in stock, so I opted for some penne instead.

That got me to thinking that there are at least three tubular pastas I could think of: ziti, penne and rigatoni, and I decided to do some digging to figure out what the real difference is.

An article online by Brette Warshaw went into great detail about the minuscule differences between the three—most notably, the length. Standard penne is 2.12 inches long, ziti is 2 inches, and rigatoni is 1.8. Other than that, there are small differences in end cut and ridges, but that’s really about it from a visual standpoint. So, when I made this week’s recipe for a ziti pasta bake, I just grabbed what was available as far as tube-shaped pasta and hoped I wasn’t making a mistake.

The recipe I tried comes from the blog “Together as Family.” You can find the original at https://togetherasfamily.com/cheesy-ziti-pasta-bake/. I added lots more herbs in my version.

Ziti Pasta Bake

Ziti pasta bake is full of lots of cheese and Italian herbs. It's perfect for a quick weeknight meal.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword basil, cheese, cream cheese, garlic, Greek yogurt, marinara, mozzarella, oregano, parsley, sour cream, spaghetti sauce, ziti

Ingredients

16 ounces ziti
24 ounces spaghetti sauce
14.5 ounces petite diced tomatoes undrained
8 ounces cream cheese softened
2 teaspoons basil
2 teaspoons parsley
2 teaspoons oregano
6-8 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set it aside.
Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sauce, diced tomatoes, cream cheese, basil, parsley, oregano, garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper.
Once the pasta is done, drain it (don’t rinse it) and add it to the mixing bowl and stir.
Pour half of the pasta mixture into the baking dish and then spread the sour cream over the top. Sprinkle on about half of the mozzarella, spread the remaining pasta on top, and then finish with the rest of the cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes or until the top of the cheese is melted fully and slightly browned.
Serve with some garlic bread.

This was creamy and cheesy and really yummy. It was also meatless, and I didn’t miss the protein at all. You could easily use a meat sauce in this, though, if you would like to.

And despite the use of penne, it was pretty good. I will warn you, though, that apparently my substitution is not without controversy. Chef Paula Ghosh wrote a blog post about ziti vs. penne, and she notes that despite the two pastas having similar origins, ziti is meant to be used in baked dishes, and penne is meant to be mixed in with sauce.

She claims that even seemingly insignificant differences in pastas can change the entire flavor profile of a dish. Since she’s the expert, I suppose I’ll have to take her word for it, but I can tell you this was great even with the penne. It might be even better if you followed the pasta rules.

This piece first appeared in print on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020.

Tags basil, cheese, cream cheese, garlic, Greek yogurt, Italian, marinara, mozzarella, oregano, parsley, quick dinner, sour cream, spaghetti sauce, vegetarian, ziti

Main Dish

Chicken recipe will get you a ‘lada’ accolades

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date February 22, 2018

Sour cream chicken enchiladas are an extremely quick dinner, especially if you use pre-cooked chicken to make them.

I hate cooking chicken.

I think it’s all the scare tactics people use when talking about salmonella and separate cutting boards. It’s also the slimy factor when I remove the skin or trim off extra fat.

I would use ground meat for every recipe if I could.

Despite my hatred for cooking it, I do enjoy eating chicken, so I will often work past my bias in the search for something good for dinner.

I was checking out the clearance meat at our local grocery store recently and found a great deal on chicken legs, so I bought them and ended up de-boning so, so many of them for this week’s recipe and for use in quesadillas and lunch wraps the rest of the week.

So know that when I say this recipe was worth working with chicken, that’s saying something.

I found this recipe on the site “Centsless Meals.” You can find it at https://centslessdeals.com/sour-cream-chicken-enchiladas-recipe/. I added some seasoning and didn’t include onions in my version.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Sour cream chicken enchiladas are an extremely quick dinner, especially if you use pre-cooked chicken to make them.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword chicken, enchiladas, green chiles, Monterrey jack cheese, sour cream

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
4 ounces diced green chiles
1 rotisserie chicken or 3 cups cooked chicken shredded
16 ounces Monterrey jack cheese shredded
1 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste
10 taco-sized flour tortillas

Instructions

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for a couple minutes until it starts to brown.
Whisk in the chicken broth until the lumps are worked out of the mixture.
Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens, stirring regularly.
Mix in the sour cream and green chiles (I lightly drained mine). Stir until it’s smooth.
In another bowl, combine the chicken, about one cup of cheese, cumin, salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Pour about 1 cup of the sauce (or just enough to cover the bottom) into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Put about one-third cup of the chicken mixture into each tortilla and roll them up tightly (leaving the ends open). Place each one into the bottom of the pan. They’ll be pretty tightly packed in there.
Evenly distribute the rest of the sauce over top of the tortillas and top with the rest of the cheese.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese is starting to brown on top.

If you use a precooked rotisserie chicken for this recipe, it should make for a very quick dinner, but even with me boiling a mess of chicken legs on the stove, it came together pretty quickly.

Unfortunately, while Joey did get a great dinner (and subsequent leftovers) out of this meal, he did have to listen to me complain as I dealt with chicken skin and tendons in the kitchen. I was hoping maybe he’d come volunteer to help, but I suspect he may share my feelings on dealing with the slimy stuff.

This piece first appeared in print on Feb. 22, 2018.

Tags chicken, enchiladas, green chile, Monterrey jack cheese, sour cream