Classic Green Bean Casserole

This Thanksgiving, both Number One and I were really craving Green Bean Casserole. You know the one, with the canned French fried onions on top, and the creamy mushroom soup? I know you know it. It's sooooo good. We had to have it.

I found this recipe at Campbell's Kitchen, it makes Green Bean Casserole just the way you remember it. One thing to note: the beans need to be cooked before you mix them in. I used frozen green beans, cooked them as directed on the package, then mixed them into the soup and other ingredients. Just perfect.



Classic Green Bean Casserole

Prep: 10 minutes
Bake: 30 minutes

Serves: 6

Campbell's says: "It's the dish everyone's expecting on the holidays, but it's so easy to make, you can serve it any day. What makes our green bean casserole so good? A secret ingredient - cream of mushroom soup."

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Dash ground black pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 1/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions, divided

Stir the soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 1/2-quart casserole.

Bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the bean mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining 2/3 cup onions.

Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

Tip: Use 1 bag (16 to 20 ounces) frozen green beans, 2 packages (9 ounces each) frozen green beans, 2 cans (about 16 ounces each) green beans or about 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans for this recipe.

For Broccoli Casserole, substitute 4 cups cooked broccoli flowerets for the green beans.

For cheese lovers, stir in 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese with soup. Omit the soy sauce. Sprinkle with an additional 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese when adding the remaining onions.

To add a festive touch, stir in 1/4 cup chopped red pepper with the soup.

To add crunch, add 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds to the onion topping.

For bacon lovers, add 2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, to the bean mixture.

For Golden Green Bean Casserole, substitute Campbell's® Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup for the Cream of Mushroom Soup. Omit the soy sauce. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped red pepper with the green beans.

Cheddar Chutney Bites

I found this recipe in an ad for Cabot Cheese in the latest Martha Stewart Living magazine. I love the idea of miniature cheese balls, and I thought it would be a perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving.

Of course we couldn't find Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar, so we used an Extra Sharp White Cheddar, possibly from Tillamook, I can't remember. We used cashews for rolling.

These were delicious, as long as you like strong cheddar cheese! We served ours with Artisan Bread Crostini, and actually Number One rolled them a bit bigger than they should have been.

We will be making these again, possibly with some changes for more chutney flavor. I'll keep you posted~


Cabot Cheddar Chutney Bites
Makes about 24

16 ounces Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar, grated (about 4 cups)
6 tablespoons cream cheese
2 tablespoons Major Grey's Chutney (this is a mango chutney)
2/3 cup finely chopped peanuts or cashews

Combine cheddar cheese, cream cheese and chutney in bowl; mash with fork until mixture is well blended and holds together easily.

Shape mixture into 1-inch balls; roll balls in chopped nuts. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

Pumpkin Flan

I found this recipe in the latest Martha Stewart Living magazine. It's an excerpt from a new cookbook from one of Martha's own, Lucinda Scala Quinn's Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys.

The notes say that "canned pumpkin works perfectly well," but I would lean toward a fresh pumpkin puree, if you can. You can find details of roasting fresh pumpkin in this post.

This flan is amazing! Cath and I LOVED it. Number One said he didn't love it, but who cares! This is going to be a new holiday tradition because I said so. It is delicious, a perfect blend of spices, lighter than pumpkin pie, and the caramelized top was wonderful. Simply delicious.


Pumpkin Flan
Serves 8

1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup cooked pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups half-and-half or cream
5 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Put the granulated sugar in a 9-inch cake pan or pie plate, set on the center rack in the oven, and bake until the sugar is caramel colored, 8 to 12 minutes. Swirl to cover the bottom of the pie plate with the caramel.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Stir in pumpkin puree. In a medium bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs and vanilla. Thoroughly blend the egg mixture into the pumpkin puree.

4. Set the pie plate in a large roasting pan, and pour the custard over the caramel. Carefully pour enough hot tap water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the pie plate. Bake until the custard is set, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool and chill in the refrigerator. Run a knife around the outside edge of the flan and invert it onto a rimmed plate. Cut into wedges or scoop and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

You know how much we love Bobby Flay. I think you do. Do you? We love Bobby for his flank steak, his Cuban burgers, his grilled pizza, his grilling in general. So when I saw he had paired with Best Foods (Helmann's for those of you East of the Mississippi) for some holiday recipes, I was excited!

I saw the two-page advertisement in this month's Real Simple magazine. It has four great recipes--a Turkey Cuban, Apple-Cranberry Crisp, Loaded Mashed Potatoes, and this one that was calling our names: Disappearing Buffalo Chicken Dip.

This dip was the surprise hit of the appetizer table this Thanksgiving. It's easy to throw together, and perfectly delicious. Number One thought it could use a bit more Frank's Red Hot Sauce, but the rest of us thought it was just right.

We mixed up the dip the night before, and refrigerated it in a casserole dish. We baked it in the oven right before we wanted to eat it. Perfect! Served with Artisan Bread Crostini and celery sticks.


Disappearing Buffalo Chicken Dip
from Best Foods & Bobby Flay

Makes 3 cups
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

2 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken
1/4 cup cayenne pepper sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot Sauce--our favorite)
1 cup Best Foods Mayonnaise
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Toss chicken with cayenne pepper sauce. Stir in remaining ingredients except blue cheese. Turn into 1 1/2-quart shallow casserole, then sprinkle with the blue cheese.

*Cover and refrigerate here if making ahead*

Bake uncovered 20 minutes or until bubbling. Serve, if desired, with celery and/or your favorite dippers.

Key Lime Pie

We haven't had Key Lime Pie in a very long time. In fact, the closest we've come to Key Lime Pie was the Key Lime Pie Cupcakes I made back in July! So when we were thinking of pies for Thanksgiving, we decided on Key Lime. YUM.

This recipe comes off the back of the bottle of Nellie & Joe's Famous Key West Lime Juice. It's really the only Key Lime Pie recipe I've ever used, and it works like a charm. Because this pie needs to be refrigerated, it is perfect for making a day in advance.


Nellie & Joe's Key Lime Pie

One 9" graham cracker pie shell
One - 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks (whites not used)
1/2 cup Nellie & Joe's Famous Key West Lime Juice

Combine milk, egg yolks and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Pour filling into pie shell and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.

Allow to stand 10 minutes before refrigerating. Just before serving, top with freshly whipped cream and garnish with lime slices.

*To make the cute little lime twists, I just very thinly cut three slices of lime. Make one cut from the center to the outside edge, then twist the ends in opposite directions. Place the twisted ends flat on the pie surface, pressing down slightly to adhere.

Three Cranberry Sauces!

Cranberry Sauces--- yes I make three different cranberry sauces for Thanksgiving. My brother Robert called me today and we got to talking about cranberry sauce. He is making a fresh sauce to contribute to his Thanksgiving dinner. I told him about the sauces that I was making and he suggested I share them on Min's blog---so here they are, ENJOY !

The fresh sauce is my mother's recipe----you just have to make this one----easy and very good. The next one my sister Maraley found this recipe on NPR. It has horseradish and sour cream---yummmmmmm! The last but not least is just a good basic cooked cranberry sauce that is super easy.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone !

Cooked Cranberry Sauce
12 oz. fresh cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup orange juice
Mix and cook in microwave till cranberries pop their skins.

Fresh Cranberry Sauce
Food Processor:
1 orange & 12 oz. fresh cranberries
Stir in 1 cup sugar, mix well.
Chill 24 hrs. Keeps 2 weeks

Cranberry Relish (NPR)
2 cups chopped cranberries
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2-3 TBL horseradish
Mix together. Keeps 6 weeks.

Min's Thanksgiving Menu, 2009

Thanksgiving 2009

~~~~~

Hors d'Oeuvres:

Homemade Boursin

Chicken Liver Pâté

Artichoke & Spinach Relish*

Cheddar Chutney Bites*

Buffalo Chicken Dip*

Artisan Bread Crostini

Crackers, Celery Sticks


Main/Sides:

Orange Rosemary Roasted Turkey*

Classic Dressing

Mashed Potatoes

Gravy

Green Bean Casserole

Rolls & Butter

Cranberry Sauce


Desserts:

Maple Pecan Pie

Fresh Pumpkin Pie

Pear Pie

Key Lime Pie

Pumpkin Flan*

~~~~~

As usual, * indicates a brand new recipes we haven't tried before. I do realize I have a "*" on the turkey...but doesn't it sound fabulous?

This Thanksgiving, we will be celebrating with some dear friends of ours, and honestly we feel like it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without them! We are so excited they will be joining us, and it's becoming a tradition that we all get together. I like it.

The other great thing about this year, Cath and I are basically sharing duties and dividing up the menu. It is such a relief, for both of us, to not have to "Do It All." Last year we had some help from Cath and other friends, but we still prepared most of the main dishes. I love cooking for people, but this year it's just nice to have some of the (self-imposed) pressure off, you know?

So here it is, our menu for Thanksgiving 2009. Some traditional dishes, some new, some already here, some will be posted after the holiday.

Let us know what you're having!

Bad Girl Review: POM Iced Coffee

It's really been a long time since my first product review here on The Bad Girl's Kitchen. I was very excited when I received an email from Blue at POM Wonderful about trying a new product for them: POM Iced Coffees, the Healthy Buzz.

In the email describing their new Iced Coffees, POM stated: "They've got POMx – an all-natural, ultra-potent antioxidant – made from the same pomegranates we use for our 100% Pomegranate Juice. Plus, it’s coffee too, so you get all the antioxidants found in POMx, plus a great caffeine pick-me-up. We like to call it “The Healthy Buzz.”"

*(POM emailed me, I had no idea they even HAD an Iced Coffee product, so I told them I'd love to try some.)

Today, I picked up the mail and there it was: a box of POM Iced Coffee! (I started this post back in mid-September! Oops!)


First, my dad and I tried the Chocolate Iced Coffee. My dad, a chocoholic who has been known to eat chocolate chips by the bag, loved it. I'm a chocoholic too, I suppose, but I didn't love it. It tasted like you were drinking Hershey's syrup. "That's why I love it," my dad said. But I'd like to taste more coffee, a bit less chocolate.

Next, we tried the Cafe au Lait Iced Coffee--too bitter for my tastes, but Number One liked it. "It's good," he said eloquently. I put milk and sugar or flavored creamer in my regular coffee, so I guess I need some sort of flavor/sweetener to take the bitter edge off.

I had high hopes for the Vanilla Iced Coffee, because there's nothing I'd love more than another product to choose from when I'm looking for a drink, and so far I wasn't completely sold on these Iced Coffees.

Dare I say it? The Vanilla was too...vanilla-y. Or maybe just too sweet? Am I being too picky?

To me, a coffee drink is a delicate balance. You need to to taste the coffee, it can't be bitter...perhaps I should clarify: I am one of those people who gets annoyed at a diner when I have my coffee at the perfect ratio of coffee to cream to sugar and the waitress comes along and fills up the cup without even asking.

While I do LOVE that these are a "healthier" coffee drink, I honestly think the flavors need some fine-tuning. These might be better for using in a different drink recipe, or some other way. If you have any ideas, be sure and let me know, I'll give it a try.

The Verdict:
More coffee, please, less flavor.
That's my opinion...

Post Script: We were just wondering about the sugar content in these babies, after Number One said, "Antioxidants or no, I'm not sure how healthy those are." I couldn't finish the Vanilla Iced Coffee, so it was still in the fridge.

I have to tell you--in one bottle (10.5 fl. ounces), there are 28 GRAMS of SUGAR! Holy Cow! That is a LOT of sugar. (and now I'm wondering how much is in the sickly sweet chocolate flavor...)

Figuring that there are 3.94 grams of granulated sugar in 1 US teaspoon, that means there are, not joking, more than SEVEN TEASPOONS of sugar in ONE drink. YIKES! There are also 10 grams of "Sugar Alcohol" listed in the Nutrition Facts. What the heck is that? MORE sugar? I think the formula needs to be revisited before I will be convinced to drink these again!

Artichoke & Spinach Relish

This is a quick appetizer I thought would be nice to try for Thanksgiving this year. My friend Catherine is making it for our appetizer spread. It came from the latest Real Simple magazine. We'll be serving it with homemade crostini; the magazine suggests crackers and vegetables for dipping.

The relish can be made and refrigerated up to 1 day in advance! While I would feel completely comfortable substituting ReaLemon for fresh lemon juice, there is No Substitute for real mayonnaise. You're just going to have to trust me on this. (it's only a few tablespoons, anyway)

This relish is a light, refreshing change to heavier dips you'll see on holiday tables. I really loved it. Cath made it ahead, but left the walnuts out to be stirred in right before serving. I think that was a smart move. Delicious!


Artichoke and Spinach Relish with walnuts
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
total time: 10 minutes
makes about 1 1/2 cups

1/4 cup walnuts
1 13.75-ounce can artichoke hearts, rinsed and chopped
1 cup baby spinach, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan (about 1 ounce)
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and black pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing occasionally, until fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool, then roughly chop.

In a small bowl, combine the artichoke hearts, spinach, Parmesan, mayonnaise, lemon juice, walnuts, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

Swiss Chard With Butternut Squash

I'm not a big "greens" person... no matter how good they are for you. However, Swiss Chard has a completely different flavor than kale or other greens. I found out at the farm last weekend that it's not even in the same family! I actually like Chard... a lot. I made up this recipe although it is based on recipes people have verbally told me to try with kale... which I hated. Give it a try! I also think this would be fabulous spread all over a pizza dough and topped with goat cheese! mmmmmmmmm Maybe with the leftovers!

Here's what you'll need...

@ 1 1/2 lbs of Swiss Chard (stems removed and WASH THE HELL OUT OF IT!!!)

1/2 medium onion (diced)

1 clove garlic

2 cups of butternut squash (diced into cubes)

salt & pepper

Heat up some olive oil (about 2 Tbs) in a BIG saute pan until it "shimmers". Add the squash and onions and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until the onions gets translucent. Add the garlic and toss around.

Add the chard and some salt. Put a couple Tbs of water to help get some steam going and cover your pan. Cook the chard for about 4-5 minutes or until the chard is all wilted down and the squash is tender but not mushy.

Add ground black pepper and more salt if it needs it. You can also add a splash of balsamic vinegar if you like.

Yummy!