Scottsdale Potatoes – Hashbrown potato casserole

December 18, 2012 by

Baked Hash Browns with Cheese

 My  mother was introduced to these creamy, cheesy potatoes while visiting family in Arizona.  Apparently that’s where they got the name Scottsdale!  She always called them that and I have seen them in some old cookbooks with that name.  Recently I’ve seen them labeled Funeral Potatoes – a name which belies their yumminess but apparently takes into account the fact that it can satisfy large numbers.  The recipe can be assembled ahead of time and baked while other foods are being prepared.

If you want a holiday or family dinner dish that travels well – this is it.  Bake it at home and carry it hot or let it cool and warm it when you arrive.  Or assemble it at home and bake when you arrive, depending on your schedule and the hostess’s oven space.

It also makes a comforting addition to any meal –especially when the weather is cold outside.  I make it and we will eat several meals (with moderate portions)  from it because the “leftovers” are almost as good as the first time fresh out of the oven.  You can also add around 2 cups of browned ground beef to the mixture or 1 – 2 cups of diced ham to make this a main dish.   And you can enforce portion control by baking the potatoes in serving size baking dishes.  I added ground beef and did the serving size dishes for the photo.  You can also put them in tart pans and bake them crispy to make an appetizer.   Love these ‘taters!

I prefer the shredded hash browns because I like the texture of them in the finished dish over the diced hash browns. I don’t have a huge mixing bowl, so I spread half the frozen potatoes in the greased 9×13 pan and the rest in my large mixing bowl. Either cream of chicken (lighter flavor) or cream of mushroom soup (deeper flavor) will work.  I also like to buy the cream of chicken with garlic or with herbs for a nice flavor change.  Add all the remaining ingredients to the shredded hash browns in the mixing bowl – EXCEPT the melted butter.  When you have everything mixed, spread it over the potatoes in the 9×13 pan.  Everything melds together while baking.  Melt butter in microwave.  Timing may vary according to your microwave – mine takes about 30 seconds at 75% power.  Pour melted butter evenly over casserole.  I like to leave the top plain, but the original recipe called for 2 cups of finely crushed cornflakes spread over the top.

 If feeding large quantities meets your requirements, go to my facebook page and “like” to access the Exclusive Downloads.  There you will find a Scottsdale Cheesy Potato recipe to feed one hundred people from my mother’s church cookbook (so you know it is good!)

To save this recipe to your ZipList Recipe Box, click the blue button.  To find out more about ZipList, click here.

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Scottsdale Cheesy Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 1 32 ounce bag frozen hash brown potatoes
  • 1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 16 ounce container sour cream
  • 2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • ¼ cup chopped onion
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ cup butter or margarine melted

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients except melted butter.
  2. Spray 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.
  3. Spread casserole evenly into pan.
  4. Melt butter in microwave and pour evenly over casserole.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
  6. An alternate recipe calls for a topping of 2 cups of finely crushed cornflakes spread over the top.
http://www.apinchofjoy.com/2012/12/scottsdale-potatoes/

 

 

 

 

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How to puree a pumpkin

November 24, 2012 by

How to make pumpkin puree from a fresh pumpkin

This big pumpkin has been on our front porch since early October.  Time to make the change to Christmas decor so it had to go.   Bytes has been the master jack o lantern carver, but was busy this year.  So this super large globe survived Halloween intact and went right up to Thanksgiving.   Nary a ding and only one surface blemish to mar its nearly twenty pound beauty.  Could not just throw it away.

You have to know, too, that Wheels has frequently worked on Thanksgiving.  Not every year, but often enough that we haven’t really established any traditions except a really good dinner sometime close to the fourth Thursday in November.  But this year, he was home.   And we had some time on our hands while the crockpot worked its magic with the turkey breast.  See where this is going??  This  is also about how we spent our Thanksgiving Day.  All day.

Cutting up a pumpkin to make puree

Step one — wash the pumpkin thoroughly since it will be cut and cooked with the skin on.  Wheels began by cutting around the circumference of the pumpkin at its midpoint and just about halfway around.  Then he began cutting wedges from the end of the pumpkin down to the cut at midpoint.  (He’s a lefty and has his own technique.  Don’t try to copy unless you are also a lefty and then you will know why he was cutting thataway!)  He was using his super sharp fillet knife.  But any sharp knife will work — like the big butcher knife  that is in the knife rack close by.   Pull the strings off the piece.  (They were not as slimy as I thought they would be.)

 

Wheels kept cutting wedges.  Because the pumpkin was so big, we reasoned we needed to cut reasonably sized wedges so that it would cook in a reasonable amount of time. They were 2-3 inches wide and 6-8 inches long.  And there were a lot!  He cut and cut and cut.  At the center, it was as slimy as I thought it would be!  But not in a gross way — if you handled them quickly and didn’t think about it.  I skipped all that and opted to let Wheels do it.  Just because it was Thanksgiving and I was putting together some part of our dinner.   He pulled out the seeds and we cleaned and roasted them — I’ll post that later.

Oven bake pumpkin to make puree

Wheels scraped the thinner strings off each piece, leaving just the firm pumpkin.   With such a large pumpkin we decided to cook the pumpkin in the oven, a process I saw explained at Cultured Palate.  It worked beautifully! I took a little different tack though by placing the wedges on jelly roll pans — three  pans full! — and pouring in enough water  to just cover the bottom to create steam as the pumpkin cooked.   I baked it at 350 for between forty-five minutes and an hour — until a cooking fork could easily pierce the flesh.   It took about 10 minutes before the pumpkin cooled enough to handle.  I first tried to scoop the pumpkin off the rind with a spoon, and then an ice cream scoop.  Unsuccessfully.  Grabbing a knife, I cut off the rind as closely as I could — which still left quite a bit of good pumpkin in the rind.  Try holding onto a very warm slippery wedge of pumpkin while artfully wielding a knife!  Wheels wandered back through the kitchen and began scraping the remaining good stuff from the rinds.  Been just me — those rinds would have gone.  But he has patience and made me laugh.  Its why I like doing things with him.

While Wheels was separating pumpkin and rind, I began the puree process, using the food processor.  Did I tell you this is a messy business?  I thought I had about half of it pureed and then stirred the bowlful of pumpkin.  Big chunks were hidden in there!  So back through the food processor.  You probably would know to stir each batch to make sure it was smooth.  Not just look at it.  I know that too.  Now.  It’s a beautiful color, isn’t it?

Pumpkin puree

Pure pumpkin puree  is thick, too.  See that ladle standing up all by itself in the middle of the bowl.  That’s thick.  And we had two bowl fulls.  You know we had to freeze most of it.  I didn’t have freezer containers.  And by this time it was Thanksgiving afternoon.  I had this vision of bags filled beautifully colored pureed pumpkin, carefully measured in one cup portions.  Ha!  First to go was the carefully measured idea.  Fill the one cup measure and turn it upside down over the waiting freezer bag.  Nothing.  Not one drop fell out.  You have the bag in one hand and a full cup of thick pumpkin puree that is acting like concrete in the other.  Can’t shake the thick orange stuff out, can’t hold the bag and scrape the stuff out of the cup.   MMMkay.  I’ll just scoop some in the bag.  There was no way that stuff was going to go in  plastic bag.  There was more on my hands, the bag zipper, the sink, the counter than ever saw the inside of the bag.  Then Bytes wandered in and devised the botomless paper cup funnel you see above.  Three ladles full made the measurements sort of consistent in each bag — even if we don’t know how much three ladle fulls of pumpkin puree really is.

Pumpkin puree

We ended up with sixteen bags of the finest pumpkin puree you will ever see.  Dinner was pretty tasty, too. And the kitchen was pretty much all clean again before bedtime.  The activity won’t become a Thanksgiving tradition at our house –who in their right mind cooks a big dinner and purees a huge pumpkin at the same time?! –  but we had fun working together.  And you can learn from our experience.   So all is well.

 How did you spend Thanksgiving Day?  Got any pumpkin recipes??

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Holiday Sweet Potatoes

November 15, 2012 by

Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet potatoes are one of the oldest known foods, cultivated by Native Americans for centuries.  They were a major source of nutrition for early colonists – so very appropriate for Thanksgiving! —  and later soldiers during the Revolutionary War.   Often  called yams from a similar African tuber, sweet potatoes are much more nutritious.   They are an excellent source of calcium, vitamins A and C, potassium and manganese among other nutrients.  They are low on the glycemic scale and are often recommended to diabetics for blood sugar control.   There is an enzyme in sweet potatoes that converts the starches of the young plant into sugars as the potato matures.  Sweetness increases during storage and cooking.

If using fresh sweet potatoes, choose ones that are firm, dark and blemish free, then store in a dry cool place, where they will keep up to a month.  Wash well before cooking with the skins on.  Many of the nutrients are near the skin so leaving it on during cooking helps preserve them.  The skins are very easy to pull off when cooked – much easier than peeling raw. Sweet potatoes can be boiled, steamed, baked,  roasted or microwaved.  Or made into yummy, festive dishes like this one!  I found those cute little ramekins at a tag sale.  They hold about a half cup which is perfect for “have one of every dish” holiday dinners.   (Secret portion control!)  The sweet potatoes are made richer with cream and egg and are perfectly complemented with the pecan topping.  A delectable, healthy treat even when it is not a holiday!

For your holiday menu, you might also like Sunny Broccoli Salad, Fruity Cranberry Relish. Blushing Peach Pie, or Spiced Pineapple Carrot Cake.

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Holiday Sweet Potatoes

Holiday Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

    Ingredients
  • 40 ounce can of sweet potatoes or yams
  • OR 3 lbs fresh sweet potatoes, cooked and peeled.
  • 1/3 cup sugar or sugar substitute equivalent
  • 2 tablespoons half and half OR milk
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 egg
    • Topping
  • 1 cup pecans plus ½ cup
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ cup sugar or sugar substitute equivalent
  • 2 Tablespoons butter

Instructions

  1. Prepare topping by pulse 1 cup of pecans in food processor until it forms a coarse meal.
  2. Add sugar, cinnamon and butter and process until blended.
  3. Pour into small bowl, add remaining pecans and set aside.
  4. Put sweet potatoes in food processor with butter and seasonings. Process about 30 seconds and taste. Add sugar according to sweetness of sweet potato and adjust seasonings, if needed.
  5. Add egg and process until smooth and well blended.
  6. Use cooking spray to oil 8 ramekins and pour mixture into prepared pan.
  7. Bake at 375 until topping browns, about 30 minutes for ramekins.
  8. Eight servings. About 20 carbs per half cup serving, 4 grams of protein
http://www.apinchofjoy.com/2012/11/holiday-sweet-potatoes/

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Happy Thanksgiving

November 24, 2011 by

It is a joy to visit with each and everyone of you and I am so grateful that you stop by here frequently. You are what makes this blog journey worthwhile. Blessings. . . Charlene

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Fruity Cranberry Relish

November 22, 2011 by

Required turkey accompaniment and good with ham, too.  Mom’s cranberry relish is different than most recipes you see around this time of year.  I think it was actually my grandmother’s recipe, but that’s not noted anywhere.  It’s fresh fruit and nuts so not a lot of sweetener needed.  A little bit tangy  and a whole lot refreshing.  The bit of sugar used also brings out the fruit juices so it provides that extra bit of moisture to accompany the turkey.   I don’t peel the apples because I like the added texture and flavor (and it’s quick and easy!).  But you can peel them if you prefer.   This was one of my  favorite dishes as a child and I was always a bit sad when the holidays were over and it was gone from the refrigerator.

I had an internal debate as I gathered the ingredients for this recipe.  Do I use the food processor or the food grinder?  I have the food grinder that belonged to Wheel’s mother – maybe even HIS grandmother – since his mother gave it to me as an “extra” from her kitchen.  Here’s my debate:

Set up required – Grinder – two small squares of wood, one on top of the counter and one on the bottom to keep the vise from cutting into the counter top and tightening the set screw for the grinder.  Versus get the food processor from the storage cupboard not in the kitchen, plug it in, twist on the bowl, find the right blade, set the lid.   Score:  even up.

Time for use: Grinder – just keep cranking and putting in fruit until done.  5 minutes tops.  Versus food processor which requires the fruit be divided and processed in two batches under threat of puree.  8 minutes – three of them diassembling the processor and scraping chopped food into bowl so I can repeat the process.   Okay – maybe seven minutes.     Score:  food grinder

Clean up required: Grinder –  Disassemble and put in the dishwasher. Remove from dishwasher.  Reassamble three parts and put away.  Processor:  Dissassemble bowl, blade, top and put in the dishwasher.  Wipe down base and cord and let set on counter until the dishwasher runs.  Reassemble and carry to storage cupboard.  Score: food grinder

Clearly I have a bias toward the food grinder.  You use whatever you want now that I have so succinctly defined the arguments for and against.  If you only own one of these tools – no contest!  So which did I use?  The food processor.

Carb count: about 18 carbs per one fourth cup serving, one third of which is from fresh fruit.  Also on our menu will be Sunny Broccoli Salad and Wheel’s favorite, Blushing Peach Pie.  (Homemade pie, twice in three months — he’s a lucky man!)  And spending time exploring information on the First Thanksgiving.   Wheels will be working Thanksgiving Day.  All supervisors are required to work one holiday  and somehow he has drawn that one for the last several years consecutively.  We will have a special breakfast before he leaves for 12 hour holiday duty and then have our celebration on Friday!  Can’t wait!  See you Thursday for holiday greetings!

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Fruity Cranberry Relish

Fruity Cranberry Relish

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh cranberries
  • 1 apple, medium to large (I prefer unpeeled, but you can peel it if desired)
  • 1 orange (I used 2 clementines)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup walnut pieces

Instructions

  1. Grind fruit using food grinder or food processor. In food processor, process only one half at a time. Pour one cup of cranberries into processor bowl and pulse two or three times in 2 second bursts. Add half the apple and the orange and pulse three or four times in bursts, until chopped. Pour chopped fruit into bowl and repeat process with remaining half of fruit.
  2. Add sugar and walnuts.
  3. Refrigerate overnight.
  4. Makes ten 1/4 cup servings at 18 carbs each, approx.
http://www.apinchofjoy.com/2011/11/fruity-cranberry-relish/

 

 

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The First Thanksgiving – for kids

November 21, 2011 by

from the viewpoint of the Wampanoags and the ColonistsWant to know more about Thanksgiving?  What was it like to live in the Plymouth Colony?  How did the Native Americans live?  What happened at the first Thanksgiving?  Did they do anything besides eat?  Find out from Dancing Hawk  and Sarah.  Both of them had ancestors who were at the first Thanksgiving.  This interactive site for older kids has tons of information.  Find it at The Plimouth Plantation, a Smithsonian Institution Affliliation Program.

Note the site says:  “Due to the extremely high level of interest during the Thanksgiving season, you may experience slow response and loading times. Avoid internet traffic slow-downs by downloading the application and playing it from your hard drive. “  Includes directions for downloading.

Want to learn to talk like a Pilgrim?   The same site offers lessons here.

Have fun!  Watch for Busy Moms Linky Party coming soon! 


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How to carve a turkey

November 19, 2011 by

Some tips from Whole Foods Market to make your Thanksgiving dinner easier and memorable!

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Sunny Broccoli Salad

November 15, 2011 by

Sunny Broccoli Salad A Pinch of Joy

This recipe comes from a wonderful cook in Missouri.  I led a group of volunteers, 10 adults and 21 teens,  to Ste. Genevieve, Missouri where we did repair following a flood.  The days were long, hot and sweaty, and everyone worked hard.   Millie had a fantastic meal waiting for us each night when we returned to the church basement where we were staying. When I saw her mixing up this salad one afternoon, I thought “uh-oh, those kids will never eat this.”    They did and came back for more.  It is that good!

Millie gave me the recipe and a piece of advice.  Approaching her eighth decade of life, her days were amazingly productive.  She told me: slow and steady – don’t ever rush.  You never get things done right and you just wear yourself out.  Just know what you need to get done during the day and keep moving that direction.  That motto is as valuable as the broccoli salad!

Confession:  Real bacon, freshly crisped, is definitely best. However, I may think I have a week’s worth of menus and ingredients ready to go, then a work schedule changes and it is two weeks before I get back on track with the cooking.  Fuzzy bacon that didn’t get used in time – not good.  So I keep pre packaged bacon on hand for times when life is a scramble,  ready to measure out as needed.  Never any blue fuzz.   Another money saving tip:  julienne the thinner parts of the broccoli stem to add to the salad.  The thick parts are tough and coarse, but the smaller parts are tender and tasty. You can also add ¼ cup shredded carrot (for Thanksgiving) or diced red pepper (for Christmas) to create a colorful salad for a special occasion.

Resist the impulse to add more dried fruit than is specified, if you are carb counting.  One cup of broccoli has 6 carbs.  One tablespoon of craisins or golden raisins has almost seven carbs.  Dried fruit is concentrated sugar.  Think of the size of a fresh grape, cranberry or apricot.  The drying process removes moisture so the size is smaller, but the amount of sugar stays pretty much the same.

Broccoli Salad with bacon and sunflower seeds

This recipe featured at Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen’s Country Cottage

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Sunny Broccoli Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Sunny Broccoli Salad

Dressed with a perfectly balanced sweet sour dressing, this broccoli salad is a wonderful blend of flavor and texture. Sunflower seeds, dried fruit and a bit of onion add to the symphony.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh broccoli, approx 1 medium head
  • 3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
  • 1 green onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 Tablespoons golden raisins or craisins
  • 1 Tablespoon salted sunflower seeds
    • Dressing
  • 1/3 c olive oil mayonnaise
  • 4 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar

Instructions

  1. Break florets apart and/ or slice broccoli into small pieces
  2. In a bowl, combine the broccoli, bacon, onion, raisins and sunflower kernels.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients; stir until smooth.
  4. Pour over broccoli mixture and toss gently.
  5. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving, stirring occasionally.

Notes

Charlene @ A Pinch of Joy

http://www.apinchofjoy.com/2011/11/sunny-broccoli-salad/

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Thanksgiving Traditions for Kids

November 14, 2011 by

Traditions and rituals are important because they help kids make sense of the world.   As we pass down traditions or create new rituals around a celebration, it is the explanation that is key.  Nothing fancy or rehearsed needed.  Just little casual remarks  give meaning to holidays or birthdays or any repeated event.   Phrases like “we celebrate Thanksgiving because . . . “  or  “we  have sweet potatoes this way because we remember how much grandma liked them”.    Moms don’t have to go all out to make things memorable!  Here are a few quick and simple ideas to add to your holiday celebration without stressing over time or breaking the bank.

One Tough Mother used canvas to paint a tree trunk and branches for a beautiful heirloom look.   You can find canvas board in art sections of stores like Target, office supply, teacher or art stores.  In a pinch, poster board, foam board, a thin piece of plywood — anything that will hold its shape will work.   Download and print her colorful leaves that say “I’m Thankful for. . . “  Make your own tradition — add a leaf every day, or everyone write their blessing when they arrive for dinner and stick it on the tree.  Save the leaves for next year if you want. Or cut leaves from construction paper.  Whatever works for you.  You won’t have to do exactly the same thing each year  — the root tradition is expressing thankfulness so you can vary the way in which you use the tree!

 

Kids love to be a part  of preparations  so let them set the unbreakables on table(s) ahead of time.  The cutlery place mat reminds them which side to put silverware.    Provide washable markers and let kids add their names and decorate.  Use them on a separate kid’s table or under kid plates on the main table to help catch drips. Consider using the fancy swirly one under buffet serving dishes with the name of the dish written on the edge. And dozens of other possibilities.  Older kids can help with ideas or do the printing, too.  You can find the printables at The Pretty Blog.

Anticipation is part the fun of celebrating holidays!   Kids will look forward to the little things you do leading up to the big day – another part of creating tradition and meaningful rituals.  You can change up the activities each year.  Here’s a couple of ideas for fun!

 

 

For school age kids, here are some lunch box printables from Darling Doodles.

 

 

 

 

Fun for all ages, including the younger set, a Crazy Turkey game!  A custom made die for little hands, coloring matching practice and fun!  Greene Acres Hobby Farm has an easy to follow tutorial to make the items and rules for playing the game.

When you visit the sites with these great ideas, please leave them a comment and let them know how much you appreciate their creativity and sharing!

 

 

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