Casserole-ing With it: Bruschetta Chicken Bake

I realized recently, after four full months of blogging, that I’ve managed to make my Ma look like the culinary equivalent of the Miami Dolphins (painful to watch, drops the ball a lot, etc.). Really, she’s a pretty good cook. None of us were nutritionally deficient growing up, AND she managed to stay under budget, which was super-important for a young family of five in the lean times of 1981. (Stupid Reagan.) Somehow though, to the shock and awe of my friends and neighbors, she did this without ever cooking a casserole.

I’m not sure how it happened. The ‘80s were rife with casseroles. As is my understanding, every American mom with a can of Campbells and 8x8 Pyrex dish was Constitutionally required to make them. They decorated rec rooms and hung from ceilings like gooey chandeliers. I think my friends might have worn casseroles to school.

But, yeah - I never had one.

The Boyfriend looks at me funny when I mention my casserole deficiency, as if no child should grow up deprived of Congealed Cream of Mushroom Broccoli Bake. Subsequently, I’m working on developing a taste for them. Y'know, to expand my mind.

While I continue to be fairly weary of Green Bean Casserole and (*shudder*) Frito Pie, today's recipe, Bruschetta Chicken Bake, is pretty darn good. It hits the four major food groups (tomatoes, chicken, mozzarella, stuffing) and uses a pre-packaged Stove Top mix without being too preservative-laden. Plus, while I don’t think it’s an official Weight Watchers recipe, it’s a super-popular one on their message boards. Folks dig the flavor and the ease of preparation (15 minutes, tops, plus cooking time).

Since I’m still easing into Casserole World (veeeery different from Disney World), I’ll put the question out there: does anyone know of a healthy, relatively inexpensive casserole I could make, eat, and feature on this blog? Winner gets, um … something. Something awesome (which I will think of soon.)

Bruschetta Chicken Bake
6 good-sized servings
Adapted from Weight Watchers boards and/or Kraft Foods.

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1/2 cup water
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 cup KRAFT part-skim Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1) Preheat oven to 400°F.

2) In a medium mixing bowl, stir together tomatoes (with liquid), garlic, stuffing mix, and water until stuffing mix is juuuuuust moist. Set aside.

3) Arrange chicken in a single layer in a 13x9 baking dish. Top evenly with basil and cheese. Top again with stuffing mixture. Bake about 30 minutes, until stuffing is browned and chicken is fully cooked. Serve.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price per Serving
310.5 calories, 7 g fat, $0.98

Calculations
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained: 75 calories, 0 g fat, $0.89
2 cloves garlic: 10 calories, 0 g fat, $0.10
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken: 668 calories, 6.1 g fat, $1.99
1/2 cup water: negligible fat and calories, $0.00
1lb. boneless skinless chicken breast: 750 calories, 16.2 g fat, $1.79
1 tsp. dried basil leaves: negligible fat and calories, $0.02
1 cup KRAFT part-skim Shredded Mozzarella Cheese: 360 calories, 20 g fat, $1.09
TOTAL: 1863 calories, 42.3 g fat, $5.88
PER SERVING (TOTAL/6): 310.5 calories, 7 g fat, $0.98

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CHG Favorites of the Week

Blender of the Week
Will it Blend?
Have you ever wanted to see what a golf club slurry looks like? How about a Spam milkshake (can included)? Well, now you can. The fine folks at Will it Blend shove everything from an iPhone to Chuck Norris in a high-powered blender, just to see what happens. Most of the time, it’s evisceration, but there are surprises. (Needless to say, don’t try this at home.)

Blog of the Week
Money Saving Mom
From the mastermind of this site comes Money Saving Mom, a virtual textbook on buying boatloads of groceries for a nearly negligible price. Her CVS guidelines alone are worth the browse, but gah – give yourself time to go through the whole site. Mind-bogglingly useful.

Movie of the Week
Babette’s Feast
If the contents of my brain were ripped out of my skull and slapped on film, this is what it would look like (possibly with fewer senior citizens). A gentle, quiet movie with very little dialogue, Babette’s Feast explores everything I love about food: its unifying aspects, its artistry, and its ability to make me drool, Pavlovian-style.

Organization of the Week
Donors Choose
Imagine teaching 20 kids how to cook from five states over. It’s possible! Every school year, teachers of disadvantaged youths from all over the country submit innovative classroom programs to Donors Choose. Then, regular ol’ people like you and me check the site and fund the activity/teacher of our choosing. I linked to the “food” ideas here, but really the whole site is worth a look.

Quote of the Week
"If wishes and buts were clusters of nuts we'd all have a bowl of granola." – Geoffrey Jellineck (Paul Dinello), Strangers with Candy

Tip of the Week
In most everyday dishes, chicken stock can be swapped freely with vegetable broth. It’s a great method for feeding/pacifying vegetarians AND their lesser-understood counterparts, vegans.

Untried Cheap, Healthy Recipe of the Week
Curried Lentil Soup with Chicken from Blue Kitchen
I’m on a soup-n-chili kick. Autumn must be here. (It’s about time, yo.)

Video of the Week (Food Division)
“Coffee and TV” – Blur
Super-inventive video about the perilous adventures of a sentient, lonely milk carton. As a special bonus, it’s paired with one of Blur’s least annoying songs (which means it sounds a little bit like Fountains of Wayne).



(Photo courtesy of TBO.com.)

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Defending the Doyenne: The Semi-Cheap, Kind-of-Healthy Goodness of Rachael Ray

Yes, she plugs Dunkin Donuts.

Yes, her recipes occasionally don't work. (The applesauce in this one? Takes almost 45 minutes to mushen.)

Yes, she undertips on her $40 a Day show, the nutritional aspects of her 30-Minute Meals are somewhat questionable, and if I hear “yummo” one more time, I’m seriously going to kill a kitten.

Yet, as weird as it is to admit, Rachael Ray is one of the best things to happen to American kitchens in the last 20 years.

Sweet, sweet Anthony Bourdain was pretty rough on her in his Time interview (“She genuinely offends me.”), but I think he might have confused her with She Who Shall Not Be Named. And while some of his criticism was warranted (seriously, WHY is she shilling for Dunkin?), most of it was a wee bit off.

Think about it. No other ‘90s and ‘00s cheflebrity (not even Emeril) has driven average citizens back to their stoves like Ray has. Nor has anyone else made sort-of upscale cooking look as affordable and achievable. Oh, it’s easy to rag on the ear-splitting Western New York accent and the kitchen-sinkiness of some of her meals, but Ray-Ray’s good points far outweigh the bad. In fact, let’s break ‘em down:

She encourages fresh ingredients. Though Rachael’s the spokesperson for donuts, Munchkins, and other assorted sugar, her shows nearly always highlight produce and non-processed foods. I’ve never seen her break out a pre-chopped onion or a store-bought meal base. And while her dishes may be high in calories and fat, I bet they don’t contain half as many bizarro chemicals as most convenience foods.

She tries to keep things vaguely affordable. As opposed to other, more upscale TV chefs, Rachael thinks like a middle-class mom, focusing somewhat on frugality. She may use a large number of ingredients, but most aren’t particularly exotic or expensive. Plus, she’s pretty good about mentioning thriftier substitutes.

She stretches. You will never find authentic Mughal Indian or Indonesian dishes on 30 Minute Meals. You might even raise an eyebrow at what she calls Greek food. However, Rachael often tries to bring one or two ingredients relatively unfamiliar to American palates into her cooking. It’s a solid way to introduce kids and finicky adults to foreign cuisines without overwhelming them, and she should be lauded for it.

Her recipes are available for free. Sure, Ray-Ray makes sweet bank off her cookbooks, but as of this morning, 1558 recipes were on Food.com, and several hundred more were listed at her personal website (stunningly, at RachaelRay.com). She doesn’t HAVE to do that, and would make even more moolah if she didn't. Yet, it's a concession she make for her economy-minded fans. It's really great, actually.

She knows her audience. Maybe this is an insult to those who believe all cooking shows should be aimed at French Culinary grads, but working moms can’t be braising beef or whipping up a gelee every night of the week. Rachael aims her food at families and/or young people getting into a kitchen for the first time, not professional or even proficient chefs. That’s why her dishes are relatively simple, fresh, and fast. In her case, brevity is the soul of food, not complexity. And for her fans, that’s just fine.

Her food isn’t intimidating. I’ve been to two of Mario Batali’s restaurants, and the man doesn’t make dinner; he makes manna. Alas, trying to duplicate those dishes at home would be extraordinarily time-consuming, expensive, and well beyond most folks’ humble culinary expertise. For better or for worse, Rachael avoids cooking methods that busy people would find unmanageable. Like Bourdain says, taking the path of least resistance should never be encouraged (especially in the kitchen) but again, she’s marketing to home cooks with massive time constraints.

She’s not a chef, and doesn’t pretend to be. Ms. Ray is not a stupid woman. (Loud, yes. Dumb, no.) She knows her limitations, admits them readily, and tackles the big, bad job of meal-prepping anyway. That takes guts, as well as some level of competence in the kitchen. Ray/Batali didn’t beat Flay/DeLaurentiis on Iron Chef because they got lucky.

I’ve now spent the first day of my thirties defending a celebrity. If you'll excuse me, I’m going to the bathroom to wash my brain, but if anyone has any other convincing arguments for or against her, bring ‘em! I’d love to read.

(Photo courtesy of this hilarious Onion pictoral.)

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Tuesday Megalinks: Old Lady Edition

The late, great Aaliyah said it best: "Age ain't nothing but a number. Except when that number is 30, and you can't believe how much grey hair you have. Thanks a lot, genetics."

Here's to the first quarter of my life being over. It's been fun. (Yes, I plan to make it to 2097. Imagine the spaceships!)

An Obsession with Food and Wine: Chicken Cycle
How one woman’s chicken feeds her family all week. (Thanks to CFO for the link.)

Men’s Health: 32 Things You Can Do with Beer
To quote Homer Simpson, “Ahhh, beer. The cause of, and answer to, all life’s problems.”

Money Saving Mom: How to Keep Meat from Breaking Your Budget
Meat. So tasty, yet so pricey. MSM has the solution.

Paid Twice: Festival of Frugality #99
The Festival's nearing the 100 mark, and this thing's getting huge. PT does a lovely job summing up this week's entries.

Sense to Save: Let’s Talk About Lunch
I pack lunch for The Boyfriend, so this was a neat brainstorm. (P.S. Did anybody read this and have Salt-n-Pepa’s “Let’s Talk About Sex” immediately spring to mind? Oh, ‘90s music, how I miss you.)

Serious Eats: I’ve never really understood the appeal of …
Steak. I admit it. A good steak is transcendent, but most are fair-to-middlin’ at best. They ain’t worth my time, man!

The Simple Dollar: Homemade Bread – Cheap, Delicious, Healthy, and Easier Than You Think
Extensive post on the beauty of yeast.

Time.com: 10 Questions for Anthony Bourdain
Excerpt: “Everyone has to draw a line. For me, it's the line between meat and pet. It hasn't come up yet, but I'd like to think that, given a choice between violating my deeply held principles about what is adorable and offending my host, that I'd eat the puppy heads.”

Wise Bread: The Case for Caloric Labeling
(Please read the following out loud in a ‘30s detective voice.) “Shee, it looks like an open-and-shut deal, shee? But the coppersh aren’t enforshing it yet, shee? But it would do ush all a little bettah, shee? Sho, necksht time you’re on the shtreet, in the shtore – ashk for calorie labeling, right? Thish little country will be a healthier plaish, doll.”

(Picture courtesy of Flickr.)

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The Tastes, They Are a-Changin’: Spaghetti Squash Casserole

I’m turning 30 tomorrow. It’s the kind of age that brings up a lot of questions. Were my 20s spent wisely? Am I where I expected to be at this age? Why, after 90,000 days on this planet, do I still suck at buying bras? (Has Oprah taught me NOTHING?)

Being a food blogger/freak, I’ve also wondered (a LOT) how much my tastes will continue to change. Will my palate dull over time? Will I hate candy at 40? Love anise at 55? Will Werther’s Originals ever, ever appeal to me, even when I’m old enough to call Methuselah a punk kid? (“Get off mah lawn, old man!”)

My diet has become markedly different over the last decade alone, especially in the produce department. Man-oh-MAN, I did not like vegetables as a kid. But once I hit 20, they magically became somewhat appetizing. Except for spaghetti squash. That took a few more years, and here’s why...

When my brother, sister and I were growing up, Ma made us dinner nearly every night. On the rare evenings she was whisked away for work, Pa would sub in. Most of the time, he was pretty good at producing a meal for three ravenous kidlings. Burgers, pizza, pasta – the guy could handle it, no sweat.

Occasionally, he would get creative. And while most meals went over well (Chicken and Broccoli, sucka!), one blindsided us completely: Texas Chainsaw Chili and Spaghetti Squash, a.k.a. Two Terrible Tastes That Tasted Like Evil Together.

Being pale, spice-free, Swedish-Irish types, my siblings and I recoiled at the chili’s red pepper and obscene beanery. It looked like roadkill, and the flavor was about the same. The spaghetti squash was equally (and possibly actively) malevolent, possibly because we were tricked by the name into believing it would be real spaghetti. Alas, it was not. And as food was not wasted in our household, Pa made each of us sit at the dinner table until our plates were licked clean. Three hours later, I hadn’t eaten a bite, so I was sent to bed sans dinner.

Thanks to that comparatively-not-really-traumatic experience, I loathed spaghetti squash for nearly two decades. (Chili for only one.) Then, earlier this year a few friends and I traveled to Victoria BC, where we were served Spaghetti Squash Casserole. Not wanting to insult my hosts, I took a bite. And then another. And then had some wine. And then took 12 more bites. And then … you get the picture.

Was spaghetti squash always really good and I just didn’t know it, or have my tastes changed that wildly over the years? The reality of 30 is pushing me towards explanation #2, but I probably won’t be positive for another decade or so. I’ll continue to analyze and let y’all know in 2017. (Lucky you.)

Aaaaanyway, back to the food. I got this recipe from a friend, who got it from a friend, who may have read it in a cookbook. I do not know the name of the cookbook (if it exists), or I would type it right here. Instead (especially after the Jessica Seinfeld brouhaha), I will just say – THIS IS NOT MY RECIPE. But it IS good. And healthy. And cheap. And it will make you like spaghetti squash, no matter how old you are.

(SIDE NOTES: This is a good, filling main dish for company, and much tastier if you use a heavy hand with the herbs/spices. High reheat potential, too.)

Spaghetti Squash Casserole
5 servings
Adapted from a wonderful, albeit unknown source.

1 spaghetti squash (about 4 lbs.)
¼ - ½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs (or a regular breadcrumbs and many dried herbs)
1/3 cup pignoli (pine) nuts
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup marinara sauce
1 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella

(Instructions provided by Rachel, the Cheap Healthy Gourmet)

1) Preheat oven to 400. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil and cooking spray.

2) Take a paring knife, and poke a million holes in the exterior of the squash.

3) Bake the squash until the outside is beginning to brown, and hull gets mushy. This usually took about 45 minutes or so for me (90 minutes for me - Kris), and I'd flip the squash once or twice during the process. Depending on the thickness of the shell and the size of the bugger, it may take more or less time. I'd start keeping an intermittent eye on it after about 30 minutes.

4) When brownness has been achieved, take the squash out of the oven, and allow it to cool. When it's cool enough to touch, split the beast in two lengthwise, and de-seed it; toss seeds in the trash. Then, scrape the meat out of it with a fork, dragging your utensil down lengthwise. As you scrape down, the strands should separate from the shell, so that you're just left with the hull. Put the warm strands in a bowl, and the hull in the trash.

5) While the squash is baking, toast 1/3 cup of pignoli (pine) nuts, and measure out 1/4-1/2 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs. (If you don't-a-gotta da seasoned stuff, just throw in a lot of dried parsley, basil and oregano, or whatever you like that you've got lying around.)

6) Combine squash with the pignolis, bread crumbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Put in a shallow 8"x8" (or approximate) baking dish that you've sprayed a little cooking spray on.

7) Take about 1 cup of marinara sauce, and spread like frosting across the top. Sprinkle mozzarella on top.

8) Cover with tin foil, and bake for about 10 minutes, or until bubbly. Remove tin foil, and bake for another 5. Serve and go yum.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price per Serving
287 calories, 12 g fat, $1.38

Calculations
1 spaghetti squash: 491 calories, 4.7 g fat, $2.84
¼ - ½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs: 142 calories, 1.9 g fat, $0.18
1/3 cup pignoli (pine) nuts: 270 calories, 23.7 g fat, $2.09
Salt and pepper to taste: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
1 cup marinara sauce: 172 calories, 10 g fat, $0.70
1 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella: 360 calories, 20 g fat, $1.09
TOTAL: 1435 calories, 60.3 g fat, $6.92
PER SERVING: 287 calories, 12 g fat, $1.38

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Puree Madness: Seinfeld vs. Chase Lapine. (Also, Roasted Asparagus.)

Did anyone catch Jerry Seinfeld on Letterman the other night? He was defending his wife Jessica against charges of “vegetable plagiarism.” CNN has a rundown, but here’s a quick summary: earlier this month, Mrs. Seinfeld published an Oprah-endorsed cookbook about hiding vegetable puree in kid-friendly foods. Missy Chase Lapine (a.k.a. the Sneaky Chef) released a similar cookbook in April, and was perturbed by the apparent appropriation of her idea. Jerry, ticked by the accusations leveled against Mrs. Seinfeld, fired back on Late Show in response. He was inexcusably mean.

Frankly, the whole debacle seems silly to me, not least because secret purees are a terrible message for kids in the first place. (“Hey, Johnny! You never have to learn to eat healthily! We’ll just stick some peas in a cookie, and everything will be great! Also – don't ever work hard. It won’t get you anywhere.”)

But.

Imagine if Jerry had done a standup routine, only to find a 25-year-old telling near-identical jokes a week later. How would he react? My guess is anger, then dismissal. That’s probably happened to him tons of times.

What if that same kid was making millions off those bits? Even if he claimed he had never heard of Jerry Seinfeld, I have a feeling lawyers would be involved, but quick.

Cooking is a lot like comedy that way. There's no real Intellectual Property Law in either. So, no matter how wonderfully original you think your joke or recipe might be, if Patton Oswalt or Wylie Dufresne beat you to it, you drop the subject and/or credit them profusely. Otherwise, it's hacky. Letting go is honorable, and it’s what Jessica Seinfeld should have done.

What about her defense? Well, maybe puree-ing has been around since God said, "hola!" to Moses. Maybe her puree-based cookbook was totally her own idea, and she didn’t think one existed beforehand (...right). Maybe her recipes are phenomenal, and she deserves a special place in heaven as St. Peter’s personal sous chef. But once she realized someone had put out a nearly identical tome six months prior, she should have backed off the Look-What-I-Created-I’m-a-Genius angle (which, I saw her Oprah appearance, and … yeah.), if not the whole project entirely.

So, before siding with the Seinfelds, think of where Missy Chase Lapine is coming from. She might not believe her idea was stolen (just cribbed). She might think she ought to be given credit for a cooking method she basically put on the map. She might think a little-known author to has no chance in hell against an Oprah-and-Letterman-backed star’s wife with millions of dollars behind her. She DOES have every reason to complain, and Jerry Seinfeld should know better than to rag on someone who has zero way of defending herself.

(For a slightly more profane, gloriously to-the-point analysis of the situation, check the Onion.)

(For a long, gloriously drawn-out analysis, there's Jezebel.)

That said, uh – LOOK! ASPARAGUS! Whee! I’ll keep this super-short since I’ve written a novel-and-a-half already.

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Brown Butter has an astronomical rating from Cooking Light, and is one of the only CL sides I’ve seen to receive more than 100 reviews. We tried it last week with some chicken, and it went beautifully. I halved the recipe since it’s just the Boyfriend and I, and once again, Cooking Light provided the nutritional information, so the calculations aren’t listed here. The price – that’s another story.

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter
4 servings – 5 spears each
Adapted from Cooking Light.

20 asparagus spears, trimmed (about 1 pound)
Cooking spray
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/16 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1) Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

2) Place asparagus on cookie sheet in a single layer. Spray with cooking spray or olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 12 minutes, until tender.

3) While asparagus is cooking, cook butter in a small pan over medium heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, occasionally stirring or shaking pan. Kill heat. Add soy sauce and vinegar. Stir. Pour over asparagus, "tossing well to coat." Serve.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price per Serving
45 calories, 3 g fat, $0.39

Calculations
20 asparagus spears, trimmed (about 1 pound): $1.76
Cooking spray: $0.03
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt: $0.01
1/16 teaspoon black pepper: $0.01
1 tablespoons butter: $0.09
1 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce: $0.03
½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar: $0.02
TOTAL: $1.95
PER SERVING (TOTAL/4): $0.39

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CHG Favorites of the Week

Blog of the Week
The Great Big Veggie Challenge
Freddie and Alexandra are two English kids who used to (operative words) have a terrible aversion to all things green and leafy. Their mom, a top-notch writer, culinary genius, and all-around wonderful human being (if her blog is any indication) started the Great Big Veggie Challenge to amend their produce-hatin’ ways. She’s blazing a path through the alphabet, cooking three or four vegetable-based dishes beginning with each letter. Freddie than gives them a 1-10 rating, and decides whether or not his mom’s changed his mind about bell peppers or aubergines (eggplants). With apologies to Oprah and Jessica Seinfeld, THIS is how kids should be introduced to veggies – not hidden in a brownie, but loud and proud in a risotto or hummus of their very own. Seriously, one of the best food blogs out there. Go look.

Book of the Week
DK Eyewitness Travel Guides
Going somewhere? Don’t know jack about the local food? While Lonely Planet and Frommers may be better overall guides, the DK series is excellent for identifying foreign cuisine. Replete with descriptions and pretty, pretty pictures, it’ll help you learn the difference between samosa and pakora.

Organization of the Week
San Diego Salvation Army and Red Cross
The fires are pretty much under control at this point, but several thousand people still need the basics, including food. Donation and volunteering information can be found on either site.

Quote of the Week
Peter Griffin: Lois, there's a message in my Alpha Bits. It says "OOOOOO"!
Lois Griffin: Peter, those are Cheerios.
-The Family Guy

Sketch of the Week (Food/Star Wars Division)
“Chad Vader, Day Shift Manager”
Birthed by Blame Society Films (aka Yonda and Sloan of Channel 101) “Chad Vader” is a multiple-part series about Darth’s little brother, who works in a supermarket. IMHO, this premiere episode is the best, if only for the subtle title music and pure, unadulturated delusion.

Tip of the Week
Grate your own cheese. In a supermarket, two cups of grated cheese can run up to $4, while blocks might go for half the price. Buy an 8 oz. brick, take it home, and run it a few times against your favorite grater. It’s much fresher anyway, and you’ll save a boatload of dough with minimal effort.

Untried Cheap, Healthy Recipe of the Week
Chili Con Gobble from Sassy Radish
Featuring both cinnamon and chocolate, this chili arrives just in time for Fall. Which itself is just arriving in the Northeast, after a global-warming-confirming September and October.

Video of the Week (Food Division)
“Ice Cream” – Sarah McLachlan
Metaphor alert! A neat paean to love and sundaes, “Ice Cream” has become a huge wedding song the last coupla years. Also, I’m not positive, but I think the drummer in this video is Ashwin Sood, who is now Sarah’s husband. They had child #2 a little while ago. Three cheers for mellow Canadians!

(Photos courtesy of GBVC website and Answers.com)

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