Potluck Season

If you work for a company like mine, and many others in the US, a potluck is the favorite option for (smaller) company holiday meals. With this hodge-podge of a food extravaganza, it's never easy to decide what to make and how much to make. Here is a yummy dessert solution that my mom used to make for us when I was a child.

Momma G's Dumpcake Cobbler - (I can never remember if it's technically dumpcake or cobbler so I made the executive decision on the name.)

2 Cans Of Fruit In Own Juice, Fruit Cocktail, Pineapple, Pear, etc. (with it being in it's own juice, it's a bit healthier than the more sugary options.)

1 Box White Cake Mix (can be plain white mix or coconut or another flavor but white looks most appealing.)

Butter or Margarine

1. Lightly cover 13"x9" with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Empty canned fruit and juice into pan.
3. Sprinkle cake mix on top of fruit.
4. Evenly place small tabs of butter or margarine on top.
5. Bake on 350 degress for 40 minutes to 1 hour.

Adding nuts, coconut, or additional fruit is optional.

Tea For Two and Two For Tea

Well, not exactly. In subtle attempts to make me more domesticated, my parents bought me a subscription to Taste of Home: Cooking for 2 magazine. It's actually a really cool magazine! Not only does it have recipes, but it has cooking tips, a "Cook Now, Eat Later" section, an index that cross references ingredients (my favorite!) and a ton more!

I know, I know, guys are probably gagging, but the summer issue, for instance, has grilling recipes as well as a recipe for Grilled Seasoned Bratwurst! What boy doesn't like bratwurst?

The recipes have the perfect portion for an individual, or a few people. A yummy dinner with leftovers for lunch! As an added bonus for the health conscious cook, each recipe has the nutritionals listed below it.

Just to give you a taste, here's a recipe from the website, http://www.cookingfor2.com/.

Mexican Manicotti

Combining an Italian pasta and Mexican ingredients created an exceptional dish for Mrs. Larry Phillips from Shreveport, Louisiana. She writes, "This recipe is well-liked even in Cajun Country Louisiana!"

SERVINGS 2 PREP 25 min. COOK 25 min. TOTAL 50 min.

INGREDIENTS

4 uncooked manicotti shells
1 cup cubed cooked chicken breast
1 cup salsa, divided
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons sliced ripe olives
4 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon diced pimientos
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS

Cook manicotti according to package directions. In a small bowl, combine the chicken, 1/4 cup salsa, ricotta cheese, olives, parsley, pimientos, green onion, garlic and pepper sauce. Drain manicotti; fill with chicken mixture.
Spread 1/4 cup salsa in an 8-in. square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with manicotti shells and remaining salsa. Cover and bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese and bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and filling is heated through. Yield: 2 servings.

NUTRITIONAL INFO

Nutrition Facts: 2 stuffed manicotti (prepared with reduced-fat ricotta cheese and reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend) equals 395 calories, 10 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 82 mg cholesterol, 795 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 35 g protein.

Printed from cookingfor2.com Aug 8, 2008
Copyright Reiman Media Group, Inc © 2008

Easy Breezy

Earlier this week, I grilled out with my friends. The pool, good food, fun friends... it was way awesome! Since summer is a great time to cook and eat outdoors, I thought I'd share two recipes that I made for my friends the other night. Super easy, pretty cheap to make, and it seems like they were a big hit with everyone.

Black Bean and Mango Salsa
1 can black beans ($.80)
1 red onion ($1)
1 fresh mango ($1) - I'm going to try and substitute pineapple next time to see how that taste. might be good.
1 container fresh grape tomatoes ($2-3)
Ground black pepper to taste (I used Smokehouse Ground Black Pepper from work, but I don't think it's available retail.)

Throw all that in a bowl, and refrigerate to let all the flavors blend together. Easy and cheap!

Suzy Sangria
2 Bottles of red wine (I used Merlot.) ($6-7)
1 Medium orange ($.30)
1 Lemon ($.10)
1 Lime ($.10)
1 Small bag frozen mixed berries (I only used half the bag.) ($2-3)
2 1/2 - 3 Cups sparkling water (I used blackberry flavor.) ($1)

Cut the orange, lemon and lime in circle slices. Pour the wine in a pitcher. Add fruit and sparkling water. Chill and enjoy SangriaLand! (College - shout out!)

Disclaimer: "Always please drink responsibly." DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE, KIDS!!!

Yumi In My Tummy!

Yumi to Go is a new(er) Asian restaurant at Lemmon and Inwood. It's strictly take-out/delivery but it's awesome! A variety of grill, wok and salad items are offered on the menu. With unique items such as Grilled Pomegranate Shrimp Skewers and How Fun Noodles & Chicken, or traditional items including Lemon Chicken and Edamame, there's definitely something for everyone. If the budget is tight these days, Yumi To Go has an answer: lunch specials for $6.49 + tax. There are a variety of items available for the lunch special, and each dish includes steamed rice and an egg roll.

When visiting the website, http://www.yumitogo.com, check out the chefs making food on the Yumi Cam, a real time video feed! How cool is that?

Whether you pick up your food, or have them deliver it in the bright green Toyota Yaris, your food is guaranteed to be fresh. Guess what I'm having for dinner tonight?

How To Eat Sushi (Or At Least Look Like You Know How)

Sushi gained popularity in the US about 10 years ago. It continues to live up to its chic and trendy reputation. However fun and eclectic this traditional Japanese food may be, it still bewilders many man, and women, today.

Whether it’s a first date or a business dinner, you will definitely need to look as though you have mastered the basics of sushi. Below are a few etiquette tips and the essentials of sushi.

There are three basic types of sushi: Nigiri Sushi, Maki Sushi, and Sashimi Sushi. Let’s first discuss Maki Sushi.

Maki Sushi: If you have stepped foot into at least a SuperTarget in the last year, you have seen this type of sushi. Maki Sushi is rolled sushi. It is made with fish, rice, and a multitude of vegetables. Traditional maki sushi has seaweed on the outside (the dark green weird stuff). The most popular sushi in the states is an “inside out roll.” It is “inside out” because it has the rice on the outside, with the seaweed on the inside. Crunchy rolls, or fried rolls, are also considered inside out rolls. Whether it’s inside-out or right-side-out, maki sushi is in the lowest price bracket.

Nigiri Sushi: Nigiri sushi is nothing more than rice with raw fish on top. Based on the type of fish, you will typically get 4-6 pieces with an order of nigiri sushi. This type of sushi is a bit more pricey than the maki sushi.

Sashimi: (My personal favorite.) Sliced raw fish. That’s it. You pay the biggest bucks for sashimi out of the 3 types of sushi. It should have the highest quality fish and be very fresh. My advice is not to eat this unless you are at a *legitimate* sushi restaurant. (Chinese buffets DO NOT qualify as *legitimate* sushi dining.)

Now just a bit on manners. It doesn’t matter who you are with, girlfriend, first date, boss, coworker, etc., looking like a clown while eating is not advised. Sushi is no exception to this rule. While everyone is given some leeway when eating Japanese food, cluelessness is not excused.

· Eat sushi how you want. Eating it with your hands is very old school and completely acceptable. If you aren’t able to embrace this Eastern tradition, use the chopsticks or the best way possible to get it from the plate to your mouth, within reason.
· A HUGE misconception is to mix your wasabi in the soy sauce. Don’t do that. If you want additional wasabi, let the sushi chef know and they will put it on your rice.
· The most important suggestion is how to properly dip your sushi in the soy sauce: DO NOT EVER, under any circumstance, dip it rice side down. (I realize that is impossible with inside-out sushi, but for everything else this applies.) Flip your sushi, fish side down, and dip! This keeps your sushi from falling apart everywhere and you from looking like an idiot.

Now that you have the basics of sushi, grab some friends, or a date, and test out your new found sushi-intellect. Plus you’ll impress everyone by knowing what to do. Plus, the better you are at managing sushi after a few saki bombs, the better off you are; in my opinion!