Tatertot Casserole

Sometimes you want to dress up and go out. Other times you want to sit at home in old, comfortable clothes. Comfort is good.

 

 

This recipe is an easy one to prepare, and is a good comfort food with some vegetables added for balance.

 

Since tatertot casserole is a one-dish meal, the only side needed is a salad. It is perfect for office or church potlucks.

 

PREPARE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

INGREDIENTS

32oz bag frozen tatertots

2c frozen mixed vegetables

2c diced chicken or meatless substitute

2 cans condensed Cream of Mushroom soup

1/2c vegetable broth

 

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Transfer to a 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes.

 

Homemade Tofu

Before marrying into the Asian culture, the only times I had eaten tofu were in the tofu-spinach lasagne that my mother made (that recipe will be shared at another time).  Since then, I have eaten a lot of tofu, served in a variety of ways.

Tofu is a fantastic substitute for meats and takes on whatever flavor it is cooked with.  Additionally, tofu can be frozen (which changes the consistency) or used to create sauces and a variety of dishes.  There are several cookbooks dedicated to using tofu as the featured ingredient. 

At H-mart, one of the large Asian markets in Atlanta, Georgia, tofu is made in the store.  This was my first experience with fresh tofu.  Like fresh pasta, cheese, or bread, fresher is better.  Foods are healthier and taste better with fewer preservatives and minimal time from production to your table. The fresh tofu was incredible and had a much richer flavor than commercially-prepared, large-batch tofu.  Fresh tofu, especially when still warm, is so good that you can eat it right out of the package with just a little soy sauce.

I had a similar experience when visiting Korea.  In one particular street market, we purchased fresh tofu from a vendor.  It was from him that my wife learned a couple of tips for making tofu.  This was her first attempt to make tofu, although she had watched her mother make it before.

Below are the photos that chronicle my wife's first homemade tofu experience.  As with other fresh tofu, the richness of flavor and tenderness of the finished tofu far exceed store-bought tofu.

I compiled these photos together using a comic book app on my iPad.  I couldn't resist a special effect because the transformation from a bowl of soy beans to solid tofu is amazing.

Classic Skillet Cornbread

Cornbread is a staple of Southern cooking.  Because there are so many variations to cornbread, it is the perfect accompaniment for meals.  It should not surprise you to learn that there is a competition devoted to cornbread dishes.

The National Cornbread Festival is held annually outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee.  Sponsored in large part by Lodge Manufacturing, a maker of cast iron cookware, thousands of people participate in the festival every year.

The recipe below came about as the result of a search by me for a basic, non-sweet cornbread.  In a previous post, I shared my recipe for Prize-Winning Cornbread Muffins.  This is a deliciously moist and sweet cornbread that I have made many times.

However, recently I wanted a cornbread without the sweet taste.  After searching online without success, I found a recipe on the back of a bag of Hodgson Mill stone-ground cornmeal.  The recipe below is modified from there.

Preparation
If using buttermilk substitute (see Notes*), prepare first. 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

While mixing the batter, put 2T of butter in a cast iron skillet** and place in the oven during preheating.

Ingredients
2T butter or margarine
2C corn meal
2t baking powder
1t baking soda
1t salt
1T ground flax seed (or 1 egg)
2C buttermilk* (decrease by 1/4C if using egg)

Directions
Place 2T of butter in cast iron skillet and place in the oven during preheating.  In a mixing bowl, combine other ingredients and mix well.  Remove skillet from oven and pour in the batter.  Return to the oven and bake for 25 to 35 minutes. 

Notes
* You can create buttermilk by combining 1C of milk with 1T of lemon juice.  Mix well and let sit for about 5 minutes.

** The 9-inch cast iron skillet works the best.