Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thrad

[Jamestown1630]

Back in the 1980s my girlfriend and I frequented a shopping mall in Montgomery County, MD that was one of the loveliest indoor malls of that extravagant era.

White Flint Mall, on Rockville Pike, had beautiful decor and lots of wonderful shops and department stores. I remember seeing what appeared to be polished copper lining the sides of the escalators; the indoor water fountains; and the see-through, bullet-shaped elevator that seemed to be made of lucite - and feeling a tinge of guilt at the money spent on all of it. And I remember being struck by the thought that most of the architecture that we retained from ancient times was devoted to religion and spirituality; and when future generations came to dig up 20th Century America, they'd find that the most durable structures were these immense buildings dedicated to consumerism.

But I liked going there anyway ;-) and now, it seems that all of these huge malls are coming down, and 'shopping centers' are morphing into a very different architecture and aesthetic.

One thing I always enjoyed when I went there, was a lunch plate that was sold in the "eatery"; I think this broccoli casserole was marketed as a 'healthy' choice, and it was served with a little salad, and a couple of crisp-bread crackers. I loved it, and I don't think I ever ate anything else at White Flint Mall.

I kept trying to figure out how it was made; and one day I happened to hit on the recipe in a magazine - I think it was the feature in 'Gourmet', where people would write in requesting recipes they'd had at restaurants (apparently, this dish was something served at many mall eateries.)

I usually do this in a large, oblong baking dish instead of a deep one; that way you can cut it into nice square slabs for serving:

Monterey Jack Vegetable Bake (6 to 8 servings)

2 T. Oil or Butter

½ lb. fresh Broccoli florets

1 to 2 T. Soy Sauce

1-1/2 tsps. Minced Garlic

1 tsp. Celery Seed

½ tsp. dried Dill

Salt and Pepper

½ lb. Carrots, sliced

1 small Onion, diced

1-1/4 C. Milk

7 Eggs

1 lb. Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut broccoli into ½ inch pieces. Melt Butter in medium skillet until foam subsides. Add broccoli stems and sauté briefly.

Add soy sauce, garlic, celery seeds, dill and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over low heat about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add Carrots and Onions, cover and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

Beat eggs and milk in large bowl. Add cheese and vegetables. Turn into lightly greased deep 3-qt. baking dish. Place in a large, shallow pan and add boiling water to a depth of 1 inch. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 50 or 60 minutes.

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Every year, my office holds two big parties: a Summer barbecue, and a Christmas party. We invite all the other departments in our institution that our office serves, and there is always a LOT of planning and cooking. This year, the party is coming earlier and at a time that's not convenient for me personally; so I'm looking for a casserole that goes together easily but has lots of flavor - and I don't think Broccoli will do it, for my crew ;-)

I've seen many references to the 'King Ranch Casserole', and this recipe looks good:

http://www.thekitchn.com/retro-recipe-king-ranch-casserole-recipes-from-the-kitchn-193912

But there are so many versions of it, I can't figure out which is 'Classic'. I think I'd like to do that, or some kind of Mexican or Southwest casserole. Any ideas?

[V K Lee]

Bland? More jalapenos, sour cream mixed with chili powder, cayenne, cumin to your taste? The candied jalapenos are very good in this dish. YEH! These sweet morsels have been found on the shelves once again!!

[miss marmelstein]

Very old tradition. No one knows Guy Fawkes and Guy Fawkes night? “A Penny for the Guy?” “Remember, Remember the 5th of November!” Gingerbread (parkin) is traditionally handed out to the kiddies. This was before the recent rise in Halloween.

Mr. Fawkes tried to blow up Parliament.

[DungeonMaster]

I made 2 big loaves of French bread which my kids love to slice thin and use for French Bread Pizza. I love it too. We cook them on the Pizzazz. Little sizzler sausage links cut into little chucks make excellent pizza sausage.

[V K Lee]

WallyWorld carries this, Aunt Jemima brand. Remember it being in the baking section with the flour, cornstarch. Similar to a flour bag with bits of bright yellow printed on the top portion of the bag. Of course, this being WallyWorld, it might be moved tomorrow.

[V K Lee]

When asking google about the original, classic King Ranch Casserole this site appeared on Screen.
http://www.npr.org/2014/01/16/262527082/the-taste-of-south-texas-in-a-9x13-dish

There is included a tale as to where and what King Ranch.

[Jamestown1630]

Thanks. I wonder if the original used canned soups...but I can’t seem to figure out what the original actually was ;-)

[V K Lee]

In fact this site has a number of found recipes, different origins, different dishes.
NPR - FOUND RECIPES
http://www.npr.org/series/175306271/found-recipes

[V K Lee]

LOL Join the club. In the beginning.....mom, aunt, everyone I knew — always used the cream of soup...cream of chicken to be exact. In the 50’s 60’s EVERYTHING was made with a cream of down here in Texas. It became my ‘go to’ when out on my own. Then experimentation, cream of mushroom, Campbells cheddar cheese, nacho cheese. Starting as a ranch wagon meal and evolved into a sought after dish. Tortillas, corn or flour can be used, but so can Tostitos (however, it won’t freeze as well, the chips become soggy) Along with the soup, I always add sour cream. Most times cheddar cheese is a given, but the Mexican blends are just as good, pepperjack, etc along with the cheddar. A can of Rotel Tomatoes is also added for their extra punch.

One blogger had posted about making a cream sauce - more high highfalutin’ than the canned soup. I always remember the canned soup as that was the only way they made it at the time. Sorry, have no idea where or what that site might be, but she wished to take the dish to a more adult level and a bit healthier -thus the elimination of canned soup. Seem to remember she was a blogger much like Pioneer woman....’Cowgirl’ something. Will attempt to check it out.

[V K Lee]

With the exception of this alternative (cream sauce), every recipe seen and remembered has been with cream of soup

http://optionalkitchen.com/2015/04/29/king-ranch-chicken-a-little-gussied-up/

[V K Lee]

One more source for you
http://www.texascooking.com/recipes/kingranchchick.htm

[V K Lee]

Well, scratch that cowgirl blog....this is the nearest thing found to the name remembered. my bad.

http://www.homesicktexan.com/2007/10/king-of-casseroles-king-ranch-chicken.html

[Liz]

Thanks for the link-—love the Chic site—lots of good recipes and serving ideas.

[CottonBall]

Thanks, I’ll wander around next time I go and try to find where they hid it!

[V K Lee]

Offering this site chock full of blogs and delicious photos. You might find it a bit cumbersome, but as they seem to be under renovation at this time, that frustration might eventually be corrected.

https://www.foodblogs.com/recent

For those into American History there is this one
MOUNT VERNON
http://www.mountvernon.org/recipes?gclid=CNfhpKGegckCFQkuaQodLG8O-w

Happy eatin’

[V K Lee]

Thou not my cup of tea, there are here some who are vegan eaters. This might be a new site for you.
http://veganyumyum.com/

Eat well, eat often.

[V K Lee]

Two final sites:

A YEAR FROM OAK COTTAGE
http://www.ayearfromoakcottage.org/

THE HUB
http://www.hub-uk.com/index.html

As always, some of these sites may have been posted before. Call them as I see ‘em.

Liz, thanks. Happy you enjoyed your visit.

Eat Dessert first. Eat often.

[V K Lee]

A final site...this one for the males out there.
Perhaps this might be of interest to you.

SOUTHERN BOY DISHES
http://southernboydishes.com/

[Trillian]

Do you have a link to her recipe? I did a search and can’t find it on her site. I found a recipe for Italian chicken soup that looks good though.

[V K Lee]

My bad! The site remembered as Pioneer Woman was actually HOMESICK TEXAN. At the time all that was remembered were the recipe w/cream sauce, ranch, and cows LOL.

HOMESICK TEXAN
http://www.homesicktexan.com/

Eat Dessert First and Eat often.

[Trillian]

Thanks!
Here it is:
http://www.homesicktexan.com/2007/10/king-of-casseroles-king-ranch-chicken.html