How you doin’? There are so many great legacy foods I like to serve for Thanksgiving Dinner. This fresh broccoli casserole is a family favorite (at least my family) for holidays and get-togethers. So why did I bypass the predictable string bean casserole?
 
When I was going to cooking school the first 6 weeks in Paris were centered on making recipes only with green beans. We cut them, minced them, baked them, steamed them, sautéed them—anything you could do with this vegetable we were tasked to do. After 6 long  weeks at least 50% of the students quit out of frustration, which, by the way, was the reason for the exercise… to reduce the number of students.  And sorry, but no refunds. So, I came up with this recipe so I wouldn’t have to taste another green bean dish.
 
My Thanksgiving Day Cheesy Broccoli Casserole is an inexpensive recipe you are going to want to pass down to your family for years to come because it's so cheesy and delicious!
 
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Yield:  10-12 servings
 
Ingredients 
4 heads fresh broccoli, chopped
3/4 cup shredded mild cheddar
3/4 cup pepper-jack cheese
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup (I prefer Campbell’s Soup)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups crushed, seasoned croutons or turkey bread stuffing mix
 
Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350⁰ F.
2. Butter or spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
3. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
4. Cook the broccoli in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain, and set aside.
5. In a saucepan over medium heat, mix the 2 cheeses, cream of mushroom soup (do not add water), and salt and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted.
6. Add the broccoli, stirring to coat. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
7. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Mix in the croutons, and sprinkle over the broccoli mixture.
8. Bake the casserole for 30 minutes in the preheated oven until the topping is browned and the broccoli is tender, but not mushy.

ChefSecret: Be careful not to overcook which will make the broccoli a bit stodgy.

Quip of the Day:  A doctor walked into an exam room to see a patient with carrots sticking out of his ears and broccoli up his nose. The doctor said: “I can tell right away that you haven’t been eating properly.”
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. 

​#ThanksgivingRecipes #Thanksgiving #SideDish #Broccoli #CheesyBroccoliCasserole #CampbellsSoup #HolidayRecipes #Holidays2022 #BeThankful #QuarantineKitchen #RedCross #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                                  ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022

ow you doin’? Collard Greens are a perfect and historical side dish for the holidays. They date back to prehistoric time (yes, Fred and Wilma Flintstone used to eat them) and they’re one of the oldest members of the cabbage family. Collard Greens are also known as the tree cabbage. Some may think that Collard Greens originated in Africa but they were first served in the Eastern Mediterranean.
 
Collard Greens were introduced to America when the first Africans arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in the early 1600s. That’s when the early colonies got their first taste of the dark green, leafy vegetable. Collard Greens may even have been present at the first Thanksgiving.

Collard Greens are so nutritionally packed, it’s like putting money in your personal healthy bank. Collards are versatile and delicious, both cooked and raw, as most Southerners know. Collards are a member of the Brassica family and closely related to cabbage, kale and broccoli, and they are pretty enough to be grown as garden ornamentals.
 
Many culinary historians agree that the green craze in the South is supported by tastes for spring greens among Celtic and Germanic Southerners, but it was really pushed forward by people of African descent.
 
Brine time: 30 minutes
Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  at least 1 hour
Yield:  4 to 6 servings
 
Ingredients 
2 large bunches collards, rinsed well
1/2 pound smoked ham hock or salt pork , split
1/2 cup salt, for brine (see ChefSecret below)
Buttermilk cornbread, for serving
Hot sauce, for serving
 
Directions

1. Prepare the collards for cooking by cutting the large stems from the center of the leaves.
2. Stack the leaves and cut them crosswise into 1-inch strips.
3. Add 2-inches of water to a saucepan large enough to hold the raw collards. The leaves should be pushed down tightly; they will wilt to about one-quarter the volume as they cook.
4. Add the ham or pork and bring the water to a boil.
5. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour, or until tender. Stir occasionally, checking to be sure there is enough liquid to prevent scorching; add water if necessary. Taste the liquid and add salt if needed.
6. Pull the ham hocks and separate the meat from the gristle.
7. Drain the greens and put them in a serving bowl and mix in the meat from the ham hock. Serve with your favorite hot sauce.

ChefSecret:  Brine by soaking the leaves briefly in a salt-water brine made by adding 1/2 cup salt to enough water to cover the leaves. Brine for 30 minutes, then rinse well and drain. Ask your butcher to split the ham hock on his band saw into about 4 pieces.

Quip of the Day: “My wife planted collard greens in our kitchen… she calls them her own personal Wall-greens.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. 

#ThanksgivingRecipes #Thanksgiving #SideDish #CollardGreens #HamHocks #HolidayRecipes #Holidays2022 #BeThankful #QuarantineKitchen #RedCross #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                                   ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022

How you doin’?  It’s that time of the year! Before you know it, Thanksgiving will be here and then it’s a quick slide into the year-end festivities. To help you prepare for Thanksgiving, we’ll be blogging holiday recipes every weekday for the next two weeks. You’re welcome!
 
So… Funeral Potatoes… no, this isn’t a joke and it isn’t a belated Halloween dish. Best of all neither you (nor any of your loved ones) have to be dead to enjoy them! I saw this recipe on my Allrecipe feed and thought it was worthy of sharing, with a few changes of course. While funeral potatoes may be a bit unsettling, once you know the whole story it makes perfect sense. 
 
In Utah and surrounding states where Mormons tend to make up a large percentage of  the population, potluck luncheons are a standard practice after funerals. Cooking for many grieving mourners (Mormon or otherwise) is never easy. Crowd-feeding (not funding) dishes that can be simply made are a godsend during times of grief.

Funeral Potatoes are a cheesy potato casserole made with all convenience foods—canned or frozen... perfect for the novice cook. If you’re not on the keto diet this is a great comfort food for the tearful broken hearted. 
 
It's hard to say exactly when that dish became "funeral potatoes," though it's easy to believe that the designation arrived organically over time. There's evidence of the term's use online dating back to at least 1996, though this dish has probably been considered "to die for" for a fair amount longer. 
 
This is a great dish while at funerals where it is known as Funeral Potatoes. But during other happy times it might be named Christmas Potatoes, Thanksgiving Potatoes or even Easter Potatoes. Want to make them during the week?... just call ‘em Mom’s (or Dad’s) Best Potato Casserole.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Cook time:  10 minutes
Yield:  8 to 12 servings
 
Ingredients 
1 (16 ounce) jar store-bought cheese sauce
1 cup sour cream
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
1-1/4 cups water
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (2 pound) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup broken potato chips
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 325⁰ F.
2. Butter a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the cheese sauce, sour cream, mushroom soup, celery soup, water, 1/2 of the butter and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Place the potatoes in the prepared dish, add soup mixture and mix well.
5. Mix the crumbs and potato ships with remaining melted butter and sprinkle over top of potato casserole.
6. Bake at 325⁰ F for 40 to 50 minutes or until casserole is bubbling and crumbs are lightly browned. If browning too quickly, put a sheet of foil over the top.
7. Allow the casserole to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

ChefSecret: You can use fresh cubed potatoes or tater tots in place of frozen hash browns—whatever you have in your freezer or pantry.

Quip of the Day: A consultant’s prayer—“Lord keep your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America.

#ThanksgivingRecipes #Thanksgiving #SideDish #PotatoCasserole #FuneralPotatoes  #HolidayRecipes #Holidays2022 #BeThankful #QuarantineKitchen #RedCross #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
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                                                    ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022

​How you doin’? Every meal provider’s recipe box needs a simple go-to biscuit. Here’s mine. These are light, buttery and ready in no time. This recipe was given to me by Ethel, the San Jacinto Inn’s head cook. Ethel was a tough old bird… she made me wash dishes for an hour to get the recipe. Later I learned I could have just bought her cookbook. The dishpan hands were worth it though… I got to work with Ethel!
 
The San Jacinto Inn was famous for its seafood and chicken dinners—it wasn’t just a meal, but a dining and working experience. Jack and Bertha Sanders established the restaurant in 1916 near the Lynchburg Ferry on the Houston Ship Channel. Originally a small lunch counter, the menu included fresh seafood caught by the Sanders’ served with freshly baked biscuits and homemade preserves. In 1917, the growing restaurant moved to its location in an old dance hall opposite the present location of the Battleship Texas near the San Jacinto Battleground State Park. Soon the popularity of the San Jacinto Inn grew, and dining there became a tradition and an experience) for many Houstonians, their families and me too when I travel to the area.
 
The dining room featured an all-you-can eat menu, consisting of primarily seafood and chicken. In winter, the menu included celery, shrimp cocktail, oysters on the half shell, fried oysters, fried tenderloin of fish, fried chicken, French fried potatoes, and hot biscuits served with strawberry or black cherry preserves, and dessert. The summer menu mirrored its winter counterpart in many ways but featured iced crab and stuffed crab rather than the oyster dishes. In the 1930s and 1940s, patrons not only enjoyed the hefty meal, but also a dance orchestra. During World War II, this live entertainment gave way to a need for more tables to accommodate the restaurant’s growing clientele. In later years, the restaurant seated nearly seven hundred guests and it boasted serving 85,000 pounds of fish, 55,000 chickens, 200,000 pounds of shrimp, 1,700,000 oysters, 50,000 crabs, and 500,000 hot biscuits in an average year.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Bake time:  12 to 15 minutes
Yield:  16 biscuits
 
Ingredients
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting (see ChefSecret below)
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1-1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) frozen unsalted butter, shredded on a box grater
1 cup buttermilk, plus more for brushing
 
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425⁰F. Pulse the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a food processor.
2. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Add the buttermilk and pulse a couple of times until the dough just comes together but is not fully incorporated. 
3. Turn out on to a floured surface and pat into a thick 8-by-8-inch square. Cut into sixteen 2-inch square biscuits. Arrange on an ungreased baking sheet, brush with buttermilk and bake until golden; 12 to 15 minutes.

ChefSecret: When measuring flour, spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the excess with a knife. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked biscuits.)
Sausage Gravy
 
You can’t have a recipe for biscuits without one for Sausage Gravy from scratch. Just a few simple ingredients are all you’ll need to prepare a delicious breakfast of Sausage Gravy and Biscuits. This quick and easy pan gravy is sure to please all in the family.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Cook time:  10 minutes
Total Time:  15 minutes
Yield:  4 servings
 
Ingredients
1 pound of country-style bulk-packed pork sausage seasoned blend
2 tablespoons of butter or bacon fat
4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
 
Directions
1.    Place a skillet on the range top over medium heat.
2.    Add the pork sausage, break it up with a spoon or fork and let it brown until fully cooked.
3.    Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked sausage from the skillet. Set aside.
4.    Add butter or bacon fat to the skillet, let it melt.
5.    Add the flour, one tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly to make a roux.
6.    Continue stirring while the mixture cooks for a minute or two, don’t let it burn. It will get thick and clumpy.
7.    Slowly stir in milk, about a half cup at a time, stirring constantly to work it all together with roux.
8.    Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Test it for flavor, as you go.
9.    Add the cooked sausage back into the pan, stir well.
10.Let the gravy and sausage simmer together for a couple of minutes until it reaches the desired consistency.
11.Serve the hot gravy over biscuits, eggs, hash brown potatoes or that very special fried chicken dinner and mashed potatoes.

ChefSecret:  Hold leftovers refrigerated for 3 to 4 days. It’s easy to reheat, just add a little more milk and correct the seasoning to taste.

Quip of the Day: “Recently I had a Zoom appointment with my “shrink.” The doctor told me, don’t worry, life is like a helicopter. That wasn’t comforting… I don’t know how to fly a helicopter either.”
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. 

​#Baking #Biscuits #Biscuits-Gravy #SausageGravy #SanJacintoInn #Biscuits&Gravy #2022 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                                                        ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022

How you doin’? Without a doubt, potatoes are one of the most versatile vegetables on the face of earth. Different varieties are grown by farmers all over the world. The Inca Indians in Peru were the first to cultivate potatoes around 8,000 BC to 5,000 B.C. In 1536 Spanish Conquistadors vanquished Peru, discovered the flavors of the potato, and carried them to Europe. Sir Walter Raleigh introduced potatoes to Ireland in 1589 on the 40,000 acres of land near Cork.
 
The English brought potatoes to North America in the 1620s when the British governor in the Bahamas made a special gift of them to the governor of Virginia. They spread slowly through the northern colonies but had much of the same initial reception in North America as they did in Europe—everybody loved them.
 
In the Covid-19 Survival Guide: Cooking Lesson #61, we provided a recipe and procedure to make English Roasted Potatoes. They were (and are) yummy. Now find out how to make American Potatoes Great Again with my All-American perfectly roasted potatoes recipe.
 
Roasted potatoes are a particular joy to eat. It’s all about the pleasure of a crispy exterior with a fluffy, creamy interior. But there is a difference between a potato that has a slight crisp on the outside and one that is truly crunchy. That additional texture can mean the difference between a good potato experience and a great one. So, it is good to know the secrets to making perfect spuds!
 
For starters, use the right potato. When in America use American russet potatoes. Russets with their higher starch content will always roast up crispier than waxy style potatoes like red or white skinned.
 
Cook ‘em up HOT! Cook potatoes at a minimum of 400⁰ F, but even as high as 475⁰ F. Don’t be afraid… high heat will cook them faster, which means the natural steam will get out quicker and the exteriors will dry enough to begin crisping earlier in cooking process. Cooking hot and fast will always get you a better exterior, if they start to over-brown before they are finished inside, you can lower the heat to 350 to finish roasting.
 
Lube ‘em up. French fries crisp up because of their exposure to hot oil. These little beauties aren’t too different. So, be sure to slick ‘em up. Your roasties need plenty of oil on all sides to create that crisp oven-fried texture.
 
Rough around the edges. A smooth surface on a cut potato will be resistant to crisping. The way to ensure that great exterior is to pre-cook your potatoes by boiling the cubes in water for about 10 minutes, so that they are still firm in the middle, but just starting to be tender on the exterior. Drain well, put a lid on the colander, and give a good shake. This will rough up the exterior of the potatoes and make them look a bit fuzzy. Then toss in oil and roast on high heat. The rougher exterior will crisp up extra crunch! Bet you can’t eat just one!
 
Dress ‘em up with a nice coat.
If you are a fan of seasoned fries, you can get the same results by tossing your roasted potato cubes in seasoned corn starch or rice, chestnut or all-purpose flour before roasting. The starch will get your potatoes crisp.

​ChefSecret:  Roasting, by its nature, is a cooking environment that gets things crispy, but if you want it extra crispy and you want that roasted flavor but with the added texture, give your finished potatoes a fast flash by tossing them in a nonstick skillet over high heat to finish that last little bit of cooking with direct heat to get them super crispy. This is the secret used in better restaurants.

Quip of the Day: “It feels like the richer that people get, the harder it is for them to remember that food actually costs money.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. 

#AmericanRoastedPotatoes #Potatoes #OvenRoastedPotatoes #Covid19SurvivalBlog #2022 #RedCross #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                                          ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022