Reading Michael Ruhlman’s blog today on The Huffington Post entitled “Becoming Better Cooks, or Why Sandra Lee is not Evil Incarnate” and feeling a little nostalgic. Originally posted in April 2010, Ruhlman tells of being reminded by his wife of the days they cooked pasta with Alfredo Sauce using an envelope of Knorr’s powder. As a self-described “foodie”, he retraces his path from novice cook to gourmand, detailing questionable culinary successes along the way. Dishes featuring canned soup and parmesan “cheese” in a can were high on his list of edible accomplishments. Laughing along with Ruhlman, one can’t help but conjure up images of our own gustatory creations from days gone by.
Certainly at one time or another, we’ve all tried the infamous string bean casserole, made with canned or frozen green beans, Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup, and greasy fried onion rings in a can. My boyfriend-now-husband wowed me in the kitchen when he made this treat for us in college.
My mom, never a particularly creative cook, but competent enough to feed seven people 3-square a day for decades, sometimes treated us kids to her special tuna casserole. I seem to remember it was made by mixing canned tuna, cream of mushroom soup, and what seemed at the time a very exotic ingredient – Chinese noodles from a can. (For another interesting culinary idea using this ingredient, go to Slashfood and search “Chocolate Chow Mein Noodle Cookies, another of my mother’s epicurean delights!)
So take a look at Michael Ruhlman’s trip down memory lane, see what culinary memories are reawakened from your past, and share them here with us!
I am not much of a cook, but in my college years I made famous a dish called CHICKEN DIVAN, which my family now calls CHICKEN DIANE, and actually they still like to eat once in a while. It is a casserole made with chicken, broccoli, and cheddar cheese, bathed in a sauce of Campbell's Mushroom Soup, Mayo, and Curry powder. It brought alot of boys to our dorm room for weekend dinners, and I made it for more than one family occasion like a party or shower. My brother and my husband still love it, and last year, I made it for Tom on Valentines' Day!
ReplyDeleteMy son, Greg, who is a friend of Adam, Suzanne's son, came home from the second grade with a request for a family recipe. What to do, what to do? There were no cherished, tattered copies of Polish pastries, no Irish stews. My mother was a terrible cook. I knew this even as a small child, the result was my being toothpick thin until I discovered there were spices beyond her 15 year old bottle of oregano and whatever it was she made in that pressure cooker which always, always explode onto the ceiling. Oh, she also always cooked fresh liver for our dog, the smell still makes me ill.
ReplyDeleteShe did however make what I thought was the best apple pie ever made. A few years ago I decided I would duplicate it and asked my sister, the keeper of all family secrets, for the recipe. She told me mom used canned apples. Canned apples, why of why didn't she keep that a secret.
I could have sent my son into school with my mother's other masterpiece, the english muffin pizza. She did use real mozzarella, and real canned pasta sauce but I just didn't feel it was up to that other mother who owned the French Culinary Institute so I can't swear this to be true but I do believe I took a recipe for some fabulous stew from some fabulous cookbook, added a few more ingredients, probably more wine and sent my sweet boy into school with it. I couldn't admit he had no culinary history to his name but much to his
credit, he has become an amazing chef, proving that things can be learned if you want it enough.
Was going to give you a hearty Brisket, but then this Really great dip came to mind. Everyone loves it. A family favorite..
ReplyDeleteARTICHOKE DIP
1 14oz JAR OF MARINATED ARTICHOKE HEARTS, DRAINED
(I DRAIN AND RINSE TO RID OF EXTRA SALT)
1 CUP PARMESAN CHEESE
3/4 CUP MAYONAISE
1/4 TSP SALT
JUICE FROM 1/2 FRESH MEDIUM-SIZED LEMON
IN A FOOD PROCESSER, MIX THE ARTICHOKES WITH PARMESAN CHEESE, MAYONAISE AND SALT. SQUEEZE ABOUT 1/2 LEMON INTO MIXTURE TO TASTE. BAKE IN RECTANGULAR BAKING DISH AT 375 DEGREES UNTIL BROWN. SPRINKLE LIGHT LAYER OF PARMESAN ON THE TOP FOR BAKING WITH A CRUST.
***Note: Some prefer more mayonnaise. I use less, and also use the Canola Oil Mayonaise from Best Foods for reduced cholesterol. Mixture may be made 1 – 2 days in advance and then cooked on the day of event.
suzanne - i think mom also used this mushroom soup to make her pot roast which was deeeeelish!
ReplyDeleteYes, mom did use Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup and a packet of Lipton's Onion Soup Mix for her pot roast. The two ingredients combined beautifully with the juices from the roast to make a very flavorful gravy! Yum!
ReplyDelete