by Joanne Fluke
Yield: 6 entree-size portions.
Hannah’s Note: You can cut the egg and the chicken in smaller pieces and use this salad as sandwich filling. This recipe will make about a dozen chicken salad sandwiches.
HOLE IN ONE
One slice of bread (any kind)
One egg
Softened butter
Biscuit cutter or juice glass
Spray a frying pan with non-stick spray and set it aside.
Butter the piece of bread on one side. Put it butter-side-down in the frying pan. Butter the side on top. (Using a rubber spatula makes this easier.)
With a biscuit cutter or the rim of a juice glass, stamp a hole in the center of the slice of bread. Put the circle you’ve cut out next to the slice of bread in the pan.
Put the pan on medium heat and wait until the bread starts to fry. Then crack an egg and drop it into the hole in the bread. (If you’re really hungry, you can use two eggs.) Add salt and pepper to the egg if you wish. When the egg has cooked on the bottom, flip the whole thing, bread and all, with a pancake turner. Also flip the cutout circle of bread. Fry until the egg is done the way you want it.
Tracey loves these for breakfast. She prefers a runny yolk so that she can dip the fried bread in it. Now she’s teaching Bethie how to do it.
MEXICAN HOTDISH
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the center position.
4-ounce can Ortega diced green chilies (with the juice)
2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (approx. 8 ounces)
2 cans (14 ounces each) diced tomatoes (with the juice)
1 medium onion, chopped
2-ounce can sliced black olives (with the juice)
1 large green bell pepper, seeded & chopped
2 cups UNCOOKED white rice
2 packages (approx. 1-ounce each) Taco seasoning (Clara
buys Lawry’s)
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth
½ cup cold butter (1 stick, ¼ pound, 4 ounces)
2 cups Fritos corn chips
2 cups (approx. 8 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese 8
(I used the kind with four cheeses mixed together)
Spray a 6-quart roaster with Pam or other nonstick cooking spray. (Clara buys disposable half-size steam table pans at CostMart and uses one of those. She says to be careful to set it on a cookie sheet before you fill it, though. The disposable foil could buckle and you could end up with uncooked Mexican Hotdish all over your kitchen floor!)
Hannah’s 1st Note: This hotdish is easy to make because once you’ve got the cubed chicken, all you have to do is open a bunch of cans. You don’t even have to drain them. Just dump them in your baking pan, juice and all!
In the bottom of the pan or roaster, mix together the diced green chilies, the Monterrey Jack cheese, the two cans of diced tomatoes, the chopped onion, the can of sliced black olives, the chopped bell pepper, and the UNCOOKED white rice. (Marguerite told Norman that she washes her hands and then just mixes everything up with her fingers, but that’s only if Clara’s not around.)
Sprinkle the Taco seasoning over the top, add the chicken cubes, and mix again.
Add the chicken broth and stir everything up with a wooden spoon. (You can also get in there with your impeccably clean hands and mix it up that way.)
Cut the cold stick of butter into 8 pieces and put the pieces on top of the hotdish.
Cover the pan with heavy duty foil (or a double thickness of regular foil) and turn down the edges to seal them.
Bake the hotdish for 1 and ½ hours (90 minutes) at 350 degrees F.
Take the baking pan out of the oven BUT DON’T TURN OFF THE OVEN YET. Remove the foil carefully as steam may escape.
Sprinkle the Fritos on top of the hotdish, spreading them out as evenly as you can.
Sprinkle the cheese on top of the Fritos as evenly as you can.
Don’t cover the hotdish. Return it to the oven to cook for another 10 minutes, uncovered, or until the cheese has melted.
Let the baking pan or roaster sit for at least 10 minutes so the hotdish can firm up before you serve it.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: When I first had this hotdish at Clara and Marguerite’s condo, they served it with white wine margaritas. If you don’t want to serve alcohol, it would also be good with ice cold lemonade.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: Norman served this with sour cream on the side for those who wanted to put a dollop on top of their serving. (I really liked it that way.) I think it would also be good with guacamole on the side for those who want to add that.
SALLY’S SUNNY VEGETABLE SALAD
5 cups chopped broccoli florets
5 cups chopped cauliflower florets
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (the sharper the cheddar,
the better the salad)
½ cup golden raisins (Sally says to tell you she’s used
sweetened dried cranberries as a substitute for the raisins)
cup minced onion (Sally uses chopped green onions)
½ cup white (granulated) sugar
1 cup mayonnaise (Hannah uses Hellmann’s – it’s called
Best Foods west of the Rockies)
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar (I used raspberry vinegar)
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (or ½ cup bacon bits)
¼ cup SHELLED, salted, toasted sunflower seeds
Chop the broccoli and cauliflower florets into tiny bite-sized pieces.
Combine the broccoli and cauliflower in a large salad bowl. Add the shredded cheese and mix it up with your fingers.
Mix in the raisins and the minced onion.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, mayonnaise, and red wine vinegar. Mix it with a rubber spatula, or a whisk until it’s smooth.
Pour the dressing you just mixed over the top of the salad. Toss it, or stir it with a spoon or spatula until the vegetables are coated with the dressing.
Sprinkle the bacon bits on top.
Sprinkle the sunflower nutmeats on top of that.
Hannah’s 1st Note: You can make this salad several hours before serving. It’s even better that way because the flavors blend. Just toss the vegetables and raisins with the dressing, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it until your company arrives. Then all you have to do is sprinkle on the bacon bits and the sunflower seeds, and serve.
Yield: 12 to 16 servings.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: I made this for a 6-person dinner party once, and I ended up with about half of the salad left in the bowl. I refrigerated it to see what would happen, and it was every bit as good the next day!
SALMON CAKES WITH DILL SAUCE OR EASY CELERY SAUCE
1 small can salmon9
2 slices bread, crusts removed (you can use any type of bread)
1 beaten egg (just whip it up in a glass with a fork)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (or hot sauce, or lemon
juice)
½ teaspoon dry mustard (that’s the powdered kind)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon onion powder
2 Tablespoons butter
Open your can of salmon and drain it in a strainer. Remove any bones or dark skin. Flake it with a fork and put it in a small mixing bowl.
Cut the crusts from two standard-sized slices of bread and tear the middle part into small pieces. Add the pieces to the bowl with the salmon.
Add the egg and mix it all up with a fork.
Mix in the Worcestershire sauce (or lemon juice, or hot sauce,) the dry mustard, salt, and onion powder.
Stir it all up until it resembles a thick batter with lumps.
Divide the batter into thirds. (You don’t have to be exact – nobody’s going to measure them when you’re through. They’ll be too busy eating them.)
Spread a sheet of wax paper on a plate and pick up one of the lumps of batter. Squeeze it together with your hands to form a firm ball. Place it on the wax paper and flatten it like a hamburger patty. The patty should b
e about a half-inch thick.
Hannah’s 1st Note: If you flatten your Salmon Cakes too much and you’d like to make them thicker, just go ahead. All you have to do is gather the batter into a ball again and start over.
Shape the other two lumps of batter into balls and then patties. Let them sit on the wax paper for a minute or two to firm up even more.
Melt the two Tablespoons of butter in a frying pan over medium heat.
Place the Salmon Cakes in the pan and fry them over medium heat until they’re golden brown on the bottom. (That should take approximately 2 minutes.) Flip the patties over and brown the other side. (Total frying time will be approximately 4 to 5 minutes.) Remember that all you’re doing is frying the egg. Everything else has already been cooked.
Drain the Salmon Cakes on a paper towel and transfer to a serving platter. Serve with Dill Sauce or Edna’s Easy Celery Sauce. They’re also wonderful with creamed peas or creamed corn.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: When I do these for the family, I use my electric griddle and triple the recipe so I have nine Salmon Cakes. If you don’t have an electric griddle or you prefer to use a frying pan, you can fry them and then put them in a single layer in a pan in an oven set at the lowest temperature to keep them warm until you’ve fried them all. Make sure to refrigerate any leftovers. I’ve put leftover Salmon Cakes in the refrigerator overnight and heated them in the microwave the next day for lunch. They’re not quite as good as freshly fried, but they’re still very good. (They’re also good cold.)
Hannah’s 3rd Note: You can also make Tuna Cakes, Shrimp Cakes, Crab Cakes, Chicken Cakes and any other “cake” you can think of. All you need to do is substitute 6 to 8 ounces of the canned, or cooked and chopped main ingredient of your choice for the salmon. (This is why I always keep a can of salad shrimp, a can of tuna, and a can of chopped chicken in my pantry.)
Yield: Serves 3 if you team it up with a nice green salad and a slice of something yummy for dessert. (If you serve it alone, as a total lunch, it’ll work for one person with a big appetite, or one person with a little appetite and a cat.)
DILL SAUCE
Hannah’s Note: This sauce is best if you make it at least 4 hours in advance and refrigerate it in an airtight container. (Overnight is even better.)
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
½ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon crushed fresh baby dill (if you can’t find baby
dill, you can make it with ½ teaspoon dried dill weed,
but it won’t be as good)
Mix the cream with the mayonnaise until it’s smooth, and then stir in the dill. Put the sauce in a small bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours.
EDNA’S EASY CELERY SAUCE
Hannah’s 1st Note: If you make your Salmon Cakes at the drop of a hat, the way I occasionally do, you won’t have time to make the Dill Sauce. All Edna’s Easy Celery Sauce requires is a can of cream of celery soup and some milk or cream.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: The can of cream of celery soup should be in your pantry as a staple, along with a can of cream of mushroom soup, a can of tomato soup, and a can of cream of chicken soup. They’re a good base for any sauce you want to make on the fly.
one can of cream of celery soup, undiluted (10 to 11 ounces
depending on brand name – I used Campbell’s)
milk or cream to thin it
Open the can. Dump it in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat it in the microwave until it’s piping hot. (Try 30 seconds and see if it’s hot enough. If not, heat at 15-second increments until it is.) Thin it with milk or cream to sauce consistency.
Drizzle the sauce over the Salmon Cakes, sprinkle on a little parsley or fresh dill if you happen to have it, and serve immediately.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: Edna tells me that you can also use undiluted cream of chicken soup (if you’re using the chicken variation) cream of mushroom soup, or cream of garlic soup. She also said something about cream of asparagus soup for Shrimp Cakes, but I haven’t tried it.
WANMANSITA CASSEROLE
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
2 pounds lean hamburger10
2 medium onions, sliced
1 cup diced celery (that’s about 3 stalks)
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 large package of crinkle noodles (I used egg noodles that
were twisted in the middle.)
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) of diced tomatoes with juice
1 can (5 ounces) sliced water chestnuts**** (Sally uses
chopped)
1 can (4 ounces) mushroom pieces
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper (freshly ground is best, of course)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Start by spraying a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan, or a half-size disposable steam table pan with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. If you choose to use a disposable pan, set it on a cookie sheet to support the bottom and make it easier to move it from the counter to the oven.
Pour 6 quarts of water into a big pot and put it on the stove to boil. You’ll use this to cook the noodles. (If you start heating the water now, it should be boiling by the time you’re ready to cook the noodles. If it boils too early and you’re not ready, just turn down the heat a little. If it’s not ready when you are, crank up the heat and wait for the boil.)
Crumble the hamburger and brown it over medium heat in a large frying pan, stirring it around with a metal spatula and breaking it up into pieces as it fries. This should take about 15 or 20 minutes.
When the hamburger is nice and brown, put a bowl under a colander so that you can save about cup of fat to use with the onions. Dump the hamburger into the colander to drain it.
Put the drained hamburger into the prepared baking pan.
Pour the cup of hamburger grease back into the frying pan.
Peel the onions and slice them into inch thick slices. (When you do this they may fall apart in rings and that’s perfectly okay.)
Place the onion slices in the frying pan, but don’t turn on the heat quite yet.
Dice the celery. Add it to the onion slices in the frying pan.
Cut open the green bell pepper and take out the seeds, the stem, and the tough white membranes. Chop the remaining pepper into bite-sized pieces. Once that’s done, add them to the onions and celery in your frying pan.
Cook the aromatic vegetables (that’s what they call them on the Food Channel) over medium heat until they’re tender when pierced with a fork.
Drain them in the same colander you used for the hamburger, and then mix them up with the hamburger in your baking pan.
Add some salt to your boiling water on the stove. Then dump in the noodles, stir them around, let the water come back to a boil, and then turn down the heat a bit so the pot doesn’t boil over. Set your timer for whatever it says on the noodle package directions and cook the noodles, stirring every minute or so to make sure they don’t stick together.
Drain the cooked noodles in the same colander you’ve been using all along, add them to your baking pan, and mix them up with everything else.
Add the diced tomatoes, juice and all, to your baking pan. Wait to stir. You don’t want to mush your noodles by stirring too much.
Open and drain the cans of water chestnuts and mushroom pieces in the colander that’s still sitting in the sink.
Dump the water chestnuts and mushrooms on top of the tomatoes in your baking pan.
Sprinkle the cumin over the top of your casserole.
Sprinkle the chili powder on top of the cumin. (Gary says to tell you that if your chili powder has been sitting around for as long as theirs has, it’s a good idea to buy fresh.)
Sprinkle on the salt and grind the pepper on top of that.
Now is the time to mix it all up. This might not be easy if the baking pan’s too full to stir with a spoon. If t
hat’s happened, just wash your hands thoroughly and dive in with your fingers to mix everything up. When you’re through, pat the casserole so it’s nice and even on top, and call it a day.
Wash your hands again, and then cover the baking pan with a single thickness of foil.
Bake at 325 degrees F. for 60 minutes, or until you peek under the foil and see that it’s hot and bubbling.
Remove the pan from the oven. Remove the foil slowly and carefully to avoid burning yourself with the steam that may roll out. Set the foil on the counter to use again in a few minutes.
Sprinkle the 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese over the top and return the baking pan to the oven. Bake it, uncovered, for another 10 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
Cover the pan again with that foil you saved, and let your casserole sit on a cold burner or rack to set up for at least 10 minutes, and then serve and enjoy!
Hannah’s 1st Note: Sally says to tell you that she made 4 pans of this for a luncheon meeting. There were 25 people and she had one whole pan left over.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: Gary says to tell you that they didn’t serve seconds, though.
Yield: Judging from the above notes, I’d guess that one pan of Wanmansita Casserole would serve 8 to 10 people, especially if you served fresh buttered rolls and a nice mixed green salad on the side.
