| Old Reliables | |||||||||
| Contrary to rumor, I do not have Hollandaise sauce on tap in my kitchen. Like everybody else, the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas can get pretty hectic with shopping, baking, partying and trips out of town. Having the ingredients for a few simple but good dinners on hand can take some stress out of all the preparation we think we need to do for the holidays. In recent years, food processors have come out with a myriad of ready-to-heat casseroles and quick sautés, but most of them just aren’t very good and I’d personally much rather have a good sandwich than a gummy plate of limp lasagna. But there are a few prepared items that are pretty tasty and useful to keep on hand in the freezer. Stouffer’s macaroni and cheese is a staple along with Caspar’s hot dogs. Harris ranch has a line of entrees that have a long shelf life and are heat and eat. I had a sample of the pot roast and it was really pretty good. I would buy it. I don’t freeze a lot of my own dishes but when I make spaghetti sauce, I double the recipe and freeze several three-cup portions. Soup is something you can’t seem to make in small 2 meal quantities so before it becomes the fuzzy stuff that time forgot, I freeze it in one quart containers. I keep the ingredients for the following recipes on hand for those times when I have fought the good fight at the discount stores, searched through towering stacks of clothing for the one size I need that is sold out, watched the woman in front of me grab the last of the must-have toys for the grandchildren, stood for ages in check-out lines and finally make it home to hear “What’s for dinner?” Sue Kleber |
Sausage and Sauerkraut 1 14 oz. package of beef smoked sausage (Hillshire is readily available) 1/2 jar of Trader Joe’s sauerkraut 2 large red potatoes 1 shallot, minced 1 tsp caraway seeds Cut the sausage into 3-inch sections and in half lengthwise. Heat a skillet and add a little olive oil and add the sausage pieces cut side down. Cut each potato into six sections and add to the skillet. Sauté the sausage until dark brown and remove to a plate. Add the shallot and the caraway seeds and cook until the shallot turns translucent. Add the lightly drained sauerkraut and stir up the browned bits from the sausage into the kraut. Cover the skillet with a lid and turn the heat down to low and cook until the potatoes are cooked through. (About 15 minutes) Serves 2 hungry people. Linguini with Clam Sauce 2 6.5 oz. cans minced clams 2 TB olive oil 1 TB butter 2 cloves garlic minced 1/4 cup Italian parsley, minced 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated 1/2 lb dry weight linguini, cooked al dente Sauté the garlic in the olive oil and butter until brown. Add the drained clams and about 1/2 cup of the juice. Add the parsley and pour over the cooked linguini. Top with the cheese. Serves 2 |
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Real Estate & Living
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www.somocorealestate.com
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