Good morning, readers. Two of you are looking for favorite restaurant versions of grouper and salad dressing.
Debbie Pataky would “love to find the recipe from my favorite Florida restaurant. It is Baked Stuffed Grouper au Gratin, a filet of grouper stuffed with a crabmeat mixture and then layered with cheeses and baked. If anyone has one like it, I would treasure it.
She added “thanks to everyone who responded to me with easy-made meals or pickup places.”
(By the way, keep sending those easy-made menus. You’ll find the next entry, from Dan Cobb, toward the end of this column.)
Diane Ownbey loves the salad served at Kanpai of Tokyo and is “looking to keep this delicious salad dressing on hand. Can someone help? Thanks in advance.”
One takeaway blessing from the pandemic is the speedy delivery, or easy pickup, of restaurant food. Our friend Susan has a birthday this week and, though she’s full of COVID antibodies, she has ordered her second annual pickup birthday feast from Canyon Grill. Her dinner table is set beautifully for this favorite meal, and neither dress-up nor cleanup will be necessary.
Here’s another request. Lynn Hager enjoys the recipes that all of you send. “However, I’m calorie- and nutrition-conscious, and these recipes contain none of this information. I’m sure I’m not the only one who would appreciate the inclusion of this as well.”
Thank you, Ms. Hager, for making this proposal. And all of you, if you have nutrition information for recipes you send, please add that information.
GENEROUS GIFT
Linda Morris of Lookout Mountain stirred up an easy and delicious hostess gift that she likes to bring to friends. And as to presentation, she has a tip too. “I usually pick up a pretty little tin at the Dollar Store to present them in.”
Truffles
1 (10-ounce) package mint chocolate chips
1 (6-ounce) package dark chocolate chips
1 (14-ounce) can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
Coating of your choice: finely chopped nuts, cocoa, powdered sugar, cappuccino mix, coconut -and colored, flavored sprinkles
Melt chips in microwave oven; add condensed milk. Stir until completely smooth and creamy. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Form into balls, and roll in your choice of coatings.
Chill again for about an hour or until firm. Store at room temperature. Makes approximately 60 balls.
CUSTOMER PICKS
Ann Crisp continued the training sessions for Trader Joe’s newbies. She found a list of favorites in Real Simple magazine: their customer-choice awards. Just a few of those:
Mandarin Orange Chicken is the favorite overall product, followed by dark chocolate peanut butter cups, Unexpected Cheddar, Everything but the Bagel seasoning blend and Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese.
The snack winner was peanut butter filled pretzel nuggets; teeny tiny avocados were tops in the produce category, and Soy Chorizo the Vegan/Vegetarian offering of choice, followed by Vegan Kale.
You get the picture.
The Real Simple article also had links to other features about Trader Joe’s.
EASY MEAL
Dan Cobb had no trouble finding an easy recipe for Debbie Pataky, as he has more than a few.
“Most of my fast and easy recipes are similar. But if you want something a little special with some pop to it, here’s a good one. It may even be good for you.”
Chicken Pasta with Spinach
Adjust quantities to suit your taste or number of servings.
Penne pasta (enough for 2 to 3 servings)
2 to 3 boneless chicken breasts
6 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1/2 to 1 bag fresh spinach
1/2 to 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
Cut chicken into thin strips, then salt and pepper to taste.
In a large skillet, stir-fry chicken in oil until done, 3 to 4 minutes.
Mix cornstarch and water in small bowl, and add to chicken.
Add spinach, tomatoes and wine.
Stir together well, and simmer 6 to 8 minutes.
Serve over pasta.
CROWD PLEASER
Marilyn Soehl served a crowd recently with this recipe that got rave reviews.
Cheesy Ham and Broccoli Bubble-Up Bake
1 box (10 ounces) frozen Broccoli and Zesty Cheese Sauce
1 can (10.2-ounce) Grands Flaky Layers refrigerated original biscuits
9 eggs
1 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk
1 3/4 cups diced cooked ham
1/3 cup chopped green onions (or more)
1 1/2 cups shredded extra sharp Cheddar cheese (6 ounces), divided
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13- by 9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
Microwave broccoli 1 to 2 minutes or just until thawed.
Separate dough into 5 biscuits; cut each into 8 pieces. Place evenly in dish.
In large bowl, beat eggs and milk with wire whisk until blended. Stir in ham, onions, broccoli and 1 cup of the cheese.
Pour over biscuits in dish.
Bake 20 minutes. Cover loosely with foil sprayed with cooking spray; bake 35 to 40 minutes longer or until center is set.
Top with remaining cheese during last 5 minutes of bake time. Garnish with additional chopped green onions, if desired.
SPLENDA MUFFINS
Lynne Kyle sent an assortment of baked goods that use Splenda, and this one calls for fresh or frozen cherries.
Cheery Cherry Muffins
1/2 pound fresh or frozen cherries, pitted
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup reduced-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup Splenda no calorie sweetener, granulated
1 large egg
2 cups self-rising flour, sifted
1 cup nonfat milk
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Lightly spray liners with nonstick cooking spray.
Set aside 12 cherries. Chop remaining cherries. Place cherries on a paper towel to drain.
Beat margarine and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add Splenda, beating well. Add egg, beating until blended.
Add flour to margarine mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Do not overbeat. Stir in chopped cherries. Spoon 1 tablespoon of batter into each muffin cup. Place a cherry in the center of each muffin cup. Top with remaining batter, filling muffin cups full.
Bake in a preheated oven 25 minutes or until muffins are lightly browned. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.
Makes 12 servings.
Nutrients per serving: 150 calories (50 calories from fat), 4 grams protein, 6 grams fat (1 gram saturated fat), 21 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 20 milligrams cholesterol, 340 milligrams sodium, 5 grams sugar.
TO FINISH
Let’s keep making this column the help desk, shall we? Thanks to all of you, readers and writers.
REQUESTS
– Baked stuffed grouper
– Kanpai of Tokyo’s salad dressing
– More easy-made or pickup meals
– More nutrition information
TO REACH US
Fare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send, and know we cannot test the recipes printed here.
Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
Email: chattfare@gmail.com
Jane Henegar