Thanksgiving "Pop" Corn Pudding (2)

This post was orginally published on November 21, 2011, in honor of this blog's very first Thanksgiving. Things were tough, and I wasn't sure this idea of a new blog would fly or end up a real turkey. I give thanks that it did.

Thanksgiving, can't get more American than that. Not even our neighbors to the North can get it right, celebrating a month too early. About 7 or 8 years ago I discovered this little recipe for corn pudding and it has been a holiday staple ever since. It is simple (frozen corn, milk, eggs) and tasty, and can even be made the day before and just reheated prior to eating to ease the burden of the day. I always host/cook dinner at my house, ever since my mother relinquished her duties 15 years ago. I must also say, turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing are flat out my favorite meal and always the best thing my mother made when I was growing up. The woman knows how to make gravy, let me just say that. She is also famous, or infamous depending on your position, when it comes to her stuffing. It basically consists of  herbed bread cubes (dried), bulk pork sausage, celery, onions, chicken broth and the pan juices from boiling the neck of the bird. Over the years, I have tried to recreate how she does it all, with pretty good success, especially since none of her "recipes" are written down or have any exact measurements. It's more like 'add the broth until it's moist'. But the corn pudding is my addition to my mother's Thanksgiving dinner. Try it, you'll like it.


On a day devised merely to give thanks, I suggest a cornucopia of the finest Thanksgiving episodes TV has to offer. First, you've got to watch the Peanuts in "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving". It remains unclear to me why all of the children have been left alone to fend for themselves on the hoilday, but Snoopy rises to the occasion and is a master chef when it comes to his popcorn and toast dinner. Then, if you haven't already, watch the "WKRP in Cincinnati" turkeys can't fly episode - empty your bladder first, just a word of warning. Then, you can move on to "The Brady Bunch" and the Un-underground Movie episode depiction of the first Thanksgiving, "The Bob Newhart Show" when Emily goes out of town and Bob, Howard and Jerry get drunk and order chinese food. A hilarious TV moment when Bob slurs the order and says Moo-Goo-Goo and wonders if he's ordering chinese baby food. Another good one is the "Cheers" Thanksgiving at Carla's that ends up in a food fight (there are times when that could actually happen here). And finally, the "Friends" episode where everything completely goes awry and Joey ends up with a turkey on his head. Forget the football, give thanks to classic TV.

The Recipe:

30 oz. frozen corn, thawed
3 cups milk (2 + 1)
4 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Puree half of the corn and two cups of the milk in a blender until almost smooth. In a large bowl, whisk eggs with the sugar, flour, nutmeg, and salt. Then whisk in the pureed corn mixture, along with remaining corn and cup of milk. Pour into a 9x13 or other shallow 4qt baking dish. Bake 40-45 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and very loosely set.  Serves 10.

Note: I often cut the recipe in half for smaller crowds or when serving other vegetables. It can also be made and baked up to two days in advance. Cool completely, cover and refrigerate. Reheat in a 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Kukla, Fran and Orecchiette

Before everything was a battle, war or cut throat in the TV kitchen, Food Network actually ran cooking shows. You know, where cooks made meals from scratch (in more than 30 minutes, mind you). In this golden age (10+years ago), I saw Giada De Laurentis (before she was a celebrity chef) make orecchiette with toasted breadcrumbs. It was still the dark ages, because I remember jotting down the recipe as I watched, being as there was no foodtv.com. Intrigued, I tried it and we liked it. It's one if those recipes where timing is everything and you wish you had more hands. You have work quickly while toasting the bread crumbs, being careful not to burn them, and adding the orecchiette just at the right moment while mixing in the chopped prosciutto and Parmesan. Worth the effort every time.

Before Howdy Doody,  The Captain (Kangaroo, not the one with Tennille) and Bunny Rabbit,  and Kermit the Frog, we had the dynamic trio of Kukla (a "human") Fran (a human) and Ollie (a one toothed dragon). Two puppets and a lady with perfect timing, the brain child of Burr Tillstrom (who had his hands busy with both Kukla and Ollie). They made their debut on local Chicago TV in October 1947 and were quickly picked up by NBC for a 10 year run. More popular with adults than kids, the show endeared itself by making a personal connection with the audience, often ad libbing entire episodes. After their cancellation in 1957, so beloved by the viewing public, they continued to have holiday specials and make TV appearances, including as panelists on Match Game '79 (sans Fran, who by that time had moved on). Take a look and see how happy are three:

The Recipe:

1 pound dried orecchiette ("little ears" in Italian)
3/4 cup olive oil
2/3 cup Italian-style dried bread crumbs
1/4 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste (if aren't by the sea, any salt will do)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup finely chopped prosciutto
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a pot of salted water to boil (I find it's easiest to use a pot with a pasta/colander insert). Add thew pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm (like with children or dogs), about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat oil over a medium-high flame. Add the bread crumbs and 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper. Stirring constantly, cook until golden brown (but not burnt, which is a fine line) about 2 minutes. I usually wait until 3 minutes before the pasta is done to start this part, but that's just me.

Working quickly, drain the pasta and stir it into the toasted (but not drunken) bread crumb mixture in the saute pan. Remove from heat and stir in the prosciutto and Parmesan cheese. Serves 4.

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A Few of My Favorite Wings

Chicken wings, the Kobe beef of poultry, at least where price is concerned ( all because of supply and demand, apparently). And this week the Julia child politely demanded that I make them, as she has been denied devouring meat on the bone while having braces. But before I get to my recipe source and results, let me digress and tell you about wings that make my salavary glands ting. The Chinese wings from the now defunct Yat Wah restaurant in Lansing, MI and the Asian wings that come with the pu-pu platter at Chopsticks in Hamilton, Bermuda are both similar and savory with a hint of ginger and soy and spice and everything nice. Our exploits in Bermuda are well known (see Dark and Stormy Bar Trek) and I look forward to our visits every five years, if only for the wings. Now back to reality, this recipe comes from Gourmet and the chicken is oven roasted and then tossed with a buttery balsamic reduction. Normally, I use regular balsamic, but upon discovery of some cherry balsamic in the pantry, I threw caution to the wind and tossed my wings in it. A slightly sweeter result.

Cheers in an airport. A womanizer, a harmless dim wit, a woman waitressing with dreams and aspirations, a nasty cross terminal rival - yep WINGS was NBCs 1990 answer to NBCs Cheers. Tim Daly, Steven Weber, Tony Shaloub and Thomas Haden Church - now  all household names, but back then a bunch of nobody newcomers. The really took off and soared for seven years entertaining us with the Joe and Helen will they or won't they? Can Sandpiper Air ever really beat Aeormass? Will Lowell ever get a brain? Will Antonio ever achieve the American dream? And so on and so forth, all in a little Nantucket airport pre-9/11 and TSA interference into the daily lives of a bunch of misfits.Thank you for choosing my blog. Enjoy your day in my kitschen, or wherever your final destination may be.

The Recipe:

4 lb chicken wingettes (basically, halve the wings at the joint, with a sharp knife)
2 tblsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
 2 tsps sugar
1 tblsp butter

Special Equipment: step stool to remove the smoke detector

Put racks in upper and lower thirds of oven (or, if have double ovens as I do, use em both). Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with foil. Put pans in oven (s) and preheat to 500 degrees. Pat wings dry, then toss with oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and divide between the preheated pans, spreading wings in one layer. Roast, without turning, until golden and tender, about 35-40 minutes. While wings roast, simmer vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in a 1 qt heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally until reduced to about 1/3 cup, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted. Remove roasted wings from oven and let them stand one minute (to make them easier to remove from foil) then transfer to a large, clean bowl. Pour balsamic mixture over wings and toss to coat well. Let stand 5 minutes, then toss again. 


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Chicken Muenster

You call it Parmesan, I call it Muenster. Chicken Parmesan is the most popular and most misleading of all Italian foods. I challenge any of you to find even a trace of Parmesan cheese in yours served in your favorite trattoria - no, mozzarella is the common go-to. And, it used to be my cheese of choice until I saw an episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate and someone picked a restaurant in New York that used muenster on their parmigiana. Intrigued, I tried it. It was supremely better. The muenster gives it a creamier, richer flavor. Now I wouldn't be caught dead using mozzarella on my Parmesan. Why the lie? I've no clue. But chicken with cheese by any other name wouldn't be as savory.

Created by the folks that brought us Leave it to Beaver, and undone by the popularity, color and camp of Batman, The Munsters ran from 1964-66 on CBS.Hard to believe that the show only lasted two seasons and 70 episodes (seems like a lot more in re-runs). I'm sure the concept of a wholesome working class family that resembled monster movie stars from the 1930s seemed like a sure thing. Starring Fred Gwynne as our head of household Herman and Yvonne Di Carlo as his enchanting Lily, visits to 1313 Mockingbird Lane always felt like everyday was Halloween. Rounding out the cast was Al Lewis as Grampa (who went on to own a trendy Italian restaurant in NYC in the late 80s that sadly lacked the vision or copyright to serve Chicken Munster), Butch Patrick as ghoulish son Eddie, and poor homely cousin Marilyn (played by two different actresses who must both have gotten bored out of her gourd while the rest of the cast spent hours on end in hair and make-up). Oh, and who could forget family pet Spot, the dragon under the stairs? One thing is for certain, the theme song is among the best in the biz...

The Recipe:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts trimmed and pounded to 1/4 in thick
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
4-6 slices muenster cheese
1/2 cup oil of choice
tomato sauce, warmed


Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Dredge the chicken in the flour (shaking off the excess), the egg and then the bread crumbs. Heat the oil in a 12 in saute pan over medium-high (or just hold over Spot's flame). Add the chicken and fry, turning once, until golden on both sides and cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Remove to a baking sheet lined with paper towel and drain. Remove the towels and top each piece of chicken with sauce and cheese. Bake the chicken until the cheese is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Serve with pasta and more sauce. Serves 4.

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The Ghost and Mr Chicken Pot Pie

I am republishing my very first post in honor of the occasion that yesterday was the second anniversary of this blog. I am probably not the only person surprised that it has lasted this long. Funny thing, when I originally wrote this, I titled it simply "Chicken Pot Pie" - even though I was using the Don Knotts tie in, I was afraid to be too goofy or out there. Boy, how times have changed! I think I hit my stride with Who Jell-O Shot JR and have been off to the races ever since. A very big thank you to my readers from the US to Russia to China , Australia and the Ukraine and lots of countries in between, without whom I would not be nearing the 3000 page view mark. 

Chicken pot pie is a staple at our house. This recipe was originally cut out of the Detroit Free Press 15 or 20 years ago and was based on the pot pie they used to make at the Hudson's Department Store restaurant. As any Detroiter  knows, Hudson's has been gone for many years, and has had three incarnations since then (Dayton's, Marshall Fields and now Macy's) so I have no idea if they still make it. But I do, at least once a month, or whenever we have rotisserie chicken, the next day with the leftovers. This recipe just has a top crust. I use the Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets. I have tried other puff pastry, including Trader Joe's, but have found the PF to be the best. You will also need four individual casserole dishes (1-2 cup capacity). Mine are Pyrex and are so old, I don't even know where they came from, but I suspect they were the result of a late-night Home Shopping Club purchase in the 1980's.

I call this the "Ghost and Mr. Chicken" pot pie in honor of the unsung actor of his generation - Don (or should I say Donald?) Knotts. A true comic genius, and not just for his work on the Andy Griffith Show and the aforementioned film, but also let's not forget The Reluctant Astronaut, The Incredible Mr. Limpet, all of the Apple Dumpling Gang movies, The Shakiest Gun in the West and the pinnacle of his career (at least for me) Scooby Doo. Just hearing Scooby say "Don Knotts" makes me chuckle. Now, some of you are like "hey, what about Three's Company?" and I will say that once Norman Fell was gone, I no longer watched that show. But, for you Mr. Furley fans, this one's for you too.

The Recipe::

1 sheet frozen puff pastry. thawed
3 tbs butter (or margarine - I go back and forth)
1/4 c flour
2 c chicken broth (fat free works great)
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked
1/2 c frozen peas and carrots, thawed
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

In a medium skillet, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Cook for one minute, whisking. Add the broth, whisking until smooth. Heat to a boil and cook until thickened (about 2 minutes). Season with salt and pepper, add the chicken and the peas and carrots. Divide evenly among the casseroles. Cut the pastry sheet into quarters, make 2 one-inch slits in each piece, and place on top of each casserole. Bake for 20 or until pastry is puffed and golden (like the Oscar statue that Don Knotts never received).

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Pork and Mindy

One of my all-time favorite simple summer dinners is grilled butterfly pork chops and asparagus. Yep, nothing tastes better than the other white meat and some fresh asparagus. I just throw the chops on the grill, and after tossing the green stalks with olive oil and salt, place them on the top rack on some foil and let them cook. When the meat is done, so is the veg. Like, I said, simple perfection. But only Michigan asparagus. Grown on the sandy shores of Lake Michigan in places like Hart (the asparagus capital of Michigan and home to the Asparagus Festival where a queen is crowned annually) and Shelby, Empire and Acme. Yes, Michigan asparagus is the finest you'll find, but it is in peril. Allow me to get on my soap box (or in this case, my vegetable crate) for a moment and warn of the dangers of the US anti-drug policy in Peru and how it is killing domestic asparagus. You see, our government is paying farmers in Peru to grow asparagus instead of heroin, and then floods the US market with the fruits (or vegetables) of their subsidized labor. Say Yes to Pure Michigan asparagus and leave the rest.

Perhaps the most bizarre TV spin-off ever was 1978s Mork and Mindy from of all shows, Happy Days. And that was BEFORE they jumped the shark. I know. Set in Boulder, Colorado, an innocent alien, Mork from Ork (Robin Williams) lands in the lap of Mindy (Pam Dawber). (As an aside, I never cared for Pam Dawber, even though she is a Michigan native, mostly because she's married to hunky Mark Harmon and in 1978 I wanted to marry Mark Harmon). Anyhow, Mork and Mindy become friends and his quirky behavior and rainbow suspenders seem to fit right in. And it's the 70s, so no one seems to question the fact that they are living together in a Three's Company kind of way.With catch phrases like Na-Nu, Na-Nu and Shazbot, the series altered the everyday vernacular of American society. Whoa, that was a little deep for show that eventually had our two protagonists marry and bare a child played by Jonathan Winters. Yeah, talk about shark jumping. This is Mork from Ork signing off.

The Recipe:

Boneless Butterfly Pork Chops, split
Asparagus (Michigan made preferably, in case your weren't paying attention)
Salt, to taste
Olive oil, to taste

Pre-heat  a gas grill on high for 10 minutes. Line the top rack with foil. Pat dry chops and salt them. Cut off ends of asparagus stalks and place in a wide, shallow bowl. Sprinkle with salt, drizzle with olive oil and toss with your hands. When is grill is heated, turn down to medium heat. Place chops directly over heat and asparagus on foil. Allow to cook for 20 minutes, turning once after 10 minutes. Kay-o.

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