Gourmet — on the run!
One of the great joys of cooking and writing my own recipes is taking convenience food products and turning them into creations that are greater that the sum of their parts.
I’ve often heard it said that confession is good for the soul, so here’s my confession. I’ll admit that up until a few years ago I was a serious food snob, believing that no good food could come from a can, box or grocery store freezer. Then a friend of mine “tricked” me.
As an invited guest to their home one evening, she and her husband served a pasta dinner, nicely spiced and sauced with bits of beef. I asked if she would share her recipe with me. With a wide grin pasted on her naughty face she retrieved from the kitchen trash an empty box of Hamburger Helper. To say I was stunned is an understatement!
Since that time, I’ve loosened up a bit in the kitchen. I too, occasionally use that all-American family standby, but I tend to doll up my convenience food products with fresh additions or meat substitutions — a bit of extra spice here, a splash of wine there.
Today, I’ll share some of my recent secret successes for using my previous no-no’s in the kitchen. For a super-yummy sweet treat you’ll really love, try my Cinnamon Roll-Pecan Blondies, made using boxed cake mix.
In fact, the recipe uses two boxes of cake mix. One box is used to make a buttery, nutty crust. A cinnamon-brown sugar layer goes on next, then the other box of cake mix is used to prepare a crumb-cake-like topping. More cinnamon and brown sugar go on top before baking to golden perfection. Once the blondies have baked and cooled for 30 minutes, a confectioner’s icing is drizzled on top. These really are amazing and amazingly simple to prepare — elevating the lowly cake mix to something truly special.
I’ve made an Autumn Salad of crisp butter lettuce, firm ripe pear, blue cheese, walnuts and dried sweetened cranberries, tossed with a homemade Honey-Walnut Vinaigrette. This is so easy and clean-up is a breeze. I prepare my salad dressing by combining all ingredients in a gallon-size zip-top food storage bag. After sealing the bag shut (VERY important step!) I vigorously shake the dressing to blend well.
Then, all the salad ingredients are thrown into the bag with the dressing and tossed in the tightly sealed bag. Violla! Great gourmet “composed” salad with homemade dressing, and clean-up is nothing, just throw away the bag after tossing the salad.
Corn Muffins with Apple and Cheddar are made using a small box of corn muffin mix, enhanced with freshly ground black pepper (so much flavor comes from ALWAYS using freshly ground black pepper). Diced Gala apple and grated sharp Cheddar are fine additions to basic corn muffins, giving a touch of fall celebration to the recipe.
OK, all you fellow “foodies” and food snobs, I promise I’ll erase that smug sneer from your faces with this time-saving delicious gourmet-on-the-run meal. Trust me!
Cinnamon Roll-Pecan Blondies
FOR THE CRUST:
1 box butter (yellow) cake mix (without pudding in the mix)
1/2 cup butter, cold, cubed
2 eggs
FOR THE FILLING:
1 cup pecan pieces, toasted
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
FOR THE TOPPING:
1 box butter (yellow) cake mix (without pudding in the mix)
1/2 cup butter, cold, cubed
1 egg
FOR THE ICING:
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Completely line a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan with baking parchment.
Crust: Place cake mix in a mixing bowl. Cut butter into the mix until the size of small peas. Stir in the eggs. Spread into the bottom of the pan.
Filling: Stir together the filling. Sprinkle 2/3 filling over crust layer. Reserve remaining filling.
Topping: Place cake mix in a mixing bowl. Cut butter into the mix until the size of small peas. Stir in the egg. Evenly distribute clumps of topping over the cinnamon-pecan layer. There will be open spaces that do not get covered by the topping. Press topping into the dough. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 of cinnamon-pecan filling over the topping. Using your finger tips, dimple and poke some of the filling into the batter.
Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, turning pan 180 degrees halfway through baking. Remove from oven. Using a spatula, immediately press down edges to be level with the center. Place on a cooling rack and let cool for 30 minutes.
Icing: Whisk together the sugar and milk. Transfer to a zip-lock bag. Snip a small hole in one corner of the bag. Drizzle icing in a zig-zag fashion over the warm bars. Let cool completely to allow icing to set. Lift parchment from pan and cut into bars.
Makes 24 bars.
Corn Muffins with Apples and Cheddar
1 (8.5-ounce) package corn muffin mix
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 medium Gala apple, cored, medium dice
3 ounces grated sharp Cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 6-cup standard size muffin tin.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together muffin mix and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and egg. Add to dry ingredients and blend briefly. Add diced apple and grated Cheddar. Blend just until incorporated.
Divide muffin batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake about 20 minutes, until tops are golden and center tests done when a wooden pick is inserted in center of muffins.
Remove from oven and place muffin tin on a cooling rack. After 5 minutes, remove muffins from pan. Serve warm with butter or honey butter.
Makes six muffins.
Autumn Salad with Honey-Walnut Vinaigrette
FOR THE DRESSING:
1/3 cup walnut oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (1-gallon) zip-top plastic food storage bag
FOR THE SALAD:
1 (6-ounce) bag butter lettuce salad blend
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 firm pear, cored and diced
2-3 ounces crumbled gorgonzola or blue cheese
Dressing: Place all dressing ingredients in gallon-size zip-top bag. Seal bag shut and shake vigorously to blend dressing.
Salad: Add all salad ingredients to the zip-top bag with the dressing. Seal bag shut with as much air in the bag as possible. Toss salad with the dressing. Serve immediately.
Serves four to six.
This story was originally published October 31, 2016 at 2:31 PM with the headline "Gourmet — on the run!."