Sweet Potato Hash

Sweet Potato Hash by any other name would probably sound sweeter! Why is it that 'Hash" doesn't sound appealing to some of us? When I told my husband the name of this dish, he turned up his nose but later admitted "it was pretty good in spite of the name". Maybe the reputation of being a dish you could throw all the leftovers in is hard to forget.
The definition of 'hash' is diced or chopped meat and potatoes with spices cooked together. Maybe it will help to know the word 'hash' is from the French verb hacher - to chop. If it is French, it must be gourmet! But hash is making a trendy comeback in many modern ways. This recipe doesn't have meat, but has a healthy combination of sweet potatoes, edamame, and corn. It is low in calories and high in nutrition. Sweet potatoes have twice the fiber, twice the calcium and 1300 times more vitamin A than white potatoes. They also have anti-inflammatory characteristics. Edamame is another food that has arrived to be popular now. Edamame beans are immature soybeans in the pod (this recipe uses shelled ones). Often found in cuisine of China, Japan, Korea and Hawaii. They are a different variety than grown in Kansas so don't raid the field of lush green beans we're seeing now!  This legume is full of fiber, vitamins and minerals and low in calories. It also makes a good snack, usually you can buy them fresh or frozen. However, our smaller grocery store didn't have either, so without time for a trip to a larger town, I used Lima beans in my preparation. This worked well also and I think you could substitute some other veggies as you like but the sweet potato really gives good color and flavor.

This recipe was one Chef Alli demonstrated on our cruise, "Friends and Family of Kansas Farm Bureau". It was fun to meet Chef Alli and learn more about her Farm Fresh Kitchen, food programs and website.     https://chefallisfarmfreshkitchen.com

The sweet potato provided by
the ship's kitchen for the demo
was HUGE!

Chef Alli's hash cooking

Sweet Potato Hash with Crispy Bacon and Edamame and Corn  

3-6 slices, bacon

½ tsp. dried thyme

1 yellow onion, diced

1 sweet bell pepper, diced

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1/4 –inch cubes

2 cloves garlic, minced

12 oz. package frozen sweet corn, thawed

12 oz. package frozen shelled edamame

½ - 1 cup chicken broth

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook bacon until browned and crispy, then remove to paper towels to drain; reserve.

Remove all but 1 T. of bocon drippings from pan; add thyme, onionm bell pepper and sweet potatoes and sauté 5-6 minuts.

Stir in garlic and cook an additional minute; add corn, edamame and chicken broth to ban; reduce heat to medium and cover pan.

Continue to cook, stirring ofte, 12-15 mintues or until sweet potatoes are fork-tender. Add reserved bacon; season with salt and pepper to taste.

The first few ingredients are in the pan

The dish is ready to serve

When serving a new food, it is a good idea
to pair it with an old favorite - meatloaf,
tossed salad, and fresh baked rolls. 

Pineapple Upside Down

Sorry this blog has been dormant for a few weeks. It is not extinct, but about to become active again. Can you tell that I've been on a trip to Hawaii, the land of volcanos? So there are many blog ideas bubbling in my head, about to erupt on this site!

When we think of Hawaii, often it is pineapples that come to mind. Pineapple was brought to the Hawaiian Islands early in their history, perhaps as early as 1527 washed ashore from a Spanish shipwreck. In the 1800's it became a widespread crop. Pineapple canning companies were formed in the late 1800s/early 1900s by Dole and Del Monte, names we now associate with pineapple. However, today Hawaii produces only .13% of the world's pineapple crop, most of what we buy in the store comes from Costa Rica.

When choosing a pineapple at the store, smell the fruit to pick one with a nice fragrant smell. You should be able to easily pull one of the leaves from the top. At home store it at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for 3-5 days to allow it to become softer and sweeter.

Fresh pineapple, or canned pineapple, makes a tasty addition to many recipes. An old favorite that I recently prepared is Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Remember it from past covered dish dinners or school lunch? Here's an easy recipe for that old favorite:

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

¼ cup butter or margarine

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 can (20 oz) pineapple slices in juice, drained, juice reserved

1 jar (6 oz) maraschino cherries without stems, drained

1 box yellow cake mix

Vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box

Heat oven to 350°F. In 13x9-inch pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Arrange pineapple slices on brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice, and arrange remaining cherries around slices; press gently into brown sugar.

Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to measure 1 cup. Make cake batter as directed on box, substituting pineapple juice mixture for the water. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.

Bake 42 to 48 minutes (44 to 53 minutes for dark or nonstick pan) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Place heatproof serving plate upside down onto pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake 5 minutes so brown sugar topping can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Cook 30 minutes. Serve warm or cool Store covered in refrigerator. I didn't have a serving platter to fit the cake pan, so I stored it in the pan and cut and flipped each piece as it was served. Just a little more guesswork on where to cut! 

Guess what? A can of pineapple slices has 10 slices,
we needed 12 to fill the cake pan.

So we make-do! A can of chunk pineapple contributed
to the missing slices. 

And Maraschino cherries add the color.  

After the cake is baked, it looks just
like a regular cake, until it is turned
UPSIDE DOWN.

Cool Pizza

Our community Extension educational club met last week, and the covered dish lunch is always an important part of this meeting. Its a good time to think of recipes to try or favorites I don't make for the family. This time it was Veggie Pizza. It is best eaten fresh and makes more than my family will eat in a few days. However, it makes a good take-along dish that isn't usually brought by someone else. And - the sneaky part - its healthy!
Chopping a variety of vegetables also gives you a supply of salad ingredients for other meals. The pizza is best with several toppings but doesn't use a lot of any of them. You can vary the toppings as you like, mine were fresh mushrooms, celery, red and yellow peppers, shredded carrots, green onions, broccoli and cauliflower. Chopped tomatoes would also be good, but we'd used all ours in the day before's canned tomato sauce.

Fresh Vegetable Pizza

Ingredients:

1 tube (8 oz) reduced-fat (or regular) crescent rolls

   (this is one place to buy the name brand, not the store brand)

1 package (8 oz) reduced-fat cream cheese

1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix

   (I buy this in a large container, 3 Tablespoons = 1 envelope)

2 tablespoons fat-free milk

1/2 cup each chopped veggies - suggestions are fresh broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green pepper, sweet red pepper and mushrooms. (I like to shred the carrots for a contrast in texture)

Directions:

Unroll crescent roll dough into one long rectangle. Press onto the bottom of a 13-inch x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray; seal seams and perforations. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely. 

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, salad dressing mix and milk until smooth. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with vegetables. Optional - top with shredded cheese. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Cut into 16 pieces. 

crescent roll dough unrolled

baked to golden brown, ready to top

You can serve it like this or add cheese as well

Tornado in Tornado Land

 The last 9 days have been quite an experience for our community. Late in the evening of July 7 a tornado struck our small town. (Ironically, the school mascot is the "Eureka Tornados"). Many homes were damaged, some completely destroyed, and everything normal went by the wayside. Volunteers from across the county and across the state appeared to help with the clean up efforts.

 Food has always been a way of offering comfort to those in need and a way of saying 'thank you' to those who are helping. When the Red Cross needed assistance with meals for volunteers and those whose homes were damaged, our Community LinC (Love in the name of Christ) group was a natural to offer help. Having a group of volunteers who regularly serve two meals a month of 150-200 plates has given us some experience with quantity foods. We also have been fortunate to receive donations to allow us a pantry of food items and paper serving supplies. Much food was donated by restaurants, both in our communities and surrounding communities, and by individuals, thus making the preparations of meals much simpler.

Over the four days following the tornado of Thursday evening, thousands of meals were served. Everything from donuts or biscuits and gravy for breakfast, to pizza, to pulled pork for lunch or dinner. The generousity of volunteers and givers was heartwarming. This is what it is like to live in a caring community.

The food service supplier even delivered to
the meal site. 

There was fruit salad...

and watermelon...

and barbecued chicken....

we asked for cookies, and they came
in dozens at a time.

 Many to-go plates were sent

out to workers in the affected

areas. 

Volunteers came before church...

after work, and on their days off, or took days off...

Everyone helped! 

4th of July Ice Cream

Nothing means summer like homemade ice cream. In our family it doesn't even have to be summer to get out the freezer. Homemade ice cream is a tradition from my husband's childhood. We have upgraded to an electric freezer however, and he can keep his stories of hand cranking the second freezer full while his brothers enjoyed the first freezer's goodness.
Another change we've made is an important one for food safety. Cook the eggs! Because of the risk of salmonella, eggs should not be consumed raw in any food - ice cream, cookie dough, eggnog, or anything else. Salmonella can be very serious, and even life threatening to to infants, older people, pregnant women, and people with a weakened immune system. Definitely not worth the risk! Eggs have an important role in ice cream, making it creamier and richer. So, just cook the ice cream mixture.
Fat is also important, even when we're trying to cut back on calories and fat. Fat freezes differently than water and helps the ice cream from becoming ice-cube-hard. So don't try skimping and using skim milk. Our favorite ice cream shop is the K-State Call Hall Dairy Department. Besides cones and dishes and malts, you can also by half-gallons of ice cream there. That ice cream has such a high butterfat content that you can take it right out of the freezer and scoop up a serving. Reduce your calories and fat intake by eating smaller portions.
Here's a good recipe for an easy to prepare, and tasty, ice cream for your 4th of July.

4th of July Ice Cream


4 cups whole milk


2 cups sugar


6 eggs


3 Tablespoons flour


dash of salt


2-3 teaspoons vanilla extract


1/2 teaspoon lemon extract


4 cups half and half

Heat the milk and sugar over medium heat. Beat the eggs in a medium size bowl until thick. Slowly add the warm milk mixture to the eggs, add enough milk so the bowl feels warm to the touch. Return the rest of the milk mixture to the heat. Add 3 tablespoons flour, dash of salt. Whisk in the eggs, whisking and heating until the mixture is thick (I put a thermometer into the liquid until it reaches 160 degrees.) When the mixture is thickened, remove from heat. Cool. Add 2-3 teaspoons of vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract. Refrigerate until cold, or overnight. Add 4 cups half and half. Stir. Pour into the ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers instructions for freezing. For a creamier ice cream use whole cream instead of half and half. 

From Karen Blakeslee

K-State Extension Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and Health

Happy Independence Day from our family

Another 4-H Favorite Food Show

After the last post of Greenwood County's 4-H Favorite Food Show, I was visiting with my Wilson County relatives who shared this recipe and photo which was a winner there.
Pizza is a popular summer food and this recipe makes a quick supper, especially if you've prepared and refrigerated the crust ahead of time. Of course, our favorite topping is ground beef, but it could be varied to choose your favorites.

This entry is planned for a summer birthday party. Doesn't she look patriotic?

Brown ‘n Serve Pizza

1 cup warm water (105-115°F)

1 pkg dry yeast

1 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsps. Vegetable oil

1 ½ tsp salt

2 tbsp. water

2 ¾ – 3 ¼ c. all-purpose flour (to increase fiber half the flour can be replaced with whole wheat flour)

Measure warm water into a large warm bowl. Sprinkle in yeast; stir until dissolved. Stir in sugar, oil, salt, and 1 ½ c. of flour; beat until smooth. Add enough additional flour to make a stiff dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place, free from draft, until double in bulk, about 45 minutes. Punch dough down, divide in half. Roll and stretch each half into a 13-inch round. Place in a 2 ungreased pizza pans, pressing around edge to form a standing rim of dough. Bake at 350°F oven for 10 minutes. When cool, wrap tightly and store in refrigerator up to 6 days. To serve, unwrap and place on ungreased pizza pan. Top with your favorite toppings. Bake at 425°F oven 15-20 minutes.

Sauce

1 (16 oz ) can tomato sauce

½ tsp. oregano

½ tsp. rosemary leaves

¼ tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients and let simmer until the flavors are blended.

Hamburger Pizza

  Brown 1 pound hamburger and add to the sauce. To top the pizza, cover with grated mozzarella cheese, then add sauce.

4-H Favorite Food Show

Each year 4-Her members enrolled in the Foods project in Kansas counties have the opportunity to do more than take an exhibit to the county fair to showcase their skills. The Favorite Food Show has been one of my favorite 4-H events for years. When I worked as County Extension Agent and later as Multi-county foods specialist, I enjoyed seeing what the 4-Hers would bring and how they would decorate their tables. We still have several tablecloths and pieces of centerpieces that my own kids used when they were 4-Hers.
This year, as usual, I judged a contest in another county, then made sure I had time to stop by the Greenwood County Extension office on the day of that contest. It was fun to see the many entries, everything from picnics to formal dinners.
Exhibits are scored on how the exhibitor presents him/herself and the table as well as what they know about preparing the food, nutrition, and food safety. They also plan a menu around the favorite food with ideas of how it would be served. The table is set correctly for that meal with service and dinnerware as well as a centerpiece. The menu and recipe are printed for display also. 4-Hers learn much more than how to set a table and they demonstrate what they've learned as they visit with the judge in consultation judging.

Here's a recipe I can't wait to try from Kinsey, a Greenwood County 4-Her:

Red, White & Blue Three Cheese Whole Wheat Ravioli   

Dough:

D

2 cups whole-wheat flour

2 cups all-purpose flour

6 eggs

Red and blue food coloring

Filling:

2 cups part skim ricotta cheese

½ cup parmesan cheese

 ½ cup part skim mozzarella cheese

2 eggs

salt & pepper

Sprinkle of dried basil

Alfredo Sauce:

2 cups heavy cream

 ½ cup unsalted butter

2 Tablespoons Neufchatel cheese

1 cup parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

salt & pepper

Directions:

Prepare dough in 3 separate batches: measure ⅔ cup whole wheat flour and ⅔ cup all purpose flour, 1 egg and pulse in a food processor, add 1 more egg and pulse again. Once the dough forms a ball, place it on a lightly floured surface. Repeat this procedure twice more, but add blue food coloring to the 2^nd batch when the 2^nd egg is added, and red food coloring to the 3^rd batch when the 2^nd egg is added. Knead each ball 1-2 minutes. Place in a bowl under a damp cloth for 15 minutes. While the dough is resting, prepare the cheese filling. Combine the ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, egg, salt and pepper, and basil. Set aside. Divide the dough in half and rollout each half until paper thin. Use a 3” cutting press to cut out circles. Place a dollop of filling in the center of half of the circles. Place the other half of the circles over the top, stamping out the ravioli and pressing down to seal. Place the ravioli onto a parchment-lined sheet in the freeze for 30 minutes. Once frozen, place ravioli into a ziploc bag and put back in the freezer. Ravioli can be cooked straight from the freezer. Just add ravioli to a pot of boiling water and cook for 3 mintues. Drain and place in serving bowl. For Alfredo sauce, combine heavy cream, butter, and Neufchatel cheese in a saucepan. Simmer this until all is melted and mixed well. Add the parmesan and garlic powder. Simmer this for 15-20 minutes on medium-low heat, just until it thickens enough to coat a spoon. Serve over the ravioli. 

A winning entry!

The best part - eating your entry!