Life being what it is, I didn’t get a chance to interview our
celebrity chef of the week for this issue, but hope to bring you
that story next time. Instead, lucky girl that I am, a lovely
bunch of recipes arrived literally at my door from the fine folks
at Kraft Foods, along with their kind invitation to share them
with you.
I occasionally mention products by name here in the CG and am
loyal to many that have performed consistently in the Test
Kitchens over the years. I have always trusted anything from
Kraft, though I used to wonder why their products always seemed so
expensive. I came to realize the beautiful packaging, the
elaborate commercials and the glossy magazine ads were what drove
the prices higher.
My favorite Kraft television advertisements were broadcast during
those wonderful Hallmark Hall of Fame programs in the late sixties
and early seventies. I still remember that the announcer had a
low, soothing voice and would describe what we were seeing on the
screen in excruciatingly detailed and deliciously mouthwatering
terms. The commercials seemed to be filmed in slow motion, and the
camera would slowly zoom in on beautifully arranged food. Even the
perfectly manicured hands flipping the grilled cheese sandwich or
arranging a salad would move with leisurely and elegant ease.
Obviously these folks lived in a place where children weren’t
clamoring for supper and soccer practice started in twenty
minutes!
Because Kraft sponsored the program, the ads were longer than
usual and almost like mini movies themselves. All the products
were prominently featured, and you came away with the idea that
using anything else would result in culinary disaster. The
commercial that featured grilled cheese sandwiches using Kraft
mayonnaise on the outside of the bread to grill it instead of
butter or margarine left me stunned and amazed. I could hardly
wait to try it and was rather under whelmed at the results. I was
also a bit overwhelmed at the messy skillet I had to clean up
afterwards. Still, the Kraft singles inside tasted good and I
still think nothing else melts as well for this classic sandwich.
The recipes below are all from the Kraft website
kraftfoods.com
and they are also in this month’s issue of their free magazine,
Food & Family – Deliciously Simple Everyday. The recipes really
are simple and all of them have nutrition information, low calorie
substitutions and an estimated time of preparation, something I
always appreciate. Even though the recipes are name brand heavy,
they don’t rely too much on prepared boxed mixes – I only saw one
featuring the famous Kraft Mac and Cheese dinner.
The web site also features a terrific recipe search engine, a
healthy living section, all Kraft products nutrition information,
and more. Under the products tab I found a fun link to all kinds
of different Jello Jigglers molds, and information on how to
purchase hard to find Kraft products like Vegemite. There’s a
Kraft collectibles store, in case you’ve outgrown your Oscar Meyer
Weiner T-shirt, and a cookbook link that looks very interesting.
The site loads quickly and navigation is easier than some other
recipe sites I’ve explored. You can get Krafts Food and Family
magazine free by logging on to
kraftfoods.com/magazine and filling out the short form on
line.
One Bowl Cheddar Biscuits
One bowl, cheese and basil – what’s not to love here? I’m thinking
these are going to appear along side my next batch of buffalo
chili.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
2-1/4 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup Kraft Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped basil
1/4 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp. GREY POUPON Dijon Mustard
1/3 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
12 fresh parsley leaves
Combine baking mix, cheese and herbs; stir until combined. Mix
sour cream, mustard and milk in small bowl. Stir into baking mix
until just combined.
Place dough on surface lightly dusted with baking mix; knead 10
times. Pat into 1/2-inch thick circle. Cut with 2-inch cutter
dusted with baking mix. Place biscuits on baking sheet. Brush each
lightly with beaten egg. Place 1 parsley leaf on top of each
biscuit; lightly brush again with egg.
Bake 12 to 15 min. or until lightly browned. Serve warm.
30 Minute Almond Chicken
You can marinate the chicken as long as you like, even overnight,
for more flavor. I’ve even been known to freeze marinated chicken
to save time on busy days and it works great.
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups green beans
1 cup Minute White Rice, uncooked
1/4 cup Planters Sliced Almonds
Toss chicken with dressing in zip top plastic bag until evenly
coated. Add chicken with dressing to large nonstick skillet on
medium-high heat; cook 5 minutes on each side.
Stir in broth; bring to boil. Cover. Simmer 10 minutes. Add beans;
cook 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Remove chicken from skillet. Add rice and almonds. Remove from
heat; cover. Let stand 5 min. Serve chicken over rice mixture
Shortcut Carrot Cake
Kraft asked for reader reviews on this cake idea and got over 500
positive responses. It’s on my list to try for the next potluck.
1 box spice cake mix
2 cups shredded carrots
1 8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup Planters Chopped Pecans, divided
2 8 ounce packages Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 8 ounce carton Cool Whip Topping, thawed
Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare cake mix batter as directed on
package, stirring in carrots, pineapple and 3/4 cup of the pecans
until well blended. Pour into well sprayed 9 x 13 inch cake pan.
Bake 25 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes
out clean. Cool.
For icing, beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer or wire
whisk until well blended. Stir in whipped topping until well
blended.
Garnish with remaining 1/4 cup pecans. Refrigerate until ready to
serve.
Stuffin’ Egg Muffin
Perfect for weekend brunch – just add fruit and a pot of coffee.
1 6 ounce package Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
12 eggs
3 Tbsp. Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits
1/2 cup Kraft Shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese
Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on
package, omitting stand time. Spray muffin cups with cooking
spray. Press 1/4 cup stuffing firmly onto bottom and up sides of
12 muffin cups, forming about 1/4-inch rim around top of cup.
Crack 1 egg into each stuffing cup. Sprinkle with bacon bits and
cheese.
BAKE 20 minutes or until yolks are set. Let stand 5 minutes before
serving.
Peanutty Dip
One 4 ounce package Philadelphia Cream Cheese
2 Tablespoons peanut butter
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons milk
Dippers:
RITZ Crackers
Celery sticks
Apple and pear slices
Nilla Wafers
Dice the cheese into a mixing bowl then add the peanut butter,
honey and milk and mix with fork until well blended.
Bacon Pecan Stuffed Mushrooms
You can use Portabello mushrooms if you like, right after you get
the second mortgage to finance your feast!
One pound large button mushrooms, stems removed
1/3 cup green onion slices
1 Tbsp. PLANTERS Peanut Oil
1/3 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
6 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked, crumbled
1/2 cup coarsely chopped PLANTERS Pecans
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Finely chop the stems, then cook with
onions in hot oil over medium-high heat until tender. Remove from
heat; stir in bread crumbs, egg, bacon and pecans and mix well.
SPOON into mushroom caps; place on lightly buttered baking sheet.
BAKE 15 to 20 min. or until heated through. Serve warm.
Baked Triple Veggie Dip
Everyone seems to love the hot asparagus dip, and this is a
variation that looked too good to pass up. Even though this
version calls for spinach, you already know I’m going to leave it
out and make up the difference with more asparagus and artichoke
hearts.
One 1 pound 3 ounce can asparagus spears, drained, chopped
1 ten ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
One 8.5 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
1 container Philadelphia Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread
1/2 cup Kraft Mayo Real Mayonnaise
1-1/2 cups Kraft 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix all ingredients, reserving 1/4 cup
Parmesan cheese. Spoon into sprayed 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle
with reserved cheese.
Bake 35 min. or until lightly browned. Serve hot with TRISCUIT
Thin Crisps and assorted cut up vegetables.
My thanks to the food editors at Kraft for allowing the CG to run
these recipes and for saving an already hectic week from getting
away from me. I’m taking the next issue off because I’m up to my
tasket in Baskets for the Library Open House (see you Saturday the
23 from 10 to 4!) and then I’m the road again to take a class on
the new statewide Interlibrary Loan system. I promise to do some
research for you along the way, and watch for the illusive local
chef interview coming your way soon.
