CONTENTS

March 5, 2014
2 In The Kitchen With Dennis
The Mud Lake Lady Lions are the honest,
decent folks you want as your neighbors.
By Dennis Weaver
3 Ask the Baker (Q&A)
By Dennis Weaver
5 Quick Tips in the Kitchen
7 Chicken Pot Pies
Nothing says comfort food quite like chicken
pot pies. Make yours famous. Plus, how to
make personal pies for each member of the
family.
By Casey Archibald
13 The Quest for the Best Scalloped Potatoes
We spent a week making scalloped potatoes that
look good and taste good. See what your choices
are--in time for Easter.
By Dennis Weaver
17 Easy Soups for Supper
Learn how to simplify soups for an easy, wholesome
supper with recipes for chicken soup, potato-bacon
soup and more.
21 Colcannon and Saint Patricks Day
Make Colcannon, an Irish side dish made with
mashed potatoes, cooked cabbage and onion.
Serve it with fresh, cooked salmon and have an
authentic Irish meal.
By Dennis Weaver
23 Irish Breads
The Bakers Kitchen
President
Dennis Weaver
Authors
Dennis Weaver
Casey Archibald
Editor and Publisher
Wendy Guerrero
Illustrator
Macey Dally
Bakers
Allison Nef
Kelli Tracy
Melissa Tracy
Perfect Point Marketing
Marketing and Advertising
Michael Johnson
Katie Harris
IN THE KITCHEN WITH DENNIS
The Mud Lake Lady Lions
They stopped in about at 6:00 on a Tuesday evening, the Mud Lake Lady
Lions. They wanted to see the place, what went on beyond the store. I showed
them the production room and shipping warehouse and then we went upstairs
to the test kitchen. Everyone had gone home so we could explore what we
wanted.
Mud Lake is about an hour from here, maybe more, out in the desert on the
edge of where it gets really lonely. Theres a population of 366. MapQuest
lists the hotels and restaurants: There are none. (There is a diner up the road
in Terreton.) There are fertile felds settled in the lava beds and ranches in the hills on the south
slopes of the continental divide. The farms are watered from streams trickling down from those
mountains. I guess it didnt surprise me that there was a Lions Club in Mud Lake. Maybe it did
that there was a Ladies Lions Club.
These are good ladies, not unaccustomed to wearing boots and working hard. One came from
a dairy farm. (I didnt know there was a dairy farm out there.) They know how to make bread
and take care of a neighbor in need. Theyre the kind of people that you would like to have as
neighbors, especially if times got tough.
We sampled what we could fnd in the kitchen--chocolate cake and strawberry cream cupcakes
and new buttermilk syrups. Mostly we talked. We talked about developing mixes and how we
advanced from trial to trial always changing one element or ingredient at a time. We talked
about bread and how to tell if its done with a thermometer. (Tip it out of bread pan into a dish
cloth, stick a thermometer through the bottom crust, and see if the internal temperature is to 190
degrees.) We frosted and flled a cupcake just to see it done.
I remembered a church luncheon Merri Ann and I attended last fall at a chapel up the road from
Mud Lake. The foodand the peoplewere especially good. I wondered that evening if the
Lady Lions hadnt fxed some of that food. They probably did. The scalloped potatoes were so
good that I went wandering for the recipe.
The Lady Lions inspired some of the articles in this issue. Youll fnd an article about scalloped
potatoes with recipes maybe as good as those Mud Lake taters. Youll learn how to make the
best strawberry shortcakes. Youll fnd a good leprechaun pie made with frozen juice concentrate
and delicious chicken pot pies--good downhome country cooking.
We appreciate the good folks everywhere like the Mud Lake Lady Lions.
I hope you enjoy this issue.
Dennis Weaver
25 29 7
Irish breads are rustic breads typically made with
baking soda instead of yeast. See how to make
Irish soda bread, Irish spice bread and more.
25 Leprechaun Pies and Their Cousins
Making desserts from frozen juice concentrate
is easy and fun. Make pies with lime, pink
lemonade, peach-mango and more.
By Dennis Weaver
29 Strawberry Shortcake Supreme
1 2
34 A Buyers Equipment Guide
Make delightful strawberry desserts with a
cream cake mix, favored whipped cream and
fresh strawberries.
By Dennis Weaver
Ask The Baker
Q: Can I let my meat thaw on the counter?
A: Not safely. Bacteria grows between 40 and
140 degrees Fahrenheit. The longer that the
food is left out at these temperatures, the more
bacteria it will contain. The warmer the food,
the faster the bacteria will multiply. After two
hours at room temperature, bacteria levels may
have grown to dangerous levels. The best way to
thaw meat is to take it out of the freezer a day or
so ahead of time and let it thaw in the fridge. Or,
you can use the defrost mode on your microwave.
Q: How Long Should My Bread Rise?
A: It depends. The best way to tell if the dough
has risen enough is not by timethough it helps
to set the timer so you don't forget about your
doughbut by look and feel. It will look soft
and bloated. When you touch the dough, it will
be soft and your fnger will leave an indentation
when lightly pressed against the dough. If it is
not ripe, the dough will tend to slowly spring
back.
If you want light, fuffy bread, the dough should
rise until it is puffy. The more gas incorporated
in the dough, the lighter it will be. Of course,
if too much gas is captured in the dough, it may
collapse. The trick is to let it rise until you get
just to the edge and then bake it. In most cases,
that means that the dough will doubleor
morein volume. With a free-standing loaf,
since the pan can't support the loaf, you cannot let
the bread rise as much.

Q: Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
A: Butter can be purchased either salted or
unsalted. Salt is a preservative and salted butter
can be kept in the refrigerator longer. Unsalted
butter has a fresher, sweeter taste and is preferred
in those recipes that have a high butter content
and in which butter is a dominant favor. Salted
butter has a higher percentage of water but not
enough to matter except in those recipes with a
high proportion of butter. If the recipe has a high
proportion of butter, you may need to modify the
salt in the recipe when using salted instead of
unsalted butter.
Many recipes call for unsalted butter. Unless
the recipe calls for quite a bit of butter, we dont
specify unsalted butter. In most recipes, we
fnd salted butter acceptable, and more people
are more likely to have salted butter in their
refrigerator than unsalted. Of course, if you have
unsalted butter available, please use it.
Q: Is white chocolate really chocolate?
A: That depends on the product and your
defnition of chocolate. The FDA does not
recognize or regulate the term white chocolate
as it does other chocolate products. White
chocolate does not contain cocoa solids. It should
contain cocoa butter along with sugar, favors,
and milk solids. Be aware of lesser products
that do not use cocoa butter. Even more so than
in dark chocolate, there is a great difference in
quality in those products labeled white chocolate
or vanilla chips. See our white chocolate
products>>
Q: How can I thicken fruit pie and pastry
fllings?
A: Fruit fllings have two components: the fruit
and the syrup or gel. The syrup contains sugars,
spices and a thickening agentusually four,
cornstarch, or clearjel. Flour makes a cloudier
flling but may be easier to work with. Clearjel
makes the most translucent flling. The amount
of thickener that you use will vary depending on
how juicy the fruit is.
There are two ways to apply the thickener. The
most commonand quickest and easiestis to
toss the fruit with the four and spices to coat the
fruit then
put the
coated fruit
in the pie
shell. But
it's hard
to judge
how much
thickener
you will
need and it
must reach
a high
enough
temperature
to
gelatinize
the
starches.
A more foolproof method is to make a syrup with
the thickeners and some juice in a saucepan on
the stovetop. Cool the syrup till it is warm and
mix the fruit with the syrup in the pan before
adding it to the pie shell.
Clearjel comes in two forms: instant and regular.
Both are corn products that rely on corn starch
for thickening. Regular clearjel must be cooked
just as corn starch does. Instant clearjel does not.
Clearjel is very commonly used in commercial
pie flling to get an almost clear flling that allows
the fruit to shine through. We often use clearjel in
the pies we bake. Get clearjel here>>
3
Quick Tips
LEFTOVER MEAT SCRAPS:
Instead of tossing out scraps of
cured meat like dry sausage, place
them in a zip-lock bag and store
them in the freezer. You can then
use them later in soups or sauces.
SEASONAL FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES:
Its good to know which fruits and
vegetables are in season when.
That way you get the best value
and the best favor. There are some
fruits and vegetables that are in
season year round. These include:
Apples, avocados, bananas,
coconuts, lemons, papaya, lettuce,
and with international shipping,
these fruits can always be found
in stores. Because of shipping
times and handling, international
produce may not be as good as
fruits grown closer to home.
THE BEST WAY TO MELT
BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE
TOGETHER:
We like to use the microwave.
With many recipes, you can
melt the chocolate and butter
in the mixing bowl and have
a one-bowl recipe. Melt the
butter frst. Chop the chocolate
into bits and add that to the
melted butter. Stir gently. If
the chocolate is not entirely
melted, heat again.
MEASURE YOUR FLOUR
PROPERLY:
Carefully spoon four into your
measure. If you dip and scoop,
you will pack the four which
will result in using too much
four in your recipes. The best
way to measure is with a scale.
Though four packs, 5.2 ounces is
considered a cup.
MAKE GREAT PIZZAS:
When making thin crust pizzas,
some ingredients need to be
precooked, especially meats, but
if you precook or heat all toppings
before loading them on the pizza,
the crust wont over bake waiting
for the toppings to cook through.
USE AN ICE CREAM SCOOP:
Instead of using a spoon to make
cookie dough balls and put
cupcake batter into the pan, use
an ice cream scoop with a release.
That way your cookies and
cupcakes will be uniform in size
and you dont have the use your
fnger to push it off the spoon. See
the ice cream scoop here.
SOFTEN BROWN SUGAR:
Brown sugar tends to harden over
time. A way to get brown sugar
soft again is to place a slice of soft
bread in the container with the
brown sugar. Let it sit in there
for a day or so. When you
take the bread out, it will be
stale and the brown sugar will
be soft.
BUTTER SHAVINGS:
Use a vegetable or potato
peeler with a frozen stick of
butter to shave small slices
of butter onto casseroles or
anything that needs thin butter
shavings on top.
5
Im ready to make another pie,
I defrost the base, top it with a
freshly made crust, and bake it.
If you refrigerate or freeze your
leftovers with the crust on, you
may have soggy pot pies.
Try the following chicken pot pie
recipes, or use them as inspiration
for your own!
"My grandmother...
made the most
delicious, creamy,
chicken pot pies."
Chicken Pot Pies
A Timeless Comfort Food Classic
By: Casey Archibald
I remember my grandmother;
she always smelled like a
perfume called Beautiful.
She spent hours trimming her
rose bushes on hot summer
weekends, she had a big, stinky
chocolate lab named Peppi, she
collected hundreds of nativity
scenes and fgurinesand
she made the most delicious,
creamy, chicken pot pies. They
were perfect on rainy Seattle
days.
Though I wasnt a huge veggie
fan, when grandma surrounded
them with a pool of creamy
goodness and topped them with
a buttery, fakey crust, the peas
and carrots were just fne.
Chicken pot pies are very
versatile. Add celery, potatoes,
onions, carrots, green beans,
mushrooms, peas, corn, or
whatever strikes your fancy.
When adding four to your base,
make sure you do it a little bit at a
time to prevent lumpiness. I fnd
it helpful to use a whisk. Its okay
to add more four than the recipe
calls for if you like your gravy
thicker.
I like to make a giant, double or
triple batch of the chicken pot pie
base and freeze it. Then, when
What Youll Need:
- Pie crust
- Mini Pie Pans
- Pie Pan
How to Make Mini Pot Pies
7
Flaky Crusts
To make flaky, buttery crusts, use
a pastry knife to cut butter into the
flour. The butter should be cold and
hard. Keep cutting until the flour and
butter mixture is coarse with pieces
no larger than small peas. The secret
is to work quickly without handling
the dough too much so that the butter
remains hard and doesnt melt.
Its easy to make personal pot pies
with mini pie pans. If you have
leftovers from a chicken or turkey
dinner, its easy to use them in
these pies. This is comfort food at
its best.
For this recipe, you will need
leftover chicken or turkey
meat, leftover or frozen mixed
vegetables, and gravy. For pans,
use a set of four mini pie pans.
Each pans equals one-fourth of
a nine-inch pie pan. You will
also need pie pastry. You can mix
your pastry dough in just a couple
minutes with our Just-Add-Water
Pie Crust Mix.
If you are making a pastry pot pie,
you need enough pastry dough
for two double crust pies. Roll out
and line your pie pans with un-
baked pastry.
Cut chicken or turkey meat into
chunks. Mix the chicken or turkey,
vegetables, and gravy in a bowl.
Pour the mixture into the baking
dish or pie shell.
Cover your pies with pie pastry
as you would for a double-crust
fruit pie. Crimp the edges together
with the tines of a fork. Put slits in
the top crust to allow for steam to
escape. Bake at 400 degrees for 20
minutes or until the crust begins
to brown.
Make it Quicker
Use gravy for the base; either gravy
from last nights dinner or our
Just-Add-Water Gravy mixes. Keep
the gravy thick and creamy, dont
water it down. Then throw in some
vegetables, cooked meat and potatoes,
make pie crust from a just-add-water
pie crust mix, put it all together and
bake in the oven. You can make
regular or mini pies. Its an easy way
to make a delicious pot pie meal in
just a few minutes!
9
Connies Famous
Chicken Pot Pies
This is old-fashioned comfort
food, individual chicken pot pies.
Even your kids will like these little
pies.
For the pie crust, use our Just-
Add-Water Pie Crust mix or your
favorite scratch recipe.

Ingredients
Dough for a double-crust pie
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup 1/4-inch diced carrots
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup diced celery
1 1/2 cups, 1/2-inch diced
potatoes
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons all-purpose
four
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked chicken cubed
salt and pepper to
taste
1 egg for a wash
1 tablespoon water
Directions
1. Saut the onions
and carrots in the
butter. When the
onions are crisp
tender-about
one minute-
add the celery,
potatoes, water,
and broth. Cook
for another fve
minutes. Make
a slurry with the
four and stir that
in. Let simmer
for fve minutes
or until the
gravy thickens.
The vegetables
should be frm
and nearly
cooked. Add the cooked
chicken. Salt and pepper to
taste.
2. Preheat the oven to 350
degrees.
3. While the flling is cooking,
roll out the dough to 1/4-
inch thick. Cut out 12 circles
six inches in diameter. Place
a circle of dough in each of
six mini-pie pans. Form the
bottom crust.
4. Add the flling to each pan,
top with a crust and seal
the edges with a fork. Cut
three slits in the top of each
to vent the steam. (Or ifyou
choose, you can make a
lattice crust.)
5. Whisk an egg with one
tablespoon of water and
brush the crusts to give
them a golden sheen after
baking.
6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or
until the crusts are golden
and fakey.
or you can use one of
our biscuit mixes. Of
course a biscuit mix
will save you time and
you can choose between
Buttermilk Biscuits or
New England White
Cheddar Biscuits.
Ingredients
medium onion, diced
1 stick of celery, sliced
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup all-purpose
four
2 1/2 cups chicken
broth
1 1/2 cups cream
2 1/2 cups cooked
chicken, cubed
2 teaspoons dry crushed
sage
1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
1/2 teaspoon dry
tarragon
2 1/2 cups fresh green
beans, snipped and
sliced
salt and pepper to taste
For the topping:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose four
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
Directions
1. Saut the onion and
celery in butter in a
large skillet until it is
tender. Remove the
pan from the heat.
2. Place the 1/3 cup
four in a small
bowl. Add the cream
a little at a time,
stirring after each
addition until you
have a smooth paste.
Continue adding the rest of
the cream.
3. Add the cream sauce and
chicken broth and reheat,
stirring frequently, until
the mixture just starts
to simmer and becomes
thickened. Add the chicken.
Add the sage, thyme, and
tarragon. Add the salt and
pepperto taste. (The
salt required will vary
depending on the salt
content of the broth.)
4. Parboil the green beans
until they are bright green
but not quite tender. Add
the green beans to the
chicken mixture. Place the
chicken and bean mixture
in a greased 2 1/2-quart
casserole dish.
5. Preheat the oven to 400
degrees.
6. For the topping, mix the
four, baking powder, salt,
and baking soda together.
Cut the butter into the dry
ingredients with a pastry
knife. Add the buttermilk.
You should have a thick
batter, almost dough-like.
Spoon the batter over the
hot chicken mixture.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or
until the top of the crust is a
golden brown.
Chicken Pot Pie with Green
Beans in a Cream Sauce
This recipe makes a very good
chicken pot pie. Of course its
going to be good with a creamy
white sauce and a faky, buttermilk
biscuit topping.
This is made with fresh green
beans but could also be made
with carrots and peas or corn and
beans, whatever fresh vegetables
you have available. Feel free
to experiment with your spices
and herbs. This recipe calls for
sage, thyme, and tarragon and
marvelously complements the
green beans.
You can make your biscuit topping
from scratch using this recipe
11
three types. All three were
successful.
The egg based casseroles cooked
into a frm casserole but moist.
From those casseroles, we could
cut neat, formal-looking wedges
or squares. This would be our
choice for a formal party.
Both the white sauce and cream
based casseroles worked well
too. We expected the cream
based ones to be overly runny
but they werent. The advantage
to the white sauce type is that
you dont need to be as careful
in the cooking; the white sauce is
less likely to curdle than cooked
milk or cream.
You can use any of these recipes
types. We have given you
optional ingredients to add like
ham or onions or garlic.
We recommend:
Using a mandoline or other
cutting device to assure that
the slices are of uniform
thickness.
Cutting the slices not
thicker than 3/16 inch.
Do not boil your
potatoes before making
the casserole.
Three Ways to Make Au
Gratin Potatoes
Method #1 Cream Only
This recipe relies on the
starch in the potatoes to
thicken the cream to a
sauce. This makes a creamy
casserole with a thin white
sauce-type flling. It is
important that you use starchy,
Russet-type potatoes. It is also
important that you bring the
milk to a simmer only,
not boiling, to avoid
curdling. This can be
made without the cheese
for scalloped potatoes.
This is a basic recipe.
Other ingredients may
be added as desired
though this is a good
dish in its basic form.
You may add any of the
following ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1 bell pepper, fnely
diced
1 small can diced green
chilies
1/2 pound bacon,
crisply cooked and
snipped into pieces
1 1/2 cups ham cut into
small cubes
Basic recipe
7 to 8 cups of sliced
potatoes, 1/8-inch thick
about 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
about 1/4 teaspoon white
pepper
pinch of nutmeg
2 to 2 1/2 cups grated cheddar
cheese
1 cups milk
2 cup cream
1/2 cup grated cheese
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking
pan.Peel and slice the
potatoes to 1/8-inch thick.
Use a mandoline or other
cutting tool so that the
potatoes are of uniform
thickness.
2. Place a layer of potatoes in
the pan. Season with salt
and pepper and a very small
amount of nutmeg. Sprinkle
with a portion of the grated
cheese. Repeat with
additional layers until the
potatoes and this portion of
the cheese is used.
3. Place the milk and cream
in a saucepan and heat to
a simmer. Pour the milk
and cream mixture over the
layered potatoes.
Baking Tip
We baked these casseroles in three different types
of dishes: Dark metal, clear glass, and opaque
decorative glass. The type of baking dishes affects
baking times. A dark metal dish bakes fastest. A
clear glass or off-colored baking dish is next. A light
colored, opaque glass dish is the slowest.
Baking times seemed to vary about ten minutes from
one type of pan to the next.
As important as baking dishes are, the thickness
of the casserole has even more impact. A shallow
casserole bakes much faster than one that is deeper.

Mandoline Ad
The Quest for the
Best Scalloped Potatoes
By: Dennis Weaver
We wanted to
know everything
we could about
making scalloped
and au gratin
potato casseroles.
We read what we
could in our text
books and began studying recipes.
Then we stopped by our local
potato warehouse for a 50 pound
box of Russet potatoes. (Yes, in
Eastern Idaho, we have potato
warehouses scattered about like
convenience stores. Most will
sell to consumers. We paid $12
for a box of premium, extra-large
bakers.)
As we reviewed our recipes, we
found that many of them called for
partially cooking the potato slices
before baking. We used that as a
starting point. We made several
casseroles by boiling the potato
slices until they were crisp tender
and assembling them in baking
dishes. We were disappointed.
The
casseroles
turned out
with over-
cooked,
mushy
potatoes. They tasted bland and
the casseroles were watery. We
concluded that the boiling bleached
out much of the potato favor and
the water diluted the casseroles.
We found that if we sliced the
potatoes thinly--about 1/8-inch or
a little thicker--they would cook
evenly without par-cooking.
Its important that you slice the
potatoes uniformly. If you dont,
your casserole wont cook evenly:
the thin slices will be mushy
while the thick slices will be hard.
The only way to cut the slices
evenly is with a mechanical slicer.
Our slicer of choice is a
mandoline.
As we continued to
course through the
recipes in our cook
books and text books, we found
that potato casseroles can be
categorized by their structure:
1) those that are made with eggs,
2) those made with a white sauce
and four, and 3) those that rely
on the starch from the potatoes
for structure. Now that we knew
how to cook the potatoes, we
started experimenting with these
Both the white sauce and
cream based casseroles
worked well."
13 14
4. Sprinkle the remaining
1/2 cup cheese over the
casserole.
5. Bake for 50 minutes or until
the potatoes are tender but
still frm when poked with a
fork.
Method # 2 With Eggs
This recipe relies on the eggs to
set the flling. The egg and milk
and cream mixture sets up as a
custard does. The casserole cuts
neatly into squares or wedges for
serving.
It is important that you use
starchy, Russet-type potatoes.
This can be made without the
cheese for scalloped potatoes.
This is a basic recipe. Other
ingredients may be added as
desired though this is a good dish
in its basic form. You may add any
of the following ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1 bell pepper, fnely diced
1 small can diced green
chilies
1/2 pound bacon, crisply
cooked and snipped into
pieces
1 1/2 cups ham cut into small
cubes
Basic recipe
7 to 8 cups of sliced potatoes,
1/8-inch thick
about 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
about 1/4 teaspoon white
pepper
pinch nutmeg
2 to 2 1/2 cups grated cheddar
cheese
2 cups milk
1 cup cream
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup grated cheese
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
6. Peel and slice the potatoes
to 1/8-inch thick. Use a
mandolin or other cutting
tool so that the potatoes are
of uniform thickness.
7. Place a layer of potatoes
in the pan. Season with
salt and pepper and a very
small amount of nutmeg.
Sprinkle with a portion of the
grated cheese. Repeat with
additional layers until the
potatoes and this portion of
the cheese is used.
8. Place the milk in a saucepan
and heat to a simmer.
9. Whisk the egg yolks and
cream together. Slowly
pour the egg mixture into
the hot milk while stirring
with a whisk.
10. Pour the milk and egg
mixture over the layered
potatoes.
11. Sprinkle the remaining
1/2 cup cheese over the
casserole.
12. Bake for 50 minutes or until
the potatoes are tender but
still frm when poked with
a fork.
Method # 3 White Sauce
For this recipe, you make a white
sauce for the flling from the four
and cream. Once the white sauce
is made, add the cheese to make
a cheese sauce. This makes a
creamy casserole.
This can be made without the
cheese for scalloped potatoes.
This is a basic recipe. Other
ingredients may be added as
desired though this is a good dish
in its basic form. You may add
any of the following ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1 bell pepper, fnely diced
1 small can diced green
chilies
1/2 pound bacon, crisply
cooked and snipped into
pieces
1 1/2 cups ham cut into
small cubes
Basic recipe
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose
four
1 cup cream
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
1. Make a white sauce with the
milk and four: Pour the
milk into a heavy saucepan.
Place the four in a cup.
Add just enough milk to
make a paste. Gradually
add more milk, stirring to
thin the paste into a sauce-
like consistency. Stir the
four and milk mixture
into the milk with a whisk.
Add the cream and heat,
stirring with a whisk, until
the sauce is thickened and
starts to bubble.
2. Add the salt, pepper, and
nutmeg. Add the cheese
while still hot and stir in.
The cheese should melt
and form a medium-thick
cheese sauce. Keep the
sauce hot while you prepare
the potatoes.
3. Peel and slice the potatoes
to 1/8-inch thick. Use a
mandolin or other cutting
tool so that the potatoes are
of uniform thickness.
4. Place a layer of potatoes in
the pan. Pour a portion of
the hot cheese sauce over
the potato layer. Repeat
with additional layers until
the potatoes and cheese
sauce is used.
Related Digital Cookbook:
Easy Weeknight Dinners! Get a copy of this book at The Prepared Pantry
Trying to make a decent meal after a long day at work or a tiring day
with the kids can be hard sometimes. Thats why we have created this
digital book. Youll learn about tips and recipes to make those weeknight
meals quick and easy, but with the same results as meals that take hours
to prepare.
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
pinch nutmeg
2 to 2 1/2 cups grated
cheddar cheese
7 to 8 cups of sliced russet
potatoes, 1/8-inch thick
5. Sprinkle the remaining
1/2 cup cheese over the
casserole.
6. Bake for 50 minutes or until
the potatoes are tender but
still frm when poked with a
fork.
15
16
What a magnifcent early
spring day it was! Last
weeks warm weather
melted the snow and the
sun dried out the roads,
but this morning there was
a thin layer of new snow
and soft fakes sifting
through the air. By noon,
the clouds had broken and
the sun was shining through
swaths of deep blue. The
sky tumbled with tall white
clouds, except against the
mountains in the east where
heavy gray clouds hung
low. The clouds retreated
throughout the day and in
the afternoon the foothills
were bright, bathed in sun
on new snow.
The day was inspiring and
in late afternoon, Casey
went out to take pictures.
Easy Soups for Supper
It felt like a soup day. We
made soups for most of the
day in the test kitchen
thick, creamy soups
including chicken and wild
rice, bacon and cheese, and
caulifower cheddar.

This is meat and potatoes
country; Idaho in particular
and the Intermountain West
in general. Beef, potatoes
and gravy are king. When
Merri Ann, my wife, makes
Sunday dinner, more
often than not its a roast,
potatoes, and gravy. Thats
pretty standard.
I was in Montana, said
one of our food suppliers
in Seattle, and you people
eat differently than we
do. There are regional
By: Dennis Weaver
differences everywhere.
We have lots of leftover gravy.
When Im making dinner,
that gravy is likely to turn
into soup. Its easy to add
veggies, a starchrice, beans,
or potatoesand meat to
the gravy, thin it to the right
consistency and make soup.
Sometimes, I dont even need
the meat.
On busy weeknights, I often
make a quick dinner with a
steak, chop, or burger. I put on
veggies and either cook a potato
in the microwave or open a
pouch of dried mashed potatoes
(theyre really pretty good).
I make gravy from a mix, by
adding water and bringing it
to a boil. I keep three kinds of
gravy mixes in the cupboard
chicken, turkey, and beef. I can
have meals on the table in well
under 30 minutes.
Then I started connecting the
dots. I like hearty soups, but I
often dont have leftover gravy.
Why not use a gravy mix?
I took the
concept to the
test kitchen
that stormy
spring day
and went to
work. We
made very
good, hearty
soups with
gravy from a
pouchthe
three soups
mentioned
before. We
served them
in the store
and folks
loved them.
Of course,
you dont
have to use
gravy from a
mix to make
these soups;
you can use a
scratch recipe
to make a
creamy soup
base or your
own leftover gravy.
If you don't want to use gravy...
Use this recipe for a cream soup base.
Then use the base as a substitiue for gravy in
these recipes.
See how to make a cream soup base.
17 18
Cauliflower Cheese Soup
This is the frst soup that we
made. It is a recipe we got from
the gravy manufacturer. In the
course of making it, we made a
few minor changes.
I expected a cream of
caulifower soup with the
caulifower pureed but the
recipe called for leaving the
caulifower in chunks. I liked it
that way. We could have chosen
to run the soup through the
blender.
As with most soups, you thin
the soup to a desired consistency
with stock, water, or milk. We
chose to use milk.
Notice that there is no salt
in these recipes; the gravy
contributes the salt.
Kelli Tracy, in our test kitchen,
made these soups. She liked it
very thick; I liked it thinner. I
was out-voted. Three-fourths
cup of milk makes a very thick
soup.
Ingredients:
1 cup Roasted Chicken
Skillet Gravy (You may
substitute Turkey Skillet
Gravy)
1 quart water
2 cups caulifower, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup cheddar cheese,
shredded
Directions:
1. In a large pot, prepare
one cup of the Roasted
Chicken Skillet Gravy
according to package
directions, using the 1
quart of water.
2. Saut the caulifower in
butter until tender. Do not
brown.
3. Add the caulifower and
milk to gravy, stirring
well.
4. Simmer for 15 to 20
minutes
5. Add the thyme and
cheese, stirring well until
the cheese melts. Do not
boil.
6. Thin the soup with more
milk if desired. Check the
seasoning and more salt
or spice to taste.
7. Serve while hot.
Refrigerate or freeze any
leftovers.
Bacon and Potato Soup
1 cup Roasted Chicken
Skillet Gravy (or Turkey
Skillet Gravy)
1 quart water
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup mild cheddar cheese,
shredded
1/2 cup sharp cheddar
cheese, shredded
1/4 pound bacon, cooked to
a crisp and crumbled
1 3/4 cups cubed red
skinned potatoes
2 cups water or low-sodium
stock
Directions:
1. Boil the dice red skinned
potatoes, drain, and set
aside.
2. Saut the onions.
3. In a large pot, prepared one
cup of the Roasted Chicken
Skillet Gravy according to
package directions, using
the 1 quart of water.
4. Add the onions, cheese,
bacon, potatoes and water
or stock into the pot. Stir
until blended.
5. Simmer for 10 minutes,
stirring frequently to
prevent sticking.
6. Serve while hot. Refrigerate
or freeze any leftovers.
I expected a cream of
cauliflower soup with the
cauliflower pureed but the
recipe called for leaving
the cauliflower in chunks. I
liked it that way. "
Related Cream Soup Recipes
Cream of Broccoli Soup
Cream of Mushroom
Soup
Cream of Potato Soup
Cream of Celery Soup
Cream of Corn Soup
Cheesy Potato Soup
Chicken &Wild Rice Soup
Of these three recipes, the chicken
and wild rice was my favorite
though many people in the store
said that the caulifower was their
favorite. You can buy fancy wild
rice at a great price in our store.
Being basically lazy, I bought
sliced mushrooms and matchstick
carrots at the store.
Ingredients:
1 cup Roasted Chicken Skillet
Gravy (you may substitute
Turkey Skillet Gravy)
1 quart water
1/2 cup wild rice
1/2 cup jasmine rice
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup carrots, grated
1/2 cup chicken, cooked and
cubed
1/2 cup white wine or chicken
broth, optional
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 tsp pepper
Directions:
1. Cook the rice according to
package directions.
2. While the rice is cooking, in a
large pot, prepare one cup of
the Roasted Chicken Skillet
Gravy according to package
directions, using the one
quart of water.
3. Melt the butter in a large
pot. Saut the onions, celery,
carrots, and mushrooms in
butter over medium heat
until onions are translucent,
about 5 minutes.
4. Add in the gravy, vegetables,
rice, chicken, and wine,
stirring well.
5. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. Simmer for 10 to 50 minutes
over low heat, stirring
frequently to prevent
sticking.
7. Thin with additional water
or stock if needed.
8. Add the thyme in the last 5
minutes.
19
20
Colcannon, Green Beer and
By: Dennis Weaver
Once upon a time, I worked in
downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Saint Paul is an interesting city.
More so than anywhere else I
have lived, its very ethnic. There
are Italian neighborhoods and
a Germantown. Theres a large
Hmong population from the
mountainous regions of Asia and
of course, an Irish neighborhood.
Saint Patricks Day was a big deal
in Saint Paul. I remember my
frst Saint Patricks Day there. I
worked in an offce in downtown.

I was surprised by the sudden
marching bands, and then parades
and raucous crowds. I went
downstairs to the sidewalk to
watch. There was a lot of action,
guys shouting in the streets and
green beerlots of green beer.
Every pub in Saint Paul
serves green beer on Saint
Patricks Day.
Im not Irish, Im a
mixture of English and
Scandinavian, but I married
an Irish lass; Merri Ann is
a Maloney. So if Im going
to make her something
Irish, Im going to need
some help.
I went to our friend,
Shannon Griffn. She gave
me a recipe for colcannon
thats been in her family for
generations.

Colcannon is a side dish.
Matched up with some salmon, it
made a fne dinner. I could handle
the bread.

Colcannon
Once I fgured out that this was
just mashed potatoes with cooked
cabbage and onion, I put this right
together. I didnt cook the onions
nearly as long as suggested
probably a mistake--and so they
didnt get mashed into a paste.
But they got lost in with the
cooked cabbage and everything
was just fne.
Instead of milk, I added a
generous portion of sour cream,
maybe a half cup. Sour cream
always seems to make potatoes
better. I added quite a bit of
pepper and salt.
Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes
1 pound kale or cabbage
1 large onion
milk
butter
2 tablespoons or bacon
drippings
Directions
1. Peel the onion and chop
coarsely. Heat the oil or
drippings in a skillet with a
tight cover. Place the onions
in the skillet and saut over
medium heat until onion
just starts to turn golden.
Cover tightly and lower heat
until it just barely sizzles.
Cook for 30-40 minutes
checking occasionally to
make sure onions arent
browning. When onions are
done, mix them until they
are a paste.
2. Meanwhile, boil the
potatoes in their skins until
tender. Skin potatoes and
mash until smooth, adding
milk (or sour cream) as
necessary.
3. While the potatoes are
cooking, chop the greens
and place them in a pot with
1/2 cup water. Bring it to a
boil and cook over low heat
until tender.
4. Mix the greens, onions,
and potatoes together well,
adding salt and pepper to
taste. If desired, drizzle
melted butter on top just
before serving.
21
St. Patricks Day
Choosing an Irish Bread
By: Dennis Weaver
Ireland has a rich culinary history
that includes a wonderful array
of breads. These breads tend to
be rustic; often with whole grain
fours, potato four, or buttermilk,
and are often leavened with baking
soda instead of yeast.
Irish Soda Bread
This may be the most famous of
the Irish breads. Its made with
soda and buttermilk (The soda
reacts with the acidic buttermilk to
create carbon dioxide to leaven the
bread). Soda bread splits around
the middle while baking like a
large biscuit. There are many
varieties of this bread and many
are made with whole wheat four.
Our favorite version has a bit of
graham four (See our Irish Soda
Bread mix). Raisin Soda Bread
Often Irish soda bread
is made with raisins
or currants. If you
decide to add raisins
to your soda bread,
try a touch of orange
zest and maybe some
allspice. Occasionally,
you will fnd a raisin
soda bread label as
regal soda bread. Regal
soda bread is made
with or without raisins
and with a shot of Irish
whiskey.
Irish Potato Bread
This bread is made
with potato four and
lots of buttermilk.
The buttermilk and
potato four give it a
wonderful, sourdough-
like favor. Its usually made
in a rustic round loaf (See our
Summerhill Irish Potato Breads
in both wheat and white four
versions).
Barm Brack
This traditional bread is made
with fruit and spices. Its a yeast
bread though we have found
recipes leavened with soda and
buttermilk. When made with soda,
it resembles a dense, fruity cake.
Often the fruit is soaked overnight
in black tea.
Aran Spiosrai (Irish Spice
Bread)
This bread is leavened with soda
or baking powder and is sweet
and spicy. It is usually made with
raisins and resembles a dense,
fruity cake. This recipe for Aran
Spiosrai is typical. . Get authentic,
Irish soda bread the easy way>>
23
Leprechaun Pies and Their Cousins
By: Dennis Weaver
Theres a treasure in the frozen
food case at your grocers. Its
the frozen juice concentrates.
There is such an array of favors;
tropical favors and mixtures like
strawberry guava and mango
orange; orchard favors like peach
and cherry, and citrus favors.
Weve used these concentrates in
pies, cobblers, and crisps. When
a recipe calls for water, well
often substitute juice from these
concentrates. For a picnic, add dry
ice and carbonate your beverage
(Its much better than soda pop).
We keep a dozen cans or so in the
freezer.
We use these frozen concentrates
to make leprechaun pies and their
cousins. These are frozen desserts,
These easy frozen desserts are lusciouschange
the favor as the seasons change.
much like an ice cream pie. A
leprechaun pie is made with
limeade. Pink lemonade pie uses
pink lemonade. The cousins?
You can use any concentrate you
want. Strawberry guava is one of
our favorites.
You can make these as a single
pie using a deep dish pie pan or
a 9-inch springform pan or you
can make individual pies in paper
lined muffn tins. These pies are
festive, fun, and adorable.
How to Make Leprechaun Pie
This is an absolutely scrumptious
dessert and very easy to make.
Unless you want to bake the graham
cracker crumb crust, its a no-bake
pie.
Its made green with food coloring
and limeade for St. Patricks Day,
but you can make the cousins with
any color and any juice concentrate.
Since this is made with cream
cheese, its very cheesecake-like,
but its frozen like an ice cream pie.
It tastes much like a key lime pie.
Leprechaun pies are made in three
parts: a graham cracker crust, a
limeade and cream cheese flling,
and a whipped cream topping.
If you prefer, you can use a
commercial whipped topping or
whipped cream from an aerosol
can.
Youll need a nine-inch
springform pan. We use a Candy
Apple Red Silicone Springform
Pan with a glass base. With the
graham cracker crust, its easy to
peel the ring from the pie and cut
nice, neat slices right on the glass
base.
For the Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1. Mix the crumbs, sugar, and
butter in medium sized
bowl. Mix until the crumbs
have absorbed the butter
and the mixture is uniform.
2. If you are making individual
desserts, line the muffn pan
with paper liners. Scoop 1
tablespoon of the graham
cracker mixture into each
cup.
3. Press down the graham
cracker mixture in the
cupcake pan with a small
cup (our 1/2 cup measuring
cup worked perfectly) to
quickly and easily make the
crust fat and uniform.
4. If you are
making your
dessert in a
springform pan,
press the crust
with a glass or
mug. If youd
like, you can
bake it for ten
minutes or so to
hold it together
better.
Weve used these
concentrates in pies,
cobblers, and crisps..
We keep a dozen cans
or so in the freezer.
For the Filling
1 8-oz box of cream
cheese, softened
1 14-oz can sweetened
condensed milk
3/4 cup Limeade
concentrate (not mixed
with water)
2 tablespoons lime
juice (fresh or bottled)
Americolor Leaf Green food
coloring or equal
1. Using the whip attachment
and your stand-type mixer
or with a handheld electric
mixer, mix the cream cheese
to soften it. Very slowly add
the sweetened condensed
milk while mixing to
prevent the cream cheese
from becoming chunky.
Continue to mix together on
medium-high speed until
the mixture is smooth.
2. Add the limeade concentrate
and lime juice and continue
beating. Color with food
coloring as desired (we
found Americolor Leaf
Green food coloring to be
the best).
3. If you are making individual
desserts, scoop a little less
than 1/4 cup of the flling
into each baking cup. We
found if we put in just
shy of one scoop with our
large deluxe quick release
ice cream scoop, it works
25
26
About Food Coloring
Regardless of the juice concentrate you
use, youll want to intensify the color with
the addition of food color. We recommend
Americolor Professional Food Color Gels.
Theyre bright, intensenine times more
concentrated than liquidsand easy to apply.
They come in 40 colors.
perfectly. Smooth out
each scoop and spread the
topping on each dessert.
We often put the topping in
a large pastry bag and pipe
it on each dessert. It makes
them pretty.
4. If you are making a single
dessert, scrape the flling
into the prepared crust and
then spread the topping
over the flling.
For the Topping
1 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup shredded coconut
Americolor Leaf Green food
coloring

1. To make the cream topping,
whip the cream until stiff,
adding the sugar and vanilla
in the process.
2. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the
whipped cream over each
little pie or the entire flling
over the single dessert.
3. To color the coconut,
squeeze one very small
drop of food coloring into
an empty zipper-top plastic
bag. Rub the two sides of
the bag together in between
your fngers until
the color is evenly
distributed. Add the
coconut to the bag,
and close it, trapping
as much air inside
the bag as you can.
Shake the bag until
the coconut becomes
the desired color.
Sprinkle the
coconut on the pies
4. Freeze the pies
until frm.
We also have a recipe to make
this in a 9-inch spring-form pan,
including variations like pink
lemonade pie. We have had
rave reviews of this recipe. It is
tried-and-true.
How to Make the Cousins
The nice thing about this recipe
is that you can use whatever fruit
juice concentrate you desire
cherry cranberry, peach mango,
cranberry pear, pineapple . . .
Theyre all game for this dessert.
Weve been making pink
lemonade pies and their cousins
for years now. Weve tweaked
the recipe along the way but
basically, its the same. We use
our silicone springform pan thats
easier to use and makes for nicer,
neater, better-looking slices.
Originally, we thought of this as
a summer pie but its great year-
round. Try a cranberry apple
in the fall, a cherry version at
Valentines, and the lemonade
versions in the heat of the summer.
They can be made ahead and they
can keep for a week or more in the
freezer.
Make the cousins just as you do
the original, but with another
juice. Taste your flling before
adding the two tablespoons lemon
juice. You will probably want to
use them to balance the fruit favor
against the cream cheese.
27
received
Strawberry Shortcake Supreme
By: Dennis Weaver
The other day, I started cruising
the web looking for the best,
prettiest strawberry shortcakes
in the world. I saw a picture of
these. I stopped.
I didnt even look at the recipe;
I knew how I was going to make
ittwo layers of cream cake or
sponge cake, strawberries, and
a stabilized, favored whipped
cream between. I also thought
about a chocolate version. Then
I looked for the best strawberries
I could fnd and started baking.
For the Cake
I made a cream cake. A cream
cake is denser than the cakes you
make from the boxed mixes you
fnd in the store. Its somewhere
between a light, fuffy cake and
a pound cake (I fgured the light,
fuffy cakes would get soggy and
wouldnt carry the berries and
cream well). I used our Vanilla
Bean Baby Cake Mix. I suspect
that most cakes made from
scratch will work since theyre
not as fuffy as those from the
boxes.
I baked the cake in a 9 x 13-inch
pan according to the package
directions. I lined the cake pan
with parchment paper so that
I could grasp the edges of the
parchment paper once baked and
lift the cake from the pan.
The Whipped Cream
Filling
I wanted a flling that was
thick enough that I could
pipe it, and stable enough
that the leftover pieces
would still be attractive on
the second day. For two
cups of heavy whipping
cream, I added six ounces of
cream cheese and a quarter
cup of meringue powder.
Thats twice as much
cream cheese as I usually
use but I wanted this to be
so stable that it would be
almost like a frosting. I
sweetened it with a 1/2 cup
of granulated sugar and a
1/3 cup of powdered sugar
to give it more stability. I
added a teaspoon of lemon
favor and a bit of lemon
zest. Lemon goes well with
strawberries.
The Strawberries
I used a strawberry slicer to get
thin, uniform slices. I always cut
my strawberries vertically; theyre
prettier that way. Do not add
sugar; the sugar will draw water
from the berries.
To Make Your Strawberry
Desserts
The cake needs to be split to place
strawberries and whipped cream
between the layers. The easy way
to do it is with a cake leveler; you
can adjust the height of the blade
and split the cake uniformly. You
can do it with a serrated knife, but
cut the cake in half and split a half
at a time.
1. After the cake is baked,
remove it from the pan to a
cutting board and let it cool.
Split the cake as described
above.
2. Once the cake has cooled
completely, spread a layer of
whipped cream flling 1/4-
inch thick on the top of one
of the halves. Spread a layer
of strawberry slices over the
whipped cream.
3. Carefully lift the second
half and set it on top of the
frst half with the edges
aligned and the cut edges
together.
4. Trim a quarter inch or so
off the cooked edges so that
you have uniform cut edges
all around.
5. Put the remaining whipped
cream flling in a pastry
bag ftted with a round tip.
Squeeze lines of flling side-
by-side diagonally across
the cake to get a corrugated
appearance as shown in the
picture.
6. Use a ruler to measure and
lightly score lines on the
cake for cutting. Very gently
with a serrated knife and
29
30
without pressing down, cut
the cake into pieces.
7. Finely chop a 1/4 cup of
walnuts. Drizzle a diagonal
line of chopped nuts across
each piece, crossing the
lines of flling.
8. Garnish with more
strawberries.
What Youll Need
Strawberry Slicer
Cream Cake Mix
Meringue Powder
10 x 15-inch Baking Sheet
Parchment Paper
Lemon or other favor
Variations
Strawberry Shortcake Supreme
with Strawberry Filling
Make as above but substitute
strawberry favor for the lemon
and add Americolor pink food
color gel to the whipping cream.

Strawberry Shortcake Supreme
with Chocolate Cake
Make as above with a Fudgy Baby
Cakes Mix. Eliminate the lemon
favor. Either add vanilla favor or
three tablespoons medium dark
cocoa if you prefer a chocolate
flling. Garnish with strawberries,
chocolate curls, and chocolate
sauce.
31
Related Article: How to Make Traditional Strawberry
Shortcake
Traditional Strawberry Shortcakes with Flavored Whipped Cream
This article explains how to make traditional shortcakes, the rich biscuit-
like kind plus it has recipes for favored whipped cream. If you like
strawberry shortcakes, this is a great article.
How to Cut
Delicate Cakes
Soft, delicate cakes can be hard
to cut, so can cakes with fillings
such as whipped cream. These
cakes were hard to cut without
disfiguring the slices. But there
is a method to making nice
cuts in soft cakes for perfect
presentations. The key is not to
press down on the cake but let
the knife do the work for you.
Choose a sharp serrated
knife with a deep tooth cut
and along blade.
Make your cuts with a
ruler and straight edge.
Make your first cuts
crosswise and come back and
make the longitudinal cuts.
Barely put any pressure
on your knife--not even the
weight of the knife--as you
make the cuts.
Gently saw back and
forth with the teeth barely
engaged in the cake. Let the
serrations do all the work.
Dont press down.
When you make the short
cuts, the cake may tend to tip
or rock. Rather than pressing
down, place a straightedge
behind the cake to keep it
steady and from rocking. It
may be helpful to recruit a
family member to hold the
straightedge for you.
A Buyers Equipment Guide
Quick Tip and Ask the Baker
Equipment:
- Clearjel
- Ice Cream Scoops
- White Chocolate products
- Pastry Fillings
Pot Pie Tools and Mixes:
- Pie Pans
- Mini Pie Pans
- Pie Crust
- Pie Weight Chain
- Biscuit Mixes
Scalloped Potatoes:
- Mandolin
- Instant Potatoes
Soups:
- Just-Add-Water Gravy Mix
Irish Bread:
- Irish Bread Mix
Leprechaun Pies:
- Graham Cracker Crumbs
- Springform Pan
- Deep Dish Pie Pan
- Paper Liners
- Food Colors
For Strawberry Shortcakes:
- Strawberry Slicer
- Vanilla Bean Baby Cakes Mix
- Very Fudgy Baby Cakes Mix
- Meringue Powder
- Extracts including Lemon
- Designer Dessert Sauces
33 34