Hash Brown Casserole

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Grocery List Ideas: Hash Brown Casserole. Restaurants got the hint that customers crave cheesy hash brown casseroles. Logically when dialing back meal portions, it makes sense to offer a form of potato other than the traditional baked potato. Have you seen the size of them? They’re ginormous. Oftentimes, my husband and I can split one baked potato between the two of us. At the risk of dating myself, hash brown casseroles have been around since that first fond memory of “funeral potatoes” appeared. After all, it’s comfort food that can magically “calm the chaos” in a sad situation. Now you can make cheesy hash brown casserole at home. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if you already have the recipe in one of those local fundraiser cookbooks.

HASH BROWN CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

32-ounce shredded hash browns, thawed

16- ounces sour cream

10.5-ounce can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup onion, diced

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded, divided

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9”x13” baking dish with nonstick oil. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine thawed hash browns, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, melted butter, diced onions, sea salt, black pepper, and 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese. Mix well. Pour into the prepared pan, spreading the potato mixture evenly throughout. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, for 45-50 minutes until bubbly and golden. Serve immediately.

Uplifting Aromas

Remember the early days of learning to cook? Was it 4-H or junior high Home Economics? It may have been in grandma’s kitchen using mid century utensils, chipped ironstone, and aluminum pots or mother’s enamelware , melmac, and plastic storage containers in harvest gold. Perhaps you even inherited a coveted cast iron skillet, the workhorse staple dating back to 1890. In any event, we all have those built-in memories of homemade favorites wafting through a lifetime of uplifting aromas. Sure, techniques have changed and improved, but that’s kinda the point. Everyone can be an expert. I’d like to think so. Some of my posts have been favored by the “Food Network” on Twitter (Snapshotsincursive @DornaGail) as well as Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa, on Instagram (gail _dorna). You can even find me on Facebook or Pinterest at Gail Dorna. I’d love to connect with you there as well. Experience different flavors and textures as you eat with your eyes. Catch a glimpse of “Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Uplifting Aromas!” This remarkable journey of the palate is unique because it gives me a few moments with you. Thanks very much to all of my guests and followers on http://snapshotsincursive.com for the uplifting support, award nominations, and daily words of encouragement.

Food With Soul

Everyone has an idea of foods that satisfy inner feelings. Some cultivate fulfillment; others promote happiness. Take coffee, for instance. I look forward to my morning cuppa joe. Coffee does make me happy. I begin every day with a cold double espresso, slightly sweetened and creamy followed by a flavorful espresso shot. Then I’m done. Don’t ask me to give up my Nespresso machine because that’s not going to happen. When my husband and I lived in a hotel for nine months while our new home was being built, the Nespresso machine was my daily companion. Sure, the hotel offered a complimentary breakfast, but come on……don’t ask me to give up my soulful morning espresso. Would you? This round of recipes might give you ways to substitute foods and ingredients that appeal to your soulful lifestyle and palate. It’s all about the possibilities, ideas, and balance. I encourage you to make substitutions in the recipes I offer without sacrificing taste. I do it all the time; you can, too.

Some of my posts have been favored by the “Food Network” on Twitter (Snapshotsincursive @DornaGail) as well as Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa, on Instagram (gail _dorna). You can even find me on Pinterest at Gail Dorna. I’d love to connect with you there as well. I also met Chef Michelle Tribble of Hell’s Kitchen reality cooking show. Fun times. Experience different flavors and textures one bite at a time. Catch a glimpse of “Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Food With Soul”. This remarkable journey of the palate is unique because it gives me a few moments with you. Thanks very much to all of my guests and followers on http://snapshotsincursive.com for the uplifting support, award nominations, and moving words of encouragement.

Mel’s Diner in Bonita Springs, Florida

Dining Outside the Home: Mel’s Diner in Bonita Springs, Florida! Flashback to the 1950’s where American Bandstand was popular for the best rock and roll music. Car Shows meant shine-up-your-car and put-it-on-display in the local park. Drugstore soda fountains served thick chocolate milkshakes, tangy lime phosphates, and cherry syrup-flavored cokes. Fast forward to current day where nostalgia is still popular at Mel’s Diner, a food joint popular from the movie “American Graffiti”. The menu highlights several burger options, pot roast platters with mashed potatoes smothered in brown gravy, beef liver and caramelized onions, black angus meatloaf, fried chicken, or anything else you can imagine for a taste of the “good ole days”. When you’re in the mood for comfort food, stop by for a meal that is worth the cost.