I meet people all the time who tell me they do not like to cook and dread preparing meals for their families. They always want to know why I like cooking so much. I really don’t have an answer.
Some of my favorite pastimes are reading recipes, watching the Food Channel or actually preparing something in my kitchen at home. Friends call me or I meet people in the grocery who will ask for ideas for certain food-related things. I always enjoy doing whatever I can to help. Receiving emails from readers is such a treat!
People are under the misconception that everything I make is homemade and from scratch. This is not true.I know my way around the frozen food section, and I’ve never met a convenience food I didn’t like.
Last week I was at the grocery store, and a lady stopped to ask me about a recipe. As we were visiting, I noticed that she kept staring into my basket.
A lot of people do that out of curiosity, but she was really checking it out.
Then I saw it – I knew what she was looking at. A box of Hamburger Helper staring up at her. She looked at me as if I had committed adultery. I could see the disappointment in her eyes. I’m not sure why, but I immediately started to apologize and explain to her why I was preparing that for supper. I even told her that I add Ro-Tel tomatoes, canned shoepeg corn and sliced black olives to enhance the Chili Macaroni Hamburger Helper.
I explained that in the past week, in addition to teaching math and preparing my 75 students for nine-weeks tests, I have emceed two beauty pageants and judged another two. I still saw the disbelief in her face that I made Hamburger Helper.
Thank goodness I had not made it to the frozen food section. If she had seen all those orange boxes of Stouffer’s, she would have had a stroke. I’ll either have to place all my convenience foods at the bottom of my basket or shop out of town.
Hope you enjoy today’s recipes – I do love a good appetizer! Thanks for reading.
SPINACH ARTICHOKE CUPS
1 (10 ounce) package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
2 (14 ounce) cans artichokes hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Season with salt and pepper
Frozen Mini Phyllo Pastry Shells
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients and spoon mixture into shells (about 2 teaspoons per shell). Press into bottom of the cup. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly. This is for about 90 shells or 30 appetizer serving.
HOT CHICKEN DIP
2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 (12.5 ounce) can premium chunk white chicken in water, drained and flaked
1/3 cup coarsely chopped pickled jalapeno slices
1 tablespoon pickled jalapeno juice from jar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients until smooth and fluffy. Place in a baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam. Bake for about 30 minutes or until top is browned and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips.
• Contact Lee Ann Flemming at lafkitchen@hughes.net.
