Author Archives: Carl Fisher

Caesar Salad

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Ceasar Salad

We got the recipe from Gather on Broadway at one of their cook at home events. It is easy to make, tasty, and we generally have all the needed ingredients.
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 head Romaine lettuce
  • 2 clove garlic minced
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire
  • lemon fresh, just a squeeze
  • ⅓ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
  • 1 wedge parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • croutons optional

Instructions

  • In a food processor (preferred) or with a whisk, blend the garlic, Dijon, Worcestershire, lemon juice, mayo, and Parmesan to combine well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chop Romain into bite-size pieces, then toss with the desired amount of dressing. With a vegetable peeler, shave slices of Parmesan off the wedge of Parmesan over the top.

Chicken Soup, Hearty

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Chicken Soup, Hearty

This recipe is a combination of three different chicken soup recipes. The base recipe comesfrom “The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American” by Jeff Smith. His recipe took too much time andeffort so it was modified using a recipe submitted by Carol Linskens to the Green Bay Press Gazette (local paper). The final modification is based on a recipe from Festival Foods (grocery store) which was titled “Express Chicken Noodle Soup”. Our family prefers the dumplings but the noodle variation is included because it is similar to the chicken soup from Grandma Gerties (local restaurant).
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8

Ingredients

SOUP

  • 1 fryer chicken cut up (about 2 ½ to 3 lbs.) OR backs, necks, wings, and legs
  • 5 carrot cut up into bite sized pieces
  • 4 stalks celery chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion peeled and chopped
  • 2 medium potato peeled and diced
  • 2 whole bay leaves
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp sage
  • 3 clove garlic diced
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • salt to taste
  • 1 TBL chicken bouillon granules
  • 3 quarts water
  • 1 cup egg noodles OPTIONAL

DUMPLINGS

  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 3/4 tsp dill weed
  • 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup milk

Instructions

  • Combine soup ingredients in large pot and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Remove chicken from the bones and set aside (careful the chicken will be hot). Remove the fat from the liquid and return to the pot. Return the chicken to the pot and add enough water to insure the liquid level covers all ingredients. Cover and simmer for 30 more minutes.
  • Mix together the dumpling ingredients. Drop by teaspoon into slowly boiling soup. to insure the liquid level covers all ingredients. Cover and simmer for 30 more minutes.
  • ALTERNATE TO DUMPLINGS: Follow above recipe and instead of dumplings, add 1 cup Kluski Egg Noodles and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir often.

Sweet Potato Casserole

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Sweet Potato Casserole

First had this recipe for Christmas dinner 2019. It is excellent.
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8

Ingredients

Filling:

  • 4 TBL butter melted
  • 1 3/4 pound sweet potato peeled and cubed
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 2 large egg

Topping:

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
  • 4 TBL butter melted
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup pecans chopped

Instructions

Sweet Potatoes

  • Add 1 3/4 pounds peeled and cubed sweet potatoes to a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and cool. Mash the sweet potatoes.

Filling:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish. Whisk together the butter, mashed sweet potatoes, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and eggs in a large bowl. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.

Topping:

  • Combine the flour, brown sugar, butter and salt in a medium bowl until moist and the mixture clumps together. Stir in the pecans. Spread the mixture over the top of the sweet potatoes in an even layer.
  • Bake until mostly set in the center and golden on top, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Southwest Corn Chowder

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Southwest Corn Chowder

Seasonal fresh corn makes this soup thick and satisfying, but it's good to know that it can be made year round wsing frozen corn as well.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 4 slices bacon
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 1 medium sweet red pepper coarsely chopped
  • 1 medium green bell pepper coarsely chopped
  • 3 scallions coarsely chopped
  • 1 pound potato new, coarsely chopped
  • 2 cups corn fresh or frozen (about 10 ounces)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1.8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese sharp, shredded

Instructions

  • In a large pot or Dutch oven, saute the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon an set aside for later. To the bacon grease add onions, bell peppers, and the white and light colored part of the scallions. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, half of the corn, 2 cups of water, salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Bring to a boil, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the remaining corn and the milk and blend until smooth.
  • Stir the corn-milk puree into the soup and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
  • Finely chop the dark green parts of the scallions. Just before serving, sprinkle the scallions, Cheddar cheese, and bacon bits over the soup.

Tomato and Basil Oven Bake

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Tomato and Basil Oven Bake

Recipe courtesy Sabina Tervorren (mother of Anna – an exchange student from Germany) and further modified by Carl Fisher
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 8 medium tomatoes sliced ½ inch thick
  • ¾ pound mozzarella cheese sliced
  • 3 sprigs basil fresh, 1 or 2 packages
  • 2 TBL olive oil
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • In a 9×13 pan place a layer of sliced tomatoes, a layer of fresh basil, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, salt and pepper. Continue layering until tomatoes are completely used (will be two or three layers – depending on the size of the tomatoes). Drizzle the olive oil over the final layer of basil. Place the sliced mozzarella cheese as the top layer.
  • Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until cheese browns.
  • Serve with hard rolls to soak up the delicious juice on the bottom of the pan.

Root Veggies, Roasted

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Root Vegetables, Roasted

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Combination of Some or All of the Following

  • carrot
  • Potato
  • Sweet Potato
  • cauliflower
  • brussels sprouts
  • onion
  • sweet bell pepper red or green, large slices
  • mushrooms quartered or halved
  • Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder to taste
  • olive oil

Instructions

  • Cut your veggies into bit size, roughly the same size pieces. Coat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic salt.
  • Bake at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes.

Banana Banana Bread

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Banana Banana Bread

“Why compromise the banana flavor? This banana bread is moist and delicious with loads of banana flavor!
Servings: 12

Ingredients

  • 2 cup flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 medium egg beaten
  • 2 1/3 cups banana mashed and overripe, about 5 bananas

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
  • In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
  • You can consider adding some cinnamon and walnuts OR 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Sticky Pull-Apart Bread

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Sticky Pull-Apart Bread

Recipe courtesy of The Pillsbury Doughboy's Kids Cookbook . This recipe comes from Megan’s first cookbook and has become a Fisher family favorite at Thanksgiving and other holidays. The recipe is easy and has never failed to satisfy.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 16

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar firmly packed
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 package hot roll mix
  • 1/3 cup raisins or dried currants
  • 1 medium egg
  • 1 cup water heated to 120 to 130 degrees F
  • 2 TBL butter softened
  • flour
  • shortening
  • ¼ cup butter

Instructions

  • Measure, level off with spatula and place sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Stir together and set aside. In a large bowl, place flour and yeast from box mix, currants or raisins and stir until well mixed. Add beaten egg to flour mixture and stir. Measure and add hot water and 2 TBL butter. Stir until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
  • Place dough on lightly floured surface and with greased or floured hand, shape dough into a ball and knead for 5 minutes. Cover dough with large bowl and let it rest for 5 minutes. While waiting, generously grease a 12 cup Bundt pan with shortening. Melt ¼ cup butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Set aside.
  • With a knife, cut dough into 4 even parts and then cut each part into 8 pieces. You’ll have 32 evenly sized pieces when done. Form each piece into a ball. Dip each ball into the melted butter, then in the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place balls in greased Bundt pan. Sprinkle any remaining mixture on tip.
  • Cover dough with sheet of plastic wrap and cloth towel. Place pan in warm place (80 to 85 degrees) to let the dough rise for 30 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. When dough has finished rising, bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately turn it upside down onto serving plate. Remove pan.

Flank Steak

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This recipe is one that has been in the family since the early 1990’s. We got it from the Kraft Olympic Training Table Cookbook (1992) which has long since been given to Goodwill. We still love the recipe.

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Flank Steak

Recipe courtesy Kraft Olympic Training Table Cookbook (1992)
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cup Catalina dressing Kraft brand
  • 4 TBL lime juice
  • 2 TBL honey
  • 1 TBL lime peel grated
  • 2 clove garlic minced
  • 2 pound beef flank steak

Instructions

  • Mix dressing, juice, honey, peel, and garlic. Pour over steak and completely coat the meat. Cover and refrigerate for 8-12 hours, turning occasionally. Cook on grill on high heat for 5 minutes per side (for medium rare) using the leftover marinade as a baste. Allow meat to rest 5-10 minutes before cutting. Cut across the grain in thin (1/4 inch) slices.