Various Sources: Kyuri no Tataki (Beaten Cucumber), Kabocha no Nimono (Sake Simmered Kabocha Squash), Asparagasu no Goma Ae (Asparagus with Sesame), Horensou no Ohitashi (Spinach with Bonito), Tōsutogoma Shio to Uzura no Tamago (Quail Eggs with Toasted Sesame Salt)

I've always loved bentos. There's something about the fact that so many little tidbits are packed into such a small container. You get so many different choices and flavors, all in one neat package.

Well, I just went to a Japanese grocery store near me for the first time, so I stocked up on all sorts of fabulous goodies. It also seems like fate, since a couple of days before, I happened to pick up a couple of Japanese cookbooks that I liked. So with a full refrigerator and some great inspiration, I decided to make some side dishes for a great little bento to accompany my curry rice main dish.

In the picture, clockwise from the top, I made braised kabocha squash, "beaten" cucumbers, asparagus with sesame seeds (I was out of sesame seeds of course), quail eggs with toasted sesame salt, and spinach with bonito flakes.

Kabocha no Nimono (Sake Simmered Kabocha Squash)
From Debra Samuels

1 small or ½ medium kabocha squash
1 cup dashi stock
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon sake
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Dash of sea salt

Wash the squash and cut in half. With a spoon, scrape out the seeds and stringy parts of the squash.  Cut the squash into 2-inch chunks (they don’t have to be uniform), leaving the skin on.

In a medium saucepan, add the dashi stock and turn on heat to medium-high.  Add squash to the pan in one layer and then add the sugar and sake.  Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit just inside the pan (or use a wooden drop lid). Press atop the squash and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the squash is soft (a toothpick should go into the squash easily) and the liquid is almost entirely absorbed.

Add the soy sauce and salt and stir to coat the squash. Simmer an additional 2 minutes, covered again with the parchment (or drop lid).  Remove from the pan and use the reduced pan liquid as a glaze to brush on the cooked squash.

Kyuri no Tataki (Beaten Cucumber)
From Harumi Kurihara

3 Japanese cucumbers or 5 Persian cucumbers, ends trimmed
Scant ¼ cup (50ml) shoyu (soy sauce)
Scant ¼ cup (50ml) rice vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons sesame oil
A couple pinches red pepper flakes

In a medium bowl, combine the shoyu, vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil. Whisk until sugar has dissolved and set aside.

With a rolling pin, smash the cucumbers, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Put the cucumbers in a plastic bag and pour in the shoyu mixture. Add the red pepper flakes and squeeze the air out as much as you can and seal the bag. Massage a bit, then place in the refrigerator for 2–3 hours.

Asparagasu no Goma Ae (Asparagus with White Sesame Seeds)
Adapted from Just Hungry blog

About 20 medium-thick asparagus stalks
3 tablespoons white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons mirin
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Trim the hard woody part off the base of the asparagus stalks. Cut the stalks in approximately 2-inch long pieces.

Bring a pan of slightly salted water to boil. Put in the asparagus stalk pieces in first, reserving the tips. Cook until bright green and still slightly crisp, a couple of minutes. Add the reserved asparagus tips and cook an additional couple of minutes. Drain, and blanch briefly in cold water. Drain well and set aside.

Roast the sesame seeds in a small dry frying pan over medium-high heat until the seeds start to pop. Immediately remove and leave a couple of minutes to let cool. Add the sugar, mirin, and soy sauce to the sesame seeds. Toss with the asparagus and serve.

Tōsutogoma Shio to Uzura no Tamago (Quail Eggs with Toasted Sesame Salt)
Adapted from Gourmet magazine, April 1999

¼ cup sesame seeds
Heaping ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
16 quail eggs

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a baking pan spread seeds evenly and toast, stirring once halfway through toasting, until deep golden, about 12 minutes. Cool seeds and in a food processor pulse with salt until coarsely ground. Sesame salt may be made 2 weeks ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.

In a saucepan cover eggs with cold water by 1 inch and bring just to a boil. Remove pan from heat and let eggs stand, covered, for 7 minutes. Drain water from pan and run cold water over eggs, cracking shells against side of pan. Peel eggs. Serve eggs with salt.

Makes 4 servings

Horensou no Ohitashi (Spinach with Bonito Flakes)
From Setsuko Yoshizuka

1 pound fresh spinach, washed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ cup dashi stock
½ cup katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)

Boil lots of water in a large pot. Add a pinch of salt in the water. Put spinach in the boiling water from the stem side. Boil spinach for about one minute. Drain and soak the spinach in water to cool. Drain and squeeze the spinach to remove the excess liquid. Cut spinach into about 1 inch lengths. Serve spinach in a large bowl or into individual small bowls. Pour mixture of soy sauce and dashi over the spinach. Sprinkle katsuobushi on top.

Makes 4 servings

The Splendid Table: Lasagne Verdi all'Emiliana (Spinach Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna)

Apparently I'm bored, because I decided I wanted to make a lasagne with fresh spinach pasta. I mean, I have never made pasta before. And my history with lasagne always involved no-boil dried noodles and plastic tubs of ricotta cheese. This lasagne had neither. And of course it also gave me an excuse to order a Marcato Atlas 150 pasta machine with a motor to go on the side.  New toy!

Everything came together really well (after about two days of slaving in the kitchen). The pasta was amazing...soft, tender, and nothing like the reconstituted dried noodles that I normally use. The rest of the sauces I wasn't a huge fan of. I'm more of a ricotta and tomato sauce girl, but at least I have a new toy to play with.

Lasagne Verdi all'Emiliana (Spinach Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna)

From The Splendid Table by Lynne Kasper

10 quarts salted water
1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna (recipe follows)
1 recipe Béchamel Sauce (recipe follows)

1 recipe Country Style Ragu (recipe follows)
1 cup (4 ounces) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Have all the sauces, rewarmed gently over a medium heat, and the pasta at hand. Have a large perforated skimmer and a large bowl of cold water next to the stove. Spread a double thickness of paper towels over a large counter space. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil or butter a 3-quart shallow baking dish.

Bring the salted water to a boil. Drop about four pieces of pasta in the water at a time. Cook about 2 minutes. If you are using dried pasta, cook about 4 minutes, taste, and cook longer if necessary. The pasta will continue cooking during baking, so make sure it is only barely tender. Lift the lasagne from the water with a skimmer, drain, and then slip into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking. When cool, lift out and dry on the paper towels. Repeat until all the pasta is cooked.

Spread a thin layer of béchamel over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a layer of about four overlapping sheets of pasta over the béchamel. Spread a thin layer of béchamel (about 3 or 4 spoonfuls) over the pasta, and then an equally thin layer of the ragu. Sprinkle with about 1½ tablespoons of the béchamel and about ⅓ cup of the cheese. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with béchamel sauce and topping with a generous dusting of cheese.

Cover the baking dish lightly with foil, taking care not to let it touch the top of the lasagne. Bake 40 minutes, or until almost heated through. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until hot in the center (test by inserting a knife – if it comes out very warm, the dish is ready). Take care not to brown the cheese topping. It should be melted, creamy looking and barely tinged with a little gold. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the lasagne rest for about 10 minutes. Then serve. This is not a solid lasagne, but a moist one that slips a bit when it is cut and served.

Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)
2 jumbo eggs
10 ounces fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 6 ounces frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3½ cups all-purpose flour

Mound the flour in the center of your work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and spinach. Use a wooden spoon to beat together the eggs and spinach. Then gradually start incorporating shallow scrapings of flour from the sides of the well into the liquid. As you work more and more flour into the liquid, the well’s sides may collapse. Use a pastry scraper to keep the liquids from running off and to incorporate the last bits of flour into the dough. Don’t worry if it looks like a hopelessly rough and messy lump.

With the aid of the scraper to scoop up unruly pieces, start kneading the dough. Once it becomes a cohesive mass, use the scraper to remove any bits of hard flour on the work surface – these will make the dough lumpy. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Its consistency should be elastic and a little sticky. If it is too sticky to move easily, knead in a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, or until the dough has become satiny, smooth, and very elastic. It will feel alive under your hands. Do not shortcut this step. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it relax at room temperature 30 minutes to 3 hours.

If using an extra-long rolling pin work with half the dough at a time. With a regular-length rolling pin, roll out a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest of the dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. Shape it into a ball and begin rolling out to form a circle, frequently turning the disc of dough a quarter turn. As it thins outs, start rolling the disc back on the pin a quarter of the way toward the center and stretching it gently sideways by running the palms of your hands over the rolled-up dough from the center of the pin outward. Unroll, turn the disc a quarter turn, and repeat. Do twice more.

Stretch and even out the center of the disc by rolling the dough a quarter of the way back on the pin. Then gently push the rolling pin away from you with one hand while holding the sheet in place on the work surface with the other hand. Repeat three more times, turning the dough a quarter turn each time.

Repeat the two processes as the disc becomes larger and thinner. The goal is a sheet of even thickness. For lasagne, the sheet should be so thin that you can clearly see your hand through it and see colours. Cut into rectangles about 4x8 inches. Note: Transparency is a crucial element of lasagne pasta and the dough should be rolled as thinly as possible.

Dry the pasta at room temperature and store in a sealed container or bag.

Béchamel
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2⅔ cups whole milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat. Sift over the flour, whisk until smooth, and then stir (without stopping) for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk a little at a time and keep the mixture smooth. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg.

Country Style Ragu (Ragu alla Contadina)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
1 medium onion, minced
1 medium rib celery with leaves, minced
1 small carrot, minced
4 ounces boneless veal shoulder or round
4 ounces pork loin, trimmed of fat, or 4 ounces mild Italian sausage (made without fennel)
8 ounces beef skirt steak, hanging tender, or boneless chuck blade or chuck center cut (in order of preference)
1 ounce thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma
⅔ cup dry red wine
1½ cups chicken or beef stock (homemade if possible)
2 cups whole milk
3 canned plum tomatoes, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet (frying pan) over medium-high heat. Have a large saucepan handy to use once browning is complete. Add the pancetta and minced vegetables and sauté, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, 10 minutes, or until the onions barely begin to color. Coarsely grind all the meats together, including the prosciutto, in a food processor or meat grinder. Stir into the pan and slowly brown over medium heat. First the meats will give off a liquid and turn dull grey but, as the liquid evaporates, browning will begin. Stir often, scooping under the meats with the wooden spatula. Protect the brown glaze forming on the bottom of the pan by turning the heat down. Cook 15 minutes, or until the meats are a deep brown. Turn the contents of the skillet into a strainer and shake out the fat. Turn them into the saucepan and set over medium heat.

Add the wine to the skillet, lowering the heat so the sauce bubbles quietly. Stir occasionally until the wine has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Scrape up the brown glaze as the wine bubbles. Then pour the reduced wine into the saucepan and set the skillet aside.

Stir ½ cup stock into the saucepan and let it bubble slowly, 10 minutes, or until totally evaporated. Repeat with another ½ cup stock. Stir in the last ½ cup stock along with the milk. Adjust heat so the liquid bubbles very slowly. Partially cover the pot, and cook 1 hour. Stir frequently to check for sticking.

Add the tomatoes, crushing them as they go into the pot. Cook uncovered, at a very slow bubble for another 45 minutes, or until the sauce resembles a thick, meaty stew. Season with salt and pepper.

The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever: Almond Chicken with Broccoli and Cream Sauce

I think I was traumatized by the curry casserole.  No really.  That was a pretty disturbing color and flavor.  And it's pretty rare that something I make is so bad that it ends up in the trash.

But what do you do when you experience something disturbing?  Get back on the horse.  Or in this case, crack open the cookbook and scour it for something that sounds even halfway normal.  Chicken and broccoli and cream is normal, right?  Nothing scary here.  Fingers crossed.

Well, it was a lot of darn work for a so-so payoff.  I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I almost think a can of cream of mushroom soup might have saved this one.  I know, I know, I have blasphemed in the worst way.  But on a high note, this cookbook is going to the used bookstore to find a new home.

Almond Chicken with Broccoli and Cream Sauce
From The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever by Beatrice Ojakangas

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for the dish
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total)
2 cups water
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 large bunch (about 2 pounds) fresh broccoli, trimmed, stems peeled
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons dry sherry
½ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
½ cup whipping cream, whipped until soft peaks form
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
½ cup cornflakes
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
½ cup sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a shallow 9x13-inch baking dish.

Place the chicken breasts into a skillet and add the 2 cups of water and the salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside in the water.

Put the broccoli into a saucepan, add water to cover, and heat to boiling. Continue boiling for 6 to 8 minutes, until just tender. Drain and arrange the broccoli in a single layer in the baking dish.

Remove the chicken from the skillet and strain the broth. Lay the chicken over the broccoli. Return the strained broth to the pan and boil until reduced to 1 cup.

In a saucepan, melt the 3 tablespoons butter and stir in the flour. Whisk in the reduced broth and the milk and cook until the sauce is thickened. Whisk in the sherry, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and tarragon. Fold in the whipped cream and ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese.

Spread the sauce over the chicken and top with the remaining ½ cup Parmesan cheese. (The dish can be assembled ahead up to this point and refrigerated for up to 1 day. After adding the topping, bake for an additional 10 minutes.)

Toss the cornflakes in the melted butter and sprinkle over the casserole. Top with the almonds. Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through and the top of the casserole is lightly browned.

Makes 6 servings

The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread: Monkey Cake

While doing a cookbook review, I came across a recipe for Monkey Cake. It's basically a hummingbird cake at heart, and despite the fact that there's only one of me to slowly snack on such a confection, I knew I had to try it.  Plus there's just something about telling someone that you're eating monkey cake.  Like it's made with monkeys or something.

The cake was actually really easy to make, but when I got to the icing, I was stopped short. The recipe in the book called for making fondant from scratch (including a mandatory overnight resting period). I'm more of an instant gratification person, so I knew the fondant icing was definitely not going to work. Instead I went with my mother's recipe for cream cheese icing from her carrot cake recipe, and the world was at peace.

Monkey Cake
Adapted from The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread by Amy Scherber and Toy Kim Dupree

2¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1¼ cups granulated sugar
1¼ cups canola oil
3 large eggs
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups bananas, ripe, mashed with chunks remaining
1 cup crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
Cream Cheese Frosting

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Grease two 9-inch round cake pans.  Line the bottoms with rounds of baking parchment, then dust them lightly with flour.  Shake out the excess.

In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon and stir briefly on medium-low speed to distribute the ingredients.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla until they are well combined.  Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix on medium-low speed just until all the flour has been moistened (less than 20 seconds).

Add the bananas and pineapple and stir briefly, 20 seconds, on low speed to distribute them evenly.  Then add the pecans and mix again on low speed until just combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.  Do not overmix the batter or the cake will be tough.

Divide the batter equally between the two prepared cake pans.  The pans should be about half full.  Place the pans on the center rack in the preheated oven.  Bake them for 35 to 38 minutes, or until the cake is almost ready to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Cool the pans on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert them onto a wire rack and lift off the pans.  Peel off the parchment and right each layer.  Cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 (1-pound) box powdered sugar (about 3½ cups)
Milk or cream to adjust consistency of frosting, if necessary

Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add the salt and vanilla. Beat in the sugar. Add a teaspoon of milk or cream if the frosting is too stiff to spread; add additional sugar if it's too thin.

The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever: Curried Chicken Breast Casserole

I'm not even sure what to say here.  Hell, I'm not even sure what I was thinking when I picked this doozy.  What the heck is this thing?  This scary monster of a casserole?  It vaguely reminds me of something from a bad 1950's cookbook, but I can't believe they even ate things this horrifying.

Everything in this casserole seems to be at war with everything else.  It just didn't come together.  And maybe the darn thing was supposed to have black olives on top, but since the lovely directions just said "ripe olives", I went with the ones in my refrigerator.  Not that black olives would have saved it.  Plus the rice was hard.  I HATE hard crunchy rice.  Unless I mean for it to turn out that way.  Mmmm....socarrat.

Curried Chicken Breast Casserole
From The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever by Beatrice Ojakangas

1½ cups basmati or another long-grain rice
1½ cup chicken broth
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
¾ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup chopped green onions (white and green parts)
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup pitted ripe olives, quartered
Toasted coconut for serving
Raisins for serving
Dry-roasted peanuts for serving
Mango chutney for serving

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the rice evenly in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish and pour the chicken broth over the rice.

Cut the chicken breasts into 2-inch pieces and dust with 2 tablespoons of the flour. Arrange the pieces on top of the rice and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat the butter in a large nonstick skillet and add the green onions, curry powder, and garlic. Cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir the remaining 2 tablespoons flour into the pan and slowly add the coconut milk, whisking to keep the sauce smooth. Cook until thickened. Add the sugar and lemon juice.

Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover and bake 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is done. Sprinkle with the olives.

Put the coconut, raisins, peanuts, and chutney in small serving dishes and pass at the table.

Makes 6 servings

The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever: Baked Spaghetti Casserole

Have I told you the spaghetti story?  How we ate spaghetti once a week when I was a kid partially to save money but mostly because my dad loves it?  Yeah, well that burned me out on pasta for a long, long, long, long time.  As in my entire adult life so far.  Whenever someone says "want some spaghetti for dinner?", I say "where's the nearest Wendy's?".  Yes, it's that bad.

I figured maybe if I made the spaghetti into a creamy, cheesy casserole I could trick myself into eating it.  Plus, it was my lunch and dinner for a couple of days, so I didn't really have a choice.  Luckily it didn't turn out half bad.  But then again, with two cans of processed soups, I would hope it tasted like sodium heaven.  I'd probably make it again, with some red pepper flakes or something for some heat.

Baked Spaghetti Casserole
From The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever by Beatrice Ojakangas

½ pound spaghetti
1 pound ground beef
½ cup chopped yellow onion
¼ cup chopped green bell pepper
1 (10½-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (11.1-ounce) container creamy tomato soup
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9x13-inch casserole with cooking spray.

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions and drain, but do not rinse.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, onion, and pepper over medium-high heat just until the beef is no longer pink. Add all the remaining ingredients, mix well, and transfer to the prepared casserole.

Cut a sheet of foil and coat with cooking spray. Cover the casserole and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until bubbly.

Makes 6 servings

The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread: Zesty Lemon Bars

Since it was actually relatively warm today (mid-50's is warm, right?), I wanted a little something that would keep the feeling of impending springtime.  And when I think spring, I think lemon.  Lemon with lots of sugar.  Because lemon is pretty sour on it's own.  So really, I think lemon with sugar when it's spring.

Since my oven is crooked and not installed properly, the filling was of course crooked, but I went with it. The recipe says that you shouldn't let the lemon filling brown, but frankly, it was either that or raw egg.  Once the bars had cooled, I cut them and tried them. They're very tart and bright, but not so much that you're sucking your lips from the sourness. The base is actually pretty good, too.

Zesty Lemon Bars
From The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread by Amy Scherber and Toy Kim Dupree

Crust:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold

Topping:
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, slightly beaten
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons plus ¾ teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Position one rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F.  Grease a 9x13-inch pan with softened butter, then line with parchment paper.

To make crust: In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt; process to combine. Add butter to processor and process until mixture is pale yellow and resembles a coarse meal, about 10 seconds. If you don't have a food processor, whisk together flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and work into flour mixture using a pastry blender or your fingers.

Pour crust mixture into prepared baking dish, pressing down with your fingers to create a ¼-inch-thick layer along the bottom and ½-inch up the sides, pressing firmly at the edges to seal. Transfer pan to freezer and freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to oven and bake, rotating pan once during baking, until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the topping: In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, and flour; stir in lemon juice, milk, and salt until well combined.

Remove baking pan from oven. Stir topping and pour into warm crust. Return pan to oven and continue baking until topping is just set but not browned, about 20 minutes.

Transfer baking pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into 20 squares. Serve immediately or wrap each bar tightly with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever: Chicken with Mushrooms and Artichokes

I am definitely on a casserole kick.  I want something warm in my tummy in one dish that doesn't require me to use five hundred pots and pans and trash the whole kitchen.  This isn't exactly that dish, but it's pretty tasty.

Anything with mushrooms makes me happy, and if you add spinach or artichokes, you have me convinced, so I knew I would like this one before I even bought the ingredients.  Although I'm still not entirely sure what the tomatoes on the bottom of the casserole were supposed to be doing, the chicken turned out deliciously tender. I was a little scared that the rice wouldn't cook all the way, but my faith was rewarded.  Not half bad.

Chicken with Mushrooms and Artichokes
From The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever by Beatrice Ojakangas

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for the dish
2 Roma (plum) tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 cups cooked long-grain rice
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound total)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (6-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
½ pound white mushrooms, sliced
5 green onions, chopped (white and green parts)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ cup homemade or prepared chicken broth
½ cup light cream or half-and-half
2 tablespoons dry sherry

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a shallow 2-quart casserole.

Spread the tomato slices and rice over the bottom of the dish. Rinse the chicken breast halves and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and place them in the casserole dish. Cut the drained artichokes in half and place on top of the chicken breasts.

Heat the 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet. Add the mushrooms and green onions and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring. Sprinkle the flour over all and stir to mix. Gradually add the chicken broth, cream, and sherry and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Pour over the chicken in the casserole. (The dish can be prepared ahead to this point, covered, and refrigerated until ready to bake. Add about 10 minutes to the baking time.)

Bake, uncovered, until bubbly and the chicken is cooked through, about 45 to 55 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever: Finnish Salmon Casserole

I love trying new cookbooks.  Especially when they promise me the best of something.  Now I know it will probably turn out to be a lie, because honestly, everyone's idea of best is a little bit different, but I'm willing to spin the roulette wheel.

My mom made tons of casseroles when I was a kid because that was the fastest, easiest way to feed a pack of wild little girls.  Everything in one dish.  Done.  It doesn't get any easier.  We ate tuna noodle casserole, hamburger pie, broccoli and cauliflower casserole...  Ah, nostalgia.

I figured since tuna noodle casserole makes me all warm and fuzzy inside that I would start off my kitchen experiments with a fish casserole.  Now, I'm sure you're thinking that sounds a bit crazy.  Start with fish?  Well, what can I say.  I play with fire.  And it didn't turn out that bad.  Or that good.  It smelled amazing, but tasted like...cardboard.  I'm not in love with salting stuff to death, but this thing needs HELP.  Dill to the rescue?

Finnish Salmon Casserole

From The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever by Beatrice Ojakangas

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for the dish
1 pound salmon or rainbow trout fillet, skinned
3 medium potatoes (about 1 pound)
2 medium white onions
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup whole milk
⅓ cup fine dry breadcrumbs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Butter a shallow 2-quart casserole.

Remove any bones from the fish and cut into 1-inch cubes. Peel the potatoes and cut into matchsticks. Peel the onions and trim off the ends. Cut the onions in half lengthwise. With the cut sides down, cut each half lengthwise into matchsticks.

Put the fish, potatoes, and onions in the casserole and pour the cream and milk over all. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs, dot with the 2 tablespoons butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the potatoes are tender and the breadcrumbs are golden.

Makes 4 servings

Baking: From My Home to Yours: World Peace Cookies

After seeing so much hype for these cookies, I figured it was about time to try them for myself. I mean, I didn't want to miss the cookie train, did I?  Especially when the cookies are the supposed brain child of Pierre Hermé.  Unfortunately, these are not cookies for the impatient.  Since they needed to chill for at least three hours, I made the dough last night and tried to stop thinking about them. I honestly wasn't sure they weren't going to turn out at all since the "dough" was so incredibly crumbly, it was more like a crumb topping than a cookie dough. The final outcome? The cookies are good, kinda sandy, not too sweet. But bringers of world peace? I still vote for the traditional chocolate chip cookie, warm out of the oven.

World Peace Cookies
From Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup (1 stick) plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous ¾ cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

Turn off the mixer. Pour in the dry ingredients, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek — if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don't be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1½ inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you've frozen the dough, you needn't defrost it before baking — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Using a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are ½-inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you're cutting them — don't be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won't look done, nor will they be firm, but that's just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

Makes 36 cookies