2/6/19
Cook’s Corner
Betty
Kaiser
Cottage
cheese is one of those foods that you either like or you don’t. My family loved
the creamy white blob, but my husband’s family couldn’t tolerate it. I didn’t
know that. So, as a very young newlywed, my first dinner dish was a disaster. Read
on.
One
of the first dinners that I prepared as a new bride was all the rage. It was
called “California Casserole.” Everyone I knew loved it and so did my husband. The
first time I prepared the dish, he scarfed it down and asked me about the
ingredients. I innocently recited the ground beef, noodles, tomato sauce, etc.
Everything
was fine until I said, “cottage cheese and sour cream.” Well, you would have
thought I had declared WWIII. Turns out his father was a very picky eater and
despised most things dairy. Cottage
cheese and sour cream were banned from the Kaiser table and now ours. Chuck and
his brothers had grown up hating food that they had never tasted.
Well,
after I dried my tears, I towed the line for a while and removed them from my
menu list. That severely crimped my style. So, slowly but surely, I found ways
to incorporate the banned foods into our diet.
I just didn’t tell Chuck what he was eating! Now, he even happily eats
cottage cheese on fruit and a sour cream onion dip suits him fine.
Cottage
cheese is one of the most versatile things in my frig. I buy the 2% low fat
carton that has fewer carbs (1%) but 13 grams of protein. It still tastes rich
and creamy and is great in casseroles, scones, pancakes, waffles, a filling for
crepes or eaten alone.
The
California Casserole is now very popular and I have previously printed it so I
won’t repeat myself. Recently I was hungry for macaroni and cheese and came
upon the following recipe. I think it’s one of the best mac and cheese dishes
ever. Give it a try. The scones recipe calls for cutting them like biscuits. I
prefer the usual pie sliced way. It’s your choice. Enjoy!
CREAMY MACARONI and CHEESE
Serves 6
3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
6 tablespoons butter divided
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups milk
8 ounces Velveeta
cheese, cubed
1-1/3 cups cottage cheese
2/3 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
divided
1-1/2 cups soft bread crumbs
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cook macaroni according to package
directions. Drain the macaroni and place it in a greased 9x13 baking pan.
In a medium saucepan, melt 4
tablespoons butter. Add the flour, salt and sugar, then stir until
smooth.
Gradually add in the milk, stirring
constantly. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until the mixture
has thickened. Reduce the heat to low.
Stir in the Velveeta cheese until
melted.
Stir in cottage cheese, sour cream and
1 cup cheddar cheese until melted.
Pour the cheese mixture over macaroni.
Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar cheese.
Melt remaining butter and toss with
bread crumbs; sprinkle over top the casserole.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes
or until golden brown.
SAVORY SCALLION AND CHEESE SCONES
Makes 8-19 scones
1
cup cottage cheese
4
tablespoons milk, plus more for brushing on top
2½
cups all-purpose flour
1
tablespoon baking powder
¾
teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
6
tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and diced
3
scallions (or green onions) thinly sliced; about ½ cup
Preheat
oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Puree
the cottage cheese and milk together until smooth in a blender or food
processor; set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and black
pepper in a large bowl.
Cut
in the butter with a fork or using two butter knives until it looks like coarse
meal. Add the scallions and stir in the cottage cheese puree. (The dough should
come together, but not be too wet; if the dough is still too crumbly, you can
add milk a little at a time until it comes together.)
Shape
the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disk; wrap it in plastic wrap and
chill 10 minutes in the freezer.
Turn
the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll or press the dough out to a
circle about 7 to 8 inches in diameter and ¾ inch thick. Use a floured 2½ inch
round cookie cutter to stamp out the scones, then gather up the dough scraps
and repeat as necessary (you should get about 8 to 10 scones).
Transfer
the scones to the prepared baking sheet, lightly brush the tops with a little
milk, and bake until puffed and light golden brown on top and bottom, about 14
to 16 minutes. Serve warm with butter.
Contact Betty Kaiser’s
Cook’s Corner by email bchatty@bettykaiser.com
