Behind the Summer Specials

As I write this, a second sweltering 90+ degree day is in the forecast and all I can say is ...FINALLY!

Not that I like a lot of these super hot and humid days. (Days when your hair wilts and makeup runs within 3 seconds of going outside are not my favorite.) But we need at least a few of these days to really get the summer experience.

I originally planned to add some lighter, summer-friendly items to the menu back in June, but let's face it. Weeks of high-60s, low-70s didn't feel very summery.

So July it is.

Grill-Friendly Stuffed Peppers
Jumbo green peppers stuffed with seasoned ground beef, brown rice, tomatoes, onion and garlic, topped with sharp cheddar cheese.

You may be wondering if stuffed peppers technically qualify as a casserole. Well, I say any baked, one-dish meal is a casserole -- and this definition backs up my assertion.

You use the oven, though I HIGHLY recommend warming the peppers on the grill. It adds a delicious smoky flavor that'll make your eyes roll back in pure bliss. Grill these babies right in the aluminum delivery pan and cleanup is a snap.

Auntie B's Chickpea Ratatouille

Fresh eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes and zucchini are roasted with garlic and onions in extra virgin olive oil, then tossed with chickpeas and seasoned with salt, pepper and fresh basil. You can roast this dish in your oven or out on the grill. 

It's taken me a while to find a ratatouille recipe I like and that the kids will eat. Years ago, I had the idea to jazz up our Friday Movie Night with a screening of Disney's Ratatouille and a delicious ratatouille dinner. I don't know if it was me or the recipe, but nobody wanted to eat the bowl of gray mush I made -- not even me. 

A good friend, who happens to be a vegetarian and a great cook to boot, offered me her tried-and-true ratatouille recipe. One taste and I was hooked. And you will be too.  

Champagne Salad
Tender greens and baby spinach are tossed with red seedless grapes, pecans and blue cheese crumbles and served with a deliciously sweet and tangy champagne vinaigrette. With or without chicken, this salad is great on the side or as a meal on its own.

Buttermilk Star Biscuits
Made-from-scratch buttermilk biscuits are rolled and cut by hand, then baked to a beautiful golden brown. Simply warm for a few minutes on a cookie sheet for the perfect complement to any meal. Order a half or full dozen.

Ahhh, Cream City Casseroles' soon-to-be famous Buttermilk Star Biscuits. These are jumbo versions of the biscuits that top Hubby's Creamy Chicken and Biscuits. These biscuits are light, flaky and buttery. (Three of my favorite words. Ever.)

Why stars? Well, there's a story about that.

So, with the addition of several new items, I put a few of my heavier/heartier entrees on hiatus until cool weather returns. It was hard to decide which recipes to pull temporarily -- a bit like picking your favorite (or least favorite) child. Don't worry, if you don't see your Cream City Casseroles fav, it won't be gone for long.

On an unrelated note, I have GREAT news to share: Cream City Casseroles is one of 3 early-stage finalists in Wisconsin's Hottest Kitchen Entrepreneur Challenge!

The grand prize winner receives a cash prize, tuition for a 3-credit MATC course, a private meeting with food and beverage industry executives and one-year membership in FaB Wisconsin, a prize pack from Fein Brothers and more.

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Back to School Sanity Saver

Oh boy. It's almost time to head back to school.

I know some moms who celebrate the day the first day of school. They're so eager to get the kids out of the house and into a structured schedule, they're sipping mimosas in the driveway as the first bus pulls away.

The lazy days of summer have transformed their once well-behaved, well-groomed kids into crazed wildebeests who, when they're not sleeping til noon, trash the house, empty the fridge and send the electric bill soaring.

Other moms dread the first day of classes. To them, the school year is limiting and oppressive. Their weeknights are spent helping elementary school kids with piles of homework, and school sports and extracurriculars dominate the family calendar. They wonder if they'll ever get a day to themselves again.

I fall somewhere in between.

One of my biggest challenges with our back-to-school schedule is making dinner while simultaneously helping my son with math, keeping my preschooler entertained and figuring out who's going to pick up the high school kids from practice.

I'm pretty good at multitasking, but our school year schedule really tests my limits. From September through early June, we're lucky if we eat by 6-6:30 p.m. -- and I'm lucky if I'm not still cleaning up the kitchen at 7:30 or 8.

I love to cook, but I don't like having to cook under duress. And the school year seems to add plenty of duress.

My frustration with the 'daily grind,' as I call it, is what led me to launch Cream City Casseroles. I want to serve my family tasty homemade meals, but it can be so hard to get it on the table on those busy weeknights. And, by the time the weekend rolls around, I'm pooped and need a break.

I have always marveled at parents who can do this (below), but sadly, I'm not one of them. At least not before Cream City Casseroles.

Having an oven-ready casserole (or two) in the freezer is a godsend during the school year. I can pop dinner in the oven -- without any prep -- and help with homework, read to the little one or run out to quickly pick up someone from practice. 

Sometimes, wile dinner's heating, I even sit down, put up my feet and (gasp!) relax!

And after we've eaten, cleanup is a snap. I simply package leftovers for tomorrow's lunch, then rinse and recycle the oven-safe delivery pan. 

Voila: A stress-less dinner!

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Worst Potluck Contest

Potluck. The very word harbors mixed emotions.

I love a good potluck. Surveying a table full of diverse culinary delights can be thrilling for a foodie like me. The options appear endless. So many dishes. So much possibility. Try a little of this and a big scoop of that -- nobody judges when you go back for seconds or even thirds!

In fact, the more food you take, the prouder the participants. Everyone's eager to show off their mad culinary skills. And there's simply no higher praise than an empty pan of secret-recipe baked beans, pasta salad or lemon bars. 

Everyone brings their A game to a potluck.

Right? Wrong.

There may be no worse hell than a poorly executed potluck.

In my experience, a good potluck can go bad for any number of reasons, but it boils down to the big three:

• Bad food - It's rough when potluck participants phone it in. Best case: A bag of stale chips and canned nacho dip. Worse case: potato salad of mysterious origin/expiration date.
• Under or over-organization - Ever been to a potluck with no plates? I have. Or perhaps you've dealt with a Potluck Czar who tells you what to bring and how to display it. I honestly don't know which is worse.
• Lack of enthusiasm - How about the ghost-town potluck. People bring decent food, but they plate up and run away to eat in their cubicle, backs turned to avoid human interaction. So anti-social. So weird.

I'll never forget a bad potluck I suffered through several years ago. I was working for a small technology firm when I received a cryptic "Food Day" email inviting me to a potluck in the Garden Level break room. (By "Garden Level," I mean basement.)

The company was overrun with computer programmers and data analysts, in this case jobs held primarily by single guys in their early 20s. Even though I was only slightly older, at times I felt more like a Cub Scout Den Mother than a coworker.

And this day was no exception.

The guys, while total wizards in the tech world, were lousy cooks. And they were totally ill-equipped to run a potluck. Most of them were still living on spaghetti-o's and frozen pizza!

Food Day arrived and the table was set. The spread included 10 jumbo-sized bags of tortilla chips (no dip), a small bucket of fast food fried chicken and a bowl of white rice. When I arrived, the guys were congratulating the rice guy on cooking "from scratch."

The food was disappointing to say the least, but the potluck was successful in one aspect: It brought people together. And that's what food should do. Breaking bread with each other is one of the oldest ways to build and strengthen relationships.

A customer recently ordered a large pan of our Classic Shepherd's Pie for a potluck. He told me he wanted to contribute to the spread, but didn't know how to cook. He said he thought it was best to leave the cooking to an expert, which is why he called Cream City Casseroles.

I carefully explained how to heat the casserole, offered suggestions to keep it warm during the event and wished him luck. I never heard back on how it went, and honestly, I'm DYING to know.

I'd like to think his dish was the belle of the ball and that he went home with an empty pan. Regardless, it's rewarding knowing I set him up for success.

** POTLUCK HORROR STORY CONTEST **

Have a potluck horror story to share? If so, enter it in the comments. The most cringe-worthy story wins a free insulated Cream City Casseroles tote bag.

Entries due Oct. 30. The winner will be announced on Halloween. 

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