Home life — working, taking care of the kids, figuring out the spring garden, getting to all those DIY projects we’ve put off for years, binge-watching into the wee hours, coming home from an essential frontline job.
The coronavirus stay-at-home mandate, through May 30 for Illinois, has upended our lives on so many levels.
And then we’re confronted daily with those dreaded words: What’s for dinner? What’s for breakfast? What’s for lunch?
So we’re heading back to our kitchens, cooking like mad. It’s a joyous exercise for many, a total drag for some, and “I have carry-out on speed-dial” for others.
For the adventurous or the die-hard home cook, what better time to take a deep dive into a favorite cookbook or old family recipe? And what’s better than a good old-fashioned recipe swap to share our favorite dishes — from appetizers to desserts?
Sun-Times staffers get our recipe swap off and running this week. Enjoy!
Spicier Sears Lasagna
My parents loved Sears. Perhaps, it’s because they arrived in the United States at the height of the department store’s popularity or our family’s go-to Six Corners shop was the most convenient. My older sister and I got our first pair of jeans — Toughskins — from Sears. Our first bike and swing-set, Sears. Naturally, most of our family’s first appliances were from the Sears-based Kenmore line. Our Sears blender’s instructions came with a lasagna recipe my mom tried, improvising by adding onions, garlic, herbs and crushed pepper to the ground beef. Sometimes, she would chop Serrano peppers and place it inside and on top of a portion of the lasagna to make it extra spicy for my dad. My family still plays around with different herbs and spices when we cook the ground beef to give the dish a little kick. — Rummana Hussain, Assistant Metro Editor, Chicago Sun-Times
Spicier ‘Sears’ Lasagna
Makes 6-8 servings
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Ingredients:
9 lasagna noodles
1 pound ground beef (soy crumbles can be substituted for vegetarians)
1 medium to large onion, chopped
16 oz. sour cream
16 oz. cottage cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 oz. plus 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
24 oz. can of spaghetti sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
½ tablespoon oregano
½ tablespoon basil
1 to 2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon fresh or dried parsle
Olive oil for frying
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Boil the lasagna noodles, al dente, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a medium-sized saucepan over low heat. Add the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until tender. Turn up the heat to medium and add ground beef or soy meat and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until browned. Add the basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, cumin and salt and pepper. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the spaghetti sauce, lower the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Slowly mix half of the sour cream and half of the cottage cheese in a blender. Add the remaining sour cream and cottage cheese and blend until creamy. Slowly add in 1/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 1/4 teaspoon salt and blend for 2 to t3 minutes.
5. Layer 3 of the lasagna noodles in a 9 X 12 greased pan, and overlap if necessary. Spoon half of the meat sauce mix on top of the noodles. Ladle or spoon half of the sour cream and cottage cheese mixture on top of the meat. Add another layer of 3 lasagna noodles and repeat with remainder meat sauce and sour cream/cottage cheese mix. Layer the last 3 lasagna noodles on top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and parsley flakes.
6. Bake in oven, uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the top of the lasagna is golden brown. Let stand for at least 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Chicken Noodle Soup
This is my husband’s chicken noodle soup recipe he modified from one he learned from his Grandma. We make big batches and have it for lunch all week. You can conveniently store it in mason jars in the fridge. — Akiko Spencer, Sports Design Editor, Chicago Sun-Times
Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
Makes 12 servings (recipe can be cut in half)
- 5 - 6 (depending on size) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 26 cups of chicken broth
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- 1 lb of pasta (fusilli or similar)
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
For the Chicken:
In a large pan begin heating 2 cups of chicken broth and add all of the chicken. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes, covered. Flip Chicken frequently and add additional broth as needed. (If using frozen chicken, add 10 extra minutes). Once chicken is cooked through and able to shred with a fork, remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Once chicken is cooled, shred with a fork and set aside.
For the Soup:
Put 24 cups of broth in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for half of the required cooking time. Add the shredded chicken, carrots, celery and onions. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remover from heat. Add Italian parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
Store in mason jars in the fridge for easy lunches and snacks.
Zach’s Famous Pulled Pork
I’ve been smoking pulled pork this way since about 2013. My dad and I attended a dinner/BBQ class and learned how to make pulled pork, brisket and ribs, and I’ve spent the time since then adjusting and perfecting my recipe. I also spend a lot of time reading about different BBQing techniques, which I use to up my game. I like this recipe because it’s pretty basic, but makes a moist, smoky pulled pork with a nice bark, and it makes lots of leftovers. — Zach Kalmus, Manager | Prepress Ops + Adservice, Chicago Sun-Times
Ingredients:
8+ lb. pork shoulder (I typically try and use 10-12 lb. pork shoulders)
FOR THE RUB:
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup paprika
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Injection Marinade:
- 1 cup apple juice/apple cider
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
Directions
Step 1: Bring your grill/smoker up to 275°
Step 2: While your smoker is heating up. Put the pork shoulder in a pan and inject the marinade into the pork shoulder using multiple injections points and in all directions.
Step 3: Drizzle the rub on the outside of the pork shoulder, until it is generously covered.
Step 4: Place the pork shoulder in your smoker. Add several chunks of wood to the coals. I use hickory, cherry or apple.
Step 5: I use a leave-in meat thermometer, placed in the center of the pork shoulder, near the bone. Smoke the pork shoulder for 8 hours, or until the internal temp reaches 190°-205° — the longer the better, especially if there is a lot of fat on the cut of meat.
Step 6: Once desired temp is reached, pull meat off the smoker and wrap in foil. Let rest for an hour. After the hour is up, unwrap the pork and shred using two forks, or shredding claws, if you have a set.
Put the shredded pork on a bun and douse it in your favorite sauce and enjoy!