Recipes from grandma’s kitchen, tractor magazines and other cozy places are ushering us through this season of quarantine as folks seek comfort in home-cooking. Here’s the first installment of a smattering of clergy favorites as they ride out the weeks in front of their ovens, blenders, grills and ultimately their tables.  Enjoy!

It Has Tots Y’all, ‘Nuff Said!

Tater Tot Casserole

The Rev. Matthew Frick, St. Mathias, Athens 

This is a true Midwestern delicacy and one that if you’re not careful might just turn you Lutheran! Most people up north have their own version of it and you can tailor it to your tastes. My version, to the best of my recollection comes from my Grandmother’s cookbook “Favorite Recipes of Lutheran Ladies: Casseroles” from 1968.  If you want to make it a true one-dish meal, add a can of green beans to the mix. Very easy to make and good all year long, especially on rainy days.

Ingredients

Cooking Directions

Just Like Mom Used to Make

Chili and Seashells

The Rev. Nancy Powers, St. John's Pottsboro

My mom used to make this (4 kids) and it's a great way to use up some of those cans we bought when we were "stocking up" for the quarantine.  

1, 15 oz can Wolf brand chili (no beans)

8 oz medium shells or other pasta

Cook both according to package directions; combine in casserole dish.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  Cover with thin slices of Velveeta and cook an additional 5 minutes.  Yum.  

Plow the Back 40 then Make Lunch

Pork Tacos

The Rt. Rev. Paul Lambert, Retired Bishop 

This recipe comes from the Tractor Supply magazine I get each month. The marinade is the secret and the length of time marinating is important. It not only smells great while cooking, it tastes wonderful. I like to make my own corn tortillas from scratch- they are the best. Enjoy! I do! God bless and “bon appetite”!

In a blender, blend pineapple juice, chipotle peppers, garlic, salt and pepper to make a marinade.

Pour marinade int a large plastic bag and add pork shoulder, onions and reserved pineapple chunks. Refrigerate for at least six hours or overnight.

When ready to cook, pour pork and marinade into a 6-quart slow cooker and cook on high for 4.5 hours or low for 8 hours, until pork is tender. 

Pull pork apart using a fork. Serve on tortillas with desired toppings. 

St. Patrick’s Day, Any Day

Corned Beef and Cabbage

The Rev. Rosemary Trei, St. Luke's, Dallas

St Patrick’s Day was a bit different this year…near the start of the shelter-in-place restrictions.  But the aroma of this recipe cooking all day in the crock pot reminded us that not everything was different…we could still celebrate a special day in a special way! The flavor from the orange peel makes a wonderful difference! Charlie found this recipe a few years ago, and it is truly a favorite. 

Use a large Crock Pot (6qt). Place onions in Crock Pot. Trim fat from brisket, leaving a small amount for flavor.  If necessary, cut meat to fit into the Crock Pot, placing meat on top of onions.  In a bowl, combine apple juice, brown sugar, orange peel, mustard, and cloves; pour over brisket.  Place cabbage on top of the meat.  Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours (can cook on high for 5-6 hours). Serves 4-6 people, depending on how hungry you are after smelling the wonderful aroma all day!  Charlie usually boils some small red potatoes, in some of the broth in a fry pan, to add to the meal. 

Not Your Presiding Bishop Curry Casserole 

Curry Divan Casserole

The Rt. Rev. James Stanton, retired Bishop and his wife, Diane

Diane and I shared the experience of traveling around the world as college students. Although on different semester cruises, we each got to visit India and both loved our experiences there. Somewhere along the line, Diane came up with an Indian inspired recipe that we loved and that became a staple in our family. Here it is: 

Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Spray Pam into large casserole dish.

Ingredients:

Directions: 

Cook rice according to package directions.

Mix soup, mayonnaise and curry in medium bowl.

Place rice in bottom of casserole.

Spread broccoli over rice; spread ham next then cheese.

Spread sauce mixture evenly over casserole then lightly sprinkle parmesan cheese over top.

Bake for 45 minutes until lightly browned on top.

Serve with salad of romaine lettuce, mandarin oranges, avocado, green onion and slivered roasted almonds.  Toss with wine vinegar dressing.

Enjoy!  

Pro Tip: Pair With Wine

Beef Short Ribs, Mashed Potatoes, Garlicky Spinach, Roasted Carrots 

The Rev. Matthew Burdette, St. Christopher's, Dallas 

My wife, Evie, and I have been blessed to be able to host Trent Pettit while he’s in town, before he heads back to Gambella, Ethiopia. Quarantine has come with the additional blessing of having to find new routines; so we have been having family style meals three times a day, which is a joy. In my house, I do all the cooking and select the wine. One favorite meal recently was mushroom and red wine braised beef short ribs, served with mashed potatoes, garlicky spinach, and roasted carrots.

The recipe for the ribs was strangely simple: beef ribs, some sprigs of rosemary, half an onion, one carrot, three cups of mushrooms, a cup of red wine (that one would drink!), salt, pepper, and patience. 

Mashed Potatoes:

Spinach:

Carrots:

May the Light of God’s Countenance Shine Upon Italy

Rustic Italian Bread

The Rev. Victoria Heard, Redeemer, Irving 

This bread, like church, has an ostensibly simple recipe:  five cups of bread flour, yeast, water, two teaspoons of salt and, ecco! -- Rustic Italian bread!  Except, of course, it requires details that are not devilish, but are very, very detailed and it takes two days. It is easily, the best bread I have ever baked.  It is also a challenge:  like a church plant before it goes public: the sequence is critical and timing is longer than expected.

You have to make a pre-existing “sponge” which then needs to be chilled overnight, warmed and combined with new flour and new yeast and at last water and salt.  Then, three rises.  The baker must poke and gently knead, and then, wait until there is a final large sprawling product that looks nothing like a loaf of Pepperidge Farm, but, then, again, tastes nothing like one either.  It tastes like the amazing bread that I used to buy downtown in the center market of Vicenza, Italy, when I lived in Italy and would venture into bakeries and buy loaves of miraculous taste.

Smells Heavenly

Cinnamon Rolls

The Rev. Casey Shobe, Transfiguration

Like many, I’ve been baking quite a bit more than usual. The feeling of it, both in the making and the eating, is deeply comforting. Last week I made cinnamon rolls from scratch, from a NY Times recipe.

My kids are certainly happy with this new practice, but I’m worried I’ll size out of all my pants before I can leave my house to shop for more!

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE DOUGH:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 ¼ teaspoons/7 grams active dry yeast (1/4-ounce envelope)
• 4 cups/510 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 6 tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter, melted
• Nonstick spray or vegetable oil, for the bowl

FOR THE FILLING AND ASSEMBLY:

• 1 ¼ cups/250 grams light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup/114 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
• 3 cups/362 grams confectioners' sugar
• 5 to 6 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream

PREPARATION

1. Make the dough: Warm milk in a small pot over medium heat until it’s warm to the touch but not yet simmering (110 degrees). Add 2 tablespoons sugar and the yeast, whisking to dissolve and break up any clumps. Let sit until it’s slightly foamy and starting to bubble, about 2 to 5 minutes. (If this doesn’t happen after about 5 minutes, check the expiration date on the yeast; it might be dead.)
2. Meanwhile, combine flour, the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder and the salt in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly to combine.
3. Add milk mixture, followed by the egg and, with a wooden spoon or the mixer on low, stir to combine, just to eliminate any obviously dry or wet spots. If using the mixer, you may need to scrape the dough off the paddle. Add melted butter and continue to stir until a shaggy lump of dough forms, again scraping down the paddle and helping things along with your hands if necessary to combine.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, or keep in the mixing bowl and change to the dough hook attachment. Knead dough until it’s smooth, shiny and elastic, about 4 or 5 minutes. (You shouldn't have to add any more flour at this point, but if the dough seems especially sticky, give it a light dusting.)
5. Lightly grease a large bowl with nonstick spray or vegetable oil and place dough in the bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free area. (If it’s cold outside, on top of the stove is generally a good bet, as long as the burners and oven aren't on.) Let sit until the dough has about doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
6. Punch dough down to release any air that has built up. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, place in the refrigerator and chill the dough for at least an hour (and as long as overnight).
7. Fill the dough and shape the rolls: Once dough is chilled (it should feel firm and no longer flimsy), turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll to a 16 x 10-inch rectangle. The rolled dough will be about 1/4- to 1/3-inch thick.
8. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Brush surface of the dough with half of the melted butter and sprinkle brown sugar mixture in an even layer, patting to make sure it’s sticking. Drizzle with remaining butter.
9. Starting at the end closest to you (the long side of the dough), roll dough up into a tight coil, pressing lightly as you roll to make sure there are no gaps between the dough and the filling.

Cut log into nine even pieces, about 1 3/4-inch thick. Lightly spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and arrange dough in three rows of three pieces each, with the spiral facing upward and with space in between each piece. (At this point, the rolls can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight, if you'd like.)

1. Cover rolls lightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free area until the rolls have puffed (they won't quite double, but they will be noticeably fluffier and closer to touching) and spring back slightly when pressed with your finger, about 1 hour. (If you refrigerated the rolls overnight, this may take 1 1/2 to 2 hours.)
2. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place rolls in oven and bake until they are golden brown and fluffy and the sugar has started to bubble up around the edges, caramelizing on the sides of the buns, about 32 to 35 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the glaze: combine confectioners' sugar and milk and whisk until it is thick but can still be drizzled, like a thinner frosting. (If the glaze is still too thick, thin with more milk by the teaspoonful to get desired consistency.) Keep in mind the glaze is to be applied while buns are warm, and it will thin out upon contact, so it’s best to err on the thicker side.
4. Once rolls are out of the oven, drizzle with the powdered sugar glaze and let cool slightly in the pan before digging in.