Family Time, With Meal & TV All In One

By JANET K. KEELER
St. Petersburg Times
Scripps Howard News Service 

Today we're throwing guilt out the window and suggesting that you celebrate something you do but think you shouldn't.

Gather the family for dinner ... in front of the TV. There was a time when that was the worst thing you could do with the kids, but now, in the age of laptops, cell phones, iPods, texting, Twittering and more, eating by the light of the TV screen seems almost quaint. Remember what a special time that was when Mom set up the rickety metal TV trays? You know, the ones with the Western tableau or hunting scenes. Or the flowers on golden backgrounds. It always felt like you were getting away with something.

If you need more justification: There are new shows to check out (TiVo later programs to watch during the dinner hour) and yet another study has been released that extols the virtues of the family dinner. A new Columbia University study says that teen-agers who eat with their families at least five evenings a week are less likely to drink alcohol and use drugs. It does say they should turn off cell phones and laptops, too. Not a word about the TV, though, which we think offers a communal experience that can actually lead to conversation. How novel.

Here are 10 ideas, fast and flashy, to serve in front of new episodes of whatever you'd like to watch with the family. One rule: Food with fork, spoon or fingers only. No knives, even if your TV trays are more stable than Mom's.

1. Grilled cheese sandwiches and soup

Fast: Cheddar cheese on wheat bread with tomato soup.

Flashy: Add slices of tart Granny Smith apples to the sandwiches and float popcorn croutons on the soup.

2. Hot chicken salad

Fast: Use meat from rotisserie chickens and spring for shredded cheese for King Ranch Chicken Salad Casserole (see recipe).

Flashy: Sub pickled jalapenos and chopped kalamata olives for canned mild chilies and black olives. Add pimentos, too.

3. Breakfast for dinner

Fast: Cheese omelets, frozen hash browns and toast.

(Do not succumb to the temptation of cereal!)

Flashy: Feta and Cauliflower Frittata served with dressed greens (see recipe).

4. Stuffed potatoes

Fast: With slightly cooked broccoli florets and shredded cheddar cheese.

Flashy: Ratatouille and goat cheese.

5. Tuna melts and potato chips

Fast: Tuna salad on wheat with cheddar cheese and Lay's Ruffles potato chips. Cantaloupe wedges, too.

Flashy: Mix thinly sliced fennel and chopped kalamata olives into tuna salad. Mound on toasted English muffins, drape with slices of sharp white cheddar and broil. Open a bag of Pringles Bold Crunch Cheddar Jack chips. Serve a scoop of mixed berries.

6. Pasta

Fast: Penne with store-bought pesto sauce and shredded rotisserie chicken. Crunchy French bread, too.

Flashy: When Penne Met Portobello (see recipe) uses grilled mushrooms to dress up the pasta. With herbed focaccia on the side. (We like the Ecce Panis brand.)

7. Appetizers

Fast: Pick up wings at your favorite spot and augment the offering with cheese and crackers, dip and vegetable crudites and fruit skewers.

Flashy: Jerk chicken seasoning, mango salsa and shrimp elevate sports-bar nachos for your TV night. Spicy Shrimp Nachos (see recipe) just might be part of your regular rotation.

8. Stir-fry

Fast: Pick up a seasoning packet, complete with instructions and ingredient list, where you shop for your Asian foods. Add chicken, beef, seafood or tofu. Eat with chopsticks from bowls held close to your chin.

Flashy: Toss in cashews and serve with pot stickers. (Look for them in the freezer case or at an Asian grocery.)

9. BLTs

Fast: On white bread with the traditional bacon, iceberg lettuce and juicy red tomatoes. Mayo, of course. Serve with potato salad, yours or store-bought.

Flashy: Add avocado slices and basil leaves. Change white bread to nutty oat. Serve with oven fries such as Alexia brand olive oil and sea-salt variety.

10. Quesadillas

Fast: Cheese and refried beans. Cheese and chicken. Cheese and leftover sliced steak. Cheese and scallions. Serve with salsa and sour cream. Black beans and yellow rice on the side.

Flashy: Roasted Asparagus and Red Onion Quesadillas (see recipe) are draped with cumin lime cream. Fresh fruit skewers on the side.


KING RANCH CHICKEN SALAD CASSEROLE

Meat from 2 rotisserie chickens, shredded
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained
1 can (4-1/2 ounces) chopped black olives, drained
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup dairy sour cream
2 cups crushed tortilla chips, divided
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup grated sharp Colby or cheddar cheese

In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken, onion, chilies, olives, mayonnaise and sour cream. Add 1 cup tortilla chips; mix well.

Spread half the chicken mixture in a greased 9- by 13-inch baking pan. Sprinkle Monterey Jack cheese over chicken mixture in pan. Spread remaining chicken mixture over cheese.

Cover chicken mixture with Colby cheese. Top with remaining 1 cup tortilla chips. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven 10 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Serves 6 to 8 as a main dish.

-- "Salads: Food Writers' Favorites" edited by Barbara Gibbs Ostmann and Jane Baker (Dial Publishing, 1991)


FETA AND CAULIFLOWER FRITTATA

10 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
1/2 head cauliflower, thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
6 cups mixed salad greens (about 5 ounces)
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the center. Whisk the eggs, milk and cayenne together in a bowl; add 1 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Fold in the cheese and dill.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in an ovenproof 6- or 8-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-low heat, swirling to coat the pan. Add the cauliflower, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste; cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and stir gently with a rubber spatula to distribute the filling. Cook until the bottom is just set but not brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the frittata is almost set on top, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover and set aside for 5 minutes to finish cooking.

Season the greens with salt and pepper and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and the vinegar. Slide the frittata onto a cutting board and slice into wedges. Sprinkle generously with more dill; serve warm or at room temperature with the salad.

Serves 4.

-- Food Network magazine


WHEN PENNE MET PORTOBELLO

4 large portobello mushrooms
1 large Vidalia sweet onion, thickly sliced into rounds
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 pound uncooked penne pasta
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas or electric grill on high.

Stem the mushrooms and wipe the caps clean with a damp paper towel. Use a spoon to scoop the dark brown gills from the undersides of the portobellos; otherwise, they will blacken and look nasty when grilled.

Brush both sides of the onion slices and mushroom caps with the 1/2 cup olive oil.

Grill the vegetables directly over the hot fire, turning once, until nicely browned, 5 to 7 minutes per side. Halve the mushrooms and slice crosswise into thin strips. Place in a mixing bowl and toss with the vinegar. Coarsely chop the grilled onions. Set aside.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in a serving bowl.

Toss with the 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the grilled vegetables, plus any remaining liquid in the mixing bowl. Add the lemon zest, thyme, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 5.

-- "Dressed to Grill" by Karen Brooks, Diane Morgan and Reed Darmon (Chronicle Books, $16.95)

SPICY SHRIMP NACHOS

1 cup mango, seeded, peeled and chopped
1 medium red sweet pepper, chopped
2 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoon Jamaican jerk seasoning
1 pound peeled, deveined uncooked shrimp
Nonstick cooking spray
8 cups (8 ounces) tortilla chips
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Preheat broiler. For salsa, in a bowl stir together mango, sweet pepper, onion and jalapeno; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together brown sugar and jerk seasoning. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Coat a grill pan or large skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Add half the shrimp at a time to the pan. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes each side or until shrimp are opaque. Remove and set aside. If desired, coarsely chop shrimp.

Spread tortilla chips on a broiler-safe platter or baking sheet. Top with shrimp and salsa. Sprinkle with cheese. Broil 4 inches from heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Makes 8 servings.

-- Better Homes and Gardens


ROASTED ASPARAGUS AND RED ONION QUESADILLAS

1 pound asparagus, trimmed
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large red onion, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and separated into rings
8 (6- to 7-inch) flour tortillas
1/2 pound pepper Jack cheese, coarsely shredded
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh coriander

Cumin lime cream:
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

For quesadillas: Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

In a large, shallow baking pan, toss asparagus with 1-1/2 teaspoons oil and salt and pepper to taste until coated well. In another large, shallow baking pan, toss onion with 1-1/2 teaspoons oil until coated well. Roast vegetables in upper and lower thirds of oven, shaking pans occasionally and switching position of pans in oven halfway through baking, until tender and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool vegetables and cut asparagus into 1/2-inch-thick pieces.

Preheat broiler.

Grease a large baking sheet. On sheet, arrange 4 tortillas in one layer and divide vegetables, pepper Jack cheese and coriander among them. Cover quesadillas with remaining 4 tortillas.

Brush top of tortillas with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and broil quesadillas about 3 inches from heat until golden brown, about 2 minutes. With a metal spatula, turn quesadillas over and broil until golden brown, about 2 minutes.

Make cumin lime cream while quesadillas broil.

For the cumin lime cream: In a small bowl, whisk together cream ingredients.

Cut quesadillas into wedges and serve with cumin lime cream.

Serves 4.

-- Gourmet

Janet K. Keeler can be reached at jkeeler(at)sptimes.com
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