The Company Cookbook Project

Of all the cookbooks on my shelves, those put together by churches, clubs, civic groups and other organizations are often my favorites. There is something comforting about the old casserole recipes, the easy to make cakes and desserts, and the funny names of those old recipes. Why have plain old sliced carrots when you can serve your family "Copper Pennies?" When is the last time you had "Wacky Cake?" If you're like me, probably not since you were in elementary school. I can always count on these assembled cookbooks to bring back the memories.

Often there is a salad section and it's usually packed with sparkly jello creations. Some of them are savory with cabbage and veggies and others are so sweet they should be a dessert. It's also common to find a few pickled veg type recipes too- like cucumbers and onions, or a tomato salad. My mom always made cucumbers and tomatoes with chopped onions in a vinegar and oil dressing. Pasta salads and potato salad are usually favorites. You might find a couple different family versions of bean salad, and don't forget the entree salads- like egg salad, chicken salad, and taco salad.

Just a few of my many club cookbooks

The entree section is usually where the real comfort foods are hiding. Casseroles of just about every kind lurk in there, with family secret spaghetti sauces, Dad's famous barbeque sauce, Gramma's bean soup and inventive ways to make tuna into something delicious. Up here in the Midwest, and especially Minnesota it's very common to see something called "Hot Dish" in those cookbooks. Hot Dish is a curious thing. It means something different to every cook. For some people it's tator tot casserole. For others it's something made with creamy soup. For my family it was some browned hamburger with chopped onion, a can of drained mushrooms, a couple handfuls of peas, cooked elbow macaroni and cream of something soup, stirred together in a big saucepan until everything is heated through. Completely NOT gourmet and not always delicious but it fills bellies and my mom made this on a fairly regular basis. Not a childhood favorite of mine but still a fun memory and it's interesting to talk with others from around here and learn about their family's hot dish recipe.

A few weeks ago my company sent around an email inviting associates to submit a recipe for a company cookbook that was being assembled. My employer places a great deal of emphasis on community involvement, inclusion and volunteerism. In an effort to raise money to support local food banks the company launched the cookbook project. Of course I had to get in on this deal. Picking a recipe wasn't all that tough, I knew I wanted to go with something relatively easy to prepare, with readily available ingredients and family friendly. I typed up my recipe for Philly Cheesesteak Lasagna, attached a picture and sent it off to the committee. 

Weeks go by, my recipe is proofed and sent back to me for a final look over. I can't wait for the day I can actually buy a copy of the company cookbook. One day I am busy working away on an account and I get a message- "Monica!!!!"  What's up, I reply, wanting to know what's so exciting. "Did you see the email?" Nope, I was busy with a client, haven't checked email in a bit. I finish up what I'm working on, check my email, and holy moly, there is an email from the company announcing not only the purchase days for the company cookbook but the cafeteria in our building selected five recipes from all the recipes submitted, to be prepared and featured as a lunch special for everyone to try and mine is one of them!! To some people this might not be too big of an accomplishment. After all, I know a lot of very successful chefs, competitive cooks, cookbook authors and recipe developers whose accolades far exceed mine, but in my small world and my little hobby food blog, this is big. 

Philly Cheesesteak Lasagna Day arrives in the cafeteria. I can hardly wait to see how my recipe is prepared by someone else. The clock ticks ever so slowly all morning while I wonder how it's going to turn out. I get an email from a member of the cookbook committee telling me to be sure and stop down at the table to introduce myself and when I finally make my way down to the company cafeteria I am met with hugs and smiles and lots of introductions to the kitchen staff. Lucy, the executive chef/kitchen manager came over to talk about how much she loved the recipe, and how well it's been selling as the lunch special. 

Squeeeeee! That's my dish on the line!

To be honest, it made me feel a little bit like a celebrity for a few minutes! My coworkers in my department raved about the dish, and I have to say, the kitchen did a fantastic job replicating my recipe. They put considerable effort into making it just like I would have- caramelizing the onions, browning the mushrooms until they are golden brown, and NOT skimping on the cheese. It was delicious. I ate every bit, including the garlic toast.

I can't wait to get the actual cookbook in my hands. My copy has been ordered and soon will occupy a place of honor on my cookbook shelves. I know I will enjoy preparing all the recipes submitted by employees from all over the country and will always cherish the memory of this special opportunity.

Church Cookbook Recipe Renovation- Company Chicken

Long long ago, in a galaxy far far away.... no wait. That's a different story. Well just about that far away and long ago my late mother-in-law used to make this baked chicken dish. She called it Company Chicken, and she got the recipe from the cookbook assembled and published by the ladies at the Evangelical Covenant Church in Des Moines. She made this dish all the time, and man oh man, was it ever good. Naughty. Really naughty and totally not healthy in any way. Company Chicken was simple to make and required ingredients most people had on hand: chicken, bacon, canned soup, sour cream and a jar of dried chipped beef. 

Like so many old church cookbook recipes, there wasn't a lot of seasoning or herbs going on. Just basic belly-filling food. Here's the deal- take a boneless skinless chicken breast half, wrap it in a couple slices of chipped beef, then wrap that in a couple slices of bacon and put it in a casserole dish. Mix together canned cream of something soup (usually chicken) and a cup of sour cream and pour that over. Bake it, probably about an hour, seems like most of those dishes are 350 degrees for an hour, and you get this rich, creamy sauce and these juicy chicken breasts wrapped in salty savory goodness. Add some mashed potatoes and a vegetable and it's "good enough for company." It really was good! I've even made it a bunch of times for my own family.

Times have changed and while I am not particularly concerned about turning those recipes into health food, they often do need an upgrade- modern ingredients and new techniques (or heck, old techniques, just new to the dish) and fresh combinations can take those dated old recipes and turn them into something totally new. I've talked about how my mom cooked every evidence of life and freshness out of just-picked garden-grown vegetables. So did Evelyn. Freshly snapped beans looked like they came from a can from the grocery store, spinach or broccoli cooked into oblivion. What they did to asparagus would make you cry. My renovation includes fresh asparagus as well as red bell pepper and keeps the fresh flavor and texture intact. I still use a can of cream of chicken soup, but the sauce is a little less rich with half the sour cream and milk added. Let's get this renovation on the road!

Modern Company Chicken

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

6 slices bacon

small bunch scallions

1 large red bell pepper

1 bunch asparagus

Penzey's Greek Seasoning*

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

salt and pepper

Clean the scallions and cut into 2-3 inch pieces. Cut the bell pepper into julienne strips. Snap the ends off the asparagus. Set vegetables aside.

In a small bowl, stir the soup until it's smooth, adding the sour cream and milk. Pour into a large baking pan, like a lasagna pan, or a deep 9x13 pan. Set aside for now.

Pound out the chicken breasts to an even thickness. On a board, lay on strip of bacon, pointing away from you. Lay the chicken breast on top of the bacon, so it's centered underneath. Sprinkle liberally with the Greek Seasoning. On each breast lay 3 or 4 pieces of scallion, 3 or 4 pieces of red pepper, and 5 or 6 asparagus spears. Roll up using the bacon strip to help, and securing with a toothpick. The bacon makes it easy to secure with pick. Place the roll in the baking dish in the sauce. Continue with all the chicken breasts.

Sprinkle additional Greek Seasoning over, and salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, in a 400 degree oven for about an hour until chicken is cooked through, bacon is crisp and the sauce is thickened. Serve with rice, spooning the sauce over.

*I used Penzey's Greek Seasoning for this dish but you can use any seasoning blend you like. Italian seasoning is also delicious.

This was such a great update to a classic homestyle recipe. The vegetables inside the chicken were cooked perfectly and the sauce is rich and creamy without being overly heavy. I'm a huge fan of roasted vegetables and the asparagus and pepper had that roasted flavor and texture. The bacon is super crispy and delicious on top, but on the bottom it stays soft, and the fat from the bacon lends another savory element to the sauce that's really delicious.

For me, this was such a successful "renovation" I think I'll spend some quality time with those old cookbooks, and see what else could use a little remodeling.