Jazzy Green Bean Casserole

     I don't usually cook with canned vegetables but every once in a while I crave one of those old fashioned, comforting bean casseroles where the vegetables play second fiddle to the other creamy, and usually fattening, ingredients.  This Jazzy Green Bean Casserole from Allrecipes is cheesy, rich and easy as pie to make in your dutch oven.  Mix everything together except the onions, bake until bubbling, then top with the crispy onions.  The casserole baked in my 10 inch oven with 10 coals in a ring around the bottom and 20 on the lid.  The corn and Cheddar give it a different twist from your classic green bean casserole, it's an easy outdoor recipe and a pot luck winner that everyone will love.

Jazzy Green Bean Casserole
2 14.5 oz cans green beans, drained
1 15 oz can corn, drained
1 10.75 oz can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup dried onion flakes
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
1 3 oz can French-fried onions

     Lightly oil or spray 10 inch dutch oven.
     In a large bowl combine green beans, corn, mushroom soup, onion flakes, cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
     Spoon bean mixture into prepared dutch oven.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
     Sprinkle fried onions on top and bake for a few minutes more or until onions brown.
     Makes 8 servings.

Mix all ingredients together, except onions, and spoon
into prepared dutch oven

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees then sprinkle with onions

Bake for 5 minutes more or until topping has browned

Crispy, crunchy, creamy and very comforting

Holiday Brisket in Barbeque Sauce

     Since May 28th has been officially designated as National Brisket Day and I've been looking for a good excuse to break in my new Lodge 10 inch deep dutch oven, this recipe from Kraft looked too good to pass up.  Scatter the wedges of onion in the bottom of your oven, place your brisket on top and cover with the sauce.  I cooked a 3 pound brisket for 3 hours with 10 coals in a ring around the bottom and 18 to 20 on the lid.  It was a very cold and blustery day here so I did replenish the coals hourly.  After letting the roast rest for 20 minutes, I could have almost sliced it with a butter knife.  The sauce is what makes this brisket so delicious, sweetened by the sugar and preserves with a tangy bite from the steak sauce, it's a great combination.  Any A-1 type steak sauce will do, I used one from Trader Joes which was a bit cheaper and tasted just as good.

 Holiday Brisket in Barbeque Sauce
1 3-5 lb. beef brisket
1 12 oz jar apricot preserves
1 10 oz bottle A-1 steak sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large onions, cut in wedges

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     Sprinkle onions evenly in bottom of prepared oven.
     Place brisket on top of onions.
     Whisk preserves, steak sauce, ketchup and brown sugar in medium bowl until well combined.
     Pour sauce over brisket.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 3-4 hours, replenishing coals hourly, or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
     Let rest in covered dutch oven for 15 minutes before slicing.
     Serve with drippings.

Pour sauce over brisket and onions

Depending on size of beef, roast at 350 degrees for 3-4 hours

A great sweet and tangy brisket

Baked Hot Dogs

     Forget the grill this weekend, for your Memorial Day cook out why not try these Baked Hot Dogs in your dutch oven?  I was so intrigued by this recipe when I saw it, one of my favorite ways to eat a hot dog is with a soft, steamed roll.  By baking the hot dogs with all the toppings together, everything is wonderfully heated through and piping hot at the same time.  I thought maybe the rolls would burn in spots but they were perfectly baked, warm inside and a little crispy on the outside.
      I just squeezed 7 hot dogs in my 12 inch oven, you'll need a larger dutch oven for the full recipe.  They baked with 12 coals in a ring around the bottom and 24 spaced evenly on the lid for exactly 40 minutes.  Be sure to spread the buns with a little mayo, it prevents the rolls from becoming soggy. 
     You can certainly make these with veggie dogs or even cut them in half and serve them as an appetizer.  Scale the recipe back for your 8 or 10 inch oven but whatever you do, pack the forks because these are a little too cheesy and good to eat with your fingers. 
     I hope you have a safe and enjoyable holiday and don't forget to take a moment to honor and remember our brave and dedicated veterans who have gone before us.

Baked Hot Dogs
8 hot dogs
8 hot dog buns
1 14 1/ oz can chili with beans
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1-2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
Mayonnaise
Mustard
Sweet Relish

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     Spread the inside of each hot dog bun with mayonnaise, mustard and sweet relish.
     Fill with hot dogs and place side by side in prepared oven.
     Top each hot dog with chili, cheese and onion.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until heated through.
     Remove carefully from oven with large spoon or spatula.

Place hot dogs side by side in well oiled dutch oven

Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees

Holy cow these are good

    

Roasted Corn on the Cob with Cilantro Lime Butter

     With Memorial Day right around the corner, it's that time of year again for a dutch oven corn on the cob recipe.  This Roasted Corn on the Cob with Cilantro Lime Butter roasts the corn while also steaming it in the flavored butter.  The cayenne gives it a touch of heat and the combination of fresh cilantro and lime seeps between the kernels promising you a burst of flavor with every bite.
      You'll need to use smaller ears of corn to fit in your dutch oven.  Only four wrapped ears fit in my 10 inch oven, use your 12 inch, or even better, a deep oven for the full amount of corn.  Of course doubling or tripling the recipe in a large dutch oven will feed a crowd, plan on two ears per person because everyone will be wanting seconds.  In my 10 inch dutch oven they roasted for 30 minutes with 10 coals in a ring around the bottom and 22 on the lid.  Wrap the foil tightly as some of the butter will seep out.  Trust me, the cobs will be picked clean because nobody will want to miss a drop of this yummy corn.

Roasted Corn on the Cob with Cilantro Lime Butter
6 ears corn, shucked
Cilantro Lime Butter
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     Using rubber spatula, in medium bowl, mix butter, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, salt and cayenne.
     Coat each ear of corn in 1-2 Tblsp cilantro lime butter.
     Wrap each ear individually in foil. 
     Place in dutch oven.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Slather corn with cilantro lime butter before wrapping
tightly in foil

Roast at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

Crisp tender corn on the cob, dripping with flavor

Baked Salmon with Tomatoes, Spinach and Mushrooms

      Kraft brings us this simple, colorful and satisfying recipe and it's a terrific way to cook salmon in your dutch oven.  Place the fillets in your well oiled oven, toss the rest of the ingredients together, spoon them over the salmon and in 20 minutes you've got a complete dinner and healthy to boot.  I used a sun-dried tomato vinagrette but you could also experiment with raspberry-walnut or even an Italian dressing would be fine, you are only limited by your imagination. In my 10 inch dutch oven, the salmon baked for 20 minutes with 10 coals in a ring around the bottom and 22 on top.  To make it even easier I used baby spinach and didn't even bother to chop it.  Moist and flavorful, this recipe simply can't be beat.

Baked Salmon with Tomatoes, Spinach and Mushrooms
4 skin-on salmon fillets (1 lb)
2 cups chopped fresh spinach leaves
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 tomato, chopped
1/3 cup Sun Dried Tomato Vinagrette Dressing

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     Place fish fillets, skin-side down, in prepared oven.
     Combine remaining ingredients.
     Spoon over fish.
     Bake 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees, depending on thickness of fish.
     Makes 4 servings.

Yes, there really are salmon fillets buried under all that spinach

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees

Lots of good things for you in one easy dish

Campfire S'Mores Bread Pudding

      With Mother's Day coming up this weekend, I had high hopes of posting a winning baked french toast recipe today for you to make for breakfast on Sunday morning.  I have no idea why but the recipe I followed turned into a complete disaster, there was nothing salvageable about it, even the crows wouldn't touch what I threw into the woods.  The lovely little slices of bread, laced with almond flavoring, turned into lumps of dried out, puffy, flattened souffles. One of these days, I'm going to post all of my dutch oven cooking disasters for you, so you can have a good laugh (and there are too many to count). 
     Thankfully I bought the ingredients for this Campfire S'Mores Bread Pudding from Better Homes and Gardens.  It is by far, a much superior recipe and if you make this for your Mom she will love you to pieces for it and it is bound to make her day feel special.  The original recipe calls for crisping the hot dog bun pieces in a 325 degree oven for 7 minutes.  I cut them up a few hours before making the pudding and just left them, uncovered on the counter to dry.  They were the perfect consistency.  You can probably substitute any thick chunks of day old bread you have on hand but the hot dog buns are soft, soak up the custard well and you don't have any thick crust to contend with.
     If you're camping, you may want to line your oven with parchment paper otherwise you'll end up pouring boiling water in your oven afterwards to melt the hardened sugar.  In my 10 inch dutch oven, this fabulous pudding baked with 10 coals in a ring around the bottom, 15 coals in a ring around the outside of the lid and 4 spaced evenly in the center.  In 30 minutes it was cooked completely through and ready for a final topping of mini-marshmallows.  The fudge topping is really easy to make, just make sure you keep stirring it over low heat until everything has melted.  If you want to simplify things, finish it off with your favorite, good quality, ready made fudge topping.
    I really don't think I can eat for a week after polishing off two warm slices of this luscious dessert.  It's one of the best bread puddings I've ever had, very moist and soft in the middle, loaded with melted chocolate and finished off with everybody's favorite camping treat, s'mores.  I hope you all have a very Happy Mother's Day!
  
Campfire S'Mores Bread Pudding
4 hot dog buns, cut in 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
4 eggs
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup miniature marshmallows
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
5 graham crackers, coarsely crushed (about 1/2 cup)
2 Tblsp milk

     Prepare hot dog pieces by leaving uncovered for several hours to dry and crisp or by baking in 325 degree oven for 7 minutes.
     Lightly oil or spray 10 inch dutch oven; line with parchment paper for easier cleanup.
     In medium bowl lightly beat eggs.
     Stir in sweetened condensed milk, 3/4 cup milk, vanilla and nutmeg; set aside.
     Place bun pieces in prepared dutch oven.
     Sprinkle with 1/2 cup each of the marshmallows and chocolate chips.
     Evenly pour milk mixture over all.
     Let stand 5 minutes.
     Sprinkle with crushed graham crackers.
     Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
     Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the remaining marshmallows.
     Bake 5 minutes more or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
     In small saucepan heat and whisk remaining 1/4 cup of marshmallows, remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and 2 Tblsp milk over low heat until melted and smooth.
     Drizzle over bread pudding.
     Cool 20 minutes before serving.
     Serve warm, makes 9 servings.

Hockey puck french toast even the crows wouldn't touch

Now for the good stuff, pour egg mixture over hot dog buns,
chips and marshmallows then sprinkle with
graham cracker crumbs

Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes before adding marshmallows

Drizzle with fudge sauce

Let cool for 20 minutes before diving in

For easier clean up line your dutch oven with parchment paper

Classic Dinner Rolls

     I've been wanting to try my hand at bread baking again and thought these Classic Dinner Rolls from Fleischmann's were a good place to start.  Even though I browned them a little too much, I decided to share the recipe with you because it's a fairly easy one, especially if you let your mixer do all the work.  Since it makes just enough for your 10 inch oven, if you mess it up like I did, you won't be wasting a half a bag of flour.  I used just the two cups of flour and should have added more as the dough was extremely sticky.  Even though it's in the fifties today, I placed my oven on the deck in the warm sun for 30 minutes and they rose beautifully.  I used too many coals but would suggest 10 in a ring around the bottom of the oven and one ring around the top with 4 briquettes in the center.  They were very flaky and good and don't forget to brush them with melted butter when they're done.  I ended up eating all the buttery, crispy bottoms and the crows polished off the rest so I guess it wasn't a total loss.

Classic Dinner Rolls
2 cups all-purpose flour, or more if needed
1 envelope Fleishman's RapidRise Yeast
2 Tblsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 Tblsp butter

     Lightly oil or spray 10 inch dutch oven.
     Combine 3/4 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in large bowl.
     Heat milk, water and butter until very warm (120 to 130 degrees F).
     Add to flour mixture.
     Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally.
     Add 1/4 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed.
     Stir in remaining flour to make soft dough.
     Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes.
     Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
     Shape dough into 10-12 balls.
     Place in prepared dutch oven.
     Cover; let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
     Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until done.
     Brush with additional melted butter, if desired.

Form dough into balls and place in well oiled dutch oven

Let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees

A little brown on top but still flaky and light

Florentine Strata

      There's nothing like coming home from church on a beautiful Sunday morning and cooking breakfast in your dutch oven.  This Florentine Strata looked good because it's made with a carton of Egg Beaters, no messing with transporting and cracking eggs, plus it's lower in fat and calories.  If you want to make it with regular eggs, I would suggest using eight, well beaten.  Very easy to assemble too, toss it all together in a large bowl or even your dutch oven then let it bake away.  In my 10 inch dutch oven, it cooked with 10 coals around the bottom and 20 on the lid, after 35 minutes I sprinkled it with cheese and in 5 minutes it was done.  You can have fun with this recipe, it's a good thing to make when you want to clean out your vegetable drawer.  Most strata recipes require an overnight sit in your fridge, this one is quick, easy and very delicious.

Florentine Strata
1 16 oz. carton Egg Beaters
1/4 cup low fat milk
3 cups French bread cubes (3/4-inch cubes)
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 finely chopped scallions
3 oz. (half a package) baby spinach leaves
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms OR 1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, drained well

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     Reserve 1/2 cup cheese for topping.
     Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl, toss lightly until well combined.
     Spread bread mixture evenly in prepared oven.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
     Sprinkle with reserved cheese.
     Bake for 5 more minutes or until cheese has melted and tester comes out clean.
     Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
     Makes 4-5 servings.

Toss everything together and place in well oiled oven

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes then top with cheese and bake
for 5 minutes more

An easy camper's strata

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

     Just in time for your Cinco de Mayo celebration, these Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas from Sargento are creamy, filling and very easy to make.  I tucked 7 enchiladas into my 12 inch oven, with 12 briquettes in a ring around the bottom and 24 on the lid, in 20 minutes they were bubbling, heated through and ready for their final topping of cheese.  If you like artichokes you'll really fall for their tangy and unusual flavor.  On the mild side and oozing with cheese, this is a great all round Tex Mex dutch oven dinner. 

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
2 cups 4 Cheese Mexican shredded cheese, divided
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 cup canned artichoke hearts (not marinated), roughly chopped
1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies, undrained
2 green onions, sliced
1 10 oz. can green enchilada sauce, divided
8 6 inch flour tortillas
Sour cream

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     Mix together 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, chicken, artichokes, chilies, onions and 2 Tblsp enchilada sauce.
     Fill each tortilla with about 1/2 cup cheese mixture, roll up tightly.
     Place seam-side down in prepared dutch oven.
     Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas.
     Bake  at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and enchiladas are heated through.
     Sprinkle with remaining cheese; heat for 5 more minutes or until cheese has melted.
     Serve with sour cream.

Place filled enchiladas side by side in 12 inch dutch oven,
cover with green enchilada sauce

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until bubbling,
then top with cheese

Bake for 5 minutes more, or until cheese has melted

Very creamy and mild