Tinfoil Chef

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I think Pringles first appeared with their unique all-the-same-shape chips stacked in a can sometime in the 1970s. I remember that they were a major hit and it seemed that everybody loved the things. I know that anytime my parents brought any home it was pretty much a forgone conclusion that they’d be gone within twenty four hours or less (usually less).

Over the years they settled into the background along with most other snacks and chips until they made a bit of a stir by coming out with new varieties.. a cheddar cheese flavor and sour cream & onion. The sour cream & onion quickly became my favorite and for years it was sort of the snack equivalent of discount furniture… Almost always as good as the more expensive counterparts and priced a heck of a lot better.

Now they’ve come out with several new varieties recently (or it was a while ago and they’ve only just now made it out here to the sticks, I don’t know)… The Philly Cheesesteak was one that just had to be tried. Just exactly how they managed to capture that taste and make it part of potato crisps I can’t say, but they’ve done a pretty good job. It’s also complicated my snack choices by giving me yet another thing that I really like to choose from.. (like I really needed another choice in that department!)

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One of the goodies that I got for Christmas this year was a book “Best Recipes from the backs of Boxes, Bottles, Cans and Jars”. It’s positively loaded with recipes collected from product packages over the years. To anyone that’s ever had trouble finding that recipe that they found on the back of a package of this or that, this book can be an invaluable resource.

This recipe was originally on packages of Mueller’s Spaghetti. It’s a long standing fact that in our house, very few recipes make it to the table without being modified in some way. They might be made according to original directions once but after that anything is possible as we come up with ways to tinker with it. This one was no exception.

One of the changes that we often make is to double a recipe so that one making can provide for two (sometimes three or even more) meals. In this case we doubled the basic recipe and then started “adjusting” things.

Start off by preheating the oven to 350 and getting water on to boil for the spaghetti. You’ll want enough room to cook about a pound or so. Since we didn’t have on hand the thin sliced pepperoni that original recipe called for and because we were doubling it we used 2 pounds of ground turkey for the meat. While the spaghetti is going the ground turkey should be browned. While it’s cooking I took a hard plastic spatula and kept chopping the pieces up so that when it’s done it’s crumbled into small pieces.

Next I got out six or seven green onions and chopped them fine and added them to a mixing bowl along with a couple of 4oz cans of mushroom stems and pieces, a can of chopped black olives and the ground turkey.

Once the spaghetti is done, drain it and add to the mixing bowl. Then open two 25oz cans of whatever variety of spaghetti sauce you like and add one and a half of them to the bowl and mix thoroughly.

You need a large-ish backing dish next (I used a 14.75 x 10.5). Give it a spray with a non-stick cooking spray and then pour the mixture into it and spread it out evenly. Take the last half can of sauce and spread it over the top.

Spread a layer of shredded cheddar cheese over the top of this and put it into the oven. When the cheese has melted and *just* almost started to brown it’s done.

I found that it’s a good idea to use a steak knife to pre-cut the portions before serving so that they come out easier and then used a spatula to serve.

It got great reviews from all of us and we’re glad that this one making is enough for two or three meals. We’ll definitely be doing this one again.

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One of the chefs that we enjoy watching on Food Network is Bobby Flay. He trained at the French Culinary Institute where he graduated in 1993. He was the first graduate to earn the “Outstanding Graduate Award” and now he serves as a master instructor. Bobby owns 6 restaurants and is featured in several programs on Food Network that highlight his versatility and his specialties.

He goes from doing amazing things in the backyard with a gas grill in “Boy Meets Grill” to taking on chefs from all over in a friendly competition in “Throwdown with Bobby Flay”. Then, just when you think you’ve seen him pull off some really interesting and different stuff, you see him show up on “Iron Chef America” where he goes one on one with some of the best chefs in the world to create 5 dishes that feature a secret ingredient revealed when the competition starts … in one hour …. and most of the time he shows that he’s earned the title “Iron Chef” by winning.

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