COOK OF THE WEEK - HCMH LAB WORKERS

“Our promise is to ALWAYS make YOU our PRIORITY!” That is the motto of the lab at the Humboldt County Memorial Hospital. The timing was perfect for me a couple of weeks ago when I was at the Humboldt Hospital lab getting some blood drawn. Hannah was drawing my blood and we were visiting about our work and how hard it was for me to find people to say yes to “being the COTW.” I suggested that their lab get together and do it for me as some of the other departments at the hospital have done. She told me that lab week was coming up soon and she would talk to Phil and get back to me. Either that very day or a day later she called me back and we set up an appointment. I love it when people say YES to COTW! This makes my job so much easier and more fun too! Humboldt County Memorial Hospital is celebrating medical Laboratory Professional Week (April 24 through April 30) in honor of the laboratory profes-sionals who play a vital role in every aspect of healthcare. Much of their work is performed behind the scenes, so few people know about the critical testing they perform every day. HCMH laboratory has a dedicated team of laboratory professionals who analyze over 100,000 tests per year. The Laboratory team in-cludes, Sherry Kunert, Brad Albertz, Helen Collins, Ann Almond, Jamie Shiflett, Hannah Peed, Angie Nekvinda, Maribeth Freund, and Phil Rose. They have all shared their favorite recipes with us today. And after reading through some of them before I type them I am getting hungry! Bet you will want to try them out too!Mexican CasseroleHelen Collins1-1/2 pounds hamburger1/4 cup chopped onions12 ounce package corn chips8 ounce jar medium taco sauce1 can cream of mushroom soup1 can sweetened condensed milk6 to 8 ounces grated cheddar cheese1 small can chopped green chilessalt and pepper to taste Brown hamburger and onions. Put all ingredients together in casserole dish, putting corn chips on last. It is easier to com-bine all of the rest, then fold in the corn chips. Bake at 350 de-grees for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and dish is hot and bubbly. Garnish with sour cream.Meat and Noodle BakeHelen Collins1 pound hamburger1 pound ground pork1 onion1 box/bag Penne noodles1 jar spaghetti sauce2 cups shredded cheese, mozzarella or Colby Jack Brown hamburger and pork with onion. Boil noodles and drain. Mix the meat and noodles and spaghetti sauce together. Place in baking pan. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and meat mixture is hot. This can be made ahead and placed in refrigerator overnight then baked.Health BallsSherry Kunert1-1/2 cups quick oatmeal1 teaspoon vanilla1/4 cup ground flax seeds1/4 cup chocolate chips (mini)1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)1/3 cup honey Mix and roll into balls. Store in freezer.Beef Cubes and Noodles Crockpot MeatSherry Kunert1 pound stew beef1/2 onion, diced2 tablespoons vegetable oil1/4 cup floursalt and pepper3 cups water4 beef bouillon cubes1 can cream of chicken soup2 tablespoons tapioca1/4 teaspoon garlic powder Coat beef with flour. Brown beef and onion in oil. Salt and pepper to taste. In crockpot mix garlic, water, bouillon cubes, soup and tapioca. Add browned beef to crockpot. Cook on high 4 to 6 hours or low for 8 to 9 hours. Boil egg noodles sepa-rately on the stove. Serve noo-dles, beef gravy, then top with Chow Mein noodles. (Hint: I save back a cup of the water. After browning beef, I add the water to fry pan to scrape the good bits, then add to the crock pot.)Fudge Striped Cookie SaladMaribeth Freund1 cup buttermilk3 ounces instant vanilla pudding8 ounce carton Cool-Whip15 ounce can mandarin oranges2 sections fudge striped cookies crushed (the rest will be used to sprinkle on top) Mix pudding and buttermilk together and combine. Fold Cool Whip in. Add the mandarin or-anges and half of the crushed cookies. Repeat until all is even-ly distributed. Sprinkle remain-ing cookies on top when ready to serve. Place in refrigerator before serving. Enjoy!Peanut Butter Cheerio BarsMaribeth Freund1 cup sugar1/2 cup corn syrup1/2 cup honey1 cup peanut butter6 cups Cheerios (any kind of cereal can be used) In a medium sized saucepan add the sugar, syrup and honey. Cook on low to medium heat until it comes to a boil. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat and add the peanut butter and stir until melted. Then add the Cheerios. Press into a 9 x 13 inch pan or pan of your choos-ing. Enjoy!Maid-Rite (without ketchup)Angie Nekvinda1 pound hamburger, browned1 can tomato soup1 can cream of mushroom soup Stir together and add a piece of cheese to each bun for the perfect maid-rite!Pizza BitesAngie Nekvinda1 package of Pillsbury Crescent rollssliced pepperonistring cheese, mozzarellatomato pasta or pizza sauce, heated Heat oven to 375 degrees. Separate the crescent rolls into flat triangles. Place the peppero-ni on the crescent rolls on the triangles. Take cheese stick and start at one end of the triangle and roll to the opposite end. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with pasta or pizza sauce for dipping.Mini PizzasHannah Peed1 pound ground beef1 pound ground sausage1 onion, chopped (optional) 10 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed32 ounces cocktail rye bread Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, brown beef and sausage. Mix onion into meat mixture and sauté until tender. Drain grease. Stir in cheese until melted. Arrange slices of bread on cookie sheet, placing heaping spoonfuls onto each slice. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.Mississippi Roast(For Crockpot)Hannah Peed4 lbs. chuck roast, thawed1 ounce envelope ranch dressing mix1-1/4 ounce envelope au jus mix1/2 cup butter4 to 5 pepperoncini peppersfresh ground pepper, to taste Spray your slow cooker with non-stick spray. Place roast in the slow cooker and sprinkle with a little black pepper and a little seasoned salt. Sprinkle the top with the ranch dressing mix and the au jus mix. Place pep-pers on top of mixes. Add the stick of butter on top. Set your slow cooker to 8 hours and for-get it. You do not add any addi-tional water to this. Serve with mashed potatoes.Hot Chicken Salad CasserolePhil and Becky Rose4 to 5 boneless chicken breasts, boiled and diced2 cups rice, cooked1/2 cup celery, chopped1/2 cup onion, chopped2 cans cream of chicken soup1 cup mayonnaise (NOT salad dressing) 1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained and choppedsalt and pepper to taste Mix all ingredients and spread in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.Topping:1/2 cup butter, melted1-1/2 cups Pepperidge Farm Stuffing Mixslivered almonds Mix stuffing and melted but-ter and spoon over top of casse-role. Top with almonds in 350-degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes.Cashew ChickenPhil and Becky Rose1/2 cup chicken broth1 tablespoon cornstarch3 tablespoons soy sauce1/2 teaspoon ground ginger1/2 teaspoon red pepper sauce, optional1 tablespoon vegetable oil1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained2/3 cup dry roasted cashews2 green onions, sliced1 lb. chicken breasts, cut cross-wise into ½ inch strips Mix broth, cornstarch, soy sauce, ginger and pepper sauce. Heat wok/skillet over high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil. Add chick-en pieces, stir fry about 4 minutes. Remove from pan, keep warm. Add water chestnuts and green onions to wok/skillet. Stir fry water chestnuts and on-ions. Add cornstarch mixture to wok/skillet and cook until it thickens. Stir in chicken and cashews.Iowa River WaterJamie Shiflett A fun and unusual way to serve Pepsi. When you have kids in the house they may find this fun. Use one (1) part real grape juice and one (1) part Pepsi. It really looks like Iowa River water, and it may be an “ac-quired” taste. Serve over ice.What We Call Carbonara Jamie Shiflett2 cups cooked and chopped bacon4 cups skinned seeded and diced tomato3 cloves, finely chopped garlic1 chopped bell pepper1 chopped red pepper2 cups fresh grated Parmesan cheese4 cups cooked pasta, any shape After all the ingredients are measured, cut and ready, then heat your pan to medium-high. Put 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in pan with garlic. Cook 3 minutes. Add peppers to pan and cook another 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook about 5 minutes. Tomatoes will be soft but not sauce. Add bacon to pan with the noodles. Sprinkle 1 cup of Parmesan cheese over the noodles and stir. Salt and pepper to taste. Use reserved cup of Parmesan to sprinkle on top for serving.Microwave Caramel CornBrad Albertz1/2 cup butter1 cup brown sugar1/4 cup light corn syrup1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon baking soda Put butter, sugar, syrup and salt in large bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir, microwave for 3-1/2 minutes more. Stir in baking soda. VERY CARE-FULLY pour over 12 cups of air popped popcorn. Microwave for an additional 2-1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Pour out onto aluminum foil to cool. Once cool, break up into smaller pieces.Anise CandyBrad Albertz2-3/4 cups sugar3/4 cup light corn syrup3/4 cup waterCandy Thermometer1 teaspoon Anise flavoring1 teaspoon food coloring of choice Combine sugar, corn syrup and water into a heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a boil until it reaches “hard crack” on candy thermometer. Take off heat and let sit for one minute only before adding the flavoring and food coloring. Pour onto a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with PAM. Let cool. Break into bite size pieces. If you are reading this, then you probably enjoy new recipes. If you would like to share some of your recipes with the com-munity, YOU could be Cook of the Week. Please contact me, Sally Redenius, if you would like to be in this column some week. I can be reached by phone at 515-373-6346 or email me at sacuthbe@msn.com. I will be happy to email or send you my short questionnaire and set up a time to come and visit you at your convenience. I’m always looking for NEW Cooks of the Week. Also, if you are new in town, this is a good way to introduce yourself to the Humboldt community and sur-rounding communities. I look forward to visiting with you.Those wishing to send online condolences can send them to masonlindhart@gmail.com and we will see that it gets to the family. Be sure to put the deceased’s name in the subject line.