Cook of the Week: This cook's repertoire has evolved to include healthier options
As a hairdresser, Karri Kramer knows her job means not only giving her customers the perfect haircut but also providing some good conversation.
Sometimes that conversation leads to sharing a love of cooking and learning some great recipes that she can make at home.
The Roselle cook said one client shared a recipe for cheese puffs - a big hit at her family's Thanksgiving table.
"They are super simple," she said. "They are beautiful."
Another client gave her a recipe for make-ahead mashed potatoes.
"That's how the world gets better - everyone tries to help everyone else," she said. "Even if it's just potatoes."
The first recipes Karri learned to make came from her mom. A particular favorite at home was beef stroganoff. Over time, just as life has changed, so has the beef stroganoff.
While her mom made the dish using round steak, she later learned her mother-in-law used filet.
"It's evolved from how I had it growing up to being introduced to it in a fancier way through my mother-in-law. My son just asked me last week for the recipe," said Karri, who shares her revision with readers. "What I love about it now is that it can be made quickly because of the tender meat."
But Karri also has created some special recipes of her own.
Her brothers, who she says are amazing cooks, have given some of her dishes high praise.
"I made four trays of my chicken enchiladas, which they froze and took 12 hours up to Minnesota. When my brother served them for one of the dinners, he took credit for them," she said with a laugh. "That's the joke - when I make things and they turn out really good, he takes the credit."
Karri acknowledges getting older has meant choosing a healthy lifestyle. That includes going to yoga four to six days a week and making healthier meals, too.
"I understand how getting larger when we get older is not a good thing," she said. "I read about how excess weight hurts your heart, the knee problems, back problems. I don't want to let my weight get out of hand. I do my yoga. I try to eat right. I want to be healthy."
One healthier choice that her family loves is her turkey burger.
The secret, she shares, to keep her burgers from getting dry is adding muffalata to the mix.
The burgers also have evolved into a turkey meatloaf, stuffed with sun dried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil.
Making a healthy dish doesn't have to take a lot of time, either.
"I use spaghetti sauce and a low-sugar sauce from the store and sprinkle that with a little bit of parmesan cheese. It's simple and quick," she said. 'I went to my son's house last night, and there was a spaghetti squash on his counter. My husband said, 'oh no, he's gone to the dark side. You're just like your mom.'"
If part of your healthy meal includes a salad, Karri also offers a recipe for her white balsamic vinaigrette.
"I don't like store bought dressing because of all the added unnatural ingredients," she said. "This vinaigrette is the best I have ever made. After a practice run on that recipe, my brother walked into my house, so I asked him to taste it. He said he could drink it. Success."
Karri said the food is always good in her house because she always makes it with love.
"To me, it's showing love to the people in my life," she said. "I try to make them happy and food, if it's cooked well, makes them happy."
• To suggest someone to be profiled here, send the cook's name, address and phone number to food@dailyherald.com.