Keeping it simple

Cheryl Keifer of Schaumburg enjoys cuisines from a variety of cultures. Her Beef and Bean Enchiladas with Spanish Rice are a family favorite.

Feathering the nest, says Cheryl Keifer, has always been among her fave five activities.

Digging for treasure at resale and antique shops, redecorating and cooking were all inspired at a young age by enthusiastic family members.

"I like the home," says Cheryl, a retired special education teacher from Schaumburg Elementary District. 54. "I love to have people over; I like what happens when people are eating food together."

Cheryl's Schaumburg house has been under construction for the past two years as she and her husband, Ed, "re-feather" their retirement nest.

Naturally, that includes the kitchen, updated to a brighter, country French style, a theme she plans to continue throughout the house.

The meals that emerge from Cheryl's kitchen are simple, straightforward family fare. She likes mainstream ingredients and cuisines from a variety of cultures.

"I don't spend hours at the stove," she says, but she does enjoy tinkering.

Of the 78 members in her Delta Kappa Gamma chapter, a society for women educators, Cheryl is the one invited to teach a cooking class each year. But she is reluctant to take much credit for it.

So few people enjoy cooking, she says, "the fact that I cook impresses people." She also is known for reading cookbooks instead of novels, a habit "that helps create the mystique too."

Once the work crews move out of her house for good Cheryl plans to ratchet up the entertaining.

"I would like to have friends come over every week," she says.

That attitude was partly inspired by a 10-week, post-college trip to Europe in 1969 with a friend. Armed with a Eurail pass, the two traveled everywhere.

"What struck me was the simplicity of their lives," she says.

At a bed-and-breakfast in Ireland one night, they were invited downstairs for tea and biscuits with the rest of the guests.

"We sat at a tiny table next to an old fireplace in a dark room. We were almost bumping knees, but we had a great conversation and a lot of laughter.

"I thought, 'I want to have a house like this, where it isn't so huge and sprawling. When people come I want us to have to sit close together and enjoy each other, not the grandness of the surroundings.' "

Mexican food has always been a favorite at her house, particularly Beef and Bean Enchiladas.

"It was such a favorite when my kids were in school, I would send my son off to the University of Illinois with enough to last an entire semester," she says.

They go well with her Spanish Rice, punched up with chiles, cumin and cilantro. Add some shrimp and it can stand as the main course.

Mediterranean ingredients, like pine nuts, chick peas, cumin and curry, fill out her Couscous Salad. Serve it warm or chilled; chicken is optional.

For dessert, try this one, inspired by a local Mexican restaurant: A scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with half a shot each of Bailey's Irish Cream and butterscotch schnapps. Top with whipped cream and a crunchy cookie.

Even when people are stuffed, they aren't threatened by that dessert, says Cheryl.

"It slides down easy."

Spanish Rice

2 cups uncooked rice

6 tablespoons shortening or oil of choice

2 small onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced or mashed

1 tablespoon ground cumin, optional

4 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or 1 cup tomato puree

4-6 cups beef or chicken broth, divided

2-3 canned green chiles or fresh green chiles, chopped, optional

2 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro

1 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives

In a skillet, brown rice lightly in shortening or oil. Add onion, garlic, cumin, tomatoes or puree and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Add 3 cups of the stock and chiles. Cover and simmer on top of range over medium heat for 25-35 minutes or bake in a covered casserole at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Check rice periodically and add more stock or water if necessary to cook the rice. All liquid should be absorbed when the rice is done. Add parsley or cilantro toward the end of the cooking time. Adjust seasoning before serving and garnish with olives.

Serves six.

Cook's note: You may add 1 pound of cooked, shelled and deveined shrimp 5 minutes before rice will be done. If desired, substitute the water in which you cooked the shrimp for some or all of the broth.

Nutrition values per serving: 410 calories, 19 g fat (2 g saturated), 56 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 7 g protein, 5 mg cholesterol, 1290 mg sodium.

Couscous Salad

1½ cups chicken broth

½ cup water

1 box (10 ounces) plain couscous (about 1½ cups), uncooked

1 tomato, diced

3 green onions, chopped

½ cup chickpeas, drained

½ red or green bell pepper, cut in ½-inch strips

½ cups dried currants or golden raisins

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

5 ounces canned, drained chicken meat, optional

Dressing

½ lemon, juiced

½ cup olive oil

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon curry powder

1 drop hot pepper sauce or to taste

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper

½ cup pine nuts, toasted, optional

Bring broth and water to a boil, add couscous and stir. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.

Uncover and add tomato, green onions, chickpeas, bell pepper, currants, parsley and chicken. Mix well.

In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, curry, hot pepper sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss with salad. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Before serving, stir in nuts.

Serves six.

Nutrition values per serving: 530 calories, 20 g fat (2.5 g saturated), 75 g carbohydrates, 7 g fiber, 12 g protein, 0 mg cholesterol, 280 mg sodium.

Beef and Bean Enchiladas

1½ pounds ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pound refried beans

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ cup taco sauce

1 cup chopped, pitted ripe olives

12 corn tortillas, 6-inch size

Salad oil for softening tortillas

3 cans (10 ounces each) enchilada sauce, divided

3 cups (about 10 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Garnishes

Sliced pitted ripe olives

Sour cream

Green chile salsa

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute ground beef with onions, crumbling the meat as it cooks, until beef is browned and onions are soft. Drain fat. Stir in refried beans, salt, garlic powder, taco sauce and olives. Heat until bubbly.

Heat oil in skillet, quickly dip in tortillas one at a time to soften; drain on paper towels.

In a medium saucepan, heat two cans enchilada sauce; pour about half into a shallow, 3-quart baking dish. Save remaining to pour over top.

To assemble the enchiladas: Pour the third can of sauce into shallow dish and dip a tortilla into it. Lay tortilla flat on a work surface and place about ½ cup of the ground beef filling on one end. Roll up and place flap side down in the baking dish. Repeat for remaining tortillas. (Save leftover sauce for later use.)

Pour remaining heated enchilada sauce evenly over tortillas; cover with cheese. Bake uncovered for about 15-20 minutes, or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with green chile sauce, sour cream and olives.

Serves four to six.

Cook's notes: You may cover and refrigerate before baking for up to 1 day. To cook directly from refrigerator, increase baking time to 45 minutes. Recipe can be doubled or tripled as needed.