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Spicing things up a bit

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I don’t know about you but I love mac n cheese. Who doesn’t? My grandmother once made don and I homemade mac n cheese and we could never go back to the box stuff. Seriously ! I make it homemade every time. !!!!

As usual, I was watching the food network and sunny anderson was making mac n cheese but spicey mac n cheese. We were both drooling and I could already feel the kick on my tongue it looked and sounded so good. The very next day I was in the kitchen making this very same dish.

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Spicy Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

2 Cups elbow pasta – Cooked untl ALMOST al dente ( about 6-7 minutes)

8 ounces of Cheddar cheese – ½ Cubed, ½ Shredded

8 ounces of Colby Jack Cheese – Cubed  (I doubled up on cheddar and skipped the jack)

8 ounces of Monterey Pepper Jack Cheese – Cubed

2 tsp flour

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cayenne

½ teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg

4 Tbsp of sour cream

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup half n half ( I doubled up on the heavy cream, using regular milk will suffice also)

1/4 cup grated onions

4 slices of bread

1 tbsp butter

Directions:

As always, begin by preheating oven 350 degrees!

In large bowl, mix cooked pasta with cheese cubes and pour into baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, pepper, cayenne, mustard, and nutmeg. Add in sour cream, egg, heavy cream, half n half, and onions mixing well. Pour mixture over pasta and cover with shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until top begins to brown.

While the pasta is baking, cube bread slices. In a small pan, melt butter on medium heat. Add in the bread cubes and toast until golden brown. Sprinkle croutons on top of the pasta and bake for an additional 10 minutes .

My thoughts…

It was good, however there are a few things I would change in the prepping process! I would heat the milk on stove adding in the dry ingredients until it comes to a boil. Then mixing in the different cheese until melted. Once the cheese is fully melted I would mix in the pasta , pour into a baking dish then bake it for 30-35 min. Why? I felt like there was alot of bites with no cheese! I did use an entire box of elbows instead of 2 cups so I am sure that is why , but I find doing it this method with normal mac n cheese get everything nice and coated!

I was proud of my homemade croutons. They were delicious :) I forsure thought they would be soak up all the butter and become soggy but with patience they turned out great !

ENJOY !

Photo Credit : Life’s Ambrosia

Homemade Scalloped Potatos

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Once again, trying to introduce any kind of NEW food into my household is like pulling teeth. I will have to give it to Don because he has been very open lately :) I have tried time after time to buy the boxed scalloped potatoes by Betty Crocker and I never got any where. One day, I decided to tackle home made scalloped potatoes. THEY. WERE. DELICIOUS.

Homemade Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:

3 TBS of all-purpose flower

2 TBS of butter

1/2 TSP of salt

1/4 TSP of black or white pepper

1 1/2 cups of milk ( I use skim)

1 8oz. block of cheddar cheese

2 Large potatoes

Directions:

Wash and peel potatoes. Use mandolin to slice potatoes. This insures proper and even thickness so the potatoes will cook evenly. Use a knife if you wish!

Melt butter in medium size pot. Once butter is fully melted, stir in flour, salt and pepper until mixture is smooth ( this is called a roux ). Using a whisk, stir in milk until well incorporated. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes to thicken. Add in cheese until melted.

Layer the potatoes on the bottom of a casserole dish domino style, reserving enough potatoes to create one more layer. ( I used a 9×9 glass dish)

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Over the first potato layer pour the cheese mixture until well covered. Add the second layer of potato and pour remaining cheese.

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Bake at 375 for 50 minutes.

MY THOUGHTS

It was a great and VERY easy dish.

They were very tasty. If you taste the cheese mixture prior to baking it will seem a little salty. The saltiness dissipates after baking.

I have made it THREE ( maybe four ) times since I found the recipe.

I tried adding a link to my blog for the recipe but the recipe / website has been removed or not working.

Feta Pesto Stuffed Chicken

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This recipe has a few great qualities to it….

It has FIVE ingredients or less.

It has an estimated 260 calories.

It has my FAVORITE cheese , Feta.

It was very easy to make!!!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup crumbled reduced fat feta cheese
2 tbsp prepared pesto sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper plus more to taste
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp olive oil – omitted
3 tbsp fresh basil, rough chop

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DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl, combine feta, pesto and black pepper.
2. Using a sharp knife, butterfly the chicken. Do not cut all the way through. Repeat for all chicken breasts.
3. Add 2 tbsp of the stuffing into the pocket of each breast. Secure pockets with toothpicks and sprinkle a little more black pepper to taste.
4. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken breast and cook until browned and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes per side.       

4. I did not cook mine on the stove. I baked mine in the oven for 22.00 minutes at 400 degrees.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
5. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting into them. Sprinkle with basil.

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The picture is not  flattering, however I was trying to get a photo of the ‘stuffing’ before it oozed out.

MY THOUGHTS

It needs some other flavoring on the outside. Maybe a light marinade? I used some s&p, garlic powder and onion powder… didn’t do much but it wasn’t bad

Cooking it in the oven was a good choice 1) because it stayed nice and juicy 2) didn’t have to deal with the calories from the EVOO.

Would definitely cook again!

Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers

Drunken Chicken

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I am finally getting back to cooking some new things. Tonight we are having beer braised chicken thighs. I am worried about the picky eater , thank goodness we have frozen pizzas just incase ;) I once watched a cooking show where a similar dish was being made and since then I have always wanted to make braised chicken….So here we go …

I just Google searched braised chicken thighs. . . and this is what I chose. I omitted alot of the stuff just because I was using what we had.

Beer-Braised Chicken Thighs

  • 8 pieces bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 link andouille sausage, casing removed and chopped, or 4 slices bacon, chopped – did not use
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 ribs celery, chopped – did not use
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped – did not use
  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme – did not use
  • 1 rounded tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 (12-ounce) bottle lager beer – We used Miller Light – haha
  • 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with chiles or stewed tomatoes – I used stewed & Dont for get to dice !
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons hot sauce
  • Scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced, for garnish
  • Warm baguette, for mopping

Pat the chicken thighs dry, and season with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the chicken and brown on both sides in 2 batches. Start with skin side first !

Remove the chicken to a plate and spoon out 1/2 the drippings, and add the andouille sausage. Brown for 2 minutes and then add the onion, celery, pepper, garlic, and thyme, and cook to soften, for about 10 minutes over medium heat.

Add the flour, stir 1 to 2 minutes, and then pour in the beer and let the foam subside. Stir in the tomatoes, stock, and hot sauce. Let the sauce thicken a bit, and then slide the chicken into the pot and simmer to cook through ( about 30-45 minutes) . Serve with warm crusty bread, or cool and store for make-ahead meal.

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My Thoughts…

The liquid / veggie mixture alone taste really good and would be awesome as a soup.

If you want something a little richer, maybe use wine instead of beer!

Adding carrots and potatoes may also be good !

Its actually still simmering on the stove so these are all my thoughts for now !

Chow!

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Recipe adapted from Cooking Channel Tv

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Going Italian

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I have been getting the itch to cook something new and yummy. As you have seen, my cooking ‘new things’ has slightly gone down hill. I need to get back on that crazy train pretty soon. Fall always brings flavorful new recipes, so I am excited to see what will be brewing in my kitchen.

So apparently yesterday was ‘Talk like a Pirate day” but I was not feeling that one and I am sure my patients really appreciated me not participating in that also. Mid-morning I was on twitter (@keemy87) and also saw that it was ” National Cheeseburger Day” … Yes! I knew what we were having for dinner ….Cheeseburgers!!! If your anything like me, You have to be craving what your about to eat or you just do not want to eat it.  I was actually craving Italian… I wanted PASTA, but not your typical boring baked cheese and marinara dish, something new and exciting. Don mentioned this dish that we order at a local Italian restaurant. >;>; Spaghetti Alla Carbonara <;<;

I was actually scared to make this for certain reasons .. you will see why shortly, but I bit the bullet and went strait for it!

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dry spaghetti
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 ounces pancetta or slab bacon, cubed or sliced into small strips We used pancetta
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving We definitely used FRESH Parm here !
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped Skipped ! Remember – I have a picky eater on board.

Directions

Prepare the sauce ( Egg Mixture) while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm (as they say in Italian “al dente.”) Drain the pasta well, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish. We did not need to use this due to the EVOO

While your pasta is boiling, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the pancetta and saute for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to soften.

Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. we had lumps from our cheese and it came out fine. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Pass more cheese around the table.

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WORD(s) of ADVICE…

Ask your significant other for help. While your boiling and rendering fat, have someone else make the egg mixture.

Add the egg mixture while one person is moving the hot pasta around . This prevents the egg to sit and scramble.

Add the egg mixture in increments . This also helps prevent the egg to sit.

 

My Thoughts…

It was good. Not as good as the restaurant because my house lacks a fresh pasta maker. {hopefully this changes when the wedding comes around ;) }

Next time, I may use actual bacon for saltiness, and for that reason alone.

All of the ingredients combined make a light ‘creamy’ sauce. If you ever order this at a restaurant and they use CREAM to make it. Send it back and leave!

 

Hope you make this dish and enjoy it !

Recipe Courtesy of Food Network and Tyler Florence

All In One

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Can we say SLACKER ? Sorry about that….I have been on a short hiatus due to having company and just being plain ole busy ! I am going to try an all in one post with a few things that I have been holding on to. I will start with a NEW recipe that we tried. Its by far one of the easiest recipes I have made. It also can be money friendly assuming you have ALL THREE  ingredients already in your home like we did. Of course, I found the recipe on pinterest !

 

Glazed Brown Sugar Chicken

Ingredients

3 1/2 Lbs. of chicken ( we used breast .. I am sure your favorite cut of chicken is A-ok )

1 packet of dry italian season ( found on salad dressing aisle )

1/2 cup of brown sugar,  packed. ( I am certain light or dark will be fine, use what you have in the cupboard)

 

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 12 inch x 9 inch pan and set aside. *** I used foin in the bottom of my dish in tin foil to make it easier to clean *** .. I will also tell you to double your tin foil or place wax paper under the tin foil! My foil ripped during the cooking making the foil pointless and an absolute pain to clean !

Rinse chicken, pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the dried Italian seasoning mix and the brown sugar, making sure its mixed well !

Dip and press the chicken into the mixture, coating front and back and place into your prepared pan, topside of the chicken facing up. Any extra coating that remains can just be sprinkled over the chicken.

Depending on the cut of chicken, bake for about 45-60 min ( until chicken is fully cooked ). Mine took 45min, however reading other blogs they cooked from 50-60 minutes. I also flipped my chicken every 15 minutes using a spoon to drizzle the melted sauce over the chicken. Beware the melted sugar is absolutely HOT! The chicken was moist and flavorful !

 

 

That is my only food related ‘stuff’ today. We had some company come and visit this weekend.  We had a blast with them. I am not sure how this came about, but Don has really foggy head lights. It just so happens, that Kendra ( one of our guest / good friends / bridesmaids ) also had foggy headlights but found a quick, inexpensive way to get rid of those unwanted foggy headlights. You would never guess… but it was toothpaste. All she did was take a basic toothpaste( no whitening ingredient AT ALL , we used the basic cavity protective tp. ), put a large dollop on a paper towl and rub in  circles on the outside of the headlight. Listen up … She did one headlight using circles and I did one headlight just rubbing back in forth… The circles definitely work the best ! You have to use the muscles to .  Before spending your money on the more expensive fix… Try toothpaste.

 

 

 

As most of us know, this past weekend was the first weekend of College Football, Yipee! I was born and raised a Florida State University Seminole fan and a proud one at that. Now I know that our team hasn’t been at there prime in quiet sometime, but I will still cheer them on! My fiance’ , my neighbors, and my bosses are ALL Florida Gator fans. I really wanted to play some kind of joke on someone this year, and I chose my bosses because I always get an ear full about being a seminole fan ! I needed to think of a quick friendly fire because after all I did want to keep my job. This is what I came up with . . .

They almost needed to use them , maybe next week !
Till next time, Happy Tuesday !

Chicken & Biscuit Casserole Style !

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I am always searching for new and easy recipes especially with Don being a picky eater. Even though this recipe is not the healthiest, It still was really good. Hope you go and Pin this recipe and try it yourself.

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RECIPE

1 roll of Pillsbury biscuits
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (regular sized)
1/2 cup of Sour Cream
1/2 stick of butter, melted
1 can of peas – I did not use because Don would not eat them
2 cups cooked chicken, (I boiled mine shredded it)
1 cup mild cheddar cheese
3 TBS milk – I actually forgot to use the Milk.. It was a good thing because they mixture was a little runny

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix soup and 1/2 cup sour cream in 8-inch square baking dish. Stir in chicken, and peas, milk, and melted butter: flatten out, and put the cheese sprinkled evenly on top. I added some pepper into the mixture.

Add the biscuits on top of the cheese. Just layer them in a single layer. If you did buy the thicker biscuits I would probably flatten them out a little, or cut them in half so they are not as thick, they will cook better.

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Her recipe called to bake it for 35 minutes. However mine, only took 22 minutes. Just keep an eye out ! ENJOY !

Just for a little laugh. . .

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Cheddar Cracker Chicken

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I can’t even think of how to start this post. Maybe its because I am still thinking of how yummy our dinner was. I was supposed to make this recipe last week,  but I actually pushed it the side because it sounded really bland. Was I wrong! It was cooked perfectly ( which I was thrilled with, because I am still figuring out this oven after using it for a year…) and Don ( the picky eater ) LOVED IT! I hope you find this recipe as easy and delicious as we did. Its definitely a keeper! Check it out :)

 

Cheddar Cracker Chicken

Ingredients:

16 Ritz Crackers crushed ( about 3/4 cup )

6oz of sharp cheddar cheese

1 clove of garlic – finely chopped

1-2 stalks of scallions – thinly sliced

1/4 tsp of black pepper

1/4 tsp of salt

4 tbsp of of unsalted butter melted ( WE DID NOT USE BUTTER, INSTEAD I USED ONE EGG )

Directions:

Heat oven to 350° F.

In a bowl, combine the crackers, cheese, garlic, scallions and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. ( I omitted the scallions simply because I did not have them on hand )

Pound the chicken to about 1/4 – 1/2 inch thickness with a meat mallet. Dip the pounded chicken in the butter ( I used a whisked egg instead) , then in the cracker mixture, pressing gently to help it adhere, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Sprinkle any remaining cracker mixture on the chicken and drizzle with any remaining butter. Bake until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through, 20-25 minutes.

ENJOY !!!

The cheese melted in a way where it was not runny, nor burnt. It almost formed a thick, firm crust. I also seasoned my chicken before dipping it in the egg with Morton nature seasoning. Don typically always has an opinion about my food and tonight his comment was, ” I am trying to think how you can make this chicken better, but its already so good.” Yipee for me ( well actually for who ever came up with this recipe )

Go Pin it, and make it for your family !!!

 

Baked Penne

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Well HEY there! Didn’t think I would be posting again so quick eh? Tonight’s dinner was another new dish. We don’t eat a lot of pasta however I was drooling when I saw this dish. By looking at the photo, It reminds me much of baked ziti except this dish has a few twist and turns. Plus, I have really been wanting to use the Philadelphia Cooking Creme.

Source: plainchicken.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

Baked Penne

Ingredients:
1/2 lb of ground beef or ground sausage
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green peppers
24oz Spaghetti sauce
1 tub of Philadelphia cooking creme ( Italian Cheese and Herb )
1 cup of mozzerella cheese, divided
3 cups cooked penne pasta ( 1 1/2 cups of dry pasta )

Brown your choice of meat with the chopped vegetables. Stir in spaghetti sauce, 3/4 of cooking creme, and 1/2 cup mozzerella. Stir until mozzerella is melted ( 2-3 minutes ). Add your cooked pasta. Pour mixutre into a casserole dish. Top with remaining creme and mozzerella.Cover and bake for about 20 minutes ( uncover after 15 minutes ).

Voila..You have baked penne.

okay okay . . . so this dish is not my favorite, didnt really tickle my fancy. Its another EASY recipe. Great for on the go moms when they need to prep dinner prior to cooking them. Its also good for picky eaters, just remove everything they wont eat. Anyone can become very creative with this dish ( use meatballs, chicken, all veggies ). Try it! I hope you enjoy it more than I did.

Baked Italian Chicken

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I told you I had a few new recipes to try this week…Here is my first one! Several people pinned this recipe on pinterest however the recipe is not linked to a website to give any one person the credit ;0)

Source: via Kimberly on Pinterest

Recipe as follows:

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 degrees

4-6 chicken breast ( I am only cooking for 2, so I did 2breast )

Red potatoes

Green Veggie ( the recipe actually states green beans or broccoli, canned or fresh; I used canned green beans drained)

1 packet of dry Italian seasoning

Melted stick of butter ( I used 1/2 stick, olive oil is probably healthier )

Salt and Pepper as needed

Bake for 1 hour ( I did 45 minutes since I only had 2 breast )

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Of course I had to keep my veggies separate so they didnt touch the other food… The little things I do for my picky eater :)

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Its definitely something to try. We both thought it was pretty bland, nothing special. If your looking for something easy to throw together and go, this is it! I am sure you could even make ahead minus the butter…maybe use chicken stock instead ( also healthier alternative ) . Check back this week for more first time recipes !