Homemade Mac & Cheese

This is currently my favorite recipe for homemade mac & cheese. It seems like it calls for a lot of milk, but the sauce really does thicken if you follow the directions.

3 Tbs. unsalted butter

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

coarse salt

4 cups whole milk (I use skim and it turns out fine...)

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

3/4 lbs. shell pasta (any shape you like, and I use a whole lbs.)

4 cups coarsely grated sharp cheddar (close to a lbs.)

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; add onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add flour and 1/2 tsp salt; cook, stirring frequently , until mixture is pale golden, has a slightly nutty aroma, and is the texture of cooked oatmeal, about 5 minutes.

2. Whisking constantly, pour in 2 cups milk; add 2 more cups milk and cayenne and whisk until smooth. Cook mixture, stirring constantly along bottom of pan, until boiling, 6 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and does not feel grainy when a small amount is rubbed between two fingers, about 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling slated water, cook pasta until al dente; drain throughly and return to pot. Remove sauce from heat and let cool 10 minutes. Quickly whisk in cheese, mustard, and Worcestershire. Pour cheese sauce over pasta and stir to coat.

Fried Rice

Fried rice is a favorite in our house. It is one of my favorites because it is an easy way to use leftover rice, which we always have in the fridge. I don't have a real recipe, I just throw in whatever I have.

In a large pan or pot I cook a few eggs in vegetable oil, the way you would do scrambled eggs. Once cooked I take them out of the pan, break them up a bit, and set aside. In that same pot, saute onion and whatever veggies you want to throw in and saute a few minutes, you don't want them to be mush-a little crunch is good. Throw in some chopped garlic and cook a few more minutes. Tonight I used a red bell pepper and shredded carrot. I then add already cooked rice and drizzle a little soy sauce over and literally fry it until heated through and a little golden brown. At the very end I throw the eggs back in. We had fish with the fried rice tonight that I seasoned with "Black and Red Spice" which is red and black pepper. I also put some of Penzey's "Bangkok Blend" in the fried rice. Keep in mind you don't need much oil for this, just enough to keep everything from sticking.

Here are a few ideas of other things you could put in:

-green onion (add at the end)

-tofu

-shrimp

-left over chicken, pork, or steak

-shredded carrot

-water chesnuts

-chopped bell pepper

-peas

-edamame

-snap peas

-broccoli

Shrimp Curry

This is a recipe we tried for the first time tonight, and greatly enjoyed. It was very, very simple. It more of a sweet curry.

1 cup chopped onions

4 tsp. olive oil, divided

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 lbs. uncooked, peeled shrimp

1 Tbs. curry paste

2 Tbs. water

1 cup light coconut milk

1 stp. curry powder

3 cups cooked brown rice

1. In a large skillet, saute the onions on medium in 2 tsp. oil until carmelized, about 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, in another large skillet, saute pepper strips and remaining oil on medium, about 3 minutes. Add the shrimp, cook for another 2 t 3 minutes, until they are opaque.

2. Puree onions and curry paste with water until almost smooth. Add puree, light coconut milk, and curry powder to the shrimp and peppers. Simmer quickly, just to thicken the sauce. Stir in the rice, cook another minute or two. Serves 4.

I always follow recipe exactly the first time I use it, but on this one there are a few things I would change for next time. I would add more bell pepper, and use a combination of red, orange, and yellow. You can go much lighter on the oil. I would also add a pinch of salt. Snow peas and edamame would be great additions and would add some color (you do eat with your eyes first...). You could add more curry paste if you like it a little hotter.

Banana Bread!

Banana bread is something I grew up with, although I wasn't a big fan until recently! It's so easy, and so tasty. My favorite recipe is my grandma's, but it's a little sweeter than some others.

Grandma's Banana Bread:

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup butter

1 cup ripe bananas-mashed or pureed

3 Tbs. milk

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips (optional, but recommended!)

1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.

Blend sugar and butter together until smooth. Add egg and vanilla, mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add milk to banana.

Alternate adding the flour mixture and banana mixture to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix well after each addition. Scoop into a greased loaf pan or muffin pan with paper liners (fill about 2/3 way full). Muffins take about 10-12mins and about an hour for the loaf, (but you want to check it after about 45mins give or take). You want it to be slightly golden brown and if you push on the center it should spring back, not stay indented, or of course you can insert a tooth pick-it should come out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Can freeze-to do so wrap in plastic wrap, then in foil.

Tuna Puttanesca

A while back, I had tuna puttanesca for the first time. It wasn't my favorite, but I didn't dislike it. When meal planning for this week, I stumbled across a different recipe for tuna puttanesca and thought I should give it a second try. So tonight we had it, and I must say I really loved it second time around! I'm not sure if I just knew what to expect this time, or if I just prefer this recipe over the other. Either way, it going to made more frequently in this house.

According to epicurious.com:

puttanesca sauce; alla puttanesca

[poot-tah-NEHS-kah]
Generally served with pasta, this sauce is a spicy mélange of tomatoes, onions, capers, black olives, anchovies, oregano and garlic, all cooked together in olive oil. A dish on a menu described as alla puttanesca signals that it's served with this sauce. The name puttanesca is a derivation of puttana , which in Italian means "whore." According to one story, the name purportedly comes from the fact that the intense fragrance of this sauce was like a siren's call to the men who visited such "ladies of pleasure."

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/entry?id=4146#ixzz0qDUdopxy

Linguine With Tuna Puttanesca:

kosher salt

12 oz linguine

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 Tbs. capers, drained

1/2 cup roughly chopped kalamata olives (or black olives)

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, save juice

4 basil leaves, torn, plus more for garnish

1 5 oz. can albacore tuna, packed in olive oil

freshly ground pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until slightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the capers and olives and fry 2 more minutes. Add just the diced tomatoes, saving the juice. Cook until the tomatoes are slightly dry, about 2 minutes. Add the reserved tomato juice and stir until sauce thickens. Add the tuna, with it oil, breaking it up with a fork, and season with salt.

3. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water, and return it to the pot. Add the sauce and the reserved cooking water and sauce. Season with pepper and garnish with more basil.

Transform Leftover Bake Potatoes

Left over baked potatoes are a great thing to have in the fridge. I always make potato hash or fried potatoes. Just roughly chop up and onion, throw in a pan with some butter, chopped leftover potatoes, and anything else you want to throw in and fry until browned and heated through. Today as a lunch I threw in a chopped bell pepper, garlic, and some of Penzey's Ozark Seasoning. Could add sliced or shredded meat, or would be great alongside eggs.

Enchiladas

These are by far my favorite enchiladas! My mom always made these when I was growing up, and I know they are a favorite to everyone in family. They are easy to do, you can make the sauce ahead of time to store in the fridge for later in the week, that way all you have to do is assemble them! All of the ingredients are fairly cheap, and it is a filling meal that everyone will love!!

Enchiladas:

for sauce:

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup flour

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/2-1 4oz can chopped green chilis ...depending on how mild you want it...I use the whole can

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

for filling and topping:

1/8 cup minced onion

1/2 lbs. grated cheddar

1/2 lbs. grated monterey jack

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

shredded chicken (I like to season it with a little adobo seasoning and cayenne red pepper)

and/or

refried beans (I use fat free, and I add a pinch of cayenne red pepper to spice them up)

flour tortillas-about 13

For sauce: Saute onion in oil until tender, add garlic, cook 2 minutes. Stir in flour, cook 2 minutes. Add broth, stir until bubbly and thickened. Stir in chilis, salt, pepper, and cumin, set aside. (or store in an air tight container in fridge if using at a later time)

For filling: Combine all ingredients except chicken and/or beans. Reserve one cup of cheese mixture.

Assembly: Spread a little sauce in bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Lay all tortillas out on table. Evenly distribute chicken and/or beans, then cheese mixture. Roll up and place in pan. Top with remaining sauce. Cover with foil, bake 20-25 minutes at 375, until it looks bubbly. Remove foil, top with reserved cheese, return to oven for 5 minutes, or until melted. You can garnish with olives, green onions, salsa, sour cream. Serve with rice on the side.

Build Your Own Potatoes

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love potatoes! So it's no wonder that this is one of my favorite meals, and it definitely doesn't hurt that it is so simple. We call it "build your own potato"...and it is just that. I bake potatoes (scrub under under running water until clean, poke holes in it with a fork, rub them with olive oil and sprinkle kosher on them since we love eating the skins in this house, and bake for about an hour give or take at 350). Then I just set up an assembly line of toppings like steamed broccoli, shredded cheese, sour cream, crumbled bacon, and salsa. Everyone takes a potato and puts what they want on it, it's easy, and everyone is happy! You can keep it as simple as you want or you could get much more creative with your toppings. Left over chili makes a great topping for baked potatoes, you could try any "theme", like taco potatoes with salsa, monterey jack, green onions, and olives, or pizza potatoes with mozzarella, italian sausage, and onion. Be creative, a potato is good start to something great!

Another Pesto Favorite...

One of my other favorite things to do with pesto is put it in panini or grilled cheese. Today, in a hurry, I just spread it on the inside of some good bread, and put mozzarella cheese in between the slices, buttered the outer sides of the bread, and cooked it the way you would a grilled cheese. On a day when I don't have two children screaming at me for their lunch, I would do it in a grill pan and use a second pan to press it. I also really like to add fresh tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms or fresh spinach, but again, that is something I would do on a day with no screaming children :) I did still manage to greatly enjoy this one, and my oldest son, Kieran, ate some too.

Everybody Loves Chocolate!

I'm going to keep this one short since I think chocolate kinda speaks for itself....and also because I am trying to shove some delicious brownie into my mouth right now... :)

The one thing I will say is this, buy a high quality, naturally high fat cocoa powder. Words cannot explain the difference it will make in your baking. I, of course, buy mine from Penzey's. Since making the switch I can definitely tell the difference, brownies are so much more dense with a deeper chocolate flavor. And the price isn't much different than the common grocery store brands!

(The BEST) Brownies:

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 lbs. butter

2 tsp. vanilla

4 eggs, well beaten

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

*powdered sugar for the top-optional

In a heavy pan, melt butter with cocoa and oil. Let cool completely. Beat eggs, vanilla, and sugar together. Add cooled chocolate mixture. Add flour and salt, mix well. Spread evenly in a foil lined, greased, 9x13 pan. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350.

This one below is a new favorite of mine, I found it in Rachael Ray's magazine, and they are to die for!

Peanut Butter-Stuffed Milk Chocolate Sandwich Cookies:

Makes 8.

2 1/2 cups (15oz) milk chocolate chips

4 Tbs. unsalted butter at room temp.

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs, at room temp

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

3 Tbs. confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, melt together 2 cups chocolate chips and 2 Tbs. butter on medium power until almost melted, about 1 1/2 minutes; stir just until smooth.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and 1/4 tsp. salt. Using an electric mixer, beat together the eggs, granulated sugar and vanilla at high speed until thickened and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in the melted chocolate at medium speed; whisk in the flour mixture. Stir the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Refrigerate the dough until firm enough to scoop, but still soft, 10- 15 minutes

3. Onto each prepared pan, drop 12 rounded tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart. Bake, switching and rotating the pans halfway through baking, until the cookies appear bubbly and still soft, about 15 minutes *(I thought it took less time, about 8 minutes, If I left them in 15 minutes they were crunchy cookies, not soft and chewy)* Let cool completely.

4. In a medium bowl, beat together the remaining 2 Tbs. butter and the peanut butter. Sift in the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt; beat until fluffy. On the flat side of each of 8 cookies, spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the peanut butter mixture; sandwich with the remaining cookies.

Homemade Pizza

I think pizza is pretty much everyones favorite food, or it's at least at the top of your list! But eating out, ordering in, and frozen pizzas can be pricey, and it's not always great quality pizza. The best thing you can do is learn to make your own pizza crust! It's easy to do, and it's not nearly as time consuming as you may think. You make it with ingredients you more than likely have in your house anyways, you can chose your own toppings, you know that they are good quality, and it's always fun for kids to top their own pizza! If you're making your own crust, you can make personal pizzas, you can make shapes, you can make a thicker crust, or a super thin crust. Once you know the recipe you will see how simple it is to tailor it to your liking. I like to make it part whole wheat, and I also like to throw in some oat bran for texture. In our house, our favorite toppings are onion, olives, marinated artichoke hearts and turkey pepperoni. Our favorite sauce is Newman's Own Marinara. The following is a basic recipe that has been used in my family for a long time. However when my grandma makes it, it is very different than my mom's, and mine is different from both of theirs, but they are all great!

Pizza Crust:

about 2 1/2 cups flour (can use some whole wheat flour)

2 1/2 tsp. yeast

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup warm water

2 Tbs. olive oil

Combine 1 cup of the flour with the yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add the water and olive oil and stir until smooth. Gradually add the remaining flour until the dough is workable. Knead it briefly, you can do this right in the bowl. Cover with a towel and let it rise for about 30 minutes. In the meantime you can prep your pizza toppings (chop olives, peppers, onions, etc.) Punch down the dough, roll out onto a lightly floured surface. Work dough until it is the shape of your pizza pan (you can use a cookie sheet or whatever you have). Transfer the dough onto a cornmeal dusted pan. Let rest for about 15 minutes. Bake crust for about 8-10 minutes (depends on the size) in a 425 degree oven. Check it occasionally, it may form bubbles that you can just poke with a fork. Let the crust cool slightly before topping with sauce, cheese, and toppings. Once topped, bake for 15-25 minutes (again depending on size, and how brown you like your crust) until edges are golden brown and cheese is melted.

Pesto

Summer is not summer without pesto! It's wonderful on pasta, veggies, bread, anything!! So this year I am growing a few basil plants since I don't want to go broke trying to buy fresh basil to feed my addiction. I made my first batch this past weekend and it turned out great. The following is my favorite recipe. It is very simply, and full flavored! Since this is a simple recipe, I rarely measure anything since it's easy to eyeball.

You will need:

4 cups of fresh basil

approximately 1/3 cup olive oil (use good quality extra virgin, it's worth it!)

1/3 cup pine nuts (a small handful) - toasted

2-3 garlic cloves

about 1/2 cup parmesan (a good handful)

kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

To toast the pine nuts, just put them in a pan over medium heat for a few minutes, don't let them get more than a golden brown, they are very oily and burn quickly!

Combine basil, pine nuts, garlic, and parmesan in a food processor and let it go until it's become a paste. While the food processor is still going, drizzle in the olive oil a little at a time until it is the consistency you like, you really just want to add moisture and a little flavor, don't over do it. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To store, keep in an airtight container and you may also want to put plastic wrap over it because it will discolor a bit if exposed to air.

You can also freeze it!! Before freezing drizzle a little olive oil over it so it doesn't discolor. You will be glad you saved some when december rolls around....!!!

My absolute favorite pesto dish is a pasta dish. I saute fresh chopped mushrooms with a little garlic, salt, and pepper. I add cooked noodles (I like a curly shape that holds lots of sauce in them) and heat them through with the mushrooms, add fresh chopped tomatoes, and deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine. I remove it from the heat once the wine has cooked out, and I add some pesto, just enough to coat all the pasta, and serve with some extra parmesan on top. It is so simple, and so tasty!