"Best Mac and Cheese Ever" was the title of this recipe when I saw it on facebook, and my friend Marion made it and said it was delicious! Marion also mentioned that this makes a TON of mac n cheese (enough to fill a 2.5qt dish), so I have listed a half recipe below as well. I wish I knew the author so I could give them credit! If you know please post a comment and I will update the post!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 lb elbows macaroni
8 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup muenster cheese, shredded
1 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 and 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly butter a deep 2 1/2 quart baking dish.
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a rapid boil. Add pasta and oil to water. Cook for 7 minutes, or until somewhat
tender. Drain well.
Return the pot to the stove over low heat and melt 8 tablespoons of butter. Add the drained pasta, half n half, eggs, sour cream, salt, pepper, and half the cheese.
Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and top with remaining shredded cheese. Dot with remaining
butter. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and bubbly. Serve hot.
********************
1/2 Recipe Ingredients:
1 1/2t vegetable oil
8oz pasta
4T butter
1/2T butter
1.5 cups cheese (cheddar, muenster, monterey jack)
3/4c half n half
1/4c sour cream
1 egg, lightly beaten
salt & pepper
Follow directions as detailed above with the following adjustments:
Use a 1qt instead of 2 1/2qt baking dish.
Melt 4 tablespoons of butter.
Add only 1 egg.
Adjust baking time dependent on your dish, watching for the mac n cheese to be bubbly and the edges to be golden brown. Mine baked for
Showing posts with label pasta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pasta. Show all posts
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Weekly Meal Plan: Mon, May 27 - Sun, June 2
Mon, May 27:
Roast Split Chicken Breasts, Baked Summer Squash, and Creamed Scallions on Pasta
Note: this squash dish was a huge hit, and very tasty! I added salt and pepper to the breadcrumb mix, but overall I would definitely make this again, next time with more squash!!
Also make: Crock Pot Fennel Infused Chicken Stock, Crock Pot Celery and Carrot Infused Chicken Stock, [Garlic] Naan Bread, and [Modified Peanut Chocolate Chip]Banana Bread Muffins
Tues, May 28:
Indian Butter Chicken & Mushrooms over Jasmine Rice with Homemade Garlic Naan Bread
Weds, May 29:
Chicken Fajita Tacos with Homemade Salsa Rice
Thurs, May 30:
Leftover Butternut Squash Soup with Amish Friendship Irish Soda Bread
Fri, May 31:
Fried Chicken from the Grocery and Salad
Sat, June 1:
I helped a friend run a party tonight where I worked mostly as a cocktail waitress, and I was able to eat the catered food while I was there. My husband was on his own for dinner!
Sun, June 2:
Chicken Chunks in Mushroom Mustard Cream Sauce with Baked Potatoes and Caesar Salad
Also make: Amish Friendship Bread Cinnamon Twists, Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Amish Friendship Bread
Prep for work week:
Strawberries with Vanilla Yogurt Dip in Mason Jars
Snow Peas and Carrots with Ranch Cottage Cheese Dip in Mason Jars
Watermelon cut into Chunks
Fried Chicken Salad (Chicken Salad made with the leftover Fried Chicken from Friday)
Roast Split Chicken Breasts, Baked Summer Squash, and Creamed Scallions on Pasta
Note: this squash dish was a huge hit, and very tasty! I added salt and pepper to the breadcrumb mix, but overall I would definitely make this again, next time with more squash!!
Also make: Crock Pot Fennel Infused Chicken Stock, Crock Pot Celery and Carrot Infused Chicken Stock, [Garlic] Naan Bread, and [Modified Peanut Chocolate Chip]Banana Bread Muffins
Tues, May 28:
Indian Butter Chicken & Mushrooms over Jasmine Rice with Homemade Garlic Naan Bread
Weds, May 29:
Chicken Fajita Tacos with Homemade Salsa Rice
Thurs, May 30:
Leftover Butternut Squash Soup with Amish Friendship Irish Soda Bread
Fri, May 31:
Fried Chicken from the Grocery and Salad
Sat, June 1:
I helped a friend run a party tonight where I worked mostly as a cocktail waitress, and I was able to eat the catered food while I was there. My husband was on his own for dinner!
Sun, June 2:
Chicken Chunks in Mushroom Mustard Cream Sauce with Baked Potatoes and Caesar Salad
Also make: Amish Friendship Bread Cinnamon Twists, Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Amish Friendship Bread
Prep for work week:
Strawberries with Vanilla Yogurt Dip in Mason Jars
Snow Peas and Carrots with Ranch Cottage Cheese Dip in Mason Jars
Watermelon cut into Chunks
Fried Chicken Salad (Chicken Salad made with the leftover Fried Chicken from Friday)
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Made from Scratch Challenge!
So I recently came across a series of posts over at TheKitchn.com that discuss a question I have about many foods: make it from scratch, or buy it? I always prefer making from scratch because I like to know what is going into my foods as much as possible. Sometimes I feel like the "prep" part of my cooking takes a lot longer than traditional recipes suggest, but to me it's worth it.
Over at TheKitchn they discussed several items, and I dug through them for some items I've rarely (or never) attempted to make, which they suggested be made from scratch. I'm going to attempt to make each of these items, and I'll report my success and tips in future posts. The things I will be making from scratch includes:
Pie Crust
I'll admit I've made pie crust before. I especially love Martha Stewart's Cheese Short Crust. However, I've only ever used it to make her Cherry Tomato, Bocconcini, and Zucchini Pie (hint: Bocconcini is basically fresh mozzarella, I had to google it the first time I made the pie!). I've also purchased my fair share of Pillsbury's frozen Deep Dish Pie Crust. It works just fine for my pies and quiches, and (despite what TheKitchn says is typical for frozen pie crusts) I don't find it to be crumbly. I'm excited to make my own pie crusts to freeze for more regular use, because they will take up less space in my freezer and be tastier than purchased crusts! To be honest, I don't even have a pie pan, so before I start baking the crusts I'll have to purchase one!
Pasta
Now this is something I've never made, but have always thought would be fun to do. It does, however, seem incredibly labor intensive. To make matters worse I don't have any of the fancy pasta-making tools like a roller machine, so I'll be rolling mine out with a rolling pin. Because of this I will likely make a pasta that is typically left a bit thicker than usual. It will still be fun to try fresh pasta, which I've never eaten or made, but I'll leave this for a time when I can devote a couple of hours to making the pasta and cleaning up all the flour from rolling it out!
Sandwich Bread
I have attempted to make bread before, and I have terrible luck getting dough to rise. I've considered buying a bread machine simply because I've had such poor luck with making bread from scratch, and the taste of fresh bread is just unbeatable! When I was a child my mother would take my brother and I shopping with her, and we would always stop by a fancy international import store for my parents coffee. My mother would let my brother and I each select one item that was less than $1 to have for ourselves. My brother almost always selected a gorgeous and delectable chocolate truffle, and without fail I would always get a fresh warm mini baguette. The bread isle is still my favorite place in the grocery store; it just smells delicious to me! I'm going to attempt the no-knead recipe suggested by TheKitchn and see if I'm successful, but if not I'll be keeping my eye out for a bread machine!
Beans
I've made lentils from scratch, does that count? Probably not. My family almost always uses canned beans, but my mother will occasionally whip out her pressure cooker and make a batch from scratch. I've never tried, and I've never seen them made in a pot. I'll likely give that or the slow-cooker method a try.
Cheesecake
Cheesecake is something I've never attempted to make myself in any fashion, not even the store bought mix. I have chocolate graham crackers in my pantry, and a fairly steady supply of fresh eggs right now, so I'm excited to make and try a homemade cheesecake. Though I've gotta get a pie pan before I start this as well.
Ketchup
I've never considered making ketchup from scratch. It's just one of those things that you just buy, you know? I'm also not crazy about the fact that the ingredient list includes canned pureed tomatoes. It almost seems like cheating. I think that making ketchup from scratch when you're overrun with fresh farm tomatoes in the summer sounds like a fabulous plan, though. It make take me until next summer to attempt this one, but this winter when I'm selecting and purchasing my seeds (from the Seed Savers Exchange) I'll be keeping this in mind!
Cake
I've made cake from scratch before with fairly decent success, but I certainly haven't mastered the skill. My supervisor at work makes the most amazingly beautiful and tasty cakes for people's birthdays, and I'm talking seriously amazing cakes here people! For my birthday last year she made a chocolate cake with raspberry compote filling and chocolate frosting. She's also made cakes with cheesecake inside, chocolate ganache dripped over the top, and she makes an amazing coconut tres leches cake! While I tend to make cakes from a box, I always make butter cream frosting from scratch. It will be fun to try making a rich and moist cake from scratch to go with the homemade frosting!
Over at TheKitchn they discussed several items, and I dug through them for some items I've rarely (or never) attempted to make, which they suggested be made from scratch. I'm going to attempt to make each of these items, and I'll report my success and tips in future posts. The things I will be making from scratch includes:
Pie Crust
I'll admit I've made pie crust before. I especially love Martha Stewart's Cheese Short Crust. However, I've only ever used it to make her Cherry Tomato, Bocconcini, and Zucchini Pie (hint: Bocconcini is basically fresh mozzarella, I had to google it the first time I made the pie!). I've also purchased my fair share of Pillsbury's frozen Deep Dish Pie Crust. It works just fine for my pies and quiches, and (despite what TheKitchn says is typical for frozen pie crusts) I don't find it to be crumbly. I'm excited to make my own pie crusts to freeze for more regular use, because they will take up less space in my freezer and be tastier than purchased crusts! To be honest, I don't even have a pie pan, so before I start baking the crusts I'll have to purchase one!
Pasta
Now this is something I've never made, but have always thought would be fun to do. It does, however, seem incredibly labor intensive. To make matters worse I don't have any of the fancy pasta-making tools like a roller machine, so I'll be rolling mine out with a rolling pin. Because of this I will likely make a pasta that is typically left a bit thicker than usual. It will still be fun to try fresh pasta, which I've never eaten or made, but I'll leave this for a time when I can devote a couple of hours to making the pasta and cleaning up all the flour from rolling it out!
Sandwich Bread
I have attempted to make bread before, and I have terrible luck getting dough to rise. I've considered buying a bread machine simply because I've had such poor luck with making bread from scratch, and the taste of fresh bread is just unbeatable! When I was a child my mother would take my brother and I shopping with her, and we would always stop by a fancy international import store for my parents coffee. My mother would let my brother and I each select one item that was less than $1 to have for ourselves. My brother almost always selected a gorgeous and delectable chocolate truffle, and without fail I would always get a fresh warm mini baguette. The bread isle is still my favorite place in the grocery store; it just smells delicious to me! I'm going to attempt the no-knead recipe suggested by TheKitchn and see if I'm successful, but if not I'll be keeping my eye out for a bread machine!
Beans
I've made lentils from scratch, does that count? Probably not. My family almost always uses canned beans, but my mother will occasionally whip out her pressure cooker and make a batch from scratch. I've never tried, and I've never seen them made in a pot. I'll likely give that or the slow-cooker method a try.
Cheesecake
Cheesecake is something I've never attempted to make myself in any fashion, not even the store bought mix. I have chocolate graham crackers in my pantry, and a fairly steady supply of fresh eggs right now, so I'm excited to make and try a homemade cheesecake. Though I've gotta get a pie pan before I start this as well.
Ketchup
I've never considered making ketchup from scratch. It's just one of those things that you just buy, you know? I'm also not crazy about the fact that the ingredient list includes canned pureed tomatoes. It almost seems like cheating. I think that making ketchup from scratch when you're overrun with fresh farm tomatoes in the summer sounds like a fabulous plan, though. It make take me until next summer to attempt this one, but this winter when I'm selecting and purchasing my seeds (from the Seed Savers Exchange) I'll be keeping this in mind!
Cake
I've made cake from scratch before with fairly decent success, but I certainly haven't mastered the skill. My supervisor at work makes the most amazingly beautiful and tasty cakes for people's birthdays, and I'm talking seriously amazing cakes here people! For my birthday last year she made a chocolate cake with raspberry compote filling and chocolate frosting. She's also made cakes with cheesecake inside, chocolate ganache dripped over the top, and she makes an amazing coconut tres leches cake! While I tend to make cakes from a box, I always make butter cream frosting from scratch. It will be fun to try making a rich and moist cake from scratch to go with the homemade frosting!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Meatballs Eggplant Parmesan
Prep time: 1 hour | Cook time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4 - 6
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup beer
1 medium or 2 small eggplant
1/2 lb. pasta of your choice
1 package Al Fresco Tomato Basil Meatballs (or your choice)
1/2 jar Classico Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce (or your choice)
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2T red wine (optional)
olive oil
canola oil
salt
pepper
Directions:
Combine 1 cup flour with 1 cup beer and whisk until smooth. Set aside for 1 hour.
Place eggplant slices into a colander nestled over a bowl, and salt well. (Don't worry, you'll rinse this salt off later) Let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse your eggplant and set aside.
Heat 1/2T olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat, and add meatballs. Mix to coat with oil, and fry a few minutes stirring often.
Fill a large pot with water, add salt and oil and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain well, combine with 2t olive oil and set aside.
When meatballs are browned, remove to a plate and set aside. Add 2t olive oil and onion, and saute a few minutes. When onions become translucent add garlic, stir to combine, and saute another minute. Add wine Reduce heat to simmer and add tomato sauce, being careful to avoid splatter. Return meatballs to the pan and mix to coat. Simmer.
Fill a large pot with 1.5 - 2" oil (I use canola) and heat over medium high. Dredge eggplant in 1/2 cup flour mixed with salt and pepper. Coat eggplant with batter and, when the oil is hot, add a few pieces being careful not to crowd them. Fry until golden brown, flipping once half way through cooking.
Place pasta on plate, top with meatballs and sauce, and top that with a few slices of eggplant.
Note: To complete the meal serve with my parmesan garlic biscuits or garlic bread of your very own, and a fresh green salad (Caesar salad would be fantastic).
Inspiration for beer battered eggplant came from Maple Spice, check 'em out!
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup beer
1 medium or 2 small eggplant
1/2 lb. pasta of your choice
1 package Al Fresco Tomato Basil Meatballs (or your choice)
1/2 jar Classico Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce (or your choice)
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2T red wine (optional)
olive oil
canola oil
salt
pepper
Directions:
Combine 1 cup flour with 1 cup beer and whisk until smooth. Set aside for 1 hour.
Place eggplant slices into a colander nestled over a bowl, and salt well. (Don't worry, you'll rinse this salt off later) Let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse your eggplant and set aside.
Heat 1/2T olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat, and add meatballs. Mix to coat with oil, and fry a few minutes stirring often.
Fill a large pot with water, add salt and oil and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain well, combine with 2t olive oil and set aside.
When meatballs are browned, remove to a plate and set aside. Add 2t olive oil and onion, and saute a few minutes. When onions become translucent add garlic, stir to combine, and saute another minute. Add wine Reduce heat to simmer and add tomato sauce, being careful to avoid splatter. Return meatballs to the pan and mix to coat. Simmer.
Fill a large pot with 1.5 - 2" oil (I use canola) and heat over medium high. Dredge eggplant in 1/2 cup flour mixed with salt and pepper. Coat eggplant with batter and, when the oil is hot, add a few pieces being careful not to crowd them. Fry until golden brown, flipping once half way through cooking.
Place pasta on plate, top with meatballs and sauce, and top that with a few slices of eggplant.
Note: To complete the meal serve with my parmesan garlic biscuits or garlic bread of your very own, and a fresh green salad (Caesar salad would be fantastic).
Inspiration for beer battered eggplant came from Maple Spice, check 'em out!
Chicken Mushroom Mac
Prep time: 20 to 45 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes to 1 hour | Servings: 4 - 6
Ingredients:
1/4 - 1/3 lb pasta, cooked & drained (leftover pasta works great for this!)
8oz sharp cheddar
1/2 cup ricotta
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1/4 teaspoon season salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
dash cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, diced
4 medium button mushrooms, sliced
1 cooked chicken breast, chopped into bite size pieces (I deboned a leftover roast chicken breast, and reserved the bones for stock)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a medium sized casserole dish.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium high heat. Saute onion until translucent. Add mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes, or until starting to brown, stirring frequently.
While the mushrooms saute combine ricotta, dried mustard, season salt, pepper, and cayenne in a small bowl. Add milk and stir well.
Reserve 1/4 - 1/3 cup grated cheddar. Combine the rest of the grated cheddar, ricotta mixture, cooked pasta, mushroom mixture, and chicken. Pour into greased casserole dish and gently press down. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove foil and mix well (be sure to stir this gently, as it will be hot!). Top with reserved grated cheddar, and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.
Note: Prep and cook times vary depending on whether you have prepared chicken and pasta on hand. I would recommend this recipe for a weeknight when you've already got leftover cooked chicken in the oven and just want to snaz it up for a fast dinner. Cooking the pasta the day of is easy to do, just set the pot on to boil before you begin to heat the butter for the onions.
If you are cooking your chicken the day of several methods work. Poached chicken would probably be the best, roast chicken is a favorite of mine, and even a sauteed boneless breast would work great in this recipe!
Inspiration recipe found over at Smitten Kitchen, under Easiest Baked Mac-and-Cheese
Ingredients:
1/4 - 1/3 lb pasta, cooked & drained (leftover pasta works great for this!)
8oz sharp cheddar
1/2 cup ricotta
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1/4 teaspoon season salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
dash cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, diced
4 medium button mushrooms, sliced
1 cooked chicken breast, chopped into bite size pieces (I deboned a leftover roast chicken breast, and reserved the bones for stock)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a medium sized casserole dish.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium high heat. Saute onion until translucent. Add mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes, or until starting to brown, stirring frequently.
While the mushrooms saute combine ricotta, dried mustard, season salt, pepper, and cayenne in a small bowl. Add milk and stir well.
Reserve 1/4 - 1/3 cup grated cheddar. Combine the rest of the grated cheddar, ricotta mixture, cooked pasta, mushroom mixture, and chicken. Pour into greased casserole dish and gently press down. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove foil and mix well (be sure to stir this gently, as it will be hot!). Top with reserved grated cheddar, and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.
Note: Prep and cook times vary depending on whether you have prepared chicken and pasta on hand. I would recommend this recipe for a weeknight when you've already got leftover cooked chicken in the oven and just want to snaz it up for a fast dinner. Cooking the pasta the day of is easy to do, just set the pot on to boil before you begin to heat the butter for the onions.
If you are cooking your chicken the day of several methods work. Poached chicken would probably be the best, roast chicken is a favorite of mine, and even a sauteed boneless breast would work great in this recipe!
Inspiration recipe found over at Smitten Kitchen, under Easiest Baked Mac-and-Cheese
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