Four Cheese Stuffed Shells

I've been wanting to make stuffed shells for awhile so when I was having friends over for dinner I figured this was a good recipe for a big group.  The best part is that you can make all the parts of the dish well in advance of dinner so you don't have to be at the stove when you have your friends over.  I served the stuffed shells with a homemade ceasar salad (recipe to come) and garlic bread.  It was a big hit and we had lots of leftovers for lunch the next day.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion

1 tablespoon of chopped garlic

1-28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon of dried basil

1 teaspoon of dried oregano

1 1/2 cups of ricotta cheese

2 cups of mozzarella cheese

1 cup of shredded asiago cheese

1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

1 egg

1/4 cup of fresh flat leaf parsley chopped

1-12 oz box of jumbo pasta shells

1-12 oz box of jumbo pasta shells

Preparation:

To a small sauce pot over moderate heat add oil, garlic and onions. Saute onions and garlic about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and season sauce with salt and pepper.  Simmer sauce 5 minutes and stir in dried oregano and basil.  Simmer for an additional 20 minutes on low heat.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt water and add pasta. Cook shells 12 to 15 minutes, they should be softened but still undercooked at the center. Drain pasta and cool.

Combine ricotta, 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella, 1/2 cup of  grated parmesan and 1/2 cup of the asiago. Add egg and parsley to the cheeses and stir to combine.

Pour a little sauce into the bottom of a shallow medium sized casserole dish.

Fill shells with rounded spoonfuls of cheese mixture and arrange them seam side down in prepared casserole dish. Top shells with remaining sauce and remaining mozzarella and asiago cheese.  Cover casserole with foil and bake in oven for about 40 minutes.

Brownie Covered Mint Oreos

I have seen recipes with Oreo's everywhere lately.  Oreo's stuffed into chocolate chip cookies, Oreo truffles, Oreo cake etc.  I guess EVERYONE loves Oreo cookies.  When I saw the recipes for brownie covered Oreo's I figured "what could be easier" just two ingredients and there's nothing bettter than brownies and Oreo's.  I LOVE mint and chocolate so I thought the combination of Mint Oreo's with brownies would be delicious.  I had a friend and her family over for dinner this weekend and her son is allergic to peanuts so this was a great "peanut free" treat.  She offered to make them for everyone and they came out great.

Ingredients:

1 package of brownie mix

1 package of mint flavored Oreo cookies

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease 24 muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.  Make brownie mix according to package directions.  Once mix is prepared dunk each Oreo into brownie mix until completely coated and drop into greased muffin tins.  Bake about 20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Linked to Sweets for Saturday at  Sweet as Sugar Cookies

Linked to The Culinary Smackdown at U Try It

Linked to This Week's Cravings at Moms Crazy Cooking

Black and White Bean Turkey Chili

I never get tired of chili. My favorite is turkey chili with beans. I used black and white beans in this recipe and it is delicious. I love adding the surprise ingredients of cinnamon and apple cider vinegar in my chili. It gives the chili it a great depth of flavor but you would never realize what exactly makes it so good. Ellen has used red wine vinegar and it comes out great that way too. I love serving it with homemade corn bread crumbled over the top.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of oil
1/2 onion diced
1 tablespoon of garlic minced
1 lb of ground turkey
1 can of black beans undrained (15 oz)
1 can of white beans undrained (15 oz)
1 can of crushed/diced tomatoes (28 oz)
1 can of tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoons of chili powder
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
1 tablespoon of dried basil
2 tablespoons of red wine or apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon

Preparation:

Saute onions and garlic in oil in stock pot, once translucent add turkey meat and brown, add both cans of beans w/liquid, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste. Combine. Add all seasonings and cook simmer over low heat for at least 60 minutes. Serve with crumbled corn bread over the top.

Camelized Onion and Goat Cheese Crostini

I love this recipe for entertaining. Everything can be done and assembled ahead of time and popped in the oven 10 minutes before serving. It is a big hit at all of our family gatherings and when I throw a cocktail party.

Ingredients:

1 large french baguette. cut into bite sized crostini
1 log of goat cheese
5 medium onions, cut in half and sliced thin
2 T. olive oil
1 T. margarine
1 T. brown sugar
salt and pepper

Preparation:

Saute onions in large pan with oil and margarine on medium low heat until soft and dark brown (approx 20 minutes). Add brown sugar, salt, and pepper and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Transfer to bowl and set aside.

Toast crostini in a 350 degree oven just until lightly toasted. Spread goat cheese on crostini and top with caramelized onions. Bake in 400 degree oven for approximately 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Roasted Tomato Bread Soup

Perfect snowy day for hot tomato soup and sandwiches.  I had some brown heirloom tomatoes that I used along with canned crushed tomatoes and some crusty sourdough bread to make this soup.

Roasted heirloom tomatoes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons  olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

5 medium heirloom tomatoes quartered

1-28 oz can of crushed tomatoes with juice

1 1/2  cups  low-sodium chicken broth
1/2  cup  milk, warmed
Salt and pepper
2 cups of crusty bread, cubed

Preparation:

Place quartered tomatoes on a sheet pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in a 350 degree oven for  30-40 minutes.  When done, take out of oven remove skin from tomatoes and set aside.
Warm oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until slightly, about 1 minute. Stir in flour to blend, about 1 minute.  Add canned crushed canned tomatoes with juice, oven roasted tomatoes and broth to saucepan, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir or whisk constantly until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Working in batches, carefully transfer soup to a blender and puree until smooth (or use an immersion blender and blend directly in pot until smooth)   Return soup to saucepan, stir in milk and cook over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until heated through. Do not boil. Season with salt and pepper. Add bread cubes to bowl and pour soup over bread and serve hot.

Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon and Garlic

This a yummy side dish that goes great with fish. It makes a ton. Half the recipe if you aren't cooking for an army! This would be great cold for lunch the next day too!!

Ingredients:

16 ounces angel hair pasta
1/2 bag of frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, finely minced (1 T. of crushed jarred garlic)
1 1/4 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher or coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
Additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese for sprinkling (optional)

Preparation:

Cook the pasta and place in large serving bowl. Add the spinach and Parmesan cheese; set aside and keep warm.

In large a skillet heat the olive oil and saute the garlic just until it begins to change color. Remove skillet from heat and add the wine. Return to the heat and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until the wine has been reduced by half. Stir in the lemon juice and remove from heat. Put pasta into hot pan and toss with the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss to mix. Transfer to serving bowl. Serve topped with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Cinnamon Toast.......the right way?

Apparently there is a right and wrong way to make cinnamon toast.....did you know this?  Have you been doing it right or wrong all these years?  I came across this tutorial on the Pioneer Woman's website full of step by step picture instructions on how to and how not to make cinnamon toast.  I tried it the way she thinks is the RIGHT way and it really did come out delicious so maybe she's onto something.  

Ingredients:

8 slices Bread (whole Wheat Is Great!)
1 stick Salted Butter, Softened
1/2 cup Sugar (more To Taste)
1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (more To Taste)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Smush softened butter with a fork. Dump in sugar, cinnamon, vanilla. Stir to completely combine.Spread on slices of bread, completely covering the surface all the way to the edges. Place toast on a cookie sheet. Place cookies sheet into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil until golden brown and bubbling. Watch so it won’t burn! Remove from oven and cut slices into halves diagonally

 



Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I finally found a pancake recipe that I really, really like!

 

And some other people in my family seem to like it too!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoonS white sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Breaded Baked Fish AKA Denise's Mother's Baked Fish

My childhood friend Denise (Ellen's friend too!), who by the way, we are still good friends with, gave us this recipe when we were in our 20's and it has been a big hit ever since. This came from her mother. My whole family makes this recipe. It is very easy. I think I like it so much because the bread crumb mixture reminds me of the topping to baked clams. Any flaky whitefish would be good with this recipe: fluke, flounder, tilapia, cod, etc. Salmon probably would be good as well.

Ingredients:

4 Fresh fish fillets
1 1/2 cups flavored bread crumbs
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 whole lemon juiced (reserve some to squeeze on top of fish)
salt and pepper

Preparation:

Make a mixture of the flavored bread crumbs, paprika, garlic powder, lemon juice, and oil. With the oil, just add enough to make it stick together. The mixture should be the same consistency as a home made graham cracker pie crust.

Spray the bottom of a casserole pan with non stick spray. Place fish down in a single layer. Season fish lightly w/ salt and pepper and lemon juice..

Top w/ crumb mixture, pat down and cover fish totally (you shouldn't be able to see the fish underneath) with a thin layer. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.

Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Spinach

Every once in awhile I go through my freezer and pantry and create a dinner from the ingredients that I find.  So this time I used, pasta shells, chicken sausage, spinach and a can of crushed tomatoes.  Voila Dinner!

Ingredients:

1 lb of pasta shells

8 oz frozen spinach (drained)

1-28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

1 lb of chicken sausage (casings removed)

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

1 small onion diced

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste 

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Preparation:

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in large skillet, add sausage and cook through.  Remove sausage, set aside.  Heat additional tablespoon of olive oil in the same skillet, add onions and cook until starting to brown.  Add 1/4 cup of white wine and deglaze pan but scraping up brown bits on the bottom of the pan.  Cook for 2 minutes and then add spinach and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add crushed tomatoes, parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper.  Add sausage back to tomato mixture and cook over med heat for 15 minutes.  Cook pasta, drain and add to sauce.  Add additional parmesean cheese if desired.

Grilled Vegetable Egg White Quiche

Honestly this blog is making me gain weight. So for today's lunch I made a delicious egg white quiche loaded with grilled vegetables and very little cheese.  It was DELICIOUS!

Ingredients:

1 lowfat premade pie crust

8 egg whites

1 1/2 cups of cubed grilled vegetables (eggplant, zuchinni, yellow squash, mushrooms, roasted red peppers)

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup low fat cheddar cheese

1/4 cup of skim milk

Preparation:

Slice veggies 1/4 inch thick, preheat1 tablespoon olive oil in grill pan and add vegetables and grill on both sides until soft and slightly charred.  Removes from pan and cube and set aside.  In a medium bowl whisk eggwhites, skim milk, salt and pepper and whisk until frothy.  Add cheese and veggies and stir to combine.  Pour mixture into prepared pie crust.  Bake for 1 hour, cool slightly before cutting.



French Meringue Macarons with Raspberry Cream

This is a recipe that Karen made recently and brought to Brunch. 

OMG D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!! 

She was inspired when her husband took her to Paris for the 15th wedding anniversary and she tried many of these macaroons.  When she got home she took a cooking class solely on making French Macarons and Viola! We all get to enjoy.  This is in no way an easy recipe...it has many ingredients and it's multi stepped but for anyone who wants to give it a shot the final result is totally worth it.  I promise!

Aren't they pretty?

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups almond flour

2 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1 cup egg whites (from 7 or 8 eggs) at room temperature

pinch of salt

2 teaspoons powdered egg whites, if weather is humid

3/4 cup superfine granulated sugar

5 to 7 drops gel paste food coloring (optional)

Preparation:

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Blend the almond flour with the powdered sugar in teh food processor to make a fine powder.  The sift the mixture through a small strainer until it's as fine as you can get it.  This keeps crumbs from forming on the macaron tops as they bake.  With  the wire whip attachment on the electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the salt and the powdered egg whites (if you're using them), starting slowly and then increasing speed as the whites start to rise.  Add the granulated sugar and the food coloring.  Beat until the egg whites form stiff peaks and your meringue is firm and shiny.   Pour the beaten egg whites onto your almond flour mixture and gently fold them in, using a rubber spatula.  When you can't see any crumbs of almond flour and the mixture is shiny and flowing, you're ready to start piping.

Fit your pastry bag with a number-8 tip and fill with batter.  Start by squeezing out a small amount of mix onto a parchment-lined baking sheet to form a 2 1/2-inch circle.  Be sure to leave 1 inch of space between macarons so they will not touch each other while they bake.  If peaks form on top of the circles, tap the baking sheet on the tabletop, making sure to hold the parchment paper in place with your thumbs.  Let hte piped macarons rest of 15 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (325 degrees for a non-convection oven)  Bake for 14 minutes.  After the first 5 minutes, open the oven door briefly to let the steam out.  Let hte macarons cool completely on a rack before taking them off the parchment paper.  Press the bottom of a cooled baked macaron shell iwht your finger, it should be soft. If the bottom of the shell is hard, reduce the baking time for the resto of your macarons from 14 minutes to 13 minutes.

Raspberry Jam Cream

Ingredients:

4 ounces of unsalted butter, softened

9 ounces of powdered sugar, sifted

3-4 ounces of raspberry jam (seedless)

Preparation:

IN the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and fluffy.  Gradually add sifted powdered sugar.  Add raspberry jam.  Beat just until blended.  Pipe between two macarons.  If the cream is too soft or runny to pipe, beat in more sifted powdered sugar.

Fresh Raspberry Chocolate Cups

Happy Valentines Day!

I saw this delicious idea on a great blog that I follow....Purple Chocolat Home  What a great, simple idea.  As Jacqueline suggested I used Ghiradelli chocolate which really worked beautifully with the fruit.  Also I learned something new.  If you put a little vegetable oil in the chocolate while melting that it helps to avoid white spots and/or streaks in the chocolate if it isn't tempered correctly.  I think it also gives the chocolate a nice sheen.  Try it next time you are melting chocolate for dipping or drizzling.

Raspberries with Milk Chocolate

Strawberries with Dark Chocolate

Bananas with Milk Chocolate

Ingredients:

1 cup chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet)

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 container of fresh raspberries

or

6 large strawberries (sliced into eigths)

or

1 large banana sliced 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices

Preparation:

Place the chips and the oil in a microwave safe bowl.  Melt in the microwave for one minute - stir even though it doesn't look like it needs it - or it will scorch!!!  Melt another 20-30 seconds.  Stir again and keep stirring until all of the chips are melted.  Place chocolate in a disposable frosting bag (or a ziploc bag) and cut the tip (or corner) off with a scissors.  Squeeze a little chocolate into the bottom of the cup.  Place 3 fresh raspberries in each cup (2 if they are huge, but 3 is prettier), pressing down slightly into chocolate. If using strawberries stand up 4-1/8 slices pressing into chocolate to make a teepee shape and for bananas press one slice into chocolate. Drizzle chocolate onto the tops of the fruit.  Place in fridge to set the chocolate.

Almond Horns

Another delicious Martha Stwart cookie recipe.....light, sweet and crumbly.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted, plus more for dusting

1 large egg

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup whole raw almonds, toasted and finely ground in a food processor

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in egg and extracts. Reduce speed to low. Mix in flour mixture and almonds until just combined. Wrap dough in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into a 4-inch log; gently shape into a horseshoe. Repeat with remaining dough. Transfer to baking sheets lined with parchment.

Bake cookies (rotating sheets halfway through) until pale golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks using a spatula; let cool completely. Transfer to waxed paper. Sift sugar over cookies. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature 2 to 3 days.

 

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are the best crunchy, chewy cookies I have ever tasted.  When I was in my twenties I collected cooking books and for some reason I wasn't really picky about what books I bought.  There was this really great clearance book store in manhattan that I would find all sorts of books for just a few dollars.  One day I saw a recipe book from the TV show "Friends".  I don't know why I bought it but I did.  This oatmeal cookie recipe is from that book.  It was called Pheobe's Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. 

Remember that epidsode when Pheobe told Rachel

 "There are three things that you should know about me:
one, my friends are the most important thing in my life,
two, I never lie, and
three, I make the best oatmeal raisin cookies in the world."

Well these are those cookies and even though I have no idea who actually came up with this recipe....it really is the best oatmeal cookie recipe I've ever tasted. I change the additions depending on what I have in the house and what my family wants.  This time I made them without raisins and with chocolate chips for my daughter Annie.  I love them best with dried cranberries, pecans and chocolate chips.

These cookies are super crunchy and filled with lots of good stuff. You can alter the additions to your taste. 12 Tbls (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 2/3 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 teas vanilla extract 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats 1 1/4 cups flour 3/4 teas baking powder 3/4 teas baking soda 1/4 teas salt 1 cup of dried cranberries or raisins 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts 1 cup of chocolate chips Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg and vanilla until smooth. Stir together the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the batter until just combined. Stir in the dried fruit, nuts and chocolate. Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto 2 large baking sheets (no need to grease them), leaving 2 inches between each ball of dough. Bake until the cookies are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets for several minutes and then transfer them to a rack to c00l further.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Caramalized onions and Shiitake Mushrooms

My daughter Rachel and I both love sweet potatoes. I am always looking for new ways to make them besides just plain old baked. I came up with this version of mashed sweet potatoes. The caramelized onions and mushrooms really help cut the sweetness of the potatoes. They were delicious!

Ingredients:

4-6 large sweet potatoes

1 T olive oil

1 large onion sliced

8 0z. sliced shiitake mushrooms

2 T butter or margarine

1/4 Cup soy milk

1 T maple syrup

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Bake sweet potatoes in a 450 degrees oven for about 45 minutes or until you can pierce a fork through them easily. Cool for 5 minutes. Remove the skin from the potatoes and place the flesh into a large bowl or dish. Mash the flesh with a fork until smooth.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add the onions. Sautee until they start to turn golden. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until the onions and the mushrooms are a dark golden brown. Set aside.

Add the soy milk, margarine, and maple syrup to the sweet potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Smooth the top and spread the onion and mushroom mixture over the sweet potatoes.

Serve hot.

Bruschetta Baked Chicken

Here is a whole meal rolled up into one dish. You get your protein, veggies and and starch with only having to use one baking dish. It is very easy to make and takes virtually no prep time either.

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 pkg. (6 oz.) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken (low sodium)
1/4 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced (or jarred crushed garlic)
1/2 bag of frozen spinach, defrosted
salt and pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together tomatoes (with liquid), stuffing mix, and water until stuffing mix is just moist. Set aside. Season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper and arrange chicken in a single layer in a 13x9 baking dish. Mix garlic into spinach and place evenly on top of chicken pieces. Top again with stuffing mixture. Bake about 30 minutes, until stuffing is browned and chicken is fully cooked. Serve.

BBQ Roasted Salmon

Karen got this recipe from somewhere. Not sure how she came across it. I like this recipe because it is a little sweet and a little spicy. You marinate it in juice and put a rub all over and pop it in the oven. Easy!

Ingredients:

1/4 C. pineapple juice
2 T. lemon juice
4 - 6 oz salmon fillets
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. chili powder
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Preparation:

Put 1st 3 ingredients in ziploc bag and marinate for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400. Discard marinade and combine sugar and next 5 ingredients in bowl then rub all over the salmon. Put salmon in heavy baking dish for and bake in oven for 12 minutes or until salmon is done.

Honey Teriyaki Skirt Steak

Skirt steak is my favorite type of steak to eat.  I love it on the grill but in the winter a grill pan on the stove top works great too.  This is the one meal that we NEVER have leftovers.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 Tablespoon chopped garlic

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tablespoons honey

1.5 lbs skirt steak (fat trimmed)

Mix soy sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar and honey in a small bowl until combined.  Place skirt steak in a large gallon ziploc bag and pour marinade over steak.  Seal bag and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hrs.  Preheat grill pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, add steaks and grill 5-7 minutes on each side until outside of steak is seared and caramelized and inside is medium rare.  (Grill longer for thicker steaks).

Mac and Cheese

   

My kids.....probably like most kids LOVE mac and cheese.  It took awhile but I finally found the perfect recipe.  This one comes out smooth and creamy everytime.  It's a slight adaptation of Ina Garten's Mac and Cheese with tomatoes. 

Ingredients:

Kosher salt

Vegetable oil

1 pound elbow macaroni

4 cups of milk

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese (2 cups)
8 ounces of Velveeta (2 cups cubed)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups flavored panko bread crumbs

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.  Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the cheddar cheese and velveeta and mix until smooth. Add pepper and the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a baking dish.  Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the panko bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top of mac and cheese.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Salted Toffee Chocolate Squares

Everyone who tries these just raves about them and they are so easy to make.  I've seen versions of this using saltine crackers but I much prefer this Martha Stewart version using graham crackers.  If you need a sweet, salty, crunchy, chocolate fix...this is the treat for you.


Ingredients:

13 graham crackers
1 bag (8 ounces) toffee bits
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped toasted natural almonds
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup (4 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or chocolate chips
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place graham crackers in a single layer on sheet, edges touching. Sprinkle toffee bits and almonds over graham crackers.

In a small saucepan, bring sugar and butter to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat and cook at a rapid simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is syrupy, 2 minutes. Immediately pour over graham crackers. Bake until sugar topping is bubbling, 12 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate and salt over graham crackers. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into 2-inch squares. Let cool completely on sheet on a wire rack. (Store in an airtight container, up to 1 week.)

Nutella and Banana Panini

I just found a great new use for my George Forman grill and my new favorite dessert!! Nutella and Banana panini's. Three ingredients, no butter and less than 5 minutes to make. You can use a frying pan too if you don't have a GF grill or panini maker. There is nothing better than chocolate hazelnut spread and bananas together. If you don't have Nutella on hand, you can always use whatever chocolate you have in your cabinet. Just melt it in the microwave and spread it on the bread. YUM!!

Ingredients:

white bread
Nutella
banana sliced

Preparation:

Spread Nutella on both sides of bread. Place single layer of banana slices on one side. Put the two pieces of bread together and place in a panini maker, George Forman grill or on a non stick frying pan (if using a frying pan, place another pan on top of the sandwich to press it down and flip half way through cooking) When bread is golden brown and toasted...it's done

Rainbow Cookies

These are so much fun to make and one of my all time favorite cookies to eat. It has a lot of steps to it but is really a simple recipe to make. It comes out great every time. If you can use gel food coloring the colors come out more vibrant. One day I am going to make these with different colors like teal, purple and orange

Ingredients:

1 C. sugar
1 C. Presto self-rising flour
4 eggs
2 sticks margarine, melted
2 T. almond extract
Food coloring- red, yellow and green
Seedless raspberry jam
Semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
Preparation:

Combine sugar and eggs well with beater. Add melted margarine, 2 T. almond extract and flour, mix well. Separate batter into 3 cups. Add a different color food coloring to each cup. Mix each cup well by hand. Take 3 pans of equal size (approx. 6x12x3/4 h) and spray each pan with cooking spray. Put each cup of different colored batter in each pan. Bake at 350 degrees all 3 pans together for approx. 15-20 minutes. When top of batter bubbles, sides will get brown and start to pull away from pan. Don't let it get too brown. You want to remove the pans when the tops are still bubbles so it will be moist. After cooling a bit, using a spatula and your hand remove the cakes, create layers of cake and jam starting with cake on the bottom and ending with cake on the top - the yellow should be in the middle. Use a spatula to spread melted chocolate on top of the top layer. Refrigerate to harden before cutting into small rectangles.

Quinoa Pilaf

When my daughter Rachel goes away to sleep away camp every summer, she always requests this side dish as part of her "last" meal the night before she leaves. This usually accompanies lamb chops and sauteed spinach. This is so easy as you cook quinoa the same way you cook rice

with a 2 to 1 ratio liquid to quinoa/rice. I usually just saute a bunch of veggies from my fridge and add it the cooked quinoa. It's a good way to use up what you have lying around in your fridge.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 box sliced mushrooms

1 small onion diced

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup chopped red and yellow bell pepper

1 cup frozen baby peas

salt and pepper to taste

1-2 T olive oil

Preparation:

Combine quinoa and broth in a saucepan over high heat until it comes to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover pot. Simmer until all the liquid is absorbed about 10 minutes.

Saute onion in olive oil until soft and just starting to brown. Add the other vegetables and saute until just starting to soften. Add in the cooked quinoa and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Salmon Croquettes

Another childhood blast from our past recipe.  Our Mom used to make these all the time and she served them with pasta with red sauce.  They have stood the test of time and I make these on a regular basis for my family too.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
2 - 6 oz cans of pink salmon (skinless & boneless)
2 stalks of celery diced small
1/2 an onion diced small
6 slices of bread (white or wheat), no crust, cubed
salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil for frying

Preparation:

Cut celery and onion into small dice.  Drain salmon, place in medium size bowl and break up with a fork.  Add celery and onion to salmon and combine.  Remove crust from bread, cube and add to salmon mixture.  Add 3 eggs and with a fork mix until combined well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Heat oil in large non-stick skillet and with your hands form salmon mixture into small patties and fry on both sides until golden brown.  Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Serve hot.