Experimenting with Food: Mac and Cheese

Experimenting with Food: Mac and Cheese: I'll admit it - I've never made mac and cheese from scratch. I have recipes that have gotten rave reviews, so I know I will make it from sc...

Mac and Cheese

I'll admit it - I've never made mac and cheese from scratch. I have recipes that have gotten rave reviews, so I know I will make it from scratch sometime in the future. But, until then, I do like Kraft Mac & Cheese. A few weeks ago, my hubby smoked some food (probably sausage and chicken). I decided to make a package of Mac. But, same old same old gets kinda boring. So, hubby suggested adding a little liquid mesquite to it. Ken (hubby) and I both like the taste of smoked foods (we have 3 smokers, for goodness sakes). We have a gallon of liquid mesquite. So, I took and added about a teaspoon to the finished product. OMG. Talk about an amazing transformation. It is so good. I bet some bacon would have also been good, but I didn't think about it until afterwards. What else do you put into your Mac & Cheese to transform it? I would love to know.

Grilled Cheese. Mac and Cheese. Discuss...

I'll post more in a bit. However, I would love to know how you like your grilled cheese sandwiches. What type of bread? What type of cheese(s). How do you "grill" them? Then, I want to know about Mac and Cheese. Yes, I'll admit that I love the stuff in the box (by Kraft). Love it. But, it gets boring. Do you do anything to spice it up? I will say, last time I had Mac and Cheese, I put some mesquite liquid in it and OMG was it good!!!!

Coconut and Curry - what could be better?

I have been craving coconut and curry. Just didn't know with what. And, to get Ken to agree to it. He doesn't love curry as much as I do, so I usually have to make dinner if I want curry. And, we all know that I am not wonderful in the kitchen. I definately need his input. So, I decided that I had some ground beef in the fridge, so I would use that. And, I ended up makeing coconut rice. Both recipes were totally made up by me. I took 1 onion, diced and 1 garlic clove, diced. Cooked those in some coconut oil (see a theme here?). I then took about 2 pounds of ground beef and cooked those in with the onions and garlic. Drained as much fat off as possible. I added 3/4 cup of coconut milk and 1/2 can of water. In addition, I used 3 tablespoons of curry. Use whatever you want - little or a lot. We then added some white wine vinegar, worchestershire sauce, salt, pepper and a few tablespoons of yogurt (yogurt added at the very end). When all of this was cooked (about 25 minutes), it still needed something. I opened a can of French style beans, drained them and added. Cooked to heat. That did it. Serve over coconut rice (3 cups of rice, 2 cups of water and 1 cup of coconut milk - cooked in a rice cooker. If you don't have a rice cooker, please think about getting one). I also added a little bit of shredded coconut as well.

Sambal Oelek - ever try it?

For those who don't know what it is, here is a site I found that describes it (and gives some recipes): http://www.cookthink.com/reference/118/What_is_sambal I first tried this amazing concoction years ago. Is it spicy? OMG, yes! If you have a hard time with spicy foods, you might either want to pass on this, or go really easy using it. And by easy, I mean the tip of a teaspoon will be more than enough for you. But, I really think you should try it. When I first tried it, that was as much as I could handle. Now, I can go just slightly more than that, lol. The taste is amazing. And, trying it in different foods will make such a difference. I love it when I get Beef Chow Fun from the local Chinese restaurant. Adds a different depth in Beef Stew. My all time favorite way of eating this product: mixed in some mayo and dip my French fries in it. I literally cannot stop eating it this way. Try a litte (or a lot). Enjoy. Let me know what you think of it, and how you like to use it.

Haven't been around

Due to lots of different circumstances, I haven't been around for awhile.   And for that I appologize.  Ken and I have been doing lots of cooking lately, and will be posting all kinds of goodies soon. 

Also, I have gotten better at taking pictures, so I will be posting pictures now as well.

Cookbook

What draws you into looking at a cookbook? What recipes would you love to see that just are not in cookbooks now-a-days? Do you like multi-themed cookbooks (section on appetizers, soups, entrees, etc), or all one subject?

Kentucky Butter Cake

I found this recipe while on FaceBook of all places. It was an ad for justapinch.com. Let me tell you, I saw the ad, I immediately went to the site and printed it up and made it that night. OMG, so good. So very rich - a small piece will do ya.
Try it. Wipe the drool off your mouth and let me know how you like it.

Ingredients
3 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 c real butter
2 c sugar
4 eggs
1 c buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract
BUTTER SAUCE
1 c sugar
1/4 c water
1/2 c butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
1 Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour bundt pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, set aside. Cream: 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, and then blend in eggs, mix in buttermilk, and vanilla, adding alternately milk and flour mixture into creamed mixture. Pour in bundt pan and bake for 1 hour.
2 Butter Sauce: In medium sauce pan on medium heat mix sugar, water and butter, bring to low boil , stirring until sugar is dissolved, add vanilla, When cake is still very hot, leave in bundt pan, poke small holes in top and drizzle butter sauce over cake, Transfer to dish and dust with powder sugar,

Choclate & Red Wine Bundt Cake

I thought I put this recipe, from Food & Wine magazine, in here before. But I guess not.
Made this again last weekend. With Port wine. It was absolutely fabulous! I have given this recipe out to several people, all saying how wonderful it is. A must try.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups dry red wine
Confectioner's sugar, for dusting
Whipped cream, for serving

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 12-cup bundt pan. In a bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat for 2 minutes longer. Working in two batches, alternately fold in the dry ingredients and the wine, until just incorporated.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack; let cool completely. Dust the cake with confectioner's sugar and serve with whipped cream.

Christmas Dinner

So, my husband and I decided to make Prime Rib Roast. He came up with his own dry rub, which was extremely tasty. We wanted to try Yorkshire pudding as we have heard so much about it.

Off I went to find a recipe on-line. I came across this site: http://www.recipetips.com/recipe-cards/t--3612/yorkshire-pudding-with-prime-rib.asp

If you have never made Yorkshire pudding, I have to say, it is one of the EASIEST recipes ever. And, very tasty.

Our Christmas dinner was excellent. Made a sauce with horseradish, shallot and mayo for the Prime Rib. I truly hope you decide to make Yorkshire pudding one day. You will be glad you did.

PS - dinner tonight? Leftovers :)

Holiday Mashed Potatoes

This is my sister's recipe (Gail). She so kindly gave me this recipe YEARS ago and I have been making it for Thanksgiving and Christmas ever since. It can be made 1-2 days ahead of time.

3 lbs potatoes, cooked, peeled (I don't always) and hot.
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup margerine (I use butter)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk (I use cream. Why not?)
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped onions (optional)

Mash potatoes in mixer. Add cream cheese in small pieces, then margerine, sour cream. Beat eggs with milk & add to potatoes. Beat and pour into a greased casserole dish (I use a 9x13 pan). Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until browned lightly on top.

What I do: I usully make two batches for the holidays. One batch plain (no onion) and then the second batch I either add sauteed onions or roasted garlic. For Christmas, I put paprika on one batch and parsley on the other. Makes it a little festive.

Sweet Potato Pie

Growing up, I never liked sweet potatoes. I don't know why. I just didn't. As an adult, I like them. Especially this way.
One change I did was to use 1/2 c brown sugar and 1/2 c white sugar instead of all white sugar.

Sweet Potato Pie I By: COUGAAR (from allrecipes.com)
Rate/Review | Read Reviews (1,075)

Prep Time:
30 MinCook Time:
1 Hr 50 MinReady In:
2 Hrs 20 Min
Servings (Help)

Original Recipe Yield 1 - 9 inch pie
Ingredients
1 (1 pound) sweet potato
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
Directions
1.Boil sweet potato whole in skin for 40 to 50 minutes, or until done. Run cold water over the sweet potato, and remove the skin.
2.Break apart sweet potato in a bowl. Add butter, and mix well with mixer. Stir in sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into an unbaked pie crust.
3.Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 55 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a souffle, and then will sink down as it cools.
Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 389 | Total Fat: 20.6g | Cholesterol: 85mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database

Haven't been great about posting here

However, Ken & I have been doing lots of cooking lately.
One of the things we made last week was a seafood quiche. Got the recipe from Cooks.com, and tweeked it just for us. We didn't have any sherry, so we used Cognac. We used a combination of Swiss and pepperjack cheeses. It was very yummy. And easy. You should really try it.
SEAFOOD QUICHE

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1745,154168-242204,00.html
Content Copyright © 2010 Cooks.com - All rights reserved.

1 (9 inch) pie shell
1/2 lb. Swiss cheese, grated
1/2 lb. crab meat
1/4 lb. sm. shrimp
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. cream or 1/2 c. milk can be substituted
2 tsp. flour
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. dry sherry
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne pepper
Nutmeg

Fill pie shell with cheese, crab meat and shrimp. Combine eggs, cream and flour; season to taste. Stir in butter and sherry. Pour over seafood. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Honey Shortbread

From Fine Cooking. These are so easy to make and wonderful tasting. Note: I used less than the full amount of salt.

Nonstick cooking spray
7-1/2 oz. (1-2/3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
6 oz. (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 Tbs. honey
1 tsp. kosher salt

Tip: For the best results, measure your flour by weight instead of volume. (1 cup of all-purpose flour equals 4-1/2 oz.) If you don’t have a scale, be sure to use the proper technique when filling your measuring cups.
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Spray a 9-1/2-inch tart pan with removable bottom with cooking spray.

In a food processor, briefly pulse the flour and sugar. Add the butter and pulse until incorporated and the mixture is sandy and uniform. Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan with your fingers. There will be some loose crumbs around the edges, but most of the dough should be solid and compact. Refrigerate until chilled, least 30 minutes.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Using the tines of a fork, dock the dough evenly all over. Bake the shortbread until golden in the center, 40 to 45 minutes.

Heat the honey in the microwave until warm and liquid but not boiling, about 10 seconds. Pour the honey over the shortbread and spread with a pastry brush over the entire surface. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the honey. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 3 minutes more.

Transfer the pan to a rack and let the shortbread cool slightly, about 15 minutes. While still warm, remove the tart pan ring and cut the shortbread into 12 wedges with a sharp knife. Cool completely before serving or storing. The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.


nutrition information (per serving):
Size: per wedge; Calories (kcal): 200; Fat (g): 12; Fat Calories (kcal): 100; Saturated Fat (g): 7; Protein (g): 2; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 3; Carbohydrates (g): 23; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 0.5; Sodium (mg): 95; Cholesterol (mg): 30; Fiber (g): 0;

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

I love soup. Always have. Always will. Anytime of the year!
This recipe sounds really good. Cannot wait to try it.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Makes 8 (1 cup) servings

1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary leaves, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons thyme leaves
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 teaspoons butter, divided
8-ounce package mushrooms, sliced
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup flour
4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups frozen pearl onions
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas
8 thin bread slices
1 teaspoon oil

1. Mix rosemary, thyme and garlic powder in small bowl. Reserve 1/2 teaspoon. Heat 1 teaspoon of the butter in large saucepan on medium heat. Add mushrooms, carrots and remaining seasoning mixture; cook and stir 3 minutes. Remove from saucepan. Set aside. Melt remaining 3 teaspoons butter in saucepan on medium heat, stirring to release browned bits from bottom of skillet. Sprinkle with flour; cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or until flour is lightly browned.
2. Gradually stir in broth until well blended. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Add vegetable mixture, chicken, pearl onions and peas; simmer 8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally.
3. Heat oven to 350F. Cut bread into rounds with 3-inch cookie cutter. Place on baking sheet. Brush bread with oil and sprinkle with reserved seasoning mixture. Bake 10 minutes or until toasted.
4, To serve soup, ladle into soup bowls and top each with 1 crouton.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: Calories: 211, Fat: 7 g, Carbohydrates: 21 g, Cholesterol: 42 mg, Sodium: 469 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Protein: 16 g

This recipe was developed by McCormick.

Thai Beef with Chiles and Basil Over Coconut Rice

Thai Beef with Chiles and Basil Over Coconut Rice

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This was delicious and super easy. Enjoy! From Martha Stewart.
Serves 6

1 1/4 cups jasmine rice
1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
Coarse salt
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 long hot peppers or red jalapeno chiles, seeded and sliced into 2-inch matchsticks
1 1/4 pounds ground beef sirloin
1 cup loosely packed torn fresh basil leaves
Lime wedges, for serving
Directions
1.In a medium saucepan, combine rice, coconut milk, 3/4 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, about 25 minutes.
2.When rice is almost done, combine fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl; set aside. Heat a cast-iron skillet or wok over high. Add oil and heat; add garlic and half the chiles. Cook, stirring constantly, 15 seconds. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until completely browned, about 4 minutes. Add soy mixture and cook 30 seconds. Add basil and remaining chiles and stir to combine. Serve beef over coconut rice with lime wedges.

Baked mac & cheese

Baked Mac & Cheese
from Gramma Jane
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of elbow macaroni
6T butter, divided
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
2 1/2 cups milk
8 oz of Velveeta (this melts the easiest)
1 1/3 cups small curd cottage cheese
2/3 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
Cook Macaroni noodles, according to directions, and drain. 
Place in greased*, 2 1/2 qt baking dish. 
In saucepan, melt 4 tbl. Butter, stir in Flour, Sugar, Salt until smooth. 
Gradually stir in Milk- bring to boil; cook & stir for 2 minutes, or until thickened. 
Reduce heat-stir in Velveeta til melted**. 
Stir in Cottage Cheese and Sour Cream. 
Pour this over Mac Noodles and sprinkle with Shredded Cheddar. 
Bake uncovered 30 min. @ 350 degrees.
* I grease the sides with a half of stick, or a whole stick of butter. It works a million times better than Pam or any other cooking spray.
** I strongly recommend cubing the Velveeta. It makes the melting process go a lot quicker and you don’t burn the bottom of the pan this way.
Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

Thank you Heather (Monique's daughter)

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
from Maxine Curtis (Lin's grandma)

Ingredients:
1 Pillsbury Pie Crust package (has 2 in it)
Corn
Carrots
Green Beans
Lima Beans
Peas
Potatoes *
2-4 Chicken breasts boiled & cubed**
1 cream of celery soup
1-2 cream of chicken soup ***
Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix all of it together, place in pie pan, cover in foil, bake 45 minutes on 350, then remove foil and bake another 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
* If I'm feeling lazy I use a huge can of mixed veggies, but we have also used fresh or frozen vegetables.  If they are frozen, I'd recommend placing them in their defrosted but not cooked so as to not make them mushy.
** I use 3 large chicken breasts for Curty & I; we love lots of chicken in it, 
***The recipe calls for 2 cans, but honestly, I find that 1 cream of celery & 1 cream of chicken is plenty.

Best Ever Country Ribs

So, my husband wanted to make something different (like he normally does). He found this recipe for country ribs at food.com. They were fantastic. He did make a few changes, which I will point out after the recipe.

Ingredients:Servings:
8 Servings Size

2 tablespoons dry rub seasonings, recipe follows (I usually use a little more)
4 lbs country-style pork ribs (I prefer bone-in, but you could use boneless)
3 cups ketchup
1 1/2 cups beer (beer is better) or 1 1/2 cups water (beer is better)
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon prepared mustard (such as French's yellow mustard)
2 tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark, doesn't matter)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
Change Measurements: US | Metric

Directions:Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 1 1/4 hr
1 Rub Dry Rub all over ribs. Place in a glass baking dish; cover and refrigerate several hours or, even better, overnight. 2 Stir together ketchup, beer (or water), vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, brown sugar (add more, if you like your sauce sweeter), oregano, basil, thyme, and pepper in a medium-size bowl. 3 Transfer ribs to a 5-quart Dutch oven. Reserve 1 cup sauce for basting later; pour remainder over ribs. Cover pot and cook the ribs over low heat for about 45 minutes or until ribs are tender. (Ribs may be prepared up to a day ahead and refrigerated.). 4 Prepare grill or heat broiler. Remove ribs from sauce; discard sauce. Spread ribs with half the reserved sauce. 5 Cook ribs over medium coals (or medium direct heat on a gas grill) or broil until crispy and browned, about 5 minutes. Turn ribs over. Spread with remaining sauce. Cook 5 minutes more. 6 DRY RUB for COUNTRY-STYLE RIBS: Combine 2 tablespoons salt, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons dried lemon peel (found in the spice section of your supermarket), 3 tablespoons black pepper, and 1 tablespoon paprika in a small bowl. Store unused dry rub in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.

Changes: After cooking the ribs in the pot, he added some lime juice and let it cook a little longer. The lime juice actually penetrated the ribs even with the short cooking time.
Also, he did not grill the ribs, as he didn't want them to be too dry.

Try it. Let me know what you think.

Recipe for Curry Meatballs

Chop 1 large onion and fry in small amount of shortening a short while and then add 1/2 of the spices below and 2 carrots, finely sliced. Add 2 cups water and 1 small can tomato sauce (whole tomatoes can be used).

Work into 1 pound hamburger 1/2 of the following spices:
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t chili powder
1 t ginger (I never use - I don't like ginger)
2 t salt
pepper
4 t curry powder

Add 1/2 c wheat germ and form meat into small balls and lay in sauce. Simmer on low for 1 1/2 hours. Serve over rice.