Macaroni and Cheese

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Sandy

We don’t have to talk about comfort do we?  You know this is the main reason you eat mac and cheese.  When you need a little warmness in your tummy.  This is adult comfort food with the Blue Cheese.  If you are making for a crowd, you can do half with blue and half with cheddar, then the kids and my husband are happy too!  Dennis loves extra sharp cheddar.

My bite!

16 ounces of macaroni – I used the big elbows boil until al dente

2 packages of four cheese sauce mix made according to package directions or 1 jar of of four cheese sauce

2 ounces of parmesan cheese grated

2 ounces of  crumbled blue cheese (or sharp cheddar)

mix the cooked macaroni with the sauce reserving 1/2 cup to pour over the top.

Sprinkle the parmesan and blue cheese over the macaroni and sauce mixture.  Pour the last bit of sauce over the cheese.

Pop in the oven for 10 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees.

This is good.  You could top it with a bread crumb mixture, but I like mine plain.

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Duck Breast with Thyme and Blueberry Sauce

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Sandy

It's ducky!

Celebrating Jon and Carol’s anniversary the other night at a local restaurant, I ordered the duck breast with blueberry sauce.  It was great, but I thought it needed something to offset the sweet blueberry. Thyme is the answer.  Destined to be one of my favorite dishes.

Ingredients:

 

Directions:

  1. 2 Heat oil in a fry pan and fry each duck breast skin side down of meat for about 3-6 mins till browned but still pink inside. Remove from pan with slotted spoon and keep warm.
  2. 3 Place shallots, thyme and garlic into the pan and fry gently for 2-3 mins until translucent, add wine and jelly, stir well, reduce by half.
  3. 4 Mix in the blueberries and simmer for a few mins until the berries have burst, add the butter, take off heat and allow to melt. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. 5 Serve duck sliced with sauce drizzled over the top and garnish with thyme flowers if available. Cheers!

 

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Beef and Chorizo Enchiladas

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Sandy

3 pounds ground beef
1 pound chorizo (if you don’t like, substitute with additional ground beef)
1/4 cup taco seasoning (or more to your taste)
red enchilada sauce or Mexican style hot tomato sauce

salt and pepper

corn tortillas

Corn Oil
Mexican grated cheese (Cheddar and Jack Cheese)
3 large onions diced and sauted
1 T Balsalmic vinegar and black pepper

Saute diced onions add vinegar and black pepper. Brown the ground beef and chorizo, add taco seasoning.

Fry corn tortillas in oil.

Warm Enchilada sauce and dip each fried tortilla in the sauce, then on a plate add 2 T beef and chorizo mixture and 1 T onions, top with grated cheese and roll enchilada.  Place in casserole dish.  Fill the bottom, add sauce and cheese between layers, then add another layer.  I was able to get three layers into my casserole dish.  Top with remaining sauce and cheese, warm in oven at 300 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  Or you can leave in the refrigerator and heat within the next day just before serving.

Fresh from the oven

Beef and Chorizo Enchiladas - 3 layers thick! Yum.

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Turkey and Chipolte Cheese Panini by Ryan

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Sandy

Chipolte Cheddar

Sliced Deli Style Turkey (you could use ham also)

Spinach and Parmesan Dip made by Lighthouse

Garlic Butter

Baby Bell Mushrooms – sliced

Green Onions – sliced

Rustic Ciabatta Bread Rolls

Spread each side of the bread roll with Spinach Parmesan Dip, add turkey slices, chipolte cheddar splice then sliced mushrooms and onions.  When the cheese melts you want the mushrooms and onions to be smothered in cheese.

Spread garlic butter on outside of the Ciabatta bun and toast in the panini press or pan until toasted on each side and the cheese has melted. 

Mmmm, Mmmm good.  Ryan says “Everyone loved it!”

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Chorizo Lasagna with eggplant, mushroom and spinach

Posted on December 29, 2010 by Sandy

Sure most of us have had eggplant lasagna or beef lasagna or chicken lasagna, and you can go that direction if you want to, but I had chorizo in my refrigerator and dinner time was approaching…

Lasagna. Bite me!

While many people like plain cheesy lasagna, I think it can be better with a few added ingredients.  Not only for taste mind you, but you can add vegetables in there and it is better.  When making casserole or a lasagna, there are flavor givers (chorizo, ground beef) and there are flavor sponges like mushrooms, eggplant that absorb the flavors around them.  For me, this makes a better dish.

Since chorizo is so rich, I thought by adding eggplant and mushrooms it would provide balance to the dish. 

2 pounds sauted browned meat and add to the red sauce below. (Chorizo or a combination of ground beef, or chicken or turkey, or italian sausage – removed from the casing.) My husband likes more meat, so he would have liked this lasagna better with more ground beef.  He told me this two times! 

1 diced medium eggplant saute in white wine

8 oz sliced mushrooms sauted in white wine

8 oz fresh spinach

6 cups Cheese Sauce (either four cheese sauce or alfredo sauce)

6 cups Red Spaghetti sauce.  (I used garlic and onion sauce. I purposely stayed away from basil or sweet sauce)

3 cups grated cheese.  (use Mozzarella or a combination of cheeses.  I used cheddar, mozzarella)

8 oz of cottage cheese

1/4 cup parmesan for the top

16 slices pepper jack

1/4 cup chopped scallions for the top

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes – sprinkle on the top

1 package (16 sheets) no boil lasagna noodles

Once you have the ingredients sauted you are ready to start layering in the pan. 

Sauted mushrooms and eggplant

Sauted Chorizo

 Four  layers is your target. I start with a base of red sauce (which has your chorizo in it), top with 4 lasagna noodles or whatever number fits in the bottom of your pan. You can overlap a bit. 

Next top with cheese sauce, then your vegetables; sauted eggplant and mushrooms; sprinkle with grated cheese.  Next add spinach, pepper jack cheese slices and start over.   The cottage cheese is for one of the middle layers.  Drop it by teaspoonfuls onto the spinach layer.  The cottage cheese lightens the whole mixture and adds texture.

Pepper Jack over spinach

Your last layer should be Cheese Sauce with grated cheese, parmesan and scallions and then sprinkle with red pepper flakes.  It will look nice this way.   You’ll notice small parchment paper tucked in along my baking dish.  This lasagna is so deep, and my pan has hand holds, that I need to cover until the dish cooks.

Ready for the oven!

Place in the oven at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes covered with foil until bubbly, then 10 minutes uncovered to finish melting the cheesy top. 

Hot from the oven.

Let it cool for 15-20 minutes so it holds its shape for cutting.

You can put this together the morning before or even a week before and freeze.  If you do freeze, just extend your oven time to 90 minutes or so. 

Serve with a nice green salad.  If you cool it properly you can see all the layers.  

Cool it properly and it stands up!

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Beef and Broccoli Stirfry

Posted on December 27, 2010 by Sandy
From the Christmas dinner  ribeye roast, I cut the ribs from the roast, removed the eye of the roast and what was left looked like a flank steak once I remove the extra fat.  I saved this flank piece of meat for later – this is later – and tied the eye back onto the ribs and cooked the roast for Christmas Eve dinner. 

If you are planning on serving your stirfry with rice, start it now.  (See no fail rice.)

Slice the flank steak against the grain into small 1/8th inch slices.  My roast yielded about 5 cups. 

Oil for stirfrying.

4 cups of broccoli flowerettes

Mix the next five ingredients together for the sauce.

1 cup teriyaki

1/4 cup pepper jelly

1 tsp hot mustard1

1 tsp red pepper flakes

3 T finely chopped scallions

1 T corn starch and 1 cup water mix together

salt and pepper to taste.

Turn your wok on to heat while chopping the flank steak.  Prepare the teriyaki sauce

and the thickening agent in separate bowls. 

You are now ready.  Drizzle two Tablespoons of oil in the bottom of the wok and add 1/2 the beef.  Cook until almost done, remove from pan.  Cook other half of the beef until almost done and remove from pan.  Add broccoli to the wok and add a lid covering the broccoli, add about 1/4 cup of water. Allow to steam for 60 seconds, then stir.  When the broccoli is fork tender, add teriyaki mixture and finish cooking the broccoli, add the beef mixture allow to heat for 60 seconds.   If the teriyaki sauce needs thickening, add the corn starch, allow to cook until the broth is clear.  Salt and Pepper to taste.

Remove from the heat.  Check your rice, when it is tender serve your meal.

You can not order this meal and have it delivered quicker than cooking it yourself.  Enjoy.

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Italian Lemon Meringue

Posted on December 26, 2010 by Sandy

This Lemon Meringue pie reminds me of a Lemon Chiffon, beautiful creamy lemon yellow. Yum. Easy in the sense you mix and  bake the lemon chiffon in the pie shell instead of the stovetop method used for Southern Style Lemon Meringue. 

If you like tart pie, use regular lemons, otherwise use Meyer’s lemons.

A more tart version is the Southern Style Lemon Meringue Pie, where the filling is cooked on the stovetop first, and then added to the pie. 

For presentation purposes, go big with the meringue.  Make it pretty!

To Make the Lemon Meringue Pie

Start with a Blind Baked Pie Crust (See other post on Pie Crust)

  1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
  2. Put the egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice and zest in a glass bowl and mix gently with a balloon whisk until all the ingredients are very well incorporated. The mixture will thicken naturally.
  3. Pour into the partially blind-baked (10 minutes)  pie crust and bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes. The filling should be firm to the touch but still very slightly soft in the centre (not wobbly!). Leave to cool completely, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight if possible.

To Make the Simpler Meringue Topping:

  1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
  2. Put the egg whites in a freestanding electric mixer with a whisk attachment and whisk until frothy. Gradually add 2 tablespoons of the sugar at a time, whisking well after each addition. Once you have whisked in all the sugar, add the vanilla extract and whisk again until stiff peaks form.
  3. Spoon the meringue on top of the cold pie, making sure you completely cover the pie filling. Create peaks and swirls in the top of the meringue with the back of a tablespoon.
  4. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown and crisp to the touch.)
  5. Leave to cool completely before serving.

To Make the Italian Meringue Topping:

  1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
  2. Put the sugar in a small saucepan and just cover with water. Set over medium heat and bring to the boil.
  3. While the sugar is on the tovetop, put the egg whites in a freestanding electric mixer with a whisk attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed. Whisk until the egg whites are light and foamy.
  4. When the sugar has been boiling for a short while, it should reach soft ball stage. (This is when the bubbles go more syrupy. To check, dip a spoon into the sugar, then drop it directly into a glass of cold water. The sugar will firm up on contact with the water. You should be able to form a soft ball out of the sugar. If it sets to hard to be able to form a ball, it has been boiled too long and has reached hard ball stage. Be careful, as the sugar goes from soft ball to hard ball stage very quickly. Don’t touch the hot syrup with your bare hand until you have dipped the spoon into the glass of cold water, otherwise you will burn your fingers.)
  5. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and slowly pour the sugar syrup into the egg whites. Once all the syrup is incorporated, turn the mixer up to maximum speed and whisk for about 10-15 minutes, or until the meringue has tripled in size and is very white and fluffy.
  6. Turn the mixer back down to medium speed and continue to whisk for a couple more minutes until the meringue has cooled down slightly.
  7. Spoon the meringue on top of the cold pie, making sure you completely cover the pie filling. Create peaks and swirls in the top of the meringue with the back of a tablespoon.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown and crisp to the touch. Leave to cool completely before serving. 

Note:  This is a great cupcake frosting!

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Abby’s Posole – Pork and Hominy Stew

Posted on December 26, 2010 by Sandy

Christmas Eve, family and friends get together to have dinner and exchange a few love notes and gifts.

Abby made Posole for the buffet table.  Even though she was a bit late, the stew is completely gone since everyone wanted to take some home.  Excellent. 

 Ingredients

  • 2 pounds boneless pork loin or pork roast, cubed
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans white hominy, drained
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons chopped onion
  • 4 dried hot red chile pepper pods, seeded and diced or use red enchilada sauce 

Directions

  1. Place meat in a large kettle and add about 5 quarts of water and the enchilada sauce, enough to cover meat. (Abby says she cubes the meat after it has cooked, but you can start by cubing it first.)  Add approximately 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat for about 1 1/2 hours.
  2. Remove excess grease and set aside. Reserve liquid.
  3. Wash the posole very carefully until the water is clear so as to remove lime from kernels. Put in large kettle and cover with water. Boil until posole has popped.
  4. Mix meat, posole. Add oregano, garlic, onion, and chile pods. Let simmer for about 1/2 hour.

Serve with garnishes:  sliced radishes, lemon slice, shredded cabbage, fried tortilla chips

I think you should make the day ahead so the flavors blend. Delicious.

Abby's Christmas Posole Soup

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Table Decorations – Christmas

Posted on December 24, 2010 by Sandy

A special snowman cupcake for each place setting adds to the theme.I use decorations and wrapping paper as a table runner.

Christmas moose and pomegranites. A woodsy Christmas.

These chorus ladies are made out of bottles.

Christmas Dinner Table

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German Hot Potato Salad

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Sandy

My mother-in-law’s favorite “Company’s coming dinner” was German Hot Potato Salad and Roast Beef served with a green side salad.  Jacque loved bacon probably since it was rationed or hard to come by during World War II.  When she died at age 83, she had about 20 pounds of bacon in her freezer. She never wanted to run out!  This is her recipe, and as simple as it is, it is always delicious. Chunk potatoes, bacon bits, scallions.  Perfect combination. 

6 Cups boiled potatoes, then either dice or slice potatoes (about 6 medium potatoes)

2 T chopped chives or parsley

2 T finely chopped scallions

4 slices of bacon, fried crispy and crumbled

2/3 cup mayonnaise

2/3 cup french salad dressing (Kraft is the type she used)

1/4 cup cider or wine vinegar or white balsalmic vinegar

Mix potatoes, chives, scallions, and bacon. Combine mayonnaise, dressing and vinegar: blend.  Pour over potato mixture.  Reheat in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 225 degree oven.

Serve hot or chilled, although my preference is straight from the oven.  Makes 8 servings.

Bacon lovers - Another great dish!

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