Baked Macaroni and Cheese

I've never been a fan of homemade macaroni and cheese and have spent most of my life claiming my love to Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in the blue box. In our quest to give up the majority of processed foods, I've been attempting to find a suitable replacement. Not that this tastes anything like Kraft. But, I like it! I love it, really.

This pic was taken on Layla's second birthday. She also loved the mac and cheese. Kaia doesn't like it because it has tiny, little bitty specs of onions in it. Oh well.

The recipe is easy peasy and most of the time I have all of the ingredients on hand without having to plan ahead. I've made this several times since Layla's birthday and am sure it will be my new go-to macaroni and cheese recipe.

This recipe is from The Joy of Cooking and I love that it can be made ahead of time.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese
serves 4-6 main course or 8-10 side dish

The sauce can be made ahead and combined with the just cooked macaroni before baking, or the entire casserole can be assembled a day in advance.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a deep 1.5 quart baking dish. Prepare:

2 cups White Sauce (see recipe below)

Stir in:
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. sweet paprika

Simmer gently, stirring often, for 15 minutes. Have ready:
2 1/4 cups grated sharp Cheddar or Colby (9 oz)

Remove the sauce from the heat, discard the bay leaf, and stir in two-thirds of the cheese. Reserve the rest. Season with:
Salt and Black pepper to taste

Meanwhile, cook in a large pot of boiling salted water just until tender:
2 cups (8 ounces) elbow macaroni, small shells, or tubetti

Drain and remove to a large bowl. Stir in the sauce. Pour half of the mixture into the baking dish ans sprinkle with half of the remaining cheese. Top with the rest of the macaroni and then the remaining cheese. Sprinkle over the top:
1/2 cup buttered bread crumbs (see recipe below)

Bake until the bread crumbs are lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

White Sauce
(makes 1 cup, so double recipe for macaroni and cheese recipe, above)
Melt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat:
2 tablespoons butter

Whisk in until well blended and smooth, about 1 1/2 minutes:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Remove the pan from the heat and slowly wisk in:
1 cup milk

Return the pan to heat and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly to prevent lumps.  Continue to cook, whisking until the sauce is smooth and hot and has thinckened, 1 to 2 minutes.  Season to taste with:
Salt and black or white pepper
Grated or ground nutmeg

Browned or Buttered Breadcrumbs
Use dry bread crumbs.  Season with salt, allowing 1/2 tsp. for each cup of bread crumbs.  Brown them slowly in 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter.  Use at once.

Marinara Sauce

I made that last tomato sauce last month, and this Marinara Sauce this last weekend.  JACKPOT.  I loved loved loved this recipe.  It was so so so so simple.  And the end result was just perfect.  I served it over four cheese ravioli and even four kids liked it!  I will definitely make this again and again.  I did make a couple changes to the recipe...

Marinara Sauce
2 1/4 cups

Combine in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat:
2 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped, or one 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, with their juice
1/3 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, halved
6 sprigs basil
6 sprigs parsley
Simmer, uncovered, crushing the tomatoes with the side of a spoon to break them up, until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.  Pass through a food mill, and season with:
salt and black pepper

My version was even more simple.  I used one 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes rather than whole tomatoes (based on my dislike of the chunkiness of the last tomato sauce) and I did not have/use a food mill.  With the crushed tomatoes, the food mill becomes totally unnecessary, however, you must at least pick out the sprigs of basil/parsley and the garlic cloves.  I cannot believe how much flavor this sauce had.  Simply fantastic.

But this sauce was EXACTLY what I was looking for.  I would absolutely at least double the recipe next time.  I need to figure out how to include meat for when hubby gets home, maybe sliced Italian sausage, or meatballs.

Try it.  You'll love it!

Tomato Meat Sauce

So, I'm on the hunt for the perfect tomato pasta sauce.  I used to think I had it, but that was when I was using my mother-in-law's home-canned tomatoes.  Since I don't have access to those anymore, my trusty recipe is no longer my favorite.

Aaaaaaand, neither was this recipe.  Too much meat and tomatoes, not enough sauce.  There's a big container of it sitting in my freezer.  I'm sure I will be happy it's there one day when I do not feel like cooking.  But, until then, my quest continues.  In all, I think this sauce was just too "chunky" for me.  It tasted good and the kids ate it, and I'm sure my husband would LOVE it.  But, it's not my PERFECT tomato sauce.

Tomato Meat Sauce

8 cups

Heat a large heavy casserole or skillet over medium heat.  Add:

1/4 cup olive oil

2 ounces pancetta or bacon, diced (optional)

If using pancetta or bacon, cook, stirring, until it renders its fat, about 3 minutes.  Add:

1 pound ground beer or sweet Italian sausages, casings removed and crumbled

Cook, stirring, until the meat loses its pink color, about 5 minutes.  Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan.  Add and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes:

1 medium onion, chopped

Add and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds:

2-4 garlic cloves, minced

Stir in and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes:

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Add:

Two 28 ounce cans whole tomatoes, with their juice

(1 teaspoon fresh thyme or oregano leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon sugar

Cook, uncovered, crushing the tomatoes with the side of a spoon to break them up, until they have cooked down and smell very fragrant, about 15 minutes.  Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened.  Stir in:

2-3 tablespoons slivered basil or chopped parsley

salt and black pepper to taste.  

my notes:

*i did use the bacon

*i used ground beef, but next time i would use 1/2 lb. beef and 1/2 lb. italian sausage.

*i also ended up using way more tomato paste...maybe almost the whole can?  because it was watery.

*next time i may use 1 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes and 1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, for a better consistency.

Peach Muffins

This is an all-time favorite of mine. It's a great basic recipe that can be adjusted to different fruits. I love that I can use frozen peaches, which means that I have all the ingredients on hand most of the time. These muffins are always a hit at playdates! However, my kids don't like them, of course. They're not particularly healthy, but they are good for a once in a while treat ;)  I would like to try to make them more healthy, but they are so YUM! that I'm hesitant to mess with a good thing!


Peach Muffins
12 muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup chopped fresh or frozen peaches
1 cup chopped pecans

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg, sour cream and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour and baking powder; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Fold in peaches and pecans. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack. 

my notes:
*i use frozen peaches, but i make sure to thaw them first
*i've never made them with pecans, but i'm sure that would be awesome!
*i usually make mini muffins, which cook for about 15-16 minutes.  this recipe makes about 26 mini muffins.

Chicken Piccata Pasta Toss

WOW, I had totally forgotten about this meal :) If I remember correctly, I made it the night before the TSUNAMI of 2010 :) We had some friends over for dinner, so I was trying to make something that all four kids would eat, but that WASN'T macaroni and cheese, or chicken nuggets, or hot dogs. You get the picture. Anyway, I settled on this little recipe out of Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals 2 (hint: it did NOT take 30 mins!...although there was wine and plenty of conversation involved, so that could have contributed to the time lapse...)
I thought this was really great and easy. The ingredients are items that I usually have on hand also, so that will make it a go-to recipe for me! In the photo, there are no capers in the pasta...as I added them separately at the table in case anyone didn't care for them. I used to HATE capers, but love them, now. They added a great salty contrast to the tart lemon taste of the Piccata. I used whole grain pasta and skipped the chopped chive garnish.  I'm excited to try this once Kevin's home, he loves lemon and capers :).


Chicken Picatta Pasta Toss
makes 4 servings

1 pound penne rigate pasta, cooked al dente to package directions
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 & 1/4 pounds chicken tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white wine
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup chicken broth or stock
3 tablespoons capers, drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
chopped or snipped chives, for garnish

Heat a deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the chicken to the pan.  Season with salt and pepper, and brown until lightly golden all over, about 5 to 6 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan and set it in your serving dish while you complete the sauce.  Return the skillet to the heat, reduced to medium.  To the skillet, add another tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter, the garlic and the shallots and saute, 3 minutes.  Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes.  Whisk in wine and reduce liquid, 1 minute.  Whisk lemon juice and broth into sauce.  Stir in capers and parsley.  When sauce comes to a bubble, add remaining tablespoon butter to give it a little shine.  Put chicken back in teh pan and heat through a minute or two.  Toss hot pasta with chicken and sauce.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Top with fresh snipped chives and serve.

Chicken Stir-Fry

Procrastination station, recipe number 2! Another case of making something up, but not writing it down! And it was so scrumptious! I guess I'll have to try again another time. I'll post what I do remember, again, with the exception of measurements. All i remember is that I could NOT stop eating this.

Chicken Stir-Fry

marinade/sauce
soy sauce
sesame oil
garlic, minced
fresh ginger, minced
honey

boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced (raw)

jasmine or brown rice (cooked)

sesame oil
onions, chopped
carrots, chopped
zucchini, chopped
celery, chopped
red bell pepper, chopped
mushrooms, chopped

And now for the fun!

Marinade chicken breast for as long as a day, but at least an hour.

Heat sesame oil in LARGE skillet (or wok) over medium high heat. Add veggies and cook until slightly tender, but still crisp. Add the chicken WITH the marinade (it will become the sauce, which is FINE because we're cooking it :), just make sure you see the sauce bubbling, if it's not, turn up the heat!) Once the chicken is cooked through, which should happen relatively quickly, serve over rice and your done! The most time consuming part of this meal is obviously all the chopping, which can be done ahead of time if you're into that kind of thing. I like to live life in the fast lane and STRESS myself out :) ENJOY!

Chicken Noodle Soup

What happens when you procrastinate? You FORGET how you made the above soup :) I have a picture, though! LOL! I made this for the girls when they were sick during (the whole month of) February. They actually ate it! I wasn't sick, but still thought it was really good, and easy enough to make if I WERE sick. So, without writing anything down, I'll try to recreate this from memory...although I won't use amounts because I have NO idea. I'm actually pretty bummed that I didn't write this down (Mom, stop saying I told you so!  I can hear you all the way from here! Ha!). I've made a bunch of Chicken Noodle Soups through the years and for some reason, this one really hit the spot.

Chicken Noodle Soup

olive oil (once around the pan...ish)
onions, chopped
garlic, minced
carrots, diced
celery, diced
zucchini, diced
salt
pepper
ground thyme
water
chicken broth or boullion
boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and diced
whole grain thin spaghetti noodles

So basically, it went a little something like this!

Heat olive oil in a stock pot, add chopped veggies and spices and cook until soft-ish. Add water and broth/boullion to taste. Add chicken. Bring to a boil over high heat and add noodles. Reduce heat to medium and cook until noodles are tender. TADA!