English Almond Toffee

English toffee is one of my favorite candies to make and eat at Christmas time.  I've been known to buy the big containers of the stuff from Costco and then hide them and sneak one (or two) every now and then.  Don't judge.  :)   Anyway, the candy is not that hard to make.  Here is my mother-in-law's recipe.

2/3 c. butter

½ c. sugar
1/3 c. water 
½ tsp salt
2/3 c. raw chopped almonds
¼ tsp baking soda
½ c. chocolate chips
¼ c. chopped roasted almonds

Add butter,sugar, water, and salt to a heavy sauce pan. Cook over low to medium heat,stirring constantly until it boils.  Cookwithout stirring to 236° F.  Add 2/3 cup raw almonds.  Cook to 290° F stirring constantly.  Stir in ¼ tsp baking soda.  Pour onto cookie sheet ¼” thick.  Immediately put ½ cup chocolate chips on topand spread as chocolate melts.  Sprinklewith chopped almonds.

Cinnamon Rolls

My husband grew up having cinnamon rolls and hot cocoa for breakfast 3 times a year--the first Sunday in April, the first Sunday in October (General Conference Sunday mornings), and Christmas morning.  We have carried on the tradition in our family.  This recipe comes from my mother-in-law, Lorinda Hymas.

One key ingredient we use is King Arthur Bread Flour.  We started using it about a year ago in all our breads, and I still can't believe what a difference it makes.  The bread has a soft and light texture that it never had when I used all-purpose garden variety flour.  It also rises like gang busters when you combine it with a good yeast (SAF or Red Star are my favorite).  The flour costs a little more, but it is worth every penny, I promise.  I just found it at Wal-Mart for $4 for 5 lbs.  Bon Appetit!

Cinnamon Rolls

2 tbsp yeast

1 tsp sugar
1 c. lukewarm water
2 c. milk, scalded
⅔ c. melted shortening (no substitutions)
1 c. sugar
4 tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
7-10 c. flour

2 cubes butter

brown sugar

cinnamon

 

Dissolve sugar and yeast in water; add milk cooled to lukewarm, shortening, sugar, and salt.  Add eggs; beat well.  Add flour to make soft, slightly sticky dough; be careful not to add too much.  Let stand 10 minutes; knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic.   Place in greased bowl, cover.  Let rise until doubled in bulk.

Divide dough in two.  Roll dough out ½” thick rectangle and spread 1/2 cube melted butter over top.  Sprinkle generously with cinnamon and brown sugar.  Roll up and slice into 1” thick pieces.  Place on a greased cookie sheet.  Repeat with the other half of the dough.  Allow rolls to rise until about double in size.  (Tip: You can speed this process by preheating the oven to 170° F, turning it off, and placing the rolls inside).

When the rolls have doubled, preheat oven to 400° F, and bake in hot oven for 12-18 minutes until slightly golden brown on top. Add your favorite frosting.  We use simple butter cream.

Italian Cream Cheese Chicken

I haven't make this recipe in a long time, but it is simple, easy, and delicious.  I love being able to throw some ingredients in the crock pot in the morning and having a delicious dinner in the evening.

Italian Cream Cheese Chicken

3-4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

4 oz cream cheese

½ packet Dry Italian Salad Dressing Mix

Place chicken in crockpot.  Mix soup, cream cheese, and Italian dressing mix.  Pour over chicken.  Cook for 5-6 hours on low.  Serve over white rice.

Buttercream Frosting

Buttercream Frosting

1 c. butter, room temperature

4 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

¼ c. heavy cream

Cream the butter with an electric mixer.  Add the sugar and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until blended.  Increase the speed to medium and add the cream in a thin stream.  Increase speed to high and then whip until the texture is light and smooth.  Add more sugar or cream to adjust texture as needed.

Sour Cream

It turns out making sour cream is really easy. With all of my other dairy making projects I decided to give it a try. Put a quarter of a cup of plain yogurt or buttermilk in a glass container, then add 1 cup of cream on top. You don't even stir it up. Let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours and then refrigerate for 24 hours to set.

I tried both the yogurt and the buttermilk. The yogurt seemed slightly thicker after a few days. I seriously doubt I'll ever buy sour cream again, unless it is an emergency. 😉

Parmesan Rolls

18 frozen Rhodes Rolls

¾ c. Parmesan cheese

½ tsp garlic salt

2 tbsp parsley

¾ c. melted butter

Melt the butter in the microwave.  Mix the Parmesan cheese, garlic salt, and parsley together in a separate container. Dip the frozen Rhodes Roll in the butter, then the cheese mixture so that the cheese sticks to the whole roll.  Let rise six hours in a warm place.  Bake at 375° F for 12-15 min. or until golden brown.

Blendtec Blender Product Review

4-5 years ago, my husband was at Costco and got sucked into one of those blender demos that they do there sometimes.  It was for the Blendtec Blender.  He was really impressed and ended up buying one.  My reaction was something like, "How much?  For a BLENDER?"

However, I really must say, this little baby is by far my favorite and one of my most frequently used kitchen appliances, along with my Kitchenaid Mixer and toaster.  I use it for everything!  The counter says 851 times.  My favorite feature of this wonderful machine is the ease of cleanup.  I don't think I would ever use it if it was hard to clean.  I used to avoid using a blender because it was hard to clean.  Not so with this wonderful machine.  Rinse it out, put a little dish soap and water in, and pulse it for 10 sec.  Done!

The other amazing thing about this machine is that it really does blend anything.  Seriously.  We started out with smoothies, of course, but I use it for everything.  I make pancake batter, baby food, salad dressing, whip cream, and make a killer raw vegetable soup that comes out HOT with soup mode.  It will even grind wheat.  I recently found a blender recipe for butter that I'm thinking about trying and seeing if it's cheaper.

I've heard the Vitamix blender is very comparable, and Costco also sells that, but I haven't ever tried it.  It would be really fun to do a side by side comparison and give you my review.  Maybe someday.

Anyway, if you're looking for a cool kitchen gadget, this definitely fits the bill.  If you have one (or even if you don't) please let me know what you think (I'd love some comments).

Buttermilk Pancakes

So, if you haven't noticed, we really like to make things from scratch around here.  It's not because I'm against "prepared foods."  It's just that I think from scratch stuff tends to taste better, and I just like to cook.  Knowing what goes into your food is an added bonus.  This morning, I made buttermilk pancakes for breakfast.  They really aren't that much harder to make than from a mix, so why not?  I usually double the recipe and freeze the leftovers.  I just throw them in the toaster for the picky two year old who would live on pancakes and milk if I let him.  And of course we serve it with homemade buttermilk caramel syrup.

Here's the recipe (adapted from Better Homes and Garden's recipe book):

Buttermilk Pancakes

1 c. flour

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 beaten egg

1 c. buttermilk

2 tbsp vegetable oil

I like to mix my batter in the blender.  I put the eggs, buttermilk, and oil in first, then put the dry ingredients on top.  I blend it for about a minute.  Cook over medium heat in a heavy skillet, turning to the second side when the pancakes are bubbly and dry on the edges.

Variations:  You may substitute 1 c. of milk for the buttermilk, but increase the baking powder to 2 tsp and omit the baking soda.  You can also add some cinnamon chips to the batter after it's blended. 

Mozzarella Cheese

After the success with our homemade yogurt, I decided that I really wanted to try to make homemade mozzarella.  I'd seen some recipes on Pintrest, and I wanted to give it a try.

I ordered my supplies (citric acid, vegetable rennet tablets, and cheese salt) from www.cheesemaking.com, and I gave it a whirl yesterday.  I'd call it a successful failure.  I ended up with lots of tiny little curds that tasted like mozzarella, but that wasn't what I was going for.  So, I read everything I could about what may have gone wrong with my cheese on cheesemaking.com, used their recipe, and then I tried it again today.  And, IT WORKED!  It feels so good to have been successful.

I'll try this a few more times, and then I may try a different kind of cheese soon.

Cashew Chicken

Happy Belated Chinese New Year.  In honor of the day, here is a recipe for Cashew Chicken.

Cashew Chicken

1 large chicken breast
2 tbsp cornstarch, divided
1 clove garlic
 Dash red pepper flakes (optional)
6 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp sugar
1 c. chicken broth
3 tbsp wok oil
1/2 lbs broccoli, cut into bite side pieces
2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 can baby corn, drained
1/3 c. cashews

Cube chicken, put in a bowl, and mix with 1 tbsp of cornstarch.  In another small bowl, mix soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, broth, and 1 tbsp cornstarch.  Heat oil in wok or skillet.  Add garlic and red pepper flakes and stir fry for 1 minute.  Add chicken to pan and stir fry another 3-5 minutes.  Add vegetables and stir fry until broccoli is slightly tender.  Add cashews and soy sauce mixture, and stir until sauce is thickened.  (If you want a thicker sauce, you can mix together 1 more tbsp of cornstarch to 1 tbsp of water and gradually stir into the sauce until your sauce reaches the desired consistency.  If you want a thinner sauce, you can gradually add more chicken broth).

Filet and Asparagus with Bearnaise Sauce

Valentines is fast approaching.  Our favorite Valentine's dinner is grilled beef tenderloin and asparagus with Bearnaise Sauce and baked potato.  The husband found a tenderloin roast on sale for $6.99 a pound at Value City, and we cut it up into steaks.

I buy the big baker potatoes from Costco.  I wrap them in aluminum foil (you can also cover the skin with butter and and poke a hole or two in it to keep it from exploding in the oven), and I bake at 425 for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

For the steak, my favorite seasoning is Cabela's Roasted Garlic and Beer seasoning.   I just sprinkle some on top and throw it on the grill.   Here is an awesome tutorial from Our Best Bites on How To Grill the Perfect Steak.

 Asparagus is a perfect pairing for filet.  I "snap" one piece of the bunch in half to remove the woody end, and then I trim the rest of them to that length.  You can also snap each spear individually.  Then, I put them in a pot of boiling, salted water for 2-5 minutes.  I like mine a little firm so I always cook it for the shorter time.  I always cook these very last just before we're ready to eat.

Bearnaise Sauce is really the thing that puts this meal over the top.  You can make this before you put the steaks on, and then just keep it warm in the double boiler.  Here is a link for the sauce recipe.

Bearnaise Sauce

Bearnaise Sauce is an oh so delicious sauce for meat and vegetables.  It can be a little bit tricky, but it's worth the effort to figure it out.

Bearnaise Sauce

3 tbsp of White Wine Vinegar

1/4 tsp dried tarragon

1/4 tsp chervil

1/4 tsp white pepper

4 egg yolks

1/2 c melted butter

1-2 tbsp of water

Combine the vinegar, tarragon, chervil, and white pepper in the top of a double boiler and cook until liquid is reduced to half.  Add the egg yolk, melted butter, and 1 tbsp of water.  Stir constantly until sauce thickens.  Remove from heat.   If sauce curdles or is too thick, whisk in another 1 to 2 tablespoons of hot water and stir until smooth.  Keep warm in double boiler until ready to use.

Taco Cups

One of our twists on tacos is Taco Cups.  My family LOVES them!

Taco Cups

1 Can Grand Biscuits

1/2 lb Beef

1-2 tbsp Taco Seasoning

1/2 lb Shredded Cheddar

Shredded Lettuce

Diced Tomato

Guacamole

Sour Cream

Black Olives

Salsa

Brown 1/2 lb of ground beef and season with 1-2 tbsp of McCormick Taco Seasoning.  I flatten a Grands biscuit in a muffin tin and flatten them against the side of the muffin tin.  I fill it with the beef and then top with cheese.  I bake it at 350 for 12-18 minutes.  Then top with lettuce, tomato, and our favorite taco toppings.

Meal Planning

I decided that going forward on the meal planning calendar (see the bottom of the blog page), I would fill in only 5 days a week.  I find that I needed a little flexibility on a weekly basis, and meals planned for 7 days a week was too much.  Some weeks we need a left over night, some weeks we might eat out a day, and some nights, we might only have time to throw a corn dog in the microwave.  I wanted to make sure I didn't buy too many groceries for meals that we never get to and that I have time to use up our left overs.

I'm also going to note meals that when doubled make GREAT freezer meals for "those nights."  You can look like super star chef even on days you don't have time to cook.  ;) 

Crock Pot Ranch Chicken

This is a super easy recipe, which is exactly what I need on a crazy busy day.  It takes me about 5 minutes (or less) to make it, and it's ready at the end of the day.  On Sundays, I put it in the crock pot in the morning before church, and it's ready when we get home.

Crock Pot Ranch Chicken

2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch powdered dressing mix
3 chicken breasts

Put chicken in the crock pot.  Pour cream of chicken soup on top.  Sprinkle ranch powder on top of that.  Bake in crock pot on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 5-6 hours.  Serve over rice.

Kneaders Cinnamon French Toast

If you've ever eaten Kneaders Cinnamon French Toast, you've had a real treat for breakfast.  I came across this recipe for it a while ago, and have been making it ever since.  Delicious!

I'm not going to re-create the recipe, but here is my take on it.  I pour the entire egg mixture over the top and let it sit over night.  I use this cinnamon burst bread recipe, or you could buy a loaf of a cinnamon bread from Kneaders (if you live by one) or Great Harvest.  You do need pretty thick slices of bread.  NEVER use regular store bought bread.  (We tried that once.  Not pretty.)

Also, I use this Buttermilk Caramel Syrup recipe from Our Best Bites.  I don't use the one from the recipe.  Seriously, it's the best!

Cinnamon Burst Bread

This is a copy cat Great Harvest Cinnamon Burst Bread recipe that I adapted from one I found on Food.com.  I use bread flour (King Arthur of course) instead of all purpose, and it makes a huge difference.  This is the first step in a bigger and better recipe to follow.  Trust me, you won't be disappointed!

3 tbsp yeast
1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs, beaten
3 3/4 c warm water
4 1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp Canola oil
2 c. cinnamon chips
8 c. bread flour
1/2 - 1 c. cake flour

Combine 4 c. flour, yeast, and sugar in a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer.  Then add the water, eggs, and oil.  Mix with the paddle attachment until well combined.  Let it rest for about 5 minutes to allow the yeast to work.  Your dough should have bubbles in it.  Switch to the dough hook of your mixer, and then add the salt, 4 more cups of bread flour, and the cinnamon chips.  Knead the dough until it's nice and smooth.  Add the cake flour a little at a time until the dough pulls away from the bowl, but be careful not to add too much.  Your dough should be slightly sticky and pliable.  You don't want it too stiff.  Knead it for another 10 minutes.  Put dough in a greased bowl and allow to rise until double in size.  Grease four loaf pans.  Punch dough down, shape it into loaves, and put it in the pans.  Allow to rise until double in size.  Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

I usually freeze a couple of the loaves for later.

Cinnamon Syrup

If your are looking for a change from boring old maple syrup for your pancakes, this recipe fits the bill.  It comes from my MIL, Lorinda.

Cinnamon Syrup

From the Kitchen of Lorinda Hymas

1 c. corn syrup

2 c. sugar

½ c. water

2 tsp cinnamon

1 c. canned milk

Mix together the corn syrup, sugar, water, and cinnamon, and stir to boil.  Boil for 2 minutes. Cool for 5 min.  Add canned milk and mix together.

Guacamole

I LOVE guacamole; the straight up avocado kind, not the kind with all the extras.  I like it whenever I make any Mexican dish, so it's a frequent part of Taco Tuesday.   Here is my simple recipe: 

 Guacamole

2 medium Hass avocados
2/3 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tbsp lime juice

Slice the avocado in half and remove the seed.  Cube it with a knife and scoop it out from the skin into a small bowl.  Mash up the avocado with a fork then add the garlic salt and lime juice.  Mix it in with the fork and serve.

Homemade Yogurt

This past week, we tried making our own homemade yogurt.  It was well worth the effort!  It was delicious treat and so much more affordable than store bought.  We made a gallon on Saturday and it was completely gone by Wednesday.  Here is a link to the recipe we used. 

We did let our yogurt cure for longer than the recipe said. We tried an experiment and did it from 3-7  hrs (just because we're nerdy like that).  The longer we left it, the more firm it was.  I'd say 5-6 hour would do the trick.   4 hours was the right amount.  We also left it overnight once, and it turned out pretty sour.

I will also add that the Yoplait starter was THE BEST that we have tried.  I honestly wouldn't use any other brand.  After you get going, you can just use your homemade stuff for the starter.

We made the vanilla kind, with 2/3 cups of sugar, and then we added about a tablespoon of jam to a cup full to flavor it.  We used our strawberry and raspberry peach freezer jams we made over the summer.  It's seriously good, and after you get your own yogurt starter, it's the cost of a gallon of milk for a gallon of yogurt.  There's a link on the recipe that talks about how much the cost savings is a year.  If you ate four quarts a week (that's a lot, be we can definitely eat that much) you can save between $350 and $500 a year.  That's no small change.

Enjoy!

Navajo Tacos

I had planned to make to make Navajo Tacos the day after we had chili, because then I could use the left over chili for the tacos.  However, we are having the missionaries over tonight, and chicken noodle soup (what I had originally planned for today) just didn't sound good on this unseasonably warm day. 

So to make them, you need fry bread as your base.  Really any dough will do.  I have used Rhodes frozen rolls, which work great.  I also have used the sour dough pizza crust dough.  Flatten or roll out your dough and make it into the size you want for your base.

Heat up your oil in a skillet or stock pan (the higher sides keep the oil more contained so there is less splatter on the stove top) over medium high heat.  If you flick a little water into the oil, and it sizzles, your oil is hot enough. Drop your dough into the oil.  When that side is a golden brown, turn it over with a pair of tongs and repeat. 

Then top with heated Chili (you can use homemade or a can of Chili with Beans also works fine).  and your favorite ingredients--cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, onions, guacamole, sour cream, and/or ranch dressing.

Chicken Alfredo

One of my very favorite food blogs is Our Best Bites.  They have some amazing recipes.   For this meal, I use their Guiltless Alfredo Sauce.  It's fast, easy, low fat, and full of flavor.  Win, win, win, win.

First, I marinade 2-3 chicken breasts in equal parts of balsamic vinegar, lime juice, and 3 cloves of minced garlic for about 4 hours.

Then, I prepare a rub that I put on:

Rub:
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp parsley

I put the rub on both sides of the chicken breasts and grill them for 7-10 minutes per side.

I the mean time, I boil some fettuccine noodles in salt and a small amount of oil, and make the Alfredo sauce.

When everything is done, I slice the chicken into small strips and serve it on top of the noodles and Alfredo sauce.  Good stuff!

Deep Dish Pizza & Pizza Sauce

Thursdays are pizza night, and again, I like to mix it up with a variety of pizzas.  This week is a deep dish.

Coat the bottom of a deep dish baker stone with olive oil and then place your crust in the pan.  You made need to let it relax for a minute before it will stay in place, depending on what pizza crust recipe you use.  I used a frozen ball from the more complex recipe that I sat in the fridge the night before and then let raise all day. 

Bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes until lightly done.  Remove and add pizza sauce, cheese, and your favorite pizza toppings. We love pepperoni, bacon, ham, mushrooms, black olive, fresh tomatoes, pineapple, or sausage.  We also really like slices of Johnsonville Garlic and Irish Sausage on top.  They are delicious!  Bake at 425 for an additional 30-35 minutes.

Here is the recipe I use for my pizza sauce:

Pizza Sauce

8 oz tomato sauce
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tbsp dried basil

Mix together.

UPDATED: Pizza Crust

UPDATED

I have two recipes for pizza crust.  This first one is easy to mix up on demand, and doesn't take a lot of prep work.  Here is my simple pizza crust recipe:

Pizza Crust

 1 c. water
2-3 c. flour, divided
1 tbsp yeast
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Mix 1 cup of flour along with all the other ingredients in the mixer using the paddle attachment.  Change to the dough attachment on the mixer and add flour until the dough looses most of it's stickiness, but is still soft and pliable.  This is enough dough for 1 large pizza.

The second recipe is a more complicated sour dough recipe, but well worth the effort.  Along with the discovery of King Arthur Flour, came this recipe for pizza crust, all from my husband's attending (boss) last month, Dr. Kenneth Kernen.  My husband is the one who makes the dough, and then we freeze 3-4 balls for the next time.  This recipe is in weight, NOT in volume.  For your convenience, we have converted this to volume measurements in parenthesis, but we HIGHLY recommend weighing the flour.  Dr. Kernen said the reason is that it's much more accurate and consistent, since the ingredients tend to be inconsistent in how tightly they're packed.

Also of note, the bread flour/cake flour combo in here is important to get the consistency right, and King Arthur flour is the way to go.   King Arthur also has a sour dough starter if you don't have one or can't get a hold of one.  We also recommend Saf-instant yeast.

Sour Dough Pizza Crust

100 ml water (1/2 c.)
1 1/2 tsp yeast
15 ml honey (1 tbsp)
1/4 c. sour dough starter
700 ml cold water (about 3 cups)
35 gm salt (2 tbsp)
45 gm extra virgin olive oil (1/4 c.)
1000 gm bread flour (approx 6 3/4 c. scooped and leveled)
250 gm cake flour (approx 1 3/4 c. scooped and leveled)

In a mixing bowl, mix the 100 ml water, yeast, and honey together.  Then add the sour dough starter, cold water, salt, olive oil, and flour to the mixer with the dough hook attachment.  Knead for 10-15 minutes.  The dough will be pretty sticky and wet.  Transfer to an oiled bowl and cover.  Let it sit or proof at least 24 hrs, but longer is better (2-4 days).  It develops the flavor.   This recipe will make 4-5 pizza crusts.

NOTE:  This recipe also makes GREAT fry bread (scones, elephant ears, or whatever you want to call them).  We just made a sandwich from a left over piece of fry bread and it was OH SO GOOD!

King Arthur Flour

Flour.  Exciting topic, huh?  But, I have recently discovered what a difference it makes.  When we lived in Utah, I used to buy Lehi Roller Mills flour.  I thought it was pretty good stuff, and I could buy it for cheap at Costco.  I was a little sad when we moved to Michigan, because I was going to miss the stuff.

Well, I've just been using the cheap Costco brand here, but a few weeks ago, my husband came home with a discovery--King Arthur Flour.  He got a sour dough starter, a few recipes, and a flour recommendation from a fellow foodie at work.  He came home and started baking pizza crust and ciabatta bread.  And, we could tell a difference with the King Arthur Flour  (I feel like I'm in a commercial, but I'm completely serious).

Next, I tried some of our favorite recipes--cinnamon rolls and pretzel bites--with the King Arthur Bread Flour.  They turned out better than they ever have before.  I'm really blown away by the difference.  So, now, I pay almost $1 a pound for our bread flour (which I figure really only costs me a couple extra dollars a month), and see it as money well spent!  Check out their web site.  It's really informative and has lots of great recipes and products.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pita

The hubby had requested Pepper Steak Sandwiches for dinner, and I scheduled them for tonight, but, he decided to skip dinner because of the diet, so I will make them another time.  Instead, I made Chicken Bacon Ranch Pitas, similar idea to the Pepper Steak Sandwiches.  Here is the list of ingredients.  The amounts are just guidelines to get you started. 

2 chicken breasts
4 strips of bacon
1/2 c. cheddar cheese
4 pita pockets (the fresher and thicker the better)
Ranch dressing
chopped lettuce
cubed tomatoes
cubed half of an avocado

First, I cooked the bacon.  I cook mine in the oven at 425 degrees in an aluminum foil lined baking sheet for about 15-20 minutes.  Way less mess and fuss.  If you haven't tried it, it's worth your time.  While the bacon was cooking, I cubed and then browned the chicken in a frying pan.  When both were done, I crumbled up the bacon in the frying pan and added the cheddar cheese to melt.  I also put my pitas in the now warm and turned off oven to warm for a few minutes.

Then, I use pita like a soft taco shell and load up with my favorite toppings--the meat, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and ranch dressing.  Enjoy!

Taco Tuesday

Tuesday nights are taco nights around here.  We try to mix it up by having a different kind every week.  This week we had hard tacos with ground beef.  Not much of a recipe to share with this one, but I saw an idea on pintrest, and thought I'd try it.  I broiled my shells in the oven after a put in just the meat and cheese.  Then I added the fresh ingredients.  Two thumbs up from the taco lovers in our family.  Here's a picture:

Pepperoni Mac N Cheese

We recently made a tasty discovery with our mac n cheese.  Instead of topping with bread crumbs, we started topping with pepperoni, a little pizza sauce, and mozzarella cheese.  Yummy!

4 tbsp butter

2 ½ c.  milk

¼ c. flour

1 tsp salt

⅛ tsp nutmeg

⅛ tsp ground black pepper

Dash of cayenne pepper

2 ½ c. mild cheddar cheese

½ - 1 c. pecorino Romano cheese

½ lb pasta shells

½ head of cauliflower, cut into florets

15-20 pepperoni pieces

1c. pizza sauce

1/2 c. grated mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 375° F.  Butter a 9x13 pan.  Using a flatter pan with increased surface area increases the pepperoni to mac n cheese yummy factor.  In a large pot, bring water to a boil, adding a dash of salt and a small amount of oil.  When boiling add pasta.  Cook until just underdone.  At the same time, in a separate pot, bring water to a boil and add the cauliflower.  Cook until tender. 

In the mean time, heat milk in microwave for 2 minutes.   Melt butter in a medium sauce pan and add flour.  Cook, stirring for 1 minute.   Slowly pour milk into the flour mixture while whisking.  Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until mixture thickened and bubbling.

Stir in salt, nutmeg, pepper, and cayenne pepper.  Slowly add the cheeses until melted.  Drain pasta and add to cheese sauce.  Drain the cauliflower and blend in the blender or food processor to a slightly chunky texture. 

Add to the cheese sauce.  Fold the cauliflower and pasta into the cheese sauce.  Pour the mixture into the baking dish. 

Drizzle pizza sauce on top, and then top with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. 

 Bake about 30 minutes.

Tip:  You can double the recipe and freeze half for a future freezer meal.