Mac n' Cheese

Well made mac n' cheese is probably one of my favorite things in the world.  I've never been a big fan of the boxed variety.....they don't taste good.  I know many college kids practically live on Kraft mac n' cheese, and it's a favorite of children all over......I don't get it. It's orange, it tastes funny.  Real, homemade mac n' cheese is the way to go....and it really doesn't take that much effort.  This recipe was built off of several other recipes and honed (I believe) to perfection.  Yummmm.

Mac n' Cheese

Ingredients:
8 oz. gluten-free elbow macaroni
1/4 cup of butter
3 Tbsp. rice flour
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
salt/pepper
2 cups milk
3 cups shredded cheese (I recommend 2 cups cheddar and one cup colby or jack)
3/4 cup crushed Cheez-It crackers (Cheez-Its are not GF....omit or substitute with a GF cheese cracker)

Directions:
Cook macaroni according to package, drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in flour, mustard, pepper and salt. Stir until smooth and bubbly. Slowly whisk in milk. Stir continuously and cook until boiling. Simmer for a minute. Stir in cheese, one cup at a time until melted.

Stir pasta in to cheese mixture. Pour into greased casserole dish.  Crumble crushed Cheez-Its on top.  Bake for about 30 minutes.

Lemon Chicken with Olives

Hmmm, the last recipe I posted also had lemons...maybe I have scurvy.  Or, now that it is summer I love using fresh, crisp flavors like lemons and limes.  This recipe comes from Real Simple and is delicious, I made it with cheese risotto and it was so yummy.  Olives are one of my most favorite foods....anyone that knows me, knows I love salt....LOVE it.  You'd think this meal would be really strong, with olives and lemon, but the flavors work really well together and are not at all overpowering.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. rice flour
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. lemon zest
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
s/p
1 1/2 pounds chicken (boneless skinless)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 shallots, sliced thin (I used a 1/4 of a white onion)
1 cup pitted green olives
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine (like Sauvignon Blanc)

Directions:
Mix the flour, cumin, zest, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper on a flat plate. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and dredge in the flour mixture.

Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until golden brown and transfer to a plate.

Wipe out the skillet and return to medium heat. Heat the remaining oil. Add the shallots (or onion) and cook until soft, stir in the olives, parsley, lemon juice and wine and bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it in the olives and shallots. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until the chicken is cooked through.

Greek Lemon Chicken

Luke and I were lucky enough to travel to Greece for our honeymoon - it's the most beautiful place on earth, with the best food I've ever had. I love fresh Greek salads, lemons, herbs, vinegar - all of it.  My sister made this recipe a while back and posted pictures of it - it looked so good I had to try it. The recipe is from Pampered Chef and is fairly simple.  

 Greek Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

2 tsp. lemon zest

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 Tbsp. olive oil

4 large cloves of garlic, pressed

2-3 tsp. dried oregano leaves

3/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

2 medium baking potatoes

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces

1 medium red onion, cut into wedges

8 oz. fresh whole mushrooms

4 split chicken breast halves (I used boneless, could use bone-in)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a 1 qt. bowl, combine lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil. Press garlic into lemon mixture. Add oregano, salt, black pepper and set aside. Cut each potato lengthwise into 8 wedges; place in a 9 x 13 baker. Add bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, half of the lemon juice mix, toss to coat. Place chicken on top of vegetables; brush with the remaining lemon juice mixture. Bake 1 hour or until chicken is cooked through, basting chicken and vegetables with pan juices after 30 minutes.

Chicken & Broccoli Ring

This is one of Luke's favorites, it is so good. The flaky crescent crust and the warm, cheesy filling. This is really good reheated as well.


The recipe comes from Pampered Chef: All The Best
Chicken & Broccoli Ring

Use 2 (8 oz.) packages of refrigerated crescent rolls for the ring.


Filling:

2 cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken (or one large can of chicken)
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped broccoli
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup mayo
2 tsp. dill mix (I used Hidden Valley Ranch Dip mix)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 clove of garlic, pressed
1 egg white, beaten
1/2 cup of slivered almonds


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all the filling ingredients together. Arrange crescent rolls into the desired shape, spoon filling onto the dough and roll up edges. Brush dough with egg white. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake 25-30 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Hamburger Stroganoff

I loved this meal growing up, and now frequently make it. This is my mom's recipe, it's so creamy and rich....and heavy! One helping of this and you'll be full and happy.

 Beef Stroganoff

1 pound ground beef
1 small can of sliced mushrooms, drained
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 package wide egg noodles
s/p

Prepare egg noodles according to package instructions. Brown beef, drain.  Add the can of soup and 1/2 can of water, mix. Stir in the can of mushrooms. Heat thru. Stir in sour cream, heat for an additional minute or two and serve on top of noodles.

The best treat in the world: S'mores cookie bars

I have recently become obsessed with Hershey's marshmallow eggs.....thankfully Easter candy is now gone from stores....because I need to stop eating these things.  However, while looking for marshmallow-based desserts online, I found this amazing website: http://www.lovintheoven.com/

The recipes all sound amazing, I found one for "S'mores Cookie Bars" and knew I would love them.  Here is a photo of the delightful treat:

I made them on Saturday, hoping that people would come for book club and eat them all.....knowing if they did not - I would.  The recipe is pretty easy and TOTALLY worth it:)

S'mores Cookie Bars:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 and 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (I actually used 1/2 bag of chocolate chips)
1 and 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and 8-inch square baking pan. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and press into an even layer on bottom of prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough (if using chocolate chips, spread the marshmallow fluff down first) and spread marshmallow fluff on top. Place remaining dough in single layer on top of the fluff (this last step is tricky, flatten dough into little sections and then place on top and pinch together.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

I recommend putting a bar in the microwave for 20 seconds before eating as the chocolate and marshmallow will get all gooey and delightful!

Here is a link directly to this recipe: http://www.lovintheoven.com/2008/12/day-11-smores-cookie-bars.html

Another Jennie meal: Beans & Rice

I love black beans and rice...I've never tried making "homemade" beans & rice...although Lulu has, and she said they were awful.  Viggo brand makes an AWESOME pre-packaged one. They are especially good with a little salt, a little lime and some fried eggs.  So delicious.  Also, Corona.  Here are some pics of this "classy" meal.  Jen, are you hungry yet?

Almond Tea Bread

This is another one of my favorite sweet treats, it's delightful bread with a sugary glaze.  I make mini loaves of this at Christmas time to pass out to people, it's really good with a cup of Russian tea.

Almond Tea Bread
2 and 1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 and 1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 and 1/2 cup milk
3 cups flour
1 and 1/2 tsp. salt
1 and 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 and 1/2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1 and 1/2 tsp. almond flavoring
1 and 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 and 1/2 tsp. butter flavoring

Cream together sugar, eggs and oil.  In another bowl, mix together flour, salt and baking powder.  Add the dry ingredients and the milk alternately to the egg/sugar/oil mixture.  Once all are combined, add the poppy seeds and flavorings.  Beat together.  Grease and flour loaf pans (2 standard size pans or 5-6 mini-loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes for standard pans, about 25-35 for smaller loaves. While bread is still hot, glaze with the below mixture.

Glaze:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. butter flavoring
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tps. almond flavoring
 1/4 cup orange juice

 

Noodle Kugel

I tried out this recipe a few weeks ago at my mom's house. It was really good, and completely unique tasting.  The orange zest, cinnamon and sugar combined with cottage cheese, sour cream and noodles made for a delightful flavor.  The original recipe came from a magazine...but I've tweaked it a little.

Noodle Kugel
1/2 stick butter
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. plus 1/4 tsp. sugar
salt/pepper
12 oz package wide egg noodles
3 large eggs
2 cups small curd cottage cheese
2 cups sour cream
1 cup milk
pinch of cinnamon
2 tsp. grated orange zest
2 to 3 cups cornflakes, crushed

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spary. Melt the 1/2 stick of butter in a skillet, add onion and 1/4 tsp sugar. Saute until soft. Transfer to a big bowl. Boil noodles, drain, mix with onions in a large bowl.  Add salt and pepper and mix. Pulse eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, milk, cinnamon, orange zest, sugar and salt in a food processor until smooth.  Add to the noodle/onion mix, stir. Transfer to casserole dish.  Top with crushed cornflakes. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Veggie pizza

I love this in the summer. As the weather gets warmer and fresh fruit and veggies become more readily available I love to make this pizza.  Luke loves this one as well, as it includes a flaky crescent crust and I love it because it involves cream cheese.

Recipe:
2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls (you could substitute GF pie crust or GF pizza crust depending on which consistency you'd prefer)
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup Hidden Valley Ranch Dip mix (for GF you could substitute garlic powder/salt and additional seasonings to desired flavor)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Assorted chopped raw veggies (broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, green onion, green pepper, carrot, black olives, etc)

Spread out crescent rolls on cookie sheet and pat together to form a crust, bake just until golden brown.  Cool completely.  Mix cream cheese and dip mix well, spread on cooled crust, top with chopped veggies.  Sprinkle shredded cheese on top, keep chilled.

Enchiladas

I've made this recipe with both ground beef and chicken and it's delicious either way.  You can buy red or green enchilada sauce at the grocery store making this a super easy recipe. I've never tried making homemade sauce, but have been told it's also quite simple.  I usually serve this with Spanish rice or chips and salsa.

Here is my basic recipe:

Enchiladas
1 lb. ground beef
1 can (16 oz.) enchilada sauce - be sure to check if it's hot or mild (La Victoria brand red enchilada sauce is gluten-free: http://www.lavictoria.com/products/enchilada-sauce/)
2-3 cups shredded cheese - any blend you like
1 small can diced green chilies - drained
12 large gluten-free tortilla shells



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown beef, season with salt and pepper, drain. Pour 2/3 the enchilada sauce over the meat and add half the cheese.  When cheese is melted, stir in the chilies.  Lay out the tortillas. Place 3-4 tablespoons of mixture in the middle, roll up the tortilla, lay in a lightly greased 9x11 pan, seam side down. When all tortillas are in pan, pour remaining sauce on top and sprinkle the leftover cheese. Bake 20-30 minutes until all cheese is melted and tortillas start to crisp up.