Today I was a lucky girl, yet again. I got another addition to the Le Creuset collection....a GORGEOUS red rectangular baking dish!!! Of course, I had to break her in! :) I introduce you to the lucky 1st recipe!
The Mac
1 box of medium shells or elbow macaroni
8 slices of deli bacon (not the packaged crap)
1 3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp fat free butter squeeze (you can definitely sub real butter)
2 tbsp flour
1 pkg (8oz) 2% sharp cheddar (you can sub extra sharp cheddar)
3 ounces of fresh grated Gruyere
2 ounces of stinky blue cheese
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
dash nutmeg
fresh ground salt
olive oil
fresh ground red pepper flakes
The crust
1 small white bread roll - preferably an herb infused one
4 large fresh basil leaves - torn into 4
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Drizzle olive oil into a le Creuset (tee hee) of boiling salted water. Add the pasta of choice and cook as directed on the packaging.
Prepare the bacon as desired. I like to throw them onto a slow cooked skillet so they cook evenly and char just right. Remove from cooking source and squeeze oil out.
For the crust..you can do this a few ways:
1. place bread into a food processor and chop till teensy. Add basil and chop until basil is finely chopped.
2. chop bread with a knife. Chop basil finely. Place in a zip lock and shake.
Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small sauce pan, but do NOT boil. Place the "butter" into another sauce pan and let heat. Add flour and let heat for a few minutes. Add in milk, stirring vigorously. Turn heat to off and add in all cheeses. Fold together to avoid clumping and splashing. Add the nutmeg, fresh ground red pepper flakes (as desired) and pepper. Add in bacon and ensure ms. piggy is coated well. Slowly add in macaroni and stir gently until evenly coated. Pour entire mixture into an oven safe baking dish. Top evenly with the fabulous crust mix. Feel free to add a few more turns of fresh cracked pepper on top.
Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until bubbly and yummy! Enjoy!!! :) :)
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Mini Peanut Butter Smore Bites
1 1/2 sticks of butter
2 cups of reduced fat crunchy peanut butter (if you find fat free, great! but it HAS to be crunchy)
1 tsp pure vanilla
5 cups powdered sugar
dash of cinnamon
24 ounces of milk chocolate chips
2 cups of crushed graham crackers (plain)
1 cup finely chopped coconut flakes
1 tbsp cane sugar
1 cup marshmallow puff creme
In a kitchenaid mixer, combine butter, peanut butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, and cinnamon. Mix on speed #2, folding the edges in with a spatula until smooth. Form peanut butter dough into teensy balls with your hand, rolling slowly. Once packed tightly, press between hands to form a quarter sized cookie. Be very, very careful when rolling and pressing, as the dough can tend to be a bit brittle. Place onto a parchment paper lined cookie tray. Refrigerate for 45 minutes to set the dough.
With about 5 minutes left for the cookie dough to set, place a large glass bowl over a sauce pan filled with water. Place chocolate chips into bowl and set heat to medium to bring water to a slight boil. In the meantime, combine crushed graham crackers, coconut flakes, and cane sugar in a large zip lock bag - shake, shake shake! Pour mixture into a large, shallow baking dish. Dip peanut butter cookies into chocolate and remove quickly to avoid melting/breaking. Immediately roll in graham cracker mix and place onto a wire rack. (I have always used chopsticks to remove the cookies from the chocolate and non stick tongs to remove the covered cookies from the graham cracker mix.) Place the dressed cookies into the refrigerator again for another 45 minutes, or until chocolate has fully hardened.
Place marshmallow puff creme into a pastry bag (or zip lock bag with the tip cut off). Place about 3/4 of a tsp of the creme between 2 cookies. Once all cookies are assembled, place into refrigerator for another hour to set...and whalla! Amazing cookies that I like to think are fat free :) :)
Suggestions:-add various other additions to the graham cracker mix to replace the coconut. I have tried rice crispies, almonds, berries, cinnamon, and colorful sprinkles!
2 cups of reduced fat crunchy peanut butter (if you find fat free, great! but it HAS to be crunchy)
1 tsp pure vanilla
5 cups powdered sugar
dash of cinnamon
24 ounces of milk chocolate chips
2 cups of crushed graham crackers (plain)
1 cup finely chopped coconut flakes
1 tbsp cane sugar
1 cup marshmallow puff creme
In a kitchenaid mixer, combine butter, peanut butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, and cinnamon. Mix on speed #2, folding the edges in with a spatula until smooth. Form peanut butter dough into teensy balls with your hand, rolling slowly. Once packed tightly, press between hands to form a quarter sized cookie. Be very, very careful when rolling and pressing, as the dough can tend to be a bit brittle. Place onto a parchment paper lined cookie tray. Refrigerate for 45 minutes to set the dough.
With about 5 minutes left for the cookie dough to set, place a large glass bowl over a sauce pan filled with water. Place chocolate chips into bowl and set heat to medium to bring water to a slight boil. In the meantime, combine crushed graham crackers, coconut flakes, and cane sugar in a large zip lock bag - shake, shake shake! Pour mixture into a large, shallow baking dish. Dip peanut butter cookies into chocolate and remove quickly to avoid melting/breaking. Immediately roll in graham cracker mix and place onto a wire rack. (I have always used chopsticks to remove the cookies from the chocolate and non stick tongs to remove the covered cookies from the graham cracker mix.) Place the dressed cookies into the refrigerator again for another 45 minutes, or until chocolate has fully hardened.
Place marshmallow puff creme into a pastry bag (or zip lock bag with the tip cut off). Place about 3/4 of a tsp of the creme between 2 cookies. Once all cookies are assembled, place into refrigerator for another hour to set...and whalla! Amazing cookies that I like to think are fat free :) :)
Suggestions:-add various other additions to the graham cracker mix to replace the coconut. I have tried rice crispies, almonds, berries, cinnamon, and colorful sprinkles!
Friday, July 16, 2010
The Healthy Italian Night
So..tonight Alan and I were going to head to Spazzo for dinner, but realized that Mexico is in 3 weeks! Alfredo sauce was a big "no way, jose!!" Here is what I made instead...
Button Mushroom and Asparagus Salad
5 or 6 super dooper large button mushrooms, sliced thin
4 spears of asparagus, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley (chopped very small)
Combine all ingredients. Add dressing (recipe below) and toss gently until all veggies are completely coated. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in fridge until ready to serve.
Dressing
1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice (NO BOTTLED STUFF!!)
Dash of fresh ground pepper
Dash of fresh ground sea salt
Super Easy Linguine
1 pound linguine, cooked according to directions
6 big sprays of Pam olive oil spray
1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 giant shallot, chopped fine
2 tbsp sweet onions, chopped fine
10 baby carrots, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tsp fresh chopped parsley (chopped very fine)
5 - 10 tbsp of tomato paste
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp freshly ground sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of freshly grated Romano cheese
Cook the linguine according to directions, reserving 2 cups of the pasta cooking water..it will look cloudy and icky, but that is exactly what you wanna see! Heat the Pam spray and olive oil in a large pan or Le Crueset on medium heat (for those using a cook top like I am, heat to 2.5 max). Add the shallots, carrots, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Saute until tender - approx 12 minutes. Add 5 tbsp of tomato paste along with 1 cup of the pasta water. Whisk to combine smoothly. Add oregano, thyme and fresh parsley. Let the ingredients cook for approximately 3 minutes, or until parsley is wilted. Stir in frozen peas and corn. Let cook for another 3 minutes, or until the peas don't have the funky frosty look. Fold in linguine, adding more tomato paste and pasta water to fully coat the pasta. Transfer to a serving dish. Combine the cheeses and lace the pasta with cheese.
Pop a bottle of phenomenal wine (tonight's choice was a Zerba Syrah)..place the pasta dish into the center of the table..right next to the bowl filled with yummy mushroom/asparagus goodness..the dive in!
Button Mushroom and Asparagus Salad
5 or 6 super dooper large button mushrooms, sliced thin
4 spears of asparagus, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley (chopped very small)
Combine all ingredients. Add dressing (recipe below) and toss gently until all veggies are completely coated. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in fridge until ready to serve.
Dressing
1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice (NO BOTTLED STUFF!!)
Dash of fresh ground pepper
Dash of fresh ground sea salt
Super Easy Linguine
1 pound linguine, cooked according to directions
6 big sprays of Pam olive oil spray
1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 giant shallot, chopped fine
2 tbsp sweet onions, chopped fine
10 baby carrots, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tsp fresh chopped parsley (chopped very fine)
5 - 10 tbsp of tomato paste
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp freshly ground sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of freshly grated Romano cheese
Cook the linguine according to directions, reserving 2 cups of the pasta cooking water..it will look cloudy and icky, but that is exactly what you wanna see! Heat the Pam spray and olive oil in a large pan or Le Crueset on medium heat (for those using a cook top like I am, heat to 2.5 max). Add the shallots, carrots, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Saute until tender - approx 12 minutes. Add 5 tbsp of tomato paste along with 1 cup of the pasta water. Whisk to combine smoothly. Add oregano, thyme and fresh parsley. Let the ingredients cook for approximately 3 minutes, or until parsley is wilted. Stir in frozen peas and corn. Let cook for another 3 minutes, or until the peas don't have the funky frosty look. Fold in linguine, adding more tomato paste and pasta water to fully coat the pasta. Transfer to a serving dish. Combine the cheeses and lace the pasta with cheese.
Pop a bottle of phenomenal wine (tonight's choice was a Zerba Syrah)..place the pasta dish into the center of the table..right next to the bowl filled with yummy mushroom/asparagus goodness..the dive in!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Teriyaki Marinade
1 1/4 Cups of water
1/4 Cup of low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp of wheat flour
4 Tbsp of brown sugar
1-2 minced garlic cloves, depending on your garlic tolerance
Dash of ground ginger powder
Dash of garlic powder
Bring 1 cup of water, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, and both powders to a boil in a sauce pan, stirring with a whisk.
Whisk together the wheat flour and 1/4 cup of water until it is chunk-less. It's okay to use the same whisk that you used in sauce pan..I do :)
Add flour/water mixture to the sauce pan. Whisk until smooth. For a thicker sauce, add more flour, 1/2 Tbsp at a time. For a thinner sauce, add soy sauce and water (equal parts).
1/4 Cup of low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp of wheat flour
4 Tbsp of brown sugar
1-2 minced garlic cloves, depending on your garlic tolerance
Dash of ground ginger powder
Dash of garlic powder
Bring 1 cup of water, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, and both powders to a boil in a sauce pan, stirring with a whisk.
Whisk together the wheat flour and 1/4 cup of water until it is chunk-less. It's okay to use the same whisk that you used in sauce pan..I do :)
Add flour/water mixture to the sauce pan. Whisk until smooth. For a thicker sauce, add more flour, 1/2 Tbsp at a time. For a thinner sauce, add soy sauce and water (equal parts).
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Tandoori Dry Rub
2 Tbsp Onion Powder
2 Tbsp Ground Ginger
2 Tbsp Ground Coriander
2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 1/4 Tbsp Ground Cayenne Pepper
1 1/4 Tbsp Ground Cumin
1 Tbsp Ground Turmeric
1 Tbsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
Combine all of the ingredients in an air tight Tupperware. Shake, shake, shake!
Suggestions
-Rub generously over butterflied chicken breast. Grill (do not pan fry or bake). The rub will keep the moisture in the chicken, so don't freak out when you cut it and see yummy juicyness! Serve over a freshly grilled whole wheat pita topped with fresh cucumbers and hummus or tzaziki sauce.
-Rub generously over pork chops. Place into a zip lock bag and lace with a bit of olive oil..just enough to moisten. Let marinate for a minimum of 2 hours. Place onto baking sheet and bake in a pre-heated oven at 325 degrees for 10 minutes. Turn. Bake again for another 10 minutes, or until fully cooked.
2 Tbsp Ground Ginger
2 Tbsp Ground Coriander
2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 1/4 Tbsp Ground Cayenne Pepper
1 1/4 Tbsp Ground Cumin
1 Tbsp Ground Turmeric
1 Tbsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
Combine all of the ingredients in an air tight Tupperware. Shake, shake, shake!
Suggestions
-Rub generously over butterflied chicken breast. Grill (do not pan fry or bake). The rub will keep the moisture in the chicken, so don't freak out when you cut it and see yummy juicyness! Serve over a freshly grilled whole wheat pita topped with fresh cucumbers and hummus or tzaziki sauce.
-Rub generously over pork chops. Place into a zip lock bag and lace with a bit of olive oil..just enough to moisten. Let marinate for a minimum of 2 hours. Place onto baking sheet and bake in a pre-heated oven at 325 degrees for 10 minutes. Turn. Bake again for another 10 minutes, or until fully cooked.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Baked Meatballs
2 Pounds of 90/10 ground beef (Alan likes to use 85/15, which works well too)
1/3 Cup of rough chopped fresh parsley from the herb garden..if you don't have an herb garden, I suggest you start one then revisit this :)
2 Tbsp of soy sauce
1/2 Tsp of garlic powder
1/4 Tsp fresh ground pepper
2 Tbsp minced sweet onion
1 Cup of bread crumbs
1/3 Cup of ketchup
1 Tsp crushed red peppers
2 egg whites (or egg beater equivalent)
Dash of salt
Preheat oven to 350 and spray a banking sheet with a thin layer of Olive Oil Pam. Throw all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and combine thoroughly by hand. Form into cocktail size balls and place onto your prepped baking sheet. Pop into oven for 40-45 minutes until the tops of your balls are nicely browned. Do not open oven to check..that's what that lil oven light is for!!
Suggestions
-Bake the balls for slightly less time, 30 minutes. Remove from oven and gently remove from baking sheet and place into simmering marinara sauce
-Bake the balls for slightly less time, 30 minutes. Remove from oven and gently remove from banking sheet. Place into a slow cooker on low and cover with bbq sauce. You can sub the bbq sauce for teriyaki sauce and add some fresh pineapple chunks too!
1/3 Cup of rough chopped fresh parsley from the herb garden..if you don't have an herb garden, I suggest you start one then revisit this :)
2 Tbsp of soy sauce
1/2 Tsp of garlic powder
1/4 Tsp fresh ground pepper
2 Tbsp minced sweet onion
1 Cup of bread crumbs
1/3 Cup of ketchup
1 Tsp crushed red peppers
2 egg whites (or egg beater equivalent)
Dash of salt
Preheat oven to 350 and spray a banking sheet with a thin layer of Olive Oil Pam. Throw all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and combine thoroughly by hand. Form into cocktail size balls and place onto your prepped baking sheet. Pop into oven for 40-45 minutes until the tops of your balls are nicely browned. Do not open oven to check..that's what that lil oven light is for!!
Suggestions
-Bake the balls for slightly less time, 30 minutes. Remove from oven and gently remove from baking sheet and place into simmering marinara sauce
-Bake the balls for slightly less time, 30 minutes. Remove from oven and gently remove from banking sheet. Place into a slow cooker on low and cover with bbq sauce. You can sub the bbq sauce for teriyaki sauce and add some fresh pineapple chunks too!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Homemade Fajita Seasoning
1 tbsp Chili Powder
2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp Table Salt
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Peppers (ground into smaller bits) or Cayenne for those of you who are bold :)
A dash of dried parsley
Combine all with a whisk. Store up to a month in an air tight container.
Suggestions:
-Rub over thinly sliced chicken breast and slowly cook over low-medium heat in a stainless steel pan with a teensy bit of olive oil.
-Toss sliced bell peppers, sweet onions, and mushrooms into a tbsp or so of seasoning. Place into a slightly deep searing pan with a bit of olive oil. When veggies are slightly cooked, add a tbsp of water (have lid to pot ready in other hand) and cover with lid for approximately 2 minutes so that the veggies can continue to tenderize with the steam from the water.
2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp Table Salt
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Peppers (ground into smaller bits) or Cayenne for those of you who are bold :)
A dash of dried parsley
Combine all with a whisk. Store up to a month in an air tight container.
Suggestions:
-Rub over thinly sliced chicken breast and slowly cook over low-medium heat in a stainless steel pan with a teensy bit of olive oil.
-Toss sliced bell peppers, sweet onions, and mushrooms into a tbsp or so of seasoning. Place into a slightly deep searing pan with a bit of olive oil. When veggies are slightly cooked, add a tbsp of water (have lid to pot ready in other hand) and cover with lid for approximately 2 minutes so that the veggies can continue to tenderize with the steam from the water.
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