Cheesy quinoa mac n cheese bake

Ingredients

Here is a little bit healthier version of mac n cheese. My kids love mac n cheese. They would eat it every day if I let them. While they didn't love this they did eat it. So that is a plus. My husband enjoyed it a lot. I think it needs to be a little creamier/cheesier. I would make it again but add less quinoa or make more of the cheese mixture.  You could easily play around with this recipe and add whatever you would like.  I might add some hot pepper seasoning or a little hot sauce next time. 

     Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
• good pinch of salt
• a few grinds of seasoning salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup soy milk or non-fat milk
• 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, more for sprinkling
• Optional- Crushed Red Pepper, Panko Bread crumbs for topping

1. Cook quinoa to packaged instructions until fully cooked. (About 15 minutes)
2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 13x9 inch dish( or 8 individual ramekins) with cooking spray.Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese.
3. Cook for 30-35 minutes

http://aroundthetableri.blogspot.com/2012/02/cheesy-quinoa-mac-cheese.html 

Strawberry Lemonade

My husband loves strawberry lemonade (esp from the cheesecake factory).  For Father's Day I wanted to make some to go along with his dinner.  He enjoyed it and later froze it for a slushy.

(recipe from Emeril Lagasse)

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
• 2 cups cold sparkling water or club soda
• Ice
• Mint sprigs, garnish
• Whole strawberries, garnish

Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon peel and lemon juice, stir, and remove from the heat. Let cool completely, then strain into a clean pitcher.

In a blender, puree the pint of strawberries and add to the pitcher with the lemon juice. Stir well to combine and refrigerate until well chilled.

Add the sparkling water and stir well. Pour over glasses filled with ice and serve, garnished with mint and strawberries.

Pasta Carbonara

I haven't posted in a long time.  I haven't been making anything exciting.  I need to start trying more recipes again.

We had family staying with us for a week and I needed something that would please everyone.  So I decided pasta (my kids love noodles).  I went on Giada's (from the food network) site.  My husband loves her, most likely b/c her show is full of her cleavage.  But her recipes have always been good.

I didn't have pancetta so we used thick bacon.  I also added some peas b/c that is how I always have seen it at restaurants here.  Everyone enjoyed the meal.  I served it with salad and the Pioneer Woman's cheesy garlic bread. 

Ingredients

• 1 pound pancetta, diced into 1-inch cubes
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 pound dried penne
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Heat a large saute pan, until hot. Add pancetta and saute until golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Season with black pepper and remove pan from heat.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and cream. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in Parmesan, reserving 2 tablespoons for garnish.

In a large pot, boil 6 quarts of salted boiling water. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander. Do not rinse with water; you want to retain the pasta's natural starches so that the sauce will stick. While the pasta is still hot, return it back to the pot. Add the browned pancetta and mix well. Add the cream mixture and coat the pasta completely. It's important to work quickly while the pasta is still warm so that the cream mixture will cook, but not curdle. Add remaining Parmesan and chopped parsley.

Empanadas

I haven't posted much lately b/c frankly a lot of the new recipes I recently made have not been winners. It is so depressing when you try something new and no one really likes it. Especially with the cost of groceries right now I can't afford too many duds.

Everyone in the family ate these (baby too). I think that these would freeze well so next time I will double the recipe and freeze some for later.

I made these empanadas with some left over ground beef. I mixed in some chili powder, cumin, and and onion powder. Then some cheddar cheese. It would be good with a little more spice next time.

Here is the basic recipe:

For the dough:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup masa harina
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup water (plus or minus 1 tbsp)

Mix together dry ingredients. Using a fork, mix in the butter and distributed within the flour. Slowly add water, carefully mixing with the fork until it begins to pull together. Form into a ball and wrap with saran. Pop in the fridge and hold for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into approx. 1 ounce balls (think ping pong ball size). Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a circle. Spoon filling into the middle. Seal the empanadas closed.

Once your empanadas are made, cover and pop in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Per the blog I got the recipe from you can either fry or bake them. She recommended frying them so that is what I did. For about 5 minutes.

Serve with salsa, sour cream and gaucamole.

Gnudi

I saw an episode of "The Chew" on Valentine's day. Michael Symon made this recipe and it sounded good and didn't seem like it would be too hard to make. We enjoyed it. It would be a good side dish to impress company with.

http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/gnudi-michael-symon

ingredients

1 1/2 cup Ricotta
1 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan
2 Egg
1 Yolk
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg plus extra for garnish
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/2 cup Flour
5 1/2-6 cup Semolina Flour
4 tablespoon Unsalted Butter (Cubed)
15 Small Sage Leaves
1/4 cup Pasta Water


In a mixing bowl, whisk together the first 7 ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour. You may need to add another teaspoon of flour here. The batter should be sticky, not wet and loose. You want this mixture to be able to hold its shape.

Spread about 3 cups of the semolina into a baking dish with sides. With wet hands, form the ricotta mixture into little balls, using about a tablespoon each. Drop them into the semolina. When all of the balls have been formed, cover them with the remaining 1 ½ cups of semolina. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Carefully unearth the gnudi and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. The flour that remains can be sifted back into a container to use in the future.

Put a pot of salted water on to boil to cook the gnudi. When the water is boiling, drop the gnudi in. They will cook for a few minutes, and then float to the top when they are ready. Keep in mind that you are just trying to cook the thin pasta exterior. The inside should be molten and creamy.

While the gnudi is cooking, in a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Watch it carefully, and when the butter solids begin to brown and the butter is foamy, add the sage leaves. This only takes about 1 ½ minutes. Just a few moments longer on the heat and the butter should turn a nutty brown color. By this time, the gnudi should be floating. Turn the heat off on your butter, and using a slotted spoon; carefully remove the gnudi to the pan of brown butter and sage. It will spatter slightly so be careful. Add the pasta water and gently stir to coat. Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with some freshly grated nutmeg over the top. Serve immediately!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I have been wanting Chinese food lately. But it is expensive and most places here aren't that good. We had PF Chang recently but with 2 kids it wasn't an enjoyable dinner. I haven't found good take out yet. So this is what we had for dinner one night when I wanted Chinese. We enjoyed it and will make it again.
INGREDIENTS:
Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

DIRECTIONS:
For the chicken, cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients together and pour over chicken.

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes so it is evenly coated with the sauce. Serve over rice.
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2008/07/sweet-and-sour-chicken-updated.html

Crockpot Chili

Chili is a great comfort food. I like making it in the crockpot. I found this recipe years and years ago. I haven't made a different one since.

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
2 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans
3 (14.5 ounce) cans Mexican-style
stewed tomatoes
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup red wine
Directions:
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until evenly browned. Drain off grease, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. In a slow cooker, combine the cooked beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, celery, red bell pepper, and red wine vinegar. Season with chili powder, cumin, parsley, basil and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to distribute ingredients evenly.
3. Cook on High for 6 hours, or on Low for 8 hours. Pour in the wine during the last 2 hours.


Sometime I blend up some of the veggies in the blender so I can have a soup like mixture in my chili. Yummy!


recipe from: Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
3 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans
3 (14.5 ounce) cans Mexican-style
stewed tomatoes
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup red wine
Directions:
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until evenly browned. Drain off grease, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. In a slow cooker, combine the cooked beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, celery, red bell pepper, and red wine vinegar. Season with chili powder, cumin, parsley, basil and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to distribute ingredients evenly.
3. Cook on High for 6 hours, or on Low for 8 hours. Pour in the wine during the last 2 hours.