Truffled Mac and Cheese Share this image Share It Pin It You'd think that after all of the rich food I ate over Thanksgiving that I'd be subsisting on carrots and celery through December. Share this image Share this image Share this image Mac and Cheese Recipe | Reluctant Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese And, no, I don’t mean the kind in the blue box. Or any kind that starts with powdered cheese or a squeeze packet of cheese. Today, if you think that macaroni and cheese is just a kid’s dish, or just comfort food for those cold days of winter time, it might be better to think of it as pasta in a classic French sauce instead of plain old mac and cheese. Mornay Sauce Mornay sauce is a French sauce based on béchamel sauce, one of the 5 classic mother sauces with cheese stirred into it. This may all sound way too fancy and over the top, but it really isn’t difficult to prepare and the results are far better than what comes out of the box. Mix the Mornay sauce with any pasta shape you like, and voila: stove top macaroni and cheese! Healthier Mac & Cheese Making macaroni and cheese yourself allows you to control how much fat you put in, in the form of cheese and dairy, and how much salt. Cooking Tip: Don’t worry about reducing the milk too much. Ingredients 2 tablespoons flour
Baked Egg Boat recipe Breakfast is my favorite meal. I like to drink iced coffee and watch the cream climb its way down the chunky ice cubes in a dazy before the caffeine hits. I like to order bacon with whatever I’m eating. I like eating potatoes with ketchup. I like eggs over easy, and fluffy scrambled eggs. I pretty much like everything there is to like about breakfast. Baked Egg BoatsMakes 4 Ingredients: 4 demi sourdough baguettes 5 eggs 1/3 cup heavy cream 4 ounces pancetta, finely chopped and fried until crisp 3 ounces gruyere cheese, grated 2 green onions, thinly slicedsalt and pepper to tasteDirections: 1. 50 Things to Grill in Foil : Recipes and Cooking How to make a foil packet: 1. Lay a large sheet of heavy-duty foil or a double layer of regular foil on a flat surface. (Use nonstick foil where noted.) 2. Put the ingredients in the center of the foil. Bring the short ends of the foil together and fold twice to seal; fold in the sides to seal, leaving room for steam. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Sesame Chicken Sesame Chicken I have whined and complained before about my plight of living without Chinese takeout. Well this is how I cope. Sesame Chicken is my favorite on the all you can eat buffet, well along with the Crab Rangoon. This is a recipe that I adapted from one my sister-in-law gave me. The secret is definitely in the sauce here. Ingredients for chicken: 3 chicken breasts, cut into 1 to 1/2 chunks1/2 cup milk1 egg1 1/2 cups flour1 teaspoon saltVegetable Oil for frying for sauce: 1/2 cup water1 cup chicken broth1/8 cup vinegar1/4 cup cornstarch1 cup sugar2 tablespoons soy sauce2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted Cooking Directions for chicken: Place milk and egg in a shallow bowl and beat together. for sauce: In a medium sauce pan, add water, chicken broth, and vinegar. Enjoy! Miss Microformatting by hRecipe. Tagged as: Chicken, sesame, sesame sauce
san francisco garlic fries | The Red Spoon Well folks, not much going on this week. I’m still 800 million degrees, which I guess is normal if you’re a human incubator. I’ve become a stretchy, elastic waisted pants spokesperson, because ohmygah maternity jeans are the most incredible thing I have ever worn, excepting for the sweat pants I model almost daily. (Seriously, they need to make jeans this comfortable for non-knocked up folks.) Ummm, uhhhhh. Thankfully the flour explosion that played out in my mind was not needed as a few huffs and puffs calmed the fire and eventually put it out. The bad: I am now squeamish around my oven. Glad that is over. One Year Ago: Thyme and Gruyere Crackers San Francisco Garlic Fries Adapted from Bon Appetit, August 2011 Serves 4 So, I really like this version more than the previous baked fry I auditioned. Preheat oven to 450-degrees. Roast the potatoes, turning ever 10 minutes, until browned and tender, about 30 – 40 minutes. Whisk reaming 1/2 tablespoon oil, garlic and parsley in a large bowl.
Coffee-Scented Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Coffee Buttercream OK, I’ll admit… I totally didn’t understand the “scented” cupcake thing until now. You always hear those fancy bakers from posh cupcakeries talk about pistachio-scented this and almond-scented that. And you know what? It used to sound silly to me. But now I totally get it. Want to know the secret? Instant coffee. I bought a box of eight of these little Nescafé Clasico packets, used one to stir up a cup of coffee (J and I don’t have a coffee maker at home—sacrilege, I know!) The results were moist, mouthwatering and quite delicious when paired with a vanilla coffee buttercream frosting that features the same instant coffee powder mixed right in. Now, the frosting’s not coffee-scented, that thing just tastes like a straight up vanilla latté. No joke. Ready to chow down? (Cake adapted from Ina Garten, with an original frosting recipe, makes 24 cakes) Make the cupcakes: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Make the frosting:
Loaded Baked Potato Soup Potatoes have been one of my favorites since I can remember. They were also my first “vegetable”. I also love how versatile potatoes are. I know that it may not be cold where most of you are, unless you are in Colorado I hear it is still snowing! Loaded Baked Potato Soup Recipe type: Soup Serves: 6-8 3 lbs small Yukon gold potatoes⅔ cup all-purpose flour6 cups low-fat milk1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (divided)1 teaspoon salt½ teaspoon black pepper1 cup reduced-fat sour cream1 cup chopped green onions (divided)6 bacon slices (cooked & crumbled)salt (to taste)
Buffalo Chicken Bites One of my favorite guilty pleasures is buffalo wings, especially dipped in blue cheese dressing. There's something about the buffalo chicken and blue cheese combo that really appeals to me and I had a craving for it lately. When I came across a recipe for ham and cheese stuffed pretzel bites, I figured I could substitute it with chicken and blue cheese. That's when I decided to make these Buffalo Chicken Bites... yum! These are such an awesome snack, which could be a meal in itself if you have enough of them. It's not hard since they are addictively delicious! I plan on making these again and experimenting with other fillings such a steak, provolone, sauteed peppers and onions for Philly Cheesesteak Bites... or even pepperoni, italian sausage, mozzarella and mushrooms for Pizza Bites. Buffalo Chicken Bites 2 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise dry yeast 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 cup warm milk ( I used 2%) 2 1/2 cups of flour Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in the middle of the oven.