Homemade Mac N Cheese

I bet some of you don't know how incredibly easy it is to make homemade mac n cheese... from scratch. If you did, I know no one would ever again buy a powdered box mix and call it cheese again. You can even make it look like the fake stuff if you choose. I want everyone to repeat after me, "I solemnly swear to never ever buy or make boxed mac n cheese ever again." See that wasn't so hard. Here is how you do it:

Homemade Mac 'N Cheese

3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2-2/3 cup shredded cheddar
1 tsp turmeric (for color)

Melt butter in a small pot. Add flour and stir until all the butter is absorbed and the flour is moist. Add 1/2 cup of milk, turn burner to medium high and whisk until there are no lumps in the sauce. Add the rest of the milk and the cheese. Bring to a high simmer stirring until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and turmeric if desired. Pour over your favorite pasta. Add cut-up hot dogs and peas (or broccoli) for a complete kid meal.
-Amanda

Spinach, Potato & Egg Casserole

I found this recipe in a grocery store pamphlet and it sounded good. It's been sitting on my desk for weeks waiting to be tried. I almost threw it out a few times, but then I'd stop because I really did want to try it. It was good, but it seemed to be missing something. I think if it had a crust and was more of a quiche instead of a casserole it would have tasted better, but then again it would have had more calories. Oh, and I used Egg Beaters instead of real eggs, so that probably had alot to do with it. It would be a good dish to serve a crowd for a brunch though.

Spinach, Potato and Egg Casserole

1 medium potato
10 oz bag frozen spinach
8-10 button mushrooms
6 eggs (or 1 1/2 cups egg beaters)
2 egg whites
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
3 tbsp flour
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350º.
Chop onion and potato into small dice. Mince garlic. Slice mushrooms. Saute the onion, potato, garlic and mushrooms in a skillet with the tablespoon of olive oil until potato is cooked through (about 15 minutes.)

Defrost and drain spinach.

In a large bowl, whip eggs, egg whites, flour, sour cream and cheeses. Add spinach and sauted vegetables. Pour into a 9x13 inch baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake for 40 minutes. Serves 4 large portions at Weight Watchers 6 pts each, or 8 portions for 3 points each.
-Amanda

Bar-B-Q Chicken, Baked Potato, Roasted Broccoli

This dinner is as easy as you can possibly get. It's a prep in 10 minutes or less cooks in 15 minutes dinner. And yet, it's healthy and filling. There's only 4 ingredients plus cooking spray.

Bar-B-Q Chicken, Baked Potato, Roasted Broccoli
Coat chicken breasts with your favorite bar-b-q sauce. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place chicken on one end of a cookie sheet (I used stone wear from Pampered Chef, but whatever you have will be fine.) Prick potatoes with a fork and microwave for about 4 minutes to par-cook them. Place them on the cookie sheet. Spread fresh broccoli on the other end of the cookie sheet in one layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper or if you have it, a garlic & herb type seasoning. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Do not put food in until your oven is fully pre-heated. Then bake for 15 minutes. If your chicken breasts are cut thin enough, this should be plenty of time.

The potatoes finish baking, the broccoli gets crisp and delicious and the chicken is super juicy and tender. Enjoy!

Weight Watchers:
1 pt per ounce of chicken
1 pt per 2 tbsp of barb-q sauce
2 pts per potato (adding points for cheese, butter and the like)
-Amanda

Salmon with Orange-Rosemary Cream Sauce

Sometimes dinner comes together by an inspiration from what is in the refridgerator. Tonight's dinner was one of those. I had a couple of ingredients I wanted to use up before they turned and I think I came up with a pretty tasty dinner. I used Salmon, but I was originally going to do this with a chicken breast, I'm sure it would taste good too. Oh and my daughter Izzie ate her entire salmon fillet!

Salmon with Orange-Rosemary Cream Sauce

2, 4oz Salmon Fillets
salt & pepper

Sauce:
1/2 cup fat free half and half
zest of one orange
juice of one orange
3-4 fresh rosemary sprigs
salt and pepper
1 small clove garlic mashed

To make sauce: In a small pot, pour the half and half. Add the crushed garlic clove and the zest of the orange. Then squeeze in the orange juice. Season with salt and pepper and place the whole rosemary sprigs in the pot. Simmer on medium-low for about 20 minutes stirring frequently until the half and half reduces down and thickens up.

While sauce is reducing: Season salmon fillets and grill, I used an indoor grill pan and cooked the fillets about 4 minutes per side, but it depends on the thickness of your fillet. They are done when they flake apart easily with a fork. Pull rosemary& garlic clove out of the sauce and strain if desired. Drizzle over fish and serve. Serves 2.

Sides: Grilled asparagus with sauce drizzled over them & roasted potatoes.

Weight Watchers: 9 points for entire plate
-Amanda

Indian Vegetable Bhaji

Last time I went to the grocery store, I bought a Tandoori Seasoning packet for chicken. Sometimes I like pre-packaged seasoning packets (as long as they are all spices and not just preservatives and salt.) It is an excellent way to try a new flavor profile without investing in a bunch of spices that you don't use on a regular basis. For the Tandoori Chicken, I mixed the spice packet with yogurt, lemon juice and minced onion. I marinated the chicken for an hour or so and then broiled in the oven. I think real tandoori chicken is cooked in a special clay pot, but this was yummy. Looking for a side dish and not wanting to rely on the standby rice, I came across this dish on allrecipes.com and realized I had all of the ingredients (sort of)! This vegetable side dish is very delicious and will definately be repeated in the future!

Indian Vegetable Bhaji

4 large potatoes, finely chopped <- I didn't have any potatoes in my house so I used sliced canned potatoes, these are good to keep on hand for when you are in a pinch!
1 cup cauliflower florets <- I had to use frozen, can't wait to try this out with fresh!
1 carrot, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh green peas <- Again with the frozen, but probably will keep this ingredient frozen.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped <- I used half a large onion, which was plenty for me!
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon black mustard seed <- I didn't have black, but I did have yellow, so I used that.
2 whole bay leaves
4 green chile peppers, chopped <- Growing in the garden, so I used super fresh!
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root <- I keep ginger root in the freezer and use a grater to grate off some whenever I need it.
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
cilantro leaves for garnish (optional) <- I did not use any
Directions:

1. Place the potatoes, cauliflower florets, carrot, and peas into a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on High until the vegetables are very hot and starting to soften, about 2 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap, and drain the vegetables in a colander.
2. Place the vegetable oil in a large skillet, and heat over medium heat. Cook and stir the onion until it turns golden, about 10 minutes, and stir in the cumin seed, black mustard seed, and bay leaves. Cook and stir until the seeds begin to sputter, about 30 seconds, and then add the green chiles, garlic, and ginger. Cook and stir until the garlic begins to brown, about 1 minute.
3. Stir in the ground cumin, curry powder, and chili powder, and then add the partially cooked potatoes, cauliflower, carrot, and peas. Cook and stir until the vegetables are tender and coated with spices, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves.

Weight Watchers: I figured it to be about 3 pts per serving, using the canned potatoes.
-Amanda

Short-Rib Beef Stew with Ale

I was browsing through all my favorite recipe websites last week looking for inspiration for creating our weekly menu in preparation for grocery shopping. Cool weather is here, so I'm totally into soup mode. But I wanted something different than my fall back standards. Something hearty to make me feel better about not being able to eat all the wonderfully tempting cream soups I keep reading about. This beef stew really caught my eye. It sounded totally different from my normal taste profile. I made it yesterday and it lived up to the hype. It was delicious. I found the recipe on the cooking blog Simply Recipes, one of my absolute favorites. Elise Bauer, the blog's owner, features good home cooking with just enough of a challenge to make it interesting. She describes her recipes as using "mostly whole food ingredients and only occasionally a few things from cans or prepared foods. We believe in a varied, healthy diet, using real butter, real cream, eggs, lots of green vegetables, and protein from meat, fish, beans, and cheese." Exactly the way I like to cook.

I've reprinted the recipe here in its original form. What did I do differently? Well, I only had one type of Paprika so I went with that. I used fire roasted tomatoes. (yum!) I used a pale ale, because I opened the wrong bottle by mistake and didn't want to waste it. I totally forgot the carrots, and not on purpose because I love them.

I cut the recipe in half but I used the whole 12 ounces of ale. Even then, by the time I added the veggies, it needed a bit more liquid. I added a can of beef broth. It was still a very thick stew.

This is not a fast meal. It took at least 3 hours, not counting prep time. But most of that is time in the oven or simmering on the stove. Prep itself was fast and easy. It is a wonderful stew to have cooking in the background while doing housework on a cold winter day. So aromatic!!

I think the recipe turned out great. It will definitely go in my winter rotation and next time I'll even buy some smoked Paprika!

Short-Rib Beef Stew with Ale

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup flour
2 Tbsp hot paprika
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, trimmed of excess fat
4 strips thick-cut bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bottle (12 oz.) brown ale
1 can (14.5 oz.) whole peeled tomatoes, chopped and juices reserved
2 pounds Yukon Gold or russet potatoes
2 large carrots
1 pound turnips

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 300°. Combine flour, hot paprika, smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of black pepper in a large bowl. Dredge the short ribs in the flour mixture.

2 In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook bacon until fat renders. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels and reserve. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp of the bacon fat from pot. (Do not pour down the drain or you will clog your drain when the fat hardens as it cools.) Add short ribs and brown on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes per side.

3 Chop reserved bacon and set aside. Transfer short ribs to a plate and reserve. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the pot and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the ale and, using a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add tomatoes and their juices and reserved bacon. Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. Return short ribs to pot, cover, put in the preheated oven, and cook two hours.

4 Peel potatoes, turnips, and carrots, and cut into 1-in. pieces. Add to short ribs, cover, and cook until potatoes are tender and meat pulls away easily from the bone, about 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5 Spoon off excess fat (it helps if you have a fat separator). Remove the bones if you want, before serving.

Serves 8.

- Karen

Sorry...

Hey everyone, sorry there hasn't been a new recipe up in a couple of weeks. I've been traveling. Hopefully I'll be able to post something new this weekend! I hope everyone is having as terrific a fall as I am having. Check out my main blog, to see what we've been up to!