modern mac and cheese

i found this recipe in my chatelaine magazine with the tag line:
"if you think your recipe for this comfort-food fave couldn't be more decadent, think again. our three-cheese version is over-the-top and utterly delish"
SOLD!

Yesterday was a very rainy day, so I decided a little comforting warm supper dish was in order.

here is the recipe. i modified it a bit.. i didn't have goat cheese, so i used ricotta, since that's what i had in my fridge.

ingredients:
1 lb (500 g) extra-old cheddar cheese
1/2 lb (250 g) mozzarella cheese
8 slices bacon, cooked
450 g pkg small pasta, such as penne, macaroni or fusilli
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
generous pinch of cayenne
3 1/2 cups milk
113 g pkg creamy goat cheese, crumbled or 1/2 8 oz pkg cream cheese, cut into cubes
1/3 cup snipped chives


1. preheat the oven to 450 degrees. bring a large, wide saucepan filled with water to a boil. meanwhile, cut half of cheddar into 1/2 inch cubes and set aside. grate remaining cheddar and all of the mozzarella into a medium bowl. toss to mix. set 1 cup of cheese mixture aside. crumble or slice bacon into small pieces

2. cook pasta, following package directions, until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. drain well. return to pan. meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. when bubbly, sprinkle flour overtop. using a wooden spoon, stir constantly for 1 min. add seasonings and mustard. gradually pour in milk, continuously stirring and making sure to get into the corners. increase heat to medium-high. stir frequently until sauce comes to a gentle boil. remove from heat. gradually stir in grated cheddar-mozzarella mix (except for reserved amount).

3. pour cheese sauce over drained hot pasta and stir to evenly coat. crumble in goat cheese and add cheddar cubes, bacon and chives. stir to distribute.

4. turn into a 9x13 inch (3 L) baking dish. sprinkle with the reserved grated-cheese mix. place baking dish in centre of preheated oven. bake until bubbly and cheese on top is melted and golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

 all ingredients lined up ready to go!

ready for the oven!

enjoy!!

mini donuts - semi homemade

found this recipe on a blog, looked tasty

doesn't hurt to try

supplies for donuts:

biscuit dough - ready to use or from scratch

small circle cutter - like a shot glass or something

1/4-1/2 cup cooking oil - vegetable or canola

tongs

paper towels

cinnamon and sugar mix

open the biscuit can and spread all the rolls out. then using a small circle cutter, press out a donut hole ride int he middle.

then get your pan on medium heat with the oil. depending on how many you make, you will need more oil. you want enough oil to cover half o the donut when cooking. place 3-4 doughy donuts into the pan and leave until the bottom is golden brown. don't do anything else but watch these, as they cook fast and you don't want them to burn. then turn them over and cook another minute or so. using tons, place the cooked donut on paper towels to drain and cool slightly.

now place the donuts on a plate and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

enjoy!

broccoli cheese soup

just like the one at moxie's.. only better because it's homemade!
don't let the amount of velveeta scare you... it's what makes the soup so creamy and delicious.

ingredients:
3 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped broccoli
3 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
6 tablespoons margarine
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 lb velveeta cheese
3/4 pound cheddar cheese
1 pinch ground pepper

in a large pot over medium heat, simmer the broccoli in the broth for 15 minutes. transfer to a blender a bit at a time, it's nicer in the soup if the broccoli is pureed and it's just a nice thick soup.
in a separate skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, add the onions and saute for 5 minutes or to desired tenderness.
add the flour to the onions and stir well, forming a pasty substance. gradually add the milk and stir until thick. add this mixture to the broccoli mixture in the pot and stir well. then add the cheese, stirring until melted. finally, add the pepper.
*note, be careful not to let the soup boil, or the cheese will break down.

enjoy! it makes a huge batch, so you can eat it all week. mmmm good.

puppy chow

my friend asha's mom always made this recipe
it was always a special treat when we went there and she had made it
it is ADDICTING!

at asha's wedding shower they gave away puppy chow and the recipe
so now i can make it whenever i want
mmmm

puppy chow
1 box crispix
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
2-3 cups icing sugar

melt peanut butter & chocolate together. pour over cereal. mix in icing sugar and cool. you can also add peanuts, cheerios and pretzels to the mix! enjoy and share!

fudgy truffle eggs

if you want a VERY SWEET treat.. make these.
it's good to make if you're planning to take it somewhere to share or giving it away, it's a large recipe for a few people to eat... you may get sick from all the sugar if you eat them yourself!!!

ingredients:
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 tub chocolate frosting
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter or marshmallow creme
24 oz chocolate flavored candy coating

in a large microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on high 1 minute, stir until melted. if necessary, microwave 10 to 20 seconds longer or until chocolate can be stirred smooth.
microwave frosting uncovered on high 20 seconds; stir into melted chocolate chips. stir in vanilla. cover; refrigerate 30 minutes or just until thick enough to hold a shape.
drop chocolate mixture by level tablespoons onto waxed paper lined cookie sheets. flatten each tablespoon of chocolate mixture. spoon about 1/4 tsp marshmallow or peanut butter in centre. fold chocolate mixture over filling; shape into egg shapes. (if mixture is too sticky, refrigerate until firm enough to shape) freeze 30 minutes.
in a large bowl, microwave candy coating uncovered on high 1 minute to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring until smooth. dip eggs, one at a time, in candy coating using fork to hold them. return to cookie sheets. refrigerate eggs about 10 minutes or until coating is set. decorate as desired.

homemade four cheese ravioli

i wanted to make my own ravioli, thought it would be extra tasty
they turned out quite large, and they were delicious, but i'm not 100% sure that i'll be changing to homemade as opposed to store-bought. sometimes things are just easier when you buy them! but for an extra special meal, try making these!
i had a bit of trouble mastering the filling to dough ratio.. but with some practice i'm sure i'd get it.

here's the recipe!

dough:
2 cups flour
1 pinch salt
1 tsp olive oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp water

mound the flour and salt together on a work surface and form a well. beat the teaspoon of olive oil, 2 eggs, and water in a bowl. pour half the egg mixture into the well. begin mixing the egg with the flour with one hand; use your other hand to keep the flour mound steady. add the remaining egg mixture and knead to form a dough.
knead the dough until smooth, 8 to 10 minutes; add more flour if the dough is too sticky. form the dough into a ball and wrap tightly with plastic. refrigerate for 1 hour.

filling:
1 (8 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup provolone cheese, shredded
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley

while the dough is resting, prepare the ravioli filling. combine the filling ingredients, mix well. set the filling aside.

roll out the pasta dough into thin sheets, no thicker than a nickel. to assemble the ravioli, brush the egg wash (1 egg & 1 tbsp water beaten together) over a sheet of pasta. drop the filling mixture on the dough by teaspoonfuls about one inch apart. cover the filling with the top sheet of pasta, pressing out the air from around each portion of filling. press firmly around the filling to seal. cut into individual ravioli with a knife or pizza cutter. seal the edges.

fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. stir in the ravioli, and return to a boil. cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until the ravioli float to the top and the filling is hot, 4 to 8 minutes. drain well.

grease a baking sheet. place the cooked ravioli on the sheet pan and bake in a preheated (375) oven until brown, about 4 minutes.

to serve, top with a sauce of your choice & enjoy!

mrs. larson's bars

mmmm just the sound of this recipe makes my mouth water
it's a fudgey oatmealy pan of goodness
my mom made this when my friends would come over as i was growing up
and i still love it!
delicious

i made it recently to contribute to kilcona's love winnipeg "sweets drive"
i hope people liked it as much as i do!
*also, i have no clue who mrs. larson is!

mrs. larson's bars
crust:
1 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp soda
3 cups oatmeal

filling:
1 - 12oz pkg chocolate chips
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 can eaglebrand sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp salt

crust:
cream butter and sugars; add eggs, vanilla and mix well. add in flour, salt and baking soda. add oatmeal and mix into a crumbly texture. reserve 1/4 of this for topping. pat remainder into bottom of an 18x15 jelly roll pan or 2 9x13 pans

filling:
combine and melt in microwave. spread over crust. sprinkle with leftover oatmeal topping.

bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
enjoy!

dijon steak marinade

so good and tasty.
from the firefighters cookbook
i've made it multiple times, and each time people ask for the recipe, so i think that's a good sign

i mix all the ingredients in a bowl, then pour into a large ziplock bag. i put about 3 steaks per recipe and per ziplock bag. adjust based on how many steaks you're using. basically you just need enough marinade to coat each steak.

3 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp fresh coarsely ground pepper


marinate for 4 hours or overnight.
enjoy!

soft pretzels

my friend russ made me some soft pretzels a few weeks ago and they were DELICIOUS. so i found a recipe and made some for myself.
i didn't check the time when i started the recipe... so i only finished making them at midnite. so a tip: check the time before starting a longer recipe!

recipe makes 4 large pretzels

1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 cup warm water
1 1/8 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 cups all purpose flour (approx)
1/2 tsp salt
baking soda

topping:
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp coarse salt

in a large bowl, dissolve sugar in 1/4 cup warm water. sprinkle in yeast; let stand for 10 minutes or until frothy. stir in remaining water and oil. stir in 1 3/4 cup of the flour and salt to make sticky dough. turn out onto lightly floured surface; knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic, adding as much of the remaining flour as necessary to make firm dough.
place in greased bowl, turning to grease all over. cover with plastic wrap; let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. punch down dough. cut into 4 pieces. on lightly floured surface, roll each piece into 20-inch rope. form into circle, crossing left end over right end above circle, 3 inches from ends.
pick up ends and cross left end over right end again. bring ends over and down to bottom of circle to create a pretzel shape; press to seal.
place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. cover and let rise for 15 minutes.
add 2 tbsp baking soda to large wide saucepan of boiling water. boil pretzels, 3 at a time, turning over once with slotted spatula, until puffed and set, about 1 minute. using spatula, transfer to rack; let cool.
topping: return pretzels to prepared pan. brush with egg; sprinkle with salt. bake in top and bottom thirds of 400 degree oven, switching and rotating pans halfway through, for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden and bottoms sound hollow when tapped. transfer to rack; let cool just until warm.

can free in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

banana cranberry fiber muffins

kind of a denser muffin, but very delicious!

3 medium bananas
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup of high fibre cereal
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, roughly chopped*
1/4 cup dried cranberries

*i didn't have fresh or frozen, so i just used dried cranberries instead

preheat oven to 400
put the bananas in a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher
add the egg and sugar and using the masher, continue to whip the mixture to combine
add the milk and melted butter and stir together.
put the cereal in a medium sized seal-able bag and crush with a rolling pin.
add the flour, baking powder & salt and shake to combine. stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and add the cranberries.
fill muffin tins and bake about 25 minutes.

enjoy!

watermelon pie: fun summer dessert

looks like watermelon
tastes like summer
frozen yogurt/sherbet deliciousness...

ingredients:
lime sherbet - I couldn't find this, so i just added some green food coloring to some of the vanilla frozen yogurt
vanilla frozen yogurt
red/pink colored sherbet
mini chocolate chips

directions:
for each flavor, you'll let the sherbet/yogurt soften for a few minutes before using. the red sherbet should be mixed with the mini chocolate chips
use a round springform pan
starting with the lime, spread a ring of sherbet around the edge of the springform pan - about 2 inches high and 1-2 inches wide from the outside edge of the pan
put pan in freezer to harden lime layer
repeat with the vanilla, making the layer much thinner. use a butter knife to flatten the top. put pan in freezer to harden again.
repeat with red/chocolate chip mix. filling the rest of the pan, then use a knife to flatten out again. freeze.

when its time to eat, run a knife around the edge of the pan before popping off the outside of the springform pan. use a nice thin-blade knife to slice.
enjoy!

hummus

one of the best things to dip veggies into

simple & quick

1 1/2 cups cooked/canned chick peas
3 cloves garlic
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon or 2 tbsp
1 tsp sea salt
cayenne pepper or paprika

place all ingredients into a food processor and blend till creamy.
enjoy!