De Ma Cuisine

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Friday

22

June 2012

1

COMMENTS

Extra Creamy Mac and Cheese

Written by , Posted in Ask Rachel, Cheese, Dinner, Main Dishes, Pasta

Extra Creamy Mac and Cheese
Recipe Type: Pasta, Main
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 2-4
Creamy, dreamy mac and cheese.
Ingredients
  • 1/2 C onion, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 C spinach, chopped (opt.)
  • 2 C milk
  • 1 – 1 1/2 C cheese (combo of Irish Cheddar, Cheddar, and Parm… Gruyère… any that you think taste good)
  • 1/2 C pasta water
  • 2 T all purpose flour
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 T dijon mustard
  • salt
  • pepper
  • rotini pasta
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta.
  2. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onion, cook for 2 minutes, add garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes.
  3. Whisk in flour; cook 30-60 seconds. Whisk in milk a little bit at a time (about 1/4 C or so), letting it thicken as you do, then pasta water. Add salt, pepper, and dijon. Cook until steam begins to rise from sauce. Turn off heat.
  4. Whisk in cheese, a bit at a time, using a figure-eight motion.
  5. Wilt in spinach (if desired).
  6. Combine sauce with pasta. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

 

Friday

22

June 2012

0

COMMENTS

Pizza Pasta

Written by , Posted in Baking, Cheese, Dinner, Main Dishes, Meat, Pasta, Pizza, Vegetables

Pizza Pasta
Recipe Type: Pasta, Main, Dinner
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 60 mins
Total time: 1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 2-4
Pizza meets pasta. And it is good.
Ingredients
  • 3-4 C leftover pasta (I used “Extra Creamy Mac and Cheese”)
  • 1/2 C milk
  • 1 t olive oil
  • 1/4 to 1/2 C peas
  • pepperoni (as much or as little as you’d like)
  • 1 C parmesan cheese, divided
  • 1/4 C gruyère cheese, cut into triangles (if you want)
  • 1 tortilla, cut into small triangles
Instructions
  1. Grease an 8×8 or 9×9 oven proof dish. Mix the milk and 1/2 C parmesan cheese with the mac and cheese. Place in a 350F oven. Cook, either covered with foil, or uncovered stirring occasionally (so the noodles don’t get crispy), for 15-30 minutes.
  2. Top with tortilla triangles, pepperoni, gruyère, and remaining parmesan. Cook 15-30 minutes more (until cheese is bubbly and browned, and mac and cheese is heated through – leftovers should come to 165F).

 

Wednesday

20

June 2012

7

COMMENTS

What Husband Had for Lunch – Episode 28

Written by , Posted in A Cooking Show with Rachel O, Abundant Harvest Organics, This Week's Feast, Thoughts

For this week’s episode, I tried some of the Italian Sausage from Llano Seco Organic Pork. Is it ever good!! It pairs well with browned butter, carrot, and summer squash in this dish. After I took my first bite, I couldn’t stop eating. I just kept goin’. Then I realized that I had forgotten to take a photo. Whoops. I knew it was good. I made it last week when we had some friends over for dinner. I don’t know why I was surprised yesterday. We ate it for dinner and Husband had it for lunch again today. I love that he will gladly take leftovers for lunch. 🙂

Last week, to go with our dinner I made Joy the Baker’s Nectarine Cobbler (but I used peaches). I was so insanely good. I wished I’d made it again yesterday (and feel the same way today). I want to eat it. It’s amazing hot, of course, but it’s also delicious sneaked from the fridge at any hour of the day. And the butter on the bottom gets kinda crispy and caramelized and oh gosh it’s just darn good. You might want to make it. I want to make it, again.

Browned Butter Pasta with Italian Sausage and Basil

Last modified on 2012-06-20 21:58:40 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Browned Butter Pasta with Italian Sausage and Basil
Recipe Type: Main, Dinner, Pasta
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Serves: 4-6
Browned Butter compliments slightly spicy Italian sausage in this dish that features summer veggies.
Ingredients
  • 3-4 small-medium summer squash, chopped (about 3 C total)
  • 1 carrot grated (about 1 1/2 C)
  • 4-6 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 pkg. (12 oz.) Italian sausage, sliced in rounds
  • 1 C white wine, chicken or vegetable stock (or even apple juice would work)
  • 1 t balsamic vinegar
  • 1 T dijon mustard
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 4 T butter
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 5 kale leaves, cut in chiffonade (thin ribbons)
  • 1/2 C pasta water
  • basil, chopped (for topping)
  • parmesan cheese, grated (for topping)
  • pasta, any kind you like – cook according to package directions
Instructions
  1. Bring pasta water to a boil.
  2. Heat skillet over med heat. Add butter and olive oil. Cook until browned. Whisk in dijon (it may bubble up a bit, mine did). Add veggies (except kale), sausage, salt, and pepper.
  3. Cook pasta.
  4. Add wine/stock, pasta water, balsamic vinegar, and kale. Cook 5 minutes or so (until the liquid comes back to a boil, and boils for a little while).
  5. Toss the sauce with the drained pasta.
  6. Serve topped with basil and parmesan cheese.

 

Small note about the AHO box… In case you were wondering, the 3 kinds of peppers in the large box are as follows: Long skinny green ones are Serano, yellow are Santa Fe, thicker green ones are Jalapeños. (Thanks, Heather!!)

This meal can be found on Tuesday of this week’s menu.

This episode is sponsored by: Abundant Harvest Organics, Bari Olive Oil Company,  Molly Jenson and Llano Seco Organic Pork.

Wednesday

20

June 2012

0

COMMENTS

Browned Butter Pasta with Italian Sausage and Basil

Written by , Posted in Cheese, Dinner, Main Dishes, Meat, Pasta, Pork, Sausage, Vegetables

Browned Butter Pasta with Italian Sausage and Basil
Recipe Type: Main, Dinner, Pasta
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Serves: 4-6
Browned Butter compliments slightly spicy Italian sausage in this dish that features summer veggies.
Ingredients
  • 3-4 small-medium summer squash, chopped (about 3 C total)
  • 1 carrot grated (about 1 1/2 C)
  • 4-6 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 pkg. (12 oz.) Italian sausage, sliced in rounds
  • 1 C white wine, chicken or vegetable stock (or even apple juice would work)
  • 1 t balsamic vinegar
  • 1 T dijon mustard
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 4 T butter
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 5 kale leaves, cut in chiffonade (thin ribbons)
  • 1/2 C pasta water
  • basil, chopped (for topping)
  • parmesan cheese, grated (for topping)
  • pasta, any kind you like – cook according to package directions
Instructions
  1. Bring pasta water to a boil.
  2. Heat skillet over med heat. Add butter and olive oil. Cook until browned. Whisk in dijon (it may bubble up a bit, mine did). Add veggies (except kale), sausage, salt, and pepper.
  3. Cook pasta.
  4. Add wine/stock, pasta water, balsamic vinegar, and kale. Cook 5 minutes or so (until the liquid comes back to a boil, and boils for a little while).
  5. Toss the sauce with the drained pasta.
  6. Serve topped with basil and parmesan cheese.

 

Monday

18

June 2012

3

COMMENTS

A Weekend Getaway

Written by , Posted in Thoughts


In anticipation of the possibility that our internet will still be out of service on Monday, when it comes time for my next blog post, I’m using my thumbs and typing on my iPhone. When they gave us the news that they’d have to send someone out on Monday, my heart sank a little. No internet!? That means we can’t watch a movie with our Pizza Friday pizza, we can’t check our email, we can’t stalk people on Facebook, I can’t post the guest post that Elizabeth wrote for me, we can’t stream MLB.com…  Oh wait, we can do these things, ON OUR PHONES!!!

We totally live in the future! I mean, yes, technically every new day is us living in the future, but that’s not what I mean.

Did you ever think, back when you were watching Saved by the Bell and wishing you had a cell phone like Zack Morris, that you’d one day be checking Facebook on it? (Side note, I can still sing the entire SBTB theme song, I’m a little bit embarrassed to admit.) If you were like me, you might not have had the Internet at all. You would have had no idea that Apple was anything other than a fruit. And, if someone had asked you if you were on Facebook you might have asked if that was a medication or if they’d sneezed (unless you were MZ, then you might have been writing the name over and over in your school notebook). My point is simply that the technology we have today is amazing! “Yes, I love technology. Not as much as you, you see. But still I love technology. Always and forever.”

I’m beginning this post on Friday afternoon. This weekend we’re going to get out of town with some friends. My goal for the weekend, aside from going wine tasting for the first time, is to take some cool photos on my phone and finish this post.

To start the weekend off, we had Pizza Friday… Since it’s summer time, we have lots of squash, zucchini, and basil. So I made a pizza out of it. It was delicious!! We ate the whole thing, just the two of us. That’s not an uncommon occurrence in this household. (The recipe is at the end of the post.) We watched A Good Year while we ate. My favorite line (regarding his uncle’s memories), “not good, they’re grand” reminds me of my memories of Oma and Opa. My second favorite line is, “McDonalds in Avignon, Fish & Chips in Marseilles” I want to go to France!

This portion is being written on Sunday evening. We’ve been home for about an hour. I just closed Calico Joe and wiped the tears from my eyes. It has left me with a slightly sad, nostalgic, yet contented feeling. The whole weekend has, minus the sad. It was anything but. What it was was a refreshing 31 hour get away. It felt like we were gone for a week, in a good way. The best way. It was filled with laughter, delicious food, bocce ball, wine tasting, smiles, antiques, House Hunters, a cheap hotel, cool breezes, a picnic, a gazebo, lazy sunshine, a good book, fun photos, inside jokes, deepened relationships, good music… It was just what we needed. I’m sure Husband would agree.

Arriving at the vineyard. Windows down, breeze flowing in.

We walked from one vineyard to the next. Beautiful!

Sipping Sangria in the shade. Best Sangria I’ve ever had. Husband got attacked by one fire ant.

Discussing Bocce Ball strategy.

Our trip’s mascot, Shmebulock*. He tried to get into all the photos.

Best Reuben. Best fries (they had cinnamon, brown sugar, and other spices on them). We had fries 3 times that day. Chick-fil-A, Truffle Scented Fries, and these amazingly spiced ones. I didn’t realized this until we were eating the last set.

Picnicking on a hot day. Yummy food, wonderful company.

Husband insisted that we take another one with me in it. When you’re the photographer, it looks like you weren’t on the trip. See, I was there!

Relaxing with our books/napping before we headed home.

We stopped for gas and Husband bought us Pop Ups! I’d never had one before. I’VE BEEN MISSING OUT!! I love Rainbow Sherbet! We had it often in the summer when I was growing up. I love how tastes and smells can bring back so many memories.

We were greeted by our dog, who missed us and wagged his tail furiously at our return. I’m sure he didn’t miss us too much though. His friend, Nathan, brought him treats.

I have to go return my library book now. It’s due today. I also need to call my Dad. Then we’re going to watch the last two Harry Potter movies. Great ending to a fantastic weekend.

Zucchini, Gruyère, and Basil Pizza

Last modified on 2012-06-18 17:40:13 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Zucchini, Gruyère, and Basil Pizza
Recipe Type: Pizza
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 13 mins
Total time: 23 mins
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1 pizza crust
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 C Gruyère cheese, finely grated
  • 1/2 to 1 C (or so) zucchini (really thinly sliced)
  • 1/4 C fresh basil
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 425F. Roll out crust. Bake for 5 min.
  2. Remove from oven and drizzle with some good olive oil (I love Bari’s organic extra virgin olive oil).
  3. Top with zucchini, salt, pepper, and Gruyère.
  4. Bake 8 min more, or until the crust is baked to perfection.
  5. Top with basil.
  6. Eat and enjoy!

 

Sent from my iPhone

(*Disclaimer: I’m a fan of Gravity Falls and I like Shmebulock. I’m not an employee of Disney or in any way associated with the show. I just think it’s funny.)