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Friday

14

October 2011

0

COMMENTS

Burned Butter Pasta

Written by , Posted in Dinner, Main Dishes, Pasta, Sides

Burned Butter Pasta
Recipe Type: Main, Entree, Pasta, Side
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 20 mins
Serves: 2-4
Try burning some butter. Then add it to pasta. It will be a good idea.
Ingredients
  • 1/3 lb pasta (I used Rotini)
  • 4-6 T salted butter
  • 4-6 sage leaves, chopped (opt.)
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta.
  2. Brown some butter (like really brown it – it will be bubbly and brown and smell rich, nutty, amazing!). Then add some sage leaves.
  3. Mix pasta and burned butter together.

 

Sunday

9

October 2011

3

COMMENTS

Shepherd’s Pie

Written by , Posted in Beef, Cheese, Main Dishes, Meat, Potatoes, Vegetables

Fall is a time for hot meals, comfort foods, hearty dishes… it’s an excuse to not just have salad for dinner. And to not have to turn on the AC if we want to eat soup (of course we’ve never done that…). Shepherd’s Pie is one of those meals. We love it, and I want to share it.

Add it to your fall menu!

Happy Eating!

Shepherd’s Pie 

 
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-4
A hearty comfort food, perfect for fall and winter.
Ingredients
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 lb. ground beef (or chicken, turkey, or pork)
  • 1 C leeks (or onion, I had leeks when I made this the first time), chopped
  • 1 C spinach (or kale), chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped or grated
  • 1 C broccoli, chopped
  • 1/2 C frozen peas
  • 1-2 C mashed potatoes (can use leftovers)
  • 1 C cooked polenta (opt. or use an extra cup mashed potatoes – I had leftover polenta I wanted to use up)
  • 1 t chili powder
  • 1 t cumin
  • 1/2 t all spice
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 T balsamic vinegar
  • 1 T cornstarch
  • 1/4 C water
  • 1-2 T olive oil
  • 1/2 C sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. (If potatoes aren’t cooked yet, wash, cube and cook. Then mash with some milk, salt and olive oil.) Cook beef. Drain and set aside. Add olive oil, leeks/onions, garlic, broccoli, carrots, and seasonings; cook until tender. Add peas, cook 3 minutes or so. Add beef and spinach, cook 3 min, or until spinach is wilted.
  2. Mix cornstarch with water and balsamic vinegar. Pour over beef and veggies.
  3. If using a cast iron skillet, leave meat and veggies in there, spread evenly over the bottom of the pan. If not, transfer to an ovenproof dish. Cover meat and veggies with potatoes. Top with cheese.
  4. Bake until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned, 15 minutes or so.
 
Notes

This is a great way to use up leftover potatoes, polenta, even extra ground beef and veggies from a previous meal.
Leftovers can be frozen and are great re-heated in the toaster oven (or microwave, if you want).
If you don’t have broccoli, use more peas, and vice versa. If you don’t like carrots, or any of the veggies listed, use some that you do like. You could also substitute mashed cauliflower for the mashed potatoes.
Our rating: * * * It was so good we both had seconds!

 

Saturday

8

October 2011

0

COMMENTS

Baseball Time!

Written by , Posted in Inspired By, Menu Planning, Thoughts

October, as I’ve said, is just about my favorite of all the months. One of the reasons is it’s the baseball postseason. The ALCS starts today! We only get the free TV channels, so we watch whatever games are on FOX. But we’ll take what we can get. I don’t really have a plan for who to root for, since my team is out, and I’m not really following any of the teams in it closely. Mostly I just want to watch baseball.

One of the fun things about lots of baseball is I get to make lots of yummy baseball food. I suppose I’d be making a lot of it anyways, but it’s an excuse to plan extra special fun things. (If you don’t like baseball, feel free to insert another thing you like to watch, like “Football”, “Basketball”, “Ballroom Dancing” (two words), “The Office”, “Jaws”, “Princess Bride”… you get the idea.)

Traditional baseball foods include: hotdogs, nachos, ice cream, wings, beer, popcorn. To play on and play up some of those ideas, here is my post season menu (or insert chosen watched activity here) (there is the possibility of 14 games, at least that we get on our TV):

1. Smothered Chicken Sandwiches (toasted garlic bread, chicken, gravy, parmesan cheese). Or Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwiches.

2. Burgers and Homemade Fries.

3. Nachos, Guacamole, Bean Dip.

4. Philly Cheesesteak Pizza (or sandwiches, or both).

5. Italian Sub Sandwiches with Homemade Potato Chips (or Salt and Vinegar kettle cooked chips).

6. Spinach-Artichoke Dip, Crostini, Popcorn with Parmesan, Peanut Butter Popcorn.

7. Hot Dogs (one of the only things on my list that won’t be in any way homemade :)).

8. Fancy Grilled Cheese (maybe with some apple, or basil in it).

9. Mac and Cheese.

10. Texas Stuff.

11. BLTs or BLT Pizza.

12. Crock Pot Chicken Drumsticks and Twice Baked Potatoes.

13. Meatball Subs and Shoestring Fries.

14. Chili and Cornbread.

Other ideas: Wings, Garlic Bread, Stuffed Peppers (mini or regular), Quesadillas, Wraps, Taco Soup…

Friday

7

October 2011

0

COMMENTS

Spaghetteroni and Cheese

Written by , Posted in Beef, Cheese, Main Dishes, Meat, Pasta

We were out of town for a little while, and I haven’t been to the grocery store yet. Our freezer is sadly depleted, as is our fridge and pantry (um, cupboard in our tiny apartment kitchen). However, dinnertime still has us starving, so last night it was time to be creative. I had some ground beef in the freezer (you could also use ground chicken or turkey), a tiny can of tomato sauce, and some pasta. Spaghetti sounded good, and easy, and so did mac and cheese. So I did both, in one dish. It. Was. Amazing. (In my opinion.) And, since Husband posted about it on Facebook and said that I would be sharing, I figured I ought to do so.

(Sorry, no pictures of the dish. We were starving.)

Spaghetteroni and Cheese
 
Recipe Type: Main, Pasta
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 2-3
Spaghetti marries Mac and Cheese. True Love in a dish.
Ingredients
  • 1/2 lb. rotini pasta
  • 1/2 lb. (more or less) ground meat (I used beef)
  • 1 – 8 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 1 t dried oregano
  • 1 T dried basil (or use fresh, and do more like 1/4 C)
  • 1 t dried parsley
  • 3 T olive oil
  • 2 T flour
  • 1 t spicy brown mustard
  • 1 C pasta water
  • 1/2 C milk (I used 2%)
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 4 medium cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 C parmesan cheese
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 t smoked paprika
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta. Meanwhile, cook meat. Drain. Set aside.
  2. Add to pan: 1 T olive oil and onion, cook 3 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add garlic, cook 2 minutes (low heat). Add tomato sauce, oregano, parsley, basil, salt and pepper.
  3. Drain pasta, reserving 1 C water (helps the sauce stick to the pasta).
  4. Heat oil in a pan. Add flour and whisk together, cook for 30-60 seconds. Slowly whisk in milk and water. Once it thickens, add mustard and paprika. Turn off heat and add cheese, whisking in.
  5. Mix beef sauce with pasta.
  6. Serve pasta topped with cheese sauce and more grated parmesan (and fresh basil if you’d like).
  7. Great with garlic bread (or in a pinch/empty fridge day like yesterday: I thawed some pizza dough and baked it, then rubbed fresh garlic on it, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with parmesan cheese, broiled 3-5 min).
 
Notes

Our rating: *** (Husband) **** (Me)
Difficulty: 2/5 (only because you have to make a bechamel/cheese sauce, which can be difficult at first)

 

Friday

30

September 2011

0

COMMENTS

Christy’s Crock Pot Yogurt

Written by , Posted in Breakfast, Condiments, Crock Pot

My friend Christy and I have been talking a lot about cooking. We share the same love for most things food. I asked her to do a guest post about something to do with breakfast. I can’t wait to try her recipe!

Here’s Christy…

My name is Christy.  I am a wife, a mom to four kids, and I love to cook.  Since our oldest child was born almost twelve years ago, I have discovered that cooking is like therapy for me. When I put the time and energy into planning and preparing healthy meals for my family, it truly feeds my soul.  I credit much of this love to my mom, who inspired me to bake apple pies and stew whole chickens when I was in high school, and to this day remains one of the best cooks I know!  When we were together at her house this summer, my mom made homemade yogurt in her crock-pot, and I was sold!  Though I had dabbled with yogurt-making a couple of years ago, I found it to be too labor intensive for the amount it yielded and the clean-up required.  However, the crock-pot method is easy, you can make a half-gallon at a time and the clean-up is a breeze!  Plus, I am sold on how economical it is and the creamy, rich texture – you can’t buy yogurt like this.  We use plain yogurt at our house in many different ways – for breakfast with fruit, honey, and granola; to make hearty oatmeal pancakes; as a substitute for mayonnaise or sour cream in some cases; and as a snack sweetened with maple syrup and vanilla.

Print
Christy Durrance’s Crock Pot Yogurt

Ingredients

  • 1/2 gallon milk (I use whole, but have heard it works with 2% and skim as well)
  • 2 T plain yogurt*

Instructions

  1. Pour milk into crock-pot and turn on high. Heat milk until it reaches 180-190 degrees, about 2-3 hours. Once you do this two or three times, you should be able to determine how long this takes in your crock-pot and you won't have to check the temperature every time.
  2. Allow milk to cool with the lid off until it reaches 110 degrees, between 1-1 ½ hours. Again, use a thermometer the first few times, and it will give you a good idea for future batches.
  3. Remove about 2 c. of milk and whisk in the 2 T of plain yogurt until well incorporated. Add this back into the crock-pot and whisk gently.
  4. Place lid back on crock-pot. Wrap crock-pot (or just the insert, if yours has a removable crock) with a thick towel and place in oven with the oven light on.
  5. Allow crock-pot to sit, undisturbed for 8-12 hours. The longer you allow the yogurt to incubate, the thicker it will be. Ideally, you can time this to be overnight.
  6. Scoop yogurt out of crock-pot, refrigerate and enjoy!

Notes

*You can save the yogurt you make as the starter for the next batch for a few times. Every so often, it pays to buy some fresh starter. I like to use Fage Plain Greek Yogurt.

http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/crock-pot-yogurt/

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