Okay, I've done homemade for months now, but I went a step further and made the sauce from scratch instead of melting cheese on the pasta like I usually do. Results were super creamy!
Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 cup butter
Cheese, cubed
Seasonings (I used sage, rosemary, garlic, and white pepper)
Macaroni
Panko
Heat your milk, butter, and cheese over medium low, stirring constantly to prevent the milk scalding. Once your cheese starts to melt, add your seasonings and cook your pasta. Pour your sauce over drained noodles.
I baked ours. You bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Pour noodles into a casserole dish. Mix in panko. Pour the cheese sauce on top. The panko helps everything hold tight while baking.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Chocolate covered strawberry froyo
So I discovered I had yogurt that was unopened and needed to be used PRONTO. As in, expiring soon. Yeah...my go to is frozen yogurt! I modified this recipe, so I'll give credit at the end of my post.
Ingredients:
Full container of strawberry yogurt (cherry would be tasty too!)
1/4 cup cocoa powder, plus 1 tbsp
1tbsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3-4 tsp sugar
Combine everything in a bowl and mix well. It will take a bit to get all the powder lumps broken up. Pour into your ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions. Mine took about 45 minutes to really set. You get a good cocoa bite at first, then yummy strawberry!
Recipe compliments of chocolatecoveredkatie.com, modified from her brownie batter froyo.
Ingredients:
Full container of strawberry yogurt (cherry would be tasty too!)
1/4 cup cocoa powder, plus 1 tbsp
1tbsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3-4 tsp sugar
Combine everything in a bowl and mix well. It will take a bit to get all the powder lumps broken up. Pour into your ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions. Mine took about 45 minutes to really set. You get a good cocoa bite at first, then yummy strawberry!
Recipe compliments of chocolatecoveredkatie.com, modified from her brownie batter froyo.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Flavoring Up Cheap Pasta Sauce
Okay, so when I get groceries, I shop on a budget. I spend between $80-$100 a month on basic groceries to feed a family of 4. We spend about $50 every 6-8 weeks on meat. That is without coupons, so I know we could end up saving more if I did use coupons. That said, when I buy pasta sauce, I buy whatever is on sale or is the cheapest. Normally, that means we keep Ragu on hand. I've found that their Alfredo sauce is extremely and horribly bland and lifeless. Blah. So I wanted to flavor it up last night for our baked spaghetti!
Take one jar of Alfredo sauce, shredded cheese, and seasonings. Last night I shredded Colby Jack and Sharp Cheddar cheeses. Mix the Alfredo sauce and the shredded cheese together. I think I had a half cup of sauce and close to a cup of each cheese. Add seasonings. I opted for Oregano, Thyme, and Garlic Salt. I poured it over the spaghetti and mixed it all together, then baked it. However, you can also put it in a medium pot and cook it on medium heat, stirring constantly, until an even sauce results.
My mom does not like Ragu (bland and flavorless), but she said she thoroughly enjoyed the flavors last night. And she's not one to just smile and eat something if it's not that good. Both my kids devoured most of their adult-sized helpings (gotta love growth spurts!), and my husband literally asked me what brand the sauce was that I had used. :)
Take one jar of Alfredo sauce, shredded cheese, and seasonings. Last night I shredded Colby Jack and Sharp Cheddar cheeses. Mix the Alfredo sauce and the shredded cheese together. I think I had a half cup of sauce and close to a cup of each cheese. Add seasonings. I opted for Oregano, Thyme, and Garlic Salt. I poured it over the spaghetti and mixed it all together, then baked it. However, you can also put it in a medium pot and cook it on medium heat, stirring constantly, until an even sauce results.
My mom does not like Ragu (bland and flavorless), but she said she thoroughly enjoyed the flavors last night. And she's not one to just smile and eat something if it's not that good. Both my kids devoured most of their adult-sized helpings (gotta love growth spurts!), and my husband literally asked me what brand the sauce was that I had used. :)
Monday, December 10, 2012
Spiced Pork Sirloins
Okay, James cooked last night, but this is my brain child. The seasonings were a bit heavy handed, so not quite what I wanted, but I love that he cooked and tried to follow how I do it. Had the seasonings been in better ratio, it would have been tasty!
Ingredients:
Pork Sirloin
Creole seasoning
Salt
Sesame Seeds
Panko
Cilantro
Eggs (2)
Preheat your oven to 350. Mix your seasonings with the panko and sesame seeds (the seeds give a nice little crunch!). Be careful not to over salt your mix. Beat your eggs in a small bowl. Wash your room temp sirloins in the egg, then dredge in the panko mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.
As my husband learned, you don't want to get too much Creole seasoning or salt. You also want to make sure you mix the seasonings with the panko really well for even distribution.
Ingredients:
Pork Sirloin
Creole seasoning
Salt
Sesame Seeds
Panko
Cilantro
Eggs (2)
Preheat your oven to 350. Mix your seasonings with the panko and sesame seeds (the seeds give a nice little crunch!). Be careful not to over salt your mix. Beat your eggs in a small bowl. Wash your room temp sirloins in the egg, then dredge in the panko mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.
As my husband learned, you don't want to get too much Creole seasoning or salt. You also want to make sure you mix the seasonings with the panko really well for even distribution.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake
So boiling chicken to shred is one of my favorite techniques. The chicken stays so tender and moist! I needed a quick and easy way to use chicken that would fill up a toddler and preschooler who have hit growth spurts at the same time.
Ingredients:
Chicken breast
Pasta of choice (I used ziti)
Seasonings
Cheese of choice (I used mozzarella and colby jack)
Pasta sauce if you like
Set a stock pot of water on to boil. Once boiling, add your raw chicken breasts. Boil for 15 minutes. Let rest for another 10 on a cutting board after they cook. Boil your pasta until just about al dente. Drain well (I used a slotted spoon to dish it into my baking dish to make sure all the water was removed from the pasta). Mix in your cheese(s), seasonings, and chicken. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. It should get nice and gooey while the chicken stays really moist. Both my kids ate small, adult-sized portions of this and loved it!
Ingredients:
Chicken breast
Pasta of choice (I used ziti)
Seasonings
Cheese of choice (I used mozzarella and colby jack)
Pasta sauce if you like
Set a stock pot of water on to boil. Once boiling, add your raw chicken breasts. Boil for 15 minutes. Let rest for another 10 on a cutting board after they cook. Boil your pasta until just about al dente. Drain well (I used a slotted spoon to dish it into my baking dish to make sure all the water was removed from the pasta). Mix in your cheese(s), seasonings, and chicken. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. It should get nice and gooey while the chicken stays really moist. Both my kids ate small, adult-sized portions of this and loved it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)