• 13Oct

    My kids love mac and cheese, either from the box, a freezer bag or made from scratch. I found this recipe at the Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine website. (On the extremely wild outside chance the editors of the magazine find out about this post, if I don’t hide the magazine until I’ve had a chance to read it, my nine year old daughter will walk off with it and I won’t see it for months.) In an effort to cut down on the grocery bill, and to use up stuff in my freezers, I used what I had to create this variation of the recipe. The kids liked it a lot, and when I asked if I should leave the potatoes out next time, I was told it made a really nice texture combination. That surprised me, but hey, if they like it, I’ll keep ‘em in.

    For those who are looking to compare my version with the original, here are the differences: I used a red skinned yellow fleshed potato, about 6 oz. of whole wheat penne, and Bone Dust seasoning instead of Old Bay (I’m not going to spend $9 on a large container if I’m not sure I’ll ever use it again). I’ve got the cookbook Hot, Sticky and on Fire book by Ted Reader, where the Bone Dust recipe comes from. Unfortunately, it’s only available in Canada or through Amazon.ca. I got my copy as a gift several years ago, and we love many of the recipes in it.

    Anyway, my version of the recipe can be found after the jump.

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  • 26Jun

    I wanted to grill chicken for supper tonight but didn’t want to use the same old seasonings I usually do. I came up with this quick and easy marinade, and it worked really well with the chicken.

    Tequila Lime Marinade
     
    1/4 c. tequila
    1/4 c. lime juice
    1 tbsp minced garlic
    1 tsp kosher salt
    1/2 tsp ground cumin
    1/2 tsp ground black pepper
    1/2 tsp smoked paprika
    1/2 tsp onion powder

    The chicken marinated for about six hours. We took the meat off the chicken thighs and ate it wrapped up in a tortilla with a shredded Mexican cheese blend and lettuce (for those who wanted it). The chicken turned out really good, and I had Matt cook two extra thighs so I could have some chicken tomorrow at lunch.

  • 23Jun

    Lisa’s German-Style Potato Salad

     
     

    3 lbs yellow-flesh potatoes (I prefer Klondike Rose)
    1 tbsp olive oil
    4 slices thick cut hardwood smoked bacon (not maple or maple smoked), chopped
    1 cup diced onion (or more to taste)
    1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (or to taste)
    2 tbsp Dijon mustard
    1 tsp garlic powder (or to taste)
    salt and pepper to taste

    Cut the potatoes up into bite-sized pieces and cook in salted water until tender. Drain and return to the pot. Put a dish towel over the put and then put the lid on – this will keep the potatoes warm and help dry them off a bit.

    While the potatoes are cooking, put the olive oil and bacon into a large frying pan and cook over medium to medium-high heat until the bacon is almost crispy.

    Add in the onions and stir well, then cook until the onions are soft.

    Pour the balsamic vinegar into the pan and stir quickly, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add in the mustard and whisk until everything is combined. Let it continue to cook on low heat until the potatoes are ready.

    While the potatoes (and the bacon mixture) are still warm, put the potatoes into the frying pan and stir well. Sprinkle garlic powder over the potatoes, stir, and add salt and pepper to taste.

    This potato salad is best served at room temperature, and is even better when made a day ahead. The potatoes and the bacon mixture has to be warm (or hot) when combined, otherwise it doesn’t taste right.

  • 10Apr

    This recipe is modified from a Cooking Club of America magazine’s Spiced Buttermilk Griddle Cakes. This morning, I was too lazy (and not wanting to make extra mess) so I didn’t separate the eggs and whip the egg whites. It didn’t result in super fluffy pancakes, and I was having issues with my griddle, so I have no wonderful pictures to give you. The pancakes had a nice, almost dense texture which my family prefers.

    Spiced Buttermilk Pancakes

    3 eggs
    1/4 cup sugar
    2 1/4 c buttermilk
    6 tbsp melted unsalted butter, cooled
    2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
    1 1/2 tsp baking powder
    1 tsp baking soda
    1/2 tsp salt
    1 tsp ground cinnamon
    1 tsp ground cardamom
    1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

    Preheat your griddle on medium high. Spray with cooking spray or lightly brush with more melted butter.

    Whisk eggs and sugar together in a medium bowl until smooth. Add in buttermilk and whisk together. Slowly add melted butter while whisking until well combined.

    In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and whisk together. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add buttermilk mixture. Whisk together until combined but still lumpy.

    Pour 1/4 batter onto griddle for each pancake and spread the batter until at least 4″ in diameter. When the edges of the pancake are dry and the center is bubbly, flip. Cook another minute or so until golden brown.

    Serve with butter and syrup.

    They do taste pretty good warm and with nothing on them, but a lot better with butter and syrup.

  • 07Jan

    Another Rachel Ray recipe, and a good one. The first time I made the rice pilaf, I used extra sharp yellow cheddar because that’s what I had. We found it overpowered all the other flavors. The second time I made it I used the white cheddar and it was very good.

    The original recipe calls for green beans, but they’re not a favorite in our house, so we just have a nice side salad instead.

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