Flaming Bacon Mac & Cheese

I love macaroni and cheese.  I always have.  I can eat it plain, or I can mix things up in it.  I'll eat the boxed stuff if I have to, but what I have been craving for a while was the homemade stuff that you bake in the oven.  I had that as a child, and usually liked it.  I say usually because sometimes I had that weird little kid thing going on where you want the boxed stuff because you don't get it as much.  It seems like it's special, even though it really isn't.  Thankfully growing up made me appreciate a good baked mac and cheese.  Unfortunately I wasn't quite sure how to make one, and was a bit worried it would taste like flour and grossness.  I didn't want to use a processed cheese "food", but I had always been told that real cheese doesn't work well.  Thankfully I found this recipe at Eat More Heat that would pique my curiosity enough to give it a whirl.

It's really not hard at all!  I'm not sure why  I was worried about it now that I've made it.

I didn't have some of the stuff the original recipe called for, but I substituted where I needed to and it worked.  This mac and cheese is VERY hot!  You can cut back on the peppers or the seasoning if you must, but this stuff tastes good.

 

This song is appropriate.

Flaming Bacon Mac & Cheese

 

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb of bacon 
• 3 to 4 cloves of garlic - minced
• 3 green onions - chopped finely
• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp cajun seasoning
• 2 tsp chile powder
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 cups monterey jack cheese
• 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese
• 3 cayenne peppers - diced
• 2 jalapeno peppers - diced
• 1 Hungarian wax pepper - diced
• 1 lb box macaroni 
• Plain breadcrumbs - for topping
• Parmesan cheese - grated for topping

Directions:

1. Cook bacon and reserve fat.  Note: you can still oven cook the bacon if you so choose, just make sure to pour the fat into the pan you'll be using to make the sauce.
2. Saute onion, garlic, and peppers in a large pan with the bacon fat over medium heat until peppers are tender and garlic is lightly browned.
3. While onion, garlic, and peppers are sauteing, warm milk over medium heat. While milk is heating, add butter and flour to the garlic and onions.
4. Pour warm (not boiling) milk into the butter and onions mixture. Stir until thick.
5. Reduce heat to medium low and add seasonings and crumbled bacon.  Simmer for 5 minutes to allow the seasonings to do their thing.
6. While sauce is simmering, boil macaroni until al dente.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
7. Add cheese to sauce and stir until well blended and cheese is melted.
8. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.  Place drained pasta in pan, and pour sauce over pasta.  Stir pasta and sauce until well mixed.
9. Cover mac and cheese in bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
10. Bake until brown and bubbling, approximately 30 to 35 minutes.

Serves 6 to 8

Sloppy Joes sans Canwich

Sometimes I make something and am horribly disappointed in it, yet Mr. Monkey will insist that it's not as bad as I think it is.  This recipe started out as something else all together.  I made the original, and thought the whole thing tasted too sweet and was disgusting.  Mr. Monkey said it was fine if you didn't eat the cornbread part.  Indeed, the Jiffy cornbread was too cake-like, and the recipe wanted way too much of it.  The meat part wasn't bad though, and thus we decided to try it again as a sloppy joe sandwich.

It was awesome... though I did put a bit too much spice in.  I'll put the recipe up as I made it, but be aware that it will be spicy, and you might want to make adjustments.  I would recommend cutting out the cayenne and/or jalapeno peppers.

The "sans Canwich" part of the name is a play on the name of a certain canned sloppy joe mix.  You don't need that stuff to make a great sandwich!

Sloppy Joes sans Canwich

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 22 oz ground turkey (or 1 lb of your favorite ground meat)
• 3 cloves garlic - minced
• 2 green onions - sliced
• 1 medium red or orange bell pepper - chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper - chopped 
• 1 cayenne pepper - chopped 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 ground cumin
• 3/4 tbsp sriracha (Rooster) sauce
• 1/2 tbsp chipotle Tabasco sauce 
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp liquid smoke (optional)

Directions:

1. Add olive oil to a large pan and warm over medium heat.  Add ground turkey and brown.
2. When turkey is brown and broken up into smaller pieces, add the garlic, peppers, green onion, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, hot sauces, and liquid smoke.
3. Simmer until peppers are tender.
4. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and tomato sauce until combined.  Lower the heat and allow to simmer until it's hot all the way through and is thickened.
5. Serve over your favorite bread or buns!

Serves 4

Acorn Squash for Breakfast!

That wee little sock monkey is encouraging you to try something new!  What is that?  Acorn Squash for breakfast, that's what!  Acorn squash has a slightly sweet taste on it's own, and the texture can be pretty smooth (especially if you puree it).  It takes a little bit to bake it, but when it's done you can either eat it all on its own, or mix with something else.  You could even make muffins and bread as you would with pumpkin!

Steel-cut Oatmeal with Acorn Squash mixed in!

Basic Acorn Squash

Ingredients:

• 1 large acorn squash - should feel heavy and firm to the touch 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
3. Place acorn squash in center of the pan, and place pan in the oven.
4. Bake for 45 minutes, turning the squash at least twice during baking time to ensure even cooking.
5. Squash will be done when you can easily slide a paring knife into the side.
6. Remove squash from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before attempting to handle it.
7. When squash is cool enough to handle (but not cold), slice in half.  Scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp.
8. Remove the meat from the skin.  There will be harder woody parts inside where the ridges of the squash were, so be sure to remove those too.
9. Either puree the squash or mash with a large spoon. 

From here you can add honey, brown sugar, butter, or cinnamon if you so desire and eat it on its own.  You can also mix it with oatmeal, or use it in place of pumpkin in a pumpkin recipe.

Serves 2 to 4 depending on serving size.

Zucchini Mediterranean Style with Jasmine Rice

I try to have at least one dish each week that is meatless.  It doesn't have to be vegan, but it does have to be vegetarian.  I do this mainly to make sure I'm eating well, but also to save a touch of money.  Meat can sometimes be expensive, so not having to buy as much helps out.  I'd like to think a dish like this balances out the whoopie pies and chocolate pancakes I love to make.

Zucchini is in season, so I can find it easily at the Farmer's Market and it's pretty cheap.  This dish was very flavorful and pairs nicely with the Jasmine rice.  I didn't make it too spicy, and decided to rinse the canned beans first to improve the flavor.  The recipe comes from All Recipes; and while it calls for cannellini beans, you can use navy beans like I did.

Zucchini Mediterranean Style with Jasmine Rice

 Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup Jasmine rice
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 green onions - chopped finely
• 1 large bell pepper - chopped  (I used orange)
• 4 cloves garlic - minced
• 1 (14.5 oz) can of whole peeled tomatoes - quartered
• 3 cups chopped zucchini
• 1 tbsp Greek Herb Blend seasoning
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 (15 oz) can of navy beans - drained and rinsed 

Directions:

1. Bring water to boil in a large pot.  Add salt and rice to water. Reduce heat to medium low and cover.  Allow to cook for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir once, and cover again for 5 more minutes.  Fluff with fork when ready to serve.  While this is going on...
2. Heat oil in a separate pan over medium heat.  Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and zucchini.  Cook until zucchini is tender.
3. Add tomatoes and seasoning.   Reduce heat to medium low to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.  Stir occasionally.
4. Add navy beans, stir, and allow to cook for 5 to 10 minutes uncovered.
5. Serve over cooked Jasmine rice.

Serves 3 to 4

Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Bake

Bakingdom had this really great pizza pasta bake recipe that I knew I just had to make as soon as I saw it pinned on Pinterest.  Not only did it look delish, but I knew I'd have quite a few leftovers and it was simple too.  I was so stoked about making this that I made sure I had everything I needed... but the pasta.  I thought I had enough rotini, but it turns out I only had half a box.  Luckily I also had half a box of spaghetti which I just broke in half and used.  I also stuffed a couple of lasagna noodles in for good measure.

The meat can be ground chicken, turkey, beef, pork, or even an Italian sausage.  I used ground turkey and also used a turkey pepperoni.  This along with the whole wheat pasta, made it slightly more healthy.  At least as healthy as a dish full of pasta and covered in cheese can be. :)  I also left out the sugar that the original recipe calls for.  I'm just not a big fan of sweet sauce, and if I'm making it myself then the sugar is going to be left out.

You'll want to have a rather large pot ready to mix all of this up.  I recommend starting out with it for the pasta, rinsing it out, using it for the sauce, and then dumping the pasta and meat in it to mix it up.  I tried using a 4 quart pot, and it was simply too small.


Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Bake

Ingredients: 

• 1 13 oz box of whole wheat pasta
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 2 cups turkey pepperoni - quartered
• 2 15 oz cans of tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp garlic herb blend Italian type seasoning
• Pepper to taste
• 4 cloves garlic - minced
• 2 tbsp crushed red pepper
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Prepare pasta until al dente (about 10 minutes) in a large pot. Drain and rinse pot.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray, and set aside.
3. Brown ground turkey in large skillet.  Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to turkey.  Stir in pepperoni when almost browned.
4. Add olive oil to the large pot and warm over medium low heat.  Stir in garlic and let it get golden brown.
5. Stir in tomato sauce, crushed red pepper, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.  Simmer for about 10 minutes to let the seasonings release their flavors.
6. Remove sauce from heat.  Add pasta and meat and mix well.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Cover in mozzarella.
8. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and just turning brown on top.
9. Allow to sit for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6

Simple Sesame Noodles

This lovely recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman, and let me tell you it is so simple and delicious!  The beautiful thing about these noodles is that you can fix them as is and eat them alone, pair them with another dish, stir in additional ingredients (shrimp and almonds come to mind), and I'm pretty sure they even taste good cold, straight out of the refrigerator.

A note on a few of the ingredients.  You should be able to find most of these in the Asian food section of your local grocery store.  The hot chili oil was the one for me that was tough to find, and I ended up having to go to a specialty market for it.  Also keep an eye out for the rice vinegar.  It was in both the vinegar section as well as the Asian food section, but the ones that were in the vinegar section cost more.  I also doubled the amount of hot chili oil used in the original recipe.

Simple Sesame Noodles

Ingredients:

• 12 oz of thin noodles (spaghetti, Japanese noodles, etc) -  cooked, drained, and warm
• 1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 4 cloves of garlic - minced
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 3 Tbsp pure sesame oil
• 1 tsp hot chili oil
• 4 Tbsp canola oil
• 4 whole green onions -  sliced thin
• 2 Tbsp hot water

Directions:

1. Whisk all ingredients (except the noodles and green onions) together in a large bowl.
2. Add warm noodles and toss to cover the noodles with the sauce.
3. Add green onion and toss.
4. Serve as a side or main dish!

Servings: 4 to 8 depending on serving size

"Squashed" Egg Scramble

Remember how I mentioned saving the pulpy part of the squash we scooped out when making the Stuffed One & Eight Ball Squash?  Well this is where we get to use it!  This can be a lunch or dinner meal, but I recommend it for breakfast.  I sometimes find that I want more of a savory breakfast than the traditional sweet breakfast.  This was hot and filling, and it used up the extra squash and spinach I had from making last night's dinner.  I use crushed red pepper and cajun seasoning for a good spicy heat, but you can substitute those for flavorful herbs if you prefer.

"Squashed" Egg Scramble

Ingredients:

• The left over squash pulp from 2 one or eight ball squashes
• About a cup of fresh baby spinach
• 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter (1 tbsp may be sufficient) 
• 1 tbsp crushed red pepper
• 2 tsp cajun seasoning
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese 

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low to medium heat. 
2. Add squash to melted butter and saute until tender. Use a spatula to break apart the larger chunks if you didn't chop them before this point.
3. Add the spinach and stir until wilted.
4. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
5. Whisk eggs, cream, cheese, red pepper, and cajun seasoning together until well beaten.
6. Push the squash and spinach mixture more towards the center of the pan, and pour in the egg mixture.
7. Lift, push, and scramble the mixture in the pan to get it all cooked. 
8. This will be ready when eggs are cooked to your liking and everything is hot.

Serves 1 to 2 depending on how hungry you are and if you want to share!

Stuffed One & Eight Ball Squash

She Cooks, He Cleans posted this excellent recipe for stuffed squash that they got from Sara at Culinerapy.  Like SCHC, I had to link to the touching tribute to Uncle Bob.  Please take a moment and go read it.  I don't know Sara or her uncle, but after that post I felt like I was right there with her growing up with him.  I teared up because her post made me think of the special people in my life that I have lost whom have influenced my cooking.  While did alter the recipe slightly from what was posted by SCHC and Sara, I thought about Uncle Bob's tribute while making it.  I hope he would find this variation of his dish acceptable.

Stuffed One & Eight Ball Squash

Ingredients:

• 2 One and Eight Ball Squash, medium to medium large size (a large zucchini can also be used)
• 2 stalks (green and white) green onion - chopped
• 3 cloves garlic - minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 8 oz fresh baby spinach 
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (plus some for the topping) 
• 3 tbsp Mexican Crema (sour cream can be used, but the crema has a richer flavor)
• 1 egg - well beaten
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A few tablespoons of bread crumbs for topping
• 1 tbsp garam masala (optional, but gives it a great flavor and smell)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Spray a small baking dish (a 8x8 casserole works fine) with oil and put to the side.
3. Wash and dry squash, then slice in half horizontally. Cut the stem area off, and also cut a bit of the bottom off on the other half.  This will make sure both are able to stand up without falling over.
4. Scoop out the pulpy parts and store them in a covered container in the refrigerator. Do not throw these away! We will use this in a recipe tomorrow! :)
5. Lightly coat the insides and rim of the hollowed out squash halves with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.
6. Place the squash in the oiled dish, and bake for 20 minutes or until the squash is starting to get tender.
7. While the squash is in the oven, warm a pan on medium low heat with the oil and butter. 
8. When the butter is melted, add the green onion and garlic.  Saute until garlic starts to turn golden and onion is soft.
9. Slowly add handfuls of spinach and stir until the spinach is wilted.
10. Add salt, pepper, and garam masala.
11. When all spinach is wilted, add the cranberries and walnuts. Stir until mixed, remove the pan from the heat, and allow the cranberries to plump slightly.
12. The squash is probably done by now, and probably was done before we got to this step. Be sure to remove it from the oven when the time is up, and let it cool for a bit.  Using tongs, empty out any excess liquid that may have accumulated in the squash cups.
13. Empty the filling into a bowl and add the Parmesan cheese, egg, and crema.  "Stir it all madly."
14. Carefully spoon the mixture into the squash cups, and add a bit more Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs as topping.
15. Bake for 15 minutes or until tops are browned slightly and squash is tender without being mushy.
16. Serve warm or at room temperature.  It will be great either way!

Serves 2 (two squash halves each if using the ball squash)

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Buckwheat Honey Buttercream Filling

Last week I was trying to think of what I wanted to bake.  I had some pumpkin to use, and was debating on making a bundt cake or something else.  I grabbed my Whoopie Pies cookbook by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell and found just what I wanted to make.  The pumpkin whoopie pie recipe was easy, but then came the hard part... what kind of filling should I use?  I wanted something that would make me think of fall and complement the pumpkin flavor.  I almost made a regular buttercream filling and subbed the vanilla with a pumpkin pie coffee syrup I just bought.  Instead I found the honey buttercream filling and opted for that.

The buckwheat honey isn't a requirement, but I chose it because of it's strong flavor.  I wanted a honey that was rich tasting and that wouldn't be overpowered by the rest of the filling.  Buckwheat honey is a very dark brownish amber color that reminds me a lot of molasses.  I got my honey from a local vendor at the Farmer's Market.  If you can't get this kind of honey, then any type you have on hand will do just fine.

I subbed 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie seasoning for the allspice and nutmeg since the pie seasoning contained both, and I had it on hand.  I also used a roasted ground ginger.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp roasted ground ginger
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups solid pack pumpkin (do not use pre-seasoned!)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Sift (or whisk) together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, pumpkin pie seasoning, and salt in a separate bowl.
3. Either using a mixer with a paddle attachment or by hand, beat the brown sugar and butter together in a bowl until just combined.  Add the pumpkin and egg, beating well.  Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
4. Add the flour mixture and mix until incorporated.  Be sure to scrape the sides and under the batter mixture to make sure that all the dry ingredients are combined with the wet.
5. Using either a small ice cream scoop or a cookie scoop, drop scoops of batter onto the prepared baking sheets spacing them about 2 inches apart.  Be sure to have an even amount of scoops so each pie half has a "buddy" for filling!
6. Bake one sheet at a time for about 15 minutes each, or until the cakes are firm to the touch.
7. Cool on the sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely. 

Yield: I ended up with 30 total halves, enough for 15 whoopies.  This was using a cookie scoop.

Note: You can reuse the parchment paper, so if you have more whoopie pies to scoop than pans to fill, then you can remove the pies from the paper when they are cooled, and then add more dough to the sheets. 

Buckwheat Honey Buttercream Filling

Ingredients:

• 3 cups confectioners' sugar (icing sugar)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 tbsp heavy whipping cream
• 2 tsp buckwheat honey
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1.  Beat together the confectioners' sugar and the butter until the mixture is crumbly.
2. Add the heavy cream, honey, lemon juice, and salt.  Mix until smooth. 

Now if you're like me, your kitchen will still be pretty stinking warm from cooking the whoopie pies.  If you're also like me, then you're wanting to taste these really bad and will dump all the filling into a pastry bag and start filling whoopie pies as soon as they are cool.  The filling will get oozy!  Still delicious, but an oozy mess.  If you have the patience, then I would recommend covering the filling and putting it in the fridge for about 30 minutes before using it to fill the whoopie pies.  This gives the kitchen a chance to cool off, and will help the filling not get oozy while you're working with it.  Feel free to use a pastry bag or just grab a spoon, knife, or spatula and fill away!

Fluffernutter Cookies - Only Three Ingredients!

There was a time I didn't know what Fluffernuters were.  In fact that time was as recently as last week.  I kept seeing people talk about it, and I would scratch my head and shrug.  Traditionally, a fluffernutter is a sandwich that is made with peanut butter and marshmallow fluff (or marshmallow cream if you don't have the specific brand).  It sounded wonderful, and I nearly made one for myself with some leftover marshmallow cream that I had, but then I saw this recipe over at Picky Palate.

I was skeptical. Only three ingredients?  How will that even work?  What if they are just an oozy mess?  Maybe I should try adding something else?  In the end, I decided to give it a shot.  I didn't have QUITE a full cup of the marshmallow cream, but even so they turned out delicious.

Fluffernutter Cookies!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup marshmallow cream
• 1 cup peanut butter 
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and put to the side.
3. Mix the egg, marshmallow cream, and peanut butter  until just combined.  You want to have a nice marbling in the marshmallow cream.
4. Scoop the dough onto the pan with a cookie scoop leaving about an inch or two between the cookies.
5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Watch out for the browning of the peaks to prevent burning.  The cookies may be fairly gooey when you take them out, but they will set as they cool.
6. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes before you transfer them to a cooling rack (and try not to eat them all while moving them to the rack!).

Yields 15 to 18 cookies depending on scoop size.

Meatballs and Squash Spaghetti Sauce

I must confess, I'm not always the best at getting a food photograph together.  Take the meatballs from this post.  It would look so much better on a plate, carefully arranged, better lighting, etc.  Unfortunately when it was done I was quickly trying to serve it because we were pretty hungry.  So we have a picture of the leftovers instead.  Mind you, I'm really looking forward to these leftovers!

The main part of the recipe will be the meatballs themselves.  The sauce you use is flexible, but I figured I would post it anyway.  Yes, I also realize that isn't technically spaghetti pasta; I used what we had.  It worked.

As a side note on the meatballs, I may try cooking them in the oven next time.  It would remove the element of having the meat fats to use for sauteing the squash, but it would make it easier to prepare everything at once without the meatballs getting cold.

Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 lb hot pork sausage (I used a hot breakfast sausage, but hot Italian would work too)
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp garlic herb blend (either Mrs. Dash or Kitchen Secrets)
• 2 tsp ground pepper
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl either with clean hands or by fork until very well combined.  Scrape sides and bottom to ensure the breadcrumbs are fully incorporated into the meat mixture.  Make sure that the two meats are well mixed so you don't have large clumps of a certain meat type in a single meat ball. 
2. Warm about 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan using medium low heat.
3. Form the meat into balls either by hand or using a 4" ice cream scoop.  Using the scoop should mean you have around 8 meatballs total.
4. Cook the meatballs in the pan until all the pink is gone.  You may want to turn the heat up to medium, but I would advise against going much higher as you want to cook them all the way through without burning the outside.
5. Move meatballs from the pan to a plate. Do not drain all of the fat out of the pan as we're going to make...

Squash Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of sliced squash - I recommend using different types of squash to add an interesting flavor.  I used One Ball squash and Mediterranean squash  
• 2 8oz cans of unsalted all natural tomato sauce
• 1 6oz can of tomato paste
• Sea salt to taste
• 2 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp Kitchen Secrets Greek Seasoning (optional)
• 1 tbsp Garlic Herb Blend (Mrs. Dash or Kitchen Secrets)
• 3 tsp crushed red pepper
• 2 tsp Sriracha "Rooster" sauce
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• The meat fat from previously

Directions:

1. Saute the sliced squash over medium heat in the fat from the meatballs.  Add the olives when the squash starts to become tender.
2. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste, and stir well to ensure the consistency is even throughout the sauce.
3. Add the seasonings and sriracha sace. Mix well and simmer until sauce is bubbly and hot.
4. Serve over pasta of your choice with the meatballs.

Serves 4 (two meatballs per plate).

Cure for a Bad Day: Chocolate Waffles

This recipe was originally posted at Paris Pastry and is a wonderful way to fight off a bad day.  Honestly there's nothing for me to really change up here, the recipe is awesome all on its own.  If you are skeptical about this because you don't like super sweet breakfast fare, then you'll be pleasantly surprised that these waffles aren't super sugary.  Whipping the egg whites makes them light and fluffy, and even though I didn't have anything with them I still was full after eating a couple.

Chocolate Waffles

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 ¼ cups whole milk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. In another bowl combine the melted butter, whole milk and egg yolks, whisk to combine. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and mix until smooth.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip egg whites until stiff peaks form (or if you're like me, whip them by hand). Add the brown sugar and continue whopping until stiff. Lightly fold the whipped egg whites into the batter.  The batter will be bubbly and thick looking.
3. Heat waffle iron and spray with nonstick cooking spray. For each waffle, pour the amount recommended by the manufacturer and bake as directed. (around 4 tablespoons per waffle, baked for 3 minutes). 

Yielded 8 1/2 waffle squares on my waffle iron

Bowtie Sausage Soup

I bookmarked a similar recipe a while back because a certain sausage brand shouted out the link since it mentioned using their brand sausage.  I forgot about it, and stumbled across it again when planning out this week's meals.  A quick Google search showed that the recipe is fairly common, but it just doesn't have the brand name sausage mentioned.  I didn't mention that brand here either because, as much as I like it, it tends to be expensive.  Not only that, but I wanted to vary the dish up a bit.

The recipe is very basic, but I decided to amp it up slightly to get more servings out of it, and to make it heartier.  I also like having multiple sausage types in a dish like this so you can get different flavors and textures.  It is rather inexpensive to make, and you can freeze the leftovers for a nice meal later on.  Even with the "rooster" sauce, the soup is not very spicy, and people that don't like spicy foods should still enjoy this.

Bowtie Sausage Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 lb smoked turkey sausage, sliced
• 1 lb (approximately 3 links) pork bratwurst sausage, chopped or sliced
• 1 slice of lean bacon, chopped
• 8 cups (64 oz) low sodium chicken broth
• 1 15oz can of tomato sauce
• 1 lb bowtie pasta
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 green onion stalks (green and white parts), chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp "rooster" (Sriracha) sauce (optional)
• 1 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Brown smoked turkey sausage, bratwurst, and bacon in a large stock pot with the stove set to medium heat.
1. Optional step: get impatient and jack the heat up to medium high and walk away. Come back a minute or so later when the bacon and sausage fats are scorching the bottom of the pot. Turn heat back down to medium and pretend you totally meant to do that. It will taste awesome either way (it did).
2. Add green onion and garlic to pot. Heat until the onion is soft and the garlic is slightly browned.
3. Pour the chicken broth into the pot.  Stir it around well, and scrape the bottom of the pot well if you did the optional step 1.
4. Stir in the tomato sauce, pasta, thyme, bay leaves, Worcestershire, sriracha, liquid smoke, salt and pepper.  Raise heat to medium-high to high in order to bring the soup to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low to medium, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. 

Serves 6 to 7 

Chocolate Cinnamon Muffins

 My boyfriend and I are doing what we can to save money due to job situations.  Saturdays used to involve us going out for breakfast before we got groceries, but we've since decided to have breakfast in house.  I still wanted Saturday breakfast to be somewhat special, so I decided to bake something simple using whatever I had.  I found this recipe for a chocolate chocolate chip muffin, but I didn't have nearly enough chocolate chips.  Undaunted, I used cinnamon instead which resulted in a warm, spicy chocolate muffin that went over well for breakfast.

As a side note, I did this both with and without cupcake wrappers.  The muffins without seemed be a bit more moist, but this may just be my imagination.  Either way, if you do not have any wrappers you'll be perfectly fine.

Chocolate Cinnamon Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup + 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake wrappers, or lightly spray the cups with cooking spray.
3. Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, sugar, and cinnamon into a large bowl. 
4. Whisk the dry goods together until well incorporated, and then add the chocolate chips. 
5. Whisk the milk, oil, egg, and vanilla extract together in a separate bowl or large measuring cup.
6. Pour the liquid into the bowl with the dry goods and stir until mixed.  Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure the dry ingredients get fully combined with the liquid.  The batter may be lumpy which is OK.
7. Spoon the batter into the cups filling each around 2/3rds of the way full.  If you have any leftover batter, then use it to top off the cups until they are all even.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are dark, full, and springy.  You can also put a toothpick in the center of each to test to see if they are done.  If the toothpick comes out clean, then they are cooked all the way.
9. Allow to cool for 2 to 3 minutes prior to serving.

Yields 12 muffins.  I'll leave it up to you to determine how many is a serving. ;)

Creamy Chorizo & Chicken Casserole

A while back I made an awesome casserole.  It was so good that I completely forgot to take a picture of it, so I decided to use a picture of the next best thing... a happy monkey!  However now I have a picture of the casserole, and I've posted it!  I'll go ahead and put the monkey picture back in though, because it's a happy monkey. :)

The casserole recipe was posted by Big Girls Small Kitchen as an April Fool's joke.  It was listed as a supposed 100 calorie casserole.  I figured it was a joke after seeing the words Creamy and Chorizo in the same sentence, but kept reading to see what the recipe would be like.  It sounded interesting, so I gathered up everything and tried it out.  I did change up a few things along the way.  I used less cheese, breast meat instead of dark, and I used a full pound of chorizo.  I always substitute green onion for regular onion (Mr. Monkey won't eat regular onion), and I lacked fresh cilantro and lime juice.  The result was a creamy meal that was on par with snuggling up under your favorite warm blanket on a cold day.  It was so delicious, and it froze and reheated splendidly.

Creamy Chorizo & Chicken Casserole (Original Recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chorizo
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 tbsp butter
• 3 green onions
• 3 cloves garlic, miniced
• 3 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 cups brown rice
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese (Fiesta blend, cheddar, pepper jack, or monterey jack are good choices)

Directions:

1. Prepare rice per package instructions in a large pot.  When cooked, set to the side and keep covered so you can mix everything in the pot easily. 
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
3. Cut up chorizo and remove casing if it has it.  Also cut up the chicken and coat it in 1 tsp of the chili powder.
4. Cook both the chorizo and chicken in a large skillet over medium heat until chorizo is browned and chicken is no longer pink.
5. Remove chorizo and chicken from pan and place in the pot with the rice.  If there is excess fat in the pan, then drain all but 1 to 2 tbsp.
6. Add butter, garlic, and green onion to the pan and saute until onions and garlic are lightly browned and soft.
7. Add remaining chili powder, cumin, salt, and flour.  Stir until flour has been fully incorporated.
8. Stir in chicken broth and cook until thickened.
9. Add heavy cream and sour cream.  Simmer over medium low heat until thickened and well mixed.
10. Remove from heat and add the mixture to the pot with the cooked rice and meats.  Mix well in pot, and then spread into a large casserole dish.  Sprinkle cheese over top of the mixture.
11. Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Serves 6

Farmer's Market!

Sunday is the day we go to the Farmer's Market and pick up fresh veggies and fruits for the week's meals.  It's a wonderful place full of color, beauty, and activity.  You can get locally grown produce, plants, and even baked goods!  Today my boyfriend convinced me to take my camera to capture the feeling of the market, and I'm happy to he did.  I've been needing to have a photo outing for a while, and this was a great place for it.  Please check out my collection of photos here!

Comfort Foods: Shrimp & Grits

The first time I had ever heard of Shrimp & Grits I was a bit put off.  I had only had plain grits with butter or the instant packets that had bacon bits.  While the plain ones were OK, they were just that... OK.  The instant packets were doable, but the taste and texture screamed fake.  I like grits in theory, but in execution they were a totally different experience.  When a friend ordered them at lunch one day I was intrigued.  She offered me a bite, and instantly I wanted more.  In Charleston, SC I had the privilege of having Shrimp & Grits at Hyman's.  It was so good, and I was determined to try to make my own version.  While this may lack the gravy you'll see on some variations, it still is just as warm, creamy, and comforting.

Shrimp & Grits
Ingridients:

• 6 tbsp quick grits
• 2 cups water
• Pinch of Salt 
• Pepper
• Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning 
• 5 slices of lean bacon
• 1/2 pound precooked shrimp
• 1 1/2 tbsp butter
• 2 green onions
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp Kitchen Stories Garlic Herb Blend (optional, can use the Mrs Dash Garlic Herb Blend also)
• 1/2 tbsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
• 2/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese - grated finely
• 1/2 medium fresh tomato (optional)

Directions:

1. Place bacon strips on foil covered cookie sheet (with lip) and put in cold oven. Set temperature to 400 degrees F and cook for 20 minutes or until crispy.
2. Allow bacon to drain, and reserve 1/2 tbsp of bacon fat.
3. Saute butter, green onion, and shrimp in a small pan over medium low heat until onion is soft and shrimp is hot.  Add garlic powder,  garlic herb blend, Old Bay Seasoning, reserved bacon fat, and cayenne pepper.  Also crumble up three slices of the bacon.  Mix well and reduce heat to simmer.
4. Boil the 2 cups of water in a medium pot (around 3 quarts). Make sure you have enough room for both the cooked grits and the shrimp mixture.
5. Once water is boiling, add the salt and grits.  Reduce heat to medium and stir to ensure the grits do not clump.
6. Once grits are thickening, add the pepper and cajun seasoning. Keep heat at medium, and keep stiring.
7. When grits are thick and little water remains (or all is absorbed) stir in the cheese until well blended.
8. Optional - add chopped fresh tomato, stir into grits, and let sit long enough for the tomato to get warm, but not mushy.
9. Serve immediately while hot.

Serves 2

1. Add the shrimp mixture, and stir until well mixed.