Thursday, November 8, 2012

Chicken, Noodles, Sauce, Oh MY!

Chicken Noodle Casserole! 

Cha-Ching!  Another Pinterest favorite in my home.  This is certainly not culinary art at it's best, however if you need a cozy, quick family friendly casserole, this is the ticket!  You could even buy a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking, cooling and chopping.  On the other hand, you could make your own "cream of" sauce instead of using THE almighty cream of whatever.  But, keep in mind, there are days that you might not feel like putting on your cape.  Keep it simple and enjoy.  I hope you feel that "chicken noodle ooey gooey feeling" when you look at this picture like I do.  Have a cozy day, my friend. 

Below is a picture and the link. 


http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-macaroni-casserole-351655

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Cauliflower Breadsticks! Was it GOOD???

Confession time.  I have to admit to you that I am a Pinterest pinning fool.  Oh, don't give me that stare, if you are on Pinterest, you need to confess too!  I pin so many delicious looking food projects and I try just a few.  It really is so much easier to pin that picture to a board than to actually make the dish!  BUT, tonight I hit jackpot on this recipe for my family.  The recipe is actually called "Basil Cauliflower Pizza".  I have seen many variations of this concept, but I just made the crust, cut it into to strips and viola'.....we have cheesy breadsticks.  I even fooled the kiddo!   I did tell her that it was cauliflower after she had 3 strips.  How can you pass up the look on their face when they hear the truth?  I like for her to know that she ate something healthy and liked it, but only after I fooled her.  It is not a sturdy, crispy "crust" but once it cools a few minutes, it could absolutely be a base for that creative pizza that you are dying to create.  It is more of a fork and knife dish than a traditional pick up pizza crust, so just be aware of the difference.  I gives this a family friendly"A".  Pick up a head of cauliflower on your next grocery trip.  You will be glad you tried this one!  Cauliflower Pizza Pinterest pin = Excellent. 

http://www.fatgirltrappedinaskinnybody.com/2011/06/basil-cauliflower-pizza/


 
 
Below are the pictures of mine that I made tonight.  (I didn't have basil on hand and I also used a combo of cheeses I had on hand.)
 
 
 

Monday, September 24, 2012

The Barefoot Contessa knows CHOCOLATE with her Beatty's Chocolate Cake!

I just cannot even tell you how scrumptious this cake was the night I made it for my father's birthday.  Yes, this is the same night I made Tyler's Ultimate Spaghetti and Meatballs.  In the words of Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa), "It's CHOCOLATE...how bad can that be, right?"  However, even though most anything chocolate is just a little bit of heaven on earth, this cake was indeed above average!  This is "lick the bowl" kinda good.  If you are looking for a moist, rich and decadent chocolate cake, you have met your soul mate.  The layers are dark in color and very moist.  You can eliminate the raw egg yolk in the frosting, but just remember that your cake will not look as glossy and may be a little lighter in color.  This is one food memory I will not forget!  Below is the Food Network link with the recipe and then a picture of my cake the night we devoured it!

Happy CHOCOLATE memories, my friend.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/beattys-chocolate-cake-recipe/index.html 

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Go ahead. Burn 'Em! The Birth of a Sausage Ball Casserole.

It was Saturday afternoon and everything was perfect.  The game was on.  The skies were beautiful.  It was the first day of Fall and I am now charged with putting together my sausage balls for the Sunday School breakfast the next morning.  My 5 year old daughter helped me and we rolled out 4 large trays of sausage balls. What a moment to spend with her.  Yes, all great until I saw a little smoke come out of the oven.  Hmm, I wonder what in the world that could be.  Surely that's not my perfect little sausage balls. Great day, it was the bottom 2 pans on the bottom rack.  I took the pans out and they were burnt on the bottom.  Boo!  Never fear, the tops were delicious!  So, in an effort to not waste food, I cut all the tops off and made a Sausage Ball Casserole.  It turned out great.  Here are the details:

Sausage Ball Casserole
16-25 cooked Sausage Balls, cooled (depends on the size of you the balls you made.  Cover the bottom of the casserole dish plus a little.)
2 cups of shredded cheese (Cheddar or Mexican Blend)
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup of milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme (optional)

Whisk eggs and add milk.   Add salt and pepper and whisk until thoroughly blended.  Crumble sausage balls and place on the bottom of a casserole pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. (I used an oval dish that was smaller than a 9x11 but larger than a 8x8.  I really think this is flexible.) Place cheese over the sausage balls.  Pour egg mixture over all of this.  Bake at 425 degrees for approx 20 minutes or until center is set. Sprinkle with thyme, if available.

Note: 
  • Adding a can of chopped green chilies would be AWESOME!!  I was out!
  • Don't put it back into the oven for 5 more minutes like I did.  Your cheese will get too done!  Live and learn, right?!
  • This is even a reason to keep some cooked, frozen sausage balls in the freezer.  Nuke 'em briefly in the micro and make yourself a casserole!
So, go ahead.......burn 'em!  There's always a Plan B! 

Cook soon!  Make another memory! 


Friday, September 21, 2012

TOAD IN A HOLE! It was love at first bite.

Kim's Cookbook FOR YOUNG PEOPLE by Red Farm Studio.  These words may mean nothing to you, but it was the beginning for me.  My grandmother, Dolly, gave me my very first cookbook.  She recognized the passion I had at age 10.  The first recipe that I chose to make was "Toad in a Hole".  I still remember making this easy egg dish with my Mother standing patiently by while I perfect the cracking of my egg.  Of course, I didn't want help.  At 10, you're grown anyway, right?
Cook with your children.  Someday they might be blogging about it.  Take the time to love their passion, whatever it may be.  "Kim", your Toad in a Hole rocks.



Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Meatball Madness!

Meatball Madness!  Tyler, You are UNBELIEVABLE!

What a tribute to one of my favorites, Tyler Florence!  A spaghetti and meatball recipe that will knock your noodle off!  Whoops.  Be careful!  I made this for my Dad's birthday last January.  I CANNOT even tell you how awesome this turned out.  It takes a little time and PA-Leeeze, make your own Pomodoro Sauce.  The recipe for the sauce follows the meatballs.  If you crack open a can, do it on another recipe, not on my friend from South "Cackalacky". This is art, folks.  Enjoy. 

Make a memory.  Here's a pic of Tyler's creation and of course, our memory pic.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/spaghetti-and-meatballs-recipe2/index.html

Monday, July 16, 2012

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this Roasted Marinara Sauce and this Blog!  Check it out!


Here is the link!  I made a ton of this for my freezer.  Hello winter! 

http://afoodcentriclife.com/roasted-tomato-marinara-sauce-with-garlic-and-oregano/

http://www.foodchannel.com/recipes/recipe/canning-homemade-salsa/

Baskets and Bags and Buckets, OH MY!!  While I am so grateful that my little one and the hubs has planted an awesome garden, my swollen ankles from standing in the kitchen are are only a minor side effect when compared to the overwhelming joy of cooling jars right out of the hopper, uh...er....boiling water bath.  I found this salsa recipe on the Food Channel link above. This recipe had me at garlic, cilantro, lime juice....oh, hello!  Although, we happen to live on the spicy side of life, so instead of the 1/4 lb of jalapenos, we like to add 1/2 to 3/4 of a lb.  Your call!  Happy Canning!