Been Awhile

So, I was making an old staple here in the Hart household ... Rye bread dressing .... and was attempting to do so from memory.  I decided to log into my blog to make sure I had not omitted some very important, can't-do-without ingredient and got a little sad noticing that I hadn't posted for 2 years!  As I looked back through some archived recipes, I realized that my NOT taking the time to do what I love because "I'm way too busy" is not such a good thing.  I'm going to try to get back to memorializing some of my fav recipes by snapping a pic and posting here ... at least a little more often.  Until then... it's back to the kitchen.  Something's smelling good in there!

Amy's Mac N Cheese

This is definitely not for you if you're looking for something healthy to make. But, if you're looking for comfort food, it really hits the spot!

I usually make this with either heavy cream or half and half, but I had neither, so I improvised with a jar of leftover alfredo sauce I had sitting in the fridge.

1 cup elbow mac
1/3 jar alfredo sauce (was probably 3/4 cup or so)
Enough milk to make 2 cups of liquid (mixed with the alfredo)
1 bag of sharp cheddar shredded cheese (was a 4 cup bag)
Seasoned Salt
Onion and Herb Mrs. Dash

Boil the macaroni until al dente (will further cook in the oven, so doesn't need to be quite done). Layer half of the macaroni in an oven safe dish. Layer half of the cheese on top, then repeat with the remainder of the macaroni and remainder of the cheese.

Mix together the alfredo sauce and milk to make 2 cups of liquid. Pour the liquid over the top of the macaroni and cheese layers.

Sprinkle seasoned salt and Mrs. Dash over the top of the dish.

Bake in 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes or so (I covered my dish for all but 10 minutes or so).

Creamy, cheesy and very tasty! The alfredo gives it a nice flavor.

Green Beans

We didn't think the garden was going to produce much this year as it got beat down a couple times from storms that have come through. But, voila, it did.. And I picked, snapped, and canned enough beans to last me through the winter.

We put some of the fresh beans in the crock pot with potatoes, smoked sausage, and onions and had the next day for dinner -- one of Chloe's fav meals.

Pad Thai

After a long break .... I'm ready to blog. And, tonight's dinner was worth sharing, so here we go.

I have said for a long time that I wanted to try to cook Thai so today was the day. I tried my hand at Pad Thai. It turned out very flavorful and delicious! Will be a repeat in our kitchen.

1 box rice noodles
Pad thai sauce
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup bean sprouts
10 to 15 medium tiger shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves garlic minced
2 shallots, thin sliced
Green onions for garnish
Cilantro for garnish
Roasted peanuts, chopped
Lime for garnish

Add the entire box of rice noodles to a bowl of hot water and soak for 8 or 9 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water (noodles will be soft). Set aside.

Add shallots and shrimp to heated wok (heat 2 tbsp oil in wok before adding shallots and shrimp). Cook shrimp until opaque adding garlic right before shrimp is done. Add the garlic to soon and it may burn. Set shrimp aside.

Add the remaining 2 tbsp. oil to the wok. Add 2 eggs and scramble. Turn heat to low. Add the rice noodles and pad thai sauce (add until all the noodles get coated). Toss to coat. Continue to toss until noodles are cooked through (taste to see).

Add the shrimp and 1 cup bean sprouts. Toss to coat.

Garnish with chopped green onions, chopped cilantro, crushed peanuts, and lime slices.

I had some extra shrimp which I skewered and grilled (then served on top of the noodles).

Smoked Ham and Beans

It seems like I always lean towards dishes that warm body and soul -- comfort food. Tonight was no exception. It started with smoked pork leftover from yesterday's lunch. We decided to make ham and beans that would be served alongside corn bread. I have never attempted ham and beans before, but it seemed like the thing to do on a cold winter evening. The dish ended up being sublime and was enjoyed by everyone, including Chloe (which surprised me; I expected her to turn up her nose at it). It was a joint labor of love (had Phil's help along the way).

• 1 1/2 lbs. (a package and half) Hurst's white great northern beans
• 10 to 12 oz. pork (ours came from leftover grilled, smoked pork chops)
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt, pepper, garlic to season

We caramelized the onions with the pork first thing this morning (with olive oil; I also added a couple sprigs of fresh rosemary to impart some additional flavor).

Then, we put the beans in a crock pot and covered them with water along with the rest of the ingredients. I found it was easier to season to my satisfaction when the beans were fully cooked. We put the crock pot on high for about 7 hours. When the beans are done, the broth will thicken slightly.

We served the dish with a drizzle of vinegar which jumps up the flavor just a bit. Then, of course, cornbread to dunk in the broth. Delicious! And so simple to put together.

Phil's Brussels Sprouts

I never got the nerve up to taste Brussels Sprouts until a couple years ago.....actually, the first time I tasted them was the night I got engaged to Phil at the top of the Hancock Tower downtown Chicago (Signature Room on the 95th floor). I really enjoyed them and now, like to make them on occasion.

One way we like to eat these is roasted in the oven with a little olive oil and salt and pepper OR roast them and drizzle my soy and honey glaze over.

This time, Phil boiled them in water with a few added ingredients. We were making an Asian-inspired meal, so had some teriyaki sauce nearby. He put some of that in the water along with some chopped red onions. Salt and pepper to taste. They turned out very good. We served along with some long-grain rice I had made with pork, celery, onions, and teriyaki sauce. Turned out to be a very good meal!

Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

We had our weekly "dinner with the nabes" (as we call it; nabes = neighbors) yesterday evening and I volunteered to prepare it. Awhile back, I found this recipe at a website called caloriecount.com and was intrigued enough to try it. It was good enough that I added it to my recipe collection and last night was the second time I tried it. Again, it was a hit ... everyone loved it. It is a really good soup to serve at this time of the year when the nights are getting colder and you want something to really warm you. Definitely falls under the umbrella of comfort food. I served toasted rye bread with the soup -- it complements the flavor of the soup quite well.

Speaking of this time of the year, it is definitely my favorite. I love autumn! Colorful leaves, mugs of warm apple cider, bonfires, cozy sweaters .... I love it all!

 

But, back to the subject of last night's menu.......(and I doubled it by the way, but the recipe that follows is a single batch which would yield about 4 servings)

The ingredients.....

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chopped mushrooms
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 3/4 cup chopped carrots
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup cooked wild rice (I use the Uncle Ben's kind that is already cooked)
• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
• 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

 Heat oil; add mushrooms, celery, carrots, and shallots and cook until softened. Add flour, salt and pepper and cook 2 minutes more.

Add broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add rice and chicken and let simmer awhile. Add sour cream and parsley at the end and heat through.