Month: July 2014

Girls Night In- Part 2: Mama

Cheese

So I love beanie weenies as much as the next grown-up. Yeah, well, I can fake it if I have to, but I don’t. I took a tortilla chip to the rest of the cheese sauce. https://funfoodiefamily.com/2014/07/13/girls-night-in-part-1-kids/

So yummy, but it needs some spice. I had a plan. I added a chopped jalapeno with the seeds and a few shakes of the hot sauce with the wooden top. You know the one? I could eat hot sauce sprinkled on most foods. Cholula is AMAZING!

This picture cannot give my cheese sauce the proper justice. The sauce was creamy and rich with a ton of spicy flavor. All I did was add the jalapeno, a few dashes of Cholula, and a few dashes of pepper.
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I don’t have a picture of a final dish. Imagine yourself dipping crispy tortilla chips in the yummiest spicy queso that you can. I wouldn’t even put it past us to be drinking a nice cold margarita, chilled white wine, or a favorite cold draft/bottle beer. Cheers to all us grown up girls!

Girls Night In- Part 1: Kids

Girls' Night Out/In, Pasta

So hubby is out tonight and it is just us girls. They were playing and all of a sudden wanted dinner. Really? It is only 4:00 and you just ate at 2:00. I had planned on hot dogs and baked beans anyway, so I decided that it was fine if they were hungry. I looked in the cabinet for a starch. Tons of pastas, 1 boxed mac and cheese, and potatoes on the counter. Hmmmm…. Look in the fridge. A whole container of shredded cheddar. Eureka! I’m making a homemade cheese sauce for quick homemade mac and cheese. The girls wanted no part of having a bun, so I introduced them to beanie weenies.

Beanie Weenies are easy. All you have to do is cut up your favorite hot dog (I used Applegate brand) and mixed them with baked beans. I always keep a can of baked beans in my cabinet. It is a great pantry staple.

Homemade Mac and Cheese

I took 1/2 a container of bowtie pasta (use what you have) and cooked it al dente.

This sauce starts with a classic bechamel sauce

Bechamel Sauce (I got from Mario Batali)
Ingredients
5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions
In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and nutmeg, and set aside until ready to use.

Cheddar Cheese Sauce
Put your velvety bechamel sauce back on medium heat. Stir in 1 pound of shredded cheese- I 3/4 sharp cheddar and 1/4 parmesan. Use what you like or have in the fridge. Whisk well.

I added a few spoonfuls to my pasta. Add a few tablespoons of pasta water if needed to thin out the sauce.

Home run dinner.

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Veggie Pesto Pasta

Pasta, Vegetarian

Hey guys! Hope you are having a great weekend! Yesterday I went veggie crazy at the farmer’s market, per usual. I concocted this veggie pesto pasta using all my farm fresh ingredients. You could throw in some grilled chicken or sauteed shrimp in at the end. Pasta Perfection!

Veggie Pesto Pasta

Pesto- There is nothing like a summer fresh homemade pesto! Original pesto has basil, pine nuts, garlic, and parmesan mixed with olive oil. I like to play around with my pesto, so here is how I made it this time.

In my food processor, I mixed together the following things…
2 cups packed greens- 2 good handfuls of mixed greens I got from the market; spinach, arugula, romaine, and kale.
3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup sliced almonds
3/4 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Veggie Pasta

I sauteed a chopped onion, a handful of cherry tomatoes, 1 sliced squash, sliced sweet peppers (1/3 each of red,yellow,green), and 1 sliced jalapeno. I added 1/2 box of bow tie pasta (use whatever kind of pasta you have/like) to the veggies. Save some pasta water. Add a few tablespoons of your pesto. Add in a bit of pasta water. Mix well.

With all those beautiful colors and flavors, this pasta looks and tastes just like summer!

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Oven Baked Tilapia

Seafood, Side dishes...veggies, potatoes, grains

Happy Thursday my fellow food fanatics! Thanks for supporting me in my culinary adventures in the kitchen. Here is another food win… oven baked tilapia. This fish turns out moist and flaky and has a delicious crunchy parmesan coating that my family loves.

Oven Baked Tilapia

Ingredients

3 large tilapia fillets- almost 1 pound. On sale, it cost less than $6.
1/4 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
2 cups breadcrumbs (plain or Italian will do fine)
1 tablespoon paprika
3 tablespoons parmesan
1 teaspoon each of onion and garlic powder
Salt and Pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 450

Set up your 2 stations…
Station 1- milk and egg mixed together
Station 2- breadcrumbs, paprika, parmesan, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Take your fish and dunk in station 1 on both sides well. Then dunk in station 2. Add each piece to a oven safe dish that has been coated with your favorite cooking spray.

Cook for about 12 \minutes- 6 minutes on each side; flip halfway through. This all depends on the thickness of your fish.

I served with pan roasted brown butter squash (brown 3 tablespoons of butter and add squash with salt and pepper), spicy sauteed spinach (bunch of spinach sauteed in olive oil, a tablespoon of both butter and marscapone, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper), and couscous cooked in chicken stock.

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Jambalaya

Chicken, Crockpot /Make Ahead Meals, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, One pot meal, Pork, Seafood

This was an easy and delicious recipe. Even though it had a bit of a kick to it, my girls still ate it. They especially loved all the meat! I made a huge pot of this. I plan on having it again for dinner one night this week and freezing the rest for later. A great one pot meal!

Jambalaya

Ingredients

There are many recipes out there that call for “cajun spice”, but they really are just made up of all the following herbs and spices. I like to create my own combo, so add or omit any you don’t like.

1 packet andouille or smoked sausage (could sub chicken sausage) sliced into bite-sized pieces
3 boneless skinless chicken thighs (could use 1 large or 2 small breasts)
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2-1/2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder, chili flakes, cumin, AND cayenne pepper—(These are your “smoke and heat”, so add more or less depending on what you like)
1 tablespoon Old Bay
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons tomato paste
One 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes
1-1/2 cups long grain rice

Instructions

Heat the oil in a stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until hot.

Add the chicken and sausage. Cook thoroughly and take out and put to the side.

Add your chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Cook for 5-6 minutes until soft. Add the tomato paste and mix together for a 2 minutes.

Add the rice and all of your spices and herbs. Mix well.

Add the canned tomatoes (juice included). Mix and add in half of your chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Mix well. Add in the rest of your chicken stock.

Lower heat to low. Cook covered for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked through.
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Lastly add the raw shrimp, chicken, and sausage. Gently stir in.

Cook for 5 more minutes until the the shrimp is firm. (Smaller shrimp may require less cooking time.) Stir periodically, if necessary, to keep from sticking.

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