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A LOOK INTO A HEAD FULL OF RECIPES.

S'More Delight

9/20/2019

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I wanted to make a no-bake cheesecake...

... that tasted like S'mores. So what I did was exactly that! This was a joy to make and this can be had all year round and it is easy as... well... pie! While I don't have some amazing story that comes with it, I thought I would at least give you a quick recipe so that, again, you knew I hadn't forgotten about you all. I made this pie back when the summer was just about to start and I had wanted to make some stuff ahead for the blog and just never got around to posting it until I remembered it was in my folder. I bought a bag of those giant s'more marshmallows and they are what actually inspired the whole blog to begin with.

I even decided to roast the marshmallows to give it that toasty flavor and it was definitely the right call. It definitely tasted like a no-bake cheesecake and s'more's combined, and it was a delight to eat.

RECIPE

Ingredient

1 bag of big marshmallows, partial

1 bar of dark chocolate
1 sleeve of graham crackers
4 TBSP butter
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz whipped cream or whipped topping

Method

Roast 8 of the marshmallows, melt those, and chop
about 4 more.
Chopped, melt 3/4 of the bar, reserve rest
Crushed
Melted
Softened

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And then...

  • Combine butter and crackers together and press into a spring form pan or a pie plate. Set in fridge.
  • Combine the melted chocolate and marshmallows with the cream cheese, fold in the remaining ingredients, flop into the chilled crust and then let chill for at least an hour.
  • Once set, cut into slices and enjoy. Optional: Add chocolate shavings and a dollop of whipped cream/topping.

And that is it.

This has a nice smokey flavor to it and it tastes nice and tangy from the cream cheese. Additionally, you could add flakes of salt but I don't think it needs it, as the acidity in the cheese does cut through the sweetness, as well as that pungent flavor of the dark chocolate as opposed to milk chocolate so it isn't overly sweet. You do not need to add vanilla since it is already in the marshmallows.

I hope you enjoy! I know this is another quickie! As always, happy eating, happy belly.
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Broccoli Cheese Soup on a Cold Rainy Day

10/29/2018

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It's already cold in the mitten state.

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It has been cold for the last several weeks and it is shifting into the time where making soup and stew is a weekly ritual. I happen to like a lot of different soups, but had been craving something I hadn't had in at least seven or eight years. Broccoli cheese soup is my absolute favorite soup for a few reasons...

One, I love broccoli, and I love cheese.
Two, It fills me up for a while.
And three, it makes me warm when it's cold.

I never really used somebody else's recipe because I thought it would be easy... I was right, but still, I should have looked at a recipe or two for some idea of ingredients besides the broccoli and cheese. To add cream or not to add cream? What cheese works best? Do I have to blend it? So many questions that I had in my head.

I wish I had some kind of awesome story to tack on with this recipe, but I don't. This wasn't something from my childhood, just something I sampled from a certain bread restaurant that we all know, and I found it way too salty so I made my own. Simple as that. What else is there?

So instead of a story about soup, I am going off on another tangent for a minute because I feel like the ending can be compared.

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 Right now, life is rough. You already know that I miss my dad and that I cannot say enough about that, but other things are happening too. Being an adult can suck sometimes, and right now, that is how I feel. I mean, we all get hit with it from time to time, and sometimes even all at once. For me, it's that every time that Bruce and I have something fixed, another thing is broken. Every. Single. Time. For instance, I swallowed my pride to talk to my mom about my car. I didn't exactly ask for money because I don't feel right to, but I did gripe about it. She gave us the money, and we got all the big things fixed that needed fixing; the muffler, the suspension, and some other important things that make the car safe to drive. We get that fixed and it's running great! I mean, there is still a little work left on the muffler, but it's so much better and we can actually hear ourselves think when we're on the highway, and relax instead of having our hearts in our throats in the hopes of not being pulled over for noise violation and get slapped with a ticket. All of that is great, right? Hallelujah! (FOREVER GRATEFUL!!!)

But then, bad news comes. "Hey, my uncle is in a coma, we need to come to the hospital." -- That was the day before my birthday that we went. "Hey, let's take you out to eat." Can't enjoy my food, dad isn't around to call and wish me a happy birthday, Bruce's uncle is on HIS way out and reminding me of Daddy, and then all kinds of little things: the water pressure being out of whack, not getting a hot shower and only getting cold bird baths from the sink... Stuff clogging, stuff breaking... People asking for money you don't have and you feel like a terrible person for letting them down. You start to wonder why on earth it's all happening at once and just want to yell at the air for being polluted.

And then you get a reminder of little things that don't suck. Being hugged by your spouse and cuddling up while asleep because the weather is cold, wrapping up in an afghan your late grandmother knitted because it's like being hugged, and eating a bowl of soup because it is also like a hug.

That is why I wanted to make soup. So I did...

Life is not all peaches and cream, but you can still dream of the cobbler they can make.

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Gluten Free Cobbler, Click the pic for the recipe.

This is not diet food... But it is healthier than it could be.

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I want to preface this recipe with a few things... First, I wanted to make it gluten free and not use a roux as a thickening agent. Two, I wanted it to be a little easier... Three, I wanted it to still be creamy, but I didn't want to add heavy cream. Little changes!

The Recipe

Ingredients
  1. 1 Cup mirepoix (1 part carrots, 1 part celery, 2 parts onion) - Rough chop... I added some of the whites of green onions into that as well.
  2. 1  Tablespoon Olive Oil
  3. 1 Medium Potato, diced
  4. 4 cups chicken stock
  5. Seasonings To Taste: Sea Salt, Fresh black pepper, tumeric, parsley, thyme, and rosemary, scallion greens
  6. 1 1/2 large packages of frozen brocolli (About three heads fresh)
  7. 1 cup Greek Yogurt
  8. 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese  (Or more if that is what you want)
  9. 1/4 cup Swiss cheese
Equipment
Dutch oven
Measuring cups
cutting board
knife
Blender
Wooden spoon
Rubber spatula
Ladle

Putting it together...

  1. In your dutch oven, drizzle olive oil, then add the mirepoix, tumeric, and a pinch of salt. Let the veggies do their thing until they are softened.
  2. Add the stock and the taters, let it come to a simmer and half cook the taters. (About 5 min after bubbling)
  3. Add the broccoli and cook until soft, but not sickly green, that is when it gets to smelling like sulfur. Add seasonings except for the scallion greens.
  4. Pull out some of the broccoli and set aside, then blend the rest of the stuff... The soup is going to look funky, but remember that looks can be deceiving. If you want a smoother texture, pass through a fine sieve. I like mine a lil more rustic.
  5. Add yogurt and the broccoli pieces and stir until combined.
  6. Add cheeses a little bit at a time so it doesn't clump up
  7. Serve, garnish with the scallion greens and some cheese, and some black pepper(Garnish optional, yo), and enjoy.
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Okay, potatoes? Yogurt?

Yes... You read the text right!

First, the taters... The taters replaces the starch that the flour in the roux would have given you, which helps the cheese to bind into the soup. I tested this out because I would like to pass it on to those who are on a gluten free diet can enjoy it too. (See, I DO love you. :P)

The greek yogurt is because I put sour cream instead of heavy cream, and I wanted that tangy flavor. The creaminess of the yogurt makes it more decadent.

I loved it with the changes!

I can honestly tell you that it still filled me up, that it tasted great, and that I couldn't even tell there were potatoes in there. The only reason I cannot call it diet food is for the fact that cheese is pretty fatty. But you CAN cut down on some of the fat so you can feel LESS guilty, and still feel like you did nothing out of the ordinary to your soup.

I normally don't use turmeric in my broccoli cheese soup, and that also helps because it enhances the flavor of the broccoli in all the right ways.

Some updates and other Stuff!

  1. I have created a new Facebook website so y'all can get updates on recipes and stuff.  Please do like it and share it! Clicky clicky!
  2. Speaking of Facebook, there is a new commenting system, I moved into the present! You no longer need to fill out a form to comment, you just do it with Facebook.
  3. I added a new affiliate, JanTink. Please do give her site a look see if you are into stuff like stamps and hand made cards.
  4. I will have some tips every now and then regarding easier foods that need no recipe.
  5. I was presented with the ad-sense option and I am thinking about it for the sake of making some money, but at the same time, it feels like selling out and I'd rather get some sponsors than do the add thing (unless it is approved by me, of course)

And that's all she wrote.

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Steak Pizzaiola

5/25/2018

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Marie Barone isn't the only one...

I have been holding onto a secret for quite some time… or rather, secret recipe.
 
Did you ever watch the show, Everybody Loves Raymond? Marie Barone was one of my favorite characters. I mean, she could cook some beautiful foods, though she was very secretive of this. One recipe in particular got my gears moving and my curiosity on high alert. It was steak pizzaiola, a name that I memorized and thought about quite a bit.
 
Carne Pizzaiola means “meat in pizza style,” and is mostly made with cheaper cuts of beef, but can be other meats such as chicken. Basically, it is a wide range of combinations that you can use. The best way to put it is that the meat is a replacement for pizza crust. I have no idea on where in Italy this dish was first made, or even when, but I thank the Italians for such lovely fare.
 
I decided to look a recipe up and you’re probably going to giggle at where I found it at… I hijacked Martha Stewart’s recipe for her easier version (she has both that and traditional). I made it the first time several years ago, but right away I decided to change what I saw because her recipe seemed so… well… herbless?  She was using round steak, which is quite lacking of flavor to begin with, and there wasn’t much in the way of even Oregano. I don’t even remember if she used it or not.
 
I thought about how I like my pizza in general and went for it. My family gobbled it up, including my very picky dad who didn’t like flavor much (aka, he had a bland pallet, the poor man). Guess what? It’s actually very easy to make, and you don’t even have to tenderize the meat because it’s a slow cooked, one pot/pan meal!

The Recipe

Ingredients
  1. 1 large eye of round, cut into four to six pieces, salted and peppered well.
  2. 3 TBSP or so olive oil – eyeball it for the pan
  3. 1 medium-large onion, diced
  4. 1 bell pepper of your choice, I use green
  5. 3-4 cloves garlic
  6. 1 4 oz can tomato paste
  7. 1 12-14 oz can petite diced tomatoes
  8. Use the can to add water or beef stock if needed
  9. Oregano, Basil, and Parsley to taste – or just the oregano
  10. 8 oz Mozzarella, shredded, and parmesan to taste
Equipment
  • Cutting board
  • Knife
  • Electric skillet or stove top works, with lid
  • Grater

The Method

  • After you have prepped your ingredients, (vocabulary of the day, Mise En Place – Everything in place), make sure your pan is nice and hot and then add your olive oil.
  • Once the olive oil is shimmering, then you add your steak. Sear for a few minutes (4-5) until you get a nice crust. This gives it some good flavor.
  • Remove the steak to a big plate along with juices, and do one of the following…
Ain’t nobody got time fo dat, method:
  1. Lower the heat some, add your onions and diced peppers, stirring until onions become translucent
  2. Add your garlic and sautee with the veggies for a few moments to get the raw taste out.
  3. Drop in your tomato paste and stir. When it starts to smell sweet, it’s ready.
  4. Pour in the tomatoes, juice and all, and water/beef stock(as necessary), stirring until mixed.
  5. Add a small amount of salt and pepper
  6. Put the steak and juices back into the skillet and cover with the sauce. Then cover pan and simmer on low heat for 2 hours, checking periodically to make sure it doesn’t scald. About 1 hr 45 min into this, add your herbs.
  7. Once the steak is done (it should be fork tender at this point) add the cheese on top of each steak, recover and let that melt.
  8. Serve with your choice of sides
 
Totally optional but worth it, refined method:
  1. For Electric Stove: Before you even start cooking the beef, place whole pepper into the oven at 425F for 20-30 minutes until skin is charred. For Gas Stove: You can char the skin using one of your burners while your beef is cooking, and once charred, place into a bowl and loosely cover with cling film or the bowl’s cover. Set aside to let the skin loosen.
  2. Turn the heat in the pan down, add some more olive oil, toss in your skillet, add salt to draw moisture out and then keep stirring them every minute or so. Do not leave the stove, not even to answer your phone, as your onions can and will burn if you do not pay attention to them. In about 20 minutes or so, turn the skillet off and let the residual heat finish caramelizing the onions.
  3. Pull your pepper out of the bowl, and using a paper towel or tea towel, remove the skin, discard the seeds and membranes. DO NOT remove skin with water, that takes flavor away and we don’t want that.
  4. Turn the heat back on to your pan, add the peppers to the onions, along with garlic and stir until the garlic is cooked a little.
  5. Follow steps 3-8 from the easy method.

Serve with pasta or bread if desired!
Note: I omitted the paste because that is how I like the sauce, so it might look different on my plate than it will look on yours if you use the paste.


Prep Time: 10-45 min
Cook Time: 2-3 Hours
Serves 4-6
Nutrition facts for 6

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving 
Calories 318
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16.3g21%
Saturated Fat 5.1g25%
Cholesterol 65mg22%
Sodium 257mg11%
Total Carbohydrate 10.1g4%
Dietary Fiber 2.3g8%
Total Sugars 5.9g 
Protein 33.2g
Vitamin D 0mcg0%
Calcium 227mg17%
Iron 2mg13%
Potassium 720mg15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
The best part of this recipe is that you can play with it, adding what you like on pizza. If you are so inclined to add mushrooms, or other meats, or what have you. I like to keep it simple, closer to traditional. If you use a different meat, your cooking time might change, Chicken breast is better added back into the pan close to the end of the sauce cooking so it doesn’t dry up, chicken thigh would probably work better.

Funny Story...

Funny story about a different protein that I used once for this recipe… My dad absolutely loathed venison. He swore up and down that he would be able to tell if it was deer or not. My sister asked me to cook dinner for a Christmas gathering, perhaps a few years back, knowing that dad would throw a fit if he knew it was Bambi in the pan and not Heifer. Challenge accepted. I made one of my best batches of pizzaiola that evening, making sure I was there before everyone else so dad wouldn’t see the venison before it was cooked. It turned out so tender and delicious that dad ate seconds… I had fooled him into eating deer meat!

When I told him a year or so later that we fed him Bambi, he said, “I knew it all along,” in that tone of voice a kid gets when they find out they’ve been duped.

And I laughed and laughed. (I kid)

With that all being said, I bid you good day and:

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Banana Mousse w/ Chocolate Chunks (Whipped Dessert)

5/14/2018

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Mothers Day was yesterday; my sisters and I wanted to do some things that were special for my mom, given that it's been a rough time since dad left us. We put together a brunch and my older sister asked me to make something to bring, and one of mom's favorite things that I make is an easy chocolate mousse, or what other people would call a whipped dessert since it isn't traditional mousse.

I was going to make a strawberry sauce for it and maybe some other fruit, but my strawberries were freezer burnt and my plans had to change. I remembered the bananas I had sitting around, all ripe and brown looking in their overly sweet glory. I remembered that my mom liked banana pudding, so the bell went off in my head: I would make banana mousse and I could put the chocolate in as chunks, which would make it appropriate for a brunch dessert after all.

Before I get into the recipe, though, I want to talk about my mom. My dad was not the only person who contributed to this passion of mine, it was my mom that taught me a few basics like boiling water and making boxed foods like mac n cheese, or spaghetti. The story she told me about her own cooking was that she wasn't a very good cook when she was first married to my dad, but she never really said that was why she was teaching me some things.

She did the best she could at the time, but it was hard for her when dad had gotten sick from driving truck and could no longer work. She'd work rough hours at a nearby nursing home during second and third shift, thus leaving my dad to do the cooking while she did everything she could to keep food on the table. I remember how she would buy a lot of pork chops because those were some of the cheapest, and a lot of ground beef for the same reason, but she didn't get to eat them with us.

Mom told us later that it was really hard for her to keep the hours she did because she missed her babies. By the time she got home, she was asleep, she couldn't see us off to school, and she didn't g et to see us much at all during her second shift job. Finally, she decided to go to school to better her life as well as ours, was able to get a better job with better hours and we were able to eat better food.

Needless to say, I appreciate my mom's role in encouraging my knowledge of cooking and being supportive of me when I decided to go to culinary school. Mom, I hope that you read this because writing out my feelings tends to be much more eloquent than my sometimes stumbling words.

More about the dessert

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This dessert is so very easy and delicious that you might be surprised. The secret to making this non traditional mousse is cream cheese or Neufchatel instead of gelatin, which not only gives it the thickness it needs, but it adds depth to the flavor of the dessert. 

The Recipe


The Ingredients
  1. 2 1/2 medium ripe bananas, or 2 large
  2. 1 package of cream cheese or Neufchatel
  3. 8 oz prepared whipped cream, or store bought whipped topping (add a touch of rum if desired)
  4. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  5. 3 oz chocolate, chopped
  6. Optional: Salt - I prefer mine without
The Equipment
  • Large mixing bowl with lid
  • Masher or fork
  • Medium or large metal mixing bowl, very cold if whipping your own cream
  • Mixer
  • Rubber spatula
  • Serving bowls/cups optional
  • Piping bag with large star tip if chunks are small enough, also optional
The Method
  1. In a your mixing bowl, mash your bananas as mashed as you can get them.
  2. Add your cream cheese or Neufchatel on top of that, as well as vanilla and salt(Optional) and mix well, scraping the sides as necessary for an even mix
  3. Fold in whipped cream with the spatula, moving through the middle and stirring gently from the sides
  4. Fold in chocolate
  5. Optional - Pipe into individual servings if you don't want to leave it in the mixing bowl
  6. Cover and leave in the fridge for an hour (if you are impatient), but for best results, leave it overnight so the banana flavor can intensify
1 batch
Prep time: 10-15 min
Calories(Cream Cheese): 330-440

Yield: 6-8 servings
Chill time: 1-24 hour(s)
Calories(Neufchatel): 305-405

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The end result is something wonderful... If you are a fan of bananas, anyways. I absolutely loved the texture it had after it chilled overnight. You can, in fact, freeze this one and make a lovely ice cream of sorts, it is that velvety. The flavor of the bananas is subtle after only an hour, and stronger overnight. The dark chocolate balances out the sweetness (No added sugar, by the way!) to the dessert and makes for a rich flavor combination. Fair warning, it's not quite diet food either, but a little bit does go a long way.

Speaking of Bananas!

I am pleased as punch to update you on QDFoodie's cute kitchen food. The kick starter campaign is now in full swing, and they could use some help from friends all over to make their dream into reality. For as little as a $2 donation and simply spreading the word through social media, you will be a big help.

You could end up with a gratitude gift of one of my favorites out of this collection, the banana measuring spoons that are both metric and standard, as well as in braille. These wonderful tools are for a good cause, helping kids of all sorts to develop a love for cooking as well as adults who happen to like cuteness such as these.

I am looking forward to testing these babies out, and you will help make that happen.

Be sure to check them out at their Kickstarter Campaign!

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Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes w/ Bacon and Scallions

11/24/2017

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Yesterday was grand, a quiet Thanksgiving spent at home with my husband. I had a chance to contemplate many things that I am thankful for. My list is quite long, so here are a few things: I am thankful for my husband, who has been a cornerstone for me in the rough times of illness. I am grateful for my family and friends who have been patient and understanding, and stuck by me even when I was grumpy. I am grateful to have a roof over my head, food to fill my belly, and clothing on my back. And finally, I am grateful for being able to write these blog posts for my friends and new readers, who drive me to keep going when sometimes it's very hard for me to do so. Thank you all.
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This year, I finally got to give my husband a feast made by me for Thanksgiving. I know it's not just about the food, but food is a good chunk of it and it was important to me that I get to do this special thing for Bruce. Add to that, but I saw an opportunity to develop some recipes for this blog and test them out. I have at least four recipes, maybe five, that I am going to share with you in no certain order. I have plenty of material to work with that, depending on how I feel, I will be able to share them with you at least once a week or so. Plus I have two other blogs planned involving my readers, and one about pantries.

I decided that this year, I would prep for two or three days before the big day... I must say that it was probably the best thing I could have done for myself. I had almost everything at the ready by the time Thanksgiving rolled around, and it was the easiest Thanksgiving I have ever dealt with! I made at least twelve things, two of which were unplanned. My challenge to myself was to use as many ingredients as I could that I already had on hand, and spend as little money as possible for the rest. I spent around $25 when the whole feast was worth at least $60, if not more.


Here was my menu (Recipes planned for the blog**):
Turkey with gravy
Pumpernickel and Walnut Stuffing**
Classic Green Bean Casserole
Deviled Eggs
Banana Bread
Roasted Squash and Seeds
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Italian Cheeses
Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes with Bacon and Scallions, garnished with fried potato skins**
Cranberry Apple Relish**
Sweet Potato Cheesecake with Marshmallow Mousse**

Pecan Pie (Frozen, not going to lie.)
Home Made Bread Rolls
Crescent Rolls


Today's recipe is going to be the mashed potatoes. I ended up loving this one the most out of everything! They were creamy and delicious, with a nice tangy note from the goat cheese, and they held up well to the gravy. I also plan on making a leftover reboot out of this one because I can't stand eating leftovers with the same flavors day in and day out.

Fair warning, there are lots of steps/dishes involved, and these spuds are rich and decadent (aka, not a diet food). I will include lighter options in the notes. With that in mind, proceed :)
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THE RECIPE

THE INGREDIENTS
  1. 5 Medium russet potatoes or 3 large ones.
  2. 1/2-1 cup milk
  3. 1 stick butter
  4. 1 C Goat Cheese
  5. 1 lb bacon
  6. 1/4 c scallion greens
  7. Salt, Pepper, Paprika, garlic powder
YOUR EQUIPMENT
  • Large pot or dutch oven with cold, well salted water
  • Peeler, Knife, and cutting board
  • Bowl with cold water
  • Measuring Spoons/Cups
  • Ricer, wire masher, or mixer
  • Deep Fryer or pot of oil for frying**
  • Skillet
  • Mixing Spoon
  • Spider or metal, slotted spoon**
  • Paper Towel in a bowl or on a plate**
  • Rubber Spatula
  • Serving Bowl
MISE EN PLACE
Everything in place
  • Scrub your potatoes well!
  • Peel the potatoes (For an optional** garnish, reserve the peels in the bowl with water)
  • Cube the potatoes in inch cubes, putting them into the pot of cold, salted water​
  • Chop raw bacon and cook it on medium heat, stirring every few minutes until crisp
  • Drain bacon on paper towel
  • Slice the greens of the scallions
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COOKING
  1. If you haven't salted your water, you should do so like pasta water. Add cubed potatoes and turn the heat up to high.
  2. If you have decided to to the potato skins, dry them and then deep fry those bad boys until desired crisp (4-6 minutes), drain on paper towel and salt a tiny bit
  3. Test the potatoes for doneness, testing any piece that might be bigger than others. It is better to be slightly over than under.
  4. When the potatoes are done, drain well and rice, mash, or mix in the pot.
  5. Reduce heat to medium low, return pot to heat.
  6. Add butter first, folding into the potatoes, add the cheese and fold in... Just fold in each of those so they melt, you don't want to overwork the spuds. Add your bacon and onions, reserve 1/2 of each, season to taste, and fold until somewhat incorporated.
  7. Stir in milk, adding a little more at a time if your potatoes are too dry
  8. Transfer to serving bowl, topping with reserved bacon and scallions.
  9. Serve!
Notes:
  • If you can't find goat cheese, cream cheese is a good substitute, just call them cream cheese potatoes instead :)
  • You can use chives instead of scallions for the same type of flavor​
  • If you add too much milk, you can add some potato flakes. I know that seems like blaspheme, but you gotta do what you gotta do. No shame!
  • If you are watching your health, use your preferred butter substitute or half the butter. You can use neufchattel for a similar flavor, and use skim milk, and turkey bacon.
  • If you want to make it vegan, use some of the potato water, vegan cheese and margarine.

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Enjoy

I have a few more recipes up my sleeve for you, and I hope you enjoy this one in fellowship with your friends or family. If you have any comments or questions, do let me know! Feel free to send me pictures of your creations using my recipe as a base. I would love to post your pictures and shout you out. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,
Kimmie
Comments

Mac n Cheeseburger Soup

11/11/2017

Comments

 
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I am one of those people that eyeball things that sound odd or off putting to me. For instance, pumpkin spice might be good in my coffee (I honestly wouldn't know) but it would not be good, at least in my mind, in my chocolate pudding or some such. When I first heard about Mac n Cheese soup, there was a big part of me that was turning my nose up, and the kid in me who liked her Kraft to be soupy even though that was not how it was supposed to be made was all like, hell yes!

So I thought about it, and I decided I would give it a try. I wanted it with more stretch, however, so I got the idea to add some burger into the mix because, why not? People make chilli-mac and cheese burger mac, why not go ahead and put some burger into my soup? So I did, and I made the right call. The soup was very delicious, and my husband liked it so much that he ate three bowls. That is a compliment because he's such a picky eater.
I had the urge to throw some broccoli in because, hello, broccoli and cheese soup... But I resisted, and that was also the right call. I wouldn't eat broccoli with a hamburger, so why would I put it in a soup based off of such? I would, however, eat it with some sauteed green peppers, so that is what I did instead.

As usual, I looked around the internet for recipes, saw a bunch, and then decided just to do my own spin which I am sharing with you. Just like in all recipes that I post, I think about the flavor profile... What can I do to make it better? For instance, I didn't really look for a Mac n Cheeseburger soup, just mac n cheese soup. I threw the burger in because I thought it would stretch it along and make it taste good. I was right.

Here is my take!

THE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS
  1. 1 rib celery, chopped
  2. ½ cup green bell pepper, chopped
  3. 1 small onion, chopped
  4. 1 lb ground beef
  5. 2-3 cups chicken broth or stock
  6. 2 cups milk
  7. 1 ½ cups Velveeta or off brand equivalent
  8. 1 cup Swiss Cheese
  9. 6 slices American Cheese
  10. 2 cups Cavatappi or other macoroni product, cooked
  11. Salt, Pepper, Cyan Pepper, Oregano, Parsley TO TASTE
EQUIPMENT
  • Cutting Board
  • Knife
  • Dutch Oven
THE METHOD
  1. Clean and chop your veggies and cut velveeta into cubes, shred swiss
  2. In the dutch oven, toss the veggies in with a little butter or olive oil if desired, add salt and pepper as you go (including in the next step)
  3. Add the garlic to cook a little, then add your ground beef and brown... Drain off any extra fat.
  4. Add in your stock and bring to a simmer. In the meantime, put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Adjust any seasonings.
  5. While the pasta is cooking, add milk to the broth, bring to a simmer and then add the cheeses a little at a time until melted.
  6. Serve over cooked pasta or finish cooking pasta in the soup.

I apologize for the lack of visuals, but I hadn't actually planned to blog this one. I wanted to try it before anything, and seeing as it was delicious... Well, here it is. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

-Kimmie
Comments

Potato's All Rotten (Potatoes Au Gratin)

10/1/2017

Comments

 
Picture
Back when I was a little snot, my mom used to make cheesy potatoes, which, of course, was a hit. That is... unless she called them "au gratin," which would cause my sisters and I to recoil with horror and yell out, "ALL ROTTEN POTATOES! EEEEEWWW!!" Seriously, we thought our mom was talking about rotten potatoes, so she started calling them Cheesy Potatoes, which other people call them too. Later in life, she told me the story of how we used to react and I still find it amusing to this day. In fact, yesterday when I took my taters to potluck, I had to laugh because my brother in law teased me and called them "Potato's All Rotten," and I explained that was what I used to call them. Apparently, it has been a nickname through many generations where kids would call them "All Rotten" and such, at least in our family!

Now, I don't make these very often because peeling almost a whole, 3 lb bag of potatoes for this can be tedious... Add to that, there is a lot of love you need to put in the dish. The dish is totally worth all the work, so every now and then I will get a bug up my butt to do it. This time, it just happened to be that I had an invitation to a potluck, pretty much last minute due to certain circumstances, and I didn't have money or time to plan something out. I had planned to make these potatoes for my birthday because I have been craving them, but I can do something else to go with that particular dinner.

We've all been there, last minute invitations or unexpected company coming over and you need to whip up something awesome but don't have cash or time to think. Potatoes are a pantry staple, and cheese... Well, I always have cheese, but I don't know about the rest of you. I told my husband that whatever cheese we had left (block and shredded) would be for this, and then the potluck came up.

I spent an hour on prepping and another hour at home just to bake, a half hour to set, lastly, another bit of time to heat back up (although, they would have tasted okay cold, just sayin'.) So I spent 3 hours making them, and they were nearly gone in fifteen minutes. I guess when taters are good, they are good!

Before I get to the recipe, let me warn you that although my recipe is reduced fat, it is still not diet food and you should proceed with full disclosure. Normally, they are made with heavy cream and butter, and my recipe does not use either, yet they are still pretty fantastic and rich enough without them that I am sure you wouldn't miss those things.

THE RECIPE

THE INGREDIENTS
  1. 2 Lbs peeled and thinly sliced potatoes
  2. 2-3 cups low fat milk
  3. 1/2-1 cup all purpose flour
  4. Salt, Pepper, Parsley, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder
  5. 1 1/2-2 lbs sharp cheddar, shredded
  6. 8 slices American Cheese
THE EQUIPMENT
  • Bowl with water for peeled potatoes
  • Peeler - to peel, of course
  • Mandolin slicer - To Slice, or a knife, or a food processor
  • 8X13 baking dish
  • Whisk

THE METHOD

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 F
  2. Prepare your potatoes if you have not already done so. Wash and peel, then slice thinly, but not potato chip thin. Keep in a bowl of water to prevent browning while you work.
  3. In the bottom of the baking dish or in a bowl, mix the milk, the flour, and the seasoning to your taste.
  4. Layer potatoes and cheddar cheese like you would layer a lasagna, either into the mixture or you can pour the mixture over afterwards.
  5. Lay a layer of American cheese down over the top, tearing off pieces to fill in gaps, then lightly dust with paprika and parsley.
  6. Bake for 1 hour, pull out and let them rest for a time, then put them back in the oven to make sure the potatoes are cooked through - This might seem like a strange thing to do but it helps the process. You want the cheese on top to be nice and brown, and the cheese underneath to be bubbly. The milk mixture should be absorbed.
  7. Let rest again for several minutes before slicing and serving.
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It's such a comfort food to eat, and it is one of those things that you know everyone will eat unless they can't do dairy. This dish is great to serve with pretty much any protein, and could even become a main dish when you add a protein. I would suggest bacon or ham, though roast beef would work lovely as would roast chicken. Broccoli would be awesome as a veggie to go in there (or cauliflower)... I am sure that peas would be pretty good too. It is up to you, really! With the richness of the cheese, you definitely won't miss the heavy cream and the butter if you are looking to cut at least a little bit of fat out. The great thing about potatoes is that they are better for diabetics to eat than bread and rice, though you still want to eat in moderation because of all that cheese.

I had a lot of fun serving this to my family last night and was delighted at how quickly it was eaten. I hope you enjoy this recipe too!

Happy Eating, my Foodies,
--Kimmie
Comments
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    The Eccentric Foodie

    Food Tip

    Cooking bacon in the oven is the easiest way.

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