Good morning!
It is a fine start to the day down in South Florida. A couple days ago, we had a "cold spell", and that term is in quotes because it dropped into the 40's. Living in KS & MO my whole life prior to moving to S. Florida, I had to laugh because, at this time of year, 40's is pretty warm for the Midwest. Today, the high temperature is supposed to be in the upper 70's, if not hit the lower 80's.
Moving on, as mentioned in my most previous post, I would prefer to make meals that last at least two dinners and would then, hopefully, have some carryover into a lunch or two. That would cut down on grocery bills, as well as having to make dinner each night. Sometimes, you are just too exhausted from the day's activities to make a meal.
I was watching the Food Network, and Paula Deen's show was airing. She was making a recipe called Chocolate Chili. The link to the recipe is below.
http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/chocolate_chili/
As she was making it, I was becoming more and more intrigued by it. Not only do I love chili, but it would be a meal that would have plenty of leftovers. Plus, it included cocoa - SOLD!
As you may know, I don't much care for onions, so I left that out of the recipe. I pretty much kept everything else the same, except I only included one seeded & minced jalapeno and half of the cayenne. The other person that would be enjoying this meal doesn't like a lot of heat, so I accommodated that fact. If it was just me, I would have included both jalapenos and not seeded them, as well as increased the amount of cayenne. I do love meals with a lot of heat.
The other thing I changed was that I used two cans of red kidney beans, instead of the ranch-style beans. This was mainly because I couldn't locate any ranch-style beans at the store where I was grocery shopping. I did rinse and drain the kidney beans, just like the black beans, to get rid of the excess sodium.
To go along with the chili, I made a batch of Jiffy Cornbread. You cannot go wrong with Jiffy Cornbread.
I will totally make this chili again. Paula Deen's recipes are amazing.
Until next time!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Martha Stewart's "Perfect Macaroni and Cheese"
Good afternoon!
It has been quite a while since my last post, but now I am ready to get back into it.
I have had quite a life change happen recently - moving from Kansas to South Florida. Why did I make such a move? When I vacationed in Ft. Lauderdale with a former co-worker, I just knew I had to be in Florida. I love the heat, the ocean, the sand, the palm trees, etc. Within a seven month time frame, I made it happen. I could not be happier with the decision. It is still an adjustment, but it is becoming easier as the days go by.
Now, onto the recipe! I was wanting a dinner I could make that would last for more than one day and would stretch into one-two lunches, as well. Usually, a dinner made in a 9x13 pan (like a casserole) will last more than one meal. With just feeding two people, I knew this was the way to go.
I remember coming across the following recipe a while back, and I figured I would give it a shot.
http://www.marthastewart.com/271998/perfect-macaroni-and-cheese
I do love macaroni and cheese, and I have made a few from-scratch ones before. This recipe would be a new one to me.
I made the recipe almost exactly as described on the link. I have read in many cookbooks that the first time you try a recipe, it is strongly recommended that you make it exactly as listed. The subsequent times you make it, you can add your own spin. I don't follow that rule quite often, especially when a recipe calls for onions, but that is its own story.
For instance, with the recipe on the link, I used store-bought breadcrumbs (whole wheat). I just poured about 3/4 cup (I was eyeballing it) into a small bowl and poured over the 2 tbsp of melted butter into the breadcrumbs, mixed it and set it aside. Conversely, I imagine you can just pour the breadcrumbs (without the melted butter incorporated) over the top layer of cheese and cut the 2 tbsp into small portions and spread them evenly over the breadcrumbs.
Also, I used Gruyere because I love the flavor of it, and I used whole grain pasta.
Overall, I liked the finished product, but I felt it was a bit heavy. I'm not sure how to alter the recipe without compromising its original integrity. However, I will definitely make it again and try to do something with it the next time.
It has been quite a while since my last post, but now I am ready to get back into it.
I have had quite a life change happen recently - moving from Kansas to South Florida. Why did I make such a move? When I vacationed in Ft. Lauderdale with a former co-worker, I just knew I had to be in Florida. I love the heat, the ocean, the sand, the palm trees, etc. Within a seven month time frame, I made it happen. I could not be happier with the decision. It is still an adjustment, but it is becoming easier as the days go by.
Now, onto the recipe! I was wanting a dinner I could make that would last for more than one day and would stretch into one-two lunches, as well. Usually, a dinner made in a 9x13 pan (like a casserole) will last more than one meal. With just feeding two people, I knew this was the way to go.
I remember coming across the following recipe a while back, and I figured I would give it a shot.
http://www.marthastewart.com/271998/perfect-macaroni-and-cheese
I do love macaroni and cheese, and I have made a few from-scratch ones before. This recipe would be a new one to me.
I made the recipe almost exactly as described on the link. I have read in many cookbooks that the first time you try a recipe, it is strongly recommended that you make it exactly as listed. The subsequent times you make it, you can add your own spin. I don't follow that rule quite often, especially when a recipe calls for onions, but that is its own story.
For instance, with the recipe on the link, I used store-bought breadcrumbs (whole wheat). I just poured about 3/4 cup (I was eyeballing it) into a small bowl and poured over the 2 tbsp of melted butter into the breadcrumbs, mixed it and set it aside. Conversely, I imagine you can just pour the breadcrumbs (without the melted butter incorporated) over the top layer of cheese and cut the 2 tbsp into small portions and spread them evenly over the breadcrumbs.
Also, I used Gruyere because I love the flavor of it, and I used whole grain pasta.
Overall, I liked the finished product, but I felt it was a bit heavy. I'm not sure how to alter the recipe without compromising its original integrity. However, I will definitely make it again and try to do something with it the next time.
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