Food, er, Saturday

This week passed in a blur. Most of the time I was asleep. Melodie went to the vet and we learned she has a heart murmur. Dealt with cranky people. Am constantly hungry. This post is already late and I don't know what to write. I'll just get to the good part.

Mac & Cheese

 Tried a new, slightly healthier version of mac and cheese. Also, used whole grain pasta which was surprisingly tasty. Even more surprising was the fact that Husband had a second helping.

I've been really bad at remembering to take the picture BEFORE I start eating, but in my defense, I make a tasty tasty ham sandwich.

Mexican Cornbread Casserole

 

Close up of the yummy goodness.

Mmmm corn bread.

 I love all things corn bread. Husband doesn't really, but last time I checked it was I who made culinary decisions in this house.

Crockpot Chicken Ragu

Served with whole grain pasta again. I made this mistake of adding a little water from trying to get the last of the sauce out of the spaghetti sauce jar, so my sauce was thing. Will note for next time.

Hope this post wasn't too boring for you. I'll try to do better next week (try being the operative word).

PS Anyone else think cornbread should be it's own food group?

(Belated) Food Friday

You would think for as little cooking as I accomplished this week, I'd be able to get his post out on time. Except I ended up going into work 5 1/2 hours early one day and had to work both jobs a couple days, which requires more sleep than one would imagine. You know you're headed for a burn out when Rockstars have lost their potency.

Anywho, without further ado, this is what I managed to produce this week.

Spaghetti with meat sauce. I generally go meatless but Husband had that look in his eye that if I didn't give him meat, I was gonna end up in the sauce.

Cheddar Turkey Burgers with Muenster and Smoked Cheddar Mac and Cheese aka Food coma waiting to happen.

I'm also going to be trying a new format with the What's Cooking page. I will be listing each of the recipes that I post about with the link to where you can find them. I for whatever reason I have a moment of creative genius, I will put the recipe in the original post. Also, if I make something that I took out of a book, I will try and give as much information about the book as possible. I'm hoping this will help simplify my life a little better or at least, give me five extra minutes of sleep.

Muenster and Smoked Cheddar Mac and Cheese

Ingrediants:

4 oz Muenster, diced

2 oz Smoked Cheddar (I used Hickory Farms), diced

2 cups dry Orecchiette pasta

1 15oz can evaporated milk

1 small onion, chopped

2 tbl butter

2 tbl flour

1 garlic clove, minced

Cook pasta according to package instructions.

Melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat and add onions. Saute until just about translucent, then add garlic. Cook for about a minute or two (garlic burns easily stupid &%#^%), then add flour. Stir together and gradually add milk and stir until thick. (While I'm waiting for this mixture to thicken is when I actually start my pasta; I hate having it sit around glopping together and getting cold). Once milk mixture has thickened, add cheese. Once cheese has completely melted, add cooked pasta and stir until mixed. Then eat, straight from the pan before anyone else tries to get their filthy mits on it. Serve.

So tell me, how was your week? Did everything go as planned or were you flying by the seat of your pants?

Food Friday

I thought I'd have a nice quiet week with Husband away, having a much needed visit with family. I thought COMPLETELY wrong. Between my first two days at my second job and some schedule rearranging with the other, I am pooped. On my days off, I cursed that I did not make my third wish from the genie something useful, like cleaning fairies (instead I asked for the answer to world peace and was presented with whip cream flavored vodka). I've made the apartment sparkle but now I'm afraid to do something to mess it up.

Needless to say, my food choices this week were pretty slim, especially after I ran out of milk at the beginning of the week. What I did make, however, was a tribute to my ingenious nature. Using only what I had on hand, I managed to not somewhat starve.

Monday: Biscuits and Gravy (I used the recipe off the back of the box for the biscuits and this same recipe for the gravy)

Just run a pizza cutter thru these and call it good.

Who would've thought I used powdered milk?

Wednesday: Single Mac and Cheese

I suppose, if you really wanted to, this could be a side dish for two. But I don't recommend sharing.

Single Mac and Cheese

(original recipe by the UDG)

Ingredients:

1 cup elbow macaroni

1 tsp salt

1 Tbl butter

1 Tbl flour

1/2 can evaporated milk

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

(note: start w/ 1/2 a can of evaporated milk, but feel free to add more to achieve desired level of cheesy goodness)

Directions:

Cook macaroni in water with salt according to package directions. When al dente (firm w/o breaking a tooth, squishy w/o dissolving in your mouth), drain. Before returning macaroni to pan, melt butter over medium heat. Once completely melted, stir in flour until smooth. Add milk and stir until it begins to thicken, then add cheese. Stir until cheese has melted, then add macaroni. 

(note: this would be really good with some sauteed onions and garlic)

 Thursday: Cheese pizza (Made with my new fave crust recipe and homemade pizza sauce)

Hello little dough ball, all doughy and soft.

Sauce meet dough; dough, sauce.

I always pre-bake crusts. Helps it to stay firm when you put the sauce on.

Just needed some garlic butter on the crust.

Why yes, it was as good as it looks, thank you for asking.

Make sure you check out the What's Cooking page for this weeks recipes. And tell me, what was the easiest thing you made this week?

Food Friday

This week was kind of a roller coaster. Still haven't found a job but made a lot of good food. Am still trying to get Melodie over her fear of the dishwasher so that I can get the abundance of dirty dishes out of my sink. Also am wondering how she's going to react when we get our washer and dryer. Anyone interested in a neurotic puppy?

Friday: Biscuits and Gravy (Pizza was eaten a la Tombstone).

My all time comfort food. Once eaten every day for a week while on vacation.

Sunday: Baked Spaghetti

The beginnings of homemade sauce.

Peek a boo.

Ogres are like baked spaghetti, they have layers.

Homemade garlic bread

Sunday tradition (Husband even went in for seconds!)

 Tuesday: Baked Potato & Cheese Soup from Put A Lid On It! Cookbook

(from pg. 14 of Put a Lid on it! Cookbook)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. baking potatoes, peels and cut into 1/2" cubes

2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. ground red pepper

1/4 tsp. black pepper (or to taste)

1 1/2 cup Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup sour cream

1 cup milk

Directions:

(note: the longer this cooks the thicker it gets. I highly recommend it thick!)

Combine potatoes, soup, 1 cup green onions, garlic powder, red pepper and black pepper in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8 hours (4-6 if using a gigantore slow cooker like mine). Add cheese, sour cream and milk and stir until cheese has completely melted. Cover and continue cooking on High an additional 10 minutes. Garnish with remaining green onions.

Probably the thickest potato soup I've ever made.

It may not look like it, but this soup tasted EXACTLY like a Wendy's baked potato.

 Wednesday: Campbell's Kitchen Cheesy Chicken Casserole

(posted by Campbell's Kitchen on allrecipes.com; adapted by The UDG)
Ingredients:
vegetable cooking spray
4 (4 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Celery Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
  2 cups frozen peas, thawed
2 cups cooked instant brown rice
1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 
Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a 10-inch skillet with the cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes Add mushrooms and continue to cook until chicken is well browned and cooked through and mushrooms are soft, stirring often.
Spray a 3-quart shallow baking dish with the cooking spray. Place the chicken into the baking dish. Spoon the celery soup over the mushrooms. Top with the peas and rice. Spoon the mushroom soup over the rice. Sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbling. 

I love dishes that have everything in one...dish.

Aw the money shot.

Get in my belly!

Thursday: Stovetop Mac & Cheese
Please take a moment to visit the link for this recipe.

Cheddary goodness

Perfect side: cornbread

Make sure you check out the What's Cooking page for complete recipes!

Hungry??

Time for a photo dump! Here are all the goodies that I've made over the past few months and may or may not have posted. I will try and make the recipes available (if I can remember what the heck it was that I made).

Homemade mac and cheese because let's face it, I make it at least once a week.

My new fave enchiladas.

I quite literally licked the plate when I made these.

My #1 comfort food: chicken pot pie.

Chicken casserole that was quite scrumptious.

Slow cooker turkey meatballs

MY FIRST OMELET EVER!! Thanks maternal unit for letting me experiment on your breakfast.

 Thanks for looking! Oh and don't forget to answer the poll or leave a comment here.

Go Big or Go Home

There's about to be some serious cooking in the UDG kitchen. Good thing the a/c is working. Here 's hoping the smoke alarm works too.

It's My Anniversary and I'll Eat What I Want To...

So today Husband and I celebrate two years of marriage. Mm, well maybe not celebrate since he's still away working, but we've definitely acknowledged the fact that it's been two years since we sealed our fate with a kiss.

While Husband was heating himself up some leftovers in his hotel room, I felt the need to be enveloped in a great big embrace and slathered with rich creamy sauce. I made mac & cheese.

I've made this particular recipe before, so I wasn't afraid to make it my own (it doesn't call for any garlic for pete's sake!! what self respecting recipe doesn't have garlic?!). I added garlic and chopped onion, which I put in while melting the butter (the onion, not the garlic; the garlic I added with the dry ingredients so I wouldn't burn it). I also don't have ground mustard (I have a thousand recipes that call for ground mustard but no actual ground mustard), so I used good ol' regular yellow mustard. Food gurus everywhere can shame me but it's what I had. So neener neener neener.

This is one of those recipes that's so hard for me to finish because half way thru everything starts to taste SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good and I was ready to take a spoon and the cheese sauce (not the CHEESE SAUCE but close) and go throw myself a pity party. However, I practiced self restraint and followed it all the way through to the very yummy end. Happy anniversary to me.

Oh and I didn't use elbow macaroni. The end.