sprucing up annie

I love annie’s mac and cheese, but I always like to add a little bit more to it and spruce it up.  I like things with contrasting flavors, colors, textures, so just having a plain bowl of mac and cheese just doesn’t do it for me.  I want more adventure!  So I like to add just a few things to change it up a bit.  When I make popcorn, I have to mix some cereal or chocolate chips in it because I can’t have just popcorn.  When I eat cereal I have to have about 4 different kinds all mixed in, because I can’t just eat one kind.  So weird! 

Usually I make things from scratch and always despise making things out of a box or freezer bag.  My dear mother used to love making those hamburger and tuna helpers, and I absolutely despised it as I got older!  She always tried to fit in in there somewhere.  Maybe that is where I get my culinary inspiration from?  No one in my immediate family enjoys cooking that much, except my great grandmother (she passed away when I was 3, so sad we didn’t get to cook together) and grandmother on my mom’s side.  Isn’t that funny? 

But, oh when i was younger my grandma used to make me Velveeta brand mac and cheese, and oh how I loved the salty, creamy goodness of it!  She probably put extra butter in it too, oh grandma and her butter.  She would make me peaches and cream too with the real stuff, yes whole milk, chopped peaches and sugar!  It was so good though.  I used to also love those Little  Debbie nutty bars.  I think I’ve had a love affair with peanut butter from birth!  It’s crazy the junk food kids love and are attracted to these days with great media tactics. 

Here are some previous attempts at sprucing up Annie:

 

Tonight here’s what I came up with:

I added chopped shallot, garlic, a few mushrooms, leftover corn, 1 zucchini, 1/2 bell pepper, 1 small head broccoli and tofu and sautéed it until golden.  I also like to add about 1/4 cup each of non-fat milk and greek yogurt to it for its tang and creaminess, along with herbed goat cheese, a little fontina (leftovers from the peppers), parmesan and all-purpose seasoning.  It was delish!  Next time I think I’m going to add some chipotle chilis in adobo and black beans for a Mexican twist?  Or caprese mac and cheese?  mmm . . . endless possibilities!

Mac and Cheese tower . . .

  

Brought me back to my childhood :)

What are some nostalgic childhood junk food memories you have that you wouldn’t think of eating today?  I’d love to hear them!

 

yogurt battle

I don’t know why, but I am liking Mondays for some reason lately.  Even though I don’t like to see the weekend go, Mondays just fly by so fast for me.  It’s like there’s a fresh set of tasks to accomplish and it gets me going.  Even though I love Fridays, by the end of the week I tend to drag!  What’s your favorite day of the week and why?

For dinner we had quinoa-stuffed bell peppers.  I just can’t get tired of this recipe.  I think I’ve made it at least 5 times now and it’s soo good!  This time I added some chopped zucchini and had apple chicken sausage on hand.  You should give it a try.

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

(adapted from everyday food)

Yield

4 servings as a filling main, or 6-8 as a lighter dish with a nice salad

• 4 red bell peppers
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 2 chicken sausage links (any flavor and removed from casings)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp ground coriander or any blend like Mrs. Dash or Italian seasoning would work
• salt and black pepper
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed 
• 1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup grated Fontina cheese (great nutty flavor), or your favorite type

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450. Slice a very thin layer from the base of a pepper so it sits upright. Slice off top, just below stem, and remove ribs and seeds from the pepper, Repeat with remaining peppers. Discard stems; chop tops and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion, zucchini, sausage (remove meat from casings), coriander, and chopped tops; season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is soft and sausage is cooked through with browning.
Add quinoa and garlic, and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, 11-13 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in walnuts, and 3/4 cup cheese; season with salt and pepper.

Divide evenly and stuff peppers with the quinoa mixture; place in a baking dish. Place 1 cup water in the dish, cover with foil and bake until peppers are tender, about 25-30 minutes. Uncover, and top with remaining cheese and bake until cheese melts and gets bubbly. Yummy and fillling!

I got some free yogurt coupons from the nice people at Stoneyfield Farms a little while ago.  I had never had Oikos before, but as you all know I’m a huge greek yogurt fan.  I practically put it on everything!  So I decided to give it a try and compare it to my most beloved and cheaper TJ’s brand.  I give you yogurt battle . . . Oikos vs. TJ’s in the ultimate showdown of thick and creamy goodness!  

I decided to try a variety of flavors, even though I’m not big on the flavored yogurts.  I tried plain, vanilla, strawberry and honey.  I have to say they were quite the treat, very creamy and smooth; you could tell it was really great quality.  I have to say though that the flavored ones were too sweet for me!  I don’t like all that sugary stuff at the bottom.  I would love for it to have much less.  Out of the flavored ones, I like the vanilla best because it wasn’t too sweet.  I’m so used to that slight tang from plain yogurt that flavored ones are a bit much for me now. 

I also really enjoyed the shape of the container.  It was just wide enough to fill it with some great toppings like fruit and granola.  Like this . . . for a perfect snack.

Gotta love Gina’s granola . . . mmm nice and crunchy!

 

So what’s the verdict?  I would have to say that I would love to purchase this yogurt in the future, but the only deterrent is the price.  At $1.99 a pop at Whole Foods, I cannot justify buying this all the time, but it is a really great treat :) 

What’s your favorite yogurt brand and the best way you like to enjoy it? 

new additions

There have been many new things in my life recently from a new house, new furniture, new kitchen, new schedules, and now a new . . . dog!  We picked up Buster the basset on Sunday morning and he is doing quite well for changing homes pretty regularly.  He’s 6 years old and we adopted him from the Las Vegas Basset Rescue.  This organization is so wonderful and they do so much for their doggies.  We couldn’t be happier with the happy guy.  Actually he’s your typical basset . . . doesn’t like to do much but lie around all day, have a good walk (all of about 20 minutes max), eat some grub and lie down again.  Oh . . . the life of a basset.  He’s the first dog I’ve seen that really sleeps hard, I mean really hard.  We have to shake him for awhile before he’ll get up!  So funny!  We had to get him some ear rinse to keep his long ears clean and this tool to help with shedding, along with other typical doggie things.  We hope he’s enjoying his new home too.

Blogging buddies meet Buster the basset . . .

He even knows how to roll over (haha)

 

In house news, we finally got a dining table to eat at, yay!  I’m glad to sit at a table and not on the floor.  We still have to spruce up the place with some pictures, and need to get the drapes on the walls.  Our little housewarming party is approaching fast . . . eek! 

 

This past weekend we made some fresh baked pasta (THE best) and a rhubarb crisp.  We used half whole wheat and half AP flour.  I love rhubarb in the summer, especially when it’s paired along with strawberries and topped with a crumbly, crisp topping. . . yum! 

 

  

I also tried the crisp with TJ’s non-fat tart frozen yogurt.  It was good, but I have to say it doesn’t quite compare to the soft serve we get at that yogurt place near our house of course, but it will do for now.  It doesn’t melt right to me, but is more like a smooth sorbet?

 

Last night I also tapped into the frugal cook and made a polenta mushroom casserole that was delish!  I swear it tastes better than it looks.  It’s flavor was very smoky and slightly spicy from the addition of a little canned chipotle chiles in adobo.  If you haven’t experimented with these yet, they add quite a bit of flavor to many dishes.  I usually buy a can and then freeze little portions in baggies to use later, since you can’t really use one whole can in one recipe unless you want to burn your whole mouth off.  Next time I will make the polenta the night before so it will ‘set’ up better for the topping.  I tried queso fresco for the first time, but I don’t know if I would use it again because I couldn’t really taste it on top, as it was masked by the smokiness of the chiles.

 

Polenta Mushroom Casserole

Yield:  8-10 servings

Polenta:

• 5 1/2 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2  cups dry polenta (fancy name for corn meal)
• 1  tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• salt, pepper, all-purpose seasoning
  

Mushroom Topping:

• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 2  cups  chopped onion
• 3/4 lb lean ground chicken (I had this leftover in the freezer)
• 2 – 8oz cartons sliced crimini mushrooms
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  cup  fruity balsamic vinegar
• 1  tsp - 1tbsp chopped drained canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 1  tbsp dried oregano
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  (28-ounce) can tomatoes, drained and chopped
• crumbled queso fresco cheese, or mozzarella, or goat cheese for topping

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare polenta, combine first 4 ingredients in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish, stirring well. Bake at 375° for 1 hour or until liquid is absorbed.  This can be done the night before to help it ‘set’ better.

To prepare topping, while polenta bakes, heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add chicken and mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook until mushrooms release moisture and begin to brown, stirring occasionally. Add vinegar, chiles, oregano, and garlic. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until liquid evaporates, stirring constantly. Stir in tomatoes, and cook over low heat 20-30 minutes or until the mixture thickens and reduces, stirring occasionally.

Spoon over polenta; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Increase oven temp and bake at 400° for 20-30 minutes or until cheese begins to melt and brown.  Serve with a side salad.  This is great for leftovers!

Look and the plate is on a table now, yay!

 

Any new additions in your life or in the past that made you happy?  Hope your having a great week!