Pepper Jack Mac

This is slightly modified from the latest Simple and Delicious. I'm not a big fan of spicey food, but the pepper jack really just gives it a little flavor rather than spiciness. Jeremy hates mac and cheese, but he loved this one.


Pepper Jack Mac
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
¼- ½ cup chopped onion
1 (8 oz) pkg mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
½ cup plus 4 Tbsp milk
½ cup plus 4 Tbsp chicken broth
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
½ tsp Italian seasoning
dash of salt
dash of pepper

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onions in half of the butter until very tender. Add remaining butter and mushrooms and cook until tender. Stir in flour until blended; gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1-2 more minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat until cheese is melted. Stir bacon into mixture and pour over noodles.

Creamy Broccoli Ranch Pasta

This is delish and tastes quite a bit different than most white sauces so Carrie might even like it. :)




Creamy Broccoli Ranch Pasta

4-6 slices bacon
1 ½ cups broccoli
2 Tbsp flour
1 envelope dry ranch salad dressing mix
1 ¼ cups milk
3 cups egg noodles
1 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tomato, diced

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, cook bacon until crisp. Crumble bacon and set aside, reserving 1 Tbsp drippings. Cook broccoli (fresh or frozen) in bacon drippings until tender In measuring glass, measure out milk and slowly add flour and ranch mix to milk. Use whisk to beat mixture until smooth. Pour milk mixture over broccoli and cook on medium heat until thick and bubbly. Cook and stir one minute more. Stir in bacon. Serve sauce over noodles and top with fresh tomato and Parmesan cheese.

Baked Apples in Caramel-Cream Sauce

Baked Apples in Caramel-Cream Sauce

3 large apples, cut into fourths
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup pecans, coarsley chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Put apples, round sides up (peeled or unpeeled) in a shallow ungreased 8-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle brown sugar and dot with butter. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until apples are tender. Pour cream over apples. Stir with a fork to mix cream and syrup. Top with pecans and serve warm with ice cream.

These are really yummy. If you peel the apples they're a bit easier to eat but if you don't peel them they look a bit fancier.

Eggnog French Toast

We had this lovely French toast for breakfast this morning. There's just enough eggnog flavor in this to make it delicious but not too rich. Delightful! :) A few of the reviewers (from allrecipes.com) said that they put the bread in a baking dish, poured the batter on top and let it soak overnight, then baked it the next morning at 350 for about 40 minutes - I think I'll try that next time! Yum! :)

Eggnog French Toast

2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 C. eggnog
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 loaf French bread

Whisk the eggs, eggnog, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice together in a shallow bowl until well blended.
Preheat an electric griddle to 300 degrees. Lightly grease the skillet with butter.
Dip one slice of bread at a time into the eggnog mixture, being sure to coat both sides of the bread thoroughly.
Place the prepared bread slices onto the heated griddle and cook, turning once, until golden brown on each side. Place cooked slices on a serving plate and cover with foil to keep warm until all French toast is cooked. Serve immediately with warm maple syrup and powdered sugar or whipped cream.

Green Chile-Chicken Stew

Mom said, 'If this isn't good, it was Becky's recipe, but if it's good, then I made it!" HA! So thought I should quickly blog it before she has a chance to claim it as her own! :)

Green Chile-Chicken Stew

8 C. chicken broth
1 C. cooked, shredded chicken breast
4 C. cubed red potato (about 1 1/2 lbs)
1-1/2 C. chopped onion
1/2 C. thinly sliced carrot
2 tsp minced fresh cilantro
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
3 (4.5 ounce)cans chopped green chiles
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (10 ounce) can tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
6 Tbsp shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Sour cream, optional

Combine all ingredient except for evaporated milk and cheese in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 40 minutes or until potatoes are done. Remove from heat; stir in milk. Ladle soup into individual bowls, and sprinkle with cheese and a dollop of sour cream, if using. Yield: 6-8 servings

Recipe slightly adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

Chicken Saltimbocca

Pounding the chicken ensures that it cooks completely, since I'm not one who enjoys handling raw meat, I let Alan take care of this step.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup flour
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
4 slices prosciutto or ham
4 slices (1 oz. each) mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage leaves
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter

Between pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper, place each chicken breast smooth side down; gently pound with the flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin until 1/4 inch thick. In shallow dish, mix flour, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and salt. Coat chicken with flour mixture; shake off excess flour.

In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook about 8 minutes, turning once, until browned on outside and no longer pink in center. Top each chicken breast with 1 slice prosciutto or ham and 1 slice mozzarella cheese. Cover skillet tightly; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle sage over chicken. Remove chicken from skillet to serving platter; cover loosely with tent of foil, being careful not to let foil touch cheese.

Increase heat to high. Add broth to skillet. Heat to boiling, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Boil about 3 minutes or until broth is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Remove from heat; beat in butter. Spoon over chicken.

Sesame-Wheat Berry Salad

We had this with Sunday dinner a few weeks ago. Carrie took the pictures (she'll have to add them) but I did the cooking :D I couldn't find Thai chili garlic paste but I had Thai chili garlic sauce in the fridge and that worked great.

1 cup uncooked wheat berries
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup shredded carrot
4 green onions, sliced
2 Tablespoons sesame seed, toasted

Dressing:
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon Thai chili garlic paste (or sauce)
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

In 2-quart saucepan, heat wheat berries and chicken broth to boiling over high heat; stir. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer about 1 hour or until wheat is tender/ drain and cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small jar or bowl with tight-fitting lid, mix the dressing ingredients. Cover; shake well.

In medium bowl, mix remaining salad ingredients. Pour dressing over salad; toss to coat. If making ahead, add the toasted sesame seed just before serving.

High altitude: Cover and simmer wheat berries about 1 hour and 10 minutes or until wheat is tender.