I've Been A Little Preoccupied!

Thanks to those of you who've asked if I'm ok lately. I'm wonderful! Visiting home for the holidays, so I'm a bit preoccupied with family and these precious little babies...

See you all in the new year!

Creamy Stove Top Mac 'n' Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is one of the rare foods in which I prefer fake processed ingredients. I don't know why, but I just love it with that creamy gooey processed "cheese product". I really like Velveeta, but since they don't sell that here, I used these "Cheddar" slices I found at the Albert Heijn. There's nothing Cheddar about them to be honest. Actually, they're exactly what I know as American cheese singles. Regardless, it made a damn fine stove top mac 'n' cheese, just like the box kind my sister and I used to eat in college.

Creamy Stove Top Mac 'n' Cheese

Ingredients:
1-2 cups dry macaroni, depending on how saucy you like it
2 T. butter
2 T. all-purpose flour
1¼ cups whole milk
8-10 individually wrapped American cheese slices, unwrapped
seasonings (I used 2 dashes each of seasoned salt, regular salt and cayenne pepper)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a tsp or two of vegetable oil to the water and pour in the dry macaroni. Cook until al dente and drain. (*You can cook the full 2 cups of noodles, then just stir as much of it as you like into the sauce later. Store the leftovers in a zip-lock bag in the refrigerator and use for something else later.)

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small sauce pan over low heat. After it’s melted, whisk in the flour and continue whisking for about 1-2 minutes to dissolve and cook the rawness out of the flour. Pour in the milk and whisk slowly until it thickens. Add the cheese slices a few at a time and whisk until they melt into the sauce.

Stir the cheese sauce and noodles together, and season to taste.

Creamy Stove Top Mac n' Cheese

The Most Awesome Fudge Brownies

My search for the perfect brownie recipe is over! This picture doesn't do these brownies justice. Here they look a bit cakey, but they're actually gooey, soft and delicious, just like the ones from the box. Check the link below to look at Amy's pictures. They're beautiful and perfect!

Guaranteed Fudge Brownies
-Adapted from Singforyoursupperblog.com

Ingredients:
4 large eggs
1¼ cups cocoa powder (I use half Droste Dutch-process and half Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 T. real vanilla extract
1 cup (227g) unsalted butter
2¼ cups sugar
1½ cups all-purpose flour
3½ oz. (100g) chopped milk chocolate

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and place the rack in the center.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs, cocoa powders, salt, baking powder, baking soda and vanilla extract with the whisk attachment until smooth. Scrape bowl as necessary to make sure it’s all incorporated.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the sugar and continue stirring over low heat just until it’s hot, but not bubbling. The mixture will look a bit shiny, but still thick and sugary. This process is apparently what gives you that nice thin crispy layer on top of the brownies.

Return to the mixer and set it to stir on a low speed. As it stirs, very gradually pour in the hot sugar-butter mixture a little at a time in order to temper the eggs. When it’s all mixed in, stir in the chopped chocolate. (Or if you prefer, you can let the batter cool for 20 minutes before stirring in the chocolate chips. That way they won’t melt into the batter, but will remain as solid chips.)

Pour the batter into a buttered 9x13” pan and bake for about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just moist crumbs. Remove from the oven, loosen the edges with a knife and allow to cool before cutting.
Fudge Brownies

Lasagna Rolls

I discovered a new food blog this week called Singforyoursupperblog.com. It's by a girl named Amy from Dallas, go figure. She has so many lovely recipes I want to try, but this one for lasagna rolls really spoke to me. Plus my boyfriend is sick and he loves lasagna, so of course I made it for him. (I also made him Amy's amazing brownies, but I'll save that for my next post.)

Now, I've tried a lot of recipes for lasagna, but this is absolutely my favorite. Hands down! I made a couple of changes, namely making it vegetarian by adding vegetables to the filling instead of prosciutto. I think, though, that it really has to do with the Bechamel sauce. I can't believe I've gone this far in my life without ever having Bechamel sauce in my lasagna. Good lord, it's good!

I love that they're rolls. That makes it so easy to scoop out and portion.

Vegetarian Lasagna Rolls

-Adapted from Singforyoursupperblog.com

Ingredients:

Béchamel Sauce:
2 T. unsalted butter
4 tsp flour
1¼ cups milk
salt, pepper and nutmeg, to taste (about a pinch each)

Filling:
1 zucchini, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely minced
1 green bell pepper, finely minced
2 T. butter
9 oz. (250g) ricotta cheese
1 cup Parmesan (I used the powdered kind)
15 oz. (450g) frozen finely cut spinach, thawed and excess moisture squeezed out
1 large egg, whisked
dash of garlic salt and pepper

Lasagna Assembly:
10 sheets lasagna
21 oz. (600g) jar of tomato cream pasta sauce (I used Heinz brand)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 T. parmesan cheese


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).

To make the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a small sauce pan over low heat. Add the flour and whisk for a few minutes. Pour in the milk and increase the heat to medium-low. Whisk until it just begins to bubble and the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour the sauce in the bottom of a buttered baking dish.

For the filling, melt the 2 T. butter in a skillet and sauté the zucchini, onion and bell pepper until softened, but still have a bite. In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, parmesan, egg, spinach and seasonings. Mix in the warm sautéed vegetables a little at a time, to temper the egg.

Boil the lasagna noodles in water with a bit of oil. Cook them until softened and flexible, but still raw. Lay them on a flat surface, then spread the filling on across the whole of each sheet. Roll them up and place in the baking dish over the béchamel sauce. Pour the tomato cream sauce over the lasagna rolls and spread out evenly. Sprinkle with mozzarella and the 2 T. parmesan.

Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes, then uncover and bake about 15 minutes more until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Cool 10 minutes before serving.



Vegetarian Lasagna Rolls

Homemade Butter

Things just taste better when they're homemade, butter included. I tried Kay's instructions for making it, and it seriously couldn't have been easier. I just put some salt in mine, which was awesome, but I can only imagine how yummy Kay's wild concoctions with fresh herbs and seasonings are. Those would be delicious on the dinner table with a fresh loaf of French bread!

Here are the easy instructions:

Pour 2 cups of heavy cream in a food processor. Turn it on high and watch the magic unfold.

It will go through a few stages:

1. It will eventually turn into soft and fluffy whipped cream.
2. It will become a very thick and stiff whipped cream.
3. Continue until it has turned yellow and the butter curds have separated from the milk.

Next, set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and dump the butter/milk in. Use a spoon to press the butter to the mesh, draining all of the buttermilk. I don't think that's "buttermilk", as in the sour stuff. It just tasted like regular milk to me. Rinse the butter curds with water and drain.

Season with salt and/or herbs, veggies, etc. Whatever your creative mind can come up with.

I don't think homemade butter can be kept more than a day or two, so eat it up! Best served at room temperature for spreading.

Peachy Sweet and Sour Tofu Stir-Fry

To me, the idea of a sweet and sour stir-fry is a great one, but I've always been on the fence about it. I have high hopes for the dish, so I continue to order it sometimes when I go out to eat, even though I usually end up disappointed. I think it has to do with the pineapple, which I love in every other circumstance. Today, however, I came across this recipe on Kayotic Kitchen and was inspired to use peaches instead. Oh, it's wonderful! I'm now an official sweet and sour fan. We loved it so much!



Peachy Sweet and Sour Tofu Stir-Fry
-Inspired by Kayotic Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 block extra-firm tofu, rinsed, drained, pressed and sliced (For directions on freezing and pressing tofu, see this post.)
soy sauce and a dash of cayenne, for marinating tofu
28 oz. (820g can)Canned peaches in syrup (syrup reserved)
2 T. flour
2 T. ketchup
2-3 T. Ketjap Manis (or “Kecap Manis” is a thick and sweet Indonesian soy sauce. May substitute soy sauce, but add 1 tsp. of brown sugar)
2 T. rice vinegar
2 pinches of crushed red pepper flakes
2 T. butter or liquid margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp grated ginger
1 large red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 large yellow or orange bell pepper, roughly chopped
3 medium onions, cut into thick slices
9 oz. (250g) button mushrooms, quartered
roasted and salted cashew nuts, for garnish
red pepper flakes, for garnish


Directions:
Cut the block of pressed tofu in half lengthwise. Turn upright on the cut edge and slice into 4 thin rectangles. Stack the rectangles and cut them in half, into two smaller rectangles. Cut each stack of rectangles diagonally to create thin triangles of tofu. Marinate them in soy sauce and cayenne for at least 30 minutes, then fry in a dry skillet over med-low until golden on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour into the peach syrup until no lumps remain. Whisk in the ketchup, Ketjap Manis, rice vinegar and crushed red pepper flakes. Set this sauce aside.

Heat the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Sauté the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, then add the bell peppers and onions. Cook 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften. Stir in the mushrooms, peaches, tofu and sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer about 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened a bit.

Serve with Asian egg noodles or rice and garnish with cashew nuts and red pepper flakes.


Peachy Sweet and Sour Tofu Stir-Fry

White Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies

These are a different version of my Chocolate Chunk Walnut Cookies. A sprinkle of salt gives them that perfect combination of sweet and salty.

White Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies
-Adapted from Better Homes and Garden's "New Cook Book"

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2½ cups all-purpose flour
7oz. (200g) chopped white chocolate
1 - 1½ cups chopped pecans
salt, for sprinkling

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° (180°C).

Using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, beat the butter for 30 seconds on medium to high speed. Scrape the sides of the bowl.

Add the brown sugar, sugar, baking soda and salt. Beat until combined and scrape the bowl again.

Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Scrape bowl.

Add the flour gradually, slowly mixing after each addition until just combined. Scrape the bowl when necessary.

Stir in the chocolate and nuts.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Roll tablespoon sized drops of dough between your palms to form round balls. Space them 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 9-10 minutes until the edges are set and the center is still soft. Remove from the oven and sprinkle lightly with salt. Cool 2 minutes on the trays and then transfer to wire cooling racks.

White Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies