Thanksgiving!

So no recipes today (I didn't really measure when cooking) but here are some photos of our wonderful dinner. It was delicious, the flavors and complimented each other beautifully.

This being my first Thanksgiving dinner that I had to cook all on my own, and only having two mouths to feed (mine and my boyfriend's) we opted for smaller dishes and birds.

We roasted a butternut squash (with butter and pepper), made simple skin-on mashed potatoes, a "healthy-er" green bean casserole, a tart and tasty cran-raspberry sauce, Cornish game hens basted in olive oil, lemon zest/juice and herbs, all rounded off with two, count 'em TWO pumpkin pies lined with sugar dipped cranberries. 

Everything turned out fantastic! The hens were wonderfully juicy (I will admit, they aren't turkey by any means but, with a small crowd and budget they are perfect). The mashed potatoes were truly mashed, not whipped, giving them a more rustic taste and texture which I strive for in my cooking.

Needless to say, the pumpkin pies turned out amazing! So light and fluffy, and well balanced when topped with the fruity tangy cranberry sauce.

 

 

 

 

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

This isn’t just comfort food, this is grandma level comfort food. I have grown up with this dish and I mean really, is there anything more comforting than macaroni and cheese?

This is my grandmother’s wonderful recipe with a few tweaks of my own. With the temperature starting to plummet, this recipe is AMAZINGLY heart warming and surprisingly simple.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

2 cups macaroni noodles (or 2 ½ cups penne pasta)

½ medium white onion (chopped)

3 large cloves garlic (minced)

4 button mushrooms (thinly sliced)

2 tbs butter (No whining, you’re making macaroni and cheese. Deal with it)

2 cans cream of mushroom soup (the small ones)

1 soup can full of milk

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp basil

2 ½ cups cheese (shredded; cheddar, Colby jack, whatever tickles your fancy)

1 tbs parmesan cheese

Preheat your oven to 375*

Boil the noodles in a large pot and then drain. Place the pot back on the burner and turn it down to low. Melt the butter and sauté the mushrooms and onions for two minutes or so, just enough to soften the onions.

Remove the pot from heat and add the soups, milk and spices. Stir until combined. Add the noodles and 2 cups of cheese and continue to stir.

Pour the mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish and top with the remaining ½ cup of cheese and the parmesan.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the cheese has begun to brown.

Voila! 

Garlic, tomatoes and basil, oh my!

I need to preface this post with the fact that I LOVE tomatoes. Not only are they beautiful, delicious and ever so versatile, they contain protein, vitamin C and antioxidants our bodies need! If I were given the choice of one natural ingredient to live on for the rest of my life it would surely have to be these wonderful, plump red fruits!

One amazing way to use up some tomatoes is to make bruschetta. I started making it a few years ago and have been hooked ever since. Paired with a bottle of wine and a fresh spinach and arugula salad, this recipe has become a staple for us and is the perfect light lunch or dinner.

Tomato mixture:
2 large tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
5 basil leaves
1/2 tbs olive oil
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste 

Everything else:
1 baguette of your choosing (I tend to lean more towards the sourdough side, it holds up better when frying and won't get soggy once the tomato mixture is added)
Olive oil
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (Or fresh Parmesan; whatever you have lying around is fine)

First, empty the locular cavities of the tomatoes (Remove the gooey seed stuff). This allows for a not-so-mushy topping. Then dice the tomatoes into small cubes. Next, roll and ribbon the basil leaves. Place both ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Add the vinegar, oil, garlic and spices; stir well. Place the bowl in the fridge while you move onto the bread.

In a large frying pan, pour in just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and heat on medium until you can smell the olive oil. Slice the baguette into 1/2 inch thick slices and brush each side with a small amount of olive oil (This prevents the bread from soaking up too much oil). Fry a few slices of bread at a time until both sides are golden brown. Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil and set your broiler to it's low setting. Place the bread slices on the cookie sheet and evenly distribute the tomato mixture. Then sprinkle each slice with a small amount of cheese (Don't cover up those beautiful tomatoes too much!) Place under the broiler just until the cheese melts.

 So easy, yet so tasty! Enjoy.

Posole

This weekend my mother flew in from California, and that means two things: Cooking and Scrabble. Due to the snow which is shortly to be falling outside, I decided to heat things up and make some posole. Traditional posole is made with pork, however we prefer chicken instead. A multitude of changes can be made to make it your own [ie: black beans, tomatoes, different chilies and spices] This recipe we threw together in no time!

Puree

¾ cup boiling water

1 oz (4-5) dried new mexico chilies – butts removed

1 jalapeño – de-seeded and butt removed (Use 2 jalapeños if you like a bit more heat!)

¼ cup cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

4 cloves garlic

½ tsp cayenne pepper

Broth

1 tbsp corn oil

½ medium white onion – finely chopped

4 cloves garlic – minced

4 cups low sodium broth

4 cups water

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp salt

2 large chicken breasts

30 oz hominy

Toppings of your choosing (ie: tortilla strips, avocado, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, red onion, olives, hot sauce, etc.)

In medium sized bowl, place the dried chilies and pour boiling water over them. Cover with a dinner plate to keep in the steam. Let the chilies soak for about 30 minutes. 

Pour chilies and soaking water into a blender and add the jalapeno, cilantro, limejuice, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Blend until a thick puree is reached; similar looking to tomato soup and set aside. 

In a large pot, heat the corn oil and add the onion and garlic; sauté for a minute or two, and then pour in the broth and water. Add all of the spices (and anything else your little heart desires) and bring the mixture to a boil. Place the chicken breasts (whole) in the boiling pot and turn the heat off. Place the lid on the pot and let sit for 20 minutes. 

Remove chicken breasts and shred or cube to your liking.

Pour the pureed chili mixture into the broth along with the chicken. Bring the soup to a boil and then add the hominy. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Top with EVERYTHING under the sun… 

Needless to say, the soup turned out fantastic. The simple flavors with not-too-much spice made this recipe a warming and comforting meal.