Tuna macaroni casserole

This is not my normal tuna noodle casserole recipe. Mama K makes it better than anyone else...there's even potato chips on top!! She also adds frozen peas (blech! The only veggie that Justin and I both hate with a passion)...and when I make her version I started adding mushrooms and onions. Justin loves the stuff...I get all excited about basil-y chicken and he can't control himself around tuna noodle casserole. Go figure. But I saw this in my Food magazine and thought maybe I should give another recipe a try and see if we can't improve on an oldie but goodie.

1/2 box wheat elbow macaroni
1 cup panko
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1.5-2 cups shredded mexican cheese
2 T olive oil
1 small diced yellow or white onion
3 T all purpose flour
2 cups low sodium chicken broth (I didn't have this on hand like usual so I used boiling water and chicken boullion to make my broth)
1.5 cups whole milk (I used the rest of my fat free half and half)
2 cans (5 oz each) albacore tuna, drained and flaked
I also added 1 can mushrooms

Preheat oven to 425 degrees if you're going to cook this right away. I made it the night before and left it in the fridge for Justin since I had dinner plans that evening with friends and he had been pushing snow all night.  I like him to have a good meal in his belly before going to bed after not sleeping all night and drinking coffee and eating gas station food.  I lurve him :)

Boil water to cook pasta until it is a couple minutes undercooked. Drain and toss together with tuna and mushrooms.

In saucepan, heat 2 T olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened (about 8 minutes).  Add flour and whisk to coat onion with flour.

Slowly shisk in broth, then milk.  Cook, stirring constatly, until sauce comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce is thickened, about 8 minutes.

Stir sauce into pot with pasta and tuna, mix evenly. Transfer tuna mixture to a 9x13 baking dish and cover with shredded cheese. Mix panko, parmesan, and 2 T olive oil thouroughly. Top the tuna mixture with the panko mixture and bake until sauce is bubbling and crust is golden, 17-20 minutes (if you're throwing it in the oven from the fridge, I would go 25-30 minutes since you're starting it cold rather than hot).  Let cool before serving!

I liked it alot but I wasn't home when Justin ate this so I texted him to ask him how it was.  His foodie critic eloquent response? "It's ok. Don't really care for the crumbly shit on top."  There it is, folks....I guess if you're not a crumbly shit person then this dish is not going to be high on your fave list! I guess if it ain't broke, I shouldn't go trying to fix it, so I'll probably just stick with our tried and true recipe from here on out. But from the looks of the pan...either he was hungry, or it really wasn't all that bad.  :)

Fat Stats (serves 8):
357 cals per serving
8 g fat
22 g protein
49 g carbs
3 g fiber

Cheesy basil stuffed chicken

Basil is my new fave.  Maybe it's not new, I've been loving the crap out of it all summer.  But I never knew how much I really loved it until this dish.  It's straight up basil chicken...so much basil and garlic flavor I could burst! I absolutely adored this chicken, Justin cleaned his plate but wasn't begging for more. To each his own I guess...

I wouldnt say this is the healthiest chicken breast I've ever prepared but it's under 350 calories per breast so if you add a veggie for a side, it's not horrible either.  Did I say that this is packed with BASIL and GARLIC flavor??  I did...ok, just didn't want you to miss out on that tidbit!

Ingredients:

1 cup shredded mozzerella cheese (I used shredded mexican 2% cheese because it's what I had in the fridge)

1/4 cup minced fresh basil (this is my new fave product instead of keeping fresh basil around when I don't have my planter growing on the deck)

2 T heavy cream (I used fat free half and half since I had it leftover in the fridge and refuse to use heavy cream in any recipe)

1 T lemon juice

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I only had 3 so I stuffed 'em full)

3 T mayo (I always use fat free)

1 cup plain bread crumbs

2 T olive oil

1 pint cherry tomatoes (I cut up 2 small tomatoes since I didn't have any cherry tomatoes)

I know this seems like a lot of ingredients, but the only thing I didn't have laying around was the mozzerella, and my substitution worked just fine! Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the shredded cheese, minced basil, cream, lemon juice, and minced garlic.

Cut a pocket in the chicken breasts and stuff them with the cheese mixture, sealing with toothpicks if needed. Transfer the chicken to the baking dish and spread evenly with the fat free mayo.

In your mixing bowl (I used the same one I used for the stuffing mixture so I had less dishes at the end), combine the bread crumbs, 1 T olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle crumb mixture over chicken, pressing lightly to adhere. Toss tomatoes with remaining T of olive oil, 1/2 t salt and 1/2 t pepper and arrange them in the baking dish on top and surrounding the chicken cutlets.

Bake until the crumbs are golden brown and chickn is cooked through (internal temp of 160 if using a thermometer) which took me about 25 minutes.

After you stop drooling from looking at your plate and smelling all the flavors, dig on in! Doesn't look so pretty but sure did taste beautiful :)

Roasted tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons

6 cups cherry tomatoes
3 T olive oil
1 t salt
1 t pepper
2 T butter (I used light)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped onion
1 can diced tomatoes (I didnt have this so I diced up 2 large tomatoes)
4 cups chicken broth (I used low sodium, low fat)
1 cup whipping cream (I used fat free half and half)
I also added 1/2 cup fresh basil, diced up

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Toss the cherry tomatoes with 2 T of olive oil and salt and pepper, then transfer to a baking sheet in a single layer. 

Roast the tomatoes until they are shriveled with brown spots, about 30 minutes.

In a large pot, heat the butter and the remaining T of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice (or the diced tomatoes with their juice), the broth, the basil, and the roasted tomatoes, including any liquid on the baking sheet. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes. How flipping pretty is that??

Using a food processor or blender, puree the soup until its smooth.

Return it to the pot and stir in the cream (or half and half). Without letting the soup boil, warm it over medium heat, stirring often, until steaming. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Make yourself some grilled cheese croutons for serving! If you don't know how to do this, don't worry...when I went to college I didn't either. I had no idea you had to butter the bread!  So here's a quick tutorial in case you were a lazy kid like me who left the burning of the grilled cheese to your mom:

1. Butter one side of each piece of bread
2. Lay bread buttered side down into greased skilled
3. Layer cheese on top of that (I used one slice of American and one slice of Swiss but Pepperjack is killer in there if you have it)
4. Throw your other piece of bread on top, buttered side up. I usually sprinkle each buttered side with some thyme for a little flava.
5. Don't burn them like Mama K always did (sorry for calling you out, Mom)! Keep checking the bottoms and flip when golden brown.
6. When cheese is melted and toast is perfectly browned, you have just made your first grilled cheese. 

It sounds easy, and it is...but it really is quick to burn so be careful!

Cut our grilled cheese up in bite sized pieces once it cools for a few minutes so the cheese doesn't ooze out....that would be catastrophic!  Throw them into your steaming soup and serve immediately so they don't get super soggy...

Justin is always a huge fan of grilled cheese, so he was easy to please with that aspect.  He wasn't real up on the tomato soup though...he said it's just as easy and good to eat the Campbell's Select tomato basil we usually do..and he's correct.  BUT I had cherry tomatoes up the wazoo and any good food hoarder knows you shouldn't waste food when there's starving kids in Etheopia! I really liked it though, maybe due to the feeling of accomplishment of making my first soup besides chicken or beef noodle...who knows.  I will tell you that soup weather is upon us whether you like it or not...so this really hit the spot in front of the fireplace that night!  But you decide for yourself....

Roasted tomatoes with shrimp and feta

Oh. My. Goodnessgraciousgoodgodalmighty.  This stuff is heaven. I knew I would like it..I mean it has basil, shrimp, tomatoes, olive oil, these are right up there on my yum-worthy taste charts. But I didn't know I would fall in LOVE with this dish. And Justin liked it to boot (which actually did surprise me a bit)! I assumed this would be one of the "it's alright" meals for him...he doesn't have a hankering for shrimp, like ever. He just eats it when it's in front of him. He's a good dude like that :)  But he wolfed this stuff down...I mean there were no leftovers...none.

The sauce was flipping phenomenal...I don't have descriptive words for the party that was going on in my mouth here. I love me a good dippy sauce just like the next gal, but I really think I will do some angel hair pasta with this next time too. It was perfect to just soak up all the glory with some crusty bread but I think this would be amazing on a bed of thin pasta...will report back when I try it next time! Anyway, this is the newest edition to the "favorites" tab...

5 large tomatoes, cut into 1/8ths
3 T olive oil
2 T minced garlic (I didn't have any, GASP, so I used a bunch of garlic powder instead)
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb medium shrimp (uncooked and tails taken off...this means get the grey ones and not the pink ones that are precooked)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 T lemon juice
1 cup feta, crumbled
crusty bread, for serving (or pasta if you so choose)

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the tomatoes in a large baking dish and spoon the olive oil and garlic over them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast them on the top rack of the oven for 20 minutes. 

Remove the baking dish from the oven and stir in the shirmp, basil, feta, and lemon juice.

Return the dish to the oven until the shrimp are cooked through, 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with the bread. Justin called it shrimp soup, but you can call it whatever you want...just give it a try, you will thank me later!

S'mores bars

The plan was to make a plate of these to bring to the new neighbors (yesssss, the house next door finally sold and the couple that moved in is our age)...but, that didn't quite happen. Justin said I was an 80 year old for baking for the new neighbors so I got nervous they would think the same thing...we don't want them to get the impression that we're not hip, now do we?  So I brought the whole pan to our Halloween party, which was really Brandy's surprise 30th birthday party, which turned out great!  As you know, Im not much into desserts but these are a smash hit when they're right outta the oven....when they cool off they're alright but you def want to serve these warm (Amanda was visiting from Texas and couldn't keep her hand out of the pan!

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 C. margarine or butter, melted
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1 C. flour
1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs (about 1/2 a package graham crackers)
2 C. mini marshmallows (or as many as you'd like)
1/2 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips

Beat margarine or butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add combined flour and crumbs; mix well. Press onto bottom of greased 9 inch square baking pan. I started out with a fork but I ended up using my hands like I was spreading a pizza dough...

I doubled the recipe too so I could make a standard 13x9 baking dish full of smore bar love. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and then marshmallows.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until marshmallows are golden brown. I had to let them cool before cutting them so they could harden up, but before serving just throw them in the microwave quick for the melty smore like quality.  Word to the wise...don't try these after you brush your teeth or you will think they are horrible and almost throw them away.  They are actually quite delightful so don't throw them away.  :)

Apple pie shots

This is Manda from Chicago Texas New Orleans...she calls this "poison" because she's been hurt by it before.  The guy who gave me the recipe from the bar called these shots "legspreaders" because girls love the taste and end up on their faces.  I like to call it "warm apple pie"....sounds a lot more inviting than either of those, not?  It's sort of a Halloween staple, and I like to have a huge batch so there are leftovers for me to sip on throughout the winter in a warm mug before bedtime. 

The thing is, these taste amazing, but if you're not careful they can bite you in the tush...either right away, or in the form of a horrid headache the following day. It's the Everclear...the stuff is wicked.  BUT, if you are a sipper and watch your intake, this is a very relaxing Winter beverage as well.

1 quart apple juice
1 gallon apple cider
1 bottle everclear
1 container cinnamon sticks
1 cup sugar
vodka to taste is optional

Add everything but the alcohol to a large stockpot and bring it to a boil for 5 minutes. Let it cool and add the alcohol when it's chilled.

Mix and funnel back in the containers for storage (this recipe is from a bar so they made large batches....aaaaaand I usually double it! You don't have to use a skeleton beer bong funnel...but I don't see why you wouldn't.

Lasagna cups

"Why don't you just put it all together in a pan like normal lasagna?"  Because then it wouldn't be fun, would it, Justin?  Why do boys ask so many questions anyway?  I made these for a night when we were having the Havicks over for dinner...my old college roommate, her hubby Joel (fun fact: theirs was the first wedding I was ever in), and their two adorable chillins. Kids need entertainment, right? Why not make lasagna fun!  These turned out great, especially since I didn't burn them.  I checked on them early, thank goodness and they were perfectly done....otherwise, we wouldve been ordering pizza.  Don't judge, I've done it before.

These would also be perfect servings for a party, and I think they're just adorable looking to boot!  These have been "pinned" on my http://www.pinterest.com/ board for quite a while, so I'm glad I got a chance to try them...

1 package wonton wrappers
1 container low fat ricotta cheese
1 package shredded mozzerella cheese
Fave pasta sauce (I like to add meat to ours so would normally make some spagetti sauce with mushrooms, onion, and ground beef, but I used my batch of canned homemade pasta sauce which made this very simple.

Super spray (yes, that's a real cooking term in my kitchen) your cupcake tins with nonstick Pam or you'll be prying these suckers out with your fingers...and that's no fun.  Layer one wonton wrapper on the bottom of each cupcake hole..

...then layer one dallop of ricotta...

...followed by another wonton wrapper, and fill the whole rig up with your meaty sauce...

and top with shredded mozzerella, throwing some italian seasoning on there if you are feeling zippy...

Bake for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees, and please keep your eye on them so you don't give them the near death experience that I did...they would've been inedible had I left them in for even a few more minutes. But instead (and yes again, I will point out that I am no professional photog), they came out heavenly! And so cute to have individual lasagna servings....

Remember the rule? If the leftovers get killed, the recipe is a winner.  These puppies were no losers!