Mac and cheese quinoa

Back to your regularly scheduled programming. I fell off the wagon yesterday, had a personal day, and never posted.  Ground me. Send me to my room. Seriously...can someone please send me to my room so I can get a nap up in here??! Fist pump that it's Friday, double fist pump that the rents are coming this weekend for some wedding planning fun, and triple de dipple (you know what I mean even when I speak my own language, right?) fist pump that Brudder Ben is coming back into the country from being gone for a whole YEAR tomorrow night!!!!

 

My younger bro, Benny Boo, has been a private contracter for the US for the last 4 years since he got out of the Air Guard. He was most recently stationed in Abu Dhabi ("luckyyyyyyy" --said in my best Napolean Dynamite voice) but was in Afghanistan previous to that and has been in Iraq for the other deployments. I am so stinking proud of that kid for the position he's put himself in at such a young age, he has worked so hard for the last few years and now has the financial freedom to decide what he wants to do with his life. The kid is waaaay smarter than me, and the only reason I'm allowing myself to that is because he doesn't read this blog...but it's true. I can't wait to see his face and I only hope that he shaved his wretched beard off so I can avoid the prickly hug...

 

Anyway...this dish has nothing to do with him. Helluva segue, huh!? It is delish though. And Main Man loved it, so that's a plus for any healthy dish. I've sort of been addicted to quinoa since purchasing a 5 lb bag of it from Costco. I've tried all sorts of quinoa dishes, so don't get mad when I start posting quinoa every day...Im thinking I might have to change the name of the blog or something if I don't spread them out. My favorite so far is the Mediterranean quinoa and chicken skillet, which happens to be a recipe I adapted from Iowa Girl Eats, which is where I got this recipe for the mac and cheese version.

 

I'm gonna be honest...if you're looking for a substitute for mac and cheese, this just isn't going to cut it. It's very obviously different, it's kinda like a grown up mac and cheese. I loved the stuff and Main Man devoured it, as I mentioned, but I am not sure how a kid would do with this stuff since it's such a different texture than your standard box of Kraft. But we don't have kids (yet) so the only picky palatte I have to worry about is my own (Main Man will scarf on most anything).

 

1.5 cups quinoa

3 cups chicken broth

2 cloves garlic (I used 4, I always double the garlic)

2 large egg yolks

1 cup skim milk

1.5 cups grated cheddar cheese, plus a little more for sprinkling on top

1/2 cup diced cherry tomatoes

2 diced cajun red peppers

1 t seasoning salt (like Lawry's)

 

The veggies are optional, I liked the color and the depth of flava flav they gave, but you could also add crushed red pepper, green/yellow/red bell pepper, green onions, leeks, chives, or whatever floats your metaphorical boat. You could also top this with salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, panko bread crumbs, etc. Heck, you could even add some chicken and some buffalo sauce to make it buffalo chicken mac and cheese. You get the picture.

 

Spray your non-stick skillet with cooking spray, and saute the veggies (garlic, cherry tomatoes, and cajun red peppers if you're me) for a couple minutes. Add the quinoa, chicken broth, and seasoning salt to the skillet. Cover and reduce heat to med-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes or more (depending on when most of the liquid has been absorbed.

 

Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Preaheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 13x9 inch dish with cooking spray. Whisk together eggs and milk in a large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese. Stir very well and let some of the cheese melt. It's going to seem perdy dern soupy, but don't worry...the baking works it's magic for that problemo. Transfer to the baking dish and if using panko, add to the top now. Sprinkle on the extra cheese and throw it in the oven for 25-35 minutes (until browned around the edges and no excess liquid left). Scoop up into a bowl and serve to your cheese loving fiance so he can gobble it down audibly while praising your cooking skills. Boom. 

 

This size dish is supposed to serve 6 people and contains 339 calories per serving. Not bad atall. Quinoa is my new BFF.

On with your Friday. Let's get through this work day and enjoy the weekend!

Tony's bacon ranch pasta salad

I know it's getting a little past potluck season, but everyone can use a stellar pasta salad recipe to keep in their arsenal, can't they!? Tony is one of my good friends from high school and for a single dude, he sure can cook! He always brings the best stuff to parties, and he actually taught me how to make my first bolognese sauce...true story. He brought this bacon ranch pasta to the White Trash Bash this summer...it's an annual thing, we're classy like that. I begged him for the recipe after taking down my weight in this stuff. I literally don't think I ate anything else that day, just a huge plate of pasta salad!

1 package uncooked tri color rotini pasta (I used elbow macaroni)
10 slices of bacon (Tony says "mmmmmm!! more if eating some while cooking")
1 cup mayo (I used greek yogurt)
3 T dry ranch salad dressing mix
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t garlic pepper
1/2 cup milk, or more if dry
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 can sliced black olives
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Bring a large pot of slightly salted water to a boil, stir in pasta and cook for 10-12 minutes or until al dente, drain. Oh, and just so you know...this trick you see all over Pinterest about water not boiling over if you lay a wooden spoon over the top. It works. I about pooped myself. It boiled right up to the top and almost over and then just started backing off. Don't ask me how it works, all I know is that it does. It's my new fave magic trick...give it a shot!

Place bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook. Eat extra bacon as desired. Drain and cut into pieces. I prefer to use cooking scissors so I don't burn my fingers.

In a large bowl, mix mayo, ranch dressing mix, garlic powder, and garlic pepper. Stir in milk unti lsmooth. Place bacon, tomato, black olives, and cheese in bowl and toss to coat with dressing. Cover and chill at least an hour in the fridge. Overnight allows the noodles to soak up the flavors a little bit more.

Toss with additional milk if the salad seems a bit dry. Or you can add ranch dressing to moisten it up if you are a ranch fan.

When I made this, I didn't want to waste half a ranch packet so I used the whole thing....bad move. I loooooove ranch but it was just soooo salty! So don't pull an Abby and ruin this shizz by being a hoarder. If you can squeaze in another potluck, or even if there's a warm football Saturday tailgate party you're hitting...throw this in your cooler and watch it disappear!  Happy hump day, all! I'll leave you with a pic of Main Man and I's 4th annual WTB costumes from this year...don't be perving on those legs ladies, those suckers are alllllll mine!

Today

The weather today is much like it was 11 years ago...its funny how things like that stick out in your mind. How I remember that it was sunny with a little chill in the air that day when I woke up is completely beyond me. The whole morning is so vivid that it's like it happened last week, not last decade. The details stick out more than any morning even a month ago. I know everyone who was old enough to remember has these same memories of that day...everyone knows exactly what they were doing when the towers fell. My memory is no different...

September 10 is my best friend's birthday, I've celebrated with her every year until she moved to Arizona (sadface). That year was no different. I was a freshman in college, it was my bff's birthday, so obviously I was skipping class the next day like any normal kid that is fresh out of their parents house and realizes they can do what they want. We had a bunch of friends from high school that lived in Ankeny so we headed that way for the night to celebrate. One of the guys was a trucker so he was on the road a lot, and I always claimed his bed when he was gone. It was clutch to have a bedroom to use when visiting people, to avoid the standard pranks like flour in the hand and the tickle to the face, or the hand in warm water trick. We were mature for our age.

Well, I awoke that morning to Bea (the birthday girl) yelling at me to get up, a plane ran into a building and I need to see this. I wasn't impressed. I didn't know anyone flying that day, the building wasn't near us, why did I need to get up?? An airplane accident had no bearing on my sleeping in. A terrorist attack didn't even cross my mind. I rolled over and covered my head with a pillow. She was persistent though, and the minute I saw the news coverage, I thanked her for getting me up. I knew this was a big deal. This was actually the biggest deal I had seen in my lifetime. America was attacked...on our own soil. While we watched the news coverage of the aftermath of the first plane, the second plane came into view. It was like watching a movie but you knew it was real life. It was the single craziest moment I've ever witnessed, to this day. The second plane hit, and as the day continued, the Pentagon was hit. It was a reality jolt that the world had just changed. Our America was being attacked. We were being attacked.

In the following days, more information came out, as well as the story of the heroic passengers of the 4th plane who actually took it down before it reached its target. It made me wonder what I would have done if I were in that situation. Would I have had the courage to act? I remember the week after 9/11 when a good friend of mine walked right into a recruiter's office and signed up for the military. After seeing the devastation these terrorists had caused on our homeland, he had to do something. I was scared for him, I couldn't understand how he would want to put himself in danger after seeing what had happened to others. And he couldn't understand how it wasn't the most obvious decision in the world. That's the American spirit, right there. That's what I think of when I think of the heart of this country.

In the years since 9/11, I have had a boyfriend in Iraq, a brother in Iraq and in Afghanistan, and I have personally known a handful of soldiers who have lost their lives overseas. The most recent and the one that hit home the most was a good friend from college, James Justice. "Juice" is survived by his wife and daughter, who live only a few miles from me. I can't really say why his death affected me like it did. Maybe because I could empathize with his wife, Amanda, and her struggle to keep it together for their daughter during the aftermath of his death. Maybe it was imagining his daughter, whose diapers I had changed and who I had watched grow from an infant to a young lady (mainly via her mom's facebook page), growing up without a real memory of her father, his sense of humor, and the personal knowledge of the kind of man he was (not just memories others told her about him). Maybe it was because it was a lesson in mortality, seeing him in his casket at his funeral, far too young to be going where he was headed. I hadn't seen him in a few years, and it made me regret not going to their Halloween party the year before or the football game we were invited over to go watch. It's hard not to connect these events in my mind like a dot to dot picture. When 9/11 happened, a lot of people's death warrants were signed, besides the ones that were taken that day. The thousands of future casualties of war were lined up, standing at attention, ready to fight to protect our soil and our people from having to worry about a travesty like that ever happening again. We don't have a draft these days...every single one of those men and women who have died in the fight since 9/11 made the choice to protect this nation. That's the type of men and women who are the backbone of this country. That's America.

Remember the sacrifice thousands of Americans have made, not just today, but every day you wake up to kiss your children or your spouse. Not once a year, but every morning you wake up to a crisp, sunny, Fall chill in the air...remember.

Prosciutto wrapped scallops

I. Love. Scallops.  There, I said it. I've made them at home before, the small ones in a seafood pasta, but I've always been sort of leary of searing them at home. I hate the mess the grease makes popping out of the skillet, I never know when they're done (and we all know what a rubbery mess an overdone scallop is), and they're kinda spendy to be doing experiments with at home when there's a chance of turning them into rubberized dog food. But, you can't learn if you don't try, right?! Main Man got me a big ol' bag o' scallops at Costco a couple weekends ago and I went to town on them with a little recipe I found on a little blog called Blog is the new black...the author is so funny, downright adorable, and her and her fiance sound a LOT like Main Man and I...it's eerie. Anywho....onward.

 

One very important tip I've read in my scallop preparation information search, is to dry them out. Put them into a paper towel and sqeeeeeeaaaaaze all the liquid out of the little (or big) buggers and it will help them to cook evenly, eliminate a lot of the grease splatter, and just make you feel like you're doing something right. After that...your job is fairly simple. Here are the tools you will need to complete this assignment:

 

large scallops

prosciutto

cajun seasoning (I use Tony C's and I LOVE the stuff)

olive oil

 

Wrap the little lovelies in prosciutto (drying them also helps the prosciutto to stick to the scallops, so you don't even need toothpicks or anything to hold it on there). Good stuff.

 

Heat your olive oil up in a skillet and sear the scallops for about 2 minutes on each side...maybe a minute longer if needed. I actually had to pull one and cut into it to make sure it was done...as bad as rubberized scallops sounds, I wasn't about to unknowingly pop a raw one (made the mistake of ordering them as sushi once...won't be doing that again, blechhhhh).

Nestle your leetle babes on a cradle bed of szecuan mushrooms if you wanna be coo like us. "You ain't coo unless you pee yo pants!" Name that movie and you get a bonus scallop on your plate!  These would have been devine without the mushrooms actually, I think the flavor of the mushrooms sort of took over. I would probably put them on a bed of pasta with olive oil, parmesan, garlic, and cajun seasoning next time. Probably what I will end up doing with the other half of the big bag o' love.

Mmm, mmm, mmmm. Mouth is watering again. I need to learn to write my favorite posts after I've eaten lunch. I've been doing this for a couple years and still haven't learned that lesson. I never was a quick one...

 

Happy Monday, all!! Shoutout to my bridesmaid Bea who turns 31 today in the sunny state of Arizona...can't wait to see her the end of the month for my bachelorette party and shower!!

 

Easy Peasy Garlic Chicken

It's Friday and I'm tiiiiiiiiired. I think the wedding planning is starting to sneak into my brain at night and hammer at my sleep sirens every time they go off so I lay awake for at leeeeast 2 hours before dozing off (fitfully at best). Here's to hoping my type A,  OCD personality doesn't keep me up for the next 6 weeks or I may crash dive into slumber standing at the alter. Some days I'm bursting with energy, others I've got just enough to make it through the day and get to the couch at night. This recipe is one for the latter. Super duper simple, super duper yummy (kinda tasted naughty like it was fried or something), and super duper on my radar for an easy weeknight meal to dump in my gullet before autopilot kicks in taking me to braindead zone. Plus, 4 ingredients....jump on that wagon and ride it all the way to your own couch. Mine's taken.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T brown sugar
2 t olive oil

Preaheat oven to 500 degrees and lightly grease a casserole dish. In small saute pan, saute garlic with the oil until tender. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar. Place chicken breasts in a prepared baking dish and cover with the garlic mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake uncovered for 15-30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink inside.

 

Fat Stats:
Cals: 300 per breast
Fat: 6.4 g
Sodium: 141.3
Carbs: 14.5 g
Protein: 25.2g

Tomato basil soup

I think I've told you about my most prized possession before. It is a cookbook my mom sent around to all our family members before I left for college, so everyone could write their favorite family recipes for me in their own handwriting. It has my late Grandma Mary's handwriting in there, it has my late Grandpa Jim's dictation of how to make his Sunday chili, it has Big Dan's famous stinkbait recipe....and I cherish the whole kit and kaboodle. I've cooked out of it a lot, I've even shared some with you, like Aunt Nicki's chicken pot pie.

 

Well, for my recent bridal shower in Rochester thrown by my cousin Betsy on the Kratoska side, I received an equally special gift in the form of a cookbook with more handwritten recipes from a lot of family I didn't have included in the original book. I have a post in the works about the amazing spread Betsy had laid out for us at the shower and will share some pics of the great weekend as well. I'm so excited to start making homemade apple pies with my new pie dish and apple corer, I look freaking goooooood in my new apron (Main Man says so), and I just couldn't wait to make the first recipe in the book to get good use out of the new soup tureen and bowls I received!  This recipe came from my Aunt Kris, and it was given to her from the head chef at a corporate building she worked at in Minneapolis before she moved to Arizona and begged him for it. This is a lightened up version of that soup but it is scrumdiddlyumptious, even if it skinny!

 

4 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 small onions, finely chopped

4 stalks celery, finely chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

olive oil

1 quart milk (I used skim)

1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley

1 cup fresh chopped basil

1/2 cup flour

1 cup heavy cream (I used half and half)

1 t salt (I omitted this)

1 T sugar (I omitted this)

1 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)

1.5 jalapenos processed to liquid in the food processor (I added this myself)

 

Saute all veggies and garlic in soup pot in olive oil until soft. Puree 3 cans of tomatoes, bay leaf, and jalapenos (if added) in food processor. Add this and remaining can of diced tomatoes (with juice) to veggies. Heat on medium. In separate bowl whisk together 2 cups milk and all the flour. Pour into tomato mixture and stir while thickening. Add remainder of milk and cream. Stir well. Add salt, sugar, and cayenne if using.  Simmer on low to medium heat at least 20 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Stire frequently to preven burning of milk and cream. Just before serving, add parsley and basil. Stir and serve (Makes about 16 cups).

 

I actually used my own tomatoes from the garden, blanched, peeled, and processed them in the food processor until they were the consistency I wanted...mainly liquid with some crushed chunks. You don't have to go to that amount of work unless you are a food hoarder and hate wasting your organic veggies rather than buying food. I also ate this for 2 nights with a sore throat from my puh-monia and froze the rest to thaw and enjoy when it gets a little cooler in the Fall. How awesome is it to have homemade soup to enjoy without having to do the work to get it?? Spectacularly awesome, that's how awesome. Main Man liked this way better than the roasted tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons, although he did say some grilled cheese croutons would be a nice addition. We'll see if he's lucky when I thaw this out...

  

Oh, how cute are you...I could just eat you up. And then I did :) Happy Thursday, all!

Italian stuffed zucchini

Oh, man, you guys. It's been a rough one, I tell ya! The long weekend was great, but I may have celebrated ISU's first win of the season a little too heartily. I also seem to be having a nasty bout with my allergies this week. I'm talking ice pick to the ear, throat swelling up type of shizz. It's super fun. But not to worry, I decided to come back to you all...I could never leave you :)

 

This recipe was made for us at the lake a few weeks ago by Dani, the neighbor...remember, she's the one who makes the WIDZ? Yeah, well it turns out she's also a pro at zucchini. And then Mallory brought me two of the biggest honkers you've ever seen from her garden, and I was all whispering in the veggie's ears "I know exactly what's happening to you two" and then laughing an evil witch cackle. I have fun.

 

Anywho...get zee ingredients and get started!

 

Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats (adapted from skinnytaste.com)

Servings: 8 • Size: 1 boat • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 153 • Fat: 7 g • Protein: 12.8 g • Carb: 9 g • Fiber: 2 g • Sugar: 2 g
Sodium: 372 mg

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups marinara sauce
• 4 (31 oz total) medium zucchini
• 1/2 small onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 lb ground turkey  
• 1/2 cup part skim shredded mozzarella (Polly-O)
• 8 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 T italian seasoning
• 1/2 can mushrooms

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and using a spoon or melon baller, scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4" thick.

Brown your turkey and add mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, italian seasoning to the skillet to cook. When done, add marinara sauce and parmesan cheese. Scoop mixture into zucchini shells and cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle fressh mozzarella on top for 10 minutes more cook time. Slice and serve!

 

 

I mean...even the boys were raving about these.  And you know that's like getting a 2 year old to like their veggies. Oh, did I just say that? I didn't mean it, fellas! Honest...