Archive for the ‘Food’ Category
December 16th, 2011 | 
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Before the baby came I made several meals to freeze for days when I just couldn’t make dinner. This was one of the meals that I made, figuring it looked like something that would freeze nicely. Now, for some reason it didn’t connect to me that “pasta and cheese” was essentially “macaroni and cheese.” I was shocked when I saw the end results, which really is quite scary on my part since the title is pretty self-evident. Yes- I know, it’s sad that I was shocked considering the title and the method of preparation, but I was. For some reason I thought the sauce would be lighter. However macaroni and cheese is never a bad surprise, right? This was very filling and hearty- John and I both could only handle a small portion of it. With that said, the leftovers were great and we’re both looking forward to when I pull the tray of this out of the freezer.
Source: Slightly adapted from Krista’s Kitchen
Ingredients:
3-1/3 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
8 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2-1/4 cups milk
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
Directions
1- Cook pasta according to package directions.
2- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute pepper and onions in oil untiltender. Stir in the flour, chili powder, chipotle pepper, salt and cumin until blended. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in 1/4 cup cheeseuntil melted.
3- Drain pasta; toss with sauce. Stir in cilantro. Transfer to a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.
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I’m going to be honest with you- this meal was a complete and utter mistake. A delicious mistake, but a mistake. It was supposed to be soup. Cream of chicken and wild rice soup. But… it doesn’t look at all like soup to me… how about you? No? Ok… moving on.
The crockpot is my best friend these days. It’s super easy for me to throw ingredients in it and let it go while I tend to my beautiful newborn son. I had seen a recipe for chicken and wild rice soup on pinterest as well as this version from Lauren’s Latest and decided to combine the two and throw it in the crockpot. While the end results are not soup (in any way shape or form) it was delicious! John described it perfectly- it tasted like risotto. Risotto that I didn’t have to do any work for. Best of all it made a lot so I froze a huge chunk of this for us for another night. The crockpot and the freezer… a new mom’s two best friends!
Source: Stephanie Cooks Original
Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup with Garlic (or the original if you can’t find it)
1 6 oz box Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice mix, rice and seasoning packet*
1/2 cup baby carrots, diced small
6 ounces cooked chicken
Directions:
1- Combine the broth, canned soup, rice and seasoning packet, and carrots in the crockpot. Cook on low for 5 hours.
2- Stir in the cooked chicken and allow it to cook for an additional 30 minutes.
3- Stir well and serve hot.
*I took the advice from Lauren’s blog (linked above) and bought this specific brand of rice. As she explained the seasoning packet is responsible for the flavor of the dish, so I can’t attest to how it would be if you used a different type.
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I love baked pasta dishes- baked ziti, lasagna, stuffed shells, manicotti… you name it, I love it. My love is so deep that I can remember ordering stuffed shells at this local Italian restaurant every time we went as a child- they used to bake them in a ramekin- made it so much better. Note to self- must buy ramekins big enough for baked pasta dishes! The hubs, Mr. John (who is celebrating a birthday today- HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!), could live without it.
Whenever I make a baked pasta dish I try to find a way to make it more appealing to John- pesto being a sure bet. John ate a full plate of these and really enjoyed them which to me is the biggest compliment there is! I used a 15 ounce container of ricotta and it wasn’t enough to fill a whole box of shells, so I modified the recipe to reflect how many shells I actually was able to make. We don’t eat ground meat but you could always cook the pesto in with some ground beef or turkey and add that to the cheese mixture. We loved this and I’m so glad I froze a tray of these!
Source: Stephanie Cooks Original
Ingredients:
25 jumbo shells, cooked according to packaging directions
15 oz ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup pesto (a thicker pesto is recommended, but any pesto will work)
1 egg
Salt and pepper
2 cups marinara sauce
Slices of mozzarella cheese
Directions:
1-In a mixing bowl combine the ricotta, parmesan, pesto, and egg. Stir well. Season with salt and pepper.
2- Cover the bottom of a baking dish with a thin layer of marinara sauce.
3- Working with one shell at a time, spoon a few spoonfuls of filling into each shell. Pinch closed and set in the baking dish. Repeat until all shells are full. Pour the marinara over the top and layer the mozzarella cheese over the shells.
4- Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
Freezer tip: Complete steps 2-3 in a freezer safe container. Cover and freeze, complete step 4 once you defrost it from the freezer.
I’m baaacckkkkk! I’m going to try my best to post regularly but if I miss a day here and there while I adjust to motherhood please be patient with me. I’m amazed how much I missed cooking/blogging. I made dinner after he was one week old and typed up this post shortly after. I just needed a bit of a return to normalcy amongst all the newness of a newborn. It doesn’t hurt that he is an amazing baby so far (knock on wood!) and is very easy going!
So onto the food! I really find risotto to be such a versatile and delicious dish. It’s almost like pasta- a solid base that you can build upon. What’s better than cheesy rice? Oh.. I know… cheesy rice with bacon! Yeaaah… that’s better! I can’t even remember when I made this because it was weeks ago, I know I was very pregnant and cursed myself for taking on a dish that took so much time, but the end results were to die for. I loved the combination of the shrimp with the cheesy rice and the contrast of the crisp salty bacon. This meal is perfect when paired with a nice green salad. You can’t go wrong here!
Source: Adapted from How Sweet It Is
Ingredients:
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1 clove garlic
3-4 cups chicken broth, heated
6 ounces shrimp, kept warm (cooked)*
1 cup fresh shredded pecorino romano OR parmesan cheese
1 tbsp dried parsley
Salt/pepper
Directions:
1-In a large skillet cook the bacon. Remove the bacon and all except about 1 tbsp of the bacon drippings.
2- Add the garlic and rice to the skillet. Stir and cook until the rice is lightly toasted. Begin adding broth to the skillet, 1 cup at a time, and heating over low/medium heat until the liquid is all absorbed, stirring frequently. Then add more broth, continuing the process until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked.
3- Remove the rice from the heat, stir in the cheese and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in the cook shrimped and half the bacon.
4- Top the risotto with the remaining bacon when serving.
*I cooked my shrimp in the bacon drippings after seasoning them with garlic powder/onion powder/salt/ and pepper. I then removed the shrimp and drained the bacon with the exception of 1 tbsp as stated in step 1. You can also use precooked shrimp if you desire, in that case just add them warm.
So I am still on hiatus, believe me my kitchen is sadly neglected right now as I work on feeding my new baby and keeping myself somewhat alive at the same time, but I did want to share a few pics of my little man with you! Here’s the best thing I’ve ever made:
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Hi there! I’m so proud to announce that my son was born on Tuesday, November 29 at 6:59 p.m. I am going to take a short hiatus while I adjust to being a new mommy (only about a week or so- fear not! I have plenty to share with you!) I had recipes I planned to blog this week to share while I was first home but guess what? This little man decided to come a bit early, so I wasn’t prepared! I will share a picture with you soon, but until then thanks for understanding and I’ll be back in a week or so!
XoXo,
Stephanie
Baking makes me happy. Something about mixing the ingredients, the fragrant smells that come out of your kitchen, not to mention the delicious treats you end up with in the end. I am a big fan of baking. And yet… lately, I’ve been barely doing it. Partly it’s because I’m too lazy to drag out my Kitchen Aide (I know… lazzzzyyyyy) and partly because I just haven’t found any recipes I’ve felt I needed to make. However with 3 black bananas on the counter I decided it was time to whip something up. These were perfect. The recipe was super easy and came together in a couple minutes- plus I didn’t need my stand mixer- score! This yields a lot, I got over 30 mini muffins, so I froze over half of them for easy snacking once the baby gets here. I think the absolute best part is you probably have all the ingredients on hand!
Source: Very slightly adapted from So Tasty, So Yummy
Ingredients:
2-3 over ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup applesauce (cinnamon, natural, whatever you prefer)
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 350. Line a mini muffin tin with liners or spray with nonstick spray.
2- In a mixing bowl combine the mashed banana, sugar, applesauce, and egg. Stir well.
3- Mix in the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour. Spoon into the muffin tins, bake about 15 minutes.
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So it’s Black Friday. Do you consider that a holiday? John and I debated that this morning. I mean, it’s not “officially” a holiday, but it certainly has taken on a culture of it’s own! This year due to my status of being due in about 12 days I skipped out on the Black Friday insanity but I have to say I missed it. The only real plan we have for today is to go out for Thai food tonight which reminded me of this great recipe I still had to share with you guys. Lately I can’t get enough of spicy food. When I saw this recipe for spicy Thai noodles I was excited- it sounded perfect. Like all Asian cooking it comes together quickly and leaves you with a delicious meal. I really liked the process of soaking the red pepper flakes in oil- it added some heat to the recipe without making it too hot (I also only did 1 tbsp of flakes- I think 2 would be very hot). John and I both enjoyed this- in fact John was even more into it than I was which was shocking since this had “Stephanie” written all over it!
So it’s Wednesday, which means I “owe” you a new recipe, but instead I offer you simply the sincerest good thoughts and warm wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving! I am going to be busy in the kitchen all day preparing for my favorite day of the year (and waddling around like a stuffed turkey… 2 more weeks until I meet me little man!) Have a great Thanksgiving, enjoy the time spent with your family and/or friends, and remember to take a minute to reflect on what you’re thankful for.
This year I am thankful for…
1- My husband. Daily. I always knew I loved him but his support and concern throughout this pregnancy shows me how lucky I am and how lucky our son will be.
2- My family for always supporting me, cheering me on, and loving me.
3- Having a great group of friends.
4- A (generally) happy life where I feel fulfilled and safe.
5- And last but in no way least, the little life growing inside of me. Words can’t express how thankful I am for him and how excited I am to meet him in the next couple weeks (or sooner…hopefully sooner)!
