food isn't any good unless you have some fun!

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Monday, June 27, 2011

Baked Mac & Cheese

I've been away on a little vacation for the past few days, so I apologize for any delay in posting! I also very much apologize for the fact that this post won't have any pictures in it- I've been totally forgetting to take pictures when I cook and bake! But don't worry, I'll be home tomorrow and will be back on track shortly after!

So today I'm just going to give you my basic recipe for Baked Mac & Cheese, which you can modify and play around with according to your personal tastes. But it's super simple to make, and miles above the boxed stuff, so I hope you give it a try!


Baked Mac & Cheese
-1 lb. pasta
-2 tablespoons butter
-1/4 cup flour
-1 cup milk
-2 cups shredded cheese
-salt and pepper to taste
Grease a 9'' x 13'' or 8'' x 8'' pan and preheat your oven to 350 F.
Boil pasta until just underdone- it will bake more in the oven.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, then whisk in the flour. Once incorporated, add the milk and whisk until it forms a nice sauce. Add salt and pepper and then stir in the cheese until melted. Pour the pasta and then the sauce into your greased pan, and stir together well. Top with a sprinkle of a little more cheese (and breadcrumbs if you desire, they're not my cup of tea!)
Bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes, until bubbly and delicious!


I hope you make this and enjoy it- it's super simple, and you can play around with the type of cheese you use, and you can even add add-ins like bacon or caramelized onions!

Savor it!
love, rue

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

(Almost) Toll House Cookies

The other night I just had to turn back to a real original and make my childhood version of Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies- we make ours with half chocolate chips, and half butterscotch chips- delicious! I'm busy on my way out of town so below are the pictures and a refresher on that recipe if you've never made it, or if you haven't in a while!


Here's the lovely and classic dough...


And the cookies all ready for the oven!


(Almost) Toll House Cookies
-1 cup butter, softened
-3/4 cup white sugar
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-2 eggs
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-2 1/4 cups flour
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 cup chocolate chips
-1 cup butterscotch chips
Cream together the butter and sugars. Mix in the eggs and vanilla, then the dry ingredients. Finally, add in your chips.
Bake at 375 F for 9-11 minutes.



Here are the finished cookies- beautifully browned!

Savor it!
love, rue

Friday, June 17, 2011

Deep Dish Brownies

Hello everyone, I'm back!

I've moved, but things aren't quite in place yet. As I work everything out, I'll be bringing you some sweet and savory treats, but perhaps not quite as often as usual for a little while- every 4-5 days or so. Just to keep you informed!

So, deep dish brownies. It just sounds good off the tongue, doesn't it? Deep-dish never hurts anything, and brownies are just delicious. I've used this recipe for several years and it's easy to whip up and hasn't disappointed yet- they're moist and cakey and fudgy and delicious!


Here's the easy to whip up batter...


And it all ready to go into the oven... (I used parchment paper)


And here are the brownies all baked up.


Deep Dish Brownies
-3/4 cup butter
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-3 eggs
-1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
-3/4 cup flour
-1/2 cup cocoa
-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt
Grease an 8'' square pan, or line it with parchment paper.
Melt the butter, then stir in the sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla, then add the dry ingredients.
Bake at 350 F for 40-45 minutes.



I hope you enjoy these!

Savor it!
love, Rue

Friday, June 10, 2011

Short Hiatus

Hi everyone! I'm currently in the middle of moving houses, so kitchen things are all packed up and things are generally all-around hectic. So, what this means for you is that I'm going to be taking a little bitty break from blogging until we're moved and unpacked a little!

I'll be back next Saturday, June 18, with something delicious for you to make!

In the meantime,
Savor your life and your food!
love, Rue

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies come out of the oven soft and warm, with just a little crisp where they've browned on top. The cream cheese causes the cookies to stay very moist, so these are best fresh or reheated in the oven. These would also work great as little mini-muffin-cookies or as a pan cookie or whatever you'd like. Feel free to play around with the add-ins as well- the dough is a delicious base.


Here's the lovely dough...


And the cookies ready to go into the oven.


Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
-1 cup butter
-8 0z cream cheese
-3/4 cup white sugar
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-2 eggs
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-2 1/4 cup flour
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1 cup chocolate chips
-1 cup chopped walnuts
Cream together butter and cream cheese, then add sugars. Add vanilla and eggs and mix well, then stir in dry ingredients. Stir in the add-ins.
Bake at 375 F for 10 minutes.



Here are the cookies all baked up...


Enjoy!!

Savor it!
love, rue

Monday, June 6, 2011

Chocolate Toffee Puffs

This recipe was recommended to me by a great friend (thanks Sean!), and immediately sounded amazing. These are basically little chocolate meringues with toffee and a chewy inside- I'm hooked!


Here are the beaten egg whites and the other ingredients, ready to be incorporated!


And here's the delicious chocolatey "batter"


Chocolate Toffee Puffs
-4 egg whites
-1/3 cup white sugar
-1 cup powdered sugar
-1/2 cup cocoa
-1/4 cup crushed toffee/heath bits
Beat the egg whites until almost stiff, then beat in white sugar. Fold in other ingredients until mixed well.
Bake on parchment at 350 F for 15 minutes.



Here are the puffs ready for the oven...


And here they are all baked up. I hope you enjoy!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hi everyone! I'm busy packing and moving, which is why there has been delay in the posts. I apologize.

However, today I have a really great recipe for you- another way to add some real punch to your chocolate chip cookies- browned butter. Almost anything I use browned butter in turns out amazing, and these cookies were no exception.


Here's the browned butter- let it go about 10 minutes on medium heat while stirring, until browned and nutty smelling- but don't let it burn!


And here's the lovely dough.


Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
-2 sticks butter, browned and re-chilled
-1 cup brown sugar
-1 cup white sugar
-2 eggs
-2 teaspoons vanilla
-3 cups flour
-1 1/2 teaspoons salt
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-8 oz. chocolate- chips or chopped up bar, whichever you prefer
Cream the butter and sugars, and mix in the eggs and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and stir well. Add the chocolate chips.
Bake at 350 F for 9-10 minutes on parchment paper



Here are the cookies ready for the oven...


And done baking! Don't they look lovely? I hope you enjoy!

Savor it!
love, rue