Southwestern Chicken Mac and Cheese

Hello again!

I have another post inspired by the great and wonderful Fiance J, made from ingredients we had around after he got home from work one day. Let's go!!

The arsenal- the ranchero cheese turned out to be unusable for us, but the idea is to sprinkle that on top!

Cook your pasta most of the way in a pot of water. Make a beschamel and then add cheese in, stir.

Add in salsa to your cheese sauce for a southwestern flair.

The finished sauce and cheese.

Pour your sauce over your pasta, then bake!

Meanwhile, take whatever chicken your have on hand (we had some rotisserie that we shredded).

And don't forget to fry up a few onions and hashbrowns/matchstick potatoes.

And then put the browned chicken, onions, and potatoes on top once it's done!

Your finished product! Yumm!

Southwestern Chicken Mac and Cheese
-This is more of a process or idea than a recipe, so go with what you have and what you like!
-Make a beschamel, starting with equal parts flour and butter. Add milk, then cheese, to the consistency that you like it.
-Meanwhile, boil your pasta until just barely under done, so it can cook a tiny bit more in the oven.
-Add salsa to your cheese sauce, to your taste.
-Pour your sauce over your pasta in a pan that fits it, then bake at 350 F until browned.
-While cooking, brown up some chicken, onions, and hashbrowns to put on top. You can also put the chicken in the sauce if you do not want it crisp!
Have fun with this, experiment- it's hard to go wrong. Enjoy!

(thanks J!)
Savor it!
love, rue

Lasagna Casserole

Hi again,

This recipe is super simple, and I've seen a lot of recipes like it, called various things. But, what is most important to take away is the concept of this dish- take it and use ingredients you like; make it how you like it! This is easier to make than lasagna, but tastes a lot like it, and it is delicious! Follow me...

Your arsenal: pasta, beef, pasta sauce, cream cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, and cheese.

Brown your beef, then add in your pasta sauce to about this extent- I used about 2/3 of the jar above.

Mix up your softened cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, and 1 cup cheese.

Layer everything in a 9x13'' dish. Here's the pasta and beef- I just added the cheese mixture and mixed well.

Then top with your remaining 1/2 cup cheese, or a little more if you want! Then it's ready for the oven.

Lasagna Casserole
-approx. 1 lb. beef, browned
-small jar or about 2/3 jar of pasta sauce
-8 oz. cream cheese, softened
-8 oz. cottage cheese
-8 oz. sour cream
-1 1/2 cups Italian blend cheese
-1 package penne pasta, cooked just al dente
Mix together the beef and pasta sauce.
Mix cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, and 1 cup Italian cheese.
Mix pasta, beef and sauce, and cheese mixture in a greased 9 x 13'' pan.
Top with remaining 1/2 cup Italian cheese.
Cook at 350 F for 35-40 minutes.

Your finished product- easy, fast, and delicious. Yumm!

Savor it!
love, rue

Mac and Cheese with Kale

Hi there!

This is a great dish. Despite its healthy points, it is fantastic. I can't lie- I don't think I ever had kale before age 18 when I went to college. Then, living and eating in a primarily vegetarian/vegan co-op, I ate so much kale and made so much kale- every which way. However, not until I was done with that did I discover this recipe, which would make a great co-op recipe- you still include a bunch of healthy veggies and yummy cheese and come out with a fantastic dish. Long story short- give kale a shot if you haven't. There are a million ways to make it, and you're bound to like one of them- especially this way! OK my stomach is rumbling- let's go!

Your ingredients- simple, regular mac and cheese ingredients, plus some delish fresh bright green kale.

Cut out the stems from the kale, then give it a rough chop- this will cook down to half as much or less.

Cook your pasta, and when almost done, throw in the kale so it gets cooked right quick. Strain.

Refer to a bunch of my other posts for how to make a roux, or just follow the directions- then add your cheese and you have your yummy cheese sauce.

Pour the cheese sauce over the penne and kale, then it's ready for the oven (covering with foil for first 15 minutes is optional)

Baked Mac and Cheese with Kale
-1 lb. pasta, I use penne
-1 lb. kale, roughly chopped
-2 tablespoons butter
-2 tablespoons flour
-2 1/2 cups milk
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-4 oz. goat cheese
-2 cups shredded cheddar
-salt and pepper to taste
-parmesan to top
Cook pasta until it has about 2 minutes left, add the kale, finish the cooking, and strain.
Melt your butter in a smaller pot, add the flour and whisk together. Add the milk and garlic, season with salt and pepper. Add cheeses and stir to melt.
Put your pasta and kale in a greased 9x13'' pan and pour the cheese sauce over top. Mix around a little if needed. Top with extra cheese, before and after baking.
Bake at 400 F for 25-30 mins. I like to cover it with foil for the first half of baking.

And here it is all baked up- crispy on top and full of cheesy goodness. This is the way to eat veggies!

Savor it!
love, rue

Fancy Mac & Cheese

If you like bacon and caramelized onions, this mac and cheese recipe is going to literally blow your mind. It might anyway. It's that good. I've made this a bunch of times, and it is a huge hit every single time. And every single time I have to fight to not just eat everything before I'm done making/baking it!

This isn't my recipe, it's from The Pioneer Woman- see here for original recipe- and I make the same recipe but make a few changes. I use penne pasta instead of macaroni, and I use about 6-7 cups of pasta (2/3-3/4lb.) instead of just 4 cups. I also caramelize the onions a bit longer- do these to taste, if you will. And lastly, the cheese. I have used a bunch of different kinds of cheese in this- I always use the 4 oz. goat cheese but the other 1.5 cups of cheese can be really whatever you like- I've used nice cheddars and hard parmesans and I've also used shredded cheddar out of the bag, all with delicious results. So don't feel like your wallet has to stretch too far for this one- you don't have to use expensive cheese, but do use the goat cheese. It adds a creaminess like nothing else.

But enough talk- let's get to the pictures from my latest batch.

Here's the full arsenal, with hidden salt and pepper shakers in that back right corner. Here you can see what type of cheeses I used and everything.

Cook your pasta as directed, but for about 3/4 of the time.

 Cook your bacon until it changes from this to that!

Slice your onions thinly, the caramelize until they look like...

THIS! A batch of caramelized onions like this takes about 15-20 minutes on low and can make almost any dish fantastic!

Start your roux off with the butter and flour...

Then add your milk and 1/2 and 1/2 and let boil for a few minutes to thicken.

Toss in your 1.5 cups of cheese- this is all cheddar.

Then toss in the goat cheese and wait for the angels to sing!

Add 2/3 of the bacon and caramelized onions and stir well to combine.

Then mix in the pasta and pour into a 9x13'' greased pan. Top with the remaining 1/3 of bacon and onions so they can get nice and crispy! If eating immediately, bake for 30 minutes uncovered. You can also stick it in the fridge at this point and when you bake it later, bake it covered in foil for about 20 minutes, then uncover and bake 20 more minutes.

And at the end of all of these steps you get... heaven. This is heaven in a dish, ladies, gentlemen, and everyone else! Nice and crispy on top with the onions and bacon, and creamy, cheesy, and fantastic on the inside. Dig in!!

I really hope you try this. It'll knock your socks off. If you're accommodating vegetarians, don't put any bacon fat in to do the onions, and use the bacon to garnish instead of baking it in. Or split into two dishes so the omnivores can get the whole package!
Savor it!
love, rue

Zucchini Salami Pasta

Hey there!

My mom has been making this recipe for my sister and I since we were little kids, and it is so good. So I had the idea the other day and made sure my sister and I got the ingredients at the store. Dare whipped this up last night and it was as delicious as ever. The ingredients are simple and so is the preparation- this is a 30 minute dinner- but the results are flavorful and make a good hearty dinner.

Because I didn't make this myself this time, I've only got pictures of the results, but you should be able to whip this up no problem- very few steps, one pan, and one pot- let's go!

Here's the pasta tossed with the zucchini and salami- ready for serving and topping with cheese!

Zucchini Salami Pasta
-2 small zucchini, cut into matchsticks
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/4 lb. salami or pepperoni, cut into matchsticks
-1/2 cup whipping cream or half and half
-salt and pepper
-1/2 lb. fettucine/linguine, cooked normally and drained
-parmesan or romano cheese, to top.
Sauté the zucchini in the olive oil until just browned. Add the garlic and salami and simmer for a few minutes on low. Add the cream or half and half, and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss with the cooked and drained pasta, and serve, topping each portion with grated parmesan or romano cheese.

The finished product- delish!!

Savor it!
love, rue

Roasted Butternut Squash, Rosemary, and Garlic Lasagna (the Best!!)

Hi everyone-

Still blogging from Mexico, but I'm delving back a bit to report on some recipes I have pictures and recipes of from before I began blogging.

This is a recipe that isn't my own, and it isn't from my family either. It's from Epicurious, but it's some of the best lasagna I've ever had- so flavorful, and not too hard either- don't be too intimidated by the long set of instructions. It's got an easy ingredients list, and as long as you aren't in a huge rush to make this, you'll end up with a fantastic result.


Since it's not my recipe, I thought I'd just point you all over to where it all started:
Roasted Butternut Squash, Rosemary, and Garlic Lasagna on Epicurious.com


Here are two pictures of the lasagna pre-baking. My mom had made this batch for me and some friends of mine, so picture taking was forgotten when this finally came out of the oven.

After this baby comes out of the oven, it'll be bubbly and creamy and browned on top. Yum!

I hope you try this one out- it's worth every bit.
Savor it!
love, rue

Vegetarian Pasta Carbonara

Hola from 6,000 ft in Mexico!

But this time I'm here with my take on an Italian classic. My mom and I decided pasta Carbonara would be a delish thing to make for dinner, but I wanted to make it without the pound of bacon which usually accompanies it- this is vegetarian, and proof that you can make something just as good without all that fat, or meat! Let's get to it.

Your arsenal of ingredients. Really not so bad for you without all that grease!

Onions and garlic sauteing, almost done.

Your eggs, parm, and cilantro to be whisked..

..and your finished egg mixture.

Onions and garlic with the stock added, and simmering away.

Make your pasta at the last moment you can, so it's super hot to go with the egg mixture.

And then toss away with the eggs, and then the butter!

Pasta Carbonara (Vegetarian)
-1/2 lb. pasta (I used veggie spaghetti pasta)
-3-4 tablespoons olive oil
-1/2 onion, chopped
-6 cloves garlic, chopped/minced
-1 cup veggie stock
-2 eggs
-3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
-1/2 cup parsley or cilantro (we used cilantro, as we're in MX!)
-2 tablespoons butter
-Salt and pepper to taste
Saute the onion in olive oil over medium heat. When done halfway, add the garlic and cook both until just starting to brown. Pour off (or sponge with a paper towel) any excess oil.
Pour your veggie stock in the pan of onions and garlic, and stir to deglaze anything. Let it continue to cook and thicken, stirring occasionally.
While your veggies are sautéing and your stock is thickening a bit, put your eggs, 1/2 cup Parmesan, most of your fresh herb(s), and some salt and pepper in a big bowl. Whisk it all together.
Cook your pasta until al-dente, drain, then quickly pour it into your egg mixture- it is important that your pasta be very hot to cook and thicken those eggs a little. Toss vigorously!
Add the butter to the pasta, and toss until melted in.
Top your pasta with the onions and garlic, then sprinkle on some Parmesan and herb(s).
Enjoy!

Top with the onions and garlic, some herbs, and you're ready to roll. (I didn't have enough cheese to garnish- still fabulous!)

Really give this a shot- it's much less complicated than it sounds, and you probably have most of the ingredients on hand already!

Savor it!
love, rue

Gnocchi with Goat Cheese Sauce

Hi everyone!

Still in mexico, and still cooking away. Today I'm going to share a recipe that I made up completely on the fly, getting the idea from ingredients we had on hand. I also came up with what I think is quite a trick in terms of steaming the broccoli and cauliflower we had on the side. Let's get to it!

Here's what I did with the broccoli and cauliflower- I chopped off the stems in thick chunks and laid them in the bottom of the pan. I added water about halfway up the stems, then put the broccoli and cauliflower florets on top and steamed away- worked perfectly!

Here's the broccoli and cauliflower set-up.

Here are all my ingredients for the gnocchi and cheese sauce.

Here's the beginning of the roux for the cheese sauce- make the roux, and add milk, cheese, and seasonings!

And here's the gnocchi on the left, and the finished cheese sauce on the right, staying warm.

Goat Cheese Sauce
-2 tablespoons butter
-2 tablespoons flour
-2 cups milk
-4 oz. of goat cheese- your choice
-salt and pepper to season
-optional: chopped, toasted walnuts for topping.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then add the flour and whisk together. Let bubble and thicken a little, but do not let burn. Add the milk and let the sauce thicken slightly. Add the goat cheese and seasoning, then cook until the sauce is the consistency you like- feel free to add more milk, etc. Top your boiled gnocchi or pasta with the sauce, and sprinkle with walnuts if using.


What I did here was make the above sauce, boil some gnocchi (about 2 minutes), and steam some broccoli and cauliflower- what a great meal!

The finished meal!

Savor it,
love, rue