chili mac casserole

This recipe reminds me of something I used to eat in school lunches.  Us elementary schoolers affectionately called it "barf-a-roni" and groaned every time it appeared on the menu.  Yet, ironically, our trays were always emptied before being put in the return bin.  Secretly, we loved it.

And who wouldn't love it?  There's macaroni, beans, meat, seasonings, and cheese....oh, the cheese.

So yeah...I've decided to come out of hiding and declare my love for barf-a-roni...ahem, I mean beef-a-roni.  Or, in this case, chili mac casserole.  Whatever you call it, it's pure deliciousness.

Chili Mac Casserole
adapted from Taste of Home's Light and Tasty 2002

• 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 16 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 6 oz. tomato paste
• 4 oz. chopped green chilies
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 1 t. chili powder
• 1/2 t. ground cumin
• 1/2 t. pepper
• 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

Cook macaroni according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook the beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the tomatoes, beans, tomato paste, chilies and seasonings.  Drain macaroni; add to the beef mixture.

Transfer to a large rectangular baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray.  Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.  Uncover; sprinkle with cheese.  Bake 5-8 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.  Serves 10.

chocolate chess pie

The picture says it all!  This pie tastes like all of the ooey-gooeyness of brownies, and it's positively addicting.  We started eating dinner early just so that we could have a piece of pie sooner.  This pie is the reason my flare jeans now fit like skinny jeans.  And you know what else?  I didn't even have to buy ingredients for it...they are common items I keep in my pantry.  All of those facts make this pie incredibly hard to resist.

I dare you to only eat one slice!  It can't be done!

Chocolate Chess Pie
from Mom's Very Best Recipes

• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/8 t. salt
• 9-inch deep-dish pie crust

In a saucepan over low heat, combine cocoa, butter and milk.  Stir until smooth.  Remove from heat; cool slightly.  Add sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt; beat well.  Pour cocoa mixture into crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until set.  Cool before slicing.  Best when chilled.  Serves 8.

basil parmesan chicken and pasta

 

 

This is a pasta dish I created that my husband loves.  And, because it's fast and easy, it's often a dish we make for company as well. It looks and tastes so much fancier than it is...huge win!  We like it best with tortellini, although I have made it with just about every type of pasta.

 

It does call for wine, but let me share a little secret with you.  We never use cooking wines for cooking.  They are disgusting and overpriced!  Why cook with something that you wouldn't drink?  We buy relatively cheap ($5-7) wines for cooking.  It's a good way to try something new without breaking the bank. 

 

Basil Parmesan Chicken and Pasta 

• 3 chicken breasts, cut into pieces
• 1 t. minced garlic
• 1/2 cup basil-Parmesan pesto
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 2 T. water
• 4 T. white wine
• 1 T. plus 2 t. basil
• 12 to 16 oz. pasta
• 2 cups broccoli florets

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place broccoli on a cookie sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil and salt.  Roast in oven until crisp-tender and tips are slightly browned (about 20 minutes).  

 

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

 

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Spray with cooking spray and cook chicken and garlic for about 2 minutes, or until browned on sides.  Then, pour remaining ingredients in skillet, stirring to mix.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 6-8 minutes or until chicken is done.  To serve, combine pasta, broccoli, and chicken mixture.  Serves 6.

napa valley spotlight - castello di amorosa

We used to live in California, and lately I've been reminiscing about those days.  Sigh.

Once, to celebrate Valentine's weekend, my husband took me to Napa Valley.  We love Napa Valley.  We love the architecture...the vineyards...the cute towns.  Napa Valley was one of our favorite places to go on a day trip.  The funny thing is...we don't really love wine!

Don't get me wrong...we like wine.  We buy wine on occasion and we'll even share a glass of it once every couple of months.  But we are definitely not winos.  We know nothing about pairing food with wine, and we only swirl and sniff in order to make each other laugh.  We never drink red wine (apparently, if you are truly a wine lover, you like it red).  We like it fruity, sweet, and generally drink it out of an Eskimo Joe's cup.

But we love Napa.  And since I cook with wine, I thought I would showcase the winery we visited on this particular occasion. 

Castello di Amorosa

Castello di Amorosa is a relatively new winery to Napa Valley, but it's already made a name for itself.  Why?  Well, take a look.

That's right...that's a winery.  It's recently received fame for being featured on the Bachelor (or so my sister tells me) as well as Disney's Bedtime Stories.  I haven't seen it in either of those productions...but I did get to tour it!

You can't see the castle from the main road.  And when you pull into the drive, you have to drive almost to the top of the hill before you can see it.  When we arrived this weekend, the castle was shrouded in fog.  It was beautiful!

The castle is amazing.  The grounds are huge, complete with vineyards, a pond, jousting grounds, and even servants' quarters!

It's also got a moat...

...and a cat guarding the entrance.

Doesn't my husband look absolutely grand sitting atop his castle?

We took a guided tour of this winery that lasted almost two hours.  We got to see the beautiful grand hall - it has hand painted murals covering the walls and a fireplace that predates Christopher Columbus.

We also got to go into the underground caves that house all of the wine barrels (and a torture chamber!).  In this particular room, we participated in a barrel tasting...

And finally, our tour group was ushered into a beautiful room for a private tasting.

We tried a white, a rose, and all of the dessert wines. 

Man...they were amazing...

...even for non-winos like us.

(I also enjoyed the complimentary bread sticks...)

We had a ton of fun and even found some new wines that we liked.  Our favorites? - all the dessert wines. :-)  My favorite was the La Fantasia - it was a sparkling red wine (yes...red!) that tasted wonderfully of cherries.  My man's favorite was the Il Raggio del Sole, a muscat wine.  I think we're going to have to go back and buy some.

gaucho casserole

We discovered this casserole back when we were newlyweds and didn't have much in the way of kitchen gadgetry.  It caught our eye because...get this...it's made entirely in the microwave!  That's right.  From start to finish, it's cooked all in the microwave and in less than half an hour.  It's an easy and quick fix for a busy night.

We like it served smothered with queso or salsa.  You can eat it by itself, but we like it best as a burrito filling or a dip for tortilla chips.

Gaucho Casserole
from Taste of Home Light & Tasty 2003

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 envelope reduced-sodium taco seasoning
• 1 t. chili powder
• 1 1/3 cups instant rice, uncooked
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

Crumble the beef into an ungreased 2 1/2 quart microwave-safe dish.  Add onion and green pepper; mix well.  Cover and microwave on high for 6 minutes or until meat is no longer pink, stirring every 2 minutes.  Drain.

Stir in the next 6 ingredients.  Cover and microwave on high for 5-6 minutes or until bubbly, stirring every 2 minutes.  Stir in rice.

Transfer to a shallow 2 1/2 quart microwave-safe dish coated with cooking spray.  Cover and let stand for 6-8 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Cover and microwave on high for 1-2 minutes or until cheese melts.

ultimate chicken sandwiches

We love Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches, but we live on a budget.  Our solution?  Make our own!  These sandwiches are healthy and delicious, and they taste remarkably similar to our Chick-fil-A favorites.  We still hit up the real thing often (okay, it's like once a week...), but these make an extremely satisfying, budget friendly meal.

The breading would also work well for chicken nuggets or chicken strips!

Ultimate Chicken Sandwiches
modified from Taste of Home's Light and Tasty 2003

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup Bisquick (gluten-free works fine)
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 1/2 t. paprika
• 3/4 t. salt
• 3/4 t. poultry seasoning
• 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 1/2 t. pepper
• 1/4 t. cayenne pepper

Marinate chicken in buttermilk at least 8 hours or overnight.  The next day, combine Bisquick, cornmeal, paprika, salt, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, pepper, and cayenne.  Remove chicken one piece at a time, allowing excess buttermilk to drain off.  Discard buttermilk.  Coat chicken with the cornmeal mixture and place in a 13x9 inch baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray.  Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 12 minutes.  Turn chicken, and bake 8-12 minutes longer, or until juices run clear and coating is lightly browned.  Serve on rolls with lettuce and tomato.  Serves 6.

cranberry scones

 

I love to start my mornings off with hot tea and something hearty and delicious.  Cereal just doesn't cut it anymore for me.  Sometimes I like pancakes, sometimes biscuits and jam, sometimes breakfast casserole, but nothing goes better with hot tea than scones.  And these scones are...well...let's just say that "delicious" is an understatement.

These are delicious warm (that's why my picture is missing a few :), but they also keep well for a few days in an airtight container.  It's the perfect (almost) fall breakfast!

Cranberry Scones
adapted from Gooseberry Patch's Made from Scratch

• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 3/4 cup chilled butter, sliced
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup buttermilk, divided

Combine 2/3 cup sugar, flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Fold in cranberries; stir in 3/4 cup buttermilk until just moistened.  Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 6 to 8 times; divide dough in half.  Pat each half into an 8-inch circle on an ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Cut each circle into 8 wedges (do not separate).  Brush tops with remaining buttermilk; sprinkle with remaining sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden.  Serves 16.

white bread

Beautiful, right?

Then add these...

plus two more full loaves that I've already wrapped for the freezer...

plus one more mini loaf that I already ate...

and you get the output of just ONE recipe!!!

I can't take credit for this recipe - I stumbled upon it while milling around Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen website.  The person who posted it made some pretty big claims - "easiest white bread" ever, "soft but substantial," "your house will smell like heaven," "your family will love you," "your friends will love you"...  

I can say that so far the claims have proven true - it was pretty easy, it's definitely soft, it's definitely substantial, my house smelled amazing, and my husband thought I was awesome.  So far, my friends haven't expressed their love...but that's because I haven't shared the goods yet. :-)

I'll add a few of my own claims to this recipe - it takes only a few ingredients, makes enough bread to last a few weeks (at least!), and is delicious.  It also makes good sandwich bread (see picture at the bottom of this post) - this was a major plus for me.  I'll definitely be making this again. 

Check out the recipe here or see below.

White Bread

• 4 cups Warm Water
• 8 Tablespoons Sugar
• 4 Tablespoons Yeast
• 4 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 4 teaspoons Salt
• 7 cups Flour

  Add sugar to 1 cup of the warm water and then dissolve yeast in the sugar water. Let sugar/yeast mixture rest until doubled in size.  Pour oil in bowl, add sugar/yeast mixture, rest of water, and salt. Add flour 2-3 cups at a time. Knead (a gentle massage) to make a soft, not sticky dough.

Cut the dough into four equal pieces. Set on greased counter top, cover with towel, and let stand for 15 minutes.

Pound each piece with a wooden spoon for 1 minute (gets the air bubbles out). Massage each piece as you form into loaves and place in greased loaf pans.

Allow to raise until doubled in size. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes (19-20 minutes for mini loaves as seen in the picture) or until golden on top. Rub butter on top while it’s warm.

To store, wrap in plastic wrap and place in a zip-top freezer bag.

cheddar-apple salad

I'm not generally one for salads.  Most of the time, I prefer a hot meat-and-potatoes meal.  But...I have to admit...I love this salad.  I'll eat it any day for any meal.  It's light, refreshing, and yet filling!  It's also a snap to put together and the perfect make-ahead summer meal.

Cheddar-Apple Salad

• 1 package (3 oz.) ramen noodles
• 2 red apples, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups chicken or turkey breast, chopped
• 1/2 cup cubed cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 green or red pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 T. sugar
• 1 t. dried minced onion
• 1/2 t. ground mustard
• 1/2 t. poppy seeds
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 T. sour cream
• 2 T. apple cider vinegar

Remove seasoning packet from ramen noodles.  Prepare noodles according to package directions.  Drain and rinse in cold water.

In a large bowl, combine the noodles, apples, chicken, cheese, peas, and pepper.  In another bowl, combine remaining ingredients.  Pour dressing over noodle mixture and toss.  Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.  Serves 4-5.