Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Here is another first for me believe it or not. I have never really made a homemade mac and cheese before this past winter break. When Maranda was little she didn't like homemade mac & cheese so I didn't attempt making it. Then I made it once from a recipe my daughter's friend's mother had made. I didn't care much for it, it didn't have the butter and flour rue to start off with so it tasted pretty much like just cheese and pasta. So I put it off again not making it for awhile.

I don't know what got into me, but I decided to try making it again, and Maranda was going to help me. It was a big hit and she said how easy it was to make. We've had it twice now and she won't eat it premade or from a box again....the same thing happened when I made stove top popcorn (no more microwave popcorn in this house).

Baked Macaroni and Cheese
ingredients:
8 oz elbow macaroni
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup heavy cream, warmed
1 cup milk, warmed
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup grated Gouda cheese
1 cup grated Colby Jack
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1 teaspoon hot sauce or chili garlic sauce
1 teaspoon dried mustard
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Sea Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
Asiago cheese, grated

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
While the noodles are cooking, heat butter over medium-low heat. Add shallots and cook until soft and translucent about 5 minutes.



Add flour and stir constantly for a minute or two. Turn heat to medium; gradually whisk in milk and cream, cook over medium heat, stirring or whisking constantly until thickened. Reduce heat and add in cream cheese, cheddar, Gouda and Colby jack. Once the cheese has melted, add the hot sauce, mustard, nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.

Add the drained noodles to the cheese sauce, and gently fold into the cheese sauce.


Stir and evenly distribute the mac and cheese into prepared (buttered) baking dish, or dishes.


Grate fresh asiago or pecorino over top.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden.


Now for the hard part... Let stand before serving....


...it will only take about 5 minutes...I know you can do it!


Like I mentioned above I've made it twice already. Once I used these small ceramic bowls that I got for Christmas from Lock and Lock. They are perfect to bake and serve it in. Then for leftovers...if there is any leftovers, you can snap the lid on, store in the fridge and bring it for lunch the next day!

and the other time I used my lasagna dish. This is nice because it's non-stick so I don't have to butter it to prepare it for baking.


So you can use a casserole dish, smaller individual dishes or even ramekins. Top with different cheese find one you like. You can even add red pepper flakes, smoked paprika or chipotle chili powder. If you have to you can add bread crumbs to the top, but we like it without.



Now to share one of a few things that we've been up to in January. Staring with the
Thunder By The Bay Motorcycle Festival, an event that took place in Sarasota, Florida on 06-Jan-2012. 2012

Wade was talked into showing his 1981 Kawasaki, but he missed having it entered in the vintage class by one year! Funny though he could an antique licence tag on it.


It was a beautiful day and you could see motorcycles lined up all through the downtown streets. People walking everywhere and dressed up in their biker best. A great place to people watch. I didn't get any pictures of the food booths this year

Meanwhile back at the ranch...err...house my Ti plants are in bloom...

and one of my cactus, I believe it's a prickly pear. Maybe you know what it is...let me know!

Mozzarella, Basil and Tomatoes

Okay I know all of you up north probably have their fair share of beautiful home grown tomatoes...and I am so jealous! I do miss my mom's grown tomatoes fresh from her garden. I have tried to grow them here in Florida with not much luck...so now I just get them at Yoder's where I know they get them local when they can...But I am able to get fresh mozzarella! Not that I made myself, but fresh none the less...

I can grow a little basil...I just keep replanting when it goes to seed...So a wonderful thing to make with mozzarella, tomatoes and basil is Caprese salad. Thick slices of tomatoes and mozzarella, with some of those basil leaves tucked in between...topped with a drizzle of balsamic (make a reduction for a special treat) and extra virgin olive oil...and a sprinkle of finishing salt (I discovered many finishing salts thanks to Jaden from The Steamy Kitchen), she told me where to go in Sarasota to get the best!

Or make some pizza!
Margherita Pizza is a pizza classic. This style of pizza was originally made for Queen Margherita, the Queen of Italy by a man named Esposito in Naples in 1889. Italy, Queen Margherita.

Simple ingredients make for a wonderful tasting pizza, it always helps to make sure you have the best, fresh ingredients.
I make a quick pizza dough in the dough cycle of my bread machine...

Spread on some fresh tomato sauce or your favorite pizza sauce. Sprinkle some fresh grated Parmesan, slices of fresh mozzarella, fresh basil leaves from your garden, and slices of your beautiful (wish I had) homegrown tomatoes! Drizzle with a little good olive oil and fresh garlic ....

...bake in a hot oven 425 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes until the crust is golden to perfection and the cheese bubbly!

Need I say more?!

Dinner Healthy...Calabaza, Baked Salmon & Warm Goat Cheese Salad

I like going into Winn-Dixie when I can get a chance, because they sell calabaza squash that is already cut and sealed in smaller size pieces. So when I get up there (it's farther away than Publix and Sweetbay) I have to pick some up.

Calabaza is a pumpkin-like squash that can be quite large, and it can vary in size and color. It is known (I'm sure) by many different names. This squash is popular in the Caribbean as well as Central and South America. It is similar to butternut or acorn squash in flavor in my opinion and used in place of in many recipes.
I just like to oven roast the squash sprinkled with sea salt and chipotle chili powder and drizzled with some olive oil until tender. The squash works well in bento box lunch too, it adds that beautiful orange color to them.

I have always liked to cook healthy and my daughter is a good example of that. If she thinks she did not get enough veggies with her dinner...she'll go snack on some carrots later. :D She has always liked salmon so that's the easy part. She also is trying and liking other fish, not that salmon is so bad, just that my husband would like other fish besides salmon...


...salmon is always an easy dinner in my opinion. This one is the Dukkah crusted salmon of course made easy with the dukkah spice mix I have on hand in the freezer. I almost used it on the salad instead. This time I tossed in some purple cabbage around the salmon before I baked it for 20-25 minutes at 350 F...surprisingly it came out good!

For the warm goat cheese mix the softened cheese with some dried (or fresh herbs if you have any). Thyme, tarragon, chervil, parsley, chives any herb blend that you like. I rolled it in Little balls and refrigerated them. As it turned out it would be better to make them in little medallions or patties instead of the balls... or better yet just slice them from the log and season the panko.

When firm dip in a beaten egg then into panko bread crumbs seasoned with sea salt, pepper and a pinch of garlic powder. Then in a skillet with a little oil fry them until crispy and golden about 2-3 minutes per side. They can be refrigerated or placed in the freezer a bit before frying for easier handling. When done let them blot on a paper towel lined plate and you can keep the warm in a 200 degree F oven. The dukkah spice/nut mix would be good with the goat cheese too.

They are good so good as is, but I made them for the salad (and a little extra for my bento) so on the bed of mixed greens they go.

I loved the look of the purple cabbage when I sliced it...I just had to share it with you :D

For the salad dressing whisk together:

1/3 cup olive oil or Hazelnut oil

2-3 Tablespoons champagne vinegar or sherry vinegar

1 Tablespoon fig jam or orange juice

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

salt and pepper

Maybe I went over -kill on the healthy factor, but I did fry the goat cheese! Now where is dessert?

Tailgating Time & bringing back Mexican Fried Cheese

Time for the playoffs and Tailgating Time week # 20 - The the play offs continue, and so does good food, and a pitcher full of cold ones! Everyone is getting ready with some great ideas for The Super Bowl! Bring over your famous recipes for you favorite foods and party things!

It has been awhile since we had Mexican fried cheese so I thought I would bring it to Tailgating Time.
I love cheese, I mean a real cheese fanatic! So when I discovered a cheese you could fry without all the hassle of breading and deep frying. I'm there! This is a perfect weekend snack tailgating or not. Okay...It's good any day of the week.

I bought some Mexican frying cheese, it's called Queso De Freier. Just slice it in finger size slices.

I did brush a little oil in the pan just to make sure it didn't stick.
Let it get a nice golden color before you turn it. I know...how can you tell it's golden until you turn it. Well let it fry on medium heat for a couple of minutes, it will release fairly easy once it starts to brown. Turn it on all sides, watching it the whole time so it won't brown too much. When you remove it from the heat place it on a paper towel to absorb some of the excess oil, if any.

Serve it with salsa! It has a slightly salty, mild flavor. Crispy on the outside an nice and soft on the inside. Perfect for snacking! It also tastes good with your favorite fruit preserves.
Edited to add: I found out that the queso de freir cheese is from Dominican Republic, I thought it was Mexican because it was there with the queso blanco and queso cotija cheese. So I probably should rename it to Caribbean Fried Cheese!




See I got it a little too brown, but I liked it anyway! Hope you enjoy it! We did.




We always appreciate our loyal friends who join us each week, and welcome those of you who are new to us!! Come on and have some fun! it's easy, just add your recipe to the linky, and link back to us!



Can't wait to see what you bring!

Tailgating Time is brought to you this week by:
Martha at ~ Seaside Simplicity
Tamy at ~ 3 Sides of Crazy
Me here at ~ The Tiny Skillet
Debbie at ~Dinning with Debbie

Tasty Pinwheel Appetizers

I guess I've been on a pinwheel kick lately. I first saw these on puff pastry box, and then again on Debbie's blog Dinning With Debbie she has joined use at Tailgating Time. I like hers with the peperoni, and it reminded me how good these were. I thought this would be great to bring along to the New Year's Eve party we went to. I had some puff pastry in the freezer, but didn't have any peperoni so I just used what I had on hand! They are so easy to make and they do look impressive. Of course anything made with puff pastry looks scrumptious in my opinion!
Check out my personal pizzas made with puff pastry in one of my first posts over a year ago...or not!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese, parmesan and fontina (you can use what ever cheese that you like)
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed
2 tablespoons pesto sauce (you can use more)
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (I used less just because my husband doesn't like too many)
1 egg, beaten

Spread pesto over puff pastry rectangle, leaving 1-inch plain border at 1 long edge. Place sun dried tomatoes in single layer atop pesto. Top with cheese mixture. Brush borders with egg. Starting at long side, roll up pastry, sealing egg-coated edge. Transfer pastry roll, seam side down, to medium baking sheet. Chill rolls until firm, about 30 minutes, or wrap and chill up to 1 day. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil. Lightly spray with vegetable oil spray. Cut each pastry roll into about thirty 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Transfer pinwheels to prepared sheets. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

I think I could of added a little more filling, I like it when filling oozes out.

These flaky, cheesy appetizers are so versatile you can add any filling that you like, or make them any size you like. I also made some that had spinach, garlic and cheese. I chopped some fresh spinach instead of the sun dried tomatoes. You can add some dijon, sriracha sauce, or red pepper flakes for a little heat.

What would you add to your pinwheels?

Tucker and his two guests would love a taste!

Please...we'll be good!

Our first sunset walk on the beach in 2011. It just peeked through just before it slipped back behind the clouds, but that's okay...it was warm and we like all sunsets!

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken Breast

When I saw my good friend Kristy's post on Lychee Chicken Rolls on her food blog it reminded me of a chicken roll that I've made a lot, but haven't made recently. Thanks Kristy! This dish is a nice way to do something different with chicken breasts, it really dresses it up, looks impressive, but is so easy to make. Perfect for a quick easy midweek meal, or a way to impress dinner guests!

I served this with the baked beets I posted yesterday, and (as long as I had the oven on) I threw some cauliflower with olive oil and lemon juice, in another stoneware pan next to it.

First flatten the chicken breasts if you didn't buy the cutlets that are already flat. I just cut these in half and opened it up like a book. I didn't take the time to pound them out to make them all even and thinner, and it worked okay for my family. Lol! You might want to make it look a little nicer if serving it for guests. :D

Season the chicken, I used zaatar (a middle eastern seasoning of sumac, sesame seeds and green dried herbs, like marjoram, thyme, savory and others, there are many different versions) salt and pepper. Then add the the spinach and feta. For my daughter I used provolone and salami, she's okay with a little bit of spinach, but I just left it out of hers this time. The zaatar gave it a nice tang to the spinach.

Roll them up like a burrito and secure them with some cooking twine (I happened to have a lot of this and am so happy to be using it). If you don't have any butchers string you can always use 15 toothpicks ...hehehe! (Kristy that was just for you! and I'm just kidding! I couldn't resist). Try to tuck some of the ends in if you can, but don't worry if you can't, you'll just have some of the cheese ooze out if you are using a melting cheese. It's still good!

Use a skillet that you can put in the oven. Heat a little oil in the pan and brown the chicken on stove top. Finish in a medium heated oven 350 F for about 15 minutes until cooked through.

I really like it when some of the cheese and juices cooks on the bottom of the pan and all those good flavors...mmmmm!

I did get plenty of compliments at dinner, maybe it was after dinner, it was pretty quiet while they were eating! Always a good sign! This is too easy and good not to try it!

Enjoy!

Baked Cheese Grits

We were invited to a Saturday Night Brunch at a friends house. We were to bring a breakfast or brunch dish, and to wear our pajamas. Now that's what I'm talking about - yes! I love a good brunch and eating in comfortable clothes!

The dish I brought was baked cheese grits. My daughter loves it and I've made it several times. It's very easy to throw together. I have some great recipes for brunch eggs I could make, but I figured there would be plenty of those. I was right, and my grits were a big hit. I think that was the first time for grits for a few of them. My recipes was based off from Paula Deen's you can view it here, but of course I had to make some changes for mine. I first cut the recipe in half and used water instead of broth and it turned out fine.

Here are few other changes as well,
Ingredients:
•3 cups water
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/4 teaspoon white pepper
•1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
•1 cups regular grits
•4 ounces Cheddar, cubed
•4 ounces Velveeta, cubed
•1/4 cup milk
•1 egg, beaten
•1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter (I used less)
•1/2 teaspoon Penzey's Parisien Bonnes Herbes I mixed my own when I finished Penzey's(chives, dill weed, French basil, French tarragon, chervil and white pepper)
•8 ounces grated sharp white Cheddar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish.

Bring the water, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir in the grits and whisk until completely combined. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the grits are thick, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cubed Cheddar, Velveeta, herbs and milk and stir. Gradually stir in the eggs and butter, stirring until all are combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Top with the white Cheddar and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until set.

I think I let it go a little too long, the top browned, but I like it like that, and you can make your's look nicer. I dusted it with a little dried herbs and finishing salt. If you have some fresh chives that would work well too! Or not, it would be fine as is. The first time we had this, it was for dinner, then Maranda warmed up for breakfast the next day.

I brought it in a slow cooker that kept it nice and warm for the brunch.

It's on the counter plugged in behind the tall girl in her PJs. They had a lot of good food!

This lady was so funny, she came with curlers in her hair and stuffed a pack of cigarettes in her gown just for the effect! She had to shop at the thrift shops to find the right nightgown. :D

The couple on the left said their kids were surprised how they were dressed to go out. With her in her robe and he had on boxers, socks, with his undone tux shirt and bow tie. So clever!

Our host with his elegant, smoking jacket type robe on!

Oh darn, I didn't get a picture of us! Well maybe next time! Hope you all have a great weekend!!