Baked Macaroni and Cheese

What was one of the first things I (remember) learning how to cook? Macaroni and cheese. What did I request each and every time my mom went to work and dad was in charge of dinner? Macaroni and cheese. I love the stuff.

Naturally I am no novice to making it from scratch either, and this is a delicious recipe! I stumbled across it on another food blog, annies-eats.com. She claims that it is her favourite version. Unfortunately because I didn't have the cheese her recipe called for in my fridge, I can't be sure of her tastes validity. I'll give you the option of both (her cheese selection and my substitute), and you tell me. Or perhaps I will go make so more. Yep, I like that option.

Ingredients:

1 lb. small or medium pasta shells

5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided

1 c heavy cream

8oz. fontina cheese, shredded (I used old cheddar cheese, shredded)

1 tsp dry mustard

Pinch of grated nutmeg

Salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/3 c panko bread crumbs

1/4 c freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to the package directions just until 1-2 minutes shy of al dente.

2. Meanwhile, dice 4 Tbsp of the butter and place in a large mixing bowl. Warm the cream in a small saucepan or the microwave. Cover to keep warm.

3. Once the pasta is cooked, add tot he bowl with the butter and toss to coat well. Stir in the warm cream and the fontina cheese until the cheese starts to melt. Mix in salt to taste, and add the nutmeg.

4. Pour the mixture into a buttered 2-quart casserole dish. In a small bowl, melt the remaining 1 Tbsp of butter. Mix in the panko breadcrumbs and shredded parmesan. Toss with a fork to coat evenly with the butter. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the pasta in the baking dish.

5. Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the topping turns golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Ginger Cookies

My house currently smells like the pioneer village I went to on a field trip as a kid. We toured an old-style living quarters and school house, learned how on earth the pioneers did it all, and munched on ginger cookies followed by hot apple cider. You really get the false impression that living as a pioneer was easy.

(I mean they didn't have these!)

And also that they ate a lot of ginger cookies.

It's probably not true, but for the sake of this post we can pretend that they did! I did/am currently doing the same.

Nomm, nom nom.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 egg

3/4 c oil (something of a light variety like canola walnut or sunflower)

1/4 c molasses

1/4 c real maple syrup

1/2 c sucanant or maple sugar

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cardamon

Directions:

1. Mix dry ingredients and set aside.

2. In a mixer or by hand, combine wet ingredients until well combined. Slowly stir in dry ingredients and you will have a moist cookie dough.

3. Let dough sit in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to firm up.

4. Roll the dough into teaspoon size balls, roll in maple sugar if you wish, and slightly flatten. Place on a cookie tray.

5. Bake @ 350 for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy with a tall glass of milk!

Source: mycharmingkids.net

Wholesome Honey-Baked Granola

This recipe comes from a deeeelectable cookbook which my mom and I have been enjoying lately. It's called Bite Me, by Julie Albert & Lisa Gnat.

Every single recipe we pull from it has been easy to prepare and very tasty, not to mention that the recipes are comprised of lots of awesome (sometimes quirky!) ingredients. Sometimes I find recipes that only have simple items can be missing a certain je ne sais quoi, but these recipes make up for it! (Coco powder in chili!? Awesome.)

The book's brunch chapter features this delicious homemade granola, which is not only good on your digestive tract, but also good on your pocket book. Prepared granola in the grocery stores can run for $10 or more, depending on the brand. And for HALF of the portion you get here.

That's a no brainer if you ask me.

Granola is such a light yet hearty, crunchy yet soft, food. Yummy served over yogurt, ice cream, with milk and bananas (as seen above), as a muffin/crisp topping, or just on it's own. It's a huge money saver for lunches: Pack 1/2 cup in a re-sealable dish and pour it over fruit and yogurt when you are ready to eat.

Fun to prepare, and oh-so satisfying, I know you will love it.

Ingredients:

4 c old-fashioned large flake oats (not quick cooking)

1 c slivered almonds

small handful of ground flax seed (this was my addition--just because I try to add flax seed to everything possible)

1 tsp kosher salt (I found this to be slightly salty for my taste)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 c melted butter (I used canola oil instead)

1/2 c packed brown sugar

1/4 c honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 c dried cranberries

1/2 c raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 F--Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds, flaxseed, salt, and cinnamon.

3. In a small bowl, combine melted butter (or oil), brown sugar, honey, and vanilla. Whisk well and pour over oat mixture. Toss to combine and spread granola over prepared baking sheet.

4. Bake 20 minutes, stir carefully and then continue to bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to large bowl. Add dried cranberries and raisins, mixing to combine. Cool completely and store at room temp. in an air tight container for up to 1 week.

Yield: 7 cups

Cookbook photo courtesy of http://www.torontolife.com/daily/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/BiteMeCookbook.jpg

Sweet and Savory Tomato Pie

This dish is one of my summer-time favourites!

It combines the sweet and tartness of beautiful vine-ripened tomatoes topped with green and fresh basil, salty cheese, a creamy dressing, all enclosed in a biscuit crust. To die for.

I first had this dish about 9 years ago (woah!) and I immediately fell in love. It is really yummy and it complements the tomato season perfectly! However don't let the name confuse you like it first did me. This dish isn't a pie like you would find in the desert section. And it doesn't get served as a desert. Tomato "pie" refers to it's combination of flavors, all in one dish.

By the way, there is a secret ingredient which makes this pie amazing. White (or red) current Jelly! It is served along side the pie as a kind of dip/sauce, and it's sweet flavor contrasted with the salty and savory pie makes it. This is not an optional ingredient if you want to have it right.

Give this dish a try on a warm saturday evening with a light salad and perhaps some berries for desert. Oh, and eat it outside if you can manage it!

Ingredients:

Biscuit Crust

2 c flour

1 stick butter

4 tsp baking pdr.

3/4 c milk

Filling

2 lbs tomatoes, fresh and sliced or canned (drained well)

a handful of chopped basil and chives

1 1/2 c sharp cheddar, grated

Sauce

1/3 c light mayo

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. For the biscuit crust, mix ingredients by hand or in a food processor until well combined. Take half of the dough and roll out onto a floured work surface. Place into a 9" pie plate.

2. Add half of the tomatoes over the crust and scatter the chopped basil and scallions.

Top with 1 cup of sharp cheddar and the mayo sauce which has been thinned with lemon juice. Top this with the rest of the tomatoes and then cheddar.

3. Roll out the remaining dough and place over filling, pinching the edges to seal. Cut several steam vents in the top, and brush with an egg wash.

4. Cook at 400 for 25 minutes.

You can prepare this dish ahead of time and re-heat it before serving if you wish.

Gluten Free Pizza with Pizazz!

So I’ve had a craving for pizza for like... .two weeks. So I finally bit the bullet and made what I thought would be a really complicated recipe, but it turned out to be super simple AND I had most of the ingredients I needed!

The secret to this delicious delicacy is the crust. Its not ORDINARY pizza crust.... because its much MUCH better! Its a two cheese baked rice crust and it is ynummy!

So, y’all ready for this amazing pizza that might turn YOU off of gluten too?

As the Iron Chef says... ALLEEEEEEE CUISINE!

What You’ll Need:

Crust

¾ cup Uncooked Brown Rice or 1 ½ cups Cooked Brown Rice

¼ cup Mozzarella Cheese

1 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese

1 Egg White

Toppings

¼ cup Tomato Sauce

¼ cup Red Pepper

¼ cup Zucchini

2 Tbsp Red Onion

2 oz Pepperoni

¼ cup Mozzarella Cheese

Pinch of Oregano, Salt and Pepper.

1 Tsp Olive Oil

Crust

1. Cook ¾ cup rice and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grate ¼ cup of Mozzerella cheese, and mix with 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese. Add 1 ½ cups of cooked brown rice, and egg white. Mix well.

3. On a greased baking sheet, mound the rice-cheese mixture and spread out evenly and gently with your fingers. The crust will be about ½ inch thick and will make an 8 inch circle.

4. Bake for 20 minutes.

Toppings

1. Chop Red pepper, zucchini, and red onion.

2. Sautee with 1 tsp of Olive Oil until tender. Add Oregano, salt and pepper.

3. Spread tomato sauce and sautéed vegetables on top of the baked crust, and add pepperoni and cheese.

4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes until cheese is melted.

5. Enjoy with a glass of red wine!

See? That wasn’t so hard! And I promise you won’t even miss the gluten with the scrumdidilyumptious crust!

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip JiP Cake!

Are you drooling yet? I still am!

So, today, I got an SOS text: We have rotten bananas- please help!

So, naturally, I grabbed my trusty recipe book, which FAILED ME. There were NO recipes for Banana Bread! What kind of recipe book doesn't have banana bread I ask you!?

Luckily, my friend JP (JiP) had a brilliant and easily modifiable recipe for chocolate chip cookie bars! And not only did they take no time to assemble, but they only took 7 minutes to cook.... IN THE MICROWAVE! That's right, we didn't even need an oven to make this delectable cake! So if you have 15 minutes, and some rotten bananas, I have the perfect thing for you...

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip JiP Cake
Makes 32

What You'll Need:
Banana Chocolate JiP Cake:
1/2 cup butter softened
3 over ripe bananas
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips



Peanut Butter Icing:
1 cup Icing Sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp warm milk

1. In a large bowl, mash 3 over ripe bananas until smoothish (depending on weather or not you want chunks of bananas in your cake!)

2. Add softened butter to banana mixture and mix until well combined. Add brown sugar and mix until creamed.

3. Beat eggs into mixture and add milk and vanilla

4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to wet mixture. Mix until just combined. Add Chocolate chips.

5. Pour into two 8x8 glass pans. Microwave on high for 7 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan.

Meanwhile...


6. While your cookie bars are in the microwave, get started on your icing! Mix icing sugar and flour together. Cream peanut butter into icing sugar, and slowly add the warm milk. Mix until smooth. The icing should have a thick consistency that is easy to spread.

7. Once cool, ice the brownies and cut them into 16 pieces.

Enjoy with a cool glass of milk and a sweet Sufjan Stevens Christmas Song!

**TIP TIP TIP!!**

If you toss your chocolate chips in 1 tsp of flour before you mix them into the dough, they won't sink to the bottom while baking!

Caution: Eat fast- they tend to disappear quickly!

Mocha Chocolate Chip Brownies

So, let me paint a picture for you. I was wearing a bright flower dress, wearing an apron, baking my Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares, looking very Stepford Wife-ish... but I was dancing like a fool around my kitchen blaring the new Michael Buble CD, because I think the magical ingredient to some of the best cooking is dance... or love, or joy, or something like that. Anyways, the big secret ingredient to my Mocha Chocolate Chip Brownies isn't dance, or love, or joy, but...

**drum roll please**

Starbucks Via Ready Brew!

Yeah, you know the stuff. Every time you've gone in a Starbucks in the past month, you've been harassed by belligerent baristas to buy it. You can't turn on the T.V. without seeing an avant garde, yet accessible commercial about it. And granted, when you tried it in the store it probably tasted like dirty hot dog water, but it is one of the most useful baking ingredients to make a plain old batch of brownies into Mocha Chocolate Chip Brownies!

Pictured above: Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and Mocha Chocolate Chip Brownies

Starbucks Via Ready Brew is %100 natural micro-ground coffee, so unlike other instant coffee's, you're not putting coffee flavored chemicals into your body. And while I'm a total coffee snob, and think that VIA will never taste like real coffee, (my mouth is watering at the thought of making a batch of Christmas Blend tomorrow morning for breakfast!) it tastes about a million times better than any other brand out there! The other thing I like about it is that it is so finely ground that it won't add any weird kind of texture to the batter.

Don't worry, if you don't like coffee, you cant omit it! I just like coffee with my... you know... oxygen, so it seemed like the perfect chance to mix it with my other passion: chocolate! I find that adding one pack of VIA doesn't really add TOO much of an offensive coffee flavor, but it does add a really nice depth to the chocolate in the brownies.

Mocha Chocolate Chip Brownies

Makes 16

What you'll need:

1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 large egg

2 large egg whites

1 packet of Starbucks Via Ready Brew

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES- In a large bowl, mix together melted margarine or butter, and sugar until well combines. Add egg, egg whites, vanilla and coffee and stir until throughly blended and smooth.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking bowder and salt. Add to the egg mixture and stir just until combined. (Remember, JUST until combined! You don't want tough brownies!)

3. Add chocolate chips.

4. Spray an 8" x 8" pan with nonstick spray. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, but center is slightly soft. Cool in the pan on a wire rack, and after about 10 minutes, you'll be able to treat yourself to warm, dark, chocolaty brownies!

These brownies pair well with a GIANT cup of coffee, guitars, and sweet action/adventure movies. Enjoy!

**TIP**TIP**Hey! I have two tips for you this time!** TIP** TIP**

1. If you sift your cocoa into the flour mixture, you have a better chance of hitting that nice soft, dense, chewy brownie texture we're aiming for!

2. If you toss your chocolate chips with a little bit of flour, just so their coated, and THEN mix it into the rest of your dough, they won't sink to the bottom of your brownies! This also works with loaf recipes if you want to add dried fruit or nuts to it!

Next from leah michelle: a fast, healthy breakfast idea that's guaranteed to keep you full until lunch: Mighty Morning Muesli!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares

Try saying THAT five times fast! I thought the best way to start my first real recipe post was with an alliteration, so I hope that grabbed your attention. If not, I'm sure the mouth watering succulence of these warm Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares will!

Heres the thing, I get in these moods, and I can't sit still. But I can't just go for a walk, or clean or something, I need to create. So I'll bake two or three batches of cookies, brownies, muffins, scones or squares, and then make my friends eat them! I also think I have a complex where I really don't like showing up anywhere without something. So today I was going to my friend's house and I had exactly one hour before I was supposed to be there. PERFECT! Just enough time to either watch one episode of Gilmore Girls or..... bake a batch of something chocolaty, delicious, and that will still be warm by the arrive!

So I found my favorite cookbook and found an awesome recipe! I changed it a LITTLE (aka doubled the vanilla- an old pasty chef trick) but I kept these ones classic. So get your spatulas ready and preheat your oven to 350 degrees!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

(Makes 12)

You will need:

2 tbsp. Margarine or butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla (if you have good vanilla, thro

w in another teaspoon just for good luck!)

1 large egg

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES- In a medium bowl, combine melted margarine, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add egg and stir until smooth.

2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the egg mixture and stir until almost combined. Add chocolate chips, and stir until blended.

3. Spray an 8" x 8" pan with nonstick spray. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. (Don't over bake it though! Or you'll take one of the "C's" out of the CCCCB's! )Cool for a few minutes before cutting into the bars.

**Tip**Tip**Hey! I've got a tip for you!**Tip**Tip**

When you are making cookies, make sure you don't over mix your dough. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients in as few stirs as possible. Once its combined, leave it! When you stir, you help the gluten form, which is good for bread, but why would you want to make tough cookies?

Up next? Mocha Chocolate Chip Brownies made with a VERY special ingredient!

Boston Cream Cupcakes

When you get the option, what kind of doughnut would you choose? Honey dip, sprinkled, powdered and fruit filled, maple glazed, chocolate, or would you pick a boston cream? It is definitely one of my favourites! It's creamy and chocolaty, and best of all...it's not missing the center! (The extra bit of doughnut usually gets made into timbits (if you are from Canada) which cost 17 cents each.) Mmhmm...you definitely beat the system with the boston cream.

All this talk about doughnuts is getting me distracted from my actual purpose today. I don't plan on sharing a recipe with you about doughnuts actually, as you can see from the posts' title. I was simply inspired by the doughnut (which is technically inspired by the boston cream pie) in a way that brought new possibilities to the desert. I thought, why not make my childhood favorite into a cupcake? Many thanks to Martha Stewart's Living Magazine for providing the recipe.

This spongy vanilla cupcake is cut through the center and filled with a smooth vanilla cream, topped with more cake, and smothered in chocolate ganache...

I enjoyed the final product so much that I decided to have a little "photo shoot" of sorts. Featuring: the cupcake, a white plate, my table makes an occasional appearance, and some blurry backdrops.

Timmes ain't got nothin' on these babies!



Ingredients:

Makes 18

Cupcakes:

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour, plus more for tins
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. whole milk
3 oz. (6 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for tins
3 large Eggs
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Vanilla Cream:

2 large egg yolks
1/4 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. plus 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
pinch of salt
1 c. whole milk
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Chocolate- Ganache Glaze:

2/3 c. heavy cream
6 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup


Directions:

Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour standard muffin tins. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Warm Milk and butter in a sauce pan over low heat.

2. Beat eggs and sugar with a mixer on high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Beat in dry ingredients.

3. Bring milk and butter to a boil. With mixer on low speed, add milk mixture to batter and beat until smooth. Add vanilla. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each halfway. Bake cupcakes until light gold, about 15 minutes. Let cool in tins for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks. Let cool.

4. Using a serrated knife, cut each in half horizontally. Spread 1 Tbsp. vanilla cream on each cupcake bottom. Sandwich with top. Spoon glaze over each and serve immediately.

Vanilla Cream:

1. Whisk yolks until smooth. Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add milk in a slow, steady stream. Cook, stirring, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken, about 5 minutes.

2. Pour a third of milk mixture into yolks, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until thick, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in Vanilla.

3. Pass vanilla cream through a fine sieve into a bowl. Press plastic directly on surface. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days.

Chocolate- Ganache Glaze:

1. Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, and add chocolate and corn syrup. Let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, and let cool, stirring often. Use immediately.

Mocha Cupcakes

I have developed a serious appreciation for cupcakes and can't help but wish that I had a job title like, "Senior Executive Cupcake Decorator and Taster." Mmhmm that would be pretty sweet, no pun intended. I would be in the professional cupcake world! And what a place it would be...

Butter cream frosting taste-tests, classes on "how to dress your cupcake," and "the proper way to fill a cupcake tray," our stock and inventory would consist of blue, pink, and yellow sprinkles, edible silver and gold, icing sugar by the truck load, and chocolate.

So in the mean time, before the cupcake artisans come knocking at my door, I will ready my skills.

Leah and I always get inspired by the cupcake "boutique" at the market down town. They have so many flavors and the set up is, as Leah would put it, "so dang cute." But after you realize that these adorable creations are about 4 dollars each, homemade cupcakes become verrry appealing.

The boutique's mocha cupcakes inspired Leah to create this recipe from a simple box mix. I decided on a butter cream icing because...well, who doesn't like butter cream icing!?

Case and point:

Enjoy being a cupcake artist!

Directions:

Cupcakes:
1 box chocolate cake mix
Cold prepared coffee

Mocha Butter Cream Icing:

1/4 cup butter
1/8 cup cocoa powder
1/2cup milk
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
1 1/2 tsp. instant coffee

Directions:

1. Prepare cupcakes according to directions on box, but substitue the water for coffee.

2. For the icing: Heat butter, cocoa, and milk and bring to a boil.

3. Add instant coffee and stir until combined.

4. Add powdered sugar and beat until nice and smooth. Let sit to cool.

5. When cupcakes are done, allow them to cool before you ice them. (This is very important, especially with a runnier icing like this one.)

5. To ice: Dip cupcake into the icing until the top is coated. Remove from icing while twirling the cupcake. (This allows excess icing to drip off). Set on a tray and sprinkle regular sugar on top, if desired.

Bubble Brownies

Why bubble brownies you ask?

Simple. My friends were blowing bubbles while I was making these brownies! It just made the experience all the more entertaining. I encourage you to do the same! (Why not blow bubbles while baking? I couldn't think of a reason!)

Anyway, the inspiration for brownies came from a recipe I was looking at a while ago that involved black beans. I've tried that version before, and it is surprisingly delicious! But unfortunately, being as I am a "starving" university student that doesn't have a completely stocked pantry...the regular version had to do for today. They ended up getting a great review from my room mates, and they didn't take long at all to make. Another bonus, is that the recipe doesn't call for too many ingredients.

They definitely beat my chocolate craving!



Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. Hershey's cocoa
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped nuts (opt.)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and Grease square pan, 9 x 9 x 2 inches.

2. In large mixing bowl blend melted butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, using spoon, beat well.

3. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually blend into egg mixture. Stir in nuts, if desired.

4. Spread into prepared pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan.