baked jalapeño popper mac & cheese

02/05/2013 by · 1 Comment

Sometimes I am amazed that I even remember to brush my teeth, considering the chaotic state of my mind these days.

I can barely put 2 and 2 together it seems, and I am sure missing having a brain.  I feel kinda like the scarecrow right now, ya know?

Anyways, I had a burst of cooking-energy this afternoon….

But I realized I was afraid to move much beyond things I can make in my (non-existent) sleep.   Which is why I just keep making brownies and mac & cheeses.  I know I can’t mess up if I’m making those!  :o)

This is a super easy mac & cheese…  meaning, no stovetop cooking (except for the noodles) - just some tossing together, pouring and baking in the oven!

One of our all-time favorite mac & cheese recipes is my Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese.

I started thinking about what other favorite foods I could turn into mac & cheese and Jalapeño Poppers was the obvious next choice.

—

What other foods should I turn into mac & cheese?

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baked jalapeño popper mac & cheese

Ingredients

  • for the topping:
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar (or mexican blend)
  • 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup crushed tortilla chips
  • for the mac & cheese:
  • 1 lb penne or other short pasta
  • 2 cups diced pepper jack cheese
  • 1 (8oz) block cream cheese, cubed
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar (or mexican blend)
  • 2-3 large jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 1/2 cups milk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9x13" baking dish or a 12" cast-iron skillet and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the topping ingredients and set aside.

Cook the noodles according to package directions, draining them about a minute before they are done.

Combine the noodles, cheeses, butter & jalapeños, stirring well to melt the cream cheese. Dump this into the prepared baking dish.

In a small bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients and pour over the noodles and cheese in the dish.

Sprinkle the topping evenly over the top and bake for 40-50 minutes, until golden & bubbly!

http://sweetannas.com/2013/02/baked-jalapeno-popper-mac-cheese.html

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - dinner, recipes - pasta ·

pasta with roasted winter veggies & browned butter

01/03/2013 by · 2 Comments

Our favorite little local farm store sells big grab bags of root veggies for roasting.  It’s so much fun to get a variety of things we might not normally try and everything tastes so great roasted together!

This last bag had carrots, purple and russet potatoes, red and golden beets and what I think are parsnips.  :o)   I added a big red onion and some garlic cloves and tossed it all in a good dose of garlic infused and regular olive oils, salt & pepper, and a bunch of dried herbs – basil, oregano & parsley.

Let me just tell ya…  from the minute this was put in the oven, the whole house smelled amazing!

Because I am a pasta addict, I decided to boil some penne and make a simple browned butter sauce to toss it all together with.  So simple, so easy, and absolutely packed full of flavor.

(Please, please serve this with freshly shaved parmesan cheese.  I was out but it would be amazing!!)

 (Please excuse this crappy iPhone picture.  I was hungry and Maren was crying!)

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pasta with roasted winter veggies & browned butter

Ingredients

  • 5 lbs, or so, root veggies, variety /9carrots, potatoes, parsnips, beets...)
  • 1 large onion
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, smashed or whole
  • 1 tablespoon garlic-infused olive oil, optional
  • 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 tablespoon, or so, dried herbs (parsley, basil & oregano)
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
  • freshly shaved parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Cut all the veggies and onion into large bite-sized pieces. Place all the veggies and garlic on a large rimmed baking sheet.

Drizzle with olive oils, herbs and salt & pepper to taste. Toss well with your hands to make sure everything is coated.

Place on the second to top rack in the oven and roast for 30-45 minutes, until all the veggies are tender and golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.

While the veggies are roasting, boil a large pot of salted water and cook the noodles according to package directions.

While the water is boiling, melt a stick of butter in a large skillet (preferably light colored interior, but not necessary!) over medium heat.

Continue to cook, swirling occasionally until the butter starts to foam and then turn golden. Watch closely at this point, as it can burn easily. As soon as the butter looks golden (here's where the light-colored skillet helps!) and smells very fragrant, pull it off the heat.

Toss everything together in a large bowl or in the now drained pot and serve with freshly shaved parmesan cheese if desired!

http://sweetannas.com/2013/01/pasta-with-roasted-winter-veggies-browned-butter.html

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - dinner, recipes - healthy, recipes - natural, recipes - pasta, recipes - side dishes, recipes - vegetarian ·

baked pumpkin & ham mac and cheese

11/26/2012 by · Leave a Comment

Most of us had Turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, but I know some of you had ham, right?

And I’m guessing at least a few of you have half a can of pumpkin sitting in your fridge leftover from all that baking?  (I used 3/4 cup for this recipe.  If you have a little less, just substitute a little more milk or even better… some sour cream!)

I was playing a little ‘throw this all together and hope it tastes ok’ game with this meal, and I’m pretty sure I won!

I absolutely loved this combination of pumpkin, cheese, spices and noodles.  Add a little cayenne if you like a kick, and some fresh sage if you’ve got it!

Wanna know the best part about this meal (besides the use of leftovers)?  Your kids would probably not even notice the pumpkin hiding in all that cheese if you didn’t tell them…  a perfect sneaky-veggies meal!

What’s your favorite dish for holiday leftovers?

Print
baked pumpkin & ham mac and cheese

Ingredients

  • 1/2-3/4 pound short noodles, cooked al dente*
  • 2 cups diced leftover ham
  • 3 cups shredded cheddar jack blend cheese, divided
  • 2 teaspoons flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • 3/4 cup pumpkin purée
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 1/2 cups half & half or milk
  • 1 cup freshly grated parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cook the noodles according to package directions (1 minute or so less, if you don't like your noodles too soft.)

(*I usually boil the whole pound, and then give a bowl of buttered noodles to my toddlers to snack on while I work!)

Butter a 9×13″ baking dish. Stir together the cooked noodles, the shredded cheddar blend and the diced ham and place in the buttered baking dish.

Stir together the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, except for the parmesan. Pour this sauce evenly over the noodles in the dish.

Sprinkle the parmesan evenly over the top. (At this point you can combine some butter and bread crumbs and sprinkle those over the top as well, if you like!)

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling (cover with a piece of foil if it is getting too brown towards the end of the cooking time!).

http://sweetannas.com/2012/11/baked-pumpkin-ham-mac-and-cheese.html

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Filed Under: recipes, recipes - dinner, recipes - freezer, recipes - healthy, recipes - holiday, recipes - kids, recipes - make ahead, recipes - pasta, recipes - toddler ·
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