Arroz Con Pollo

 Our favorite place to go out to eat is our local Mexican chain.  One of our son's does not like to try new things, isn't into tacos, and used to only get chips with cheese.  He has found that he really enjoys Arroz Con Pollo.  I searched for a recipe to make something similar at home and found several Spanish style recipes.  That was not what I was looking for.  Finally found a few recipes to try and zeroed in on a method.  The rice often had tomato sauce in it.  That changed the consistency so I found some that used tomato bullion.  That is a new ingredient to me, but I tried that and it was a hit, although too salty.  Made some tweaks and this was a good balance.  He also does not like queso with Velveeta, so cheese sauce with a roux it is.

Arroz Con Pollo

For the Rice:

2 cups rice

1 Tbsp oil

1 tsp Sazon

1 tsp tomato bullion

1/2 - 1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 - 1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups water

I use my instant pot to make rice, so use the saute function to add a little toastiness to the rice in the oil.  Add the seasonings to let them bloom.  Add the water, seal and set for Rice.  Once it reaches temp, it cooks under pressure for 10 minutes.  Quick release, fluff and serve.  Don't have an instant pot, feel free to cook on the stove but cooking time will vary.

For the Queso:

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp Sazon

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 4 oz can diced green chilis

1 12 oz. can evaporated milk

1/2 lb Chihuahua cheese

Melt butter and add flour.  Cook for a minute or two to take out the raw flour taste.  Add seasonings to bloom, about 30 seconds.  Add evaporated milk and stir.  Add chilis.  Cook until it starts to thicken.  Add cheese and melt.  Keep warm until ready to serve.

For the Chicken:

1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless, chicken breast, sliced about 1/4 inch

1 tsp Sazon

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Mix the seasonings in a med-lg bowl.  Add sliced chicken and toss to coat evenly.  Heat oil in a 12 inch nonstick skillet.  Once shimmering, add chicken and cook stirring often until chicken is cooked through.  Serve and enjoy.

Hot Sauce

The last couple of years, I have been trying to grow a salsa garden.  Last year I had tomatoes, mostly cherry tomatoes, and few peppers.  So I didn't get to can much salsa.  This year, I have an abundance of chilis.  I thought it would be fun to experiment with making hot sauce.  It is a much loved condiment in our household.  I did some research and based my experiment on a mexican hot sauce recipe from Hub Pages.  Of course I didn't really follow their directions and totally forgot to add the garlic.  My husband and one son are totally into hot sauce, so when my husband asked who my target audience is for the hot sauce, I said the two of them.  I would also like to enjoy some, but knew it would be a bit over for my taste. So here is what I did for this round.  Of course it should be different every time based on how hot the chilis are.

House Hot Sauce

2 lbs tomatoes 

1/2 cup vinegar

3 serranos

2 jalapenos

8 habaneros

salt & pepper to taste

I roasted the tomatoes, serranos, and jalapenos in a 400 degree oven for about half an hour.  The tomatoes had been cored and halved and the chilis left whole.  After roasting, I removed the stems from the chilis and pulsed the roasted veg. in the food processor.  I then added 4 habaneros, vinegar and salt & pepper.  My taste testers and I agreed that it was good but not as assertive as we would like, so we added 4 more habaneros and adjusted the salt.

Then we heated it on the burner on the grill outside to protect our eyes and lungs from the influence of the chilis in the house.  Once it came to a good bubble, we packed it into 4 ounce jars and water bath canned it.  I ended up with nearly 8 jars.

Other than wishing that I'd remembered the garlic, this was a successful experiment.  We may do it again, as the habanero plant is doing really well this year. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sticky Noodles

I found this recipe on Pinch of Yum a couple years ago.  It was a hit with the oldest and the twins don't count.  So it has made it's way into the rotation.  The main change that I do is to add the bell peppers at the beginning.  We prefer them cooked a bit more.

Sticky Noodles

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups water
• 8 oz. uncooked brown rice noodles
• 1 lb. raw chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
• 1-2 red bell peppers, sliced thinly
• peanuts, green onions, and/or sesame seeds for garnish

Place all ingredients in the instant pot and cook on manual for 3 minutes.  Release steam immediately.  Toss gently to combine and serve with peanut, green onions, and/or sesame seeds.  

For more information see the link above to Pinch of Yum.

Instant Pot Creamy Sausage Pasta

 I am trying to not overheat the house and feed a family of 6.  Did I mention our boys are now 15-20?  They can eat.  I wanted to use the Instant Pot and not have mushy pasta.  I took the procedure and inspiration from onehappyhousewife.com.  I do not keep jarred marinara on hand but I do have crushed tomatoes.

1 lb. hot Italian sausage links, casing removed

1 sweet onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced  

4 baby bell peppers, diced

2 tbsp. Italian herb blend

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup red wine

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

1 lb. short sturdy dry pasta (I had cavatappi, but penne was what onehappyhousewife used)

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup parmesan

On the sauté setting in the Instant Pot, cook the sausage, breaking it up into small pieces.  Add in the onion and bell peppers.  Season with salt and pepper  When the meat is no longer pink, add the garlic and Italian herbs and cook for 30 seconds or so.  Add the wine to deglaze the pan.  When the wine has reduced (by half) add the chicken broth and water.  Top with the dry pasta and then the crushed tomatoes.  Do not stir the pasta in, but try to make sure it is submerged by pressing it down if necessary.  Use manual pressure for 7 minutes.  After 7 minutes, allow to naturally release for 2 minutes and then quick release.  Stir in the cream and parmesan, adjust the seasoning, and serve with additional parmesan.

Hummus for Us

 Our house has been going through a lot of hummus in the last year.  It has become a great to go snack/lunch item.  Serve with veggies, crackers, pretzels...whatever you like.  The favorite around here is the thin pretzel crisps.  We've been tweaking recipes and combining what we like.  We have tried the Ultimate Hummus from Cook's Illustrated, Hummus for Real from Alton Brown, and the Best Smooth Hummus on Serious Eats.  Each has its own qualities that we like.  This is our combination of these recipes with a little help from the Instant Pot.

Hummus for Us

1 lb. dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 head garlic, peeled

water

zest and juice of one lemon

1/3 cup (generous measure) tahini

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

pinch of cayenne (optional)

dash of garlic (to taste)

Start by putting the chickpeas, baking soda, and peeled head of garlic in the instant pot.  Fill up to the 6 cup mark with water.  Let stand for several hours or over night.  Seal the instant pot and cook on the bean setting on high for 60 minutes.  Allow to release naturally.  Put the chickpeas and garlic in a food processer, reserving the cooking liquid.  Process to break up the chickpeas.  Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.  Add the cooking liquid and process to combine.  We find that the hummus gets really thick in the refrigerator, so we add all of the liquid.  If you prefer, add less.  Give it a try and see if you need a bit more salt or some garlic powder.  The flavor comes together as it sits in the fridge.  Enjoy!

Pork Stir Fry

Have you ever wondered what one might do with those super thin cut pork chops?  I found a really good use for them.  I came across a recipe for Pork Stir Fry with Green Onions over on Simply Recipes.  I came close to following the recipe, but threw in some broccoli and cauliflower that I had cut up in the fridge already.  Kodo declared it as good as the chicken, rice, ice cream, and jello our local Chinese restaurant.  But what does he know?  He's six.  He does know that he liked it though.  I wasn't sure how all those green onions would go, but it was really good.

Ingredients

• 1-1 1/2 lbs thin cut boneless pork loin chops, cut into long strips
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 4 Tbsp peanut oil or other high smoke point oil (canola, rice bran, or grape seed)
• 2 cups cauliflower and broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 8 scallions/green onions, sliced into half inch pieces
• splash of soy sauce (optional)

Method

Put the soy sauce, sugar, and corn starch into a large bowl and whisk to combine.  Add the pork strips to the bowl with the marinade and toss to coat completely. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
Heat the peanut oil in a wok or large sauté pan on high heat. When the oil is hot (shimmering but not smoking) add the cauliflower.  After about 2 minutes move the cauliflower to the outside of the pan and add the broccoli.  After another 2 minutes move the broccoli to the outside and add the garlic slices and stir-fry until they begin to turn brown at the edges, about 30 seconds. Add the pork strips and stir-fry until the pork changes color, about 90 seconds, stirring constantly.  Add the sliced green onions and continue to stir-fry for another minute, or until the green onions wilt.  Add about 1/4 cup water to deglaze the pan.  Add a splash of soy sauce if desired.
Serve with rice if desired.

Herbed Dinner Rolls

I've been using this recipe for many years now. I found it in Quick Cooking, oh how I miss Quick Cooking. Simple & Delicious is just not as good. It uses too many pre-packaged foods to speed up the process, but enough of my soap box. :) The recipe calls for herbs in the dough, but if you don't want them leave them out. I usually use all purpose flour instead of the bread flour the recipe calls for. And I use kosher salt on top. The buttery, saltiness of the top makes these oh so good.

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon each dried basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary, crushed
• 3-1/4 cups flour
• 2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• Additional butter, melted
• Coarse salt, optional

Directions

• In a bread machine pan, place the water, butter, egg, sugar, salt,
• seasonings, flour and yeast in order suggested by manufacturer.
• Select dough setting(check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to
• 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed).
• 
  
• When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.
• Divide dough into 16 portions; shape each into a ball. Place 2 in.
• apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place
• until doubled, about 30 minutes.
• 
  
• Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with
• butter and sprinkle with coarse salt if desired. Remove from pans to
• wire racks. Yield: 16 rolls.

Tacos & Beans

A few weeks ago I tried a recipe (from Cook's Country, I think) for tacos with refried beans.  It was kind of odd because you set the hard tacos on a bed of refried beans to bake.  With concern that the bottoms would get soggy, I tried it anyway.  The bottoms of the tacos were soggy, but the flavor was good.  So I figured it could be just as good baked in two dishes, one for the beans and one for the tacos.  That method worked much better.  For one can of tomatoes & chilies, I prefer to make 2 lbs ground beef although you only need one lb for this application.  I just put the rest in the freezer to pull out another day.

Tacos with Refried Beans

2 lbs. lean ground beef

1 onion, diced

2 cans tomatoes & chilies (Ro-tel tomatoes)

2 pkg. taco seasoning

1 can refried beans

2 cups shredded cheese (I used pre-shredded Fiesta blend)

12 hard taco shells

Preheat oven to 375.  While the oven heats, combine refried beans and 1 can Ro-tel tomatoes, drained slightly with liquid reserved for the meat.  Put bean mixture into a small casserole dish and top with cheese (I used probably 2/3 cup or so).

In a skillet, cook the ground beef with the diced onion until the meat is no longer pink.  Drain fat if necessary.  Add taco seasoning, the remaining can of tomatoes and reserved juice, and 1/2 cup water.  Cook uncovered until the sauce has thickened (10 min.)

Put the beans in the oven while stuffing the tacos.

When the sauce has thickened, stuff each taco shell with meat mixture and cheese.  Save remaining meet mixture for another use.  Put the tacos in another casserole dish and bake until the cheese has melted (10 min. or so).

We like to serve these with shredded lettuce, taco sauce, salsa, green onions, and sour cream.  Serve the beans as a side dish with tortilla chips or put some right on your taco.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Pie

So with the Oscars last weekend I saw a post for Minny's Chocolate Pie from The Help. (The original recipe appeared in the August 2011 Food & Wine issue.) I thought it looked like it could be really good, so I got around to making it today. I mostly followed the directions, but baked it like I usually do for a custard pie. I'm just not a fan of blind baking. I expected this to be a chocolatey custard pie. Wow was I surprised and delighted by the way this fudgy chocolate pie tasted, with a thin crisp layer on the top of the pie and gooey, yet fully set chocolate filling. And it did not really seem custardy either, I think to the appreciation of my guys. We served it with whipped cream and the remaining pieces' minutes are numbered.

I used my standard pie crust, although I have been tweaking that one too. Sorry Great-Grandma Genevieve. This was always a never-fail pie crust, but over the last several years it hasn't rolled as easily as I remembered (darn Crisco changing the formula). So a while ago I tried doing the crust with lard instead of shortening. It rolled like a dream the way I remembered it working when my mom made the crust when I was little. Over the last few years I have had to add extra flour because it was too sticky and it just didn't roll well. It was much more apt to tear. With lard all my troubles went away. The texture was flaky like we wanted. The only drawback was it tasted a bit oily. Today I only had about 1/3 lard for the recipe and used shortening for the rest. The crust worked better than with just shortening and the taste was much more to our liking. I think half and half would work well for taste and ease of use.

Minny’s Chocolate Pie
Ingredients:
9-inch pie crust, unbaked
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons sweet butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
Whipped cream, for serving

Directions
Preheat oven to 450°.
In a bowl, whisk sugar with cocoa powder, butter, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla and salt until smooth.
Pour filling into pie shell and bake for about 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350° and bake another 30 minutes or until filling is set around edges but a little jiggly in the center. Cover the crust with strips of foil halfway through baking, if desired.
Transfer pie to rack and let cool completely before cutting into wedges.
Serve with whipped cream.

Minny's Chocolate Pie can be refrigerated overnight.

Mini-Monsters (Cookies)

There's a recipe from Kraft for Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies. They remind me a lot of Monster Cookies. But I just don't want such a big cookie. So I tweaked this one a bit and used mini-M&M's and you get the big taste of Monster Cookies in a reasonably sized cookie.

Mini-Monsters

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats (quick or old-fashioned)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup mini-M&Ms
1 cup chocolate chips (mini or standard)

Cream sugars, butter, and brown sugar. In another bowl mix flour, oats, baking powder, soda, and salt. Add eggs to butter and sugar mixture one at a time. Gradually add dry ingredients. Mix in M&Ms and chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoons onto cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes, until just starting to brown around the edges. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Easy Chocolate Cake

This is a family favorite from my husband's family. He used to request this cake every year.

Easy Chocolate Cake


1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
3 tbsp. cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. cold water
1/2 c. liquid shortening (vegetable oil)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. vinegar

Mix all ingredients. Pour into small ungreased cake pan (double for 9 x 13 pan). (I think if I use an 11 x 7 pan it fits, but the frosting runs over.) Bake @ 325 for 25-30 minutes

Frosting

1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. butter
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. milk
2 tbsp. cocoa

Stir together. Bring to rolling boil. Cook 2 min. Remove from heat. Beat until spreadable. (I think doing this now I would add the vanilla after removing from heat. I seem to remember beating it with a wooden spoon and then pouring over the cake while it is still hot. A fair amount of frosting soaks into the cake.)

Honey Walnut Cookies

So I came across a recipe for Honey Walnut Cookies over on Baking Bites the other day. They looked really good so I just had to try them out. They are good with a rich honey flavor. The only complaint I may have is they have an oily taste to me. I'm thinking I would make them again with butter instead of with vegetable oil (I used canola oil so maybe that's my problem). I made a double batch so the boys didn't revolt when we ran out right away. I think they will be a hit. The real test will be from our niece who believes she doesn't like nuts, although I just keep feeding them to her anyway. I used a #60 portion scoop and got 43 cookies. Other than doubling the recipe, I followed the original directions. This is what I think I'll do next time:

Honey Walnut Cookies

2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts

Cream butter and brown sugar. Add honey and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix to combine. Stir in walnuts. Roll into 1 inch balls or use a portion scoop. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool on sheet for 2-3 minutes then remove to wire rack.

Shrimp Dip

Shrimp Dip

1 small pkg. salad shrimp (or use small shrimp lightly chopped)
2-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 bottle Heinz cocktail sauce
3 tbsp. Worchestershire sauce

Mix shrimp, onion, Worchestershire sauce, and 3 tbsp. cocktail sauce. Fold in cream cheese.

Layer bottom a glass dish with cocktail sauce (I use an 8"x8" Pyrex dish). Spoon in cream cheese mixture, spread out. Top with a small amount of cocktail sauce. Refrigerate 6 hrs. or overnight. Serve with crackers.

Spinach Dip

Spinach Dip

1 12 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip)
1 pkg. vegetable soup mix
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

Chop all ingredients finely and mix. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.

My sister-in-law likes to serves this inside a hollowed out round loaf of bread. Then serve with the chunks of bread and raw veggies.

Bean Dip

We hosted an open house yesterday and made lots of munchie food. After requests for some of the recipes I figured I ought to post them to share. Here's an old favorite.

Bean Dip

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 can green chilies (optional)
1 can refried beans
1 can Armour No Bean Chili (the Walmart store brand works, but we don't like Hormel)
1 lb. Velveeta
1 lb. Mexican Velveeta (I often just use a 2 lb. pkg. of Mexican Velveeta)

Brown the ground beef with the onion. Add green chilies if using. Mix in taco seasoning according to pkg. directions. (This can be done ahead.)

In a 3 qt. Crock Pot, mix together the taco meat, refried beans, and chili. Cook on high for an hour. Add Velveeta (if in a time crunch skip the hour of cooking and just add the cheese). Stir occasionally. Once the cheese has melted, turn down to low and serve with tortilla chips.

Chicken & Broccoli Pasta

Wow it's been a long time since I've posted. I know I've cooked, but nothing has been noteworthy. I'm surprised I've never posted this pasta dish before. I've kind of been perfecting the sauce though and my technique varies. Here's what I did the other night:

Chicken & Broccoli Pasta

1/2 lb. pasta (can use whole wheat), we prefer small shapes that hold the sauce

florets from 1 bunch broccoli (may use half cauliflower)

1 lb. chicken breast, cubed

Sauce:
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups milk
4 ozs. shredded parmesan
nutmeg

Put on water to cook the pasta, cook until nearly done.

Get chicken started in a skillet with some olive oil. Season with salt & pepper.

For the broccoli, there are options. Usually I throw the broccoli in for the last 4 minutes with the pasta. The other night I put it in the skillet with the chicken after the chicken had browned a bit but was still pink in the middle. The chicken and broccoli were all cooked through at nearly the same time. I added a bit of water to add a little steam to help the broccoli along at the end.

For the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan with the olive oil. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds, until you start smelling it. Add the flour and salt and pepper to taste. After about a minute stir in the milk. Cook until it starts to thicken. Add the cheese. At this point you can probably turn off the sauce and let the cheese melt, stirring once in a while. Add a little nutmeg at the end to round out the flavor.

Once everything is cooked, add the pasta to the skillet with the chicken and broccoli reserving some of the pasta liquid. Add the sauce to the skillet. Stir and let come together for a couple minutes. If it gets too thick, add some of the reserved pasta liquid.

Serve with a salad and you've got a meal. If there are leftovers, add some of the reserved pasta water to the dish when you put it away. The extra liquid with help keep it from getting too dry when reheating.

Upside Down Pizza (Skillet Pizza)

We tried this "pizza" a month or so ago. It was better once we realized that we should have served it flipped over (crust side down). It calls for using jarred pizza sauce, but I used half a batch of sauce found in Cook's Country.

Upside Down Pizza

12 ServingsPrep: 20 min. Bake: 25 min.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 jar (14 ounces) spaghetti sauce
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until the
meat is no longer pink; drain. Add spaghetti sauce. Cover and simmer
until heated through. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking
dish. Sprinkle with cheese.

In a blender, combine the milk, eggs, oil, flour and salt; cover and
process until smooth. Pour over cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 400°
for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 12 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 cup) equals 225 calories, 12 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 79 mg cholesterol, 373 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 15 g protein.

Pizza Sauce

2	tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3	garlic cloves , minced
1 1/2	teaspoons dried oregano
1/4	teaspoon red pepper flakes
2	tablespoons tomato paste
1	(28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2	tablespoons chopped fresh basil
	Salt

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Cook garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and cook until just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer until reduced to 3 cups, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and season with salt.

Hamburger Macaroni

I had found a recipe for Skillet Macaroni with Zesty Meat Sauce in an issue of Cook's Country. I tried it but substituted some pickled jalapenos instead of the jarred banana peppers (I didn't have banana peppers). I later learned that this is similar to one of my husband's family recipes for Hamburger Macaroni. The next time I made it I added a diced onion because I put onion in nearly everything. I also had to add a bit more water. If its looking fairly dry before the pasta is cooked, it gets gummy. Add a little extra water and the pasta cooks through and you avoid the gumminess.

Hamburger Macaroni

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
3 tbsp. dried basil
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
12 ounces elbow macaroni (I used whole wheat pasta and just used the full box-13.25 oz.)
1 1/2 cups shredded Italian cheese

Brown ground beef in a large skillet. When nearly browned, drain some of the grease if needed. Add onion, some salt and pepper. When onion is tender add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add basil.

Stir in tomatoes, water, and macaroni. Cover and cook, stirring often until macaroni begins to soften, about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until macaroni is al dente, about 7 more minutes.

Stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, cover and cook until cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Serve.

Quick Soft Breadsticks

I found this recipe over on Cookie Madness. My boys eat too many breadsticks and biscuits to buy the ones in the tube at the grocery. And really, these are far better. There isn't much work involved as they can be made with a mixer using a dough hook. I only kneaded by hand a few times. Then roll out and cut to bake. I only got 13 breadsticks, but I probably could have cut them a bit narrower. They rose more than I expected in the oven. I'd say these were a hit and will likely make them many times in the future. I just need to make sure I leave about 2 hrs. lead time to allow for the rise and bake times.

Quick Soft Breadsticks

3 cups bread flour or all purpose flour (13.8 oz)
1 packet fast rising yeast (instant yeast)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
optional — 2 tablespoons melted butter mixed with a clove of crushed garlic or garlic powder

Mix the flour, yeast, brown sugar and salt together in bowl of a stand mixer. Add the water and stir until almost blended, then add the oil and stir well. Using the dough hook (you can also do it by hand, of course), knead until smooth and elastic. With the dough hook, this is only takes a few minutes.

Rub a second bowl with olive oil. Turn dough into bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, set in a warm place and let rise for 30 minutes. Punch down dough. Roll out into a 10×12 inch rectangle. Cut into strips (I cut mine lengthwise for long bread sticks) about 3/4 inch wide. Twist the strips and place on a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Let rise for 20-30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. Brush with butter or garlic butter.

Butterscotch Brownies with Brown Sugar Butter Icing

I've been drooling over these for a week now. I found the recipe over on Culinary in the Desert. I made a half batch and baked them in an 11" x 7" pan. I probably should have used a 13" x 9" pan to stay true to the recipe. These puffed up much more than I expected, but the icing didn't all sink down into the center, so it worked well. I'll likely make these again another day.

Butterscotch Brownies With Brown Sugar Butter Icing

For the batter:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (1 cup or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups packed brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla

For the icing:

16 tablespoons (1 cup or 2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon vanilla

To prepare the batter:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing until well combined after each. Mix in vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

Pour mixture into a 13" x 18" half-sheet pan coated with nonstick spray, smoothing the top with an off-set spatula. Place pan into the oven and bake until the bars are set and slightly puffed, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

To prepare the icing:

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar and salt over medium heat. As soon as the mixture is lightly bubbling, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together confectioners' sugar, half-and-half and vanilla until smooth. Pour in the melted butter mixture and beat until combined. Immediately spread icing over brownies and allow to sit for 30 minutes before cutting into squares.

Makes about 30 brownies (though you could get away with cutting them smaller as they are fairly rich).