The Pioneer Woman

So about a year ago I found The Pioneer Woman's food blog. I have tried a few of her recipes and most of them are pretty amazing. I even bought her recipe book at Costco. I thought I would post my top fave's so far here:

White Chicken Enchiladas(my change: use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Way better for you and you don't taste the difference, I PROMISE!)

To go with the enchiladas you will want...
Mexican Rice (my change: use a rice cooker if you are like me and have never been able to make decent rice on the stove top.)

Meatloaf(so easy and sooooo delicious!)

Pie or Quiche Crust

There you have it.

You are welcome. ;)

Gouda Mac N Cheese

A spin on the Barefoot Contessa classic. Mac and Cheese is a staple in my home-- but we don't use the blue box around here. Thats like saying a bad word. (And it really is easy to make-- it just seems like a long recipe, but really its just because I am long winded...)


I like to make my mac n cheese from scratch-- so much better and soooo worth it! Originally I started experimenting with it when I tried Ina Garten's gruyere and cheddar macaroni and cheese, but now I toss in different cheese and try out texture changes with different noodles. Its really fun to come up with concoctions that really seem to work. I just finished making a gouda and white sharp cheddar mac and cheese and I have never been more pleased with the outcome. The great thing is that most of this stuff you always have around the house, with the exception of the gouda. Bear with me as I usually do everything to taste (measuring just means more dishes)! Also, this recipe is how much I make for just Adam and I and maybe one guest, double it for a bigger crowd.

A few tablespoons of flour (maybe 2 or 3 )
A few tablespoons of butter (equal to the amount of flour plus another 1 or 2 for breadcrumbs)
about 1 c. hot milk
1 c. white sharp cheddar (thats a really rough guess-- just keep adding until it tastes amazing-- same with the gouda)
1/2 c. to 1 c. gouda (and if you aren't a gouda person, try something else like gruyere or just double the cheddar)
a few cups of noodles (often I do macaroni, but if we have guests I use cavatappi because its so pretty, but sometimes hard to find at the store-- but use what you like! Penne, rotini, whatever)
about 1 c. bread crumbs (can use panko or make your own in the food processor from white bread)
2 roma tomatoes (optional)
salt

Throw the noodles in a pot of boiling water and cook according to directions on box. While noodles are cooking I work on the cheese sauce:

I start by making a roux and which I turn into a bechamel. This sounds really exciting because its fun french cooking terms, but its pretty basic-- mix one part fat with one part thickening agent over heat= a roux, and once you add the hot milk its a bechamel sauce. I like to use a couple tablespoons of butter and a couple tablespoons of flour. Cook over heat for about a minute. You want them to mix together and still be a little loose-- if they clump together add a little more butter, if it's super runny add a little more flour. After the minute, add the hot milk. Keep stirring over heat until you see the very cool transformation of runny milk to a beautiful rich and creamy milk substance. At this point you can remove from the heat and throw in the grated cheeses. Mix them well-- the hot milky sauce should melt the cheese pretty easily. Salt to taste.

Drain noodles and immediately add them to the cheese sauce. For my lunch-- I usually just stop here and toss a couple sliced tomatoes on top and call it a day (I like mine gooey and cheesy but baking it, which Adam prefers, will firm that up a little). For guests, I put it in a baking dish. If I have tomato eaters, I slice a roma tomato really really thin and do a single layer of that over the top with a tiny bit more salt to bring out the flavor of the tomatoes--if not I skip it. I mix bread crumbs with enough melted butter to moisten them (1 or 2 tblspns) and then evenly distribute over the macaroni and tomatoes. I bake it on 400 for about 20 minutes or until the breadcrumbs get all golden and crunchy.

Make sure you eat it hot otherwise the breadcrumbs will turn from an awesome crunch to a soggy mess. This dish is a crowd pleaser for sure and I am loving the discovery of the gouda addition. You will never be sad about making this deliciousness.

Enjoy!

Couples Sleepover

We had a hilarious weekend full of fun, friends, and food! We had 8 friends sleep over on Friday night (a full house was a welcome change!). I loved every minute of it as we cooked up a storm and had massive amounts of girl talk as the boys had many battles of strength and stealth. A big request by the end of the weekend was the recipe for a pasta dish I made the night everyone arrived-- So easy and a yummy summer dish!

It takes about 20 minutes and is a big crowd pleaser...

Lemon Fusilli
(Courtesy of Barefoot Contessa, of course)

• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 lemons (I didn't use that much lemon because Adam doesn't love it)
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch broccoli (I didn't add this)
  
• 1 pound dried fusilli pasta
• 1/2 pound baby arugula
  
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook for 60 seconds. Add the cream, the zest from 2 lemons, the juice of 2 lemons, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until it starts to thicken (but don't wait for it to get thick, that won't happen). While its thickening cook the pasta (details below)...

Meanwhile, cut the broccoli in florets and discard the stem. Cook the florets in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain the broccoli and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside. **I omitted the broccoli-- I don't think it needed it**

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the package, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta in a colander and place it back into the pot. Immediately add the cream mixture and cook it over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until most of the sauce has been absorbed in the pasta. Pour the hot pasta into a large bowl, add the arugula (the arugula will wilt from the heat), Parmesan, tomatoes, and cooked broccoli (if used). Cut the last lemon in half lengthwise, slice it 1/4-inch thick crosswise, and add it to the pasta. Toss well, season to taste, and serve hot (I didn't add the lemon slices either).

Side note: I doubled the recipe and that was more than enough for a house full of 10 people and the leftovers were still yummy the next day! Perfect to drop at someone's house as a meal-- just add a little cooked salmon, shrimp, or chicken!

Enjoy!

Heather’s Yummy Rolls

If you haven't tried my garlic rolls, you are missing out. The topping is optional for those of you who are more into putting butter and honey on your rolls. Or you can do what I do and make some with the topping, and some without.

Heather’s Yummy Rolls

Dough Ingredients:
5 1/4 cups white unbleached bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 Tablespoon salt
1 1/2 rounded Tablespoon instant yeast (rapid rise)
1 1/2 Tablespoon liquid lecithin (you can find it at any health food store or sub w vegetable oil)
2 cups hot water

Garlic Topping Ingredients:
1/2 c. Butter (1 stick) Softened
1/2 c. Parmesan Cheese

1/2 c. Mayonnaise (do NOT sub with low-fat, non-fat or Miracle Whip; they are sick)
Minced Garlic, added to preference
Dried Parsley Flakes
(note: I never said this was a healthy topping)

Directions:
Preheat over to 350'
Mix dry ingredients.
Add lecithin(or oil) and water.
Mix for 1 minute, check consistency.

If dough is too dry, add more water. 

If dough is too moist, add more flour.
Mix in mixer with kneading hook for five minutes, or knead by hand for ten minutes, most of the time I do a bit of both.
Roll dough into balls about half the size you want your rolls to be.

Allow dough to rise for 20 minutes.

While dough is rising, mix all topping ingredients together, less parsley flakes, in a small mixing bowl.
When dough is finished rising, scoop garlic mixture onto dough, sprinkle with parsley flakes (for aesthetics).
Bake at 350' for 10-12 minutes on the center rack of the oven; check the bottom to make sure it is a golden color.

Enjoy!