Stove Top Macaroni & Cheese

Ok Mom. Back away from the blue box. Your kids deserve better than manufactured cheese flavoring that's been dyed orange. Yes, box mac and cheese is easy and always a winner with kids, but we are doing them a disservice. Home made mac and cheese can be almost as easy and its so much better for them. This version is a lightened up version of most home made mac and cheese, and the best part? It's all done over the stove top! No dirty baking dishes to wash, no bread crumb crust to make. Just one pot and done until you've reached cheesy goodness for your kids, or in my case, for myself. 

Ingredients: 

8 ounces whole wheat pasta

6 ounces shredded sharp cheddar 

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup milk 

1 head of broccoli, chopped into bit sized pieces 

1 tsp dijon mustard

salt and pepper 

Directions: Boil your pasta for 8 minutes in salty water. As that boils, use a steamer to steam your brocoli as your noodles boil beneath it. In a small skillet, melt your butter. Whisk in your flour and whisk continuously until no lumps remain. Remove from heat and slowly add your milk, whisking constantly. Add back to heat and continue to whisk until it thickens. Add mustard to sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Add your cheese and stir until combined. Mix your cooked pasta, cheese sauce, and brocoli together, then serve. 

This seriously was super simple, and so much better for you than the genetically enginered and manufactured chemical laden boxed alternative. Take a few minutes and try this recipe. You won't be sorry. And your kids will love you for it. 

Mexican Skillet

I've been making this Mexican skillet for a few years now. This week when I made it and my husband commented that it is actually one of his favorites. Its just a filling stick to your ribs no fuss meal. Classic Mexican flavors that come together in a cinch, easy to feed a crowd with. 

Ingredients: 

1 lb lean ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1 packet taco seasoning

2 tsp olive oil

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 tsp butter

1 can black beans

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

1 avocado, sliced 

2 tsp chopped cilantro

Directions: Cook your rice with 1 tsp butter and a pinch of salt. While that cooks, in a large pan heat some oil, cook your onions until they begin to brown. Add your ground beef and crumble and cook until golden brown. Mix in your taco seasoning, and beans. In a large dish, layer your cooked rice on the bottom, meat mixture on the top, then cheese, tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro. 

Enjoy!

Braised Cinnamon Pork with Prunes

This is one of my mother in laws recipes. And if you know anything from reading this blog, you know that if it's one of Peggy's recipes, you are going to need to make. You are going to love it. You are going to make it for everyone that comes to your house because its so delicious. The reason my cooking will never be good enough is because my husband was raised on amazing melt in your mouth recipes such as this. But hey, if I get to inherit the recipes, then I'm not complaining. 

 

This is Peggy's Pork with Prunes. The meat is fall apart tender, sweet and juice, with a memorable sauce with such deep flavor you are going to want to drink it. 

Ingredients: 

1 Loin Pork Roast, pulled and tied (2.5 lbs)

Salt and Pepper

2 Tbs Vegetable Oil

1 Tbs Butter

2 Medium Onions finely chopped

1 Cinnamon stick 2 inches long

1.5 cups chicken stock (about 1 can)

1 cup dried pitted prunes

2 Tbs mild honey

2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

Directions: 

Heat butter in a heavy le creuset type dish

Cover your loin with oil

Season all sides with salt and pepper

Brown on all sides in pan until crust forms

Remove from pan

Add onions to pan and sauté (season onions with salt and pepper as well)

Return pork back to pan

Add water and cinnamon. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 90 minutes (turning meat from time to time)

Add prunes to liquid, cover, and continue to simmer for 30 minutes

Stir honey into liquid, basting pork as you go for about 5 minutes

Transfer meat to plate, remove prunes to a bowl

Cook sauce until thickened

Add lemon juice, add prunes back to sauce and season to taste

Arrange pork slices and spoon sauce over pork

This is seriously such an amazing meal. The flavors are unique and incredible. Enjoy!

Epcot Copy Cat Lentil Salad

We recently went to Disney's Epcot in Orlando Florida. There food there is always so on point. While visiting Epcot's Morocco, we ate at Restaurant Marrakesh. They have this TO DIE FOR lentil salad. In a park as huge as Epcot, with so many wonderful culinary choices, to say something was my favorite thing I ate all day really means something. This salad is super fresh, flavorful, and healthy! And it's also easy to make. 

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cup green lentils

1/4 red onion, finely diced

1 bell pepper, finely diced

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons mayonaise

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions: 

Place lentils in a pot of 4 cups of cold water. Turn on heat to high and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and rinse with cold water to stop the lentils from cooking. Mix the lentils with all of the other ingredients. Make sure you have diced everything very finely, because you will want your onion and pepper pieces to be the same size or smaller than 1 lentil. Refrigerate until cold. Adjust seasoning as needed. 

This salad is one for the books. You will love how low in fat, full of flavor, and delicious this recipe is. You might just be able to pretend you are somewhere exotic like Morocco, or at least Orlando. :) 

Qs Black Bean Salad

My husband has been making this black bean salad recipe for us for years. Its a perfect addition to any outdoor barbecue, picnic, or even just a fresh dinner at home. It has a great fresh crisp somewhat text mex flavor to it. There is no cooking involved, just a little washing and chopping. A recipe that doesn't involve actual cooking? Sign me up please. 

Ingredients: 

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed 

2 ears of fresh corn, removed from cob

1/4 cup bell pepper, diced to about 1/2 the size of one black bean

1/4 cup red onion, diced to 1/4 the size of one black bean

2 roma tomatoes, diced to about 1/2 the size of one black bean

1/4 cup pineapple tidbits, chopped in half

1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

3 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

juice from 1/2 of a lime

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tablespoon salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

Directions: 

Chop ingredients as directed above, mix together. Eat. 

So simple!

One thing I love about this recipe is that if you have some left over, if its left to sit overnight the flavors are even better the next day! So if you ever need a great make ahead dish, this is perfect. 

Our Favorite Potato Salad

I don't know about you, but I've never been a fan of traditional potato salad. The thick fattening mayo laden dressings, left to just sit out in the hot sun at picnics; this girl doesn't feel like getting food poisoning today. No thank you. That is why I absolutely LOVE this version of potato salad. Its amazingly flavorful and addicting, but its low in fat and there is no mayo in sight. Its loaded with delicious herbs too. Yes please. 

Ingredients: 

3 pounds small red potatoes

2 small garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons white wine

2 tablespoons chicken stock

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 cup olive oil

1 shallot, finely diced

2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Boil your potatoes in salted water for about 10 minutes until just tender. Remove from the heat and drain the potatoes and let them sit in the hot pot for another 10 minutes. When cooled, cut the potatoes into quarters or halves depending on their size, you want them to be just about bite size. Mix together the remaining ingredients and cover your potatoes with the dressing. Place the potatoes in the fridge for a couple of hours to let the flavors deepen, better yet even overnight if you have time. 

I always try to remember to double this recipe when I make it, because its a given I will want to have some prior to serving my family, and I will always want left overs of this too. Hope you enjoy it just as much as we do!

Enjoy! 

Italian Style Salmon in White Wine Garlic Sauce

We are big salmon lovers in our household. My full time student husband always jokes that eating salmon makes him feel like he's getting smarter just because of all the omega 3's he's consuming. Since he's always happy when fish is on the menu, I have to get creative with my salmon recipes so we don't get bored. This little dish is a super simple way to cook up salmon in a flash, but pack a HUGE punch of delicious flavor in every bite. I love easy flavorful dishes, so this one is always on repeat.

Ingredients:
2 salmon fillets
1/2 cup white wine
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons butter, sliced thinly
herbs de provence 
salt and pepper

Directions: Place your salmon in a small baking dish. Pour the white wine over the top of the fish. Then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and herbs de provence. Place your garlic slices and butter pats over the top. Cover baking dish with tinfoil. Bake at 450 degrees, 4-6 minutes per each 1/2 inch of thickness of the fillets.

This is such a delicious way to eat salmon that you may be tempted to throw out every other recipe in your repertoire.