Fontina Mac 'n' Cheese

Oh gosh, this was good. It was a different kind of MNC, so if you're looking for the really creamy or chunks of cheese variety, this is not it. This is heavy on flavor and texture, and I might try a different type of noodle next time to capitalize on that.

Fontina Mac and Cheese
courtesy Annie, my favorite doctor. More info at her site, please visit, she makes me hungry just looking at titles.

Ingredients:
1 lb. small or medium pasta shells
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz. Fontina cheese, shredded
Salt
Pinch of grated nutmeg
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
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.

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

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

Pour the mixture into a buttered 2-quart casserole dish. In a small bowl, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon 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.

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

Notes: I omitted the parm cheese and the nutmeg, primarily because I forgot about the nutmeg, and had no parm cheese. I mixed butter and panko, the end.
I also took half and put it in a freezer-safe dish so that we could have some for later, when I didn't feel like cooking. Which will probably be sometime this week, lol. Again, I will PIP then as I will be insanely excited about taking food pictures with my new camera lens, and hubs will be laughing at me while waiting for food.

Verdict:

Pasta from Roma

My sister recently spent some time overseas as part of a semester abroad program, and brought me back some pasta. I got a nice apron too, with all different kinds of pasta on it.

I told her I'd make the pasta and take pictures of it and put it online - and I believe she actually came over and had some of this particular dish.

So, a couple months late, here you go!

Finally, dinner

I'm going to try to attempt more meal planning, even though technically I'll only be making about two-three meals a week! But it will help with eating more healthfully.

Since this week's Ingredient Challenge is Parmesan cheese, I decided to make a risotto when doing my planning on Sunday night. Of course, when I tried to search, no one makes a plain risotto anymore (I could hear the internet scoffing at me), so I went back to the basics - Pioneer Woman's Risotto. You can visit her for the recipe, since it's pretty simple, and I made a few adjustments - I used olive oil, garlic, shallots, a cup of arborio rice, a half cup white wine (the bottle was open and sitting right in front of me), chicken broth, a bit of 1% milk, and of course, my giant hunk of Parmesan cheese.



For the main course, hubs had requested pork chops since we had pork loin chops in the freezer, and we're trying to use what we have before buying more. I have been wanting to break in my new boobs Giada book for some time now, and this was the perfect chance. Whenever I get a new, relatively small book, I go through and post-it mark the recipes I want to make. Unfortunately, I didn't have any of the pork chop ones marked in this book! But I have to start branching out, so I picked one anyway: Pork Chops with Fennel and Caper Sauce.

Pork Chops with Fennel and Caper Sauce

Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil
4 boneless (2-inch-thick) pork chops (about 2 pounds total)
¾ teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning meat
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning meat
2 fennel bulbs with fronds, thinly sliced (about 8 ounces or 2 cups)
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus 1/3 cup
½ cup white wine
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their juices
½ lemon, zested
2 tablespoons capers

changes: I used one fennel bulb, and completely forgot about the fronds; also omitted the parsley since it didn't look great at the store this week.

Directions:
In a large, heavy skillet heat the olive oil over high heat. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Add the pork to the pan and brown on both sides, about 4 minutes each side. Remove the pork from the pan, cover loosely with foil, and set aside.
Add the fennel, shallots, and 1/3 cup parsley to the pan and cook over medium heat until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and stir. Add the pork back into the pan, nestling the chops between the fennel and tomatoes so they are mostly submerged in the pan juices. Cook until the fennel is tender and the pork is done, about 12 to 15 minutes.
Place the pork on a serving dish. To finish the sauce, add the lemon zest, remaining 1/3 cup parsley, capers, and 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Spoon over the pork chops and serve immediately.


This was fantastic!! I'm so glad I branched out. I even ate some of the sauce - those in my family know I'm not a huge fan of anything resembling an onion or of cooked tomatoes, but these ones were so flavorful. It almost reminded me of a chicken cacciatore sauce, which I'm now also wanting to make.

The risotto was great too, I halved the recipe but used a little more than a cup of my Parmesan (not the cat's meow to grate, FYI) so it was very cheesy.



Sorry for the awful picture, hubs was ready to eat and making fun of me (he even got my brother involved in the mockery) and I didn't have time to find good lighting so was forced to use the flash:


Verdict:

Pasta with Peas and Proscuitto

I saw some shelling peas this weekend at the local street farm market and had never worked with fresh peas before, so wanted to try something with them. I immediately thoguht of a pasta dish with a cream sauce that I had seen...somewhere...

Since I couldn't remember, I just went online and searched. One dish that caught my eye was Pasta with Peas and Proscuitto on the Martha Stewart site. It looked good and had everything I wanted, I just had to find some pasta to go with it. I have about 10 boxes/bags of pasta in the house, but none of them were fettuccine, so the pasta original to the recipe was out. I decided on the penne I had gotten from BJ's, which was a gigantic pack of farfalle and I think mezzo penne? I know it's smaller penne. It's pasta, works for me.




I started shelling the peas, and after a while found the quickest way to do it: pop the end of the pea open by squeezing it, run your thumb down the side to open, and run your finger down the inside of the pod to pop the peas out. Works for me, at least.



Mmm, fresh peas.




Pasta with Peas and Proscuitto
Martha Stewart ~ Everyday Food

Ingredients
Serves 4
Coarse salt and ground pepper
12 ounces fettuccine
1 tablespoon butter
1 shallot, finely chopped (1/4 cup) I omitted this, didn't have them at the farm market and didn't want to run to the store
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed
8 slices prosciutto (about 4 ounces total), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise, about 1 cup (a note in this recipe says it's easier to slice when chilled & rolled)
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
Directions
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.
Meanwhile, make sauce: In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat; add shallot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add cream, peas, and prosciutto; bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Simmer until peas are heated through, 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir in lemon zest and juice. Pour sauce over pasta; add Parmesan, and season generously with salt and pepper. Add enough reserved pasta water to thin sauce as desired. Serve immediately; top with additional Parmesan, if desired.



This was fantastic. And so easy, it's almost a 30-minute meal. The Hubs loved it, but was half-asleep so I didn't get a whole lot of feedback other than "mmm" and an empty bowl in about five seconds.

Verdict:

Chicken Marsala

I've been wanting to make this for a long time now, and have honestly been scared. I didn't think I'd ever have it as good as I've had in a restaurant, mostly because I am not a fan of mushrooms and didn't want to buy them when I'd just pick them out anyway.

**for proof that I am not a fan, and that I did in fact try mushrooms and make odd noises and cringe and almost spit them out, please talk to A. (the stuffing in them was really good though!)**

I asked The Girls about it (from the WC Nest board of course) and some had done this before, so I decided to Go For It. My little brother got me a Martha DVD with the chicken marsala episode some time ago, and I though I didn't watch it while making this or even the day before, I did use her recipe.

Making the chicken...one done, one in process.


Saucy Times.


It was such an easy way to make a good chicken dinner, lemme tell you. Chicken + seasonings + flour? Fry it in a big pan? Good Stuff. I used my new Paula Deen gigantic frying pan for this one. I originally asked for it for Cmas because the Hubs didn't like making things (grilled cheese) in my non-Teflon ss pans. But as he's been busting his butt in school/work, I got to it first - AFTER soaking it in a solution of water & baking soda to dissolve the protective layer. I made it with half a box of penne, and poured some of the sauce over that too.

The only thing different from the restaurants was that the sauce was not thick at all - more like a broth really. I'm attributing this to the lack of mushrooms. I'm sure I could just thicken it with flour, but I wasn't sure what that would do to the taste. As it was, it tasted spectacular. The sauce was a wonderful addition to the pasta as well, giving the plain pasta a little flavor.

Verdict:

My First Risotto

At the Orchard/Farmer's Market near work, I saw that they had asparagus for sale - homegrown. Since I'd never had asparagus before, I figured why not. The Hubs likes it, maybe I would too.

I found a couple different recipes for spring risotto and asparagus risotto from the WC, which all included blending some of the asparagus into the risotto. I didn't really want that, just wanted a plain risotto recipe with a little spring veg involved. I came across this recipe, and it looked like a keeper. The rest of the site looks cute too!

When it came time to prep, I couldn't find shallots at the orchard, so I had to go with regular onion, to the detriment of the dish I think. Also, my garlic was shot (STUPID GIANT! what is up with all of your garlic turning green and sprouting?!?!) so I had to use *gasp* garlic powder. I know, horrendous.

I thought it would be much more complicated than it was, but I will offer up the things I learned:
- do your prep first. follow the recipe. one minute before you have to add the asparagus is not the time to be cutting the asparagus.
- the liquid absorbed much faster than I thought it would, so keep an eye on that.
- wine makes everything better.

Here is the risotto in my lovely dutch oven:


Here is a closeup of the creamy goodness:


Verdict: two thumbs up for the idea...next time will be better. nothing wrong with the recipe though!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Or, I Should Have Made This On Friday. 'cause, it's fish and all.

Again with the BCC. I love that darn crocker. In fact... I should make it a label over yonder →, hmm...

Tuna-Pasta Casserole
from the Betty Crocker Cookbook
prep: 20 min bake: 30 min; 6 servings

Crumb Topping (or 2/3 c crushed potato chips; I used panko and 1 tb butter)
2/3 c crushed cereal or dry bread crumbs
1 tb butter or stick margarine, melted
Directions: Mix. Natch.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 c uncooked medium pasta shells or elbow macaroni (about 5 ounces) (I used whole-wheat egg noodles)
2 tb butter or stick margarine
2 tb all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 c milk
1 c shredded sharp process American or Cheddar cheese (4 ounces) (I used some leftover mozzarella and Cabot Vermont sharp cheddar, mmm)
2 c cooked broccoli flowerets (yes, that's seriously how it's spelled in the book) or 1 c frozen (thawed) green peas
2 cans (6 ounces each) tuna in water, drained

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350. Make Crumb Topping; set aside.
2. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
3. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in 1 1/2-quart saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Gradually stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in cheese until melted.
4. Mix pasta, broccoli, tuna and sauce in ungreased 2-quart casserole. Cover and bake about 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with topping (I totally did this before I baked it, oops). Bake uncovered about 5 minutes or until topping is toasted.

Nutrition Info:
1 serving: 360cal, 14g fat, 35mg chol, 600mg sodium, 33g carbs, 29g protein, Vit A 28%, Vit C 18%, Calcium 24%, Iron 24%.



The Hubs doesn't like this too much, he'll eat it, but it's one of those things he ate a lot as a child so he's not thrilled about it like I am. Yes, I am. Anything with "casserole" in the name is good for me.

Verdict:

Panko-Encrusted Tilapia and Mac 'n' Cheese

I decided to go with the whole "fish on fridays" vibe that's going on during Lent in order to eat more fish. Thanks to my new bff, Google Reader, I marked Lovestoeat's blog with the tilapia recipe in it from Martha. It was great, the hubs loved it as well. He was not, however, a fan of the mac 'n' cheese, which was a RR recipe I printed out a loooong time ago. I got a common brand of cheese and got sharp instead of extra-sharp cheddar, so next time I know to get the more flavorful (read: expensive) cheese.

Panko Encrusted Tilapia ~ found here on Lovestoeat's blog



Mac 'n' Cheese - from Rachel Ray via Food Network

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil, 1 turn of the pan in a slow stream
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups whole or 2 percent milk
3 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, a couple pinches
Salt
1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked 8 minutes or to al dente, with a little bite to it (I used mini fusili)
Directions
Heat a medium, deep skillet over medium heat. Add oil and butter. When butter melts into the oil, add flour and combine. Gently cook, whisking flour and butter together, until smooth and flour has had a chance to cook, about 3 minutes. Slowly add milk while continuing to whisk. Gently bring milk to a bubble while stirring frequently. Allow the milk to thicken a bit, then stir in 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese a handful at a time. Season sauce with nutmeg and cayenne. Taste and add a little salt, if you like. Add cooked pasta to sauce and coat completely by turning over and over in the cheese sauce. Transfer to a baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Place baking dish under a hot broiler and brown the cheddar cheese on top.




Verdict:
tilapia,

mac,

Faux Hamburger Helper

This recipe is from Eating Well by way of the Food Network, I'm not sure how I got my hands on it but I decided to make some for my friend who is...busy. Since I had off on Monday, I told her I'd bring lunch.

Hamburger Buddy
EatingWell.com by way of Food Network

Very finely chopping onion, mushrooms and carrots in the food processor is not only fast—it makes the vegetables hard to detect for picky eaters. They also form the base for the sauce of this ground beef skillet supper. Make it a meal: Serve with a green salad.

Makes 6 servings, about 1 1/3 cups each

ACTIVE TIME: 40 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes
EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

3 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
2 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces (I used 3 carrots)
10 ounces white mushrooms, large ones cut in half (I used 3 lg)
1 large onion, cut into 2-inch pieces (I used half, can you tell I am a fan of some veggies and not others?)
1 pound 90%-lean ground beef
2 teaspoons dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups water
1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium beef broth, divided
8 ounces whole-wheat elbow noodles (2 cups) (I used Chiocciole in keeping with my pasta quest)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or chives for garnish

1. Fit a food processor with the steel blade attachment. With the motor running, drop garlic through the feed tube and process until minced, then add carrots and mushrooms and process until finely chopped. Turn it off, add onion, and pulse until roughly chopped.
2. Cook beef in a large straight-sided skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped vegetables, thyme, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften and the mushrooms release their juices, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Stir in water, 1 1/2 cups broth, noodles and Worcestershire sauce; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Whisk flour with the remaining 1/4 cup broth in a small bowl until smooth; stir into the hamburger mixture. Stir in the sour cream. Simmer, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley (or chives), if desired.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 326 calories; 10 g fat (4 g sat, 3 g mono); 54 mg cholesterol; 38 g carbohydrate; 23 g protein; 4 g fiber; 431 mg sodium; 644 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (70% daily value), Zinc (33% dv), Iron (20% dv), Potassium (18% dv).
2 1/2 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 2 medium-fat meats

Verdict:

3 Teapots because it was good, but I didn't have enough time to make it good! (I added too much thyme, didn't let it cook as long as I should have for the type of pasta I used)