My Life: Cooking

Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts

Homemade Mac & Cheese

I'm not a huge fan of mac and cheese but this stuff is really good. I have made it many times and the last few times I have been tweaking it.

This is the basic recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups dried pasta

2½ cups milk

1 cup shredded cheese

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

Directions:

In a small saucepan, add pasta and milk. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, until pasta is soft, stirring frequently and ensuring milk does not boil. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Turn heat off, add cheese, salt and stir to combine. Stir in the mustard a little at a time to taste. Cover and let stand for about 5 minutes, then stir again and serve. If not creamy enough, add milk a little at a time, and gently stir. If you would like to bake it at this point, place in a baking dish and top with a generous sprinkling of cheese. Bake for approximately 10 minutes until cheese has melted.

NOTE: I never bake it in the oven and I also don't turn off the heat when adding the cheese, I just turn it down.

Tweak 1: I added 6 oz of cream cheese instead of 4. Good but almost too creamy.

Tweak 2: I have started doing a heaping tsp of mustard. I do the regular amounts of everything but I have added two oz of Velveeta cheese. It gave a little more of a cheesy flavor and added nice texture.

Shake 'N Bake Steak Fries

We decided we wanted to try a new twist on steak fries, so this time we cut up the potatoes and tossed it in Ranch & Herb Shake 'N Bake. We then baked it at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes or until tender. They were really good.

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

This is meat is delicious! We've made this with chicken and pork, I prefered the chicken but both were really good. The recipe came from Chocolate Therapy and is very simple. Dump the meat, 1 oz taco seasoning, and 16 oz salsa in the crockpot then give it a stir. We cooked it for 6 to 8 hours on low. After it was done it go shredded and put back in the crockpot and stirred up. It made leftovers that were just as good the second or third day as it was the first.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

I really like taco seasoning but it always seems to give me indigestion. I found this homemade taco seasoning on pinterest and decided to give it a try. Super easy to make and NO indigestion!

Ingredients

6 T. chili powder

9 tsp. ground cumin

6 tsp. fine sea salt

6 tsp. ground black pepper

3 tsp. smoked paprika

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp. onion powder

1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar

Directions

In a small bowl, stir all ingredients together until well-combined. Store in an air-tight container. Makes 5.2oz.

Kroger 10 Minute Skillet Meals

I got another BzzKit!! I really like receiving these kits, it open up new products for me to try. For those who don't know what BzzAgent is, you create an account and do a bunch of surveys. The results from the surveys are then used to pair you up with a Bzz Campaign, for some it takes a while to actually be paired up with a campaign.

For my campaign I received coupons for the Kroger 10 Minute Skillet Meal, a salad kit and a loaf of Kroger garlic bread. The skillet meal and the garlic bread are both located in the freezer section. There are many choices for the skillet meal, a lot had peppers in them, peppers fresh are fine but not so much frozen. With this being the case I chose the Chicken Florentine. You simply open the bag, dump it in a pan and cook it for 10 minutes. You don't have to add anything to it!

For the salad kit my Smith's had a few options and I chose the house salad with bacon. It comes with really crisp lettuce, ranch salad dressing, garlic croutons and bacon bits. I was afraid there wasn't going to be enough salad dressing but we found it to be the perfect amount.

The garlic bread I finally found at Fred Meyers, it is located in with the Texas Toast type breads. It was good but for us we wanted it to be more garlicky. It simply goes in the oven for 10 minutes.

All-in-all we were really impressed with this meal. The only drawback we found was the meal is 3.5 servings but costs $5.something almost $6 a bag it was a bit expensive for our taste but with the free coupon it was definitely fun to try something new.

All opinions written in this post are mine and I haven't been bribed to give a positive or negative feedback.

Crockpot Applesauce

I really like applesauce and I love to try new recipes; I saw this recipe for applesauce in the crockpot a few weeks ago on Thrift Decor Chick (TDC). We just picked the apples off our trees a few days ago and thought this was the perfect way to use some of them up.

I used 9 honey crisp apples; peeled, cored and sliced. They were then dumped into the crock-pot on top of the apples put the sugar and cinnamon. I used a 1/3 of a cup of sugar since TDC used a 1/2 cup but thought less would be better. As far as cinnamon goes I didn't measure I just dumped some in, I thought it was good but the rest of the family would like less cinnamon. It cooked on high for 4 hours. It was really good warm but we all preferred it after it had cooled in the fridge. I did take a potato masher to it to make it smaller pieces; I also added some more sugar.

This was a delicious way to use up some of our apples. Can't wait to try it again and mess around with the spices.

Chocolate Frostings

I absolutely love the chocolate cream cheese frosting that I use on my homemade brownies but a college roommate of mine gave me the recipe for her chocolate frosting and it is so delicious.

NOTE: The cream cheese frosting is a rich frosting but makes about twice as much as needed for a 9x13 pan of brownies. The other frosting is on the thin side when it came to applying it. I put the leftover in the fridge and ate it the next day, it has a mousse consistency.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

10 oz cream cheese, softened
6 Tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp cocoa powder

In a mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer on medium speed, whip together cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add in vanilla and powdered sugar, then sift in cocoa powder and mix until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute.

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Chocolate Frosting

¼ c melted butter
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup cocoa
1/3 cup milk
½ tsp vanilla
3 ½ cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp Karo

Combine butter, cocoa and salt; gradually add milk and vanilla. Stir in sugar in 3 parts; add Karo.

Scotts No Bake Cookies

These cookies are delicious and really easy. Plus a major bonus they are no bake!!!

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

½ cup milk

1 cube butter

4 Tbsp. cocoa

¾ cup peanut butter

3 cups quick oats

1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions:

In a large pan mix together the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa. Boil for 1 minute then add the peanut butter, quick oats and vanilla. Drop by spoonful onto cookie sheet; let set until hardened.

Tips:

- When adding the peanut butter, leave it on the heat; it melts quicker and smoother.

New York Cheesecake

This is a really great textured cheesecake. It is baked so it doesn't have a smooth light texture. I'm going to try making this again but not baking it which means not using any eggs.

what you need

6 HONEY MAID Honey Grahams, finely crushed (about 1 cup)

3Tbsp. sugar

3Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

5pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1cup sugar

3Tbsp. flour

1Tbsp. vanilla

1cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

4 eggs

1can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling (optional)

Directions

HEAT oven to 325°F.

Step 1: Mix graham crumbs, 3 Tbsp. sugar and butter; press onto bottom of 9X13 pan. Bake 10 min.

Step 2 MEANWHILE, beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low after each just until blended. Pour over crust.

Step 3 BAKE 40 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours. Use foil handles to lift cheesecake from pan before cutting to serve. Top with pie filling.

Next time I would go through step 2 but stop at the eggs, the flavor and consistency was delicious. I don't usually put any pie filling on top but it would probably be pretty good.

Cabinet Cleaner

The kitchen cabinets in our apartment are disgusting around the handle area. One cabinet was so greasy that it would try to stick shut, you literally had to pull it open to release the greasy mess holding it shut. One Good Thing by Jillee posted a gunk remover so I decided to give it a try. This remover took off the grease and now that cabinet opens without a hitch. Not only is it super easy to make, 1 part oil to 2 parts baking soda (I used a tablespoon to measure), but it really did work. I put it on with a toothbrush, and it was fun to watch it turn black!!

In the nasty picture you can see the shine of the oil and the right side of the right door handle was caked in grime. In the half done picture the right door is done and has a great smooth feeling. FINISHED no longer has a grease shine.

Collages

Collages can be really fun, but making them can be a pain. I found that with Pixlr (I love their stuff) you can create collages in a ton of different layouts.

To get started go to Pixlr's site, then choose express.

When it loads click collage

It will load with a basic layout. To choose a different layout click layout (1) then choose from the list (2).

To add a picture click the plus sign in the middle of the picture area (1), choose the picture (2) and click open.

To edit the picture click on the paintbrush. If you want to change the picture click on the double arrows right next to the paintbrush.

When adjusting the pictures there are tons of options and the only way to really find what is there is to try them all.

This collage is the same picture just using different effects (1). I like the effects under default (2) the best.

Have fun playing and experimenting with Pixlr express!!

Old Fashioned Ultra Chewy Brownies

My sister hates boxed brownies but she absolutely loves these ones.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup butter, melted
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla

6 Tbsp milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix together white sugar, light-brown sugar and melted butter until combine.

Stir in eggs and vanilla and mix until blended.

Add in half of the flour mixture and mix just until combine, add in milk and mix just until combine, then add remaining flour mixture and mix just until combine.

DANG I FORGOT A PICTURE OF THIS STEP!

Pour batter into a greased 9x13 baking dish and spread into an even layer.

Bake for 40-45 minutes then allow to cool completely. Frost with chocolate frosting and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container.

NOTE: I used 2 8 x 8's and the cooking time was still 40 minutes.

German Chocolate Cake Bars

I love German Chocolate Cake, these bars are an easy delicious way to eat German Chocolate!

Crust:

1 box devil's food cake mix (not the kind with pudding added)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg

Filling:

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat free and it was fine)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup shredded coconut (I used sweetened coconut)

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan (I used two 8 X 8 pans).

In a medium bowl, mix together the cake mix, butter and egg.

Press it into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 7 minutes and remove from the oven. The crust will not look done.

While the crust is baking, mix together the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, egg, pecans and coconut.

Pour evenly over the warm crust and sprinkle evenly with the chocolate chips.

Bake for 24-30 minutes, until the top is a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting into squares.

NOTE: I didn't use any nuts so I added an extra cup of coconut.

Magic Cookie Bars

These cookies are delicious!! I used to wait every year for Christmas time because I knew that I got these. This recipe is so easy and quick, NO MORE waiting!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 (14 oz.) can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chopped nuts

Instructions

HEAT oven to 350°F. Coat 8 X 8-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray. COMBINE graham cracker crumbs and butter in small bowl. Press into bottom of prepared pan.

Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture.

Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with fork.

BAKE 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Loosen from sides of pan while still warm; cool on wire rack. Cut into bars or diamonds.

Note:

· I did an extra 1 cup of Coconut instead of the chopped nuts.

· For perfectly cut cookie bars, line entire pan with foil, extending foil over edge of pan. Coat lightly with no-stick cooking spray. After bars have baked and cooled, lift up with edges of foil to remove from pan. Cut into bars.

Steak Fries

This is a great way to use up those extra baked potatoes. It can be done with raw potatoes and with any spice you choose. If you do raw potatoes cook them for around 40 minutes or until fork tender.

Cut the baked potatoes into sticks and rub with oil. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with any seasonings, I used chili powder, salt and pepper.