Chili Mac
With a 16th birthday and house remodeling taking up most of my time I have been absent from the blog for too long. Though luckily during all the remodeling I have been working on smaller projects too like DIY photography boards for my food photography. Plus, a list of recipes, including chili mac, that would look delicious here on the blog. It also helps if the family likes them.
Five people in one house can make it difficult to choose a recipe that everyone will try or enjoys. My oldest son does not like cheese. There is a few dishes that he will eat “certain” cheeses with like mozzarella. On the other hand, my daughter eats cheese but is not the biggest fan. My middle son, myself, and the other half all enjoy plenty of different cheeses. This is just a tiny dilemma since many dishes have cheese but it is super easy to remove it. Below is one dish I have found that the entire family will eat that does not come straight from mixing boxed food with canned food.
Mmm… Good comfort food. Chili Mac!
Hearty meat, fresh spices, and comfort pasta make this dish so appeasing not only to adults but children too. Top it with cheese and onions for even more flavor. My son likes to add sour cream but I like mine with cheese and red onion. For extra heat the other half adds cayenne pepper over his after it is served.
Back to the DIY photography boards. Tell me these boards are not just super pretty? I just love playing with colors and leaving some natural. I am thinking about a post on how to make DIY photography boards with cheap acrylic paint, Elmer’s glue, and plywood. Just curious if any of my readers would be interesting in reading a detailed post about this?
Here’s the recipe for Chili Mac :)
Ingredients
Instructions
In a medium pot, fill with water and add in salt with olive oil. Bring to a boil and add pasta. Cook pasta according to directions on the box. Drain and set aside.
In a large pot, add ground beef, white onion, and red peppers along with beef broth. Cook until meat is browned. Add in cumin, paprika, chili powder, and cayenne pepper; stir well. Add in crushed tomatoes and turn down the heat to low. Bring the sauce to a slow, low boil and add in pasta. Do not let sauce burn, watch it closely! Stir in pasta lightly until covered with sauce and cook for about a minute allowing the sauce to soak into pasta.
Serve topped with cheese, sour cream, and/or red onions.
http://mooshujenne.com/chili-mac/
Roasted Tomato Rotini – Food Bloggers Against Hunger
Today, I am happy to be a part of Food Bloggers Against Hunger and share with you a simple less then $4 recipe for roasted tomato rotini. Before I pass you on to the recipe I would like to share a story with you below.
Here is a bit more on Food Bloggers Against Hunger:
Food Bloggers Against Hunger was created by Nicole from The Giving Table in response to the new documentary, A Place at the Table. Today, April 8, 2013, food bloggers will donate their posts to raise awareness about the film, issues of hunger, and ask their readers to send letters to Congress to protect SNAP funding and make anti-hunger legislation a priority.
A Place at the Table premiered on March 1st, 2013. This documentary from Participant Media—the same studio that brought you Food Inc.—follows three families struggling with food insecurity, and sheds light on the very real problem of hunger in America.
Please refresh is video doesn’t pop up 
Food Bloggers Against Hunger – April 8, 2013 from Nicole Gulotta on Vimeo.
My first child was born when I was 16, two weeks away from my 17th birthday. He was my perfect birthday gift. With plenty of help from my grandmother, I moved on to get my GED and got a decent job alternating schedules with my grandmother; so my son would never have to go to a daycare. I was a single mom.
Then a few months after giving birth to my son I met Mike. This brilliant full of life individual that I fell passionately in love with at first sight. Another few months pass and with great surprise I find out I am expecting my second child. Mike was immediately excited and got a job at a local ice cream joint. After the baby was born I went to work as a photographer. We eventually got our own apartment. We had two incomes but we still didn’t have enough to afford to pay for the food. We decided to go out and look for help, something that most people fear. We got SNAP which then was called Lone Star and we received WIC. Both programs helped with baby food and formula but still did not cover all food costs for the four of us.
At least we both had creative imaginations and a love for food. We shopped sparingly by buying in bulk such as: rice, pasta, and flour. We bought cheap packages of meat at the meat market, in which, we broke down in to small amounts to last the entire month. Ramen was a necessity in our home. The cheapest pasta you could buy and add a tad of chicken and small handful of spring onions creating a delicious dinner to us. We eventually made enough money to support ourselves.
In 2000, he passed away while I was pregnant with our daughter. I once again needed help with food. Only this time I learned how to make food stretch. That scrapes made great stocks and lemons, grapefruits, and orange peels were easy to make candy out of for the kids. Luckily, three years later I would meet another man, my V, that would step in to help me with the kids and to follow my dreams. The kids are all now beautiful teenagers and the middle one works in a restaurant. Not everyone can be this lucky. More then 50 million people are food insecure (no means to have a constant nutritious meal).
To this day I still make some of the recipes we created to save on food costs. Continuously buying bulk foods to stock in the pantry never knowing when we could end up with out money for food. Always playing it safe I bought a deep freeze and I over stock it just like my pantry. These are not bad practices to always make sure if you lose a job or become short on money that you will still have food to last; even in a natural disaster or power outage the food that is needed will be there.
So, how can YOU (and all of us) help?
- Find a screening of A Place at the Table in your city.
- Watch A Place at the Table on iTunes or Amazon.
- Tell Congress to change their priorities and fund Federal nutrition programs that are crucial for hungry children. (sign the petition in the previous link)
To follow along you can use hash tag #takeyourplace or join us on FB at The Giving Table’s fan page. To have a look at the delicious low cost recipes you can check out the pinterest board here.
My recipe that will feed 5 people for under $4 total.
Ingredients
Instructions
Fill large pot half full with water. Bring to a boil and add in pasta. Cook for 9 minutes or until pasta is talking to you. Drain most of the water reserving a small amount. Open tomato cans and pour over pasta. Do not drain juice from can as this adds flavor to the pasta.
There is no needs to heat the tomatoes as the hot pasta will warm them for you. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with parmesan if desired.
Side note: Have friends collect anything condiments they get when they go out to eat and do the same yourself. Most of the time this gets thrown away and it is perfectly good to store and use. I keep a ziplock bag of extras we get in case we ever run out of something.
http://mooshujenne.com/roasted-tomato-rotini/Slam Dunked Onion – LG Do March Right
With March Madness in full swing it is time to get your game day recipes on! LG Do March Right is asking all of us to share our game day recipes for a chance to win a trip to Atlanta for two to the playoff games. You can enter to win on their Facebook page above. One of the game day recipes I make at home is my Slam Dunked Onion! Of course I shared it on the LG Do March Right Facebook page and your more then welcome to look for it in the recipes album and like away!
March Madness in my house generally consists of my son, Chancelor, watching the Boston Celtics as much as possible paired with quick fried recipes. Probably should implement some healthy recipes but it is our excuse to eat fried food 
This recipe is a knock off of the famous fried onion recipes that grace many steak restaurants in our area. Generally, this is the appetizer before you have steak. Slam Dunked Onion is makes enough to go around for five people. We usually have a guest or two over and still have plenty. It’s my opener and then I serve up some brisket tacos with all the toppings.
What recipe would you submit as your #LGDoMarchRight game day recipe? Do you plan to enter to win the trip for two to the final four? Let me know what recipe you submitted in the comments so I can hop on over and have a look!
So far a few of the recipes look absolutely amazing! Monte Cristo Poppers, Muffuletta Bites, Dill Pickle Dip, and Jambalaya Stuffed Mushrooms. I will be watching along for these nifty ideas for #LGDoMarchRight March Madness game day recipes.
Here is the recipe for my Slam Dunked Onion. If you would like you can follow along on Twitter at #LGDoMarchRight. Here is my video on how to hand cut the onion to make it into the blossom.
Ingredients
Instructions
In a medium pot add vegetable oil and heat to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl, add flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Whisk ingredients until will incorporated.
Slice onion on four sides slightly away from the top. Cut again between those slicing and repeat until you have petal shapes. Starting at the outer layer pull the petals down easily working your way to the center.
In a medium bowl, add buttermilk and onion bottom side down. Wet onion and then add to flour mixture. Toss flour mixture over the top of the onion with a graded spoon. Shake off onion and add to back to buttermilk upside down. Wet onion with buttermilk well and toss again with flour mixture. Shake off excess.
Add onion to the hot oil with petals facing downward. Fry for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Remove onion with spider and turn over with petals facing up and fry for 2 more minutes. Remove to paper towels or wax paper to drain. Serve promptly with ranch or sauce of choice.
http://mooshujenne.com/slam-dunked-onion-lg-do-march-right/
This game-time recipe has been submitted for LG’s Do March Right Tip-Off Challenge.
Buttermilk Fried Pickles #SundaySupper
Buttermilk fried pickles is a recipe I make every Superbowl to start off the feast. The first few years I made these I used beer batter, regular flour, and a tons of spices. The spices have stayed but the beer and the flour changed after trying various recipes through out the years.
The first and foremost important tip to remember is to get Vlasic as these pickles are crisp. You MUST have a crisp pickle to make them or they will fall apart when frying. The flavor or spice of the pickle is up to you. I have fried up dill pickles but this year I am putting a twist on the traditional favorite by using bread and butter pickles. Along with that change I used cake flour and buttermilk to bread the pickles. The cake flour is light and airy. It creates the perfect batter and the buttermilk helps the flour to attach in flaky layers. Paprika and cayenne pepper are a must for seasoning!
Ingredients
Instructions
Open pickles and drain off the juice into the sink. Place pickles in a large bowl. Pour buttermilk over pickles and let rest for about 2 minutes.
In a skillet or deep saute pan, add oil and heat to a medium heat for frying.
In medium sized bowl, add cake flour and spices; whisk until spices are integrated. Toss a few pickles in flour batter at a time. Add pickles to frying pan and fry for about 30 seconds to a 1 minute on each side. They will cook fast! If the batter starts to brown fast then turn down the heat a little. Drain pickles on a paper towel. Serve with ranch dressing or ranch dipping sauce.
http://mooshujenne.com/buttermilk-fried-pickles/
#SundaySupper Super Bowl Appetizers & Snacks:
- All American Ranch Cheese Ball from The Weekend Gourmet
- Arancinis from My Cute Bride
- Bacon Double Cheese Burger Dip from In the Kitchen with KP
- Bacon Jalapeño Fritters w/ Chipotle Ketchup from La Cocina de Leslie
- Bacon Kettle Corn from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
- Baked Crab Cakes from The Meltaways
- Buffalo Chicken filled Pull-Apart Loaf from Small Wallet Big Appetite
- Buffalo Chicken Pizza On A Stick from Neighborfood
- Buffalo Tofu Bites from Soni’s Food
- Buttermilk Fried Pickles from Mooshu Jenne
- Cheddar Cheese and Onion Ciabatta from Family Foodie
- Cheeseburger Bites from Momma’s Meals
- Cheesy, Beefy Nachos from Gotta Get Baked
- Cheesy Jalapeno Popper Dip from Daily Dish Recipes
- Chorizo and Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates in a Smokey Tomato Sauce from The Roxx Box
- Cranberry Glazed Meatballs from Curious Cuisiniere
- Easy White Queso with Chorizo from Supper for a Steal
- Eggplant Lentil Fritters With Orange Salsa from Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
- #GlutenFree 7 Layer Bean Dip from Cooking Underwriter
- Gulf Coast Smoked Tuna Dip from 30A Eats
- Ham & Cheese Crescents from Masala Herb
- Ham Crescents {Schinkenhoernle} #DairyFree from Galactopdx
- Little Filo Cheese Rolls from Food Lust People Love
- Mini Crab Bites from Webicurean
- Muffuletta Skewers from Magnolia Days
- Peach Jalapeno Fritters from I Run for Wine
- Philly Cheesesteak Bites from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Pizza Pretzel Rolls from Cravings of a Lunatic
- Pizza Wontons from Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Refried Black Beans with Pita Chips from Basic N Delicious
- Roasted Garlic-Bacon Dip from girlichef
- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Stamp & Go! from The Lovely Pantry
- Sweet and Spicy Bacon Wrapped Dates from Noshing with the Nolands
- Tandoori Spiced Popcorn from MarocMama
- Wonton Cones Filled with Oriental Salad from Simply Gourmet
#SundaySupper Super Bowl Main Dishes:
- Bacon-Wrapped Chili Cheese Dogs from Damn Delicious
- Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Sandwiches from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Carolina BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders from The Foodie Army Wife
- Chicken in Passion Fruit Crunch from The Urban Mrs.
- Four Quarters “Grilled” Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches with Bleu Cheese Veggie Slaw from Mama.Mommy.Mom
- Green Chile Cheeseburgers from Juanita’s Cocina
- Grilled Pizza with Sausage and Spinach from Ruffles & Truffles
- Ham and Cheese Sliders from Hip Foodie Mom
- Marinated Rump Steak with Chimichurri Sliders from Vintage Kitchen Notes
- Meatball Sub Sliders from Country Girl in the Village
- Oven-Fried Catfish Fingers with Mango-Chili Dip from Pescetarian Journal
- Pigs in Sleeping Bags from Comfy Cuisine
- Turkey Sliders with Roasted Tomatoes from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Vegan “Hamburger Helper” Soup from What Smells So Good?
#SundaySupper Super Bowl Desserts:
- Marshmallow Caramel Corn from Mom’s Test Kitchen
- Shortbread Brownies from Baker Street
- Smores Blossom Cookies from Chocolate Moosey
- Sweet Little Pastries from Happy Baking Days
- Sweet Potato Cake Pops from Ninja Baking
- Toddler Truffles from In the Kitchen with Audrey
#SundaySupper Super Bowl Tablescape: 10 Tips For A Winning Superbowl Buffet Table from An Appealing Plan
Pinto Bean Chili
Pinto bean chili is one of the simplest dishes that will feed a crowd. It will keep and keep! That just reminded me of cook on the movie Atlantis where he goes on about the beans and everyone thinks UGH because they are tired of them. He literally says “They will keep and keep!” We used to watch that movie all the time when my kids were younger. I need to obtain that movie on Blu ray. *Runs off to search and check food in oven*
I’m back! Does not look like they have it for Blu ray with a quick search. Might have to do a extended search to see what I can find and add Hotel Transylvania to the check out too! Anyway, back to the pinto bean chili! Does that cornbread just look delish!
Love how this comes together as just slow cooked beans and you can have them completely vegetarian or with bacon or ground beef. I am not a huge fan of ground beef so I always go to my favorite meat which is bacon. It adds a smokey flavor. It is also easy to add carrots, celery, or even stewed tomatoes. If you want to add vegetables then it is best to do them at the beginning when sauteing the onion, peppers, and garlic. If you want to add stewed tomatoes it is best to stir them in about 30 minutes before serving. My recipe is the basic recipe that allows you to add whatever you would like to it along with controlling the heat. If you want it hotter add more peppers and if you want it cooler then add less peppers. Mine is a tad spicy for the little ones but great for the teens and adults without setting mouths ablaze.
Ingredients
Instructions
In a large pot, add minced onion, garlic, and jalapeno peppers. Saute on medium heat for about three minutes. Add in cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper; stir well. Add rinsed beans and stir to mix the beans with vegetables. Add container of stock and bacon halves to pot. Fill the rest of the pot to the top with water. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Once at a boil lower to a medium heat. Cook for about 5 hours until the beans are soft and liquid has thickened; stir often. Serve with cornbread or topped with cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.
http://mooshujenne.com/pinto-bean-chili/Today, Food Network and a group of bloggers are featuring Chili (for #Superbowl) for this week’s Comfort Food Feast event. Please stop by and see what everyone made:
Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Crock Pot Cincinnati Chicken Chili
The Heritage Cook: Gluten-Free Green Chile and Chicken Taco Bowls
The Cultural Dish: Crock-Pot Chili
Big Girls, Small Kitchen: Healthy Chicken Chili With Barley
What’s Gaby Cooking: Smoky Chipotle Chicken Chili
Feed Me Phoebe: Chicken and White Bean Chili
Dishin & Dishes: Lean Mean Game-Day Chili
The Lemon Bowl: Beef Chili With Black Beans
Devour: 4 Twists on Chili for the Super Bowl
Thursday Night Dinner: 3 Most Favorite Chili Recipes
FN Dish: 7 Chili Recipes for the Big Game
Cinnamon Cranberry Bread
Every year, I like to bake breads during the holiday season. This Cinnamon Cranberry bread quick recipe is amazing! The heat from the oven warms the house and the smell of this bread makes it feel like the holidays. Mostly, I love share this quick bread with friends. It comes together quick, moist, and with a good hard outside easy for slicing.
If you want to get a bit more creative just make some cinnamon butter or homemade jams or jellies to share with the loaf in decorated mason jars. If you do not have time to decor the jars just add a themed cupcake wrapper between the seal and lid. To decorate the bread just wrap with parchment paper and yarn, ribbon, or baker’s twine. Red or green twine is perfect to match the holiday spirit.
Using decorative mini loaf pans can make this bread easier to gift. Put them in a basket with a simple new kitchen cloth themed for the holidays. Another great way to gift them is to add them to a basket of home baked goodies. I usually make these goodies for my friends as I love to add to their recipe collection. I use Pumpkin Beans recipes cards to add my recipe to the basket or even share at baking parties.
What’s your favorite quick bread? One of my favorites is banana bread with no nuts. I can double the bananas and share at any time of the year. It’s a great gift to the neighbors or for housewarming gifts.
Let me know how you decorate up your home baked goodies to share at the holiday season. I love Pinterest links as well. It helps me find new boards and people to follow I have a board for homemade gifts which I love to pin all types of goodies too!
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and put a rack on the middle shelf.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
In another large bowl of a stand mixer, cream the 1/2 cup of butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs in one at a time. Stir in the cranberries, sour cream and vanilla and beat until just combined. Add the dry ingredients. Spray the glass loaf pans with olive oil spray. Pour the batter into the glass loaf dish.
Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. You can serve it with jams, jellies, or cinnamon butter.
To make a glaze just add the 2 cups of powdered sugar to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add in a few tablespoons of water, rum, or vanilla for flavor. Add in 1/4 cup of water and mix until it forms a glaze. If it is too thick add more liquid, if it is too thin add more powdered sugar.
http://mooshujenne.com/cinnamon-cranberry-bread/Shepherd’s Hand Pies
Yes, I love pie! Oddly enough I prefer cherry or meat pies. These Shepherd’s Hand Pies feature shepherd’s pie in a handmade pie crust. The can be made with beef, chicken or just vegetarian. Creativity with this recipe is your friends. The more intricate the ingredients the richer the flavors. I make these with beef and onion as the flavors just fall together. For vegetarians mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, onion, celery, and corn make a pie. For the gravy just use cooked carrots and blend them in a blender with a bit of heavy whipping cream. They make a fantastic gravy that is full of color and nutrients. If your a chicken fan you can do chicken with a chicken gravy and matching vegetables. If you really want to jump out of the box you can use crawfish or crab meat to make a seafood rendition.
Hand pies are delicious fresh or they can be frozen to heat up later on another occasion. This makes them perfect for movie night or for weeknight TV shows you don’t want to miss; such as Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, Haven, Grimm, and Once Upon a Time. Hmm… did I leave one out? Oh! Of course our beloved The Walking Dead. Do have to say I have been waiting for them to kill off the annoying blonde and the governor. Just not a fan of nut jobs.
Speaking of Vampire Diaries, is anyone else tired of the poor Elena thing? I am. Let’s get on with it. Damon and Elena should be together. Let Tyler hook up with the wolf chic from Secret Circle, and the judgmental Stefan and Caroline should end up together. Maybe spin off some weird love relationship with Klaus and Bonnie as they will both soon hate the new professor in town.
Anywho! Back to the pies.
Ingredients
Instructions
Roll out pie crust on a large floured surface. Use biscuit cutter to cut the dough and set aside. Repeat until all dough is cut out. Place round crust cutout on floured surface and roll to spread out the circle. Set aside.
In a large skillet, place diced onion, garlic, olive oil, and beef in skillet. Heat to medium high heat. Add salt and pepper. Add in carrots and potato and cook until meat is done. Drain can of corn and add to skillet. Add in gravy and stir well. You may add the mixture to a bowl if you would like before adding in the gravy.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Fill rolled out crust circles with about a tablespoon and a half with dough and seal around edges with a fork. Continue until all the dough is used. Beat egg in small bowl and coat over crust. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until crust is a golden color.
Serve with mashed potatoes or by themselves as an appetizer.
http://mooshujenne.com/shepherds-hand-pies/Honey Bacon Potato Pops
Today is our gathering of the communal table for Thanksgiving for the FN Dish on Food Network. Please take a moment when you are done reading this post to visit the other links below and enjoy other dishes at our communal table. To follow along on Twitter please use the hashtag #PullUpAChair. You may also join in by having a look at our communal table on Pinterest. My recipe for Honey Bacon Potato Pops is below.
Thanksgiving is a time of togetherness, family, and the season that prepares us for Christmas. Fall is my favorite season of the year! The trees change colors, everyone is cooking or baking, and the air is busy with cheer. The pumpkin, which is a super squash, decorates yards with a multitude of colors and scarecrows dance in the wind! Most of all, I love the Macy’s Day Parade! I love picking out my favorites and feeling like a kid again with my teenagers. It is very important to always have a bit of kid left in you.
I hope you will all #PullUpAChair and enjoy my appetizer recipe for Honey Bacon Potato Pops. These are perfect to munch on while waiting on the turkey. Please feel free to leave me a link in the comments to your favorite Thanksgiving dish.
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Soak bacon in honey and wrap over potatoes. Secure bacon with toothpicks.
Bake until potatoes are tender and bacon is cooked. Pull them from the oven and remove toothpick; add lollipop stick. Careful not to break potato. Drizzle potatoes with honey and serve warm.
http://mooshujenne.com/honey-bacon-potato-pops/
Cocktails, Appetizers, Salads and Breads:
- Haute Apple Pie: Apple Jack
- Cooking With Books: Spiced Couscous and Walnut Salad
- Mooshu Jenne: Honey Bacon Potato Pops (pictured above)
- Food For My Family: Roasted Beet and Lacinato Kale Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette
- Big Girls, Small Kitchen: Super Seeded Cornbread
Main:
Sides:
- Feed Me Phoebe: Cornbread and Wild Rice Stuffing With Hazelnuts and Cranberries
- Napa Farmhouse 1885: Chorizo, Cornbread and Tortilla Dressing
- Sweet Life: Apple Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing
- And Love It, Too: Paleo Green Bean Casserole
- Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Sweet Spiced Winter Squash Casserole
- Red or Green?: Corn, Peppers and Onion Saute
- Simple Bites: Honey Pomegranate Glazed Brussels Sprouts
- Virtually Homemade: Fresh Orange and Cranberry Sauce With Toasted Walnuts
- What’s Gaby Cooking: Sweet Potato Gratin
- The Heritage Cook: Cauliflower Gratin
- Creative Culinary: Creamy Mushroom Bake With Parmesan and Panko
- Bacon and Souffle: Spicy Carnival Squash
Desserts:
- I Am Baker: Pumpkin Bars in a Jar
- Add a Pinch: Caramel Pie
- Chez Us: Pumpkin Cheesecake With Chocolate Swirls
Baked Potato Soup
I have two favorite soups. Minestrone and baked potato soup! Just love all the toppings you can add to baked potato soup
One week till the last Twilight Saga film Breaking Dawn Part II. How many of you plan to go see it? I’m definitely NOT doing the midnight showing. Might be a Saturday morning flick. It’s the start of Thanksgiving vacation and I am just counting the days till that week gets here.
I thought this might help warm up those that are freezing on the East coast. I feel for you all.
Next week I have a Fall festival to attend and I plan to bring 48 cupcakes and 2- 3 dozen cookies. Any suggestions?
Ingredients
Instructions
Peel all potatoes and dice them into 1/2 inch cubes. Add them to a large pot and cover with water. Salt and pepper the water. Cook on medium/high heat to bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower to a simmer, and let cook for about 10 to 15 minutes until potatoes are tender. After potatoes are tender drain off water and reserve a small amount to add thickness to your soup.
Replace pot on stove and add 1 tablespoon of flour. Stir in flour and add two cups of chicken broth. On a low heat, mash potatoes, and add more chicken broth as the potatoes are being mashed. The soup should be a thick consistency. Add one large container of heavy whipping cream and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for about ten to twenty minutes until soup thickens.
Once the soup has thickened it is ready to serve. Top with crumbled bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, and spring onions. Side with garlic bread.
http://mooshujenne.com/baked-potato-soup/Eggplant Mozzarella
Most of you are probably wondering if this Eggplant Mozzarella is a take on the traditional Eggplant Parmesan. Yes, this is but my teens tend to not like the taste of Parmesan. Yes, I know they are definitely weird; I tell them this daily. Parmesan is one of my most favorite stinky cheeses; though most would call it nutty. It is not usual to use a different cheese as my great grandmother would use provolone between the layers of the fried goodness. She always cut her eggplant in rounds after peeling the skin. On the other hand I prefer to cut the eggplant length wise after peeling off the skin. Most think you must rub the eggplant down with salt and drain it. This is an extra process that is not needed if your frying the eggplant. I have found that salting the eggplant make it too tender and has a awful texture.
Eggplant mozzarella is a fantastic Meatless Monday dish. It is hearty and serves well for a man that prefers meat dishes. My other half is a meat and potatoes type of guy. He was born in Czech Republic and grew up with his parents in the states. While he loves pizza he still has a tendency to gear toward Czech style food which is fried or roasted with gravies and grease. I am not by far complaining as I LOVE this style of food. However, on occasion it is nice to have something somewhat healthy. What recipe do you make for Meatless Monday that can easily replace a meat dish? If you have any tricks up your sleeve I would love to know about them. As for the eggplant, you may top it with cheese and side it with garlic bread. I like to side it with fresh basil and garlic bread myself.
Ingredients
Instructions
In a large bowl, crack eggs, and beat. Add breadcrumbs to another large bowl. Set aside.
Heat oil in pan on stove to medium heat.
Peel eggplant and then slice lengthwise to have elongated slices. Dip eggplant in eggs, coating both sides, and then toss in breadcrumbs to cover. Lay on a dish. Once all the eggplant is battered it is time to begin frying.
Lightly fry eggplant for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Remove to paper towels to drain off excess oil. Finish frying all eggplant.
In a large baking dish, layer in one layer of eggplant and season with salt and pepper. Top with sauce and about one cup of cheese. Add another layer of eggplant, top with sauce, and remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 375F degrees until cheese is melted. Serve with fresh basil and garlic bread.
http://mooshujenne.com/eggplant-mozzarella/
