mmm mmm good!

Last week we took the day off ~ we laid on the couch most of the day but mustered up some energy to take my kids to Malley's for lunch, that's right, ice cream for lunch! Today we made up for last week :) We cooked and baked and cooked and baked.

We were so excited last week at our brothers pig roast to hear all the great feedback about our blog ~ we have a lot more followers than we thought. Some people said we should open a restaurant but that would take the fun out of cooking. We are batting around the idea of ( as Applebee's say's ) "car side to go".

Enjoy today's recipes :)

Pan-Roasted Shrimp
with Wisconsin Aged Parmesan


INGREDIENTS
NUMBER OF SERVINGS: 4-6

* 2 shallots, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* Kosher salt and ground black pepper
* Juice of 2 lemons
* 1/2 cup (4 ounces) extra virgin olive oil plus 1 tablespoon for shrimp
* 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
* 1 cup freshly cooked or canned white beans, such as cannellini
* 1 cup (about 4 ounces) Wisconsin Parmesan cheese, cut in small dice
* 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
* 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined




Place shallots and garlic in mixing bowl. Add pinch of salt; mix. Add lemon juice, stir and slowly whisk in olive oil. Add tomatoes, beans, Parmesan cheese and dill. Mix well and set aside.

Pan-roast shrimp: Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in sauté pan. Add shrimp and cook, turning until pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Do not overcook. Season to taste with salt and coarsely ground black pepper.

Add warm shrimp to prepared mixture and toss. Serve immediately



http://favoritefoods.eatwisconsincheese.com/recipes/1
* Michael Symon recipe


Mini and not so mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies


Ingredients

* Cookies:
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
* 2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
* 1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* Cream Cheese Filling:
* 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
* 6 tablespoons butter, softened
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar


Directions

1. For cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or line four baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large mixer bowl on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin and vanilla extract; beat until smooth. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Drop by heaping measuring teaspoons onto prepared baking sheets. (A total of 72 cookies are needed for the recipe.)
3. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes or until springy to the touch. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
4. For cream cheese filling: Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Spread a heaping teaspoon of filling onto flat side of one cookie; top with flat side of second cookie to make a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Store in covered container in refrigerator.


Hopefully you will make these and not eat all the batter prior ~ These are so super duper yummy!


Chorizo Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

1 TBSP Canola Oil
8 oz. Chorizo
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 TBSP minced garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
8 mini butter croissants cubed
2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
6 Eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
2 TBSP butter, melted






Directions:

Heat a medium skillet over medium - high heat. Add the canola oil and chorizo and cook until the sausage begins to brown, breaking it up with a spatula. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic and cumin and saute for 3 to 4 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Drain well and cool to room tempature.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Combine the croissants, white cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, scallions, sugar , red pepper flakes, kosher saold and black pepper in a bowl. Add the Chorizo mixture and toss to mix well.
Combine the eggs and mild in a mixing bowl and mix well. Add to the sausage mixture with the butter and mix well with a spatula. Spread in a buttered medium baking dish and smooth to the top. Place in a larger pan of hot water and bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until set in the center. Serve Warm



Serves 6 - 8

Apple Cake

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
4 apples sliced medium thin
* cooking apples ~ NOT granny smith
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

Slice apples medium thin
Beat eggs well on high
Add all ingredients and mix well
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour
in a greased 9x13 pan




Individual Chicken Pot Pies:




Ingredients:
1 Rotisserie Chicken
1 bag frozen peas and carrots
1 16 oz can cream of chicken
salt and pepper to take
frozen pie crust



Directions:
piece apart the chicken in to bite size pieces
in a large bowl mix all ingredients ( except the pie crust )

Place equal amounts into ramekins

Use a cookie cutter or something like to cut circles of pie crust
place on top of chicken mixture ~ place a few slices in pie crust
and egg wash the tops.



Bake at 350 degrees till golden. Sever warm and Enjoy!




Next Monday Kelly will be vacationing in North Carolina for the week. If I am feeling up to the challenge of cooking on my own , I will definitely post. But if I am lucky my awesome neighbor Alice will make me some yummy Spanish food ~ she takes such good care of John and I...and my kids love her cooking too :)

Welcome Fall!

54 GLORIOUS degrees outside today ~ Welcome Fall! Oh my goodness today we had a plan to make only 4 items, well I do not know what happened but we made a bit more. Cooking with the oven on and the windows cracked was so nice. Hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do.

SLOPPY JOES


Ingredients

* 1/2 pound ground beef
* 1/2 cup ketchup
* 2 tablespoons water
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 hamburger buns, split

Directions

1. In a saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the ketchup, water, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Serve on buns.





LOBSTER BISQUE


Ingredients

* 1 cup chicken broth
* 2 medium slices onion
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 2 cups milk
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 pound cooked and cubed lobster meat
* 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper

Directions

1. In a small frying pan place 1/4 cup chicken stock and the onion. Cook over a low heat for 5 to 7 minutes.
2. In a medium size pot over medium heat melt the butter. Slowly whisk in flour. Whisk until a creamy mixture is created.
3. Gradually pour in stock, whisking constantly. Whisk in milk, salt, onion, lobster meat, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne pepper. Heat until soup is almost boiling. Do not boil the soup as the milk will curdle when boiled.








VANISHING OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES


Ingredients

*
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
* 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
* 3 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
* 1 cup raisins


Preparation

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

* Prep Time: 20 min






BANANA BREAD

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 bananas mashed
5 TBSP sour milk
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt


Combine all ingredients in mixer
bake at 350 degrees for 45min to 1 hour
* makes 2 loafs





TERIYAKI CHICKEN SKEWERS

Indgredients

4 chicken breast cut into tenders
( or you could buy chicken tenders )
1 cup teriyaki marinade
package of wooden/medal skewers

cut chicken into tenderloins ( I usually let it sit in the marinade overnight before I skewer them )
skewer 1 to 2 tenderloins of chicken on skewer
Grill till done.






STUFFED PORTABELLOS MUSHROOMS

4 large portabello mushrooms
1 package chorizo sausage
1 block of pepper jack cheese

Remove stems of mushrooms and place browned chorizo on top of the portobella
top with shredded pepper jack cheese
place in oven to melt cheese and E N J O Y !
This recipe will melt your taste buds ~ it is so delicious.




We also made our "usual" sandwich for lunch today ~ the recipe is in one of our older posts. Also made cabbage and noodles , I believe that is also in a older post.
Again ~ if you have any ideas for us we are open to suggestions.
Happy Fall to ya'll!

Monday Monday

Today we got off to a late start because school is in full swing! But do not fret...we cooked up some delicious recipes. It was so nice to cook with the oven on and not sweat to death at the same time. This glorious weather looks like it is here to stay ~ Thank LLBJ.


Chicken Rollatini and ditalini Pasta

Ingredients

* Cooking spray
* 2 pounds ditalini pasta
* 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
* 8 ounces thinly sliced ham
* 1 cup baby spinach leaves, chopped
* 4 ounces goat cheese
* 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
* 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Cook ditalini according to package directions. Drain and toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper.

Arrange chicken breasts on a flat surface. Top each piece of chicken with ham. Mix together spinach and goat cheese and spread over ham. Starting from the shorter end, roll up chicken and secure with wooden picks. Brush mustard all over chicken rolls and then roll in bread crumbs.

Heat remaining oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken rolls and cook until golden brown on all sides.

Transfer chicken to oven and bake 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Serve chicken with half of the ditalini. Reserve extra ditalini for another dish.





Spicy Pinto Bean and Tuna Salad with Peperoncini, Tomatoes, and Parsley

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 T peperoncini juice (brine from the bottle of peppers)
1/2 tsp. green Tobasco sauce (or more if you like it spicy)
1 tsp. Spike Seasoning (optional but recommended)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
5 T extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 large peperoncini peppers, stem and seeds removed and finely chopped
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1 cup chopped tomato, drained if the tomatoes are very juicy (I used cherry tomatoes cut in fourths)
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 can (5-7 oz) Italian Tuna packed in olive oil

Dump beans into a colander placed into the sink, then rinse well with cold water until no more foam appears. Let beans drain while you mix dressing ingredients.

Mix together the lemon juice, peperoncini juice, green Tobasco sauce, and Spike seasoning. Whisk in the olive oil, then season dressing to taste with a little salt and fresh ground black pepper. (I used just a pinch of salt and about 1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper.)

In a bowl large enough to contain all the salad ingredients, mix the drained beans with 2 T of the dressing mixture and let beans marinate while you prep other ingredients.

Cut stem end off peperoncini, remove seeds, then finely chop peperoncini and slice green onions. Chop tomatoes to make 1 cup diced tomatoes, then drain in a small colander if the tomatoes seem juicy. Wash parsley, spin dry or dry with paper towels, then chop enough parsley to make 1/2 cup. Drain oil from the tuna (I just do this by removing lid and using it to press out the oil) then use a fork to break up the tuna slightly in the can.

Add chopped peperoncini, sliced green onions, diced tomatoes, and chopped parsley to the bowl with the marinating beans, mix together, then toss with the remaining the dressing. (If you like your salads on the dry side, you may not need all the dressing, but I used it all.) Add the tuna and gently combine with other ingredients, season with more salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, and serve.





Cherry Cheese Strugle

Package of Puff Pastry
1 can of cherries
1/2 brick of cream cheese
melted butter

unfold puff pastry and cut each side 1/3 of the way in
fill with desired filling, we used canned cherry pie filling dotted with cream cheese
criss cross the cut pieces to cover the top
brush with egg wash
sprinkle with sugar
bake at 400 degrees until puffed and golden
enjoy!



Pizza Casserole
This is a Weight Watchers recipe that is fantastic.
Take one refrigerated pizza crust and line a 9x13 pan, bottom and sides
brown one pound ground beef and mix with one 15oz can of chunky tomato sauce
pour this into the crust and bake for 12 minutes at 425 degrees then top with low fat mozzarella cheese for 5 more minutes
It seems really wet but it sets up and is delicious. You can add any vegetables to it and keep it low calorie/fat. We made this a few months ago if it seems familiar.
I do not have a picture but believe me it is YUMMO!




We are so glad it is the end of today...bed time is just around the corner...Can not wait for time alone! I love my kids...but I love peace and quiet too :)
Have a great week everyone!

Sick Sister Sunday

We actually cooked on Sunday this week because Monday was full of other running around. I now remember why we don't cook on Sundays - the grocery store was a zoo. I had two recipes that I have been wanting to play with, the first was a Asian Chicken Soup I tasted at a food show, the second was a Seafood Pot Pie. Since there was a chance I would be the only one to like these recipes we also made Macaroni and Ground Beef which is good hot or cold, fresh or the days after. We also made chicken wings and decided it was way easier to just order them next time! Poor Erin was sick this weekend and could not really taste anything so hopefully there will be something left for her when she is back to normal. Monday came and we just had to have something sweet so we made Snickerdoodle cookies too.

Asian Chicken Soup
I just made this up based on what I remembered from the sample that I tasted at the food show.
two large cans chicken broth
half a box of spaghetti noodles
4 chicken thighs
green onions
shitake mushrooms
thai chili garlic paste, about a tablespoon was more than enough for me

I just cooked the spaghetti noodles and chicken thighs (bone in skin on then diced up just the meat) then added everything into the broth till it tasted good.
I will break the noodles next time so they are not slapping me in the face as I eat the soup.






Seafood Pot Pie
I got this idea from a menu somewhere that I was reading, this is what I came up with:
2 cans cream of celery soup
1 pint whipping cream
tarragon
celery, pearl onions, carrots, peas
shrimp, scallops, crab
saute the veges until soft, saute the scallops until just done, I used precooked shrimp and crab but if you use raw cook those too
stir it all together with the cans of cream of celery soup and the whipping cream and pour into a 9 x 13 pan.
I made a homemade pie crust but you can easily use store bought and cover the dish, brush the top with an egg wash and bake until golden brown and bubblylicous.




Macaroni and Beef
one box elbow macaroni
2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 green peppers
2 onions
a couple pounds ground beef
salt and pepper
Brown up the meat with the onions, peppers and salt/pepper
Boil the noodles and stir it all together, super simple and cheap!




The Chicken Wings were both hot sauced and sweet teriyaki sauced, super good just too much work when you can get them anywhere.


Snickerdoodle Cookies:

* 1 cup butter
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 2 3/4 cups flour
* 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 3 teaspoons cinnamon

1. 1 Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. 2 Mix butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar and eggs thoroughly in a large bowl.
3. 3 Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.
4. 4 Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture.
5. 5 Chill dough, and chill an ungreased cookie sheet for about 10-15 minutes in the fridge.
6. 6 Meanwhile, mix 3 tablespoons sugar, and 3 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl.
7. 7 Scoop 1 inch globs of dough into the sugar/ cinnamon mixture.
8. 8 Coat by gently rolling balls of dough in the sugar mixture.
9. 9 Place on chilled ungreased cookie sheet, and bake 10 minutes.
10. 10 Remove from pan immediately.

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor day ! What a great weekend we had along with fabulous weather. We went today to watch the Blue Angles fly over downtown ~ super cool! We hope you enjoy the oh so yummy recipes we made today.

Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing :

1 lb. Ground Turkey
2 tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion
2 cans black beans
1 pouch fat free shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 bottle of Light Catalina Dressing
1 pouch taco seasoning

Brown up the ground turkey and add the taco seasoning per instructions
Add all of the above stated and chill.
You can serve this on top of a bed of Lettuce or serve with Tortillas.

This recipes is super yummy and LOW CALORIES :)





Buffalo Chicken Pizza:

1 refrigerator pizza crust

Left over Buffalo Chicken Wanton filling ( See last week )

1 pouch shredded Mozz. cheese

Pre heat oven 425 and cook for 20 min.

Serve with either blue cheese or ranch dressing.






French Onion Soup:

12 yellow onions
3 cartons of Beef Broth
2 packages of Provolone Cheese
1 French Loaf
Worcestershire To taste
1 stick butter

Saute Onions in butter until transparent
add beef broth to onions and Worcestershire to taste

spoon soup into bowl top with a piece of french bread and top with
provolone cheese...Enjoy!





Chorizo & Clams :

Portuguese Chorizo and Clams

Serves 4 with a crusty loaf on the side

* 4 lb clams*
* 2 links (200 g/ ) Portuguese chorizo sausage
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 1 large yellow onion
* 3 large (or 4 medium) cloves garlic
* 3 large very ripe tomatoes (450 g / )
* 3-4 waxy white potatoes (600 g/ )
* 2 cups white wine
* 4-5 sprigs fresh oregano (2 tbsp finely minced)
* small handful fresh parsley (3-4 tbsp finely minced)
* salt and pepper to taste
Quarter the onion lengthwise and then slice it horizontally about 1/8″ thick. Mince the garlic, and add both to the oil. Saute the aromatics for 4-6 minutes, or until the onion is golden.

Chop the chorizo into 1/2 rounds and add these to the pot.
Saute the chorizo with the onions until it is starting to brown, which will take about 5 minutes. Be vigilant and keep stirring so that the onions and garlic do not blacken and burn, which will be their tendency. Browned is fine, but burned is not.

Peel the potatoes and cube them into large bite sized pieces. When the chorizo is browned, add the potatoes to the pot and give them a stir.
Cook the potatoes for 3-5 minutes, or until they are golden with that glorious fat released from the chorizo.

In the mean time, finely dice your tomatoes. Add the tomatoes to the mix and immediately start to scrape up the flavorful brown bits that have collected on the bottom of the pot. Those bits represent flavor, pure and simple. The liquid from the tomatoes will act as a deglazing agent, which is rather fortuitous.

Finely mince the oregano leaves and discard the stems. Or, if you don’t have fresh oregano, use 2 teaspoons of dried. When the tomatoes are broken down, which will take about 5-6 minutes depending on their ripeness, add the oregano and give things a stir.
Pour in the white wine and seal the pot with a fairly tight fitting lid. Turn the heat down just slightly so that the liquid is simmering, not boiling. Let this cook for 7-10 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.

Drain the clams and add them to the pot, picking through and discarding any clams that are open and do not shut when you rap them gently on the counter. Give the clams a stir in the flavorful chorizo broth and replace the lid. Let the pot simmer, sealed, for 5-7 minutes. Give the clams a check; if they’re open, perfect! Season with salt and pepper and you’re done. If only about half the shells have opened up, pick out the cooked open clams and leave the rest to continue cooking for another minute or two.

Give the pot a final stir, check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary, and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley right before serving.
Got this recipe from this blog: http://www.choosy-beggars.com/index.php/2010/07/01/portuguese-chorizo-and-clams/
I was not 100% happy with the out come but can totally play with the idea and ingredients to make it better next time.






This weeks weather was so super nice and it was nice to cook with the oven on.
Until next week :)

One week till Labor Day, bye bye Summer!!

It is far too hot again for our liking but fall is just around the corner. I had to work alot this weekend so we took it easy today and only made a few dishes.





We started out with Peanut Butter Crispies~
TIME 20 MINUTES ACTIVE 2 HOURS REFRIGERATING
MAKES ABOUT 40 BALLS

You will need:

2 - 2 1/2 cups All Natural peanut butter
1 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal
2 cups *Puffed Millet
1 cup craisins, raisins or other bits of dried fruit
1/2 - 1 cup Honey (eye it, it's easier than messing with a measuring cup)
1/2 cup Wheat Germ (optional, I didn't have it this time, but it's in my original recipe)


Mix all ingredients together. Shape into bite size balls with your hands, adding a spoonful of PB if they become to crumbly.
Place on wax paper lined cookie sheets and cool in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Keep stored in an airtight container in fridge. These will be perfectly fine to send to school, they will keep their shape.

We used rice crispie cereal instead of the millet and omitted the wheat germ too just personal preference and what was available at the store.






Next up was Hot Wing Wontons

1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken
1/3 cup finely chopped cabbage
1 large carrot, grated
1 celery stalk, finely chopped or grated
1/2 cup Saucy Mama's Hot Wing Sauce
1 egg, beaten
1 package of Wonton Wrappers
Canola or vegetable oil for frying ( about 1/2 gallon )
Blue Cheese dressing for dipping

In a deep sided pot, heat your oil to 350 using a thermometer.
Meanwhile mix together chicken, cabbage, carrot, celery and wing sauce.
Lay out a few wrappers and put a teaspoon of filling in the middle of each.
Brush all 4 sides with a little egg wash and then fold wrapper over and press out all the air and seal the edges.
You can then either leave them in triangles or, for a more bite size package, fold the corners in to create a little purse.
Continue until all the wontons are done.
Gently drop 4 or 5 wontons in the hot oil at a time, frying until golden brown all over, about 1-2 minutes.
Remove and drain on paper towels.






Three Cheese Mac and Cheese
Ingredients:
3/4 pound penne
1 1/2 cups heavy cream or half-and-half
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped sweet onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
5-ounce log goat cheese
3 ounces sharp white cheddar, shredded
1/2 cup packed freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons sour cream
3/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
salt and white pepper (or freshly ground black pepper)
1 extra large egg yolk

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 400º. Butter a 10-inch cast-iron skillet.
-In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Drain and return to pot.
-Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring heavy cream, onion and garlic to a simmer.
-Transfer 1/2 cup of the cream to a medium bowl and gradually whisk in flour; return mixture to saucepan. Set the bowl aside for later.
-Whisk over moderate heat until thickened, about 3 minutes.
-Remove from heat and whisk in goat cheese, cheddar and half of the Parmigiano until melted.
-Stir or in the sour cream, zest and 1 teaspoon thyme and season with salt and pepper.
-Add egg yolk to medium bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup cheese sauce. Whisk egg/sauce mixture back into saucepan.
-Pour cheese sauce over pasta and toss to coat evenly.
-Add pasta to cast-iron skillet and sprinkle with remaining Parmigiano. Bake for about 25 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown. Sprinkle with remaining thyme.
-Allow mac and cheese to rest for about 5 minutes (if you can stand it), then serve.
Serves 4 as an entrée.




We also made a sandwich we made from an earlier post with pesto, artichokes, fresh mozzarella and basil on olive oil bread. Bridget really likes this sandwich..she could not wait to get a bite :) Easy and yummy!

Enjoy!

Kelly & I are back after a hiatus...We enjoyed our family vacation and
wish it could have lasted a little bit longer. The kids had such a great
time playing with their cousins in the sand and water.
They will start back to school this week ( Thank the Lord )!

Since we have not cooked much the past couple of weeks , we really outdid
ourselves today...and believe me , we are really feeling the after effects of it...
FOOD COMA!
Why we do this to ourselves every I do not know....but I do know we LOVE food!
Enjoy!






http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/shrimp-tortellini-spinach-107842.aspx

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/campanelle-pasta-salad-recipe/index.html

http://www.laaloosh.com/2009/01/19/weight-watchers-chicken-taco-salad-recipe-6/


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/marcela-valladolid/warm-white-bean-and-steak-salad-recipe/index.html



Chipotle Cream Meatballs

Frozen meat balls ~ coated them with heavy cream after pureeing the Chipotle peppers and adobo sauce.
Baked till hot throughout at 350 degrees




Pot Roast and veggies in the crock pot ~ Need we say more...Oh yes We do .... the house smells DELICIOUS!




If you have any request's we would love to try and make it. We love new Ideas:)
Thank goodness fall is coming, today's weather was so wonderful! Cant wait for winter cooking ~ comfort food.