October 2009

Smoked Cheddar Bacon Mac.

October 31, 2009 · 19 comments

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There aren’t many things I love more in the world that macaroni and cheese.

Well, maybe bacon.

And cheese alone.

And sea-salted chocolate.

Don’t make me choose! Choosing a favorite food is like trying to choose a favorite movie. Or a favorite song. Or book.

I’m so indecisive.

I used white pasta. Sue me.

Sometimes it’s just so good in mac ‘n cheese. My inner Mother Lovett refused whole wheat this time.

Using the white pasta added a more creamy taste and softness to the dish. Orecchiette is my favorite.

I love, love, love this apple smoked cheddar cheese. I eat it on just about everything.

Just look at how cute the pasta is.

My roux – a la Mother Lovett.

To possibly make things even less healthier, I added a heavy dose of heavy cream. It looked heavy. And creamy.

I grated the cheese myself. It melts easier, and I prefer to grate my own. I think it tastes better.

A touch of nutmeg. Just because.

To test the creaminess, dip a spoon in and judge for yourself. I dipped about 67 spoons.

My favorite – applewood smoked bacon.

I just ripped it apart with my hands.

Pre-cheese sauce addition.

Mid-cheese sauce addition.

Post-cheese sauce addition.

More panko.

Have you had any panko in your life recently? If not, please get some.

See the cheese sauce bubbling in the corner? This was fresh out of the oven.

Clogged arteries, what what?!

Ok calm down. A few spoonfuls of this won’t clog your arteries. Eating this entire 2-person casserole dish stuffed with smoked cheddar bacon mac 3 days a week might, but I don’t know anyone who would do that.

Maybe me.

I like to test my limits.

Smoked Cheddar Bacon Mac

2 cups orrechiette pasta

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

1-2 cups grated smoked cheddar cheese – depends on desired consistency.

1/4 pound applewood smoked bacon

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

salt & pepper to taste

a pinch of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400.

Cook your bacon – either pan fry or bake it. Baking it was easier since I already had a few other pans going on the stove. Once cooked, let drain on a paper towel, then chop into tiny bits.

Boil salted water & add pasta when ready. Cook & remove. Set aside.

In a small saucepan on low-medium heat, whisk 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon flour to create a roux. Add half of heavy cream and half of chicken stock. Add in half of the smoked cheddar cheddar cheese. Continuously stir so cheese does not stick to bottom. Alternately add more cheese, heavy cream and chicken stock until you reach desired consistency. Add a pinch of nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste if desired.

Layer pasta and half of bacon in a casserole dish. Add cream sauce over top. Sprinkle on remaining bacon and panko breadcrumbs.

Bake at 400 for about 15-20 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did. Considering I ate the entire dish myself, I would certainly say I enjoyed it.

{ 19 comments }

Pumpkin Clause

October 31, 2009 · 10 comments

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I was forced awake by someone shaking me this morning and telling me ‘I think that Pumpkin Clause came last night.’

He may have a huge stuffed turkey and framed pictures of wrestlers. He may eat us out of house and home. He may smell like a boy.

But my man is creative. And sweet.

Here is what Pumpkin Clause brought me last night.

pumpkinc

pumpkinc1

Of course, there was some healthy goodies in there, but I chose to snap the fun stuff – like the iTunes gift card, some Ghiradelli since I am a chocolate snob, and the cute autumn-themed apron.

Can it get any better than this?

pumpkinc2

He is quite festive.

He is also doing the grocery shopping for us since my parents at all of our candy corn last night.

Are you wondering what I got him?

That would be…

…nothing. Except for my undying love. Oh, and last night was ‘get-your-husband-loaded-then-take-him-to-Sur La Table-and buy-out-the-store night. ‘

That was fun for me, too. All in all, I’ve had a great Halloween so far! We are going to carve pumpkins this afternoon, even though my dad can carve them better, since we spent all of our money time last night eating, drinking, and shopping.

Again, you guys cracked me up with your Friday Trivia comments.

The correct answers were:

1. Minneapolis, Minnesota

2. George Lazenby, Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig.

3. Dale Earnhart

I’m sure you all know I surely didn’t have anything to do with the last question.

Here’s who made the cut this week:

Kelly

Karebai

Y

lowandbhold

eatingmachine

Desiree

Angela

Jessie (vegan-minded)

KristieLynn

Jen

That Kind Of Girl

Mellissa

Naomi

Julie

And if you missed last week, check it out to see who got the correct answers.

I’m not coming back with a Halloween recipe. I am coming back with a Smoked Cheddar Bacon Mac recipe. Because it should be eaten on Halloween.

And every other day, too.

{ 10 comments }

Trivia Friday #2.

October 30, 2009 · 29 comments

My husband brought home pumpkins to carve on Wednesday night. This really excited me because I LOVE carved pumpkins, and we didn’t get any last year since we lived in this place.

He was all gung ho about carving the pumpkins that night, on Wednesday. However, it was raining here in Pittsburgh and I didn’t want our pumpkins to be ruined by Saturday.

Me: I think we should carve the pumpkins the day before Halloween. They might rot if we carve them now.
My husband: Why? Does your dad carve them the day before Halloween?

Things like this are a running joke between my husband and me. Well, at least I think they are a running joke.

I have not failed to mention how exceptional my life, family, and childhood are and have been. I feel very blessed and my brothers and I have all turned out alright. I also have so many wonderful memories of my childhood – and they are all so good – that I would like to do everything my way.

Stubborn?

Not me. No way. I am not at all like Mother Lovett.

So here is what tanspired via cell phone last night – a text message conversation between my husband and dad:

My dad: (jokingly) You should wait to carve the pumpkin’s until the day before Halloween.
My husband: (only slightly joking) Thanks for the advice, I find my life is easier if I do things the way you would.

Hmmm…

What’s that? You are looking for some food pictures?

I only have a few, but the recipe to come later will cause you to gain 5lbs just by looking at it. If your pants are already tight like mine, you may want to think twice about visiting again.

Here is some chunky chili that I made earlier in the week, along with some whole wheat naan.

chili

Some pumpkin pie yogurt, which I found very disappointing. I let it sit in front of me for about 45 minutes, hoping it would develop a better flavor.

pumpyogurt

It did not.

A beautiful honeycrisp, eaten x 7 this week.

apple

And for all of you animal lovers, here is our family dog, picture courtesy of my dad.

This is Winnie.

winnie

She has a wild personality, loves to play football, and finds chasing squirrels to be her most favorite past time ever. That is her personal ad in ‘puppy’s looking for love.’ She also barks constantly until you pay attention to her.

Apparently, Winnie and I have that in common. According to my dad, she would also like to begin a blog.

And this here is Abby.

abby

Abby was the best dog ever. She was so, so incredibly sweet. She changed my feelings towards dogs. Growing up I was always scared to death of animals, and pretty much planned on moving out when I was 15 and we got a dog. Unfortunately, Abby went to doggy heaven on Easter Monday this year. It was a sad day.

Friday is finally here! Which means – Friday Trivia! If you did not participate last week, here is your chance. The guidelines are as follows, and you have a whopping 5 chances to win!

Here’s how it works:

-3 questions are posted Friday morning.

-You have until midnight (EST) Friday to qualify – leave your answer in the comments section.

-The comments will not be made public until Saturday. I will get it, but it will not appear. So please do not comment 324 times like I have in situations like these. One comment per person.

-Everyone who answers correctly will be entered into a drawing for an awesome prize EVERY MONTH. This means if you participate in FOUR trivia Friday’s in one month, you have FOUR chances to win. I sure am good at math.

-The prize will be different each time and announced on the 15th of the month. It may be small, it may be big. It may be tangible or not. It may be a lock of my hair. Who knows? Either way, it will be announced mid-month.

-The winner will be randomly chosen and announced on the last day of the month. If the last day falls on a Friday, winner will be chosen Saturday.

Oh, and if you are super-excited that October is almost over and it is almost prize time? You lose. Because we are startin’ today and going through November. That’s FIVE chances to win this go ’round. Thank my brother for this super-fun idea.

My brother did not provide this week’s questions because he thinks he has the swine flu. I am sure there is a direct correlation between him having the swine flu, and the fact that on Wednesday night he put on a Miss Piggy wig from the 1980′s and declared he was going as ‘H1N1′ for Halloween. Hmmm…khama’s a biotch.

These questions come from my husband, which you could probably figure out if you have read THIS.

Questions:

1. Where did the Walsh family live before moving to Beverly Hills, 90210?

2. Name at least 4 actors who have played James Bond.

3. What driver won the most Sprint Cup Series Championships in the 1990s?

Thanks for playin’!

{ 29 comments }

Stuffed Artichokes.

How excited are you for Friday trivia tomorrow? I got 3 more questions comin’ at ya! Have you ever had stuffed artichokes? I never had. Not until 2003. And for the record, I ate them at an ex-boyfriend’s house on most holidays. Yep, I said it. The relationship didn’t stick, but the artichokes sure did. I think my husband is happy on both accounts. My mom had never had them, and I didn’t know anyone who had. Sad to say, I am not very cultured. Unless you consider never leaving home and being afraid to use public restrooms cultured. A few years ago I created this ‘stuffing’ for the artichokes, after learning how to prepare them first. If you are looking for a recipe that does not include butter, oil or cheese – you have come to the wrong place, my friend. But I hope you’ll stay. I bought this 4 pack of artichokes from Trader Joe’s for $3.99. Talk about a deal. In my grocery store, they are $2.50 a piece. Not that this matters, because I think money [...]

41 comments Get More Sweet Eats →

Carmelized Pear, Figs, and Gorgonzola.

(I’m having some wordpress formatting issues (spacing between photos and lines) that no one has been able to figure out – I apologize if the formatting of this post is goofy!) I think the title says it all, but could there be a more fabulous combination? Well, assuming you like pears. And figs. And gorgonzola. A lot of people are not fond of all 3 said foods. Maybe I should stop while I’m ahead. I LOVE pears, figs, and am more than passionate about gorgonzola. You may be thinking ‘is there a food she does not like?’ Why, yes. Yes, there is. It would be vegetables. All vegetables. Except for corn. Which is, like, a fake vegetable. This was one of the juiciest pears I have found in a long time. I chopped it up, snuck multiple bites, pouted because I couldn’t just eat the entire thing, the threw it in a small dish with some sugar and cinnamon. Crumbled gorgonzola. I could eat this as my entree and dessert. Who am I kidding? I already do. [...]

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Chunky Fire-Roasted Chili.

Here in Pittsburgh the mornings and evenings are chilly, yet the temperature during the day is reaching about 65. Still perfect chili weather, in my opinion. Sometimes I make chili with ground turkey, and sometimes I use beef. I’ve also mixed turkey, chicken AND beef. That is delish. I wanted to partake in the chili-eating, and was craving some good ole’ ground beef. I wear the pants in this house. (I’m shakin’ in my boots as I type those words.) I used about 3lbs of organic 92/8 ground beef. Chopped up some veggies. And found nice, huge chunks of mold inside the red pepper we had just got at the store. Don’t you hate when that happens?? I rescued the no-mold sections. Which is actually surpising, since I served my husband tacos with tortillas that expired on August 25th last week. I checked them out again this weekend [...]

61 comments Get More Sweet Eats →

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies.

This here is a recipe I found deep in the pages of one of Mother Lovett’s recipe books. You know, those crazy-beautiful books from the 1950′s that have yellow pages? I wrote about them a few weeks ago. They certainly are a treasure to me. Since I know no restraint when it comes to cream cheese, I figured I would LOVE this recipe. Anything to make my inner thighs jiggle more and begin stretching the seam of my pants. Oh wait. That already happens. This time I don’t just have butter. I have cream cheese. Ingredients in the morning sunshine. Creamed butter and cream cheese. This went into my mouth. Suprised? This is obviously your first time visiting. And I also licked this clean. It was delicious. [...]

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A Day In the Life.

I’m so glad you guys had a blast playing Friday Trivia! Can’t wait for next week. The correct answers: 1. Adventures of Pluto Nash 2. Three 3. Oreos Those that got all 3 correct that are entered for the prize: Y Molly P VeggieBooty Rosemary and the Goat Kristie Lynn Julie @ SavvyEats Thanks to all for playin.’ If you didn’t make it this time, check back next Friday. You’ll still have 5 chances to win. Some of you have inquired about my daily eats and routine. Take a look below, and you will see that it is not anything to write home about. This may or may not appear more often. I cannot decide. I am not a fan of taking pictures without natural light. So this probably leans toward the ‘may not’ side. Yesterday, my morning began like this. It usually does. To say I am a HUGE fan of makeup is an understatement. I love it. My secret dream job is to be a MAC makeup artist. I love wild colors, dramatic eyes – you name it. And [...]

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Trivia Friday #1.

I still consider myself a newlywed even though I have been married a year. Maybe because I’ve had a hard time…adjusting. Regardless, everyone still treats me like a newlywed and I am so often asked the question… ‘do you cook?’ Um, excuse me? Is there such a thing as not cooking? I kid. I kid. I know there are plenty of you that don’t enjoy cooking and baking like I do. So I respond (while trying to hide a highly annoyed, dramatic ‘you-don’t-even-know-me’ face because I don’t just cook, I COOK)… ‘why yes, I cook.’ That generates a smile. Which turns into a smirk. ‘Well since you cook, I bet you don’t like to clean.’ BINGO. I don’t like to clean anything. I even get annoyed when I have to wash my face. And don’t give me the ‘ew, that is gross’ thought – just remember last Saturday night when you fell asleep on the couch with a full face of makeup on, awoke groggily at 1 am, only to remember you still needed to cover your face in freezing-cold water and soap that burns [...]

31 comments Get More Sweet Eats →

A Reply.

Goooood afternoon. I loved reading what each and every one of you had to say regarding the Fullbar and my disappointment in the marketing. I know I stated that I prefer to not eat bars everyday, unless I am in a pinch. Well, I left out a teeny-tiny, itsy-bitsy problem I come across in my everyday life. My husband LOVES bars. Adores them. He is so smitten with bars that he usually has one (or five) everytime he gets in the car. Now, he is not eating Big 100 Colossal’s or anything like that, but he is a fan of Detour, Nugo, and most other bars in that caloric range. Please, spare his ears the pain of why he shouldn’t be eating these bars. He certainly has already had enough of that. He’s read so much about why he shouldn’t be eating bars 6 times a day (thanks to my harrassment thanks to your comments), that I recieved this email a few minutes ago (he is out of town) and I thought you would all enjoy reading it. He even included pictures. What can I say? I like to share. [...]

17 comments Get More Sweet Eats →

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