Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Sugar Snap Pea and Ham Risotto

 

from: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 ½ cups fat-freeless-sodium chicken broth
  • 8 ounces sugar snap peastrimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 ½ cups thinly sliced leekabout 2 medium leeks
  • 2 garlic clovesminced
  • 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice or other medium-grain rice
  • 3 ounces diced cooked hamabout 3/4 cup
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  •  teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS 

  • Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm.
  • Cook peas in boiling water 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse with cold water until the peas are no longer warm to the touch.
  • Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leek to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in rice; cook 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and cook 2 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes total).
  • Add ham to pan; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in peas, cheese, and pepper. Serve immediately.

Sunday, January 17, 2021

One pot Ground Beef and Noodles

 Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

cooking spray

2 1/2 C milk

1 1/2 C hot water

2 C elbow macaroni

1 T cornstarch

1 T chili powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sugar

3/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

pinch red pepper flakes

2 C shredded cheddar cheese 

Instructions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Spray with cooking spray and add the ground beef. Brown until cooked through and no longer pink. Discard any fat.

3. Add the pasta, milk, water and spices and stir to combine.

4. Bring to a boil and turn the heat down to simmer.

5. Cover and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. 

6. Add the cheese and stir to combine. Serve immediately.


Monday, December 28, 2020

Orecchiette With Peas, Pancetta & Cream

 Ingredients

1 lb. Orecchiette Pasta

1 Tb. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/4 lb. Pancetta, cut 1/4 inch thick and then cubed into small pieces

4 Tb. butter

1 small white onion finely diced

2 Tb. chicken stock

1 C heavy cream

1 C frozen peas, thawed

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 C Parmesan cheese

Cooking Instructions


  1. Bring a large pot of water salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and garlic on a medium setting. Add the pancetta to the pan and cook until golden brown. Transfer pancetta to a dish and set aside.
  3. In the same pan, melt butter. Add onions and cook until soft and translucent. Add chicken stock and season with salt and pepper. Stir in pancetta and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add cream. Simmer for 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
  4. Add the hot cooked pasta to the pan. Mix well to coat. Stir in the peas and cheese.
  5. Serve Immediately.


Saturday, December 26, 2020

Horchata

 Ingredients

1 1/3 C uncooked long grain rice 

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 C sugar

1 C evaporated milk

1 C whole milk

1/2 tsp vanilla 

Put the rice and cinnamon stick in a blender. Blend in the blender for one minute. Measure 4 Cups of water into a pitcher and add the rice and cinnamon to the water and stir. Let this sit in the refrigerator overnight. Strain the rice and water mixture through a cheese cloth or mesh bag catching the liquid in another pitcher.  Discard the rice and cinnamon.  To the rice water add 1/2 C sugar, evaporated milk, whole milk and the vanilla. Stir until sugar is dissolved, and chill. Serve cold or over ice. Recipe can be doubled.

We modified this from a recipe I found on Pinterest.


Wednesday, December 9, 2020

SLOW COOKER BUTTERNUT SQUASH TORTELLINI

 


YIELD:  6-8 SERVINGS
 
PREP TIME:  15 MINUTES
 
COOK TIME:  5 HOURS
 
TOTAL TIME:  5 HOURS 15 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

  •  2 teaspoons olive oil
  •  1/2 cup chopped onion
  •  3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  •  1/4 teaspoon minced dried rosemary
  •  1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  •  1/4 teaspoon dried sage
  •  1/2 teaspoon salt
  •  1/4 teaspoon pepper
  •  2 pounds peeled and cubed butternut squash (about 4 cups or so)
  •  3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  •  4 to 8 ounces cream cheese, light or regular (depending on how creamy you want it), cubed
  •  1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving, if desired
  •  1 1/2 pound refrigerated tortellini (see note)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is starting to soften, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the rosemary, thyme, sage, salt and pepper.
  2. Place the butternut squash in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker. Add the sautéed onion and garlic and then pour in the chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
  3. Add the cubes of cream cheese and the Parmesan cheese to the slow cooker. Stir until mostly melted. Using an immersion blender (or using a blender or food processor in batches), blend the mixture until smooth (and return it to the slow cooker if needed). Stir in the tortellini. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until the tortellini are tender.
  4. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

NOTES

Tortellini: all tortellini are not created equal, I'm afraid. Based on past experience and recipes, I don't think the dry tortellini in the pasta aisle will work out very well (but that's just an untested opinion). I highly recommend using refrigerated tortellini (I usually get mine from Costco but have seen it at my grocery store, too).

Maria's notes:  I used 8 oz of cream cheese but next time I will use 4 oz--it was VERY creamy.

HTTPS://WWW.MELSKITCHENCAFE.COM/SLOW-COOKER-BUTTERNUT-SQUASH-TORTELLINI/


Friday, July 24, 2020

CHIPOTLE CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH CREAMY DIPPING SAUCE

YIELD:  6-8 SERVINGS
 
PREP TIME:  25 MINUTES
 
COOK TIME:  8 MINUTES
 
ADDITIONAL TIME:  27 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME:  1 HOUR

INGREDIENTS

CHICKEN SKEWERS:

  •  2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4-5 medium chicken breasts)
  •  1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  •  2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
  •  1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced (scrape out the seeds before mincing to reduce spiciness)
  •  2 teaspoons adobo sauce
  •  1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  •  1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  •  1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  •  1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  •  12 bamboo or metal skewers

CREAMY DIPPING SAUCE:

  •  3/4 cup lowfat sour cream
  •  1/4 cup lowfat mayonnaise or Greek yogurt
  •  1/4 cup lime juice, from 2-3 limes
  •  1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  •  2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, minced
  •  2 green onions, finely chopped
  •  1/2 teaspoon salt
  •  1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Slice the chicken breasts into long, thin strips, about 1/2-inch thick. You should have right around 30 strips. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cilantro, chipotle chile, adobo sauce, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, and pepper. Toss the chicken with the brown sugar mixture coating all the pieces evenly. Cover the chicken (or place in a ziploc bag) and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
  2. For the dipping sauce, in a bowl, stir all the ingredients together. Cover the mixture and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes until the flavors combine. Alternately, you can make the dipping sauce in advance and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Be sure to season the dipping sauce with additional lime juice, salt and pepper to taste before serving.
  3. 30 minutes before grilling, cover the bamboo skewers with water and soak. Skip this step if using metal skewers.
  4. Preheat an oven broiler or gas/charcoal grill. Weave two strips of chicken onto each skewer. Broil or grill the chicken for 5-8 minutes until cooked through, using nonstick cooking spray on a foil-lined pan if you are broiling. Serve immediately (if you broil, you may need to cook in batches) with the dipping sauce.

NOTES

Reduced Fat Ingredients: you could definitely use full-fat sour cream or mayo/yogurt, but I'll attest that the sauce was divinely yummy made with reduced fat ingredients. 
Spiciness: chipotle chiles in adobo sauce can be quite spicy so if you want to knock the spice down a bit, scrape the seeds out of the chile and discard before mincing the chile for the marinade/dry rub.
HTTPS://WWW.MELSKITCHENCAFE.COM/CHIPOTLE-CHICKEN-SKEWERS-WITH-CREAMY-DIPPING-SAUCE/

SPEEDY BROWNIES

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 5 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • Directions:
  • In a large bowl, beat the first 7 ingredients. Pour into a greased 

    9 x 13" pan.  
  • Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
  • Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
From Taste of Home
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/speedy-brownies/

WYOMING COWBOY COOKIES

  • 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 2 cups (12 ounces) chocolate chips

Directions

  • 1. Place coconut and pecans on a 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 6 to 8 minutes or until toasted, stirring every 2 minutes. Set aside to cool. 
  • 2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt Add to creamed mixture; beat well. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips and toasted coconut and pecans. 
  • 3. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° about 12 minutes or until browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
From Taste of Home
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/wyoming-cowboy-cookies/