Mac and Cheese (Carnation Brand Recipe, Pollock Family Favorite)

This is the mac and cheese Jacob was raised on. Now it's a Finnley, and soon to be a Penny, favorite too.

You will need:
- 1 and 2/3 to 2 cups dried macaroni noodles, cooked and drained
- 2 T butter
- 2 T corn starch
- 1t salt
- 1/2 t dried mustard
-  1/4 t pepper
- 1 can evaporated milk (12 oz)
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese (or cheese combo of your choice, pepper jack is awesome)

Directions:
 Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter in sauce pan over med-high heat. Whisk in corn starch and spices until thickened (only takes a few seconds to thicken up). Add evap milk and water and allow to thicken, still over med-high heat (will take 7 to 10 minutes) stirring often. Turn off heat and add cheese.

Pour cheese sauce over macaroni noodles in a 9x13. At this point I like to mix in sauteed kielbasa sausage, and/or add thin slices of salted and garlic-ed tomatoes over top. This is of course optional, but Jacob and I love it.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes (or until tomatoes look roasted and yummy). Then eat and enjoy!

Marinara, Mo Better

Now, I know I have another marinara recipe on here, and that one was good, until I tasted this one. I still like the other recipe just fine, especially for kids you have a hard time getting veggie's into, because it is vegetable packed. But this one is simpler, with fewer ingredients, and tastes mo better.

This is my go-to spaghetti etc sauce. It is yummy as a basic tomato sauce on pasta, and a great base sauce to jazz up (with Italian sausage, heavy cream or fresh mozzarella). I also use it as my pizza sauce.

It can require roasting your own tomatoes, but only if you want. I combine both roasted and canned tomatoes in order to yield enough sauce to freeze some for later use. I roast about 15 medium tomatoes and combine with enough canned diced tomatoes to yield 10 cups of puree.

Here's what you will need:
- 15 medium tomatoes of your choice
- olive oil, about 1/4 cup
- 6 to 8 cloves garlic, I use about a half clove per tomato. You will be pureeing the garlic into the sauce, so keep that in mind.
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove the stems from the tomatoes and place on a cookie sheet (I line mine with tin foil for easy clean up). break up garlic cloves and push pieces down into the tomato, if any of the garlic is exposed during roasting it will burn. Drizzle oil over tomatoes to coat and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until tomato skins brown and burst (see photo below), about 45 minutes.

After roasting, allow the tomatoes to sit until they are cool enough to handle. You will need to remove the skins before you puree the tomatoes for the sauce.

Starting the Sauce:
You will need:

- olive oil
- 5 oz pancetta (optional)
- 10 cups tomato puree (canned and/or home roasted)
- 2 large onions, small diced
- 2 to 3 cups chicken broth, or white wine and water to equal same amount
- salt and pepper to taste
- crushed red pepper (optional)

Directions:
Add oil to a sauce pot over medium high heat.
Add pancetta, and cook until browned (4-5 min).

Add onions and season with salt. Cook onions until soft (about 7 min). 

Add tomato puree along with your 2 to 3 cups of liquid (either broth or wine) and allow to cook 2 to 3 hours.

Buttered Noodles with Lemon, Shallot, and Chives

I have to fight the urge to start each of my posts with "So, ..."

Just thought you should know.



So...

Last Sunday Jacob and I had some of his family over for dinner. I made what I hoped would be a winner with everyone who came, because they all drive up from Provo just to have dinner with us and our screaming, hyper three year old. And I REALLY appreciate it. I hope they know that!

I made my mother-in-law's Country Style BBQ Pork Spare Ribs. I make these a lot, and have already posted the recipe on this blog. If you are interested, which you totally should be because this is a recipe passed down from my mother-in-laws mother, just click above or click HERE. Easy enough? I hope so.

But man, I wasn't totally sure what awesome thing to serve with them, so I went with mashed potatoes (classic) and I made what I will lovingly refer to as "Escalante Beans." They are so so so good, but this is one I'm not sure about posting on the blog (I feel it should stay with the family). But I will make them for anyone who wants some. They are like super awesome baked beans. (Ok, so I ended up posting the recipe, if you want it click HERE.)

The moral of my story is: I'm not 17 anymore. I can't eat all that heavy stuff for dinner and then wake up the next morning and be normal. I could barely wake up the next morning. But I did, and later that day while watching foodnetwork I saw The Neeley's make these noodles. I thought, "Perfect! And I even have leftovers in the fridge, so I can try it out!"

The lemon and chives really brighten up all the slow cooked flavors of the spare ribs. Real comfort food, (great winter food) and you still feel comfortable in the morning. Yay!
What I really love is that you can make the noodles fresh whenever, because they come together quickly. So when you're eating your spare rib leftovers, they don't feel so leftover-y. Finn loves eating the noodles as they are, without the spare ribs on top. So there you go, 3 year old approved.



Ingredients:

- 1 (12-ounce) package wide egg noodles
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 small shallot, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced chives
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water over medium heat, according to the package directions. Drain in a colander and set aside.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and saute until tender. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and when melted stir in the chives, Parmesan and lemon.
Add the noodles to the skillet and toss to combine. Serve with Country Style BBQ Pork Spare Ribs poured all over the top, and some additional chopped green onions. Jacob and I have eaten these for the last two nights in a row!! (Jacob isn't normally a leftover person.)

Homemade Marinara

I'm taking credit for this one. I've made a few different marinara sauces, sticking strictly to whatever recipe I was using. This recipe I claim as my own is really a mixture of my favorite parts of each recipe.



You will need:

- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 small onions, finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 2 to 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped (it's up to you, how much do you like garlic?)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 (15 oz, or as close to...) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 (15 oz, or as close to...) can stewed tomatoes, (open the can and give them a rough chop)
- 1 (15 oz, or as close to...) can tomato sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup white wine (optional I guess, but the flavor is insanely good when used)
- OPTIONAL (1/2 cup green olives, finely chopped, 3 tablespoons capers, drained)--these will go with the flavors of the white wine and add a delicious salty bite to the sauce, but I know not all of you are olive fans. That's ok, more for me!

Directions:
Place stock pot or dutch oven on stove over medium-high heat, and add olive oil. Add in the onions, celery, carrots and garlic, and season with the salt and pepper. Allow the vegetables to saute until soft, about 15 minutes. Add in the tomato products, bay leaves and white wine, and allow to simmer over medium heat for about 45 minutes, until flavors marry and the sauce reduces a bit.
REMOVE BAY LEAVES!!!
Grab your food processor and, depending on how chunky you and your family like your marinara, process ladle fulls of the sauce until smooth, and then add the processed sauce back to your stock pot. Doing this will help thicken the sauce. If you want to process the entire batch of marinara sauce then I recommend bringing out a second pot for the sauce you've already processed.
This sauce is delicious with the sweet potato gnocchi (when made without the capers and olives). It is perfect to use as pizza sauce for your homemade pizzas as well.
I promise you will love this sauce! You can pop it in a jar and give it as a gift to your neighbors. It keeps in the fridge for 7 to 10 days, but you can store some in the freezer if you need to keep it longer.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Our friends Bubba and Kim had us over for dinner before they moved to Florida, this must have been a month or two ago. They always make the most beautiful, amazing food for us when they have us over. This particular night they made us Sweet Potato Gnocchi. I love pasta, especially gnocchi, but I had never heard of using sweet potatoes or yams in place of regular potatoes before. That's not to say that doing so is rare, it is just another proof of how much I don't know about food.
Hold up.
Pretend I didn't say that. I know everything about food. Please keep reading my blog.
Anyway, what really blew my mind is how good the sweet, cinnamon-y gnocchi tasted with the homemade marinara sauce they served with it. Below I will post the gnocchi recipe they used, as well as the one I tried. The only difference is that with the second one (by Giada, Foodnetwork.com) you don't spend 2 hours draining ricotta cheese. I am also posting Giada's recipe for Browned Butter Sauce, because this is what she served hers with, and it is also very delicious.
How fun would it be to serve these sweet potato gnocchi with Thanksgiving dinner instead of the generic sweet potatoes with marshmallows?! (Although those are awesome too, which is why they are a classic, right?)
What I like to do is make a triple batch to have some for later. To do this you just make up the dough per the directions below, line up the uncooked gnocchi on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and pop them in the freezer until they have hardened. Make sure they do not touch on the cookie sheet or they will freeze together in a clump. Once they have hardened you can transfer them to a Ziploc bag. When you are ready to eat them just boil them up like normal, they will just take one or two extra minutes to cook up.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi
(Bubba and Kim’s recipe)

Ingredients:
2 1-pound sweet potatoes, pierced all over with a fork
1 12-ounce container fresh ricotta cheese, drained in sieve 2 hours
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 tbs. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. plus 2 tbs. salt
½ tsp. nutmeg
2 ¾ cups flour (about)

Directions:

Place sweet potatoes on plate; microwave on high until tender, about 5 minutes per side. Cut in half and cool. Scraped sweet potato flesh into medium bowl and mash; transfer 3 cups to mixer. Add ricotta and blend well. Add Parmesan, brown sugar, 2 tsp. salt and nutmeg; mash to blend. Mix in four, about ½ cup at a time, until soft dough forms.

Turn dough onto floured surface; divide into 6 equal pieces. Form each piece into a 20-inch-long rope (about 1 inch in diameter), sprinkling with flour as needed if sticky. Cut each rope into 40 pieces. Transfer to baking sheet.

Bring large pot of water to boil; add 2 tbs. salt and return to boil. Working in batches, boil gnocchi until they float to the top. Transfer gnocchi to baking sheet.


Next, Giada's recipe--

Ingredients:
For the Gnocchi:
2 pounds sweet potatoes
2/3 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1/3 cup for the work surface

For the Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter:
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
20 fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
For the Gnocchi:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Pierce the sweet potato with a fork. Bake the sweet potatoes until tender and fully cooked, between 40 to 55 minutes depending on size. Cool slightly. Cut in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl. Mash the sweet potatoes and transfer to a large measuring cup to make sure the sweet potatoes measure about 2 cups.
Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes back to the large bowl. Add the ricotta cheese, salt, cinnamon, and pepper and blend until well mixed.

Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time until a soft dough forms.
Lightly flour a work surface and place the dough in a ball on the work surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal balls.

Roll out each ball into a 1-inch wide rope. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces. Roll the gnocchi over the tines of a fork. Transfer the formed gnocchi to a large baking sheet. Continue with the remaining gnocchi.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the gnocchi in 3 batches and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the gnocchi using a slotted spoon onto a baking sheet. Tent with foil to keep warm and continue with the remaining gnocchi.

For the Brown Butter sauce:
While the gnocchi are cooking melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted add the sage leaves.

Continue to cook, swirling the butter occasionally, until the foam subsides and the milk solids begin to brown. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the cinnamon, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Careful, the mixture will bubble up. Gently stir the mixture. When the bubbles subside, toss the cooked gnocchi in the brown butter. Transfer the gnocchi to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Creamy Green Bean and Orzo Salad (7/6/2010)

I would like to declare a victory for myself in this latest battle of Carissa vs. Blogger. I have been trying for forever to get a certain gadget I have since learned is called a "LinkWithin" to appear on my blog. A huge thanks to Holly at Phe.mom.enon for answering the big question. Now at the end of every post there will be links to similar recipes/posts.
May I tell you all a little about were I am living? I live in an apartment complex called Remmington in Midvale, Utah. I have lived here for almost exactly 3 years. The first two passed without incident, but this last one (and I blame it on the economy, really) has been, as Gwen Stefani so wisely puts it, B.A.N.A.N.A.S.

Incident One: Jacob goes down to the soda machine to get a soda and sees a couple having sex in our apartment pool. I can't believe it, so I walk down to check it out. Yep. My response? Call apartment management. Yuck.

Incident Two: I stop by the Walgreen's located immediately across the street from my complex, and witness a prostitution deal go down involving a girl who looks about 17. And yes, I am SURE that's what it was. You don't just wear cut-off denim booty shorts and fishnets in the middle of winter. Not in Utah (unless you want to be stoned into unconsciousness by members of the Mormon Relief Society). My response? Call 911.

Incident Three: A mere 2 months later Jacob and I are awakened by the sound of fighting. We look out our window into the lot next door to our complex and see two party vans, one white, one black, parked but still running. A couple has gotten out of one of the vans and is arguing. The man proceeds to push the woman against the wall and strangle her. Seriously? I mean, really? My response? Call 911. However, as I am on the phone with the operator I notice Jacob is gone. I then see a flash of white darting across the apartment parking lot three stories below, hear yelling and the exchange of threats, realise that Jacob is downstairs in his underwear and trying, unsuccessfully, to pull the terrified woman over a six foot cement wall. It all ends in the couple getting back into a van when Jacob yells out "I called the cops!" And no follow up by the police whatsoever. I expected at least to see a cop car sweep the lot.

Incident Four: Looking out from our patio across the above mentioned lot we can see directly into someones back yard. They seem to be having a party. Couples, families, and kids are all sitting around when out of NOWHERE one of the guys starts beating on people with a baseball bat. Apparently someone called the cops because they show up shortly there after and begin searching for the guy who Jacob and I can SEE hiding behind a large bush. We can see that the cops aren't able to find him. Jacob drives over there and saves the day! But, seriously? A baseball bat?

If anyone knows of a cool place for rent...

Creamy Green Bean and Orzo Salad, with Buttermilk Chive Dressing

Ingredients:
(for the dressing)
- 2 Tbsp. buttermilk
- 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
- 2 tsp. snipped fresh chives
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
(for the salad)
- 1/3 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- 1 cup diagonally sliced green beans
- 1 Roma tomato, seeded and cut into strips
- Kosher salt and black pepper

Directions:
Whisk together buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, chives, sugar, and Dijon in a bowl to dissolve sugar.
Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to package instructions. Add beans during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain pasta and beans; cool to room temp.
Add pasta mixture to tomatoes and dressing; toss until coated. Cover salad; chill until ready to serve.

Linguine with Lemon and Cream, my personal favorite!

Yesterday I looked up The Little Einsteins on Youtube for Finn. Now whenever I sit down at the computer he comes running up to me screaming “Rocket! Rocket!”

At about nine o’clock last night, right before I decided to go round four with Sleepless in Seattle, I got to feeling like I needed something tasty to eat. You can only stand so much romance before the emotional eating drive kicks in, am I right? This is my favorite pasta. It’s got your butter, it’s got your cream, but it doesn’t make you feel heavy when you eat it because all the lemon brightens and lightens it up. You need to try this pasta, especially if you are not a meat sauce/ red sauce person. I promise it will change your life for the better!

Cook time: 30 minutes, Serves: 2-3 people
You will need:

- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 slices prosciutto (bacon will work in a pinch)
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 4 teaspoons lemon zest
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
- ½ lb dry linguine
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
- extra lemon zest to garnish (you will want this, so don’t skimp!)
- shredded mozzarella cheese to top

Start by bringing a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. While pasta cooks prepare the sauce, it will come together pretty fast as long as you get all your ingredients prepped before hand.
Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add prosciutto and sauté until pieces begin to crisp (about 5-7 minutes). Add broth and cook for an additional 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and stir in cream, lemon juice, pepper to taste and 4 teaspoons lemon zest. Cook for two minutes. Keep sauce covered and warm while you wait for pasta to finish. When pasta is done add to the sauce, then add the cup of parmesan cheese and stir. To serve garnish with additional lemon zest, fresh ground pepper, and mozzarella cheese. (This recipe is from Cuisine at Home magazine, Issue No. 59 from October 2006.)

Sin-sational Pasta Salad, and Yay for Rain! (9/30/2009)

Ah, yes. Hooray for a rainy day! I love, love, love fall in Utah. Too bad it only lasts for about a week…
My tummy is still a tad sensitive from the other night, so I actually just snacked on toast all day. What did the other two people I live with eat all day? Don’t know, don’t care.Here is the pasta salad recipe I was talking about the other day. It is so good, and at the bottom –incase you don’t already know how- I typed up directions on roasting a bell pepper for yourself. Bon Appetite!

Sensational Pasta Salad

For the Yogurt-Herb Sauce you will need:
-1 cup fresh spinach leaves
-1/2 cup plain yogurt
-1/2 cup feta, crumbled
-1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
-3 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
-2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
-1 teaspoon honey
-salt and pepper to taste
-1/4 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients but olive oil in the food processor. While mixing, drizzle in olive oil until smooth. Set aside.

For the Pasta you will need:
-2 and ½ cups dry penne pasta
-1 cup roasted red bell pepper cut into strips (about 2 large bell peppers)
-1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
-yogurt herb sauce (above)

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Toss drained pasta with bell pepper, olives and sauce. Store in refrigerator.
Note: TO ROAST A BELL PEPPER-
Turn on your broiler. Pop in the bell peppers and allow to blacken, rotating until entire pepper is charred (may take about 12 minutes total). Prepare paper towels by dampening them in water. Cover charred bell peppers with the moist paper towels for about 10 minutes. This allows the pepper to steam and cool, which will make the skin easier to remove.

Roasting bell peppers will make your house smell better than any candle ever could!

Cajun Chicken and Kielbasa Sausage Alfredo (9/20/2009)

So tonight I am cheating. Kind of. Jacob and I actually got invited out tonight! We are so cool and popular! With, like, two couples…

Our wonderful friends Andrea and Ben had us over and made the most delicious apple-butter pork tenderloin! Yumm… She looked up the recipe on a website that I will get from her and post, because it sounded really cool. In the mean time, however, I will post a recipe for a pasta dish I made this last Wednesday.

Every Wednesday my brother in law Grayson comes over for dinner. My new little guinea pig. I love having him over, although Jacob turns into an even bigger pervert when he’s here. Hard to believe, harder to be around… But anyway, this recipe is one of Grayson’s favorites. My man-friend Jason and his girlfriend Claire also made it the other day, and I think they really liked it too, though they said it made a ton of food, which is true. So maybe consider cutting the recipe in half, and give yourself plenty of prep time because there are a ton of vegetables.

You will need:

-4 oz dry farfalle pasta
-½ cup evaporated milk
-¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
-1 egg yolk
-1 tsp.Cajun seasoning (try to find salt free…)
-½ lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size chunks
-1 tble spoon olive oil
-8 oz turkey kielbasa, sliced into half moons
-2 cups sliced button mushrooms
-1 onion chopped
-1 red bell pepper chopped ( I like more…)
-2 cloves garlic minced
-¼ cup reserved pasta water
-1 cup frozen peas
-Kosher salt to taste
-Sliced scallionsParmesan cheese to top

Start by preparing your vegetables.
Boil the pasta.
Wisk together evaporated milk, ¼ cup parm cheese and egg yolk in a bowl and set aside.
Coat chicken in Cajun seasoning. Saute chicken over medium high heat in LARGE sauté pan until meat is browned and fully cooked (about 4 min.). Remove the chicken and set it aside.
Add olive oil to this same pan. Over medium high heat add kielbasa, mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the warm olive oil. Cook until kielbasa browns (4-6 minutes).
Deglaze pan with the reserved ¼ cup pasta water. Reduce until the water has nearly evaporated. Add the chicken, cooked farfalle pasta, and peas. Add the evaporated milk mixture, stirring until thickened.
Season with salt to taste, and garnish with scallions and Parmesan cheese. (It looks really cool if you use a potato peeler to shave off ribbons of Parmesan cheese.)

This recipe is from Cuisine Magazine. It is a really neat magazine that is all recipes and cooking tips. There are no ads, and no random articles. There is a companion website with demonstration video clips that I have used before and found very helpful (http://www.cuisineathome.com/).

Love it? Hate it? Let me know! I'll be eating mint chocolate chip ice cream and watching Zac Efron movies...

Creamy Baked Fettuccine and the Horrible Spider (9/19/2009)

Well, I am normally not a huge Fettuccine fan. I thought this recipe was...eh...okay, but my husband and, surprisingly, my son Finn LOVED it. So I'm posting this recipe because I am outnumbered, but I do have one fettuccine recipe that I love that I will make sure I post in the near future.

For this recipe you will need:

-1 lb dry fettuccine pasta

-2 cups grated Asiago cheese , plus 1/4 cup

-2 (8-ounce) containers creme fraiche

-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

-1 and 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

-1/2 teaspoon salt

-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

In a large bowl combine the 2 cups Aiago cheese, creme fraiche, Parmesan, thyme, salt, pepper, cooked pasta, and pasta cooking liquid. Gently toss until all the ingredients are combined and the pasta is coated. Place the pasta in a buttered baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup asiago cheese. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes. Let sit for at least 5 minutes and serve.

So... thanks Giada and foodnetwork.com for the "awesome" (according to Jacob and Finn) Fettuccine recipe. It was definitely fast and easy, and it made a ton which is great because the cheese was pretty expensive. I added fresh lemon juice to mine at the end and that was tasty. The recipe could probably feed five really hungry people as a main dish, more if you served it with salmon or chicken.

A little side note about my day today.... I put my hand down right on top of the most disgusting, hairy, thirty-eyed spider ever...

and I'm positive it wasn't even full grown yet. This happened today at the playground in my complex. There was also a hairball from some mangy flee bitten muff of a cat sitting in the middle of the walk way. W.T.F. Remington?!?