Ham and Shells Casserole

Oh, this was one yummy dinner!

This recipe from This Girl's Food was delicious. I ended up having to make some changes, the biggest being the fact that I didn't bake it. I preheated my oven, and my kitchen started to fill with smoke. I peeked in and saw that whatever I had made last had apparently spilled and I didn't notice. So... no baking!

I really enjoyed the creaminess of it, and while I wonder what it would be like out of the oven, I'm not sure I'd try. Why mess with a good thing?

Ingredients

• 1 pkg (16 oz.) medium pasta shells
• 3 large onions
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 9 oz. package fresh spinach, torn
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3-1/2 cups skim milk
• 1 cup park-skim ricotta cheese (I omitted because I didn't have any)
• 1 cup (4 oz.) crumbled goat cheese (I used mozzarella)
• 2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350°

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, saute onions in oil for 15-20 minutes or unitl golden brown. Add spinach and rosemary, cook for a few minutes until spinach is wilted.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and pepper until smooth and cook for a few minutes. Gradually add milk, stirring to prevent lumps from forming. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in cheeses until blended.

Drain pasta, place in a large bowl. Add the ham, onion mixture and sauce and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes until bubbly.

Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake

For my husband's birthday a couple of weeks ago, he opted to stay home for a low-key home cooked meal.  He requested chicken enchilladas but said he had no preference for a dessert.

This recipe for a Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake from Smitten Kitchen has been popping up all over my Google Reader, so I took that as a sign.  We both enjoy cheesecake, and since I've never made it myself, I was excited for the challenge.  Thanks to a friend who lent me her spring-form pan, I rolled up my sleeves (and put Cars on for Ryan) and hopped into the kitchen.

This was actually very good!  It did crack, but not too badly.  I also had issues with the time; I probably kept it in the oven for an extra half hour.  But every hot minute in the kitchen was worth it, because I really loved this cheesecake, and so did the birthday boy.

I modified it a bit, and by "modified," I mean that I cheated; I used a box mix for the brownies and nixed the chocolate topping.  I just copied and pasted Deb's instructions below.  And for the record - I doubled the crust too!

Part One: One Bowl Brownies
Adapted from Baker’s One Bowl Brownies
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (Baker’s chocolate, optional of course)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 3/4cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 13×9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Grease foil.

Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on high for 2 minutes, or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and salt; mix well. Spread into prepared pan.

Bake 30 to 35 minute or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Cool in pan on wire rack. Remove brownies from pan, using foil handles.

Cool brownies, then cut* them into 3/4- to 1-inch squares for use in the cheesecake. You will have more than the two cups of cubes, loosely measured, than you will need, and I’m sorry, you’re just going to have to decide for yourself what to do with the extra. Add cubes to cake batter as directed below.

* I find that brownies are fantastically easy to cut once they’ve been refrigerated–you end up with nice clean lines, and in this case, a sharp pizza wheel was especially helpful. Also, brownies taste better cold. I’m just saying.

Part Two: Crumb Crust
Adapted from Gourmet, 1999
I like a doubled crumb crust. I can’t get enough cookie. Below are proportions for one crust with the amounts to double the recipe in parentheses. You know you wanna.

1 1/2 cups or 5 ounces (3 cups or 10 ounces to double) finely ground cookies such as chocolate wafers. Or Chocolate Teddy Grahams.
5 tablespoons (10 tablespoons to double) unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup (2/3 cup to double) sugar
1/8 (1/4 teaspoon to double) teaspoon salt
Stir together crust ingredients and press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of a buttered 24-centimeter springform pan. Fill right away or chill up to 2 hours.
Part Three: Cheesecake
Adapted from the Three Cities of Spain Coffeehouse
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 cups brownie cubs (from recipe above)
Make crumb crust as directed above for 24-centimeter cheesecake. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Make filling and bake cake: Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy and add eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla and sugar, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated and scraping down bowl between additions.

Fold brownie cubes in very gently and pour mixture into prepared pan. Put springform pan with crust in a shallow baking pan. Pour filling into crust and bake in baking pan (to catch drips) in middle of oven 45 minutes, or until cake is set 3 inches from edge but center is still slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken.
When completely cool, top with following glaze.
Part Four: Ganache Glaze
Adapted from Purdy’s original recipe

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken up, or 1/2 cup chocolate morsels
2 ounces butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
Grind the chocolate into powder in the food processor, scald the butter and cream in a saucepan (or in a Pyrex cup in the microwave). With the machine running, pour the hot cream/butter mixture slowly through the feed tube onto the chocolate. Blend until completely smooth, stopping machine to scrape down sides once or twice. Add the extract and sugar and process until smooth. Spread over cheesecake while ganache is still warm. Chill until ready to serve.

Marsala Burgers

This hasn't been a very good summer for grilling, at least in my opinion.  It pretty much rained through July, and then gave way to humidity of evil, tortuous levels.  On those days, the idea of stepping outside for 10 seconds longer than absolutely necessary was pretty much ruled out.

So when I found this yummy-sounding burger recipe on Smells Like Home, I was excited to make a burger that didn't require a shower afterwards.

These were different from any burger I've had, but I really enjoyed them.  They felt almost like a gourmet or upscale kind of patty, and I liked that.  The only issues I ran into were my own fault; I made the burgers a little too thick, so they didn't cook all the way through.  Of course, I didn't notice this until the part when you put them back in the pan, so they had to hang out there a little longer than I wanted - which in turn made the marsala sauce reduce a bit too much.  But the flavor was fabulous, and now I know for next time!

Ingredients

• 12 oz ground beef (85%/15% works well here) or ground chuck
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 ounces assorted mushrooms, sliced
• 3/4 cup sweet Marsala
• 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese
• crusty French bread baguette

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.

 

Shape the ground beef into 4 oblong patties, about 4 inches long each. Drizzle the patties with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; repeat on the opposite sides. Cut the french bread into pieces a little shorter than each of the patties and set aside.

 

Brown the patties in the skillet on both sides until the burgers are medium rare. Transfer the burgers to a plate and keep warm; leave the juices in the pan.

 

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1/2 tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Add the shallot and garlic. Sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add another 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil, if necessary. Add the mushrooms and sauté until tender and the juices evaporate, about 3 minutes. Season with salt. Add the Marsala. Simmer until the Marsala reduces by half, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and the rosemary sprig. Simmer until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Return the burgers to the skillet. Cook burgers until they are medium, turning to coat, about 1 minute. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Add 1 oz of cheese to the top of each burger and cover the pan to allow the cheese to melt, about 2 minutes.

 

When the cheese has melted, remove the burgers from the pan and place on the French bread. Top the burgers with Marsala sauce and then the top of the French bread. Serve hot.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Like many people, I love pizza nights.  What beats just picking up the phone and sitting down, in thirty minutes or less, to a hot pie with oozy gooey cheese? 

Although we've lived in this house for over 6 years, we've yet to really find GREAT local pizza.  In all honesty, though, laziness is a factor; the place we usually use is adequate, and we haven't continued searching around.

I don't make my own pizza often, mostly because when I think of homemade pizza, I think of Nana's or my mom's - and I know I can't duplicate theirs!  But every once in awhile I come across a pizza that's so tempting that I can't pass it up; this Chicken Alfredo Pizza from Kickin' it in the Kitch was surely among them!

I cheated and used a store bought crust, but nonetheless, this was fantastic.  I didn't love the Alfredo sauce I used, so next time I might even be enticed to make my own.  Best of all, this reheated nicely for a yummy lunch the next day.

Ingredients

• Pizza dough (you could use homemade or store-bought)
• Half jar of alfredo sauce
• Chicken, cubed & cooked
• Frozen spinach (Next time, I'll use fresh)
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Olive oil, parsley and oregano mixed together

Preheat the oven to 500 (or, if using a premade crust, follow package instructions).

Roll out pizza dough to desired size on pizza stone. Spread alfredo sauce on crust and add the rest of the toppings. Brush the olive oil mixture on the crust. Bake at 500 degrees for 12 minutes or until crust is golden.

Rice Krispie Cookies

A couple of weeks ago I went to my friend Christina's house for a game night.  I offered to bring some cookies to snack on, and I was excited to find this recipe for Rice Krispie Cookies from Amber's Delectable Delights.

The only change I made was to add chocolate chips, because I don't think I know how to make cookies that don't include chocolate!

I thought these were really good - very different.  The cereal added a surprising little crunch, and gave me justification to have a couple of these babies for breakfast.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons hot water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
• 1 cup butterscotch (or peanut butter) chips

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until combined. Mix in hot water and vanilla. Add flour mixture, in two batches, beating just until combined – be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Using a wooden spoon, fold in butterscotch chips and Rice Krispies. Cover and refrigerate for 30 min. or longer.

Preheat oven to 375. Scoop out tablespoons of the dough and roll into balls. Place all balls on one baking sheet, and chill at least 30 min. Remove from fridge and place 12 balls on cookie sheet at a time. Bake until the middle looks just set and the edges begin to turn a light golden – about 8-12 minutes. Remove and let sit on the sheet for a minute. Move cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Summer Evening Pasta

I really wanted to love this dish from Gillian's Goodies, but it just didn't speak to me the way I had hoped.  I thought it was kind of dry, and while I love each ingredient separately, I thought it lacked flavor as a whole.  I did leave out a couple of things, so maybe that was my problem, but I'm not so sure I'd make this again.

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe, really fresh tomatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tbsp. fresh basil, minced
• 1/8 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 tbsp. black or kalamata olives, chopped
• 1-2 tsp. capers, drained
• 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• Freshly-ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 pound short pasta (wagon wheels, butterflies, penne...)
• 1/2 cup cooked white/navy beans

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Add the pre-cooked beans during the last few minutes of cooking time just to warm them through.

2. While the pasta cooks, place half of the tomatoes in a large bowl along with the onion, olives, capers, and basil.

3. Place the remaining tomato chunks into a blender or food processor bowl. Add the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic. Puree until smooth. Transfer this mixture to the bowl with the tomato-caper-basil mixture.

4. Once the pasta and beans are ready, drain and add them to the bowl with the tomato mixture. Toss well and serve

Rachael Ray's Chicken Pot Pie

Since I'm on maternity leave, I've been indulging in a little daytime television. A few weeks ago, I was watching the Rachael Ray Show and she made this Chicken Pot Pie. It looked so good that I added it to my meal plan for the next week.

This happened to be my first time cooking and eating the parsnip. Rachael said they are like carrots with attitude. I don't know if I'd go that far, but they're yummy.



I really loved this dinner - pay no attention to the ugly pictures. It was delicious and comforting and it will officially become my go-to pot pie dish.


Ingredients

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
• 3 small onions, 2 cut in half, 1 chopped, divided
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 pound button mushrooms, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 5 to 6 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves picked and chopped
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 sheet puff pastry or pie dough, defrosted if frozen
• 1 egg, lightly beaten with a splash of water

Preheat oven to 375.

Place chicken, whole onion half and bay leaves in a large pot and cover with cold water. Place pot over medium-high heat and bring up to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken has cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and let cool. Reserve about 1 cup (a mugful) of the cooking liquid and then discard the remaining.

While chicken cools, place a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add chopped onion, mushrooms, carrots, celery and parsnips to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 7-8 minutes. While the veggies are cooking, remove the chicken breast meat from the bones and shred.

When the veggies are tender, scoot them over to the side of the pan and add the butter to the center of the pot. Once butter has melted, add the flour and cook for about a minute. Whisk in white wine, milk, chicken stock and reserved poaching liquid. Bring up to a simmer then add the tarragon, Dijon, peas and shredded chicken. Bring back up to a simmer, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the sauce has thickened, 2-3 minutes.

Transfer to a casserole dish and cover with the pastry dough, trimming it as needed to cover the entire surface. Make a few slits in the dough to allow steam to escape, then brush the top with the beaten egg.

Bake the pot pie until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve.

Caprese Lasagna

Don't even read this post; just scroll down to the end to get the recipe. Go to the store and buy whatever you need, and make this tonight. Seriously.


I bookmarked Rachael Ray's Caprese Lasagna a long time ago, but I'm really not sure why I waited so long to make it. But it for sure won't take me long to make it again.

It was such a great summery comfort dinner. The flavor combination of the basil, tomato, and mozzarella is one of my favorites, and you all know of my love for all things pasta.


Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup chicken stock
• A few grates of fresh nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 box oven-ready lasagna noodles
• 4 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
• Half a bunch basil, chopped (about 30 leaves)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF.

Place a large saucepot over medium-heat and melt the butter. Add the garlic to the pan and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk the milk and chicken stock into the butter-flour mixture and bring up to a bubble. Add the nutmeg, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and simmer until thickened, 3-4 minutes.

Assemble the lasagna by ladling a small amount (about 1/4 cup, just eyeball it) of the sauce into the bottom of a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish and laying three lasagna noodles over the sauce. Top the noodles with about a third of the sliced tomatoes, a third of the basil, 1/4 cup of sauce and about a third of the shredded cheese. Repeat until all ingredients are used up, topping the lasagna off with a final layer of sauce and shredded cheese.

Cover the pan with foil and bake the lasagna for 30 minutes. Remove the foil from the baking dish and bake another 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. When ready to serve, top with the remaining chopped basil leaves.

Chicken Marsala Pasta Toss

I know, I know. I have been the most craptastic blogger ever. But now that our growing family has settled into a groove, I've been back in the kitchen and actually have a bunch of exciting dinners and treats to share. So don't let my recent absence turn you off; I'm ready to roll my sleeves up and get back to work!

This Chicken Marsala Pasta Toss (from Milk and Honey, by way of Stephanie Cooks) was actually the first meal I cooked after Daniel was born, excluding the dinners I cooked and stashed in the freezer at the end of my pregnancy.


I doubled the sauce ingredients, and I'm glad I did - even twice as much was almost not quite enough. But nonetheless, this was a delicious dinner, and I'm sure I will be cooking it again soon.



Ingredients

• Half a box of rotini
• 2 tsps olive oil
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 1 1/2 cups sliced button mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, cut into cubes
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 2 tbs. butter
• 2 tbs. flour
• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dry marsala wine

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente. Drain and set aside.

Heat 1 tsp. olive oil in a large skillet, cook green onions and mushrooms until tender, about five minutes. Season with a pinch of salt. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Add remaining olive oil to skillet and add chicken. Season with salt and pepper, stirring until just warmed through, about 3 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Melt butter in skillet and add flour, stirring to form a roux. Cook for one minute. Slowly add chicken broth and wine, stirring constantly. Simmer sauce until bubbly and thickened. Add chicken and veggies to the sauce and heat through. Add sauce mixture to pasta and toss to combine. Garnish with additional green onion strips, if desired.

THANK YOU!

I cannot thank you enough for voting for my little cooking blog. Your votes paid off, because Lauren's Kitchen was one of two blogs chosen for HighLowAha's Second Annual SuperBowl Snack Throw Down!

During football season, I'll be competing against Kate as we each create recipes centering around a pre-determined "secret ingredient."

As you all know from reading this blog, I am not one to just create a dish on a whim - I am definitely a follow-directions kind of girl. Therefore, I am thrilled (and kind of scared!) of the challenge that lies before me. I can't wait to step up my cooking and creativity!

On a side note, remember how I had blog issues a few months ago? I was able to get some of the issues resolved, but not all. The date on each post is still weird (even though I've tried to adjust the settings), the title isn't big or distinguishable (aside from the color), and the bottom of each post runs directly into the top of the next.

Now that my blog is going to be featured for such a cool event, I really want to get these minor problems fixed. Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks again for your votes! I'm sure I'll be soliciting more votes each week as I create game food. :)