Colie's Kitchen

Jul 17, 2013

Wordless Wednesday - Woodland Paradise

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Triple Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

This mac-n-cheese is delicious. It’s a pain to make if you are thinking of boxed mac-n-cheese, but let me tell you its well worth all the work. It’s so creamy and delicious.

This recipe is very decadent and rich. If you are wanting something plain and simple this recipe is not for you. The only I could suggest is leaving out the Gouda cheese, but I wouldn’t!

If you want to serve it right away leave the bread crumbs off and sever right from the stove top. You can’t beat this mac-n-cheese.

Ingredients:

4 cups Dried Pasta
1/4 cup unsalted Butter
1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
2-1/2 cups heavy cream
3 teaspoons Dry Mustard
2 ounces Smoked Gouda grated
8 ounces Cheddar Cheese grated
6 ounces Mozzarella Cheese grated
1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
Plain Bread Crumbs

Directions:

Cook pasta about 4 minutes shy of package directions then drain and set aside.
In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly.
Pour in milk, and mustard, then whisk until smooth. Cook until very thick. Reduce heat to low.
Add in cheese and stir to melt.
Add seasoned salt and pepper.
Pour in cooked pasta and stir to combine.
Pour into a buttered baking dish, top with plain bread crumbs, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Original Recipe Source

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Waffle Iron Hash Browns (and Grilled Cheese)

I was reading a post by One Good thing by Jillee when I came across one of her normal wonderful ideas that was a “must try” for me. I never would have come up with this idea, but leave it to Jill… Hash browns using a waffle iron. Brilliant!

Not only are your hash browns done in under five minutes but they are perfectly golden brown and extra crispy just the way I like them. I will tell you that my waffle iron will alert you when your “waffles” are ready which helps when you are ~~patiently~~ impatiently waiting for your hash browns to be done. If you don’t have any alert or light indicator on your iron no worries just keep checking them. You don’t want your potato goodness to burn or be under cooked.

You can use either frozen hash browns or tatar tots. I used the tatar tot rounds (they are thinner than your regular tatar tots) and to me they came out perfect. I have a nonstick waffle iron, but I still sprayed it down with some cooking spray, then added a little seasoning just for extra flavor. As the hash browns are cooking you will need to keep squeezing the top and the bottom of the waffle iron together. As they defrost you will want them smashed as tight as possible for the crispiness.

In under five minutes I had the perfect crispy hash browns. This is a wonderful time saver, and it’s a great way to keep the house cooler during the summer too! Great idea! Thanks Jill

But hey why stop at hash browns? I made a grilled cheese too. Once again there is no need to turn on the stove when you can use your waffle iron.

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Parmesan Roasted Sweet Potatoes

These sweet potatoes were delicious! I loved them made this way because the roasting processes brings out the sweetness and gives the potatoes a nice caramelized stickiness. They are bursting with flavor and will be great made again in the fall. I think this would be a great addition to a Thanksgiving Day table.

The only change I will make next time is to make them on parchment paper for easy removal. Foil was a fail!

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and position oven rack to middle position. Line the bottom of a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray well with cooking spray.
In a medium sized bowl, place the prepared, cubed sweet potatoes, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, dried thyme. Distribute the ingredients evenly to cover the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the sweet potato mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread out the potatoes so that they are in a single layer.
Roast in oven for about 40 minutes or until tender.
Set the oven to broil and broil until the tops of the sweet potatoes start to brown and get crispy about 5-10 minutes but be sure to watch them because they will burn.

Original Recipe Source

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"Like" Chili's Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Obviously there is no science to these mashed potatoes but I have to admit I just love them. Chili’s has the best loaded mashed potatoes I have ever had. They are so good and so creamy and loaded full of ooey gooey goodness.

Here is my rendition of this wonderful pillow of potato fluff. Take about 2 pounds of potatoes, wash, peeled, sliced, then boiled. Once they are cooked add some salted butter, and sour cream to taste.

Now to the good part: Add a large spoon full of mashed potatoes to your plate, make a well in the middle of the potatoes (halfway hollow it out) add a generous amount of cheddar cheese, and bacon bits, then top with green onions (missing from the picture) then a little salt and pepper to top it all off. Delicious!

Like I said no science involved here! Just simple and delicious!

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Old El Paso Recipes Ideas!

Lately I have noticed that my family is getting tired of the same meals over and over again. In an effort to find something I know they will love I have been scouring the web for something new and interesting.

I recently discovered Old El Paso Recipes. We buy and eat their products so why not start cooking up some of their favorite recipes?

They have so many recipes to choose from. Better yet, they make it easy for you to narrow down their selection based on what you are looking for, or even based on the products you love. Who knew? If you are looking for main dishes or party planning ideas they have them.

What I love is they tell you exactly which of their products to buy. Also, you can print their recipes right on the recipe page. Brilliant!

I had a really hard time narrowing down the first few recipes we are going to try. My family is looking forward to trying their Cheesy Bean and Sweet Corn Nachos, and their Chicken, Lime, and Coriander Nachos. Delicious!

Have you tried any Old El Paso Recipes? Which ones?

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The Day the Corn Stopped Popping

A few weeks ago we were going to have movie night so we decided to pop some popcorn and get ready for a great movie. I placed a bag of popcorn in the microwave set it for 4 minutes then walked away for about 1 minute.

When I came back in the room I looked in on the popcorn because I could smell something burning. How was it possible that it was already burning? Sure enough the bag was burning! Oh no!

I opened up the microwave and saw that the bag never really inflated it just burnt! I tired another bag, then another bag, and finally all 6 bags were not only un-popped but they were all burnt.

The next day I sent an email to Jolly Time to find out if it was my microwave or the popcorn. I received a response back right away. Apparently during the popcorn bag sealing process machine errors can occur that leave pin size holes in the seal that are unseen by the naked eye. Sometimes it just happens!

They not only apologized but they replaced the box of popcorn. I have so much respect for a company that no only explains the process, admits that errors happened and don’t just place blame and then apologizes and replaces the item! Thanks Jolly Time for being a stay up great company! You’re one in a million!!

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KFC Coleslaw (Copy Cat)

I love serving this recipe at a good bbq dinner. I don’t find too many people who don’t like it. I do find it best to cut back on the sugar because using the full amount seems to be a bit much for me, but it’s up to you. I do advise maybe adding half then trying the sauce to see if you want more. You can’t take it back once it’s added.

I don’t know if this is the exact KFC recipe but it sure is good. I certainly haven’t had better. I haven’t eaten at KFC in years for many reasons but as an adult I grew to love their coleslaw.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used light)
1/8 cup buttermilk
3/4 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is best)
2 tbsp. + 2 tsp. sugar (add it until you are at the desired amount)
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash pepper
1/4 tsp. celery seed
8 ounce shredded bagged coleslaw mix

Instructions:

Whisk together all the ingredients except for the shredded coleslaw mix.
Add the bag and mix until nicely blended with the dressing.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours

Original Recipe Source

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Wordless Wednesday: Butter Bean

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Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I love Brussels sprouts, and roasting them in the oven is now one of my favorite ways. One reason I love them cooked this way is because it’s super easy! You can have them in the oven in just a couple of minutes and ready to eat in about a half hour. This is the type of recipe I could make just for myself as a main course.

The key to making the Brussels sprouts turn out so good is constantly turning them as they are roasting. I tend to have my phone in the kitchen while I am cooking I will use it to set a 5 minute alarm. By doing this I won’t forget to turn them the entire time they are cooking. Now if we could only get the price of Brussels sprouts to come down :-)

Ingredients:

1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Toss Brussels sprouts with oil, salt and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet and roast, stirring once or twice, until deep golden brown, crisp outside and tender inside, 30 to 35 minutes.
The leaves that are loose will be especially brown and crispy.
Transfer to a bowl and serve.

Original Recipe Source