Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

 Hello Autumn!! I have missed you soo much!

Fall is my favorite season. I love the sights, smells, and tastes, and this macaroni and cheese was a great way to combine the three.  This Martha Stewart recipe was used as the base, but modified to meet my needs. There are two main parts to the recipe, and it takes about 2 hours to make, so I started at 10 a.m. I took this picture when just starting, which perfectly describes our morning- French press coffee and squash.

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

Part 1:
1 lb butternut squash (half a medium sized squash)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Sprinkles of salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne (I think I did maybe about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon each)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel the butternut squash, scoop seeds, and cut squash into one inch cubes. This is a great tutorial. Place the squash in a metal sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with seasonings. Bake for 20 minutes, stir, and bake for another 10 minutes. Then, reduce oven temp to 375 degrees.

Part 2:
1 lb elbow macaroni or shell pasta
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Cooking spray
Cheddar and mozzarella cheese for sprinkling
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Cook pasta according to package. Meanwhile, put previously baked squash, heavy cream, chicken stock, and cheeses into a bowl and mix. The squash will get squishy and not stay cubed. Stir in cooked pasta. Pour all into a sprayed 9x9 baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar and mozzarella cheese and then breadcrumbs. Loosely cover the pan with tin foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Then, remove pan from oven, take off foil, and return to oven uncovered for another 40 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

We ate this with Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale for a super yummy Fall meal. Enjoy!

**Edit on 12/9/13: We have made this meal three more times since the original posting. A roasted sugar pumpkin works in place of the butternut squash (two seed scooped skin-on halves at 325* for 1 hour, then scraped out instead of cubed). This recipe get 10x more delicious when goat cheese is added into the mix. SO GOOD!

**Edit on  9/1/14: Still SO GOOD! I mess around with the flavors each time and it has never not been good. We're growing squash in the garden now too, which my husband lovingly calls the "squash-a-roni plant". He is just as excited as I am. :)

Mini Chocolate Almond Cake

So I took a break from blogging- but now I am back! I can't promise it will be frequent, but I can promise it will be fun.

Over the break, I made a very decadent, very yummy mini chocolate cake with whipped cream and chocolate ganache filling. Oh boy was this thing good. The recipe was followed almost exactly from here. I had been looking for a way to use mini quiche pans and a cute bird mini cake stand, and this was perfect. The recipe ended up making 6 mini cake pieces, which worked out perfectly since the cake stand was only tall enough for a two-stack portion anyway. So, one four-stack cake and one two-stack cake were created. Who can complain about that?

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

My dear friend Kristina sent me this recipe for chocolate chip cookies made with bananas from Taste of Home. I was skeptical at first but they turned out really well! The texture was like half cookie, half cake. I could see them going over well at a party where they are eaten quickly, or frozen as an ice cream sandwich (maybe with peanut butter swirl ice cream), as they only stayed fresh for a day or so in a container on the counter. The cookies got oddly sticky and moist by the next day, which was pretty weird.

The recipe is below, but I made a few changes from what is listed on the Taste of Home website. I ended with close to two dozen cookies, instead of the three listed by Taste of Home, so I adjusted the calorie count to reflect.

• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 medium mashed ripe banana
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips 

In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, banana and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. 

Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 2 dozen.

Calories: 125 per cookie 

We ate these for snacks and breakfast. They have a banana in it so they are okay for breakfast, right? :)

Stuffed French Toast with Caramel Rum Sauce

A good breakfast is the best way to start a weekend! This Saturday it was decadent french toast stuffed with a cream cheese, banana, chocolate mixture, then topped with a smooth caramel rum sauce.

Start with the sauce so it has a chance to thicken while making the french toast. Stirring frequently over medium heat, mix 1/2 stick of butter (4 tablespoons) and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Continue stirring until the mixture boils. Then stir nearly constantly until the mixture has thickened. Once the mixture can easily coat the back of the spoon without completely dripping off, add 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon vanilla and 2 tablespoons rum. Stir until smooth and put back on low heat to keep warm while making the french toast, stirring occasionally.

For the french toast, take four pieces of thick bread and place on a cookie sheet. Place in the oven on 300 degrees for a minute or so, then flip over to toast the other side. Remove from the oven (but keep oven on) and let cool slightly. Put a frying pan on the stove top with a tablespoon of butter and heat on medium, allowing the butter to melt. Meanwhile, mix 2 eggs, 1/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg in a flat dish. Dip both side of the bread into the mix and cook in the frying pan until yummy looking. ***Only dip two slices at a time so the bread doesn't get soggy before cooking.*** Repeat with the other two slices and set aside.

To make the filling, mix 4 oz (half block or 1/2 cup) of cream cheese (I used neufchatel cheese), 1/2 banana cut into small chunks, small handful of chocolate chips, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon orange juice (I used orange V8), and 1/8 cup sugar. Don't mash the bananas, just mix the ingredients all up. I found it easiest to soften the cheese in the microwave first. (You can also do cream cheese with jam and sugar instead of the banana mixture.)

Then, scoop the mixture evenly between two slices of french toast. Set the other slices on top (like a sandwich) and place on the cookie sheet from earlier. Put back in the oven and cook for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle with the warm sauce. This goes great with eggs and bacon expertly made by your husband! :)

Asparagus and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast with Hollandaise Sauce

Yes, this does look very similar to a previous post, it was just so good I can't help but share!

This is basically the same as the Caprese Stuffed Chicken Breast but with a different filling and sauce. Three bites in, I turned to the Mr. and said "I think this is the best meal I have ever made..." and I meant it!

Ingredients for 2 servings:
2 chicken breasts
Seasonings- Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder
Asparagus- Amount depends on size of shoots
Shredded mozzarella cheese (or your favorite kind)
Seasoned bread crumbs
Hollandaise sauce- I just use the stove-top powder packet that is mixed with milk and butter. Cheating, but still tasty!
Choice of side- Roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, stuffing (I used stuffing)

Basically, start off by doing exactly like the Caprese Chicken, by pounding two chicken breasts with the flat side of a meat mallet until about doubled in size. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic power, and onion powder. Place asparagus shoots on top of the chicken so they stick over both sides of the chicken. I used quite a few shoots, but they were very skinny. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up the two ends of the chicken to overlap in the middle. Stick with two toothpicks to keep the chicken from unraveling while baking. Like so,

Place in a greased glass baking dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 165.

Meanwhile, make the hollandaise sauce according the packet, or be cool and make it homemade. Also prepare the side, whatever that may be. A vegetable is incorporated into the main entree, so you can get by with just something starchy like potatoes, rice, etc.

Once the chicken is done, place on a plate and drizzle generously with the hollandaise sauce. Sit back with a glass of wine and enjoy the deliciousness!

Black Bean Brownies

...What? Black bean brownies? Brownies made with beans... really?

 

 Yes, really!

Simply puree one can of black beans (do not drain) and mix with a standard out-of-the-box brownie mix instead of the eggs, oil, and water. Bake as listed on the back of the box. It is really that easy! 

The treat still isn't necessarily healthy but is definitely healthier than the normal brownie, without compromising taste. Perfect for an ice cream sundae!

Boston Cream Cupcakes

So I cheated on this recipe... After making the cream filling, I wasn't in the mood to make the actual cupcake. In swooped Krusteaz Basic Muffin Mix for the rescue. I hate using any sort of mix from a box instead of creating homemade, but this muffin mix is delicious and super easy. Perfect for a lazy day!

Cream Filling- Filling recipe taken directly from Annie's Eats with a change in size (1/4 amount):

1 large egg yolks

1/8 cup sugar

1/16 cup cornstarch

Pinch of salt

1/2 cups milk

1/3 tsp. vanilla extract

  

To make the pastry cream, place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk.  In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt.  Gradually add the milk in a steady stream and cook until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble, about 5 minutes.  Whisking constantly, slowly add about a third of the hot milk mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks to temper.  Return the contents of the bowl back into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture.  Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a full boil and is thick enough to hold its shape when lifted with a spoon, 2-4 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.  Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Then, create cupcakes using whatever vanilla cupcakes suits you best. This is when I baked a partial batch of muffins from the Krusteaz mix with vanilla extract and a little bit of cinnamon. Once cooled, cut the muffins/cupcakes in half and spread with the cream filling. Place top back on cupcake and mix chocolate glaze. 

Chocolate Glaze:

1 square of unsweetened chocolate

1 Tbsp butter

3/4 powdered sugar

2 Tbsp milk

Place chocolate square and butter in a bowl and microwave on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Add sugar and milk and stir again until smooth. Drizzle over assembled cupcakes and lick the bowl clean!

Peach Cheesecake Wontons

Boy do I have a treat for you guys today!

Yesterday I made southwestern chicken wraps with avocado ranch sauce, found here, with a simpler dip (1 part avocado, 2 parts ranch, with a pinch of dried cilantro). They were totally delicious and a very filling vegetarian meal. I may have stuffed them a little full, because I ended up with quite a few eggroll wrappers left over. I had planned on making a cream cheese peach tart for dessert, but had a stroke of genius! I will make a peach cheesecake eggroll to get rid of my aging peaches and leftover wrappers! After ten minutes of research, the only recipes I could find were fried in a deep fat fryer, which I do not have. So I had no choice but to get a little creative. The results were fantastic!

4 oz (1/2 a brick) of cream cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1  teaspoon cinnamon
1 pitted, peeled, and diced peach
Cooking spray
2 egg roll wrappers
Pinch of both cinnamon and sugar

Mix the first 4 ingredients until smooth using a whisk in a small bowl. Add the diced peach and mix until combined. Spray two cups of a jumbo muffin tin (3 1/2 inches wide) with cooking spray. Place an eggroll in each and push down slightly to make a bowl shape, overlapping the roll over the edge on all sides. Divide the peach mix into the two wrappers and fold the wrapper over to completely cover the tops. Lightly spray tops of folded wrappers. Sprinkle with remaining "pinches" of cinnamon and vanilla (I used Penzyes vanilla sugar). Cook at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes before removing from tin. Serve hot over ice cream with caramel drizzle.

Caprese Stuffed Chicken

Yum yum! Caprese stuffed chicken is a fresh, cheesy, and crispy main dish that is surprisingly easy to make. The recipe can be easily modified to work with other stuffing combos (cheddar broccoli, boursin asparagus, Swiss ham, etc).

Start by making a tomato bruschetta-like topping with tomato, basil, garlic, balsamic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix 1 chopped tomato, 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (from the garden!), 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pound 2 thawed chicken breasts between parchment pepper with the smooth side of a meat mallet until flat and near doubled in size.

Dip one side of the chicken breast into Italian seasoned bread crumbs. Place a couple spoonfuls of the tomato mix in the middle of the flattened chicken breast. Place 10-15 fresh mozzarella pearls on top of the tomato mixture. Fold up both end to roll over the cheese/tomato mix. Stick two tooth picks through the roll to hold in place. Sprinkle with more bread crumbs and place in greased glass dish.

I had some tomato mixture and cheese leftover that got covered in raw chicken juice, so I dumped the remaining filling in the pan around the chicken breasts and sprinkled with more balsamic vinegar. This got all crispy and super yummy while cooking!

Cook in a 400 degree oven for about 35 minutes, or until the inside temperature reaches 165 degrees.

We served the chicken over mashed baby red potatoes with garlic toast. Make sure to either take the toothpicks out or warn others before eating. Make sure to serve with the crispy cheese from the bottom of the pan; it was my favorite part!

Enjoy some good cooking from your Neighbor's House!

Chicken Vegetable Casserole Topped with Biscuits

Today, I made a chicken vegetable casserole topped with biscuits by cooking with "feeling" instead of measuring ingredients. My dear husband always complains that I follow recipes too closely and am not willing to make changes to what is written. Here was my chance to prove him wrong and get in touch with my inner chef.

First, I started with sauteing a handful of chopped onion (from the farmers market) in vegetable oil until soft.

Meanwhile, two chicken breast were sliced into strips as cooked in a large pan.

Next, a small handful of flour, Italian seasoning mix (because I couldn't find basil and thyme), salt, fresh crushed pepper and a glug or two of milk was added to the pan of soft onion. I then found the basil and thyme (apparently I alphabetized the spice cabinet) and threw some of that in there too. I brought to a boil over medium heat, stirring often until thickened.

Once the chicken was cooked through, a bag of frozen veggies and the onion mixture was added to the large pan and heated slightly. The mix was transferred to a greased glass cooking dish (after biscuits are made).

While the chicken/vegetable pan was heating, I mixed, just till combined, a handful of flour (my guess at 1/2 cup), a small bit of sugar, a few turns of the salt shaker, and a bit of baking powder. This was spooned over the filled glass dish once the chicken mix is spread. I could only cover half of the casserole, so made a second batch of biscuits. This time it was very wet and goopy, not sticky, as you can see the variations below.

The mixture was cooked at 375 degrees for about half an hour, until the biscuits are golden.

Ta-da! What did I learn with "feelings" instead of written recipes? Sugar does not belong in dinner biscuits, cheese should not be forgotten, and I need to remember my spice cabinet is alphabetized.

Adapted from the 2010 Best Ever Chicken Cookbook by Taste of Home.

Fresh Pesto

While our pepper plant still has only produced one useable pepper... the basil plant is doing quite well! I even had enough to snip off half the leaves to create fresh pesto. In the process, I learned that my "for decoration only" mortar and pestle works 10x better than the food processor. The mortar and pestle was a purchased from Ikea a few years ago when I had a love affair with the movie Julie and Julia. I suppose I was hoping it would be a good luck charm so my kitchen can be 1/100th as cool as Julia Child's.

Anyway...

Here is my delicious adventure in pesto, serves two:

First, pick and wash about 1/2 cup of fresh basil.

Place basil in a food processor and add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of garlic, 

about 1 tablespoon of pine nuts,

and about 2 tablespoon of olive oil. 

Process until smooth or until you get frustrated that the blade glides right over the top of the ingredients...

Then move to the mortar and squish it up until smooth.

 As you can see below, the pestle did a much better job mushing the ingredients together than the food processer.

 

Add salt and pepper to taste and mix again. Add to your favorite dish and enjoy! Or as Julia Child says, Bon Appetit!

We mixed our pesto with alfredo and chicken and served over noodles with bread, oil and vinegar, and wine.

We will be making this again once the basil plant has recuperated from the plucking. Haha!

Well, I have learned that blogging takes a bit more of a commitment than originally thought. I have no problem creating blog-worthy meals and enjoy sharing the recipes, I just don't like uploading the pictures to the computer.  So far, some fun foods that were missed due to my lack of picture taking are: vanilla bean cupcakes with fresh raspberry buttercream, watermelon sorbet, honey mustard porkloin, garlic butter steak, homemade mac and cheese, stuffed peppers, sugar cookies, monkey bread, mini peach pies, homemade ravioli, and cinnamon roll waffles. I will get better at this, I promise!

Strawberry Shortcake

What is the best breakfast for a lazy Sunday morning?

Bacon, sunny-side up eggs, coffee, and strawberry shortcake, of course!

I started working on this yesterday after dinner for a yummy bedtime snack. I attempted to half cake portion of the recipe, but was off one on calculation and had to make a full batch instead... darn! After the cakes were baked, I wasn't in the mood to eat anymore and put the shortcakes in a tupperware to store overnight. This morning, while my dear husband made eggs, I brewed some coffee and finished the cakes. They turned out well! I only used the recipe for the cake and made up my own recipe for the whipped cream. Half a container of heavy whipping cream, a bit of vanilla, a tiny bit of almond extract, and a few spoons of sugar combined with a good beating creates a delicious topping when combined with sliced strawberries tossed in honey. Wait... it created a good topping combined with anything (or eaten by itself). The honey was just bought yesterday at the Brookings Arts Festival, so I was happy to try it out.

Here are a few pictures:

Bear with me as a venture into the world of blogging... Visit "My Neighbor's House" often for recipes, DIY, and some general insights on the world. Thanks for stopping and see you again soon!

Recipe adapted from the Food Network's Classic Strawberry Shortcake.