A couple of weeks ago my quilt group got together for a day of sewing, visiting and of course – eating. Each month we have a theme and everyone brings a dish that fits that theme. Because we were meeting on April15th – it made sense to go with a “budget” theme. While it wasn’t a particularly healthy menu – it was a whole lot of fun.

We had beans and franks, jello, pork rinds (remember them?) and I brought a big dish of that old standby macaroni and cheese - made from that blue box. You know the one – it’s the one we all had as kids and probably fed to our kids. It’s pretty good as far as boxed mac ‘n’ cheese goes, but if you know me at all – I have to “dope it up” a bit. It’s a habit I learned from my grandmothers and my mom – start with something basic and transform it into something much, much better. The gals in the group didn’t seem to believe me at first – but then asked for the recipe.

Happy to oblige -

Deb’s Kicked Up Mac ‘n’ Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 box Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Deluxe / Original Cheddar Cheese
• 8 cups water
• 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
• A dash of salt
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 1/2 Cup Milk
• 1/2 Cup Soft / Spreadable Cheese – I use an brand with garlic and herbs blended in but you could also use Cream Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Cheddar / Jack Cheese – shredded
• Cayenne Pepper (to taste)
• 1/3 Teaspoon Paprika
• 1/3 Teaspoon Cracked Black Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Celery Seed
• 1/3 Teaspoon Granulated Garlic (not Garlic Salt)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Organic No Salt Seasoning Blend (I use a blend from Costco – it’s wonderful!)

Topping (Optional)

• 1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
• 1/2 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning Blend
• 1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Instructions:

1. Recycle the box.
2. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil.
3. Add the dash of salt and the olive il to the boiling water to the water.
4. Add the macaroni noodles to the water and cook until almost done (do not over cook).
5. Drain the noodles but do not rinse them.
6. Set noodles aside for a moment while you are making the sauce.
7. In the same pan you used to cook the noodles:
8. Add the butter, milk, soft cheese and cheddar / jack shredded cheese and the cheese packet from the box.
9. Add all of the spices (except the Italian seasoning blend)  and blend together until the cheese is melted and ingredients are combined.
10. Add the noodles back to the cheese and spice mixture and blend well.
11. Pour mixture into casserole dish.
12. If you are using the breadcrumb toping – mix the bread crumbs, Italian seasoning blend and parmesan cheese together and cover the top of the mac and cheese with this mixture.
13. If you are not using the breadcrumb topping – cover the top of the mac and cheese with some grated parmesan cheese.
14. Place uncovered into a 375 degree oven for about 10 minuted or until the top is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling.

Serve with a side salad and / or a piece of grilled flank steak – yum!

Don’t be afraid to play around with this “doped up” version as much as you like. Adjust the spices and the cheeses in any way that sounds good to you and your families taste – make it your own!

Happy eating,

Deb

In early March I spent several days at Sew Expo in Puyallup Washington – what a great time that was! Thousands of quilters, sewers, knitters and crafters converge on this tiny western Washington town for the most amazing week of classes, shopping, learning and sharing.

During a break in the action I had the happy pleasure of meeting a gal named Bonnie from Washington who shared an amazing recipe with me. Bonnie had made a big batch of what she called “Hockey Puck”s and left them at home with her husband while she attended the show. Absolutely brilliant!

She described how she experimented with several different versions of these peanut butter cookies before settling on the final version of the recipe. When I told her I had several brothers, a husband and a daughter who love peanut butter cookies – she offered to send the recipe to me – and gave me permission to share it with you.

Bonnie’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookies (AKA Hockey Pucks)

Ingredients:

• ½ cup softened butter
• ¾ cup creamy peanut butter (use Skippy or Jif or another easy spreading product)
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 ½ cups flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 12-14 Peanut Butter Cups (regular size – not the mini’s)

Instructions:

Freeze peanut butter cups to make them easy to work with.

Cream butter, peanut butter, white sugar and brown sugar together.  Mix in eggs.

Blend in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Chill.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using approximately ¼ cup dough, completely cover a peanut butter cup and place in a non stick muffin pan, (or use muffin papers) with the peanut butter cup ‘bottom’ side down.

Bake for 12-14 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.

Notes from Bonnie:

These cookies can be baked on a cookie sheet but will spread out.

Less cookie dough can be used per peanut butter cup. I happened to use a 1/4 cup scoop for consistency and was quite happy with the results.

I made them with “organic, refrigerate after opening” peanut butter when I was first testing the recipe and found that the texture was too crumbly – not what I was looking for – stick with the Jif or the Skippy and the results will be great.

These “Hockey Pucks”  will definitely get a test run in our house now that all those family members know about Bonnie’s recipe. How about yours ? Make up a batch and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

Deb

Allrecipes.com/grilled-asparagus

To say that asparagus has been my least favorite vegetable since I can remember first trying it as a child – would be an understatement. I’ve routinely asked that it be left off my plate when ordering at a restaurant.

I’ve turned up my nose at it when shopping the produce section of our local market. I’ve even turned it down at a farmers market near our home. My husband would look longingly at the asparagus whenever he saw a bundle of those green spears, and so sad when I’d pass them by and add everything but the asparagus to the cart.

Never one for sauces and creams and goo all over my vegetables – I’d only had big, beefy asparagus with stuff all over it – never saw it served any other way. I couldn’t even imagine what people were thinking when they professed their love of this odd woody vegetable – swimming in a gooey rich sauce.

I have seen (and tasted) the light. Now I get it. I caved – and when the asparagus came on the plate with the most amazing double cut pork chop I have ever seen – I actually tried it. Now there was a life changing moment! The thinnest stalk of asparagus, grilled with just a hint of salt and pepper and olive oil – now this is a vegetable I can love.

I loved it so much – I’ve now actually bought my own asparagus and grilled it myself. Here’s how I did it:

Grilled Asparagus

• 1 bunch of asparagus (the smallest stalks you can find – pencil thin) – rinsed well
• Coarse salt and cracked pepper to taste
• A drizzle of olive oil
• Lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons butter

Hold a couple of the stalks in your hands and snap off the bottom end – this removes the woodiest part of the stalk. Do this for the whole batch.

Place the asparagus in a dish and season with the salt and pepper and drizzle with a little olive oil. Set aside until the grill is hot and whatever else you are grilling is close to done.

Place asparagus on the grill and cook until stalks become softer and turn very bright green. This doesn’t take very long – just a few minutes so keep an eye on them.

Add the lemon zest to the butter and melt. Drizzle the grilled asparagus with a bit of the lemon butter.

I served this with grilled lemon chicken that was prepared in exactly the same way. Every bite was fresh, flavorful and delicious – and I’m an asparagus convert (with a very happy husband).

Ive added a link to Allrecipes.com – they have several other recipes for asparagus that I’m probably going to try soon.

Do you feel the same way about asparagus that I’ve always felt? Give this a try – I bet you change your mind.

I love pot roast – a lot! Always – looking to change things up a bit I thought I’d make a few changes to the “traditional” pot roast I’d been making for years. You know that pot roast recipe – the one with potatoes and carrots and onions thrown in the pot along with the beef and slow roasted for hours.

As good as that version has always been – I wanted to try out some different ingredients. I made this version for a family meal recently and I think it’s safe to say that it was a hit.

Pot Roast with Fennel and Cherries

Ingredients:

• Chuck roast (3 – 4 lbs.)
• Fennel Bulb (1/2 bulb chopped into medium sized pieces) Save the other 1/2 for the salad
• Onion (I used a medium sized sweet onion – chopped into medium sized pieces)
• Red Bell Pepper (chopped into medium sized pieces)
• Cherry Preserves (1/2 cup)
• Garlic  (6 – 8 large cloves – sliced)
• Italian seasoning blend
• Cracked pepper
• Olive oil

Process:

Using a sharp knife – cut small a slit into the roast and insert a slice of the garlic into the hole you made. Repeat this process several times on both sides of the roast.

Lightly coat all sides of the roast with the Italian seasoning blend and cracked pepper.

Using a large (deep / oven safe) skillet with a lid – add enough olive oil to lightly coat the pan. Get the pan and oil hot and place roast in the pan to sear. Sear each side of the roast until the outside has lightly caramelized.

Pull the skillet off the heat and add the chopped vegetables and remaining garlic. Also add a small amount of water (3/4 to 1 cup) to the pan. Add the cherry preserves to the top of the roast and put the lid on the skillet.

Place the skillet in a preheated 325 degree oven and slow roast until the roast pulls apart easily with a couple of forks. This process usually takes about 3 hours. Baste the roast occasionally with the pan juices.

When the roast is done – remove from the oven and let it rest in the pan for 15 – 20 minutes before serving. I like to baste the roast with the juices from the pan a couple of times while it is resting.

Serving Suggestion:

I like to serve this post roast with a fresh salad made with a variety of salad greens, herbs and the remaining 1/2 of the fennel bulb (sliced thin), some raw almonds, slivers of Parmesan cheese and a few dried cherries.

Leftovers:

I used the leftover juices and vegetables (and the tiny bit of pot roast that was left) as the base for a killer pot of soup. So good!

We loved this new version of the classic Pot Roast – I’d love to know what you think. Give it a try and let me know.