How rich do you have to be to buy a pair of $300 amazing Tom Ford sunglasses and not care? Because that is how rich I have decided I need to be. I bought the $10 knockoff pair on Amazon and am trying to trick myself…but I am still convinced that the $300 pair must feel 290 times better, make my cheekbones look super glamours, and make me look prettier than 10 pink unicorns. I mean, for $300 it better do all of that and more.

This is the same reasoning I use with my Mac and Cheese. I want it to be better than the little blue box. Yes it costs like 5 times as much to make, but considering the blue box is around a dollar – it’s not that big of a price jump. But the extra $5 dollars must mean it’s also 5 times better! Not only do I want it to taste better, I also want it to not come with a package of powdered orange cheese. I also want to be able to make it with whatever cheese I have on hand, in one pot and in under 15 minutes. I know, you don’t have to tell me, I’m demanding.

But in spite of all my demands, Tada! Stovetop Mac and Cheese! This seriously takes 15 minutes, tops. It’s made with all regular, real ingredients. You can change up the cheese to fit your mood and add in your favorite fancy mix-ins. Plus, it really is made all in one pot. It’s a dream come true to any lazy Mac and Cheese lovers out there! Plus, it’s totally sexy looking right?

Quick note, yes this recipe calls for two cloves of raw garlic mixed in. No, I promise, it doesn’t taste like raw garlic. However, it does add a delicious garlic flavor that you will love. If you are a loser and do not like garlic, just leave it out! 

Stovetop Mac and Cheese

Yield: 4 servings

Recipe Note: Use any 12 oz of cheese you have and enjoy! For the traditional mac and cheese, use a half and half combination of Mild & Sharp (yellow) Cheddar Cheese.

Ingredients:

2 cups elbow noodles (about 12 oz)
8 oz Cabot Private Stock Cheddar Cheese, shredded
4 oz Cabot Seriously Sharp, shredded
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons butter, chopped
1 oz cream cheese, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a large pot over high heat, bring salted water to a boil. Add elbow noodles; cook according to package.

Drain noodles, lower heat to medium-low, and return cooked noodles to pot. Immediately stir in both cheeses, sour cream, butter, cream cheese, garlic, salt and freshly ground pepper. Continue stirring until completely melted and serve immediately.

Mix In Ideas: crumbled bacon, sundried tomatoes, caramelized onions, fresh basil, minced porcini mushrooms or like at my favorite restaurant...topped with pulled pork!

**this post is not sponsored, I just love me some Cabot cheese**

I spent the last week on a mini vacation with my family & it was absolutely wonderful. I drove the short trip down & stayed with my parents in the Tampa area. My cousin Abby flew in from Texas and we spent almost a full week eating, beach walking, dart throwing, shell collecting, mall shopping & eating even more. My swimsuit may have been a little tight, but my heart was full of sunshine & sugar.

My sister Haley, Me & my cousin Abby. Yes, I realize I am the Khloé Kardashian of my family.

Pass-a-Grille, Florida

While I enjoyed all the beautiful sunshine we had, the bright red burn on my back fat made me realize it was time to get back to salads now that I am back home. I started to make my go to salad on a pita bread “pizza”, but I had a serious hankerin for blue cheese. -yes, I said hankerin. don’t judge.

Luckily I had a giant wedge of Kerrgold Cashel Blue Farmhouse Cheese sitting in my fridge just begging me to figure out someway to eat it…you know, besides on a wheat thin drizzled in honey. The week before vacay, I made my favorite Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas & I wanted that combination again…but this time, in salad form. What can I say? Blue Cheese & Buffalo Chicken just does it for me!

I was really fortunate to get to participate in a Kerrygold virtual dinner party hosted by Paula and Susan. Kerrygold sent a smorgasbord of delicious cheeses and butters for me to try…and try I did! Jorge and I had a dinner centered around cheese for days and days. Jorge may have been over cheese by day 5, but this cheese lovin’ gal could have gone on longer. I always knew their products were top notch, but I really fell in love with their Cashel Blue Farmhouse Cheese. I could seriously eat it every day, all day! …blue cheese is totally a breakfast cheese, right??!

Buffalo Chicken Salad with Kerrygold Cashel Blue Dressing

Yield: 1 large salad

Ingredients:

1 heart of Romaine lettuce, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1/4 cup matchstick carrots
3/4 cup buffalo shredded chicken
1/3 cup crumbled Kerrygold Cashel Blue

for the dressing:
2 tablespoons low fat mayo
1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup crumbled Kerrygold Cashel Blue
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl combine the Romaine, celery, and carrots. Top with shredded buffalo chicken and crumbled Kerrygold Cashel Blue cheese. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, buttermilk, greek yogurt, white vinegar and sugar. Fold in crumbled Kerrygold Cahel Blue Cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Drizzle salad with dressing and serve with extra hot sauce.

Salad dressing inspired by Ellie Krieger

Make sure & check out the other delicious recipes featuring Kerrygold:
Beef Tagliata on Bell’alimento
Crispy Dubliner Bites on Doughmesstic
Dubliner Cheese & Cayenne Crisps on Cookin’ Canuck
Summer Steak Salad and Shrimp Flatbread on Eclectic Recipes

This post is sponsored by Kerrygold, however all opinions are 100% me.

I have spent all of two weekends with Erin (of Erin’s Food Files) in my whole life, but I can honestly tell you she is my soul sister. Or better yet, my Sister from another Mister. Through emails, twitter, blogging and facebook, Erin and I became friends before we actually ever met face to face. Our first face to face meeting was in Atlanta when we shared a hotel room with the lovely Lindsay (of Love and Olive Oil).

Meeting people that you click with online in person can be awkward. Usually it takes a little while to warm up to each other, but with Erin it was really like seeing an old friend. So when she texted me (while I was in Puerto Rico on vacation) that she was pregnant, I was ecstatic! I immediately had a huge smile plastered on my face and it was only partially due to the piña colada in my hand. Erin and her fun loving husband Nathan are the cutest couple and are surely going to make an adorable baby.

Since we all live so far apart, a few of us have gotten together and are celebrating Erin and Nathan’s soon to be little bundle of joy baby toes (that’s not creepy right?? …I can’t help it, I love baby toes). And while we may not be close enough to celebrate with a traditional shower, we can celebrate through food!

Lemon Poppyseed Truffles

by Jaclyn of Food Plus Words

Strawberry Whole Grain Donuts

by Amy of Fearless Homemaker

While Amy might be hiding it under that bright pink strawberry frosting, the whole grain addition makes these donuts practically healthy!

 

Pimento Cheese Burgers

by Jen of Beantown Baker

Jen knows how much Erin loves Pimento Cheese! These burgers look like the perfect choice for the mama to be!

 

Fig Cake with Buttermilk Glaze

by Kelsey of Apple A Day

Oh man! You had me at Buttermilk Glaze! …and cake! …and figs!

 

Red Velvet Swirl Brownies

by Amy of The Nifty Foodie

And to finish this delicious spread with a bang, Amy decided to make one of my favorite desserts of all time! And with Erin’s infamous Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake, I am sure she will love them too!

 

 
And because I know not to show up at a party without some Chocolate for a pregnant lady, I made Devil’s Food Cupcakes. With their wonderfully dense texture and perfectly domed tops, these rich chocolate cupcakes would be welcomed at any baby shower.
 
This recipe makes exactly 6 cupcakes…which in my mind means 2 for Mama, 2 for Baby & 2 for Dad! Congratulations again to the parents to be, Erin and Nathan! I cannot wait to baby stalk all your pictures on instagram in a few short weeks!
 
P.S. Make sure and check out Erin’s post about her almost as great real life shower.

Devil's Food Cupcakes

Yield: 6 Cupcakes

Ingredients:

for the cupcakes:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup double dutch cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

for the icing:
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons double dutch cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk, as needed

Directions:

for the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare muffin tin with cupcake liners.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together egg, sugar, sour cream, vegetable oil and vanilla extract.

Fold together the dry and wet ingredients. Mixing until there are no large lumps.

Spoon batter into prepared tin, filling 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a only a few crumbs clinging to it. Do not over bake!

Remove from pan immediately and cool on a wire rack. Then frost!

for the frosting:

In a stand mixer, beat the butter until creamy. On low, mix in the vanilla extract.

Carefully beat in the cocoa powder, followed by the powdered sugar, about ½ cup at a time. If the buttercream is too thick add 1 teaspoon of cold milk at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

Then pipe onto cooled cupcakes with your favorite frosting tip.

I bought a box of low-fat brownie mix. Is that even a real thing?? According to Miss Betty Crocker, it totally is.

I was wondering through the aisles of Target and I spotted a mountain of boxes of low-fat brownie mix on clearance. Obviously there is a reason it was on clearance…”low-fat”. Who buys brownies and goes for the low fat? But I was determined to try them anyways…I can doctor up just about any cake mix with some added chocolate or sugar!

In the past my Mom has made a cake using a boxed mix and diet coke. She added a pinch of cinnamon and some cool whip on top and it was surprisingly pretty tasty. So I figured it would probably work with brownies too! My first batch was a disaster, but after I got the amount of ingredients right and added an egg…perfection!

I was so happily surprised with the results! With only 4 ingredients, these brownies are delicious! Sure, they came from a box. If that’s not your thing, judge away. But if you like an easy dessert with a fun twist, these are the brownies for you.

They still had the flaky crust that I look for in a good brownie and they have a wonderful fudge-y taste. They are in-between a cake and a fudge brownie and are perfect with a dallop of cool whip!

While they are still considered a little high on the calorie side (265 calories per brownie) to be considered Ass Friendly, I am adding them anyways. They may be a little higher than you would want, but the taste makes up for it! They have a dense chocolate cherry taste that satisfies and makes them way better than a 100 calorie chocolate-ish brownie that just angers your inner sugar demon.

{Low Fat} Dr. Pepper Brownies

Yield: 9 brownies

Recipe Note: Of course, you can also do this with full fat brownie mix and regular Dr. Pepper, but I used the new Dr. Pepper 10. It really does taste like regular Dr. Pepper!

Ingredients:

20.5 oz box Low Fat Brownie mix by Betty Crocker
1 large egg
8 oz Dr. Pepper 10 (or Diet Dr. Pepper)
1 teaspoon cherry extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 baking dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together brownie mix, egg, Dr. Pepper and cherry extract. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs clinging to it.

Serve plain or with a spoonful of low fat whipped cream and a cherry!

::Nutrition Information::
Per 1 brownie: 265 Calories. 4.5g Fat. 56 Carbs. 2.6g Protein.

Cinco de Mayo is always one of my favorite holidays. Growing up Cinco De Mayo was a guaranteed good time with more drinks than one should have on a Tuesday. Keep in mind, I lived in Texas -which is like 50% Mexican & 25% cows- so it was almost impossible to avoid one of the 500 parties on that day. Even my friends who were Cuban or Puerto Rican would wear the Mexican flag’s colors and get down for Cinco De Mayo.

Then I moved to Florida…and some of the local “authentic Mexican” restaurants will have drink specials and maybe one person will be wearing one of those gaudy flashing shot glass necklaces. So instead, Jorge (the Puerto Rican) and Jessica (the white girl) pretend to be Mexican and have a big feast…and one too many Tequila drinks.

Just in case these Spicy Avocado Chicken Enchiladas aren’t calling your name, I have rounded up some of my other favorites for you to celebrate with:

Cinco de Mayo: Let's Celebrate!

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas	AppleJack Sangria	Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos
Green Chicken Chili Tamales	Vegetable Enchiladas	Blackened Fish Tacos

But you really should give these Spicy Avocado Chicken Enchiladas a chance…they are seriously one of my favorites! The sauce has a divine slow heat from the serrano pepper and a creamy texture from the sour cream. I really do love that sauce, but the best part has to be the bites of warm avocado inside the enchiladas!  If you pick up a rotisserie chicken for the meat, these enchiladas come together extremely fast and will go perfectly with your celebratory margarita!

I made these enchiladas with some of my favorite Cabot. Make sure and scroll down to check out a giveaway of two Cabot Cheese Gift Boxes!

Spicy Avocado Chicken Enchiladas

Yield: serves 4

Recipe Note: To make these as Spicy as their name, leave in the seeds in the Serrano Pepper and use a "medium" Salsa Verde. For those without the love of heat, seed the Serrano Pepper and use a "mild" Salsa Verde.

Ingredients:

for the sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 Serrano pepper, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup medium salsa verde
1/2 cup fat free sour cream

for the enchiladas:
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)
8 oz Cabot Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded & divided
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 avocados, peeled and chopped
8-10 flour tortillas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute serrano pepper and garlic, for 1 minute. Stir in flour, constantly stirring, and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the chicken broth, cumin, salt and pepper and bring to a low boil. Once boiling, whisk in the sour cream, salsa verde and cilantro. Remove from heat.

Spray/grease a 9×13 baking dish. Add 3/4 cup sauce to the bottom of the pan. Add chicken, Cabot Monterrey Jack Cheese, onion and avocado to the center of each tortilla and roll, placing seam-side down in the dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Top with leftover cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes or until bubbling. Serve immediately.

A Cabot Giveaway!

The wonderful people over at Cabot have graciously offered to giveaway TWO Cabot Cheese Gift Boxes to 2 of you lucky readers!

three ways to enter:

• 1. If you had to choose between Cabot Private Stock Cheddar or a shot of Tequila, which would you pick? Hint: BOTH is totally an option.
• 2. Become a fan of both Cabot and The Novice Chef Blog on Facebook! Or let me know if you already are!
• 3. Tweet or Facebook “Happy Cinco de Macyo from @CabotCoop & @TheNoviceChef! Enter to win a Cabot Cheese Giftbox! http://bit.ly/J1oM8j #Giveaway“  and then come back and let me know you did with a link to it!

rules:

• This Giveaway closes on Wednesday, May 16th, 2012 at midnight EST. 
• There will only be {2} two winners of {1} one Cabot Cheese Gift Box. 
• Winner will be chosen using random.org.
• Leave a separate comment on this post for EACH entry to make all of your entries count. 
• I will contact the prize winner by email and the prize must be claimed within 7 days or it will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected.
• See Official Rules 

Disclosure: I received some delicious Cabot cheeses, but I was not compensated to write this post. I just really love Cabot, their motto and their cheese! This post contains affiliate links.

Last week I walked into the gym and climbed onto my dreaded elliptical. I wasn’t really paying attention, but next to me were two guys in their early 30′s on the treadmills. I was punching in all of my answers to the questions… “How much do you weigh?” ummm 20 pounds. “How long do you want to work out?” umm…is 3 minutes long enough? I was just about to put in my headphones and start working out when I started to actually listen to the guys conversation next to me…

Before I begin, let me set the scene for you… On the tv in front of us, the news was talking about Jessica Simpson and showing pictures of her still pregnant. Guy #1 was about 50 pounds over weight and was running his ass off on a high incline. Guy #2 was about 200 pounds over weight and was walking on no incline. I am not one to judge -I am no skinny girl either- these are just the facts.

Guy #2: Look at her!

Guy #1: Who?

Guy #2: Jessica Simpson. Damn girl looks like a whale. Did she eat all of Texas or just half of it?

Guy #1: Dude, she’s like pregnant or something.

Guy #2: Ya, whatever. She needs to get herself to the gym. I wouldn’t touch that if you paid me.

Guy #1:  :::keeps running with no comment:::

Guy #2: Seriously man, she is so fat it disgusts me.

…..At this point I couldn’t take it anymore. I was directly next to Guy #2. I slowed down my pace and turned to him…

Me: Really? She’s like what, 50 pounds over weight and 9 months pregnant? And you are what? …how many months in your pregnancy are you?

He (Guy #2) immediately got off the treadmill and left the gym without saying a word to me. Guy #1 turned to me and said “Ya, he’s kind of an ass”.

That night I went home and took out my aggression on this Sweet Corn Risotto. While constantly stirring, and stirring, and more stirring…I was able to cool down enough to tell Jorge what happened without my face getting all red again.

I have been back to the gym 3 times since that day. I have seen him twice and he has left immediately after I got there. And while most people will tell me what I said is incredibly rude, I don’t feel bad. I am sick of men (and other women for that matter) thinking it’s ok to tear down a woman without taking an honest look at themselves. We are all human and not one of us is perfect (except Ryan Gosling, amiright??).

Sweet Corn Risotto

Yield: 6 - 8 Servings

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 large shallots, chopped
3 cups fresh sweet corn
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 cup sauvignon blanc wine
5 1/2 cups chicken stock
4 oz Romano cheese (parmesan), grated
4 tablespoons minced parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large french oven, or heavy bottomed pot, over medium-high heat melt 6 tablespoons butter. Add olive oil and garlic, stirring until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add shallots and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes.

Add corn and arborio rice, stirring constantly, until the edges of the rice are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add wine, stirring constantly, until almost completely absorbed, 2-3 minutes.

Add 1 cup chicken stock, stirring constantly, until the stock has been absorbed. Continue adding stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring the risotto until the stock is absorbed before adding more. The risotto is done when the rice is tender.

Stir in the romano cheese, parsley and the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately!

This Sweet Corn Risotto was absolutely heavenly. With the creamy risotto and sweet bursts of corn, it is the epitome of Summer to me. The photos above show off a beautiful Le Creuset pairing of their Stainless Steel and Marseille Cast Iron pieces. Whoever gets the most likes on their photos on pinterest gets to give away the set to one of their readers! So if you have a chance, go hit the like button!

Growing up we didn’t eat what other kids at school ate. We never had hamburger helper (not that that’s a bad thing, but now my 17 year old baby sister thinks its ahmazing). We didn’t eat take out a lot…in fact it was a really rare treat to have dinner out somewhere. And we definitely didn’t have sloppy joes.

At our house, we had real dinners. Meat, vegetable, starch-y something…and more often than not, we also got something fun like cake for dessert. Sure sometimes my Mom made easy things like spaghetti or beans & rice (two things that I seriously dislike today), but more often than not we had a really good dinner on the table.

But it’s funny, while I never had them growing up…I LOVE SLOPPY JOES. Seriously. I love the name, I love to say the name, I love how they taste and I really love how easy they are to make. A tasty, ass friendly dinner on the table in under 20 minutes? You just can’t beat that my friends!

I know that it’s a “comfort food” and most people think they are crap food…but when made right, boy are they good! If you don’t believe me, please prove me wrong and give these Turkey Sloppy Joes a chance. You won’t miss the beef, they have a little bit of heat to them from the crushed red pepper and they are only 246 calories a piece!

Turkey Sloppy Joes

Yield: 6 Sloppy Joe Burgers

Total Time: 20 minutes

Recipe Note: This reheats wonderfully! Pop it into a airtight container and save the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
8 oz can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, chopped
16 oz extra lean ground turkey
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
6 whole wheat buns

Directions:

Preheat broiler.*

In a small bowl, whisk together ketchup, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, red wine vinegar and tomato sauce. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add onion and cook, stirring as needed, for 5 minutes or until translucent.

Add turkey and cook until browned through, breaking it up with a spatula/spoon as it cooks. Add chili powder, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes more and then add the ketchup mixture, stirring to evenly coat turkey mixture.

Simmer for 5 minutes more, or until thickened. While sauce thickens, lightly toast buns under the oven broiler, cut side up, for 2 minutes. Divide turkey mixture evenly among hamburger buns and serve immediately!

*I have heard many times that you do not actually need to preheat your broiler. I have no idea if that's true, but I still preheat mine anyways. :)

-Nutrition Information-
Per 1 Sloppy Joe: 246 Calories. 5g Fat. 30.3 Carbs. 5g Fiber. 24.2 Protein.
or 6 WW Points Plus

Inspired by  Cooking Light

I haven’t been posting at my normal pace for over a month now. A new post will pop up randomly and the rest of the time it’s dead around here. Lonely. Sad.

And while it may seem like I haven’t been in the kitchen, I have been! I have actually been in the kitchen every.single.day. I have also been taking bajillions of photos and editing like a mad woman.

…but none of them have showed up here on the blog.

Instead I have been sending them all into a wonderful guy named Ross! No, Ross isn’t a donut junkie (well maybe he is a little bit), he’s my editor over at Adams Media!

And in case I haven’t given you enough clues by now…

I am writing a cookbook!

It’s going to be 100 mini donut recipes, 90% baked and 10% fried…and 100% sugar. I have a week and a half left until my deadline…and then it will be in stores (and online) this Fall!

When Ross reached out to me, I immediately said YES! 100 Recipes (and photos) in under 2 months didn’t sound too bad…and y’all know how much I love me some mini donuts! That I think they are made with crack, and how I think they have healing powers…plus the fact that I have even had a giveaway for a mini donut maker. Obviously this was a perfect match!

…but it is a LOT more work than I realized! I had plans to keep the blog running normally with no interruptions. I figured I wouldn’t tell y’all about the book until it was on sale! Boy, did I underestimate the undertaking of a cookbook!

Instead of the donut walk cake walk that I thought it was going to be, it has been many late nights at the computer and early mornings in the kitchen. The cats have started to get in love whenever they can…even if that means literally putting themselves between me and the keyboard.

I am woken up in the middle of the night by dreams that I am literally buried under 500 pounds of donuts. And somehow I gained back those 15 pounds that I had lost…and Brody is now convinced that donuts are his new kibble.

But in spite of the whirlwind this has been, it must not be too bad. Because as of yesterday I received a second contract…from a different publishing house…to write a second cookbook that I pitched to them! That’s right, I’m insane and agreed to start the process all over again as soon as I finish this cookbook next week!

But don’t worry, the next book has a much more laid back deadline…so I will see you all with recipes again very soon!

Whenever I am having friends or family over, I like to make things that don’t have me cooking the whole time they are visiting. Mainly it’s because I like to drink wine and talk about how hot Ryan Gosling is, but I also think it’s rude to ignore your guests and be stuck in the kitchen the entire night.

Usually this means we throw a lot of Mexican-themed dinner parties at my house. With chips and guacamole, enchiladas and flan all being the perfect dishes to be made ahead of time, it is a no brainer.

But lately I have been trying to mix it up and discover some new cuisines that are also easily made ahead!

Last week I was lucky enough to get to try some of the already prepared pastas and sauces from Monterey Gourmet Foods.

Their Spinach and Cheese Ravioli†is one of my favorite easy week night meals. Most prepared pastas come with more servings than Jorge and I need, which means we either over eat or end up throwing some away. Thankfully the Monterey Gourmet Foods Ravioli come in packages of 2 perfect servings, which helps to save my budget and my diet! There is also a larger family size, which is great for when you’re preparing a meal for a group of people.

While I am obviously a fan of their awesome pasta products, I really love their ready-to-go Basil Pesto with Almonds and Pine Nuts! It is so versatile I have been able to use it on pizza, sandwiches, and a wonderful fresh tomato pesto salad.

But my favorite new way to use Monterey Gourmet Foods pesto has been in these Pesto Polenta Cakes with Caramelized Onions! After I wrote this post, I learned that they also offer polenta in two varieties.

These polenta cakes are by no means traditional. Before trying my idea, I searched and searched for a recipe with ingredients mixed inside of the polenta cakes, but all I could find were recipes with caramelized onions placed on top.

So I took a shot in the dark and mixed the pesto and caramelized onions into the polenta before pan frying them. I am SO glad I did! These were a delicious appetizer for the dinner party and were perfect to make ahead of time.

As our friends arrived, I quickly pan fried these babies and was able to actually sit down and catch up instead of slaving away in the kitchen!

Pesto Polenta Cakes with Caramelized Onions

Yield: Yield 9 Cakes

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
2 cups milk
2 cups water
1 cup of Polenta (Fine Corn Meal)
Pinch of salt
2 oz parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons Monterey Pesto
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Butter or spray a 9X13 baking dish. Set aside.

Add the olive oil and butter to a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Add brown sugar and a pinch of salt and lower heat to medium-low. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender and a deep golden brown, about 20 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, in a large sauce pan bring milk and water to a boil. Season with salt and gradually stir in the polenta. Reduce heat to low, stirring often, and continue to cook until mixture thickens, about 30 minutes.

Once polenta has thickened, stir in caramelized onions, parmesan cheese and Monterey Pesto. Transfer polenta mixture to prepared baking dish and cover with saran wrap,†smoothing it down directly on top of the polenta. Place into the refrigerator for about one hour to set up.

To make polenta cakes:

Remove from fridge and use a large round cookie cutter to make 9 polenta cakes. (You may also just cut the polenta into rectangles to not have any waste.)

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, place†the polenta cakes into the pan. Cook until a golden crust has formed on both sides, flipping as little as possible.

Transfer polenta cakes to a paper towel lined plate and let cool for 1 minute. Serve immediately with extra Monterey Pesto or grated parmesan cheese.

Giveaway!

I was lucky enough to try Monterey Gourmet Foods, and one of you will be too!†One of you will win the following:

(1) $100 Visa gift card and VIP coupons for free Monterey Gourmet Foods products!

To be entered for a chance to win, please tell me what you would make using a Monterey Gourmet Foods pasta or sauce product.† If youíd also like to share a recipe, feel free to post it on your blog/website and include a link to it in your comment.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 4/11/2012-5/31/2012.

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Situation 1:

You go to the store for milk and see that Oreo’s are B1G1 Free. So you buy 4 packages of Oreo’s…because you know, they are B1G1 and helllooo they go perfect with that gallon of milk your wife asked you to pick up.

-If you are this type of person, you are a Jorge.

Situation 2:

You slam on your breaks and make an illegal u-turn because you saw an adorable old man (in red suspenders) selling fruit out of the back of his pickup truck. Once you pull in, you let the old guy suck you in and you buy 5 times the amount of lemons you would have.

-If you are this type of person, you are a Jessica.

So while the Jorges of the world sit on the couch covered in Oreo crumbs, the Jessicas make lemon curd. Because OMGawd, what else can you do with 39 million lemons?!

I think Curd doesn’t do Lemon Curd justice. Curd makes it sound gross…like the thing that happens to old milk. Or those little curds in cottage cheese. Or just the word curdle, which is gross enough all on it’s own. I think we should start calling it Lemon Cream, or more honestly Lemon Crack. I could eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And snack and dessert. It’s that good.

P.S. Wanna know what’s in my purse? You know, besides cookies and lint? I blabbed all about it here (with pictures) on That’s What We Said. It’s like that section in the magazines where we get to see inside famous people’s purses. Except better.

Simply Perfect Lemon Curd

Yield: about 2 cups lemon curd

Ingredients:

1 cup lemon juice
1 heaping tablespoons lemon zest
1 cup sugar
6 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, roughly chopped

Directions:

Whisk together lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and eggs in a large heavy bottomed saucepan over medium low heat, stirring as needed. Bring to a slow simmer and immediately add butter, whisking constantly until curd is thickened and will stick to the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes.

Strain curd through a small mesh strainer into a medium bowl with a lid, or cover tightly with saran wrap. Chill for at least an hour, or until cold. If you don't eat it all in a week (which I have no idea how you wouldn't), toss it out after 7 days.

Ways to use your Lemon Curd!

Apple and Lemon Curd Tart from Matchbox
Pavlova with Lemon Curd and Fresh Berries from Chow
Lemon Curd Donuts from Flour Child
Lemon Curd Buns with Creamy Lemon Icing from My Custard Pie