Mac & Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

Well we survived Hurricane Irene...whew! It's still raining and windy this morning, but the worst is over. I will say it was scary at times throughout the night when tornado watches were popping up all over the place. We're stuck at home for most of the day today since there's trees and power lines down. Luckily we didn't lose power and there's no damage to our house or property.

I'm not sure how my vegetable garden faired in the storm, but if you do have some tomatoes laying around this is a great "comfort food" meal.

1/4 lb elbow macaroni
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup skim milk
black pepper
2 cups grated aged sharp cheddar cheese
8 small to medium sized tomatoes, tops cut off and scooped clean
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the salt and pasta, cooking until just shy of al dente.

In the meantime, saute the onions in a medium sauce pan. Once sauteed, add the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the stock and milk. Season with salt and pepper and bring sauce to a bubble. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar cheese. Drain the pasta and stir into the cheese sauce.

Spoon the past into the tomato shells. Top with the remaining cheese and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Place on filled tomatoes in a muffin pan (they won't tip over this way) and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Slightly adapted from: Rachael Ray's Look & Cook cookbook
Recipe swapped on: The Grocery Cart Challenge

Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies

I love cookies, no...I really do. I try not to make them often because I could easily polish off a couple dozen at time, and these cookies are no exceptions! I love the little surprise of peanut butter in the center. YUM!!

This was also the first time I needed to shoosh my assistant out of the kitchen. She wanted to help me which is usually no problem, but instead she thought it would be fun to play with sugar and dump it all over the place, which lead to a temper tantrum. So needless to say, she was banished to the living to watch some TV (which I don't think she minded).

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar (plus more for rolling)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

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

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted, beat together sugars, butter and 1/4 cup of peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg, beating to combine. Stir in the flour mixture and stir to combine, blending well. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together powdered sugar and remaining 3/4 cup of peanut butter until smooth.

Scoop a heaping tablespoon of cookie dough and flatten with your hands. Take about 1 teaspoon of peanut butter mixture and place it in the center of the chocolate dough. Wrap the chocolate dough around the peanut butter center, pressing to seal. Roll the cookie into a ball and roll the cookie in the sugar. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a glass, flatten each cookie to about a 1/2 inch thickness.

Bake for 7 to 9 minutes. Let stand on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack.

Source: Sweet Pea's Kitchen

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

This year was the first year I decided to grow carrots. I was a little worried about them since I planted a little early, but to my surprise we were able to harvest a dozen carrots! While they weren't real big, they provided me with the perfect amount for these cupcakes. The cakes are moist and have the perfect amount of spike. You can easily frost them with cream cheese icing, but they were perfect sprinkled with a little bit of powdered sugar.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp grated orange zest
1 Tbsp orange juice
2 cups shredded carrots
3/4 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained well
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened dried coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper lines.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the oil and sugars together until well combined. Add the buttermilk, vanilla, orange zest and juicse. Whisk until the mixture is cloudy and well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture, stirring with a spatula just until combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter.

Fold in the carrots, pineapple, coconut and pecans. Divide the batter among 15 to 18 muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cupcakes spring back when pressed lightly in the center.

Slight adapted  from Cook & Freeze

The Secret Recipe Club: Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake

It's that time again - The Secret Recipe Club!!! I'm having so much with the SRC and being able to try new things. This month, my assigned blog was Veggie Converter 365. Now this was going to be a challenge for me as we're big meat eaters in this family and Kristi's blog is all about her family's 2011 resoluation to eat vegetarian meals for an entire year. Seriously? I give Kristi HUGE props for being able to adjust her family's lifestyle to this.

So back to the food... I took the easy way out and decided to bake Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake. I'm a little scared of the meat subsitutes, maybe one day I'll conquer that fear!

This cake was AMAZING!!! I love the tangy the ricotta added to the cake and it was so moist and the perfect texture. I baked 2 loaves and took one to work. My coworkers loved it and gave me rave reviews about it. Kristi made a peach topping to go over her cake, but the peaches I bought weren't ripe yet, but it still tasted great!

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

juice & zest of one lemon

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, ricotta cheese and eggs with a mixer. Blend in the vanilla, lemon juice, zest. Slowly add in the dry ingredients until well combined.

Divide the batter between the loaf pans and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until top browns and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool completely before slicing.

Want to be part of next month's Secret Recipe club? Click here to join!

Summer Corn Linguine

One of my favorite things about summer is fresh corn! I love being able to stop at a farm stand on the way home from work and pick up a dozen ears of just picked corn. It's so sweet and perfect. This year has been a good year for corn and we've been eating as much of it as we can. I usually just broil it, slather on the butter and sprinkle with some salt.

This recipe was a nice change and something I'll definitely be making again before the summer is over! While the recipe is a little long, it's so worth it!

1 pound linguine (or other flat noodle - whatever you have in your pantry)
6 slices triple-smoked bacon, chopped
6 ears of corn on the cob, shucked
3 shallots, finely chopped
salt and pepper
1 cup half-and-half
2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 cup vegetable stock
few dashes of hot sauce
4 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for a few minutes to crisp the bacon and render it's fat. Once cooked, removed from pan and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Remove 75% of the grease from the pan.

Using a corn scraper (or inverting a small bowl in a larger bowl), scrape the corn off the cob. Add three quarters of the kernels and liquid to the large skillet. Add the cooked bacon and the shallots to the corn. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until corn is tender. Add the tomatoes to slightly cook.

 Heat a large pot of water to boil. Salt the water and cook the pasta to al dente.

In a food processor, add the remaining corn and puree with the half and half. While the corn is pureeing, add the stock and thyme to the skillet of cooked corn. Reduce heat and then stir in the creamed corn mixture. Reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes stirring frequently as the sauce will thicken. Add the hot sauce and season once more with salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Add parsley and about a 1/2 cup of cheese to the sauce. To serve, divide among 4 to 6 bowls and top with the remaining cheese and fresh basil if desired.

Slightly adapted from Rachel Ray's Look & Cook cookbook

MIA

Sorry, I was MIA last week. I had to travel to Long Beach, CA for work, but I'm back. I have lots of new recipes to post and will get to them this week. I had a rough travel day yesterday thanks to Mother Nature and thunderstorms along the East coast.

While in Long Beach, I ate at some great restaurants. Sorry no food pictures, but here's the listing:

Yard House - Amazing food and a HUGE selection of beers. I highly recommend the truffle fries and found my new favorite beer  - Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat

Beachwood BBQ & Brewery - They feature Memphis-style BBQ and home brews. I loved the retro feel of their Long Beach location.

Creme de la Crepe - A little taste of Paris in Long Beach. I ate here for breakfast one morning and the meal kept me full until dinner. It was the perfect way to start a long day on a trade show floor. I had the Eggs La Fontaine - scrambled eggs with spinach and asparagus.

Gladstone's - Great selection of seafood and amazing views of the Harbor. I ate here for lunch and it was so nice to be able to sit outside and eat lunch.

Utopia - Utopia was right across the street from the hotel I was staying at. It was a cute, quaint little restaurant. It was a gorgeous evening and we ate dinner outside. Good selection of food and great service!

To close out the trip, me and my coworkers at the Queensview Steakhouse at Parker's Lighthouse. It was the perfect way to close out the trip. While most everyone else had steak (which looked amazing), I decided to go with chicken. I wasn't feeling so great and wanted to keep the evening light. The food was excellent and we had a great view of the Queen Mary.

Overall, it was great trip. Our show was successful; I was able to meet up with some business associates, enjoyed amazing food and drinks and had fun.

Almond Butter Granola Bars

We love granola bars. I love making them and knowing they're all natural with no added "extra stuff." These were different than any of the other granola bars I have made in the past. They're chewy and I love the addition of banana, plus another great way to use over-ripe bananas (since we all know I have a problem with that). :)

1/2 cup almond butter
2 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup whole almonds
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dried pineapple
1/4 cup mixed seeds (I used pumpkin)
1 cup rolled oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a wide loaf pan with parchment paper.

In a small saucepan, heat the almond butter and bananas over low heat. Stir gently until well combined. Set aside to cool.

In a food processor, coarsely chop the almonds, cranberries and pineapple. In a large bowl, mix in the chopped nuts and fruit with the seeds and oats. Fold in the almond butter mixture. Press the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the bars start to brown. Let cool completely before cutting into bars.

Adapted from: Anja's Food 4 Thought

Cinnamon Honey Roasted Chickpeas

Another one of my pinterest finds – honey cinnamon roasted chickpeas. My daughter LOVES chick peas! She’ll eat them right out of the can, as hummus and now roasted. She was excited when I told her I was making her special “pea candy.” Don’t judge – whatever works, right?

She gobbled them up and shared them with her teachers the first day she brought them in for lunch. I like that they’re full of protein, since she’s not a huge fan of meat.  It’s also a nice change of place from the regular cracker/chip snacks. I’ll definitely be making these at least once a week. Next time, I’m going to try a spicy version for my husband.

15 oz can Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

½ tsp cinnamon

Cooking spray

1 Tbsp honey

After draining and rinsing the beans, place them between two paper towels and pat dry. Remove the outer skin from the bean. Allow the beans to completely dry before roasting.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread beans in a single layer.

Spray with cooking spray and stir around to coat all sides. Sprinkle the ½ teaspoon of cinnamon over the beans. Stir to coat all sides.

Roast for 30 minutes. Remove the beans from the oven and place in a bowl. Toss with the tablespoon of honey. Return to the baking sheet and roast for another 5 to 7 minutes.

Cool completely and serve.

Source: Weelicious

Mango Smoothie

We’re all big fans of mangos here. I love fresh ones, but they are quite expensive and I feel like I never get enough fruit out of one to last more than a couple of minutes.  A couple weeks ago during a trip to Trader Joe’s, I found they had bags of frozen mangos…PERFECT! Plus, they were the perfect price!

My husband has been adding them to his greek yogurt, but I wanted to use the rest of the bag for smoothies. Both he and Madeline loved the smoothie. I didn’t even get to taste it! See what I mean about mangos quickly disappearing in our house.

Sorry for the poor quality picture. This is what happens when we're all tired and it's ready for bedtime.

1 cup frozen mango
½ cup skim milk
½ cup ice
¼ cup plain, fat free greek yogurt
1 Tbsp honey

In a blender, puree all ingredients to the desired consistency. Pour into cold glasses and enjoy!

Slightly adapted from: Real Simple

Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Truffled Swirled Cookies

Whew, that's a mouthful!

My online mom's board is having cooking challenges again. It's a great way to find new recipes and break out of food routines. I know I find myself cooking and baking the same things more often than trying something new! This challenge recipe won over 2 other cookie recipes. I mean, who doesn't love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter. I loved the texture of these cookies. They were the perfect balance of sweet and salty with the addition of fine gray sea salt sprinkled on top.

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups chocolate chips
fine gray sea salt

To make the peanut butter truffle, mix together the peanut butter and powdered sugar. Line an 8x8 baking pan with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Press in the peanut butter truffle mixture and freeze overnight - the longer the better.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (remember I'm all about easy clean-up!).

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and both sugars. Add in the eggs and vanilla. Continue to mix until well combined. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until combined. Add in the chocolate chips by hand, mixing until just combined.

Remove the peanut butter truffle pan from the freezer. Cut into cubes/chunks. I found it easier to just break them apart as the truffles softened up. This happened for me really quickly as I decided to make these cookies during a heat wave. Once cut into chunks, place the truffles back into the freezer for 10 minutes.

Add the peanut butter chunks to the cookie dough mixture. Mix by hand to just incorporate the chunks into the dough.

Place rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle lightly with the gray sea salt. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Makes 3 to 4 dozen.

Slightly adapted from The Picky Palate

Salsa

Tomato season is upon us. It's a little overwhelming with the amount of tomatotes we're getting daily. So needless to say, you'll be seeing several tomato recipes over the next couple of weeks. I haven't found a good salsa recipe yet...until now. This was simple and so fresh. My husband was raving about it tonight.

1 small onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, chopped (seeds can be removed to tone down the heat level)
3 garlic cloves
2 pounds of tomatoes (I used a variety of Early girl and Mr. Stripey heirlooms)
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 lime, juiced
1 Tbsp coarse salt

In a food processor, add the chopped onion, jalapenos and garlic. Pulse until it is minced, do not puree it until it's a paste. Once minced, spoon the mixture into a small bowl. Microwave for 45 seconds. This will bring out the flavors more. Set aside to cool.

Halve or quarter the tomatoes and add them to the food processor. Pulse them until finely chopped. The tomatoes will be very juicy. Pour the tomatoes in a fine mesh sieve, removing most of the juice into an empty bowl.

In a large bowl, combine the onion and tomatotes. Add the chopped cilantro and lime juice. Stir to mix. Add salt to your taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Source: Tasty Kitchen

Mom's Baked Beans

My mom makes a mean batch of baked beans. She's always asked to bring them to parties and events. They so perfect and chunky! You could easily substitute the canned beans for dried beans and soak them before making the batch. Not only are they delicious, they're quick to make. There's no need to slave over a hot stove in the summer time, just throw them in a crock pot and go about your way!

2 - 14 to 16 oz cans Kidney beans

2 - 14 to 16 oz. cans Great Northern beans

2 - 14 to 16 oz. cans Butter beans

2 - 14 to 16 oz. cans Baked  beans

8 slices bacon

1lb. Italian Sausage1 large onion, chopped

1 large green pepper(optional)

1/2 cup brown sugar

liquid smoke to taste (2 to 3 Tbsp is usually what I use)

18 oz. bottle of BBQ sauce

1/4 to 1/2 cup of water

Drain and rinse all the beans EXCEPT the baked beans. Add them into a 5 quart pot or crock pot.

Cook the bacon until crispy and then crumble into small pieces. Brown the sausage until fully cooked. Drain off any excess grease. Add the bacon and sausage into the beans. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer on low for at least 4 hours.