Mary Ellen's crock pot Macaroni and Cheese

My sister in law, Mary Ellen sent a crock pot recipe to me to share. Crock pot recipes are my favorite, what is better than getting home from work and having dinner ready? Thanks Mary Ellen, this sound like a new favorite!

From Mary Ellen:
So I was reading your blog and couldn't resist sending you my favorite Crock Pot recipe...macaroni and cheese! It's so great to throw it in the pot and plug it in...voila! Four hours later you have a yummy side dish.

Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1 can (15 oz.) skim evaporated milk
1 egg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
2 cups (8 oz.) uncooked elbow macaroni

Spray the crock pot with cooking oil spray. Pour milk, evap. milk, egg, salt & pepper into the crock pot and whisk. Add cheese and macaroni. Stir gently to mix. Turn the cooker on low and cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours or until custard is set in the center and the macaroni is tender. Serve at once. Serves four as a main dish or six as a side dish.

Clara's Canadian Corn Pudding

My Grandma, Clara answered my call for recipes with her Canadian Corn Pudding. This recipe is simple but sounds wonderful, it would be especially great on a cold night! Thanks Clara!

Canadian Corn Pudding

Mix together:

1 can creamed corn

1 can whole kernel corn (drained)

1 cup sour cream

2 eggs

2/3 cup melted butter

1 box "Jiffy" corn bread mix

Preheat the oven to 350, Bake 30-35 minutes uncovered

Creamed Spinach au Gratin

Most kids and some adult will groan if you suggest that they eat spinach. This creamed spinach au gratin is wonderful, even Matt the veggie hater will eat it thanks to the Gruyere. This is a great Thanksgiving side dish that will add some color to your plate. If you are taking a dish to some one's house to eat, I found this great covered casserole dish online at Macy's, it has a stand so you don't need a trivet and the best part, on sale for $17!

2 tablespoons butter

1 garlic clove minced

5 shallots sliced thin

5 10 ounce boxes of frozen spinach thawed and drained of liquid

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperate (you can do low fat)

2 cups fat free half and half

1 cup grated Gruyere, if you don't have it you can do Swiss

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 375

Spray your casserole dish with Pam. Use the butter to saute the garlic and shallots. In a large bowl combine spinach with shallots, garlic, butter cream cheese, half and half, cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour into dish. Bake for 25 minutes.

Spicy Corn Cobbler

My family loves corn on the cob, so much that my mom cuts the extra off the cob and freezes it for winter. This is a recipe that she could use some of her corn in and my dad would love the spice, since I am fairly certain his food motto is the hotter the better, here he is having a corn on the cob eating contest with Sunday dinner guests. (I decided to spare everyone else the embarrassment of being on the Internet, in a corn eating contest) This spicy corn cobbler would be a great Thanksgiving side dish since it is not typical. (Just a warning this is one of those dishes you can only eat once a year, or you might have a heart attack)
12 tablespoons butter
1 to 2 jalapenos finely chopped (vary for how hot you like it)
4 scallions sliced thin
4 cups frozen corn
1 cup vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups of cream
2 teaspoons Cavender's
2 cups of flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Rosemary chopped (I am using Rosemary because it grows in my neighborhood, you can use another dried herb if you like, Thyme works)
1 cup whole milk

Preheat the oven to 375. In a saute pan over medium heat melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Saute the jalapeno and scallions about 3 minutes. Add the corn and broth, cook another 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat, add the cream and Cavender's. Pour in to a buttered 9x13 pan. In a large bowl combine the flour and baking powder with the remaining butter. If you have a pastry blender now is a good time it use it :) Stir in the herbs and milk. This is making a biscuit type batter, drop spoonfuls on top of the corn mixture. Bake for 50 minutes.

Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Cipollini Onions

Last year I shared a recipe for sweet potatoes that is well, sweet. This one is savory. For people who think that they do not like sweet potatoes, they haven't found the right recipe! This recipe has Cipollini onions, during the roasting process they will caramelize. If you live in Phoenix, the farmer's market has sweet potatoes, and they are wonderful. I would get there early this Saturday as it will be a busy one right before the holiday.

4 teaspoons unsalted butter
4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
about 12 Cipollini Onions peeled
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons dried thyme or if you have fresh 6 sprigs with the leaves removed

Heat oven to 375° F. Place the butter on a rimmed baking sheet and put in the oven just long enough to melt the butter. Add the sweet potatoes and onions, stir to get butter on them. Sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper. Roast, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 45 minutes.

Macaroni and Cheese for Grown-Ups

Here is another favorite comfort food recipe. The first time I made this for Matt he said he liked the box kind, I proved him wrong! I think this would be a great side dish at Thanksgiving, something different.

1 pound elbow macaroni (I like Barilla)
1 cup breadcrumbs (I like Progresso)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
5 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
6 cups whole milk
2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese grated
1 cup Gruyere cheese grated

Heat the oven to 400. Butter a casserole dish. Cook the macaroni (2 minutes less than the package says) In a bowl combine the bread crumbs, olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, set aside. In a sauce pan melt butter and add the flour. Cook about 3 minutes and add the milk. Cook about 7 more minute. Add the cheeses and remaining salt. Cook 5 more minutes. Combine with the macaroni, transfer to casserole dish, top with bread crumbs. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

Spiced Cranberries

Thanksgiving is getting close, one of my favorite parts is the cranberries. My house was a can house growing up, but I like the real stuff. I have experimented with cranberries quite a bit. Last year I shared a spicy southwest cranberry sauce, this year I am sharing a spiced cranberry sauce. Spiced cranberries have a similar flavor to ginger cookies. The pomegranate juice is a nice touch, if you don't have any pomegranate you can use another juice.
1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries (readily available during the holidays)
1/2 cup pomegranate, apple, or cranberry juice
¾ cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons grated citrus rind (lemon, tangerine or orange)
also juice the citrus fruit you use and add that to the fruit juice you decide to use
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

Mix the cranberries and juices together in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until cranberries start to pop and juice is boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the berries are soft and juices thicken, about 25 minutes. (Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools). Stir in citrus rind and spices.

This will keep in the refrigerator for a month. Serve at dinner as a side dish or my favorite on a turkey sandwich.
If you like the spiced cranberries try spiced caramel fondue.

How to Dress Green Beans Up

I was at my Safeway and these pre-packaged green beans were on sale. They are already trimmed, washed and you can cook them in the microwave right in the bag. I figured they were worth a shot. I cooked them up to go along with the Salmon we were eating for dinner. At our house typically I eat all the veggies with our dinner and I force Matt to eat a bite. I was determined that he was going to eat these so I dressed them up. Here is how I did it.

Cook the green beans. Put them in a medium size serving bowl, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, a shake of Cavender's and 2 tablespoons of feta. Toss all ingredients and hope your husband will eat his veggies. For the record Matt ate 3 bites which is an improvement.

Megan's Homemade Apple Sauce

When I was a little girl growing up in Massachusetts, Fall was my absolute favorite time of year. We would go to "The Big Apple" orchard in Wrentham and pick bushels of apples, get candy and caramel apples. This was always a big treat for me and my brother. they also made cider and applesauce. Ok, so I usually hate the texture of applesauce, but this one is a little chunkier and just yummy. This brings me back...

INGREDIENTS
4 apples - peeled, cored and chopped
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan, combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft. Allow to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher.

Wilted Spinach

When we go out to dinner if wilted spinach is offered as a side I always get it because I love it. It is so simple to make and so good for you I have decided I should be eating it more often at home. Wilted spinach is a great side dish to most anything and is great as a salad or on a sandwich.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin with a sharp knife or razor, like Henry does in Good Fellas :)
1 pound washed spinach, stems removed
Shake of Cavender's

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add oil and garlic. Saute garlic in oil 2 or 3 minutes. Add spinach to the pan. Turn the spinach in warm oil until it wilts. Add more spinach to the skillet and repeat the process until all of the spinach is cooked. Season the wilted spinach with Cavender's.

French Green Beans

I was at Fresh and Easy, my favorite grocery store, when I saw these gorgeous green beans. I love getting my produce at Fresh and Easy, all the produce is there from the farm with in 24 hours, so you know it is fresh. I know a lot of people claim to not like green beans, this recipe is tasty and the fresh green beans make all the difference!

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 shallots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 to 1 1/2 pounds fresh French green beans trimmed
12 grape tomatoes, chopped in half
sprinkle of Cavender's

In a large frying pan with a lid, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic, cover and saute them until the shallots are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, green beans and Cavender's to taste. Turn up the heat slightly. Cook, stirring gently every few minutes until the tomatoes are very soft and the green beans are tender. This is also yummy served cold as a salad.

How to Grill Corn

With summer upon us, it is time to get cooking on your grill. Real Simple Magazine always has great grilling tips. One of my favorite summer treats is corn on the cob, at the Minch house we always eat it after dinner, like desert.

This method works on a grill or in the oven (preheated to 500 degrees).
1. Carefully pull back the husks, keeping them attached while exposing the kernels.
2. Gently pull out the silks by hand.
3. Wrap each ear's husks back around the kernels and carefully twist the tops closed.
4. Place the corn on a medium-hot grill (or on the oven rack) for 20 to 30 minutes. Turn the ears occasionally so the corn roasts evenly; take care not to overcook. (If the fire is very hot, soak the corn in cold water for 10 minutes before grilling.)
5. Use tongs to remove the ears from the heat. Wearing oven mitts, remove the husks. If you like your corn charred and smoky tasting, baste the husked ears with olive oil or butter and put them back on the grill or under the broiler briefly before serving.

Asparagus Salad

This is a great week for Minch recipes, first we had Aunt Karen's chicken & then Aunt Karen sent Uncle Robert's asparagus salad. All the Minches are notoriously good cooks, Grandma being the best but Uncle Robert is some what of a master in the kitchen. This is a fantastic summer side dish, I am very excited about it because I love asparagus. The photo by the way was taken in 1959, Uncle Robert is the little blonde, my dad is the goofy dark haired one & Aunt Karen is the baby. My dad's cousin Susanne just sent this picture, as you can see I was thrilled to get it!

On to the recipe:

1 lb. fresh asparagus
1 head romaine
3 pimientos, diced ( I add more)
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne ( I use 1/8 tsp. it is very spicy using 1/4 tsp.)
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. salad oil

Cook, drain and chill asparagus spears. Break romaine into large salad bowl, add diced pimientos, green onions, and mushrooms. Mix together sesame seeds, pepper, cayenne, lemon juice and oil. Add asparagus spears to salad. Pour sesame seeds and oil mixture over salad. Makes 6 servings.

Asparagus with Spice

It's no secret that I love asparagus, this is a way to cook asparagus & change up the flavor a little. Really with any vegetable if you season it right, the flavor is so good even a non vegetable eater (like my husband) will try it.

1 pound trimmed asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 peeled and thinly sliced garlic cloves
Cavender's, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until just tender. Drain.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic cloves until softened but not browned. Add the asparagus and sprinkle with Cavender's and red pepper flakes. Sauté 2 to 3 minutes.

Asparagus Risotto

Matt is not a big fan of potatoes so I have to get creative with side dishes. One of my favorites is to do risotto. Risotto has a wonderful creamy texture that almost feels like a mashed potato. This risotto is especially great because it has some veggies in it so you only need one side.

About 4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth

1 large bunch asparagus, about 1 pound

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms (1/4 inch thick)

2 teaspoons Cavender's Greek Seasoning

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1-1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/4 cup coarsely grated Fontina cheese

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1-1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1-1/2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest

Pour the stock into a saucepan, place over high heat, and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, snap off the ends from the asparagus and peel any tough skin from the stalks. Add the asparagus ends to the stock, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently until the stems are tender, about 7 minutes. Remove and discard the stems. Slice the spears 1/4 inch thick on the diagonal. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot. Scatter in the mushrooms and do not move them until they begin to brown, about 1 minute. Then season with Cavender's, and saute until brown, about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate.
Lower the heat to medium, add the onion, season lightly with salt, and cook until soft but not brown, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook briefly. Add the rice and stir until the grains look pearly white, about 2 minutes.
Add the wine and cook until the pan is nearly dry. Adjust the heat so the rice cooks at a slow simmer. Add 1/2 cup of the stock, stir, and cook until the pan is nearly dry again. Season lightly with Cavender's now so the flavor permeates the rice. Add another 1/2 cup of the stock and continue to stir and cook, adding stock as necessary, until the rice is three-fourths cooked, about 15 minutes. Stir in the thyme, mushrooms, and sliced asparagus tips. Continue to cook until the rice is al dente and the asparagus is bright green and just tender, about 4 minutes longer.
Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, Fontina cheese, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the parsley and the lemon zest, if using. Taste for seasoning. Dust with Parmesan before serving. Pass more cheese at the table.

Classic Deli Cole Slaw

Everyone loves my mom's Cole Slaw, enough said here is her simple recipe!

Classic Deli Cole Slaw

1 bag cabbage shredded for Cole Slaw
Dressing:
½ C light mayonnaise
2 T Cider vinegar
½ t Sugar
2 T Milk
1 T ground celery seed
Wisk dressing together and toss over the shredded cabbage.

Hoppin' John Salad

This recipe comes from one of the Master Gardners (Mary Rampton’s) at the Utah Botanical Center. (My mom works for Utah State University) My dad is a big fan of the salad, it would be a fun side dish to bring to a Barbeque.


Hoppin John Salad
2(14-15 oz.) cans reduced sodium chicken broth
1 c. diced red &/~ yellow bell pepper
1 c. uncooked long grain rice
1 c. thinly sliced celery
1 (15-16 oz.) can blackeyed peas, drained
3/4 c. thinly sliced scallions
rinsed 1/2 c. fat-free zesty Italian dressing

In medium saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Stir in rice. Cover & reduce heat; cook till rice is tender & all
liquid is absorbed (about 1/2 hr.). In large bowl, combine peas, peppers, celery & scallions. Add warm
rice & dressing. Gently lift & mix all. Serve immediately or let cool & serve at room temperature.

Cheesy Potatoes from Carrie Muntz

What isn't better with cheese? These potatoes are the ultimate comfort food. This recipe comes from Carrie Muntz who also shared Festive Tossed Salad and Lemon Cheesecake. I like to have this with a simple roasted chicken.

30 oz Bag frozen shredded hash browns
¼ C. melted butter
1 & 1/2 cup sour cream (just take ½ cup out of a pint of sour cream & add the rest)
1 can cream of chicken soup (can be low fat)
12 oz cheddar cheese grated (half for in the potatoes, half for top)
Bunch green onions diced (keep green tops for the top)
Sprinkle with pepper and a little salt

Mix all ingredients except potatoes
Add potatoes
Put in 9 X 13 baking pan
Top with the remaining cheese and sprinkle green onion tops
Bake @ 350 for 1 hour
*If you allow the potatoes to thaw in the fridge, it’s easier to mix and will not take as long to cook, maybe 40 – 45 minutes until bubbly.

Salad D'Amour

My sister's most famous recipe is her Salad D'Amour or Love Salad. She lives in Montreal hence the french. This would be the perfect side dish with a simple chicken dish.

1 cup cooked white rice
1 package baby spinach 6 oz

3 cups loosely packed Bean sprouts 12 oz bag

3 celery stalks diced

1 green pepper diced

1/2 cup mushrooms sliced

1/2 cup green onions sliced

1 Cup Cashews

½ - ¾ C Dried Cranberries

Dressing

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup olive oil

1 garlic clove

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Put the dressing on about an hour before you serve it.

Spicy Black Eyed Peas for Luck

With New Year's Eve, here people are probably making resolutions. I am going to resolve to exercise more so I can keep cooking & eating! All jokes aside I think the Southern tradition of eating black eyed peas for good luck in the coming year is fun. Some Southerners have been rumored to eat one pea for each day of the year to insure good fortune! Here is a recipe for Spicy Black Eyed Peas. Be safe out there & Happy New Year!

olive oil to saute

1 cup chopped onion

1 large clove garlic, chopped

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. dry mustard

2 tsp. chili powder

1 16 oz. can black eyed peas (drained)

1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes with chilies

1 tsp white vinegar

salt, pepper
Saute onion, garlic, and spices in a little oil until the onions are soft. (Be very careful not to brown the garlic). Add the peas and tomatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes Add the vinegar, salt, and pepper. Serve over rice, with soft tortillas or cornbread. To sign off for 2007, my favorite New Year's toast:

May your troubles in the New Year be as short as your resolutions!