Broccoli and Cheese Pasta

This pasta dish is a straight indulgence.  I'm not even going to try to pretend otherwise just because there is something green in here, this is thick, dreamy, cheesy indulgence.  If you grew up a fan of Velveeta shells and cheese, this is right up your alley.

I was having a craving the other day for something cheesy and filling and comforting.  It was cold and I was the kind of exhausted that makes you want to get in bed and stay there until spring.  All I could think of was bacon cheeseburgers and Velveeta shells and cheese. So I started thinking maybe I should make the kids broccoli, cheese and rice soup, but I couldn't quite convince myself of it because I wanted something richer, more decadent.  So I decided to make my version of Velveeta, but with some broccoli and chicken thrown in there, all over pasta instead of rice.

This cheese sauce is stick-to-your-ribs thick, but you can thin it out a little more if you want, and the cheese level is easy to adjust to your taste as well.  Once you master a sauce like this, the possibilities are endless. Next up, I am going to make a homemade version of the Annie's White Cheddar sauce.  Stay tuned for that!

Broccoli and Cheese Pasta

Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients:

• 8 - 16 oz of pasta, cooked and rinsed (I made the whole box and then added until it was my desired cheese-pasta ratio)
• 6 chicken tenders
• 1 white onion, minced
• 3 tbs. butter
• 1 tbs. minced garlic
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup of flour
• 2-3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup whole milk
• 8 - 12 oz of sharp orange cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
• 4 oz. (half a block) cream cheese
• 2 cups frozen broccoli florets

In a dutch oven, over medium-high heat, melt 1 tbs. of butter.  Season one side of your chicken tenders with salt and pepper, then place seasoned-side down into the dutch oven and brown, about 3-5 minutes.  Season the uncooked side of the chicken and then turn it over, browning the other side.  After the outsides are browned, add enough chicken broth to cover half the depth of the chicken.  Flip the chicken and cover the pot, turn the heat to medium, and let the chicken simmer and steam in the broth until cooked through and tender.  Once the chicken is cooked, remove the chicken from the pot and set aside on a plate. 

Add the minced onion and garlic to the broth, saute and simmer in the broth until onions are soft.  Add the remaining 2 tbs. of butter and let it melt.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour over the broth mix and whisk together.  There should be enough flour to absorb all the liquid, if you need to add more flour, do so a little at a time until all the broth is absorbed. 

Slowly add the milk, whisking until smooth. Turn heat down to medium-low. Add the shredded cheese, a handful at a time, and stir after each addition until cheese had completely melted and incorporated.  Add your desired amount of cheese, I recommend at least 8 oz, but go for more to your taste.  Stir in the cream cheese until incorporated. 

If the cheese sauce is too thick for your liking, slowly add chicken broth until it has thinned to your preference.

Add the pasta, a handful at a time, mixing to coat in the cheese sauce.  Add the broccoli florets and stir to incorporate.  While the broccoli heats through, chop the chicken tenders into bite sized pieces and add to the pot.  Season with salt and pepper, serve immediately.

Easy Chicken Carbonara

When I was pregnant with my second baby, my homecooking took a nosedive.  I was so tired or nauseous that most of the time standing in the kitchen for 20 minutes seemed impossible.  So we ate a fair amount of take out which didn't make me super happy.  The one shining star in our food arsenal though was the Whole Foods and Central Market prepared food departments. 

We relied a lot on picking up dinners from Central Market.  Often times, Whole Foods was just too busy and overwhelming for me with my exhaustion and my toddler, so off to Central Market we went and Thank Goodness! They make the most amazing casseroles that you can just take home and pop in the oven: the cowboy casserole, the king ranch chicken and the chicken carbonara.

They are all delicious, but the chicken carbonara really takes the cake.  Its creamy, small enough to be eaten without having to cut anything up for a toddler, it has veggies, proteins and some pasta.  It was a life saver when I was pregnant - but now almost two years later, that is not the case and I always love a challenge.

I prefer to make anything myself because I know what is going into it and I can have more creativity with ingredients and flavor so this week I decided to take on the Chicken Carbonara casserole.

Now a traditional carbonara uses proscuitto, but you could easily substitute bacon for a kicked up flavor and I would absolutely recommend it that way too.  And the stand out factor in a carbonara is that the rich sauce is made rich with egg yolks rather than all cream.  Don't be intimidated by this, its really easy and really is tasty.

Lastly, the way I make the chicken for this pasta is a great tool to hang on to for lots of other recipes - it produces really soft, juicy chicken, with a nice crisp outside, without the time of a slow cooker. 

Quick Chicken

To cook 1 package of chicken breast tenders, season one side of the tenders with salt and pepper.  Melt 2 tbs of butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the chicken tenders, seasoned side down and turn the heat up to give the skin a good brown, just a couple of minutes.  Season the other side of the chicken, and turn over to brown the other side. Add enough chicken broth to cover the bottom half of the chicken and bring the broth to a simmer.  Turn the chicken over and cover the skillet.  Let the chicken simmer for 3-5 minutes, then turn the chicken one more time and recover. Simmer until the chicken is soft and cooked through, another 3-5 minutes.

This method will work with whole chicken breasts as well, but you will need to simmer them for longer to ensure they are cooked through.  Covering the skillet traps the moisture of the broth inside and acts like a rapid slow cooker which keeps the chicken tender and soft - browning the chicken first produces more flavor and helps avoid that yucky boiled chicken look.

Easy Chicken Carbonara

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. (about 8) chicken tenders, cooked and chopped
  
• 1/2 lb of bacon or 1/4 lb of proscuitto, diced
  
• 1 lb. orrichette pasta, cooked and drained
  
• 1 1/2 cups frozen broccoli florets
  
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
  
• 1 tbs. minced garlic
  
• 1/4 white onion, minced or 2 shallots, minced
  
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
  
• 1 cup heavy cream
  
• 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk
  
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
  

In a large pan or braiser, heat 1 tbs. of oil over medium high heat.  Add the bacon or proscuitto and cook until just crispy.  Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside on a paper-towel lined plate. Drain the excess fat from the pan, but do not wipe clean.

Add another tablespoon of oil or butter to the pan, add the garlic and onion or shallots and saute for a few minutes until tender.  Add back in the bacon and the chicken.  Stir and cook for a few minutes more.  Add the broccoli and peas, stir to combine.

Add the chicken broth, season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.  Cover, turn the heat down to low and allow to cook while you prepare the sauce.  In bowl, combine the eggs, egg yolk, cream and Parmesan.  Whisk together until smooth and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Turn the heat down to low, it is important not to let the cream mixture boil or you will have scrambled eggs, then add the pasta to the pan and stir to combine.  Add the cream mixture, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened and coating the pasta.  If you want a creamier sauce you can add more cream and Parmesan, or if you prefer a thinner sauce, you can add a bit more chicken broth. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Make it a casserole!

You can easily make this dish into a bubbly casserole with just a few extra steps.

Preheat your oven to 350° and butter or grease an oval baking dish or 9 x 12 rectangle.

Pour the prepared pasta into the dish.  In a separate bowl, toss together 1 cup panko bread crumbs, 1/2 stick melted butter, 1 tbs. grated parmesean, 2 tsp. dried basil.  Set aside.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of shredded Italian cheese on the top of the pasta (any Italian will be fine, mozzarella, provolone, an Italian blend).  Top with the bread crumb mixture.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until bubbly. 

Raspberry Shortbread Cookies

I know it's still January, but I started thinking about what little treats I could make that would be appropriate for Hondo's baby class Valentine's day party.  The older kids you can be so much more creative with - rice crispie treats, fudge, all kinds of things.  But babies and one year olds? You don't want it to be too messy, you don't want it to be too full of sugar, you don't want it to have anything kids might be allergic too, it has to be soft and not a choking hazard.  Really, most of this stuff is just trying to look out for the teachers and make their life easier.

I have a couple of ideas, but this was my first go to, but I needed to give it a dry run to make sure it would end up and delicious in actuality as it was in my head.  And you know what, they totally were.

These are a gussied up version on the gold standard of cookies.  The shortbread cookie.  If there was a cookie evolution, this cookie was the big bang.  Its as basic as they come and delivers a lot of taste. Nothing but butter, sugar and four - the foundation upon which all cookie recipes are built.

The base of this recipe is what my Noni has been making forever - so probably out of an original Betty Crocker or home magazine from the 40's. I added raspberry flavoring, a hint of vanilla, some spinkles for color, cut them into hearts and then decorated with a dark chocolate and white chocolate zebra stripe. 

These are seriously so good and so soft and not too sweet.  They feel like the perfect Valentine treat for the little ones - but don't worry, I still have a few more ideas to flush out before then!

Raspberry Shortbread Cookies

Makes 2-4 dozen (depending on cookie cutter size)

For the Cookies:

• 1 cup butter, softened to room temp (very important)
• 3/4 cup sugar (I used granulated, but powdered is okay too)
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 tsp. raspberry flavor
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tbs each of pink and red sprinkles
• 1-3 tbs. shortening
• 2 tbs. butter, melted

For the Drizzle:

• 1 cup each of dark chocolate morsels and white chocolate morsels
• 2 tbs. shortening, divided

Preheat your oven to 350° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar.  Really beat it until its super smooth and creamy - its basically the whole cookie.  Beat in the vanilla and raspberry.  Add the flour and beat until combined.  If the dough is too crumbly (it will need to hold together to roll out) add 1 tbs. of shortening at a time.  After each addition make sure you have given it a solid few minutes to beat in and see if its come together enough.

Once the dough is the right consistency, stir in the sprinkles.  Roll the dough into a ball on a lightly floured surface.  Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/2 inch thick, and cut out your cookies with your desired shape.  Place each cookie on the prepared cookie sheets.

Brush the tops of each cookie with the melted butter.  Bake for 12-18 minutes, until the edges are JUST starting to brown (the time will vary depending on the thickness of your dough and the size of your cookie so just watch carefully).  Let the cookies cool completely on the cookie sheet.

While they are cooling, prepare the drizzle.  In two bowls combine the morsels with 1 tbs. each of shortening.  One at time, microwave each bowl in 10-15 second increments, stirring in between, until the morsels are melted.  When the cookies are cool, using a spoon, drizzle the chocolates over the cookies.  Let the chocolate set over night before stacking.

Overnight Cranberry-Orange Cinnamon Rolls

Yeah, I just gained five pounds just looking at this picture too - blame Chanel.  This is yet another realization of one of her cravings.  When brainstorming over dinner one day, she said "oh my god, I really want a cinnamon roll so bad....with like cranberry...and orange" and I said, "yeah sure, let me pull out the left over cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving and throw that together for you...weirdo.  Oh, and I can't feed that to my kids for dinner...so, maybe another time."

I based the dough for the rolls on an overnight cinnamon roll recipe from Williams Sonoma that I used years ago, but I felt that it was a little too dense so I made some adjustments - well and then reworked it for the cranberry-orange thing too.

On that note, this recipe would work with any kind of preserves or jam that you like.  I was picking up food for dinner and came across this "too perfect for the moment" organic Superfruit spread (it has cranberries, blueberries, and cherries), so I used that.  However, you could use any jam or preserve you like including jellied-cranberry sauce. I still added a layer of cinnamon sugar, of course, and then topped these with a decadent whipped cream, orange and cream cheese glaze. 

These are as pretty as they are insanely tasty - you will not be sorry.  Well, your diet might, but your taste buds sure won't.  I think I am gonna make these a holiday staple, they may make it to the Christmas morning table next year.

Overnight Cranberry-Orange Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 12 Rolls

For the Dough:

• 1 (1/4 oz) packet active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water (100°+)
• 1 tsp. + 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 2 tsp. salt
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk

For the Filling:

• 5 oz. of jam of choice (I used a Cranberry, Blueberry, Cherry mix)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbs. ground cinnamon
• 1 stick butter, melted

For the Icing:

• 1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Juice of 1 orange
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Pinch of salt
• Zest of 1 orange, for garnish (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the yeast and 1 tsp. of sugar.  Add the 1/2 cup of water and let stand for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to bloom.  Once it is foamy, whisk it until smooth and then whisk in 1/2 cup of the flour.  Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes (it will be the consistency of a pancake batter, so it will pouf more than rise).

In the mean time, in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter until creamy. Add the salt and the eggs, beat until combined.  Add 1 cup of the flour and beat well.  Switch the paddle for the dough hook.  After the yeast mixture has risen, pour that into the stand mixer and mix well.  1 cup at a time, add the remaining 3 cups of flour.  Knead on low speed until smooth (about 8-10 minutes), adding a little of the milk at a time if the dough is too dry. You want it to be smooth and slightly elastic but not sticky.

When the dough is done, remove it from the bowl and knead by hand for a few minutes more.  Roll it into a ball and return to the mixing bowl.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow it to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours, in a warm place.

Butter a 9 x 12 rectangluar or large oval baking dish, set aside.

After the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out on a floured work surface into a 16 x 12 inch rectangle.  I like the dough to be a perfect rectangle, so I use a knife or pizza cutter to cut it into a rectangle and then place the trimmings back on top of the rectangle and then roll it smooth just a bit more, I think it adds extra flaky layers, or you can just toss the trimmed dough.

Using half of the melted butter, brush the rectangle, leaving a 2-inch wide strip on a long side bare.  Then, using a small rubber spatula, spread the jam or preserves on top of the buttered dough. It should be just a thin layer, if you put too much it will squeeze out everywhere, just a little.  Then sprinkle the preserves with the cinnamon sugar, pretty liberally, but to your taste.

Starting at the long side covered with sugar, roll up the dough towards the bare side snugly, pinching the seam together gently.  Seam-side down, slice the dough into 1-inch thick slices, placing the slices, cut-side down in the baking dish.  Brush the tops of the rolls with the remaining melted butter.

Cover the dish lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. The next morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise until the rolls have doubled in size, about an hour. Preheat the oven to 350°.  Once the rolls have risen, bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.  Allow to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, make the glaze. With a hand mixer, beat together the sugar and cream cheese until smooth.  Add the cream, juice, vanilla and salt.  Beat until smooth.  If you prefer a thicker or thinner glaze adjust accordingly - add more sugar and cream cheese for thicker paste, add more cream or milk for a thinner glaze.

While the rolls are still hot, ice the rolls in the pan, sprinkle with orange zest - serve immediately.

Crunchy Baked Shrimp with Grits

It's been a while since we have had seafood around here - well, not that long I suppose, I made a whole fish dinner for Christmas Eve - but not since then.  See, I grew up on the New England Coast and we ate seafood all the time, but since living in Texas I have spent more time focusing on what is local here.  So beef (duh) and pork are more constant staples on our dining room table, since I can get really good quality, organic and local meats.

However, I have been having a hankering for some light seafood dinners and going back through my cookbooks and magazines today during the boys nap, I came across a ton of Shrimp and Grits suggestions (thanks, Southern Living) and a few different variations on Baked Shrimp.  I'll be honest, I have never baked shrimp before, but I liked the idea because I could pop it in the oven and make the grits in the mean time.

The timing worked out just like I thought and this meal came together beautifully.  I added veggies to the plate with some Lemon-Basil Broccolini, added a hearty spoonful of Jalapeno Cheddar Jack Grits, and then put that crunchy, delicious baked shrimp right on top.

Crunchy Baked Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. raw jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried parsley

Preheat your oven to 425°.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the garlic and wine.  Add the shrimp and toss to coat.  Pour the contents of the bowl into a large rectangle or oval baking dish (or a rimmed baking sheet would be fine, too).

In a small bowl, melt the butter.  Add the panko, basil and parsley.  Mix together with a fork and then crumble with your fingers.  Sprinkle the mixture over the shrimp, distributing evenly.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Bake until shrimp are cooked and pink and the topping is golden brown, about 12-15 minutes (or less depending on the size of your shrimp).

Serve over Cheddar Jalapeno Grits with Lemon-Basil Broccolini.