Ina's Grown Up Mac and Cheese

It's Barefoot Blogger day, and time to post the recipe I wrote about in the last post. This week's recipe was chosen by Heather of Randomosity and the Girl (cute name for a site). This group has been so much fun so far. We only have to post twice a month (with a third post optional), and I love the recipes of Ina's that have been selected. Really puts a little more variety in things and is one idea for a meal I don't have to come up with! Again, if you want to check it out, you can go here to see what is coming up for the month as well as the musings of the members. So, on to the recipe.


Heather's choice was Ina's Grown up Mac and Cheese from the episode Home Comforts. Wow, was this good. I followed the recipe word for word with a few exceptions, I used a sprouted 7-grain bread and celentani pasta. I never have white bread in the house, try to keep the whole grain, healthy stuff around. The bread keeps well in the freezer, so I had it on hand. The nutty flavor of the bread was really nice against the rich creamy cheeses.

I shopped ingredients on a trip to Trader Joe's and celentani was the closest thing to elbow pasta that they had. Whole wheat pasta would have been my choice if I could have found any, but as you can see from the picture, the ridges on the pasta really worked nicely. The sauce had lots of little spaces to cling to. Also, on that trip, I purchased the cheeses (TJ's cheese prices are so reasonable!) . For this mac and cheese I used a Swiss, Kaltbach cave-aged Gruyere, a Wisconsin, white extra sharp cheddar, and crumbled Salem blue cheese. They had a nice, thick, applewood bacon, so I picked that up as well. When I baked it off for the recipe, I added a few extra slices to cook at the same time. We had those in a cobb salad the next night. I really liked the smokey, fruity taste of the bacon with the cheese in the dish. One thing I did not add was more salt. Taste the sauce first, after you have all the ingredients together. I felt it was salty enough.

Notes: Make this when you have a bit of time, you will need it. Grate the cheese in the food processor to save time and wash dishes as you go so you will not be overwhelmed with the pile you have at the end!

Grown Up Mac and Cheese
serves 2-4
4 ounces thick-sliced bacon
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt
2 cups celentani pasta
1 1/2 cups reduced fat milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
3 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated
2 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
2 slices sprouted 7-grain bread
2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan and arrange the bacon in 1 layer. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Remove the pan carefully from the oven - there will be hot grease in the pan! Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and crumble when it is cool enough to handle.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, blue cheese, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon and stir well. Pour into baking dish.



Place the bread slices in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Add the basil and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the pasta. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Chocolate Sauced Pears - WWW

Dinner last night was oh-so-tasty, and loaded with cheese. I will post the dish this Thursday for my Barefoot Bloggers post or for a sneak peak, you can go here to see the recipe picks for September). For our dessert, I wanted to serve the pears that I picked up at the farmers' market from Phillips Fruit Farm and include them in a Weight Watcher Wednesday post. So, onto the net I went. I found this potentially yummy recipe on the 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet site. They have loads of recipes posted and give nutritional information, including WW points. This recipe looked quick and easy, and hey, involved chocolate, so I gave it a try. Everything went well until they were cooked. All the cooking liquid that was to be combined with the chocolate sauce baked away. I am not sure why this happened. One reason could be that I cut the recipe in half, to just 2 servings, which also cut the cooking liquid in half. Also, the oven temp called for is 375, perhaps at 350 they may have turned out better. Anyway, I went ahead and drizzled them with the chocolate sauce amount called for and we dug into them. Very tasty! The soft pears and the chocolate were perfect together. At just over 100 calories it satisfies that sweet tooth.

Don't forget to check out the rest of this weeks Weight Watcher Wednesday recipes.

Chocolate Sauced Pears

serves 2
WW points: 1

2 small Bartlett pears
1 tbl lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbl chocolate flavored syrup

Core pears from bottom end using a small melon baller, leaving stems intact; peel pears. Cut a thin slice from bottoms of pears to help stand upright. Place pears in a small baking dish.

Stir together lemon juice, vanilla and cinnamon. Brush mixture on pears, pouring remaining liquid in bottom of pan.











Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes or till tender. Cool slightly. Strain baking liquid and pour into a small bowl. Stir in chocolate syrup and pour into 4 individual dessert bowls. Add pear to each bowl, standing up. Serve warm.

This is where I had the problem with the recipe. All the cooking liquid baked away.



So, if this happens, just place them in little dessert bowls and drizzles with the chocolate sauce and dig in!

Yogamole Potato Salad

I came up with this yummy salad yesterday. After a quick inventory of what was in the fridge, as well as having a very ripe avocado on hand, I thought I would try subbing guacamole for a traditional potato salad dressing. We loved it! The only drawback to making this is that you should only make what you need for the meal since guac really doesn't keep well. Also, you put this together right before serving. I boiled the potatoes earlier in the day and kept them whole in the fridge. When I was ready to dress them I brought them out and let them sit about 15 minutes and then cut them into about 1/2" slices. If you want to cut into dices or wedges, feel free, whatever turns you on. I use green onion in my guac because I am not a fan of raw onions. I also used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, which is what I had on hand. We had this for dinner with some grilled chicken brats, yum!

Yogamole Potato Salad
serves 4-6

1.5 # of small white potatoes (about 6)
1 ripe avocado, diced
1/2 tsp kosher flake salt (seems like a lot, but the potatoes need it)
1 1/2 tbl lime juice (1 lime)
1/2 cup chopped, seeded tomato (1 small)
1 1/2 tbl chopped green onion (green and white parts)
1 tbl chopped cilantro (at least, be generous)
1/2 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt

Place whole potatoes in a pan of cold water to cover by 1". Bring to a boil and cook until a sharp knife will just slide through, about 20 minutes. Drain and cool completely. They can be refrigerated at this point.

When ready to serve, cut the potatoes into 1/2" slices.

In a medium bowl, place the avocado, cut into dices, and the salt. Using a fork, mash the avocado, leaving a few small chunks. Add the lime juice, tomato, green onion, and cilantro, stir to mix. Then add the yogurt and mix thoroughly. Toss the potatoes in and stir gently, coating the potatoes with the guac, being careful not to break them up. Adjust seasoning if needed and serve with a bit of cilantro sprinkled on top.

The Adventures of Larry and Hello Kitty

Since the pictures of Hello Kitty were such a hit, I thought I would introduce both she and Larry to you. Hello Kitty was adopted from Cat Welfare in 2003. She was almost a year old and they had named her Angel. During her stay there she became very ill and I had to wait a few weeks to see if she would make it, which she did. Since adopting her, she has had allergy tests/shots and last year began having seizures (the million dollar kitty). After months of trial and error, she is now on phenobarbital and doing well. Very lovable and small, only about 8#. Her favorite activity is sleeping on my lap while I knit.

Larry was adopted from the Capitol Area Humane Society in 1994, yes, he celebrated his 14th birthday this year. He was only 6 weeks old, and his shelter name was Ringo (someone found 4 kittens and they named them after the Beatles). He had a illness free life until 2004, when he got very sick. After a 10 day hospital stay, where he was split from stem to stern, he was diagnosed with IBD. He is now on a prescription food, which he eats, but hates, and meows quite a bit. At times he can really be a pain in the ass, just the old man thing I think. He redeems himself every night by sleeping on my head, I take that as a sign of affection, but he is a cat, so who knows.

Anyway, that is a bit about the two kitties, I will profile Bunnie the Dog another day. I also am using this post as a test. I am trying to figure out how to insert a video, so here goes. I took this with my camera, and am not the best videographer. Hello Kitty snores quite a bit, which irritates Larry, as you will see (and hear). Enjoy!

Farmers' Market trip for Cat Food?

I know what you are thinking. "What type of a Farmers' Market caters to kitties"? Well, maybe you are not thinking that exact thought, but no doubt, the two do not seem to go together. Rest assured, I will explain. This post is about my trip yesterday to the local Farmers' Market that is held in town at the boat basin every Thursday throughout most of the summer and into the fall. With my trusty, way cool bag that Foodbuzz sent to us a few months back, my camera and a pocket of cash, I walked down to stock up on a bit of fresh produce and see what new items they had to offer.



As you can see, I made a pretty good haul. Fresh Hahn's corn, cucs, green beans and potatoes from DeChant Farm, Bartlett pears from Phillips Fruit Farm and a few zucchini to round it all off.

I also got some nice shots of the farmers and shoppers. Here are a few of the photos.












Check out the beauty and color on the table of tomatoes. How can these not be good for you? I resisted the temptation due to by own bountiful crop, but it was hard not to try just one. Does the rationale that you can never have too many pairs of shoes or black sweaters apply to varieties of tomatoes as well?



September means that fall is just around the corner here in the Midwest, and I saw a few items reminding me of the season's soon to be changes of colors and flavors.










The market is not just about produce. There is a nice offering of freshly baked pies, cookies, quick breads, jams and jellies to satisfy your sweet tooth.











Once I was home, I unloaded my goodies and positioned them for photos. After I had taken a few I left the room to get something and when I returned, this is what I found...

A little furry package inspector had decided to checkout what I brought home. Her name is Hello Kitty. I don't think I have introduced our furry friends. There are 2 cats and 1 dog (I will introduce the other 2 in the future). I wasn't sure how interested she would be in the produce, so I let her go....











Who knew that she would want to chow down on the green beans and corn? (I apologize for the shaky photos, I was laughing so hard). I guess I will have to check with her next week to see what she would like me to add to my shopping list!





If you would like to check out the rest of my photos from the market you can see them if you go to my Flickr account

Greek Shrimp with Orzo

Here is a quickie for a scrumptious lunch or light dinner. This is another Weight Watcher recipe that can be found here. I am posting my version. It is very similar to the original with the following changes: I cut the recipe in half to 3 servings, used whole wheat orzo, I did not have a green pepper so I used a sweet blushing beauty from the garden. Also from the garden I used 14 oz. of fresh Roma tomatoes and fresh oregano. I always keep a bag of frozen shrimp from Trader Joe's on hand. This was quite simple to make and goes together in no time. I served it on a bed of arugula with a few kalamata olives for garnish. Not sure how that effects the points for the dish.

Expect to see many more Weight Watcher and Cooking Light type of recipes here. Summer is over and time to get back to a little healthier eating. Let's just say that the ice cream machine has had a bit of an impact on the scales ; 0 )

Greek Shrimp with Whole Wheat Orzo
3 servings
POINTS® Value: 7

6 0z uncooked whole wheat orzo
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 medium blushing beauty pepper, chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
14 oz diced fresh Roma tomatoes
1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 pound shrimp, medium-size, peeled and deveined
3 tbl basil, fresh, chopped
1 Tbsp feta cheese, crumbled
arugula


Cook orzo in salted water according to package directions without added fat; drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, pepper and garlic; cook until soft, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp are bright pink and cooked through, about 5 minutes.


Spoon cooked orzo into shrimp mixture; stir to combine. Remove from heat and stir in the oregano and basil. Spoon about 1 1/4 cups of orzo-shrimp mixture onto a bed of arugula on each of three plates and top each with 1 teaspoon of feta.

Apple Cake-WWW

Here is a quick little Apple Cake that I found for this week's Weight Watcher Wednesday recipe. After a search for recipes that included apples, I found this recipe at OES.org (Everything About Old English Sheepdogs). Isn't it crazy where you can find things on the Internet? Apparently, they started a thread of Weight Watcher recipes. There are quite a few on the site, so I have a fun new source for ideas. What is funny (coincidence?), is that when I was young, we had an Old English Sheepdog, Shakespeare, my dad's dog. What a great dog he was, as little girls, we loved brushing that long hair. More fun brushing than Barbie's locks. I have fond memories of him laying on his side while we laid our heads on him, like a pillow, and watched the Partridges and the Bradys. Anyway, back to the cake!

I was looking for an apple recipe so that I could use my Ginger Gold Apples which I bought at The Hahn Farm. This one looked pretty yummy and besides, I had all the ingredients on hand. I am baking it early since it is to get a bit hot today. I am sure this would be a good recipe for peaches or even perhaps strawberries. The vanilla and cinnamon really enhance the flavor of the apples. The cake would be very good either as a breakfast cake with a bit of fat-free yogurt or a mid afternoon snack with a glass of sun tea.

Apple Cake
8 servings
3 points per serving

2 large eggs
½ cup sugar
¼ cup fat free milk
2 Tbsp. light butter, melted
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 cup self rising flour, sifted
1 ½ Tbsp. cornstarch
1 large Ginger Gold apple, peeled, cored and sliced
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. sugar

Notes: I did not have an 8" pan, only a 9" so the baking time will be adjusted a bit. Also, I only had all-purpose flour. The substitution for self-rising is 1 cup of all-purpose, minus 2 tsp plus 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/2 tsp of salt.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat an 9" inch round cake pan with cooking spray.

Beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in milk, melted butter and vanilla extract.

Combine flour and cornstarch and fold into the cake batter. Pour mixture into prepared pan.

Arrange apple slices on top of cake, sprinkle with combined cinnamon and sugar. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a knife or metal skewer comes out clean.

Can't eat that many servings at once, or too tempting to have on hand? Just wrap well with cling film and freeze!