Smitten Kitchen Recipes

I regularly read the Smitten Kitchen blog and find awesomely delicious recipes. Here is a sampling of my favorites so far:

Acorn Squash Quesadillas-
I've made these quesadillas twice now and they're delicious. Brian thinks they're a little too sweet for his taste, but I love the flavors. The first time I made them I also made the Tomatillo Salsa included in the recipe listing and it was good, but added another step. Since we have a Costco-sized container of salsa now I skipped this step the second time around. Also, I did what the blog author said and used Meunster cheese and it was delicious! Meunster is now my new favorite for quesadillas and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Arroz con Pollo-
This recipe makes a ton of food - which is good because the leftovers are great! We usually get rid of some of the chorizo fat once it renders, but keep some to spread the flavor. Also, I have made the recipe as stated and used chicken thighs and legs, but breast meat would be awesome, too! For the beer, we just used more chicken broth.

Caramel Cake-
Delicious! This was Brian's birthday cake choice last year and we loved it. If you follow the recipe as written the caramel is thin (not like the pictures on the blog) so cook it a little longer if you want the consistency shown by the blog author (use your candy thermometer to get the low end of the soft ball stage).

White Bean Roasted Red Pepper Dip-
This was great as a veggie dip and with crackers/pita bread.

Dimply Plum Cake-
Flavorful and moist cake that we've made multiple times.

Other recipes I want to try:

• Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake
• Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Strawberry Coulis
  
• Blueberry Crumb Bars
• Dulce de Leche Ice Cream
• Kefta and Zucchini Kabobs
• Sundried Tomato Stuffed Mushrooms
• Ratatouille's Ratatouille
  

For Jan and Jenny:

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
  

Florentine Macaroni and Cheese

from Rachel Ray (original recipe is served with chicken sausage meatballs, but we just purchased chicken sausage links and skipped the first half of the recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dry macaroni noodles (we used wheat elbow macaroni, the recipe called for cavatappi, just use whatever)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (this is increased from the original recipe because the sauce did not thicken enough with 2 T and I had to add more)
  
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg, eyeball it
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (I used regular Parmesan cheese)
• 2 boxes, 10 ounces, chopped frozen spinach

Directions:

Defrost spinach in microwave 8 to 10 minutes on "defrost" setting depending on the microwave. Place the boxes in a shallow dish to catch any run off.

In a medium sauce pot over medium heat, melt butter, whisk in flour, cook 1 minute then whisk in stock and milk, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and thicken 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in 1 cup grated Parmigiano and reduce heat on lowest setting.

Wring spinach completely dry in clean kitchen towel then separate as you add it to the sauce. Also add the reserved 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.

Toss pasta with the spinach-white sauce and adjust seasonings.

Brian thought the recipe should be a little cheesier so next time we're going to add some shredded mozzarella cheese or some sharp white cheddar.

Dinner

Jalapeno Corn Bread

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3-4 Tbs sugar
dash of chipotle powder
1/4 cup diced jalapeno
1 cup corn, drained (frozen works good)
1 cup shredded cheese, Mexican blend or cheddar

8 oz sour cream
3/4 cup milk
1 large egg
4 Tbs butter, melted

Mix first 10 ingredients in a large bowl
Mix last 4 ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well blended
Add wet ingredients to dry, mix only until combined.

Put in HOT greased 10 skillet (cast iron is best)
Bake @ 400* for 25/30 minutes.

This goes really well with any kind of bean soup

2009 General Conference Packet

These packets are nice, they help get my kids to participate in conference. They don't always work, but this one looks fun and easy for the smaller kids. Enjoy!

http://www.sugardoodle.net/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4195&Itemid=5

Meat Loaf

I use my aunt's meat loaf recipe and it really is the best.  I have tried a few other meatloaf recipes, but this recipe just can't be replaced in my book.  

Mix together:

15 oz. can tomato sauce

1/4 c. vinegar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. mustard

Set the sauce mixture aside.

Mix together, in a large bowl:

2 pounds ground beef (I like to mix my meats - 1 lb. ground beef & 1 lb. ground pork, or I'll do a mixture of ground beef, ground pork, and ground turkey.  I have even made it just using ground turkey, but this is meat loaf you're making and it really needs a little beef.  Sometimes you can buy a premixed meat loaf mixture or have your meat dept do a custom mix for you.)

1/2 c. onion, chopped

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 c. bread crumbs (I have used plain, Italian style, or I just rip up a slice of bread into tiny bits)

1 tsp salt 

1/4 tsp pepper

Add half of the sauce mixture (it's about 1 1/4 c.) to the meat mixture and combine.  Form into a loaf or meatballs.  Bake at 350 for one hour (less time for meatballs).  Spoon remaining sauce over the top before serving. 

We like to eat this with baked potatoes.  I prepare my potatoes (scrub, poke, & wrap) and stick them in the oven while I prepare the meat loaf.  They bake right along side the meat loaf so everything is done at once.  We had this last week and I made mashed potatoes instead, that was yummy!

This is what we ate last week...

Here are a couple of items from our menu last week.  I didn't type out the entire recipes (because I am feeling lazy), but gave you the link and any changes I made (which wasn't much).  Both recipes come from The Pioneer Woman -- she makes good stuff.

Penne with Shrimp - This was a huge hit with my kids.  It was delicious.  My kids don't like the full-size penne and I usually have to cut them in half.  I tried the Barilla Mini Penne and they were the perfect size.  I used 1 c. chicken broth in place of the white wine.

Chicken Spaghetti - I have made this several times.  It makes quite a bit so I usually split it between two square dishes and freeze one for future use.  Instead of cooking the chicken I usually buy a rotisserie chicken from Costco, debone it, and use two cups of the meat (using the rest for something else).  Wherever it calls for chicken broth, I use the store bought stuff or chicken bouillon cubes.  Sometimes I put the pimentos in, sometimes I don't.  I don't put the Cayenne pepper in either, maybe later when my kids' taste buds are a bit more mature.  This is another meal my kids devour.

Why does it smell so good?

Growing up we ate beans.  It's one of those things I thought I would never make for my own family.  Not because I didn't like them, but because I didn't know how to make them and if you don't cook beans right -- they're not fun to eat.  For some reason, cooking beans smells really good (maybe it's just me), but throw a ham hock in there (that's what you can see in the picture) and it smells even better.  I'm hoping this pot of beans turns out good because I'm salivating already -- beans with chunks of ham with cornbread on the side!  I have a hard time thinking of what I want for dinner the night before so putting beans out to soak overnight doesn't work for me.  If you're interested this is what I did (thanks to Pioneer Woman for her no-overnight-soak recipe):

-Pour 4 cups of pinto beans into a colander, keeping your eyes open for bits you wouldn't want to eat and beans that don't look so good, then rinse the beans really well under cold water; pour into a large pot.

-Cover beans with water by two or three inches

-Throw in some bacon (4 slices will do, but I usually add more), or a ham hock (I just happened to have one), or just plain diced ham.

-Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover.  Simmer for two hours, or until beans are tender.  Add water to pot as needed.  Beans should have a thick broth.

-Toward the end of cooking time, add salt & pepper and season to taste.  Don't over-salt.  You can also add chili powder, garlic, or Tabasco.  You can get pretty creative with the spices, but I am not very daring in the kitchen so I keep it safe.  Just salt & pepper for me!

-Serve with cornbread (a must).  You can also serve with grated cheese, chopped onions, sour cream, or whatever else sounds good to you.  Aren't beans versatile?!?  Did I mention they're super cheap to make?  You most likely have some in your food storage already, they're good for you, and the leftovers are really good on some ultimate nachos, or homemade Indian fry bread!  

I'm looking forward to my dinner tonight!

Oh, and don't ask me for a cornbread recipe.  I rarely make it from scratch because I'm picky and I haven't found the perfect recipe yet.  I don't like my cornbread to be too dry, but I don't want it too wet either.  I buy the Marie Callender's mix from the store.