Renee - Author at Kitchen Conundrum

Rich & Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

June 18, 2014 by Renee

Today I teamed up with 15 of my food blogger friends to bring you some fabulous recipes to help you get your daily servings of dairy.

Fresh nutritious dairy foods like milk, cheese and yogurt don’t just taste delicious; they’re good for your body! Dairy foods are the #1 source of calcium in most individual’s daily diet and offer 9 essential nutrients. Milk and dairy products are fresh 365 days a year, making Dairy Month a great time to think about exciting, nutrient rich combinations like creative grilled cheese sandwiches, salads and refreshing desserts.

Join in the fun & deliciousness and celebrate “All Things Dairy” with 15 Food Bloggers from around the country as we celebrate with some of our favorite dairy recipes. Here’s one I think you will really like!

Rich & Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

When it comes to Mac & Cheese, there are so many different variations but none is creamier than this one! And it packs a punch with the addition of Greek yogurt.

The trick to creamy Mac & Cheese is to cook the pasta over a low flame in milk, not in water. You must be very careful to keep the pasta moving by stirring it frequently and to not scorch the milk. Low heat is essential as you want the pasta to absorb most all of the milk. This is not a five minute Mac & Cheese, but more like a twenty-five minute Mac & Cheese. However, you will be rewarded for your patience with an incredibly rich and creamy Macaroni and Cheese that’s sure to please the whole family.

Rich & Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Author: Renee

Ingredients

2 cups Milk
2 cups dried pasta (I like Medium Shells but use whatever shape you'd like.)
½ small onion, diced fine
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black (or white) pepper
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. Cayenne pepper
1 6-oz. container Greek yogurt
1 tbs. butter
2 cups grated cheese (A combination of Sharp Cheddar and Gruyere works best)

Method

In a medium saucepan over very low heat, add the onion, milk and pasta. While stirring frequently, simmer over low heat until the pasta is cooked and most of the milk is absorbed.
Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and Cayenne to the milk/pasta mixture.
Once almost all of the milk is absorbed and the pasta is cooked, add the Greek yogurt, butter and cheese. Stir gently to combine and melt the cheese.
Taste and adjust seasonings if need be. Serve right away.

See what delicious dairy dishes my Blogging friends are cooking up:

Souffle Bombay – Blueberry Cheesecake Shooters
What The Heck’s A Bonbon? – Strawberry Watermelon Cucumber Granita with Vanilla Lemon Frozen Yogurt
Mind Over Batter – Strawberries and Cream Icebox Cake
Pass The Sushi – Roasted Blueberry Graham Cracker Crumble Frozen Yogurt
We’re Parents – Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes with Whipped Topping
Little Kitchie – Spinach & Prosciutto Pizza
Sugar Dish Me – Healthy Creamy Summer Pasta
The Vintage Mom – Strawberry Creamsicles & Other Creamy Treats
Real: The Kitchen and Beyond – 11 Grilled Cheese Combinations
Giggles Gobbles & Gulps – 10 Fun Ways To Drink Your Milk
How I Pinch A Penny – Banana Pudding Shooters
An Opera Singer In The Kitchen – Double Cheese Spinach & Mushroom Omelette
It’s A Keeper – 10 Ice Cream & Frozen Treat Recipes
The Suburban Soapbox – The Ultimate Chocolate Martini

Crab-Avocado “Ravioli” – French Fridays with Dorie

June 16, 2014 by Renee

I’ve been following along with French Fridays with Dorie for the past month, but even with ingredients purchased and several of the recipes made, I have just not had the time to post them!

I’ve been spending most of my entire weekends in the garden, first digging up everything and then replanting and this week, the dreaded task of weeding. I think by Fall I should have the garden and lawn looking just right- just in time for the snow to reappear! So as I am short on indoor time, I am glad this week’s recipe for French Fridays with Dorie was a very simple crab salad with avocado.

I have a confession- I used imitation crab. I know, the horror! Well, it actually does have some crab in it, so I guess it’s not totally fake. I bought a large bag and made “crab” cakes with it as well.

This recipe came at the perfect time. Last weekend, I was away at Eat, Write, Retreat – a blog conference- in Philadelphia (another post about that soon). One of the sponsors was California Avocado and I came home with a bag of one of my favorite “fruits”. After an avocado inspired menu at the Philly restaurant, Supper, I’ve been enjoying avocado toast and guacamole all week long here at home. So with one of the last three I have, I made this so called “ravioli” which is really more like a sandwich as there is no pasta involved.

I just happened to also bring home an OXO Good Grips Hand-Held Mandoline Slicer. I’ve been wanting an OXO Mandoline for ages. I have the big metal Bron version, but it is a pain to clean and it simply terrifies me as we don’t have a guard for it. As soon as it’s on the counter, my reflex is to pull my fingers into a tight fist. With the OXO slicer, there is a guard and I can tell you it’s so simple to use (I’ve used it every day this week!). I think it’s life changing, really! It also did the trick with this dish. The avocado sliced very thin and was the perfect vehicle for the crab salad.

Made with shallots, fresh lime, cilantro and fleur de sel and pepper, this light crab salad was very refreshing and would be a perfect small appetizer or passed hors d’oeuvres. I suppose if you wanted more crab salad, you could also serve a larger portion with slices of avocado on the side.

One ingredient that I swapped out was the walnut oil the recipe called for. I just used EVOO and don’t think I missed any nutty complex that the walnut oil would have given.

Overall, this recipe was a success but unless I am having guests, I don’t think it will make it into the repertoire of dishes I make frequently.

For details on creating these recipes, check out the FFWD site and see others who are also cooking the book-

You can also buy the book here:

Hurry Up and Wait Roast Chicken for Food Revolution Day! French Fridays with Dorie

May 15, 2014 by Renee

It’s Food Revolution Day!

This year, for Food Revolution Day, Jamie Oliver wants everyone to “get kids excited about food”.

“It’s time to take action!

We need every child to understand where food comes from, how to cook it, and how it affects their body. This is about setting kids up with the knowledge they need to make better food choices for life.” – Jamie Oliver

You can read more about what Food Revolution Day is all about here.

For French Fridays with Dorie this week, we were tasked to choose a recipe from Dorie’s book, Around my French Table that we think every child should know how to make.

We discuss this topic often at home. The kids all want to make sure they know how to make my meatloaf, Salisbury steak and challah. But there are so many other things they need to know how to make before they leave home and are out on their own. Aside from the obvious basics- vinaigrettes, pate brisee, steamed vegetables (with butter and salt), chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cream pies to name a few, one of the most important dishes they need to know how to make is a good roast chicken.

So we chose Dorie’s Hurry Up and Wait Roast Chicken to make. Before I tell you about our dinner adventure, I’ll tell you this- the chicken never touched the floor!

Firstly, the girls insisted on wearing gloves so as not to actually touch the raw chicken. (Confession: I usually do too.) Hannah was the butcher and chopped off the large piece of excess neck skin. Then, Abby rubbed the entire chicken with a large chunk of butter. I added the salt and pepper as I was the only one with clean hands. I placed the chicken in the roasting pan and Hannah tied the legs and turned it on its side for the first round of roasting.

(Also, I must teach them how to hold a knife properly!)

There was a small incident while Hannah was trying to maneuver the pan and her cell phone and the pan ended up on the floor with the chicken in her bare hands. She caught it as it flipped off the counter. Great catch! Many minutes of hot water and soap followed as we all laughed hysterically.

Thinking they were relived of their dinner tasks, they dispersed to play Minecraft before being brought back to peel the carrots and chop the potatoes. We added some fresh herbs and smashed garlic to the pan and continued roasting.

We had to give up on our oven midway through because the chicken had been in for an hour already (it was nearly 9:30pm at this point) and the bird was still was not cooked. We moved it to the Puck Pressure Oven and within another half hour the chicken emerged- crisp and golden and the vegetables beneath cooked through. (“I need a new oven already”, I said to no one in particular.)

Anyway, they were very pleased with their result and I was very proud of them. We let the chicken rest on it’s head end, so the juices would run into the breast while we made the sauce. A mixture of white wine and water, pan drippings and a swirl of butter.

It’s these last touches, resting the chicken in a headstand and making the sauce, that turns a simple dish into a special dish.

I cook a lot with the girls, but mostly it’s been baking cakes and cookies, making homemade pasta, pancakes and eggs. It’s time to move on to meats and poultry – tonight was a great start. They only have a few years left at home then they will be out in the world. I hope they will take my love of cooking with them wherever they go. I honestly think they will.

Follow the Food Revolution #FRD2014 online for up to the minute news, updates and messages to share, re-post and re-pin!

Facebook: www.facebook.com/foodrevolutioncommunity
Twitter: www.twitter.com/foodrev (use #FRD2014)
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Instagram: @foodrev (add your photos using #FRD2014)

For details on creating these recipes, check out the FFWD site and see what other Dorista’s who are also cooking the book have done-

You can also buy the book here: