Kitchen Kooks

Macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort food, but I always felt it was hard done by, with mushy pasta and bland cheese sauce, so I ramped it up. If you use low fat cheese and 1% milk, you won’t even notice.  Ingredients  2 cups dry, whole wheat penne Couple shakes of salt 1/4 cup unsalted butter 1/4 cup diced onion 1 heaping tsp (and I mean heaping) minced garlic 2-3 shakes Worcester sauce 1/4 cup flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground pepper 2-3 pinches ground mustard 2 cups milk 2 cups shredded cheese (I like low fat Tex Mex or Italian blend) Shaved Parmesan, bread crumbs, and/or real bacon bits, optional Method Combine flour, salt, pepper, and ground mustard in a small bowl, set aside. Spray casserole dish with cooking spray, set aside.  Preheat oven to 350F. Bring 2-4 quarts of salted water to boil. When water is boiling, add penne and reduce heat to 7.5. Boil, uncovered, for two minutes less than recommended time for al dente. Strain and put in casserole dish.  W...

Summer is a time for barbeques and get-togethers ... baking, not so much. Since fresh strawberries are abundant in Newfoundland right now, I tested out a new recipe on some willing neighbours to get the seal of approval ... unfortunately, the pic I took got deleted.  I like it because it’s not too sweet or heavy.  Ingredients 2 cups chocolate baking crumbs  1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted 1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream 1/2 tsp vanilla 2 tbsp sugar 454 g cream cheese, softened (I use low-fat, but you do you) 1/4 cup chocolate chips 1 quart strawberries, rinsed, drained, and patted dry Chocolate curls or sprinkles for garnish  Method Preheat oven to 350F. Combine crumbs and butter in an 8X8 pan, then press and pat down firmly to make a crust. Bake for five minutes, then set aside to cool.  Combine cream, vanilla, and 1 tbsp sugar in a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat the mixture, gradually increasing speed (this keeps you from getting splattered), until it’s ...

I was scrolling through recipes on Facebook, because that’s who I am now, and saw a recipe for a sort-of chicken cordon bleu thing. I don’t like chicken cordon bleu, but I was intrigued, and the creative juices (read: gluttony) started flowing.  Ingredients 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts Salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder, to taste Sliced cheese (we used provolone, but you do you) Fresh spinach  1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed Pasta or pizza sauce 1 egg 2 tablespoons water Method Place each chicken breast on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Fold the wrap over, and beat the chicken breast until it’s nice and thin (I used a rolling pin). Cover the chicken with sliced cheese, then cover with spinach. Keeping the chicken on the plastic wrap, roll the chicken around the mixture, then wrap the plastic wrap around it, and roll further into a nice log shape. Chill for 30 minutes.  While chicken is chilling, preheat oven to 400f. Roll out puff pastry until it is no th...

We love Caprese salad, and we love roasted potatoes, so why not combine them?  There are no measurements; you’ll have to eyeball the ingredients based on serving size (and how hungry you are).  Ingredients  Grape tomatoes  Roasting potatoes  Peanut oil (canola if you’re allergic) Salt Pepper Italian seasoning Bocconcini (I use light so I can lie to myself) Jarred pesto (I use Catelli, or you can make your own) Fresh basil or spinach leaves Preheat oven to 400f. Toss tomatoes with oil, salt, and pepper. Peel potatoes, if desired, and cut to approximately the same size as the tomatoes. Toss with oil, salt, and Italian seasoning.  Line a perforated pan with parchment. Arrange tomatoes and potatoes on the pan in a single layer, and roast 40-50 minutes. Meanwhile, slice bocconcini.  When veg is done, arrange on plate(s).  Place sliced bocconcini on top and drizzle with pesto. Garnish with shaved Parmesan and leaves. Also, we ate it too fast for a pic....

Regular yeast is hard to find these days, so I choked down my food snobbery and developed a white bread recipe which uses instant yeast. It’s not as fluffy as I like, but the LSS and The Girl wipe out an entire loaf when it comes out of the oven, so I guess it’s acceptable.  The only way to learn how to make bread is to make bread: my first few efforts made excellent substitutes for cinder blocks. Eventually, you get a feel for the texture of the dough, and you’ll only have the recipe open in case you forget something. If your bread doesn’t turn out the way you want it, you can use it for breadcrumbs or homemade croutons.  Ingredients 5 heaping cups with flour 1 tablespoon salt (I like coarse grind) 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon instant yeast 5 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups warm water (just a wee bit warmer than lukewarm) Olive oil cooking spray Method Measure the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer (yes, I’m cheating: I have no strength in my hands, a...

This recipe is a godsend when life gets busy: it’s easy to make, freezes beautifully, is just as good (or better) reheated, and tastes a little different every time I make it (probably because I don’t really measure out the seasonings). LSS likes to sprinkle shredded cheese on his, I like to scoop it up with tortilla chips or this  Easy Artisan Bread . Sometimes I find it a little spicy; when that happens, I stir in a bit of fat-free Greek yogurt to cool it down. You can skip charring the corn, but it’s easy to do and adds incredible flavour. And trust me, you won’t miss the beef! Ingredients 1 pound extra-lean ground turkey 1 small or medium onion 1 bell pepper (preferably red, yellow or orange, as they’re sweeter) 2 ribs of celery 1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic 398 ml tin of black beans 341 ml tin of whole-kernel corn 1 large tin of crushed tomatoes  Tomato sauce or beer, if required (more on this later!) Olive oil SEASONINGS Scant teaspoon salt 1 heaping teaspoon cumin 1 ...

I can’t speak for you guys, but I’m fat, and one of the many reasons why I’m fat is because I love crispy, salty snacks. I also hate vegetables.  In my quest to be healthier, I’ve been working on baked veggie chips which are actually delicious, and I think I’ve found it! BAKED ZUCCHINI CHIPS For the Chips 1 medium zucchini  Olive oil cooking spray  Herbed garlic sea salt (I use Epicure) For the Dip 1/3 cup low fat mayonnaise  1/3 cup fat free Greek yogurt 1 tablespoon Epicure French Onion Dip Mix Method Preheat oven to 225F. Line a crisper pan (pic below) with parchment and generously spray with cooking spray.  Thinly slice zucchini with a mandoline. Lay the slices on a clean dish towel in a single layer.  Lay another clean dish towel on top and press out moisture.  While zucchini is drying out, mix together the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, and French Onion Dip Mix. Store in the fridge to allow flavours to blend.  Turning back to the zucchini, sprink...