two classics

This week brings mac-and-cheese and homemade oreos, two childhood classics that I hope will get you out of the winter doldrums if, like me, you happen to be stuck in them.  The mac-and-cheese makes quite a bit, but it reheats beautifully and makes a good lunch; alternatively, just halve the recipe.  Happy Friday!

p.s.  Definitely make the oreos because they are the BEST.  :  )

homemade oreo cookies

recipe from here

makes about 12 large oreos

Ingredients

chocolate cookies

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup cocoa powder (I use Hershey's Special Dark)

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups sugar

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) butter, softened

1 large egg

filling

¼ cup (½ stick) butter, softened

¼ cup + 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (Crisco from a can or from a stick)

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl or a food processor, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar.
2. Add in the butter and egg and process or beat on low speed until combined.
3. Using a small cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop out small balls of cookie dough onto a non-stick cookie sheet.  After each cookie is scooped out, flatten the cookie dough into a flat round cookie.  The cookies should be about an inch apart from one another, and you should be able to fit all the cookie dough on two cookie sheets.
4. Bake cookies at 375 degrees F for 8 to 9 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool before filling.
5. To make the frosting, beat together the butter and Crisco until smooth.  Slowly beat in the powdered sugar.  When smooth, beat in the vanilla.
6. To assemble, use the same sized cookie scoop or spoon to scoop a small ball of filling onto one cookie.  Spread with a knife and top with another cookie OR, if you originally used a small enough cookie scoop to make the chocolate wafers, you can simply smush the cookies together to evenly spread the filling between the cookies.
7. Serve with milk.  And, if you happen to have some extras, store them in an airtight container. 

goat cheese & cheddar mac-and-cheese

recipe from here

makes about 5 servings

Ingredients

(about) 1 pound small pasta (I used a mix of the Barilla whole wheat fusilli, Schnucks brand whole wheat fusilli, and Schnucks brand shells, so this amount is quite flexible as long as they have similar cooking times)

4 tablespoons butter

⅓ cup flour

2 ½ cups milk (I used whole milk)

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (you can also substitute more cheddar for this if you don't like goat cheese)

8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (I used Kraft's yellow "mild cheddar," but you can use any other form of cheddar you would like)

1 teaspoon salt or salt to taste

⅛ teaspoon (or more to taste) chili powder

Dash of black pepper

Paprika, for serving

Instructions

1. Add a little salt and a small amount of olive oil to a large pot of water and set over a burner to boil.  When the water is ready, cook the pasta according to the package directions
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in another large pot.  Melt the butter and then let it brown.  Sprinkle in the flour.  Let the flour-butter mixture cook for a minute or two, whisking it constantly.  In the meanwhile, heat the milk in the microwave for one minute.
3. When the flour-butter mixture has cooked for a minute or two and the milk has been heated, slowly whisk the milk into the flour-butter mixture.  Let cook, stirring consistently, for about 8 minutes, or until the milk mixture has thickened.
4. When the milk mixture has thickened, add in the salt, chili powder, pepper, and goat cheese.  Stir until the goat cheese has melted.
5. Slowly add in the cheddar cheese, stirring until it has melted completely.
6. When the sauce is smooth, taste it and add more salt or chili powder (Note:  because there is so much dairy, it would take a lot of chili powder to make it spicy.  Adding the chili powder just gives it a little flavor.).
7. Serve in bowls, sprinkled with paprika.

Weekend Brunch

I had guests in town recently and was searching to find an easy brunch recipe that did not require an extra grocery store run.  This is it!  A recipe from my sister, it is not exactly healthy, but who cares?  It’s coffee CAKE after all. 

For a kick of freshness, I threw together an apple salad with ingredients that always happen to have a place in my home.  Feel free to “mix it up” with whatever you have lying around- you really can’t go wrong.

Serve with a very large pot of coffee, and RELAX.  It’s a three-day weekend.

Unbelievably Delicious Coffeecake

2 ½ cups flour (I subbed half of this for whole wheat flour)

¾ cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¾ cup vegetable oil

1 egg

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup buttermilk (OR: add 1 Tb lemon juice + milk to make 1 cup, let stand 5 min)

2/3 cup crushed pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In large bowl, combine 1^st 6 ingredients (through oil) until crumbs are formed.

Remove 1/3 cup crumbs into small bowl, and mix them with pecans.  Set aside for topping.  

Add remaining ingredients to large bowl and mix well.  Pour into greased 9x13 glass baking dish.  Sprinkle topping over batter.  Bake 30 minutes or until firm.

Fuji Apple Salad

3 apples, coarsely chopped

Panera’s Fuji Apple salad dressing (or any light, fruit dressing will work)

Toppings:

-       dried cranberries

-       pecans, crumbled

-       sunflower seeds

-       (whatever you want!)

Drizzle apples lightly with dressing and toss to coat. 

Add toppings.  Don’t bother tossing again, your toppings will look beautiful on top of the apples, and they’ll naturally fall to the bottom of the bowl as the salad is being served.

BONUS:  If you don’t finish it all, you can add a bit of green or red onion, celery, and some shredded crockpot chicken for a nice chicken salad- serve on lettuce or as a sandwich.

Sugar and Salt Skin Scrubs

In this cold and dry weather it’s easy for skin to crack and become uncomfortable or infected.  Sugar and salt scrubs are great for exfoliating dry skin and sealing in moisture like lotion.  Stores like to sell these scrubs for $20+, but you can make it for under $5 :)

General Directions:

Pour the sugar or salt into a clean, sterilized container with a tight-fitting lid.

Pour the oil over the sugar or salt and screw the lid on tightly.

To use, just give the jar a stir to mix the oil and salt or sugar together.  Apply a few tablespoons to your skin and lightly scrub at the sink or in the shower.

These scrubs will keep for up to 6 months stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Homemade Lemon and Thyme Salt Scrub

Yield: about 1 1/2 cups scrub

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup pure organic almond, or other, oil

the zest of one lemon
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, leaves stripped from the stems

from: http://foodpluswords.com/2012/03/homemade-lemon-thyme-salt-scrub/

Quick and Simple Sugar Scrub

Ingredients:

2 parts sugar (I use organic brown or organic granulated)

1 part oil (olive or other liquid oil)

1 to 2 tablespoons of any fragrant additions like citrus zest, vanilla or peppermint extract, cocoa powder, etc. (optional)

Japanese Curry

This recipe is to add on to Jen’s great curry collection that she sent out a few weeks ago.  Japanese curry is different from other curries in that it is not typically spicy and has a slight sweetness.  It tastes like a thick, savory stew with curry flavor.  Most people use pre-made curry roux, but I prefer to make it from scratch since it hardly takes any additional effort and I can decide which ingredients to put in the pot.  

Ingredients:

for the roux

4 tablespoons butter

7 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons curry powder (or more depending on your liking)

1 to 2 tablespoons of garam masala, if you can find it

for the stew

1 tablespoon cooking oil

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 onion, thinly sliced

3 large carrots, peeled and thickly sliced

3 potatoes, peeled and diced

1 large apple, peeled and grated or 1/4 to 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce

5 cups of beef stock ( you can use vegetable stock/broth for a vegetarian option)

1 pound of cubed, raw meat (beef is typically used, but meat can be omitted)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Make the roux: melt the butter in a pan, then add the flour.  Stir, stir, stir until the roux become a deep tan color; this may take about 20 minutes.  You can multitask and start browning your meat and cooking your vegetables  in between stirring the roux.
2. Make the stew: 
1. heat the oil in a deep pot, then add the onions and garlic.
2. once the onions are translucent and the garlic has softened, add the meat, carrots, and potatoes.  Cook until the meat and potatoes have browned slightly.
3. Add the grated apple or applesauce and the beef stock.  Simmer for about 20 minutes.
4. Pour 1 cup of the simmering stock into the roux pan.  Stir to make a paste.
5. Add the paste to your stew and cook, stirring, until it thickens.  
6. Season with salt and pepper.  Serve over rice.  Enjoy.