Taco Macaroni and Cheese

Taco Macaroni and Cheese

1 pound macaroni or shell pasta
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 serving of taco seasoning (or 1 packet of store-bought seasoning mix)
1 cup salsa
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, cut into chunks
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

2. Meanwhile, brown ground beef and sweat the onion together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the beef is completely cooked through, drain off excess fat, return to skillet, and add garlic. Cook and stir 30 seconds. Add taco seasoning and salsa and stir to combine; reduce heat to low.

3. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add cream cheese, milk, and sour cream and stir to combine. Cook until cream cheese is melted and mixture is thick and bubbling. Stir in shredded cheese.

4. Add cheese sauce and ground beef mixture to pasta and stir to combine. Top each serving with salsa and sour cream, if desired.

Pulled Pork with Caramelized Onions

Traditional pulled pork is barbecued, which gives it a smoky flavor. But the slow cooker happens to be the absolute easiest way to cook pulled pork—and you can get a hint of smoke by adding chipotle chile. Serve the pulled pork with potato salad, collard greens and grits. Or make it into a sandwich and serve it on a bun with coleslaw.

From EatingWell: January/February 2011
Yield: 8 servings, about 1 cup each
Active Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 5-9 hours
INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 large onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup raw cane sugar, such as Demerara or turbinado (see Notes)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 cup chili sauce, such as Heinz
1 1/2-3 teaspoons minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce (see Notes)
3 pounds boneless pork shoulder or blade (butt) roast, trimmed
PREPARATION

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 3 to 6 minutes. Add sugar and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the onions are golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes more. Add garlic, oregano, pepper and salt and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add vinegar and bring to a boil. Cook until mostly evaporated, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in chili sauce and chipotle to taste.
Place pork in a 4-quart (or larger) slow cooker and cover with the sauce. Cover and cook until the pork is almost falling apart, about 4 hours on High or 8 hours on Low.
Transfer the pork to a cutting board and shred using two forks. Stir back into the sauce.
Variation: Turn 3 cups leftover pulled pork into Pulled-Pork Torta. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a deep-dish pie pan or other 9-inch round baking dish with cooking spray. Heat 3 cups finely shredded Pulled Pork with Caramelized Onions (including sauce) just until warm. Drain one 14-ounce can no-added-salt diced tomatoes (reserve juice); combine with 1/4 cup diced Spanish-style chorizo (see Note) or pepperoni in a bowl. Mix well. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the prepared pan to cover the bottom. Top with one 8-inch flour tortilla (preferably whole-wheat). Spoon one-third of the remaining mixture over the tortilla. Top with another tortilla. Repeat twice, topping with a fourth tortilla. Drizzle the reserved tomato juice over the top and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle 3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese on top and continue baking until the cheese is melted and the torta is bubbly, about 20 minutes more. Let cool for 10 minutes. Serve sprinkled with 1/4 cup each finely chopped scallions and chopped fresh cilantro, if desired.

Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
Yield – 4 sandwiches

Preparation Time – 10 minutes

Cooking Time – 25 minutes

Ingredients
1 lb. ground chuck ($1.99)
1 green pepper, seeded and diced ($.59)
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce ($.20)
2 tsp minced onion ($.05)
1 tsp minced garlic ($.05)
1 tsp vinegar ($.02)
1 Tbsp prepared mustard ($.01)
1 Tbsp brown sugar ($.01)
Salt and pepper
4 whole wheat buns ($.50)
4 slices provolone cheese ($.67)
Clementines, bananas – fresh fruit ($.50)
Chips ($.75)
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Directions
Brown the ground beef. (If you want softer green peppers, cook them with the ground beef.) Drain and let sit.
In the same skillet, add the tomato sauce, minced onion, minced garlic, vinegar, mustard and brown sugar. Stir and let simmer over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes.  Add the brown beef and (uncooked or cooked) green peppers and combine. Simmer over low heat for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until ready to serve.
Spoon the sloppy joe meat over the buns and top with slice of cheese. Let the warm sauce melt the cheese, or microwave.
Serve Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes with chips and fresh fruit.
Cost $5.34

Carmel Apple Salad

Apples (about 6)
A Tub of cool whip
A package of butterscotch pudding mix
Dry roasted peanuts
Mini marshmallows
Caramel ice cream topping

For apples, I just used what was in the house, which was a couple Ida Reds and 4 Macintosh. It's really yummy if you use some sweet and tart (like granny smith).

Dice your apples, leaving the skins on. If you're worried about browning, throw your diced apples in a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon juice in it.

Using a whisk, whip your cool whip with your pudding mix. Add it to your diced apples and mix until coated.

Toss in some peanuts and marshmallows (as many as you like!) and mix in.

Drizzle your caramel on top, and you're done! How easy was that?!

Olive Garden's Pizza Rustica

Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 3 hours
Serving Size: 4

Ingredients
7 ½ cups all-purpose flour (approximately)
1 pk dry active yeast
2 1/2 cups water, warm (90-115ºF)
1/2 Tbsp +1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
All-purpose flour as needed
1 eggplant, peeled and cut into very thin slices
16 fresh garlic cloves
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
20 thin slices prosciutto ham
4 rounds fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into slices
4 tbsp of pesto (jarred)
Procedures
Pre-heat oven to 350ºF—increase to 550ºF.

PIZZA DOUGH:
1.POUR warm water into a bowl. Add yeast. Using a wire whip, whisk to completely dissolve yeast. Set aside for about 5 minutes, or until yeast activates. Add 1 cup flour, salt and extra virgin olive oil. Mix well. Add remaining flour 1 cup at a time until dough is soft and springy. Dough should turn into a ball. If dough is too dry, add a very small amount of water. If it becomes too wet, add a small amount of flour.
2.PLACE ball of dough on a floured board and cover with a dry towel. Allow to sit until ball doubles in size.
3.CUT risen dough into 4 equal pieces. Again, roll into balls and allow to rise*.

ROASTED GARLIC CLOVES:
1.PLACE garlic cloves in a small pan. Add 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil and evenly coat each clove..
2.BAKE at 350ºF for 45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

PIZZA:
1.PLACE dough ball on floured board. Using hands, flatten and spread out to form a circle.
2.SLIDE pizza dough onto a pizza pan or parchment paper.
3.PLACE fresh mozzarella slices on pizza. Add sliced eggplant and roasted garlic cloves.
4.BAKE at 550ºF for 5-6 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and add prosciutto slices. Top with spoonfuls of pesto.

*If not using dough immediately, wrap each ball with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready for use. Once ready to use, remove from refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

Olive Garden’s Shrimp & Asparagus Risotto

prep: hr(s) 30 min(s)
cook: hr(s) 30 min(s)

Ingredients
8 cup(s) chicken broth
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cup(s) Carnaroli or Arborio rice
1/2 cup(s) dry white wine
1/2 lb(s) fresh asparagus spears, stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
18 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 cup(s) butter
1 1/2 cup(s) Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup(s) chopped tomatoes
Fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup(s) Onions (yellow)

Procedures
In a large pot or saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer and leave on low heat until needed.

In a separate, large nonstick pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

Add the onions and cook for approximately three minutes. Once the onions are translucent, add the rice, stir to coat thoroughly and cook for one minute. Next, add the white wine and stir until completely absorbed.

Slowly add ½ cup of broth to the risotto and stir until completely absorbed. Repeat this step until 4 cups of broth have been added.

Continue to stir the risotto frequently to avoid sticking.

While the risotto is cooking, add the asparagus and shrimp to the remaining broth and cook for approximately two minutes or until the shrimp are pink in color.

When finished, remove the asparagus and shrimp from the broth and add them to the pot with risotto.

Continue to add ½ cup of broth at a time until desired creaminess is reached.

Once the broth is absorbed, add butter, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with chopped tomatoes and parsley to complete.

Number 3 aka Green Noodles

- Spinach Fettuccine, 8 or 9 oz package
- 1 boneless/skinless chicken breast, cubed
- ~3/4 of a package of mushrooms, chopped
- ~2.5 oz prosciutto, chopped
- Pesto cream sauce
- Feta cheese, to taste

Saute chicken & mushrooms in a bit of olive oil. Add prosciutto once chicken is cooked and heat through.
Cook pasta as directed on the package (I use fresh pasta). Drain.
Make a cream sauce with pesto mixed in