Cheesy Shells with Smoked Sausage

Greetings all and Happy new Year! Wow, it has been awhile since I have blogged! But it is safe to say that I AM BACK BABY! We are finally settled in our new (very cold) state of Colorado. So far so good! I got a new teaching job, we have a lovely house, I got an amazing new car, a Prius! I freakin love that car! The holidays have been good to me. I finally got a Kitchenaid stand mixer! Ans some new pots an pans. So be prepared to see every baked good you can imagine coming this way. I'm beyond excited to be cooking in my own kitchen again!You have no idea how hard it was being away from all of my kitchen stuff. I felt like I lived in the stone age! Seriously. I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas or whatever holiday you may or may not celebrate! But now, it is time for FOOD! (insert applause here) This is a super cheesy, super simple dish I threw together last night. I would make it again and again. I love cheesy and I love smoked sausage. So basically its a double whammy for me! I found this recipe in an old Betty Crocker magazine. I wonder if Betty Crocker was overweight...she sure knew how to cook!

Cheesy shells with Smoked Sausage

Prep time: 25 mins 

Servings:4

3 cups chicken broth

2 cups uncooked small pasta shells

1 1/2 cups frozen baby peas

1/2 lb smoked sausage, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/2 in pieces

2 cups shredded American-Cheddar cheese blend ***

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. in 3 qt. saucepan, heat broth to boiling over medium-high heat. Add pasta; heat to boiling. Boil 6 minutes; do not drain. Reduce heat. Stir in peas and sausage. Cover and simmer 3-5 minutes or until pasta is tender. (there will be broth remaining)

2. Add American-Cheddar cheese blend. Toss gently until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

*** I couldn't find the American-cheddar blend so I got this and chopped up a few slices of American cheese and mixed it all together.

Eat up! Let me know what you think! Until next time...Adios!

My Crazy, so called life!

Well it is finally here. The time has come for us to say "A hui ho" to this beautiful island of Hawai'i. I will miss this place tremendously. Besides that fact that it's gorgeous, this is where my daughter grew up and where my son was born. But all good things must come to an end right? I'm trying my hardest to be optimistic about this drastic move to Colorado. Yes, Colorado, as in snow...burrrr! Talk about polar opposites! In case you were wondering, I hate cold. So needless to say, this will be interesting...I will try and update how things are going during our little adventure. Oh, did I mention that we are driving from California to Colorado, with 2 small children, one of which hates the car? Oh goody! Please pray for my sanity. On the positive side, we are stopping at the Grand Canyon for a little while. I'll be sure to take a ton of pictures. So don't mind the lack of recipes for awhile. I have like 3 pots and one spatula in my house. So I am not concocting anything spectacular in the next few weeks. Bummer for my tummy. Well, that should be it for now. I'll keep ya posted on my sanity and what not. Please Pray for me :) A hui ho!

Asian Persuasion

Before I got pregnant with my first baby I hated Chinese food. Or any type of Asian food for that matter. My mom would always want Chinese food buffets for dinner. I would eat salad and rice. How bland lol. But when I got pregnant with my princess, I ate it quite frequently. And I still do to this day. My daughters favorite thing is "Kung Fu Panda Chicken" (orange chicken from Panda express). I found an awesome restaurant out here in Hawai'i that I could eat at everyday. But since I'm not a millionaire, I opt to make my own take out (as Rachael Ray would say). So this dish is a bit of Asian Persuasion. It is Sesame Tilapia with Shiitake Broth. This was soooo good! I cheated a bit and got some fresh and some dried shiitake mushrooms. The fresh were $9.60 a lb!! The dried were like 2 bucks. I added extra mushrooms because this house loves them. To rehydrate the mushrooms, just soak them in warm water for about 30 minutes. The water actually turns into a good broth, but you don't have to keep it. OK, enough chat, on to the food!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup panko crumbs

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

1 egg

2 boneless, skinless tilapia fillets (4 oz. each)

3 Tbsp Asian seasoning mix*

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Broth and rice:

1 small carrot

1 green onion with top

1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms (I used more)

1 3-in piece fresh gingerroot, divided

2 cups chicken broth

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 cup hot cooked rice (I used Jasmine)

1. For tilapia, combine panko crumbs and sesame seeds in a small mixing bowl. Lightly beat egg in second bowl. Cut each fillet into 3 even pieces. Coat with seasoning mix. Dip into egg and then into panko mixture. Set aside.

2. For broth, peel carrot; cut into julienne strips. Thinly slice green onion on a bias. Slice mushrooms. Peel gingerroot; grate 1 tsp of the gingerroot. Cut remaining gingerroot into 1/4 in slices. Combine carrot, green onion, mushroom, grated and sliced gingerroot, broth and soy sauce in saucepan; bring to a boil.

3. As broth comes to a boil, add oil to skillet; heat over medium heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Carefully arrange tilapia in skillet and cook 2-3 minutes or until browned. Turn tilapia over; cook 2-3 minutes or until it flakes easily with a fork.

4. For each serving, pack rice in a small prep bowl and invert into bottom of serving bowl. Ladle broth and vegetables around rice; place tilapia over rice.

* Homemade Asian seasoning:

Makes about 1 cup

• 1/4 cup onion powder
• 1/4 cup garlic powder
• 1/4 cup ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp ground ginger
• 2 Tbsp red pepper flakes

This is another 29 minute meal! eat up! Adios!

Kid approved dinner!!

Who has a picky eater in their house? *raises both hands* I do, I do!! Literally since the DAY Makayla turned 1 she decided that she no longer liked food. (She obviously forgot who her mother is because I love food.) There was a point when she only ate chicken nuggets from That gross place with a giant yellow "M" as their logo. I mean, before she hit 1 she ate everything. Beef, chicken, fish, collard greens, spinach, mushrooms...and the list goes on and on. Now her meals are usually one color. Orange. She like mandarin oranges, mac and cheese from the box (yuck) and goldfish crackers. Oh and olives, she loves olives. Yum! I have tried so many things to try and sneak her essential nutrients into her meals. Some have worked, others have failed miserably. I'll have some of those cool recipes for you folks soon too! Stuff like brownies that have blueberries and spinach in them/1 This stuff is pretty amazing.

Now onto the reason for this post. I came across this recipe in one of my Betty Crocker® magazines. Its a ham and cheese baked ziti. I mean, what kid doesn't like ham and cheese? Makayla and her very picky best friend gobbled up 2 plates! Now normally it takes makayla close to 2 hours (not exaggerating) to eat her food. They were both done in 15 minutes and licking the plate clean! SWEET! My husband really liked it to, but he eats everything so I wasn't too concerned. :) So here it is! Creamy and cheesy ham and cheese ziti.

Ham and Cheese Ziti

Prep time: 30 min. Start to finish: 55 mins

Makes 8 servings

1 package (16 oz) ziti pasta

1/2 (1 stick) butter

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups milk

1 tsp Dijon mustard

4 cups shredded Colby cheese

8 oz sliced deli ham, cut into thin strips (i used julienne cut ham, its thicker and therefore more meaty)

2/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 350°. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter in 4 qt saucepan or dutch oven over low heat. Cook garlic in butter 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Whisk in flour and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly.

3. Gradually stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly to avoid scalding. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in mustard and Colby cheese. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted and sauce is thickened. Stir pasta and ham into cheese sauce. Pour pasta mixture into ungreased 13x9-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

I served mine with a small salad. :) Yum.

You should totally try this! Let me know how it works out. Until next time, Aloha! Malama pono.

My other half

My husband was really jealous/offended that I didn't include his picture on my main image. So here he is folks! My husband, other half, lover...7 years together, 5 years married, 2 kids and a partridge in a pear tree.

awww, isn't that cute? 

Tex-Mex chicken and rice skillet

I love Pampered Chef®. Like, if I had a billion dollars, I would own every single item in their catalogs. I only recently discovered how awesome this stuff is. Someone has been withholding all of the good scoops on this stuff. Shame on you! I have several of their products, but mainly cookbooks. One thing I have noticed about their cookbooks is that the way the recipes are written, make it seem like if you don't own every pampered chef product, spice and napkin, then you can't make it. WRONG! Now I love their seasonings and rubs, but when I run out, what am I supposed to do? Wait a couple weeks for a new shipment to come? Not gonna happen. So in this recipe I will show you how I did some substitutes and it tasted just as delicious.

Oh yeah, did I mention that this meal take 28 minutes from start to finish?! Delicious and quick! And cheap! I'm a frugal momma nowadays. With a husband who eats like a grizzly bear and 2 kids who you have to cook 4732468723 different meals before finding the one that they like that day. Gotta shop smart right? Plus, living in Hawai'i, everything costs 20 times more than anywhere else. So being a smart shopper definitely helps this household. Well, I'm done rambling. Now on to the good stuff!

Tex-Mex chicken and rice skillet

1 tsp plus 1 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided

1 can (11oz) Mexican-style corn

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 Tbsp southwestern seasoning mix (I used 1Tbsp of taco seasoning!)

2 cups uncooked instant white rice (like Minute® rice)

2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups salsa verde

2 Tbsp snipped, fresh cilantro

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese

1. Add 1 tsp of the oil to skillet; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Meanwhile, drain corn; pat dry with paper towels. Ad corn to skillet in a single layer. Cook without stirring 5 minutes or until caramelized on one side. Remove from skillet; set aside.

This is what the cor should resemble. See those brown kernels? Mmmm.
2. As corn cooks, cut chicken into 1-in. pieces. Combine chicken and seasoning in a bowl. Add chicken to skillet. Cook over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes or until center of chicken is no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken from skillet, set aside.
3. Add remaining 1Tbsp oil to skillet. Add rice, stir until well coated with oil. Add broth and salsa; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover skillet; reduce heat to low. Simmer 5 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, snip cilantro.
4. To serve, spoon chicken over rice mixture in skillet. Sprinkle with cheese and corn. Cover and let stand 5 minutes or until cheese it melted.
(i used 2 types of cheese because I like the combination, but feel free to use the Mexican mix cheese that is yellow)

Sprinkle with Cilantro and gobble gobble!

That simple, and that yummy. I got this from my "29 minutes to dinner" cookbook. Be prepared to see a few more (hundred) recipes from this book :)  Until next time, happy eatin'!

Who doesn't love cheesecake?

 I was glancing through my recipe photos and saw my Red, White and Blue Cheesecake and thought, "man, that was soooo good." And being that Columbus day is right around the corner and everyone should be off work, this is the perfect time to make it. Warning: this is a really heavy cheesecake. Be prepared to go into a comatose state soon after indulging in a slice!!I got this recipe from my Taste of Home magazine. Yes, I have a subscription because they have some amazing dishes in there! A couple of things you need before making this are a microplane and a springform pan.

If you can't find a microplane, a grater will do, but you should seriously invest in one. Anyways, this dish is amazing and when you make it, everyone around you will worship the ground you walk on. Seriously, it's THAT Good. 

Prep: 40 mins. Bake 1 1/4 hours + chilling

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp grated lemon peel

3/4 cups COLD butter

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:

5 pkg (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup half-and-half cream

3 Tblsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp grated lemon peel

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs lightly beaten

1 egg yolk

1 cup crushed strawberries

1 cup crushed blueberries

assorted berries and mint for garnish (optional)

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and lemon peel. Cut in butter. Here's a tutorial on how to do that. Whisk egg yolks and vanilla; add to flour mixture, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball.

2. Press onto the bottom and 3 in. up the sides of a greased 9 in. springform pan. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 5-8 mins or until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.

3. For filling, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the cream, flour, lemon peel, salt and vanilla. Add eggs and yolk; beat on low speed until just combined.

4. Divide batter in half. Fold crushed strawberries and blueberries into half the batter. Pour into the crust. Top with remaining batter. Return pan to baking sheet.

5. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 300° and bake 60-70 minutes longer or until center is almost set. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. remove sides of pan.

6. Garnish with assorted berries and fresh mint.

And this is how it should look! Yummmm! Hope you try this! let me know how it turns out. Have it with a cup of coffee, oooh that sounds great! See ya later alligators!

Chicken adobo :)

I have always been the type to try and adapt to my surrounds. So, since I have been living in Hawaii for over 3 years I think it is safe to say that I am a Hawaiian gal trapped in another body. :) And that is a quote taken directly from my boss! Ha! I seriously love this culture and the food it has to offer. Most of it....I just can't get down with the SPAM. Recently I went to a luau for one of my students birthdays and they were serving pork adobo. I don't really eat too much pork but I tried it. YUM! I had tried chicken adobo before and I love the sweet and salty mix of it. So me being me, I googled it. I happened to find an authentic Hawaiian Governors family recipe or something crazy. So I decided to give it a shot. It seems like a long process, but it seriously requires little to no work. You make the marinade, marinate the meat for 3 hours and then simmer for 45 minutes. Easy peasy right? And it is soooooo good! So here goes nothing! My first recipe post! (Yay me!)

Chicken Adobo

3 lbs. boneless chicken thighs

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 Tbsp pepprcorns

1 tsp brown sugar ( if you like it sweeter, go with 2-3 tsp.)

5 crushed garlic cloves

3 bay leaves

salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients excluding the chicken to create the marinade 

Marinate for 1-3 hours in same cooking pot

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes covered.

Uncover and continue simmering for 15-20 minutes until most of the juice has cooked out.

Serve with rice (and in my case, Hawaiian sweet rolls)

I like to take some of the drippings and pour it over the chicken and the rice. 

As they say in Hawaii, it is "Soooo ONO!"

Try this and let me know what you guys think! I want to make it again tomorrow lol. See you all on the flip side!

Good food gone bad

Some people shouldn't be allowed withing 70 miles of a kitchen. Take for instance, my husband. This poor guy could burn water. Oh wait! He can make pancakes!! And that is the extent of his culinary abilities. A couple of days ago we had a lot to do in the morning so I couldn't make him breakfast. (Shameful, I know.) So he decided to do it himself. Usually he opts for a bowl of cereal, but for some reason he decided to make himself some sort of egg scramble...err..thing? He got some bacon and some eggs and scrambled them all together. When I saw his plate I asked him what the pink stuff was in his eggs. He said "bacon, duh". Apparently he didn't realize that you should cook the bacon first and then mix it with the eggs. I. Hate. Soggy. Bacon. I watched him take a bite and his face said everything that I was thinking. But he lied and said "Oh man babe, this is delicious." He ate the whole thing, but I haven't seen him go for bacon in the kitchen again.

This morning I decided to be a proper wife (insert extra sarcastic voice here) and make him a bacon and cheese omelet. The proper way. I cut up the bacon and cooked it until crumbly and then added it to the eggs, tossed in a bit of cheese and voila! He ate that sucker like a very large and hungry man was trying to rob him.

It made me think of some of the mishaps I have had and the many, many mishaps he has had in the kitchen. When I was pregnant with baby #2, I was put on bed rest. Which meant no cooking for me. A serious tragedy! My husband decided to make me pancakes everyday for dinner for about 4 days straight. Yum...His next brilliant idea was to make some Hamburger Helper. Sometimes I think he secretly hates me because he KNOWS I hate that stuff. So anyways, He got a box and proceeded to follow the directions like this:

Step 1. Brown ground beef in skillet *looks at beef*
"Looks kinda brown, so I will just skip that step"
Step 2. stir in water and mix pasta and sauce mix. Heat to boiling

So pretty much he boiled a lb of ground beef with all of the other ingredients. He then proudly brought me a bowl of food that closely resembled wet dog food.  

Oh yummy! At least he served it with a smile! Needless to say, I went hungry that night and opted for t.v. dinners the rest of my pregnancy. Now to you, whats your funniest kitchen mishap or delicious accident?

Until next time, A hui ho!!

Givin it a go!

I have contemplated for quite sometime if I should start blogging. My problem was that I didn't know what to talk about, share, do etc. I love my kids, and cooking and my life. So why not share my daily experiences with someone? If anything, it is a way to get things off of my mind right? So I guess whoever decides to read this will get a glimpse into my crazy life. A few recipes here and there, but mainly what it is like being a Mommy 2 the MAC's :)