Remy's Macaroni

We picked this book up at the library last week. The combination of kids' recipes and Pixar characters is always a winner for Zachary. I asked him what he wanted to cook first, and not surprisingly, he picked Remy's Macaroni. The recipe was very much made for kids to help. It turned out very good, though. It made a giant 9x13 and we barely had any leftovers. I joked to Nathanael that I should just keep filling up the one side of Zachary's plate while he ate off of the other.

• Cook 1# of macaroni according to package directions.
• Layer in 9x13: 1/3 of the macaroni, 1 cup milk, 6 slices cheese (American or Cheddar)
• Repeat three times. (We went with two layers of American, and one layer of Cheddar.)
• Smash 12 Ritz crackers and sprinkle on top.
• Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes.

When I pulled it out of the oven, the milk and cheese were still pretty separated, so I dumped it into a big bowl and stirred it around. I lost the crumby layer by doing this, though. So maybe next time I'll bake for 35 minutes, stir and return to the casserole, and then add the crumb layer and bake the extra 10 minutes.

Nathanael and I added salt to our bowls, but the kids were happy enough without.

Is it done, yet? Is it done, yet? Is it done, yet?

Look What I Read

This is a little different for this blog, but since it was a book about cooking I thought it was fitting. I just finished this book, and really enjoyed it. It is part a story about Le Cordon Bleu, part love story, part travel guide to Paris. It also has recipes at the end of every chapter that I deem too difficult to try. Or at least not worth working on for hours just to be declared inedible to a houseful of little people. But it was a fun read.

Grilled Chicken Wraps with Roasted Peppers

This sounds more impressive than it is, but it sure is tasty.

Cut up last night's grilled chicken breast into strips. On a large tortilla, place white rice, chicken strips, lettuce, and a generous scoop of the best salsa in the world: Salsa Fresca from Costco. It really tastes like fresh roasted peppers. Wrap up and eat!

Bread Machine Dinner Rolls

These rolls were so tasty, especially in PB+J's with homemade strawberry jam!
1 cup water
1 egg
4 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
3 1/4 cups bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp yeast

Place the ingredients into bread machine in order according to your bread machine. (Mine is wet, then dry, putting the yeast in a well in the middle, but some may be different.) Select the dough setting on the machine.

Lightly grease a 9x13.

When dough is finished, shape into 15 dough balls, and place into pan. (Spraying your hands with pam helps the dough from sticking and getting too dried out.)

Cover and let rise until double, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Brush the tops with melted butter. (Or if your kids have hidden your pastry brush somewhere, drizzle with melted butter.)

Ground Turkey Chow Mein

1# ground turkey
4 stalks celery - thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper - coarsely chopped
1 8oz can sliced water chestnuts
1 12oz bottle teriyaki baste and glaze
3 cups coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)
2 packages ramen noodles, cooked and drained, without the seasoning packets

• In a large skillet cook the ground turkey until no longer pink.
• Add the celery and bell pepper, cooking until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.
• Add water chestnuts and teriyaki glaze and cook until hot and bubbly, just a few minutes.
• In a large bowl combine the coleslaw mix and the hot mixture.
• Serve over noodles.

The original recipe called for ground beef. I think it would be just as good with chicken or beef strips, too. It reminds me of a dish from Chang's, especially if it had a little more hot sauce, which I may add next round.

Enchiladas

I make enchiladas about once a month, and every time the recipe is a little bit different.
I'll try to summarize the basic recipe here:
Choose a basic ingredient for the filling such as rice and beans, chicken, ground beef or ground turkey.
This time I did cooked cubed chicken breast and black beans.
Add 1/2 large jar of enchilada sauce, 1 can cream of chicken, 2 large spoonfuls sour cream, 1 large spoonful salsa, 1 small can of sliced olives, 2 cups shredded cheese, 1/2 chopped red pepper. You can easily add/subtract to this list.
Cover the bottom of a glass baking pan with some of the remaining enchilada sauce from jar. Then fill and wrap tortillas. Pour remaining sauce on top and cover with shredded cheddar.
Bake at 350 until cheese is melted and edges are golden brown... I usually do 30 min covered then 30 minutes uncovered.