For this week’s Whip it Up Challenge, I scoured the Kraft website for a quick and easy recipe.  We were short on time this week, and I needed something that I could whip up in a real hurry.  Plus, since I’m visiting the Kraft Kitchens next week, I thought it would be fun to try out one of their recipes.

Ingredients:
3 cups farfalle (bow-tie) pasta, cooked, drained
1 jar (14 oz) spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions:
Combine pasta, spaghetti sauce, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese in large skillet or saucepan.

Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Cover and let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Yummy!  We had ours with broccoli.

Was this recipe easy to follow?

Absolutely.  Really not any more complicated than cooking plain old spaghetti.

Did the dish taste good?

Yes!  It was a lot like eating lasagna, but in a different form.  Plus, I love any kind of pasta that includes 3 different types of cheese!

Would you make it again?

I would definitely make this dish again.  It’s super easy and very tasty.

Leftover quotient?

We had quite a bit left over, especially since I made the whole box of pasta.  Plenty of lunches for this week!

Any additions/edits to the recipe?

Like I said, I used the whole box of pasta.  I really hate have 1/4 of a box of pasta left over.  Also, I think it goes without saying that I used extra cheese.

Ted’s thoughts?

He’s not here to give his opinion, but he ate it and liked it…and he’s eating it and liking it for lunch too.

Happy eating!

For this week’s Whip it Up, I found another recipe on Real Simple.  They’ve never let us down before…unfortunately, I think this week was the exception.  Anyhow, before I get into all of that, how about the recipe?

Ingredients:
3/4 pound medium pasta shells
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
2 cups grated cheddar
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
kosher salt and pepper
1 16-ounce package frozen broccoli florets

Directions:

Heat broiler.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.  Whisk in the milk and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and stir until melted.  Stir in the nutmeg, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Add the pasta and broccoli and toss to combine.  Transfer to a broilerproof 8-inch square baking dish.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.  Broil until golden, 3 to 4 minutes.

Looks good.  Tastes not so good.

Why don’t we wrap this up so I can tell you why I wasn’t thriled with this dish…

Was this recipe easy to follow?

It was easy enough, but making the roue was an absolute disaster.  I basically ended up with lumps of flour in butter.  Even when I added the milk, they didn’t blend out.

Did the dish taste good?

I should have loved this dish.  Cheese and broccoli?  You can’t go wrong!  Unfortunately, I found it to be more than a little bland.  Add that to the fact that it was cold.  Yup.  Cold.  We had to microwave it before we could eat it.  I’m sure adding frozen broccoli to the hot food might have had something to do with that.  Plus, 5 minutes under the broiler was not long enough to cook the broccoli, so it was really crunchy.  Not my favorite dish.

Would you  make it again?

I would make something like this again, but not this recipe.

Leftover quotient?

Considering I ate about 10 bites, there were lots of leftovers.  Ted liked the dish, which is good since he’ll be eating it for lunch for the rest of the week!

Any additions/edits to the recipe?

I used all 2 cups of cheese for the sauce, and added additional cheese on top.  Other than than, I followed the recipe exactly.

Ted’s thoughts:

“I liked it.  I don’t know what Erin’s talking about.  She’s nuts, though.”

So, the theme for this week’s Whip it Up challenge is something healthy.  I’m not really sure how healthy these muffins are, but there’s oatmeal and apples, so they can’t be too bad for you!  Anyhow, here’s the recipe…

Ingredients:
3/4 cup skim milk
2 egg whites
1 cup raisins (optional)
1 apple, finely chopped
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup quick cooking oatmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon (more or less to taste)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients just enough to moisten.

Pour into muffin cups 3/4 full; either well greased or with cupcake liners.

Bake at 400 degrees 15-20 minutes.

And now for the wrap-up…

Was this recipe easy to follow?

Definitely!  I love a good baking recipe with practically no steps!

Did the dish taste good?

Apples and oatmeal?  How can you go wrong?  These are very tasty little muffins.  I just finished cooking them, and I’ve already had two!

Would you make it again?

Absolutely!  I love to make muffins on the weekend to eat during the week, and these are as easy as making them from a box, but much tastier.

Leftover quotient?

The recipe makes about 12 muffins.  I can’t imagine they will last very long.

Any additions/edits to the recipe?

I didn’t use the raisins, and I substituted applesauce for the canola oil.  See how I was being all healthy?  I mixed the dry ingredients together before adding the wet ingredients.  I added the apples last.  I used a Gala apple, which I highly recommend because they hold their texture well during baking.

Ted’s thoughts:

Ted currently has no thoughts on the muffins.  He is at work and unable to register an opinion.  I will be sure to ask him as soon as he tastes one!

Happy Eating!

For this week’s Whip it Up, I decided to try my hand at making an omelette.  I once had a very tasty apple and cheddar omelette, and I thought it would be nice to recreate that.  Plus, it involves two of my favorite foods — apples and cheese.  Since I just kind of made this up, I don’t have an official recipe, so I’ll do my best to tell you what I did.  This “recipe” probably requires that you know how to cook an omelette.

Ingredients:
5 eggs
1 apple, chopped. I used a Braeburn apple, but any baking apple would suffice.
2/3 bag shredded Cheddar/Jack cheese  I recommend a cheddar blended with something, because plain cheddar is not the best melty cheese.

Directions:

Heat up a non-stick skillet.  Chop up the apple.  Whisk the five eggs together.

When the skillet is warm, put in the apples for 3-4 minutes.  Add eggs to the skillet.

When eggs start to firm, add the cheese.  Then fold over, and give cheese time to melt.

Cut in half and serve it up!

Now for the yummy food pictures:

Apples and eggs chillin’ together.

Finally, the wrap-up:

Was this recipe easy to follow?

Yup.  Not too hard to follow when you just make it up!

Did the dish taste good?

Absolutely!  It was delicious!

Would you make it again?

Definitely.

Leftover quotiant?

Sorry, no leftovers.  Do people even eat leftover eggs?

Any additions/edits to the recipe?

No, as I said, I just made it up.

Ted’s thoughts:

“This omelette was scrum-diddly-umptious.  I must admit that I was skeptical about the apple at first, but the bit of sweet from the apple in combination with the tart of the cheddar was delicious!”

Happy Eating!

This week’s Whip it Up recipe is Gingerbread Pancakes.  Yum!  I decided to do a pancake recipe because, well, I’ve never really made pancakes before.  It’s true.  Unless you count that time we made pancakes in my classroom, but those pancakes were for preschoolers and not really fit for human consumption.  Once again, Real Simple came through with an awesome recipe for me!  Gingerbread is one of my favorite flavors in the world, so I was excited to try it out in a pancake recipe.  So, here’s the recipe…

Ingredients:
1 cup pancake mix
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 ripe Anjou or Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
vanilla yogurt

Directions:
Combine the pancake mix, ginger, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, molasses, and oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk just to combine. Let the batter rest about 5 minutes.

While waiting, gently toss the pears in a bowl with the brown sugar; set aside.

Place a non-stick griddle over medium-high heat. Spoon or pour about 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake onto the griddle. Turn when bubbles rise to the surface and the edges look cooked. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Serve the pancakes with the sliced pears and a dollop of the vanilla yogurt.

Now for the yummy food photos:

Cooking up the pancakes.

Wow.  Those look tasty!

Gingerbread pancakes with pears and hash browns.

Finally, it’s time for the wrap-up.  I’m answering the official Whip it Up questions, as well as a few additional questions I borrowed from Stephanie, who borrowed them from Lacey.

Was the recipe easy to follow?

Definitely.  They are just pancakes.  It’s really not rocket science.  You could easily use this recipe to cook with kids.

Did the dish taste good?

Ummm, it was ridiculously delicious.  I love these pancakes.  So, so, so yummy!  You do have to like gingerbread though, because that’s exactly what these taste like.  Not like crunchy gingerbread cookies, but like warm, soft, gooey gingerbread.  I’m drooling…

Would you make it again?

Absolutely!  I think these pancakes would make a magical Christmas morning breakfast.  Plus, I would really just make them any old time too.

Leftover quotient?

None.  Not a single bite.  Sorry, but they were just too good!

Any additions/edits to the recipe?

I used 2% milk instead of whole milk.  I didn’t peel the pears.  Fruit skin is good for you!  And I used Bosc pears.  Also, I only used 1/4 cup of batter per pancake instead of 1/3.  Finally, I didn’t bother with the yogurt.  Truthfully, I just forgot to get it at the store, and the pancakes really did not require any more flavor.  We ate them plain.  No butter, no syrup other than what spilled off of the pears.  They are delicious naked!

Ted’s thoughts?

“I think that surely these pancakes are the best that I have ever had.  I was NOT saying boo-urns.”

Happy eating!

I’m so excited that it’s time for Whip it Up again!  In case you aren’t familiar with Whip it Up, the idea is to post one new-to-you recipe a week for six weeks.  I’ll actually be posting two recipes this week.  Since I was in Houston last week, I couldn’t really cook a new recipe.  I don’t think reheating pizza in my hotel room counts!

This week’s recipe is Pasta with Zucchini and Goat Cheese.  Yum!  First off, here’s the recipe…

Ingredients:
12 ounces (3/4 of the box) linguine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound zucchini, sliced into thin half-moons
kosher salt
pepper
1 clove of garlic, chopped
5 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Directions:
Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta, and return it to the pot.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, until the zucchini is tender and any liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 more minute.

Add all but 2 teaspoons of the cheese to the pasta. Add the reserved pasta water (I also added some lemon juice and recommend it), 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir until creamy. Serve the pasta topped with the zucchini, lemon zest, and the remaining cheese.

Now for the yummy food photos…

Yes, I sliced the zucchini myself!

I love linguine!

The finished product.

Finally, the wrap up…

Was the recipe easy to follow?

Yes! Once again, Real Simple comes through with a super easy, super tasty recipe! I definitely recommend adding a little lemon juice to the reserved pasta water. You’ve already got the lemon for the zest, might as well use the juice.

Did the dish taste good?
Yes, yes, yes! If you like cheese, you will love this dish. The goat cheese essentially becomes the pasta sauce. It is creamy and delicious!

Would I make this dish again?
In a heartbeat. I think I might add a yellow squash next time too.

Happy Eating!

It’s been a while since I’ve shared a recipe on the old blog, so I thought it might be time to try and cook something again!  Last weekend, while Ted was at work, I did something I’ve never done before.  Several somethings, come to think.  First off, I cooked ground beef for the first time in my 28 years of life.  Yup.  It’s true.  Second, I cooked a legitimate meal, from start to finish, with absolutely no help whatsoever.  Impressive, huh?

I know, I know.  The rest of the world already knows how to cook, but for me it was a big deal.  Anyhow, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 jar (26 oz.) pasta sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 oz) ricotta cheese
1/2 cup (or more) grated parmesan cheese, divided
9 lasagna noodles, cooked, drained (truthfully, I only fit six roll-ups in the pan)
2 cups (or more) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

The Cooking Part:
Preheat oven to 350F
Brown meat in skillet on medium-high heat. Season to taste. I used salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Stir half of the pasta sauce into meat skillet.
Mix egg, ricotta cheese, and 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese together.
Spread each noodle with 2 tablespoonfuls of ricotta mixture, top with 1/4 cup meat and 2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese.
Roll up each noodle and place in greased 8-inch baking dish.
Pour remaining sauce over noddles and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Cover with foil and back 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Don’t they look delicious?  I almost forgot to take a picture, hence why some of the roll-ups are missing from the pan!

Overall, this was a tasty and easy (albeit long) dish to make.  I definitely recommend you try it!  I think next time I’ll go with some seasoned veggies instead of the ground beef!

I didn’t write the traditional, “Things I am Thankful For” Thanksgiving post.  If you don’t know that I’m thankful for my husband, dogs, cheese, and the internet then you don’t know me very well.  However, I can’t let Thanksgiving pass completely undocumented, so I will now present photo highlights from our Thanksgiving.

Ted Bastes the Bird

Erin Pretends to Cook

Rufus Waits for Guests

Happy Birthday, Kaya!

Award Winning!  World Famous!  Cap’n Arn’s Turkey Gravy!

Mini-Wine (Followed by Maxi-Wine)

Cheers!

Even Small Children Approve of Ted’s Cooking

That Was Good!

Rufus Interrupts Wii Beer Pong

Stealing Grandpa’s Party Mix

Napping Buddies

Hope your Thanksgiving was full of love and good food.  Try not to kill any retail employees during your Black Friday shopping!

One of my favorite bloggers, Andy, has issued a Get to Know You Challenge.  The challenge is to post this week on something that no one knows about me, a favorite story from my past, or my top ten favorite something.  I have decided to take this challenge to the extreme by writing a post that includes all three.  Let’s get this party started…

It’s no secret that I love cheese.  I love cheese a lot.  But what you might not know is just how this love of cheese got started.  In fact, I’m fairly certain you don’t know where my love of cheese came from.  I don’t even think my husband knows.

When I was in the fourth grade, we read a fabulous book called The Great Cheese Conspiracy.  It was a great little story about three mice and a cheese heist.

After we had finished reading the book, our teacher decided that we would throw a cheese party one day at lunch.  We would get to eat in the classroom that day, and each student would bring in a different type of cheese to sample.

My mom and I headed out to the store to pick out some cheese for me to bring.  My experience with cheese up until this point was singular — Kraft Singles.  So, I chose my cheese based on name alone.  Muenster.  What a great word.

The day of the cheese party arrived, and I showed up with my muenster.  I couldn’t believe my little fourth grade eyes.  It was a veritable smorgasbord of cheese!  I completely forgot about my lunch.  It remained safely tucked inside my New Kids on the Block lunchbox.  Instead I spent my lunch tasting a wonderful variety of delicious cheese.  Thus, the cheese fanatic in me was born.  I owe it all to my fourth grade reading teacher, Mr. Steinheimer.  That and my use of the word discombobulated.

Since that fateful day, I have been a dedicated cheese lover.  I include cheese in almost all of my meals, and I would choose cheese over chocolate any day.  Becoming lactose-intolerant is my worst nightmare.

Without further adieu, I will now leave you with a list of my top ten favorite cheeses (in no particular order):

1. Muenster
2. Parmesan
3. Feta
4. Gorgonzola
5. Goat cheese
6. Gouda
7. Mozzarella
8. Provolone
9. Gruyere
10. Blue cheese

You may have noticed that I don’t have cheddar listed there.  Believe it or not, I’m a cheese girl who isn’t crazy about cheddar.  I do like it, but it doesn’t touch my top ten.

What is your favorite kind of cheese?