Friday, June 19, 2009

Philly Cheesesteak Mac and Cheese = Sooo good


This recipe is amazing, but as you can tell by the ingredients it is NOT healthy...at all! It is great if you are looking for a comforting and delicious meal on a night when you feel like splurging. It's TOTALLY worth the extra calories! I cut this recipe in half and it made more than enough for 2 people. We even had leftovers, but they didn't last long because Dave loved this dish:) I found the recipe here on Krista's Kitchen. She says she adapted it from a Rachel Ray recipe.




Philly Cheesesteak Mac and Cheese (this is the FULL recipe, remember I cut mine in half)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cavatappi-shaped pasta
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded provolone
1 cup shredded Swiss
1/2 cup broth (chicken, beef, vegetable)
1 pkg Steak Umms slices, roughly chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped (I opted not to put parsley on mine)

Preparation

  • Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring it to a boil.
  • Once the water boils, cook the cavatappi to al dente according to package directions. Once the pasta has finished cooking, drain it and return it to the pot it was cooked in.
  • While the pasta is cooking, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the onions to the pan and top them with a lid or piece of aluminum foil for 2-3 minutes, just to get them cooking. Remove the lid or aluminum foil and continue cooking the onions until tender and lightly caramelized, 8-10 minutes.
  • While the onions are caramelizing, melt the butter over medium-high heat in a medium-size pot. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and cook the mixture for about 1 minute. Whisk the milk into the butter-flour mixture slowly and bring up to a bubble to thicken. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the shredded cheese. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and reserve.
  • To the skillet with the onions, add the broth and the Steak Umms. Cook until the meat is no longer pink.
  • Add the cheese sauce and the onion-beef mixture to the pot with the drained pasta and toss everything to combine. Transfer to a casserole dish. Top with additional cheese and parsley. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Chicken Kebabs...YUMMY!!

These Grilled Chicken Kebabs are awesome! The marinade is perfect and I love that you marinate the veggies too. It really adds some amazing flavor:) I got this recipe here from The Crepes of Wrath. I made these in April and then again for company this weekend and they were a hit!

Chicken Kebabs
from Vanilla Sugar

Marinade
½ cup orange juice
½ cup pineapple juice
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice, (about 3 – 4 limes)
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground black pepper

For the kebabs
4 – 6 skewers, 10- to 12-inch
2 chicken breasts (at least 1 pound), cut into bite-sized pieces (remember, they still need to be big enough to put on skewers!)
2 zucchini squash (cubed, but big enough to put on the skewers)
1 yellow or white or red onion (chopped into large-ish pieces)
1 red bell pepper (chopped into large-ish pieces)

  • To prepare the marinade, whisk together the orange juice, olive oil, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, cumin and pepper in a large bowl until well blended. Set aside.
  • Use heavy duty plastic bags for marinating. Place all of the chopped up vegetables into one or two bags, depending on how big the bags are. Marinate your chicken in a separate bag. Divide the marinade equally among the bags, seal, and marinate in the refrigerator, turning the bag occasionally, for about 3 hours, or overnight (you can do as little as 30 minutes if you’re really in a pinch).
  • Soak wooden skewers in water to cover for at least one hour before grilling.
  • Assemble the skewers as you like. I did a piece of chicken, 2 or 3 pieces of vegetables, then chicken, then 3 vegetables, etc.
  • Throw away the marinade.
  • Preheat the grill to 375 degrees F (a medium-hot fire). Grill the chicken until just cooked through and slightly charred, turning often, about 8 – 10 minutes.