Easy Peasy Scratch Mac & Cheesey!

No, this is not low fat, and it’s not low calorie… But it’s ooey gooey goodness. And that’s ok on occasion.



The software:
1 package large elbow macaroni noodles
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
3 cups chilled whole milk
4 cups grated cheese of your choice
1 package sliced cheese of your choice
Salt and pepper to taste

The hardware:
1 large stockpot
1 medium sauce pot
1 whisk
1 spatula
1 9x11x2 baking pan, greased

In a large stockpot, bring 4-6 quarts of salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile…

In the saucepot, melt the butter and mix in the flour over medium heat.
Stir gently with a whisk until a nutty smell starts.
Gently add in the milk a little at a time, whisking briskly to avoid clumping.
Once the roux is smooth and creamy, add the remaining milk.
Add the grated cheese, one handful at a time, stirring constantly. Do not add the next handful until the first one is melted.
Turn heat to low.
Don’t worry if it’s sort of watery-looking. That’s ok - the excess will be taken in by the noodles as they finish cooking.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Add the noodles to the now-boiling water and cook 2-3 minutes LESS than the directed time on the package.
Don’t worry that it’s going to be sort of toothy.
Drain noodles and put back into the pot.
Add sauce to the noodles and mix together fully, and turn off the heat.
Place the mixture into the greased baking dish .
Layer the sliced cheese onto the top of the dish, then place in the oven for ½ hour.

Let cool about 10 minutes and serve

FYI - basic classes now available!

Do you:

*want to learn basic cooking techniques one-on-one?
*want to learn how to make healthy, easy meals?
*want to do it all in a "standard" kitchen, using basic equipment?
*happen to be in the Portland/Beaverton area?

If you are looking for a way to get away from boxed meals, take-out, and get back to being healthy again, look no further.

Graduating from Western Culinary in 2005, I was trained to work in a kitchen, and do small-service catering - but my first love is teaching about the wonders of food. I believe that the first thing we need to do to maintain a healthy body and spirit is to start with good food, and go from there. With good food, we can give our body good energy. With good energy, we can feel better, do more, and build healthy, positive relationships with ourselves and with those around us.

The US Surgeon General says that if Americans don't start living a healthier lifestyle, by the year 2015, over 70% of us will be overweight and unhealthy. Over 40% of those will be obese and unhealthy, and over 20% will be super-obese. The easiest way we can start to change these statistics is to start eating healthy. Cut out the boxed meals, reduce the take out and fast food, and start cooking from scratch again. Think you don't have time? Think again. Much of what is good for you can be prepped in advance, and cooked within 20 to 30 minutes.

I understand that it's difficult to find the time sometimes. I'm not advocating that everything be made from scratch all the time. But there are choices that can be made every day - I believe that we, as consumers, can either make those choices ourselves, or allow others in large food corporations, to make the choices for us and take away our right to a healthy body and mind.

Whether you are ready to kick-start your family into trying something new, or you just want to learn a few basic techniques, try giving me a call.

**note - this is a great course for young adults and first-timers living on their own - please no more than two people for each course**

This is a full day course, and currently only available on Saturday or Sunday, with 3 weeks prior notice. Menus and food options are chosen at the time of the booking. Start time is 10am, at the market of your choice, and then traveling to your home, so that you are able to use your own kitchen, and see how to use it to your best advantage.

The course includes the following:

*Shopping - Believe it or not, your choices at the market decide your overall health. I'll teach you what ingredients to look for on labels that are good choices, verses not so good choices. If this is summer, I highly encourage a trip to the local farmer's market.

*Prepping - Once home, we will go over some basic ways to prep things down for easy, quick meals. This will include cutting up and labeling of meats (if you eat them), and then taking care of fruits, cheese and veggies.

*Cooking - Techniques are provided based on the menu chosen beforehand. It can be anything from stir fry to roasting, from a cheese board to steamed veggies.

*Afterward - Critiquing of the over-all experience, and re-visit on how to make good food choices when shopping.

Course cost is $250 for one person, and $350 for two, and is due no later than 1 week after booking.

Cancellation policy:
If the course is canceled at least 2 weeks prior to the date, then a full refund is provided.

If the course is canceled 1 week prior to the date, then a half-refund is provided.

If the course is canceled less than one week prior to the date, except in extreme cases (death in the family, urgent hospitalization, etc), there is no refund.

If for any reason I am forced to cancel the class, there will be a full refund, and I will offer to re-schedule the course for you.

****Please note - I schedule these classes based on my current work schedule. I am normally able to adjust my schedule accordingly, but there may be occasions where I am unavailable for specific dates.****

My own little soap box...

One of the biggest concerns in America (because no where else will you see quite so many frivolous lawsuits) is having healthy food, being healthy, and maintaining a healthy weight.

The real facts about health are more muddied than the Mississippi river in flood season, and there are new "facts" that come up each day about foods... One day you'll be told that margarine should be eaten because it's better for you than butter... Suddenly you're told that it's not, because of trans-fats and other nasty items lurking in wait to suddenly destroy your body.

You're told one day not to eat beef, only to be told the next day that it's actually fairly healthy and you can have it, just as long as all the fat has been removed... And a few months later, beef is once again on the no-no list.

The question is, how did we get to where we are today? Why is it that, of all the nations, we have the most food available per capita, and yet we are filled with hatred and fear toward it? Why do we have one of the highest obesity rates in the world, with Diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, and stroke leading the way in death and disability each year?

100 years ago we had virtually no issues with any of these so-called "Western" diseases. And yet, over the last 100 years (actually, over the last 50 years where it's REALLY taken off), we have had doctors, advertisers, food scientists and other snake oil salesmen try and tell us what we *should* eat, how much, when, why, and how... We've been told that low-fat, low salt, low (or no) meat, high carb, low carb, no carb, high protein, low protein, massively pre-processed foods (or should I say FUD) is good for us, and we should eat it...

We've tried all the latest fad diets, health recommendations, food regimens, exercise and other abuses, all leading to an even higher rate of obesity and obesity-related issues - even if we aren't obese... We've spent the last 50 years brainwashing our children to eat whatever the news tells us, and supplementing it with fast food and quick snacks from the local Kwik-E-Mart (I'd get started on spelling, but that's a different rant altogether - along with Foto.).

I have no doctoral degree, and I don't even claim to understand what goes on inside a carrot when it's cooked versus when it's served raw. I don't know how the digestive tract breaks down foods, and I honestly could care less about whether the percentage of beta-carotene is higher or lower in one food or another. I have a different kind of suggestion from everyone else... It's a little radical, and it could potentially tick off your doctor or nutritionist - not to mention salesmen and fast-food restaurant companies all over the country, but just hear me out...

Try not eating so many overly-processed foods... I'm not saying cut them out completely. Why? Because while it IS possible to do it, it can be a difficult thing for us to do. But just try not eating as many... If what you're eating has a lot of ingredients that you can't pronounce, chances are, they're not found in nature... If they aren't found in nature, ask yourself if you really want to eat it...

I'm not saying that they're the worst things for you - but a lot of what we eat just doesn't need to be that overly processed. There's a reason why other countries who DON'T eat a lot of overly processed foods don't have the same issues with weight and weight-related diseases that the US does... They don't have the same level of processed foods that we do.

So, just throwing it out there to think about... I know, it's a radical idea. Perhaps, it's an idea whose time has come... Maybe the next time you decide to make Velveeta cheese dip, try doing it from scratch, with real cheese, rather than Velveeta - could make a difference - you never know.

Tasty Vegan Indian Curry

Before you say EWWW yuck, give it a chance. It's actually quite tasty, and if you don't want it to be Vegan, it's easy to add chicken or shrimp to it, too. This becomes a complete protein when served with rice.

Serves 8 hungry people (with the rice cooked below can serve up to 12)
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
4 potatoes, cleaned and cubed
1 tsp crushed red peppers
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 c water or veggie stock
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1 celery heart, diced
1 Tbsp Turmeric
1 Tbsp ground Coriander seed
1-2 Tbsp green curry powder
2 cups garbanzo beans (chick peas), pre-cooked
3 carrots
2 cups chopped broccoli
3 cups green beans
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 c water or veggie stock
salt and pepper to taste

In a large non-stick pan, Heat olive oil on medium high heat
Place potatoes into pan and let fry about 6 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally
Add salt and crushed red chilis
Add water or veggie stock and stir
Add in garlic, celery and onion, and stir until combined
Cook about 4-5 minutes, stirring fairly constantly
Add Turmeric, Coriander and Curry powder, and combine completely
Add garbanzo beans, carrots, broccoli, green beans and red bell pepper
Stir to combine, and add the 1/2 c water or veggie stock
Let simmer about 15-20 minutes
Season with salt and pepper to taste

Serve with rice below

RICE

1 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 c rice
1/2 c slivered almonds, without skin
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups water or veggie stock

In a medium saucepot, heat olive oil on medium high heat
Add rice, slivered almonds and kosher salt
Stir to coat completely with olive oil and let toast until just lightly brown on the rice
Add enough water or veggie stock to cover by about 1"
Reduce heat to simmer and place lid on the pot
Let cook about 15 minutes, or until rice is done

Serve with the curry

Really good French Toast

First, I am not a huge fan of French Toast. I grew up with a mother who loved to cook very heavy breakfasts - while many people would love it, I did not - my stomach just can't handle dark whole wheat 28 grain bread dipped in egg at 6am before school...

In trying new ways to get my daughter (who is just barely 2) to try new things, I came across a brilliant way to make French Toast that she would eat. I kept in mind that she doesn't mind fruit, and doesn't mind toast if it's sweet - and she likes to have some texture, but not huge crunches (unless it's popcorn - and that's a different post).

So, since she wasn't eating the egg that I would make her in the morning, I figured I'd dip some bread into the egg, lightly sweeten the batter, and then see what we got... And we got a really tasty piece of breakfast...

2 slices of blueberry Streusel bread (or the fruit bread of your choice) FROZEN
1 egg
1 Tbsp vanilla creamer
1 tsp sugar

Break the egg into a flat-bottomed dish and whip the creamer and sugar in
Place the bread into the mix and let soak on both sides until completely wet
Preheat a 12" pan to medium heat
Place 1 Tbsp butter into the pan and let that melt
Place each of the pieces of bread into the pan and pour any additional batter over the top (shouldn't be more than 1-2 Tbsp at most
Turn over once it's just golden brown

Serve with a little bit of butter and, if you like, a light dusting of powdered sugar.

Perfect Turkey Recipe

Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees (trust me on this)

Remove the turkey from the brine (you did brine it, didn’t you? Well, either way...)
Pat completely dry, both inside and out
Place chopped celery and carrots on the bottom of the roasting pan (it works better than a rack)
Place turkey on top, breast-side up
Oil up turkey, and sprinkle both inside and out with salt and pepper
Quarter an onion and stuff inside the turkey
Take a good hand-full of the following herbs: Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Flat-Leaf parsley
Stuff them into the turkey as well
Place bird into the oven and roast for ½ hour - NO MORE THAN THAT.

Reduce heat to 350
Continue to roast turkey until done.

For a 14 lb turkey cooked this way, the average cooking time (unstuffed) is 2 hrs, give or take a bit. For it to be served at or around 6pm, you will want to start it at 3:45, and check the temperature (or attempt to move a leg around) at 5:30 or so. If you have need of it, the Food Network has a turkey calculator that can help you with the time... You want to bring the internal temperature to 162 degrees - remember, removing the bird from the oven doesn't immediately stop the cooking process - there will be carry-over cooking that will bring the temperature up to 165, which is recommended by the FDA...

Let it sit for about a half hour before carving, to allow juices to re-distribute.

Why the carrots and celery on the bottom? Well, it adds to the aromatics that you’ve placed on the inside of the turkey, and will help flavor it… Aroma goes a long way toward flavor…

The Best Darned Chili Mac EVER!

I'm not into diner food, per se. Honestly speaking though, if my husband offers to cook for the night, I'm all for it, even if it IS chili mac from a box and a can. Still, I know that even diner food can be absolutely delicious if the person cooking it pays attention and does it lovingly.

The other night I was not in the mood to cook at all. Strange, I know, but still... So, there I was, defrosting some pork carnitas cuts, and trying to figure out a way I could make them into something that sounded tasty... And, I decided on chili. But I needed something more, since my daughter, being a young 22 month old, can't handle a lot of spice. BUT, she loves a food adventure, and really likes flavor. So, I considered what I had...

Looking in my pantry, I found a bag of wheel noodles, some butter, some flour, some milk, and some cheese... So, technically speaking, I *could* make it from scratch... And, the idea was born...

1 lb pork carnitas, cut to 1/2 inch chunks
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomatoes with green peppers and onions
1 can (small) tomato paste
1 can "chili" beans (they have the spices already in them)
1 packet chili seasoning

Heat a pan to medium-high heat
Add Pork and begin to cook, moving around to brown
Once mostly cooked, add the garlic
Continue to cook until pork is done
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, beans and seasoning
Reduce heat to low, stir to combine, and let simmer

MEANWHILE....

Bring 8 quarts of salted water to a boil
Add 2 cups dry wheel pasta
Stir once water starts boiling again

While that is cooking...

2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
1 c whole or 2% milk
1 c shredded cheese

Melt butter in a pan on medium heat
Add flour to the pan, and whisk to combine together
Cook on medium-low heat, whisking until you smell the flour get nutty
Add the whole milk a little bit at a time, whisking to combine
Once smoothly combined, add shredded cheese to the mix

Once pasta is cooked, drain, and add cheese sauce to it

You can either place the mac and cheese on the bottom of the plate and pour chili over it, OR you can mix the two together completely.

Another great way to do this is to make hashed browns and serve the chili over them.

Enjoy!!!