Kim in the Kitchen

Keeping up with my goal of cooking more at home and using cook books on hand, I made Ina Garten's book Family Style to make her Mac n' Cheese. You can see the recipe below. Along with this dish I made country style ribs BBQ ribs in the cock pot! There was plenty of leftovers for the week and even enough to send some to my Grandparents.

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
• 1 quart milk
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
• 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
• 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish. (I used a 13x9 glass pyrex)
Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

If you give you give it a try let me know. I think it is basic enough for family parties where everyone will like it. But if you wanted to turn up the heat with some spices you could do that too.

Winter Wonderland!

Whoaaaa! What a winter wonderland! The East Coast was hit with a major snow storm this past week. My home town was covered with about 18" of snow. Monday morning my husband and I were shoveling out out home while there was a Crock Pot of chili cooking. After about 2 hours were made a great dent in the snow and cleared paths around the cars and the walk ways.

The rest of the day was spent hanging out around the house. I crochet a hat for myself and I was able to play with one of Santa's gifts for me: an iPad! Santa does read my blog! I have to say my husband really is a great gift buyer. He knows my style and what would make me smile. The iPad does so many things and I have been loving every minute of it. Thanks Santa!

Kim in the Kitchen - Crock Pot Chili

Oh Paula, how I love thee so! I modified Paula Deen's Spicy Chili recipe for my Crock Pot and it was delicious! You can find her exact recipe HERE. But below is what I did to make it crock pot ready.

Spicy Chili:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 package chipolte chili seasoning 
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (15-ounce) can niblet corn, drained
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chillies

Brown your ground beef, drain and add in Chipotle seasoning. Place in crock pot. Add in all other ingredients and stir. Set Crock Pot for 7 hours on LOW. I served the chili with some corn chips sour cream and shredded cheese on top. I didn't take a picture but the flavor was amazing and my husband was raving about this dish.

By the way, I browned the meat the previous night, cooled it down and left it in the fridge. I also cut onion and green pepper placed them in a bag (also left in the fridge). I measured the seasoning and used a tupperware smidget container and left my can goods out and ready with a can opener for the morning. This way I didn't have to rush before work this morning. GREAT way to save time in the morning. 

Crock Pot Love

I have mentioned in past blogs I love my Crock Pot, but I really LOVE it. I made a 3 bean Turkey Chili last week for dinner. Today it is rainy and there is a chill in the air, so I took out the Crock Pot and started a Spicy Beef Chili. I have the Rival Crock Pot in the picture above. I also have the cookbook listed below. I think I have made about 5 meals from this book so far.


Do you use a Crock Pot? What are some of your favorite recipes?

365

Today I bought a Crock Pot and also a cookbook for it. I never received it from my engagement party or my shower, so I picked it up on my own. Best part is, I had a coupon and gift card, so I didn't have to pay anything out of pocket! My mom used to make meals for our family from a crock pot and I also enjoyed them. I started to peek through some of the receipes and can't believe how much you can make from them.
I have been trying to cook at home more, and hopefully this will give me one more option. Tonight I made a salad a Jerk Chicken. Greg isn't home he is working his second job, so he can have it when he gets home, or maybe for lunch during the week.