Cheesy Dijon Macaroni

Cheese.

If the battle told of in the classic tale of Helen of Troy was not fought for a beautiful woman, it might have been fought for cheese. Just saying. In addition to cheese tasting amazing, it is full of essential calcium and great proteins, giving us just another reason to include this staple in our daily diet - with moderation of course!

I happen to be moving into a apartment across town, and I've been looking for ways to clear out all of the food I have sitting in my fridge. As I let my creative culinary juices flow the first thing I could think to do was to infuse some macaroni with the copious amounts of cheese I happen to have lying around. This is not your auntie's potluck mac-and-cheese, my friends. It's a flavor-packed rendition of the original and a fusion of more than a couple recipes and commenter  suggestions. But really, its the comforting macaroni and cheese we all love to eat in all of its gooey, cheesy glory. Read on for something kind of like a recipe.

Southern Living claims you can whip up a stellar mac and cheese in "three easy steps."I did use a variation of these steps, but don't call constantly whisking butter, flour, then milk, then spices, then cheese in a large skillet over a preheating oven "easy!" I don't mean to scare you off, the results are well worth it! But be prepared to sweat a little. Go ahead and click on that link for a easy cheesy mac prep guide. Note that you will need to cook and drain noodles according to instructions prior to dumping them in the cheese mixture and getting it happy in the oven. Also, the spices listed include salt, pepper, and optional red pepper. I added a little salt, pepper, cajun pepper, 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon thyme. I also poured in whatever cheese I had on hand which was sharp cheddar, a shaved parmesan mix, the parmesan u shake out of a can, and a little Colby & Monterey jack mix.

And there you have it: my fancy-sounding Cheesy Dijon Macaroni! Onwards, friends, and create awesome cheesy creations of your own!

With Cheesy Love,

Ki

Old- Style Lasagna

Just wanted to share some pictures of Lasagna I made on Easter!! My mom probably makes the best lasagna made by a non-Italian lady this half of the hemisphere, and I've always wanted to emulate this dish. This is a cheesy, hearty, lasagna that is always gobbled up in record speed by friends and family members alike, and I'm proud to say that mine turned out pretty good!

Easters with my family are always about getting together, celebrating the family, and of course, everyone cooking and eating their specialty dishes! As I'm away form home at school, I didn't get to see my family this Easter, but this comfort food dish definitely made me feel better about that. Maybe one year I can take over the lasagna- making at a big holiday gathering. My mom uses the recipe on the Barilla box so I tried that with a few adjustments (as usual). I used Trader Joe's no-boil noodles and the Barilla no-boil noodle lasagna recipe found here. I usually like lasagna noodles with the little frills on them, but Trader Joe's version was still delicious! I also added a couple extras that I had in the fridge like sliced cherry tomatoes, a little prosciutto, and my own pasta sauce!

I must say, I am quite pleased with myself for this one. And my roommates loved it too!! 

Take Care!

Easy Rotini a la Vodka

So the steamy summer-like days have finally regressed into the gloomy brisk Spring weather Pittsburgh is more used to. That definitely calls for a return to some yummy comfort food, like this easy Rotini a la Vodka with kielbasa sausage! It can easily be made vegetarian by omitting the sausage, but vodka sauce has cream in it so it's not exactly vegan friendly.
If there's one thing we ate a lot of at home when I was younger, it was pasta. My brother could eat pasta every single day of the week for a month, so my mom was always looking for ways to make different pasta dishes so the rest of us wouldn't get bored! When we first tried vodka sauce it was a really pleasant surprise; the sauce is a bit sweeter and lighter than its marinara counterpart. This recipe is something easy that I pulled together on a rainy day, and you can modify it using whatever veggies or cheese you have around the house!

Here's what you'll need:

1 or 2 cloves garlic, diced
2 or 3 green onions/scallions, chopped
1/2 a bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup polska kielbasa sausage, sliced
2 cups vodka pasta sauce (I used Trader Joe's brand)
About 4 cups of water to boil pasta
1/2 box pasta, any kind (I used rotini instead of penne, because it looks fun!)
olive oil
pepper & spices to taste
shredded parmesan

makes about 2 servings

Directions:

Whenever I make pasta I always boil the water first, since that always seem to take the longest. Fill a boiling pot with enough water to cover your pasta. Put on stove on high heat, drop in a teaspoon of olive oil, and allow to come to a boil.

When water comes to a rolling boil, add pasta and cook according to directions on the box. I boil mine for about 9-11 minutes for al dente (firm) pasta.

While we're waiting for the water to boil we can make the sauce! Slice and dice all of your veggies and the sausage. Take a small skillet and put on medium heat with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Once the skillet is heated add the garlic, sausage, and green onions. Allow the sausage to brown.

Add diced bell peppers and whatever other veggies you would like (suggestions: onions, cherry tomatoes, jalepeno peppers). Also add pepper and spices.

At this point you can add your sauce into the mix. Add sauce and stir occasionally for about 5 minutes, or until sauce starts to boil consistently. Turn off heat.

If the timing is right, your pasta should be done around this same time. Strain pasta and serve, top with sauce and some shredded parmesan, and enjoy!