Anna's Macaroni and Cheese

Hi Everyone!!
So the Real Women of Philadelphia Contest is over, and we're still waiting on the last two finalists to be announced in the dessert category, but I know it won't be me as I didn't submit any dessert ideas!  I had grand plans for a few desserts... ice cream sandwich cheesecake for one, dessert sushi for another.. but they either didn't pan out or I ran out of time!  It was fun while it lasted, and I sure enjoyed being in the 'spotlight' in the entree round last week!  Seriously, just seeing my video in the highlight reel with all those other talented ladies with amazing recipes just made me completely giddy! I forwarded the link on and posted it everywhere I could.. and I might as well post it again here!

I really received such great feedback about my recipe for meatloaf cupcakes - thank you to everyone for taking the time to pass this on to me.

I've been craving a good mac and cheese dish for awhile now, so in the spirit of Philly, I made Anna Olson's Macaroni and Cheese.  It turned out really good - very creamy!  I didn't bake it as I was running short on time (picture steaks already off the grill and a hungry husband waiting in the wings) but it was still delicious!  I'd like to make it again sometime with a breadcrumb topping -- yummmm!!  I am not that great with measuring pasta so I had a bunch of sauce left over, that I reserved and have been serving on broccoli.  I love having this little bit extra kicking around to dress up my veggies!  Anyways, you can find the recipe for Anna's Mac and Cheese here!  Enjoy!

Meatloaf Cupcakes with Potato and Cream Cheese Icing

Editors Note:  My recipe was chosen for the spotlight this week!! YAY!! http://www.realwomenofphiladel
phia.ca/post/spotlight-videos

This is my final entry in the Real Women of Philadelphia Contest! I've had a lot of fun coming up with new recipes and altering old recipes so they met the contest requirements.  I think this recipe is the one that I had the most fun with - they just looked so impressive and seriously tasted delicious!

I've tampered with quite a few different meat loaf recipes over the years and I love love love my final edition!  This recipe has brown sugar BBQ sauce in it, which adds a lot of sweet tang and moisture to the "muffins." When I was frying up my onions for the meatloaf, I cooked them at a higher heat than I usually do and they turned a delicious caramel color!  YUMMM!!  The Potato and Cream Cheese Icing took several attempts trying to get the right consistency and right flavor.  The end product was well worth the trials!  The trick is to get the potato mixture completely lump free so when you're piping through the large star tip, the lumps don't back your potato mixture up!!  A potato ricer makes this a non-issue though!  I think the part that I enjoyed the most was finishing it with the "sprinkles!" Everyone can decorate their own!  I think this would be fun for a birthday party or dinner party - something that tastes delicious, with readily available ingredients, and is a fun twist on an old classic!

Meatloaf Cupcakes with Potato and Cream Cheese Icing
2lbs lean ground beef

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

1 cup Kraft Brown Sugar BBQ sauce

1 tbsp whipping cream

1 large onion

1 large egg

1/2 tsp + another 1/2 tsp minced garlic (divided)

3 tbsp milk

1/2 cup light Philadelphia Cream Cheese (brick)

5 medium potatoes

3 TBSP butter, divided

Salt & Pepper 

1/3 cup green onions, chopped

1/3 cup real bacon bits

1/3 cup parsley, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Grease muffin tin.

3. Dice onion.

4. Melt 1 TBSP butter in pan over medium heat, add diced onion and fry until onions are clear, about 5 min. 

5. While onions are frying, peel and cut up potatoes into small uniform sized pieces.  Put in large pot and add enough water to cover. Boil for about 15 minutes or until you can easily cut potatoes with a fork.

6. Add 1/2 tsp of garlic to onions and cook until garlic is fragrant, approx 1 min. and then remove from heat.

7. Put ground beef in large mixing bowl.

8. Beat egg. Add 1 tbsp cream to egg and whisk until blended.

9. Add egg mixture, bread crumbs, BBQ sauce, 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper, and all of the cooked onion to the ground beef and mix thoroughly. (using your hands to mix is quickest and easiest!)

10. Roll ground beef mixture into 12 balls large enough to completely fill each muffin mold. Pat balls down to make them smooth on top.

11. Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.

12. Once potatoes are finished, drain water and add to a mixing bowl.  Add remaining 2 TBSP butter, 3 TBSP milk, 1/2 cup cream cheese, remaining 1/2 tsp garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix on medium high until smooth and all the lumps are gone.  **Use a potato ricer before adding the potatoes to the mixing bowl for an extra smooth finish!** 

13. Insert a large star piping tip into a piping bag (or snip the corner off a disposable zippered bag), add your Philly mashed potatoes, and squeeze all the potatoes down towards your tip and remove as much air as possible from the bag.  Bunch excess bag together above potatoes and keep this tightly pinched so potato mixture will go out the tip, not up into the bag.  (If you don't have a star tip, no problem, just cut the corner off of a zippered bag and use the same way -  it just won't have the fancy wavy edges).

14. Once meatloaf cupcakes are cooked, loosen around edges of the meatloaf with a knife to remove easier.  Place these on a plate lined with paper towel.

15. Starting around the edges and working your way into the middle, apply firm pressure to your piping bag to squeeze potatoes out the tip and spiral the potato mixture up like an ice cream cone. Once you've spiralled the potato mixture to a peak in the middle, release pressure and lift up. Place on serving plate. Repeat until all meatloaf cupcakes are "iced" with the mashed potatoes.

16. Sprinkle with green onions, bacon bits and parlsey.

17. Serve immediately while still hot!

Quick Broccoli Salad

I just submitted my recipe for Quick Broccoli Salad to the Real Women of Philadelphia contest!  I make a fool of myself yet again on camera as I video myself preparing this recipe.  I think Mike's favorite part is the 'shake shake shake!'

This is a remake of my moms Broccoli Salad, by adding dill cream cheese, cherry tomatoes, and goat cheese! YUMM!  It is seriously delicious, and by using pre-packaged ingredients like already washed and cut up broccoli and real bacon bits, it speeds up the prep time to five minutes!  I like to serve this as a side dish with anything BBQ'd: steak, pork chops, burgers, hot dogs, you name it!

Quick Broccoli Salad

4 cups broccoli, chopped into bite size pieces

1/4 cup Dill Philadelphia Cream Cheese

1/4 cup Kraft Coleslaw Dressing

1/3 cup chopped bacon (ready made)

1/3 cup goat cheese

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

1. Soften cream cheese in microwave safe bowl - about 20 seconds.

2. Mix together cream cheese and coleslaw dressing.

3. Wash broccoli and tomatoes and add to a large bowl that has a lid.

4. Top with bacon and dressing.

5. Roughly chop the goat cheese and add on top of broccoli mixture.

6. Stir to spread it around.

7. Cover with lid, ensuring lid is on secure and shake until well mixed.

8. Serve.

Don't Go Breakin My: Chocolate Strawberry Tart

First off, I have to say WOW.  This is possibly one of the most delicious desserts I've made yet.  It's also sinfully bad for you, made up of cookies, sugar, butter, cream, and chocolate chips... but as Mike pointed out after we polished off a delectable slice each, strawberries are fruit and fruit is healthy, right?

The base layer is a crunchy delight of oreo cookie crumbs, mixed with sugar and butter and baked until crisp (and I don't mean burnt to a..), filled with a cream infused melted chocolate chip layer, all topped off with fresh, juicy strawberries that leave such a sweet after taste!  The recipe actually called for raspberries, which, in my opinion, would be better, but I had strawberries so that's what I used!

It took all the restraint and willpower I had to refrain from gorging down the rest of the tart... or atleast just one more piece.  I could have 'atleast just one more pieced' myself to a chocolate tart coma, but I would have been in a very happy place.  You need extra calories when you're breastfeeding, right?

You can find the recipe from Martha Stewart's website for this delish dessert here: Chocolate-Raspberry Tart.  Changes that I made: I didn't use a food processor as I used oreo baking crumbs instead of cookies.  I used a little over 2 cups as I just kept adding to the butter it called for, until it looked about right and would cover the tart pan.  Oh, and I don't have a fancy tart pan with removable base (or a tart pan at all for that matter) so I just used my springform pan.  It doesn't look as pretty but works just the same.  (Note to self, add to wishlist).  And I followed what the comments suggested and added my berries before it set.  Oh and I used strawberries instead of raspberries, but I think that is fairly obvious!

Okay, now that Mike is gone to hockey (yes, it is May and he's still playing hockey), I'm gonna sneak back in the fridge and grab my second slice that has been whispering my name for the past hour.  (Note to self: wash face after -- chocolate smeared all around my mouth is always my tell.)

Side Note:  I have always thought the word 'decadent' referred to a particularly rich, most likely chocolaty, sinfully delicious dessert.  Turns out, it doesn't.  After much searching, I find that it's related more to behaviour  than to desserts.  According to dictionary.com, decadent means characterized by decadence, which in turn means:
 1. the act or process of falling into an inferior condition or state; deterioration; decay: Some historians hold that the fall of Rome can be attributed to internal decadence.

2.

moral degeneration or decay; turpitude.

3.

unrestrained or excessive self-indulgence.

** I think we'll go with the last one!!  It's time for me to exhibit some decadence -- gotta go!

Real Women of Philadelphia: Entrees

I didn't submit a recipe for last weeks round of side dishes for the Real Women of Philadelphia Competition, mostly because I was finishing up my cake decorating course and preparing for Easter lunch here.  Perhaps those are just excuses and the real reason was I didn't want to take the time to create a unique and tasty side.  I tried making creamed quinoa, which ended up being okay, but definitely not competition worthy.

Maybe I was saving it all up for entree week!  I re-vamped my White Enchilada's recipe and added cream cheese to the mix and seriously SERIOUSLY it turned out awesome!  The creaminess really balanced well with the spiciness from the taco seasoning.  This is definitely going into my usual rotation of recipes!

I just filmed another creation but I have to do a bunch of editing on it to piece everything together so we'll see if I get it done in time for tomorrow's deadline!  If not, I have it ready and waiting to go for the second round of entrees in a months time!  What is it you ask?? Shhh.. that's a secret- I wouldn't want to give my competition an advantage! :-P
 
This video is pretty long - a whopping 9 minutes!! But I didn't really feel like I could cut much out as it was showing the steps to the recipe or I was busy jibber-jabbering! I think my first two videos were better than this one - possible the length was a contributing factor!

Scalloped Potatoes and Nalysnyky

We hosted Easter lunch this year, so I was able to cook for my family!  I really enjoyed planning the menu and finding the recipes that I was going to use.  I did what I consider a very traditional Easter meal of ham and scalloped potatoes.  I found a new scalloped potatoes recipe from Canadian Living that everyone seemed to like. I really liked the bread crumb topping - yumm!  We dove in too fast to take a 'before' pic, so here's an 'after' picture!  You can find the recipe here.  I think I ended up going with this recipe instead of others because it called for cider vinegar, which I had sitting in my pantry unopened for who knows how long!  I also used my Pampered Chef Mandolin to slice all the potatoes and onions and every time I use it I am amazed at how fast and easy it is!!

I tried a new recipe "Nalysnyky"(pronounced NAL-YES-Nah-Keh) for lunch yesterday too.  These are basically cheese filled crepes and they're smothered in butter.  Very rich, but you gotta try one or two :-).  I found the recipe for the Nalysnyky online but tweaked it to be my own.  I used the basic crepe recipe but changed the filling contents.  The original recipe can be found here, and I will post what I used for filling (in the Real Women of Philly way of course!!)

Nalysnyky with Dill Philly Cream Cheese

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

Beat eggs one at a time, then add the rest of the ingredients and mix until all the lumps are gone. (This'll make a very thin mixture).  Pour a ladle full into a greased pan - I sprayed pam in between each crepe.  Fry over medium heat for about a minute each.  Makes 8-12.  

Cheese filling

1/2 cup dill Philadelphia Cream cheese

1 cup cottage cheese

1 TBSP fresh dill

 Blend above in your mixer until well mixed.  Spoon two spoonfuls onto each crepe and spread to cover completely.  Roll the crepe up and slice it in half.  Line a casserole dish with tin foil and spoon a couple TBSP of melted butter in the bottom and layer the filled crepes on top, making sure to butter in between layers.  Bake at 350 for 30 min and then serve immediately.  

Sol's Salmon

This winter we took a trip to Hawaii with our friends Sol and Brent.  The beach house we had rented had a charcoal barbecue and we cooked on it as often as we could.  Which, wasn't as often as we liked as it was such a production just to get it ready for cooking!  Mike's friend Jason (who he worked with when he was on a Hawaii project a few years ago) came over one evening for supper, bringing with him enough food to feed an army, including two huge fillets of salmon.  I was feeding Gray, so I'm not sure who prepared the salmon but I'm crediting Sol since he told me how he usually prepares it at home.  It was some of the most delicious salmon I've ever had!!  

I was at the grocery store the other day and saw some salmon marked down 30% for quick resale.  Since I didn't have anything on the menu for that nights supper, I pounced on it!  Using Sol's directions, I prepared it on the bbq and it turned out absolutely amazing.  Even the leftovers the next day were amazingly moist and juicy.  It was a real treat!  We served it with quinoa and broccoli!  YUMM!

Double portion of salmon - yummm!

Sol's Salmon

1 large salmon

olive oil

salt and pepper

Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over entire length of fillet, front and back.  Season with salt and pepper.  BBQ.  haha. It's seriously that easy.  I grilled it on the top rack, so it was away from the flame.  I cut it into a few pieces so flipping it would be easier.  I cooked it on med low and turned it once the edges started to look done - flaky and light pink, about six minutes.  I "squeezed" some lemon juice over the fillets while they were cooking too.  About six minutes on the other side as well and then I let it rest on a plate, covered with tin foil for about 10 minutes.  Mostly because Mike was in the middle of bathing Gray - haha.  But when you let meat rest before you cut into it, it lets the juices redistribute throughout so we'll say the same thing happens with salmon! :-)