Pages, Pucks and Pantry

Velveeta Cheeseburger Mac

Since I've already admitted that I have a fondness for Velveeta, it probably won't surprise you that I also am partial to Hamburger Helper. Back in the day, hamburger was pretty much the cheapest beef you could find. And there weren't all these fancy variations...no sirloin, no percent fats...you just went to the grocery store and bought a package of hamburger out of the meat counter. Wrapped in plastic on a white plastic plate. And for a single working mother with me as her daughter (meaning feed me now Mom), my Mom didn't have a lot of time to spend fixing dinner once she came home every night. Variations of Hamburger Helper made regular appearances on our kitchen table. By far my favorite (and my Moms) was the Cheeseburger Macaroni version.

A while back I asked my Mom what dish she wanted me to make out of the Velveeta Incredibly Easy Recipes cookbook and she chose this Cheeseburger Mac. We both figured it would be close to our beloved Hamburger Helper version, and while it was good, it certainly didn't match up. Both my Mom and I thought it was too sweet. I'm thinking it was because I used some organic ketchup from Trader Joes that tends to be sweeter than normal. Or maybe because the Velveeta had a heart attack when it came in contact with something organic and real.  Didn't make it inedible, but it just didn't have the Hamburger Helper flavor we were looking for. Mr. L, who is not really a Hamburger Helper connoisseur, had no problem finishing off his portion.

This is super quick to put together since you don't have to boil the macaroni separately.

 

VELVEETA CHEESEBURGER MAC
(Velveeta Incredibly Easy Recipes)

1 pound ground beef
2 3/4 cup water
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tsp. onion powder
2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
1/2 pound (8 ounces) Velveeta Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Brown meat in a large skillet; drain.

Add water, ketchup and onion powder mix well. Bring to boil. Stir in macaroni; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 8 to 10 minutes or until macaroni is tender.

Stir in Velveeta; cook until melted, stirring occasionally.

Makes six servings.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with a cooked crisp green vegetable, such as broccoli.

NOTE: I figure I need to taste test some ketchup's to find one that might have less of a sweet taste when I'm cooking with it (I'm not a fan of ketchup...don't dunk my fries in it, don't put it on hamburgers or hot dogs).

NOTE: Even though I'm sure this would be way salty for some folks, I added additional salt (I do that to my Hamburger Helpers too so the sodium goes through the roof).

NOTE: This wasn't extremely cheesy. I think you could get away with adding a bit more Velveeta though you might need to cook it a bit longer so it's not soupy.

NOTE: You could always try adding the Mexican Velveeta for a change of pace.

NOTE: This reheats very well.

Will I make this again? Probably not. I think it maybe be kind of like those donut hamburgers...try it once and then move on to something different. There are plenty of other Velveeta recipes to try and if I have a hankering for something like this I can always just buy a box of Hamburger Helper (and I did make Mom some of her beloved Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni before she passed away and she far and away liked it better than the Velveeta version). 

Baked Brie Bites

One of the reasons I love this little recipe is the fact that I can make as many as I want. If I'm craving a little snack, I can make just a couple of these at a time. If I have company coming over and want to make a quick appetizer, I can whip up a whole batch of these in no time to keep guests busy until dinner. The ease of making these is also why they can be dangerous. You might find yourself making two or three of these bites before dinner, every day for a week. Not that I would do any such thing....

Though I came across this recipe on Pinterest here, this recipe and many variations can be found...adding jams or fruit preserves, varying the types of nuts or cheese used...around the Internet (links to some follow).

I not only liked the flavor of these but I loved the texture...the crunch of the shell and nuts, the creaminess of the cheese and honey. Great little snack that also looked pretty good presentation wise.

Except for the mini phyllo shells I usually have all the ingredients for the Baked Brie Bites on hand which makes this a quick appetizer or snack to put together.  And since these can be so addicting, I may just start keeping those phyllo shells in the freezer for quick ideas like this.

 

BAKED BRIE BITES

Mini Phyllo Tarts
Brie
Dark Brown Sugar
Chopped Pecans
Honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Directions are for one brie bite:

Put a cube of brie (or a good melting cheese of your choice) in the middle of each phyllo tart. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar over the cheese in the tart. Top with the pecans. Drizzle some honey over the top of everything. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

Note: I used Athens Mini Fillo Shells (there were 15 shells in the box), Small Bees Pure Raw Unfiltered Wildflower Honey US grade B (local from Los Gatos).

Note: The cheese kind of melts down a bit so you can see in my photos that the bites weren't as filled as most you'll see. I've tried to put in more cheese but then there wasn't room for the nuts and such. And I liked lots of nuts and sugar and honey in mine.

Really like this recipe and looking forward to trying all it's little variations.

More Baked Brie Bites Recipes:

Baked Brie Bites from Plain Chicken

Raspberry Brie Bites from Food.com

Mini Brie Bites from She Wears Many Hats

Brie and Honeyed Pear Tarts  from Athens Foods and Weight Watchers

Hot Brie Kisses from Recipe Girl

 

Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Like everyone else I get cravings. The other day I was craving a grilled cheese sandwich. Like, really craving, can't think of anything else, must have a grilled cheese sandwich. The thing was I was also craving pizza.  Like, if I don't have pizza now I'm going to go running in the streets screaming for the pizza man. But I thought making a grilled cheese sammie and getting a large pepperoni pizza probably wouldn't make my arteries very happy. And running through the streets screaming for the pizza guy (visions of me chasing after the Round Table delivery guy comes to mind) would probably get me committed. It was then that I remembered seeing this on Pinterest. A Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

Still...my arteries kinda cringed in horror at the thought of all the calories and fat in a sandwich like that. And I could hear the disapproving voice of the Wii lady going "ohhhh" when I stepped on the scale (she's such an annoying beeotch isn't she?). So I compromised. Along with a regular package of pepperoni, I picked up a package of turkey pepperoni at the grocery store (I know, there are those of you who swear that this is just wrong on so many levels but sometimes you gotta fake it to make it). I also used some sourdough bread I had on hand to make the sandwich and instead of real butter, I used Land O Lakes Light Butter with Canola Oil (half the calories!).

And you know what? The sandwich didn't turn out half bad. I still got some of the pepperoni flavor in my grilled cheese and I didn't notice the lower caloric butter at all (sorry but I just refuse to use margarine or that fake butter stuff). Mr. L loved his Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwich...which I made with regular pepperoni (he didn't seem to notice the low cal canola butter).

So for my friends out there that are trying to watch calories and such, try making this with whole wheat bread, turkey pepperoni and some low cal cheese and butter. The rest of you can use all the fattening foods you want...just be ready to be addicted. This is one tasty sandwich!

PIZZA GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

Four slices of bread (whatever kind you prefer)
Butter
4 slices of mozzarella cheese
pepperoni (regular or turkey)
Italian Seasoning
PIzza Sauce for dipping

Make a grilled cheese sandwich (at this point I could give you directions on how to do this but I'm pretty sure you can figure that out for yourself). Add a dash of the italian seasoning to the inside of the sandwich before cooking. Serve with some pizza sauce for dipping.

NOTE: I made two sandwiches, one with regular pepperoni and one with turkey pepperoni.

NOTE: I used Francisco Sourdough Bread, Contadina Canned Tomato Sauce, Hormel Pepperoni (both regular and turkey), Precious Mozzarella, Land O Lakes Light Butter with Canola Oil

NOTE: I didn't have pizza sauce so I just used a can of tomato sauce and doctored it up with some more Italian Seasoning to make my pizza sauce.

Though I've run across this recipe many times over the years, it was the pin of Forkfull of Comfort that brought it back on my radar. You can see her post here.

Obviously this can be changed up in many ways. Adding different cheeses, using different breads, changing the pizza sauce up by adding more garlic etc. If you look up Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwich you can find recipes for many variations on the interwebs.

Thankfully my cravings were satisfied, the Wii lady didn't complain to much and the pizza man was saved from the crazy stalker.

 

Cheddar-Corn Spoonbread

 

I've never actually made any sort of spoonbread before. I've always worried about whipping up egg whites.  In other recipes I've either not whipped them enough or over whipped them which has effected the outcome. Anything close to a souffle has also always been put in the same category of things I'm afraid to do...like work with yeast or make anything that requires a candy thermometer. I figured this was a good recipe to get me closer to doing one of those cooking things I'm afraid of.

This recipe came from the Everyday Food Special Summer Magazine August 2011 (large format issue).I actually made this last August when corn around here was in season and you could find it at your local Farmers Market. I used the corn that came with our CSA. Though I did like the dish it was just 'okay'. To me it seemed to lack any real cheesy flavor. We had some white cheddar that I bought special for this dish but it had a very mild flavor which I think was the main problem. Next time I will probably buy a better white cheddar.

Though Mr. L thought there was plenty of corn taste in this, I didn't think the corn was sweet enough.
We have since canceled our CSA as most of the fruits and vegetables we got from them seemed very tired and worn when we got them. I'm thinking this would taste a lot better with fresher corn.

Though we did enjoy the Cheddar-Corn Spoonbread I felt this recipe could have been so much better than the final result. This is one of those recipes that I believe is only as good as the ingredients you put in. Definitely a better cheese and fresher corn next time.

But, even though this didn't come out perfect? The leftovers? Ahem, Try frying them. Just a quick fry in a little bit of oil. Totally works. Not that we would do anything so decadent....

CHEDDAR-CORN SPOONBREAD
(Everyday Food)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish
2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups corn kernels (from 2 ears)
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
coarse salt
cayenne pepper
3 ounces sharp white cheddar, finely grated (1 cup)
4 large eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 2-quart baking dish. In a large saucepan, combine butter, milk, corn, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of cayenne. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture is slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cheese. Let cool just until warm to the touch, 15 minutes. Stir in egg yolks until combined.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and pinch of salt on high until soft peaks form. Witha rubber spatula, stir one-third the whites into corn mixture until combined, then gently fold in remaining whites. Pour into dish.

Place dish in oven, reduce heat to 375 degrees. Bake until browned on top and slightly loose in center, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Serves 6 at 276 calories a serving.

Note: I'm sure one could use thawed frozen corn when fresh corn isn't in season.

Again, this just needed a slight punch up in flavor...fresher corn or a sharper cheese...to elevate the recipe to perfection. And though it might seem a bit complicated for a novice, it was actually pretty simple to put together.

 

 

Chopped Salad

  Why is it that in the middle of summer I suddenly find recipes and crave soups, stews, chili's and all things that one wishes to eat in the middle of a cold hard winter. And in the middle of winter I find recipes and crave light salads, cool fruit desserts and all things that one eats in the middle of an interminable hot summer? It's possible that weather in my area, which is relatively easy the entire year (seasons? What are seasons?) and 80 degree weather in the middle of January just makes my seasonal cravings all wacky.

Years ago I used to eat salads like this all the time. They were quick and easy to prepare when I was a single woman. But more importantly they were cheap. A few cans of garbanzo and kidney beans on sale. Some cheap lettuce. Leftover cheese. Of course back then I could eat twice this amount with full fat cheese and actually lose weight. I enjoyed making and eating this, it brought back some memories of me sitting in front of the tv, holed up in my room away from my roommates, chowing on a version of this salad, usually washed down with a coke, usually wearing a t-shirt and shorts, with a cat on my lap. Of course now I'm holed away with my husband in front of the tv, there are two cats, I'm in my pj's instead of a t-shirt and shorts and I no longer wash down my dinner with a coke (or two, ahhh those were the days).

I didn't have any nicoise olives so I used some sliced black olives I had. That was probably a mistake as I wasn't thrilled with their taste in this salad (might be that it didn't mix with the dressing). Now the dressing was very tasty. But it was a glob. The dressing didn't "pour". I think it may be because the balsamic vinegar I used was very expensive and very thick. It didn't "drizzle" on the salad. It plopped. But I just mixed it in with the salad and it tasted great.

The salad didn't have as much flavor as it would have should I have used "full fat" cheese. If you aren't on a diet or trying to lose your "menopot" I would say use the good stuff in this.

This recipe came from the April 2008 issue of Fitness magazine. It's based on a recipe of Bobby Flay's.

CHOPPED SALAD
(Fitness Magazine April 2008)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons canola oil
3 cups finely chopped romaine lettuce
2 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
1/2 cup canned red beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup nicoise olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup mix of 1/2-inch cubes reduced-fat white cheddar cheese and 1/2-inch cubes reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese (3 ounces total)
White and blue corn tortilla chips for garnish (optional)
Chopped fresh chives, for garnish (optional)

In a blender, blend the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and blend until emulsified. Set aside. In a large bowl, toss the lettuce, tomatoes, beans, chickpeas, olives and cheese together; dress lightly with the balsamic vinaigrette. Garnish with the tortilla chips and chives (optional).

Makes 6 servings, 239 calories each.

Note: I used regular reduced fat cheddar, not white. I used regular black olives not nicoise.

Note: I didn't bother with the tortilla chips or chives, though I think the chips would give this a nice texture addition.

Note: Any vinaigrette dressing would work with this.

I plan on making Chopped Salad a regular dish to take to lunch this summer. I'll probably just dress it with Newmans Own Lite Balsamic dressing which is a favorite of mine.

Mexican Manicotti

Not sure who originally cut out this recipe, me or my mom. At this point, I've kinda mixed her cut out recipes and mine so I never know who originally wanted to make a dish. I found this in my "need to make soon" stack which consists of clipped out recipes from magazines, newspapers, hand written little notes from family and friends and printed out blog recipes I hope to try soon. It in no way is associated with the stack of boxes (yes, that's boxes with an 's') of same said types of clippings I have in storage that are labeled "need to make at some point in my life" recipes. It's also not related to the stack of actual magazines that have recipes in them to try. Or my stack of boxes of cookbooks. Oh don't get me started....

A search on-line found that this recipe was in a Taste of Home publication...Mexican Manicotti was published in the Quick Cooking,  March/April 2000 issue.  You can find the recipe on-line here and also a photo (which is good to look at since mine looked nothing like theirs.)

This is actually pretty easy to make, though you do have to prep everything ahead of time. Once you fill the shells and pour the liquid over everything, it needs to set overnight in the fridge. It makes for a nice dinner that you just have to throw in the oven when you get home. I also liked that you don't have to cook the hamburger or the pasta first, you just mix the hamburger with the beans and spices and stuff it all into the dry shells.

I actually thought this casserole was a little bland, but everyone I gave some to try (The Assistant, my Mom, Mr. L) seemed to really like it. Mr. L said it tasted very "light"...not heavy and as if  there weren't a lot of calories. That can be misleading as this is far from diet food so be careful you don't eat half the dish!

Two things about this dish I want to point out. I thought there was too much liquid in the recipe. Way to much liquid. I would try only 2 cups at first and maybe even less. I know it  needed the liquid to soften and cook the manicotti, but I think there was just too much liquid at the end and it was somewhat mushy. Folks have had good luck using less liquid in the reviews I've read. I also don't think this holds up texture wise for reheating, the manicotti shells seem to disappear. That being said, it was leftovers that I gave to my Mom and The Assistant and they both raved.

MEXICAN MANICOTTI

1 pound lean ground beef
1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 package (8 ounces) manicotti shells
2 1/2 cups water
1 jar (16 ounces) picante sauce
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
1 cups (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack or Mexican-blend cheese
1/4 cup sliced green onions
Sliced ripe olives, optional

In a bowl, combine the uncooked beef, beans, chili powder and oregano. Spoon into uncooked manicotti shells; arrange in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Combine water and picante sauce; pour over shells. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover; spoon sour cream over the top. Sprinkle with the cheese, onions and olives if desired. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted. Yield: 8 servings

Note: I used 'lite' sour cream. I used reduced calorie four cheese mexican blend shredded cheese. I used "Pace" picante sauce. I did add the ripe olives.

Note: I thought about using non-fat refried beans in this to also bring calories down but didn't have any. I actually think that using full fat beans helped the flavor...and next time I might try this with full fat cheese and sour cream.

Note: I probably used a good two cups of cheese to top the dish.

Note: I put the bean/hamburger mixture in a ziploc bag, cut a hole in one end and used that to stuff the shells. Worked much better for me than trying to use a spoon. I admit I did at one point take my finger and push some of the mixture into the shells to pack it in a bit. I had at least a half cup of mixture left after filling the shells (I just put it around the shells with the sauce).

Again, the photo of the recipe they show looked nothing like the dish that I ended up taking out of the oven. And I didn't find this very "Mexican" tasting. Maybe next time I'll add some hot sauce to the meat mixture or mixed with the sour cream to spice it up. Or I'll use the refried beans with lime or jalapenos, add some chipotle chilies, green chilies? Something to punch it up a bit for me. But everyone else has requested I make this again, and soon.

 

 

 

 

Pat Hull's Cheese Bites

One of the fun things about cleaning out my moms storage is finding her stash of recipes. Lots of cookbooks, but also lots of boxes of recipes she's either gotten from friends or clipped out of magazines. I'm finding some old favorites, some strangely interesting recipes (like the Vienna Sausage Cornbread) and recipes that really take me back to the 60's and 70's.

This recipe came from a friend of Moms named Pat Hull. My mom had a gazillion copies of the recipe so I'm going to assume that folks where my mom worked really liked it and the recipe made it's rounds back in the early 90's. Mom's had the recipe for years but I've never made them myself. I did laugh at one ingredient in the list, which tells that this isn't a recent recipe...it asks for Oleo.

You can find variations of these little bites all over the net. Some add more cheese or different kinds of cheese like Monterey Jack, others add more flour. Some use cake flour, others use Tabasco instead of Cayenne Pepper. There are versions with sesame seeds, pine nuts and cream cheese. The recipe on the Rice Krispies site even says you can substitute All-Bran for the Rice Krispies. Most of the recipes seem to have someones name associated with them...Mom's Cheese Bites, Aunt's Rice Krispy Cheese Bites.

I think this is a good basic recipe version to start with. Just a little heat from the cayenne. I wanted more of a cheese flavor so I might try adding more sharp cheddar next time or even trying an extra sharp.To me they were a bit bland, but Mr. L and my mom seemed to like them.

Now be aware that the Rice Krispies don't get pulverized in this version so when you bite into the little crackers (and I call them crackers for lack of a better description...they aren't cookies) there is a bit of a crunch. When Mr. L first tried these, unknowing of the ingredients, he stopped and almost spit the Cheese Bite out, afraid maybe I had mixed in something alien into the recipe. But once I gave him the ingredient list and he got over his "there are Rice Krispies in here? What for?" moment, I think he found these a bit addicting.

As an FYI, though it can be a bit decieiving by the photograph and the mini-plate I put these on, the size of each bite is just a bit bigger than a quarter.

The recipe is written exactly how it came from Pat Hull.

PAT HULL'S CHEESE BITES

1 cup oleo - room softened (not spread) !!! butter makes it better !!!
2 cups flour (sifted)
3 oz. grated cheddar cheese (sharp)
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup Rice Krispies

When well mixed, pinch off small pieces and make into small balls. Place on cookie sheet - mash down with fork slightly. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 15-20 minutes. More like an appetizer.

Note: I used Challenge Butter

Note: I mixed everything but the Rice Krispies together for a bit before adding them in.

Note: I started out with a spoon but ended up using my hands to mix the ingredients together.

Note: These can crumble easily so be sure to treat them gently.