I hacked my pantry – Macaroni & Cheese Recipe

Today was one of those lazy rainy days. We hung out in comfy clothes and watched television. Around lunch time I got to thinking about what I should feed my little boys. There wasn’t much in the house as far as food because we’re going on vacation in a few days and I figured we’d eat what we had on hand.With that in mind I scoured our pantry and came up with this home made macaroni and cheese recipe that was actually pretty good. In fact my son Michael said it was “the best mac & cheese…ever!”I had four different types of cheese on hand -but none was enough to make much of anything, so I combined them.Here is what I used to make what I’m calling my Pantry Hacked Mac & Cheese recipe. I’m pretty sure you could do the same, with things that are on hand in your pantry!

• 1 cup Half & Half
• 1 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup margarine/butter (I used margarine.)
• 2 oz (approximately-I eye-balled) hand shredded Gouda, Romano, Parmesan, Colby Jack, and Cheddar Cheese
• 3 tbs flour
• 1tbs white pepper
• 1tbs Adobo seasoning
• 1 box-16oz of elbow macaroni
• 1/4 cup crushed Garlic Parmesan Pretzel Crisps (I didn’t have croutons or even bread on hand to make croutons, so I figured I’d give these a try.) they worked out really well, the flavor meshed perfectly and the crunch was a fun surprise!

To prepare:Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Cook the pasta until it’s “al dente”.While the pasta is cooking, in a separate saucepan melt the butter/margarine. Slowly whisk in the flour to make a roux. Once the roux is nice and pasty, slowly whisk in the milk/half and half mixture. Add in the pepper and Adobo seasoning. When the milk mixture begins to simmer, slowly stir in the cheese. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens. By this time your pasta should be ready to come out of the pot. Drain the pasta then return it to the pot and stir in the cheese mixture.Combine the two then transfer to a casserole dish.Sprinkle the crushed pretzel mixture on top of the macaroni and bake for 15 minutes.Buen Provecho!xo,nicole

I hacked my pantry – Macaroni & Cheese Recipe

Today was one of those lazy rainy days. We hung out in comfy clothes and watched television. Around lunch time I got to thinking about what I should feed my little boys. There wasn’t much in the house as far as food because we’re going on vacation in a few days and I figured we’d eat what we had on hand.With that in mind I scoured our pantry and came up with this home made macaroni and cheese recipe that was actually pretty good. In fact my son Michael said it was “the best mac & cheese…ever!”I had four different types of cheese on hand -but none was enough to make much of anything, so I combined them.Here is what I used to make what I’m calling my Pantry Hacked Mac & Cheese recipe. I’m pretty sure you could do the same, with things that are on hand in your pantry!

• 1 cup Half & Half
• 1 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup margarine/butter (I used margarine.)
• 2 oz (approximately-I eye-balled) hand shredded Gouda, Romano, Parmesan, Colby Jack, and Cheddar Cheese
• 3 tbs flour
• 1tbs white pepper
• 1tbs Adobo seasoning
• 1 box-16oz of elbow macaroni
• 1/4 cup crushed Garlic Parmesan Pretzel Crisps (I didn’t have croutons or even bread on hand to make croutons, so I figured I’d give these a try.) they worked out really well, the flavor meshed perfectly and the crunch was a fun surprise!

To prepare:Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Cook the pasta until it’s “al dente”.While the pasta is cooking, in a separate saucepan melt the butter/margarine. Slowly whisk in the flour to make a roux. Once the roux is nice and pasty, slowly whisk in the milk/half and half mixture. Add in the pepper and Adobo seasoning. When the milk mixture begins to simmer, slowly stir in the cheese. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens. By this time your pasta should be ready to come out of the pot. Drain the pasta then return it to the pot and stir in the cheese mixture.Combine the two then transfer to a casserole dish.Sprinkle the crushed pretzel mixture on top of the macaroni and bake for 15 minutes.Buen Provecho!xo,nicole

Vanilla Rice Crispy Treats -Barnes & Noble Cafe

Last Sunday, after a day at the beach with my boys we came home, showered, and went out for frozen yogurt. Before the frozen yogurt we stopped in to Barnes & Noble to get some new books.

While we were there I picked up a a coffee at their cafe (hello Starbucks), and in amongst their treats was a delectable rice crispy treat.

My son Evan loves marshmallows and when he asked if he could have a treat I obliged, because he's not so much of an ice cream eater.

It was such a cute little treat, sprinkled in were whole marshmallows. More importantly it tasted good.

Yesterday he asked me if I could make him a rice crispy treat like the one he had and I told him I would. A quick stop in to the supermarket and ten minutes at the stove resulted in a delicious treat.

The recipe I used was for a Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Rice Krispy Treat I discovered last summer. The only thing I did differently was add in some whole marshmallows just before I poured the mixture.

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 10.5 ounce bag of miniature marshmallows
• ½ tablespoon vanilla bean paste (you can use an actual vanilla bean)
• 5 cups Rice Krispies cereal

To prepare:

In a large saucepan melt butter over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes until it turns a golden brown color.Next add in the marshmallows and stir until they're melted.Remove pan from heat and mix in cereal.Press in cereal mixture into a buttered 9×9 baking dish.Allow to cool, cut into squares and serve.

Vanilla Rice Crispy Treats -Barnes & Noble Cafe

Last Sunday, after a day at the beach with my boys we came home, showered, and went out for frozen yogurt. Before the frozen yogurt we stopped in to Barnes & Noble to get some new books.

While we were there I picked up a a coffee at their cafe (hello Starbucks), and in amongst their treats was a delectable rice crispy treat.

My son Evan loves marshmallows and when he asked if he could have a treat I obliged, because he's not so much of an ice cream eater.

It was such a cute little treat, sprinkled in were whole marshmallows. More importantly it tasted good.

Yesterday he asked me if I could make him a rice crispy treat like the one he had and I told him I would. A quick stop in to the supermarket and ten minutes at the stove resulted in a delicious treat.

The recipe I used was for a Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Rice Krispy Treat I discovered last summer. The only thing I did differently was add in some whole marshmallows just before I poured the mixture.

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 10.5 ounce bag of miniature marshmallows
• ½ tablespoon vanilla bean paste (you can use an actual vanilla bean)
• 5 cups Rice Krispies cereal

To prepare:

In a large saucepan melt butter over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes until it turns a golden brown color.Next add in the marshmallows and stir until they're melted.Remove pan from heat and mix in cereal.Press in cereal mixture into a buttered 9×9 baking dish.Allow to cool, cut into squares and serve.

A Simple Meal Made Special

Sometimes life gets hectic and it can be easy to relegate dinner to rushing through a drive-thru, which isn't always the healthier option for our bodies or our wallets.

I love quick and easy dinners and food made simply. I think the less complicated something is on a busy week night the better!

Which is why I love pre-prepping dinner ingredients or having short cuts.  A great short-cut is to use canned soup in dinners as either part of a main dish or to enhance meals. I mean, who hasn't heard of green-bean casserole made with canned mushroom soup, or cream of chicken soup used to enhance...well...chicken?

Those are fine -but if I'm going to use a canned soup as a "main course" in a dinner I prefer them to be of top quality...as close to home made or something I'd find in a restaurant as possible.

Which is why, when time is short but I still want to have a nice meal with my family a "go to" quick and healthy meal is Tomato and basil soup over brown rice. I love this meal. It's a favorite of my two boys which is a bonus because I know it's something I can whip up quickly, that is pretty wholesome.

To prepare I use a store bought tomato soup (I love the one by V-8). Brown rice (buy the quick brown rice that is ready in ten minutes otherwise brown rice typically takes about an hour to prepare.) Fresh basil (this is completely optional, but I like to sprinkle a bit into the soup as it's heating up.)

Prepare the soup and rice according to the directions. To brown rice I always...ALWAYS add butter or margarine. I feel the buttery flavor enhances the nuttiness of the brown rice. Truth be told I add a generous amount of buttery yumminess.

I serve this with a simple salad and a smile because dinner was prepped and served in under 20 minutes!

All the extra time I saved is used to enjoy my family. Talk about our day, tell jokes, laugh, make plans for the weekend...whatever. It's those simple, mundane moments that make life special. Having the time to relax and enjoy them is what resonates with me. It uplifts me, because I know that it's moments like these that my boys will look back on fondly. I was compensated for this post.

Homemade Hummus Dip Recipe

Snacking can break a diet. Here is a healthy snack that is also good for you.

Homemade Hummus Dip

For the dip you'll need:1 can of garbanzo beansolive oilfresh garlic -1 clove either finely chopped or crushed.sea salthot sauce I used Louisiana Hot Saucejuice of a lemon/lime about 1/2 to 1optional: Goya Vegetable seasoning packet 1/2To prepare: Mash the garbanzo beans. You can also use a food processor. I went old school and used a mortar and pestle to mash the beans and crush the garlic.Once those are mashed mix them together, next drizzle about a tablespoon or a bit less of olive oil. Then squeeze the lemon/lime juice into the bean mixture (you can add more or less to your liking.) Add in a few dashes of hot sauce (again to your liking). Sprinkle in the sea salt. I like to add in about a half or less of a packet of Goya Vegetable Seasoning. You can really season with what-ever you like or just leave it with the salt.That's it! It's so easy and I prefer it over the store bought kind any day!Serve with pita chips and fruit.

Spanish & Tropical Sangria Recipe

I love Sangria and judging by how quickly it gets consumed at my soirées people love it too! I make two versions a white Tropical Sangria and a red Spanish Sangria.These recipes are for using a 750ML bottle of wine. If you're going to use a bigger bottle or make a larger batch double up on the other stuff!Spanish SangriaIngredients:Red Wine: Rioja, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon all work great.Brandy or White Rum (or both!) 1/2 to 1 cup (or more to taste)Orange Juice Concentrate 1 canLime Juice Concentrate 1 canClub Soda, Seltzer Water, Ginger Ale, Lemon/Lime Soda like 7UP or Sprite (I usually use Club Soda or Seltzer Water)Fruit: Lemons, Limes, Oranges (sliced thin). You can also add in peaches, strawberries, raspberries, or blackberriesIn a large pitcher stir together the white wine, rum or brandy, orange and lime juice concentrates. Add the fruit slices. The sangria may be prepared up to this point a day ahead and kept covered and chilled.Just before serving, stir in the club soda.For a slightly different variation add in pomegranate juice or a flavored rum.Tropical SangriaIngredients:White Wine: Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Pinot Grigio all work great.Brandy or White Rum (or both!) 1/2 to 1 cup (or more to taste) Using a flavored rum like guava, lime is also very okay.Mango Nectar/JuiceOrange Juice Concentrate 1/2 canLime Juice Concentrate 1/2 canClub Soda, Seltzer Water, Ginger Ale, Lemon/Lime Soda like 7UP or Sprite (I usually use Club Soda or Seltzer Water)Fruit: Lemons, Limes, Oranges (sliced thin). You can also add in Mango or Star Fruit (carambola) slicesIn a large pitcher stir together the white wine, rum or brandy, mango nectar, orange and lime juice concentrates. Add the fruit slices. The sangria may be prepared up to this point a day ahead and kept covered and chilled. Just before serving, stir in the club soda.Enjoy!