Veggie Mac & Cheese

August 27, 2020 enbrookshireLeave a comment

One of my favorite dishes since childhood is Mac & Cheese, but now that I’m an adult I like adding a variety of veggies. That’s why this Veggie Mac & Cheese recipe is so great! This dish is packed full of deep rich flavors and will please the entire family. You can have this as a side dish or as the main course for a comforting family meal. This dish takes a little bit work and time, so it may be best to make this one on the weekend especially if you have a lot of after work/school activities throughout the week. This dish also reheats well thus making it a hit for leftovers!

This dish works best with fresh ingredients as opposed to frozen. If you were to use frozen vegetables it could make this dish a little on the soggy side. The style of noodles that I like to use gives this dish a nice bite and a fun appearance, but you may use any style of noodle that you are accustomed to. The key is not over cooking your noodles so they don’t turn to mush while baking. This dish has such a robust flavor and is nice and rich with all of the veggies and the cheese sauce. Now, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does!

VEGGIE MAC & CHEESE

Ingredients:

1 pkg (16 oz) Cellentani Pasta, cooked al dente
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 pint Sangria medley tomatoes
1 pkg (12 oz) pkg baby spinach
1 pkg mushrooms, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 Tbsp butter
6 Tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups chicken stock (I like Better Than Bouillon Base)
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 pkg (16 oz) mozzarella cheese, cubed
3/4 cup Italian Panko breadcrumbs
Parmesan cheese, grated for garnish
Parsley, chopped for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degree F.
Prepare a large and deep baking dish with cooking spray to avoid sticking. Set aside.
In a large stock pot boil noodles, drain and set aside.
In a large sauce pan add tomatoes to hot pan to blister and burst. Once most of the tomatoes have burst add onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft. Add spinach to wilt. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
Add mushrooms to saucepan and brown. Once browned remove and add to tomato mixture; set aside.
Add butter to pan and melt. Once melted add flour and whisk until mixed well and flour smell has cooked off. Slowly add milk while whisking. Slowly add stock while whisking. Cook for roughly 10 minutes or until thick and bubbly.
Remove from heat and add cheese; whisk until melted and incorporated.
Add veggies and noodles to sauce. Stir well to mix throughout.
Add to prepared baking dish. Top with panko and remaining olive oil.
Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Before serving top with parsley and Parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!

Loaded Chicken Enchiladas

August 13, 2020August 16, 2020 enbrookshireLeave a comment

Can I get a show of hands for all of those who have missed going to their favorite restaurants during the quarantine?! I know I’m not the only one who misses their favorite local Mexican Restaurant, right? My family loves Mexican food and that’s why I decided to make my own Loaded Chicken Enchiladas. This recipe is easy to follow and packed with delicious ingredients that is sure to leave you feeling satisfied.

These enchiladas are so easy to make and are absolutely delicious. I load mine up with plenty of gooey cheese and spicy chicken, then I roll them up nice and tight, stack then into a glass baking dish to bake and finally top with more cheese. I have found that stewing the chicken with chicken stock, white onion, and a couple of cans of green chilies make for a delicious chicken enchilada. Now, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

LOADED CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Ingredients:

10 small four tortillas
3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
3 cups quesadilla cheese, divided
1 white onion, diced
1 cup chicken broth (I like Better Than Bullion Chicken Base)
2 large cans diced green chilies, mild
3 Tbsp green onion, diced
1 large can green enchilada sauce
Sour cream
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
Shredded lettuce
Avocado, diced
Cilantro, finely chopped

Directions:

Stew chicken with onion, chilies and broth (I used my Instant Pot; pressure cook on high for 10 minutes and natural release for 5 minutes); once cooked shred the chicken.
Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
Spray a 9×13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
Fill tortillas with a generous portion of cheese, chicken mixture, and more cheese. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in baking dish in a row.
Top the enchiladas with green sauce and more cheese. Add as much sauce and cheese that you like here.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly.
Top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, sour cream and cilantro to serve.
Enjoy!

Dinner · Recipes

Steakhouse Pork Medallions with Strawberry Bacon Sauce

August 12, 2020August 16, 2020 enbrookshireLeave a comment

This was an instant hit at our house for a delicious dinner. This is an easy 30 minute meal that is sure to please the whole family. Weeknight meals are slowly becoming a specialty of mine as we navigate school, work and after school activity schedules. Since we have a busy weekly schedule I want fast, easy and delicious meals that I know my whole family will enjoy. Plus having time in the kitchen after a stressful workday can be therapeutic for the soul. Last night I decided to make a fast sauce for our pork tenderloin. The sauce was fragrant, tasty and not to mention ridiculously easy! It also gave some depth to the whole dish by stepping up the pork. I am happy to share this quick and easy recipe and as always, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

STEAKHOUSE PORK MEDALLIONS WITH STRAWBERRY BACON SAUCE

Ingredients:

Steakhouse seasoned pork tenderloin (baked or grilled per packaging)
A bundle of asparagus (baked or grilled to preference)
Long grain rice (cooked to package directions)
1/2 carton Strawberries; hulled and diced
1 shallot, diced
6 strips of bacon, chopped
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
Dash of white pepper

Directions:

Start by cooking the tenderloin per directions on the package or however you prefer your tenderloin.
Prep asparagus and rice according your preference as well.
When the meal is cooking prep and make sauce as follows.
Cook bacon on medium heat until just under crispy; drain off grease and return to hot pan.
Add shallot and cook for 1 minute. Add strawberries and cook for 1 minute.
Add balsamic vinegar, honey and white pepper. Allow to simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, or until strong vinegar smell is gone.
Once the tenderloin has cooked and been allowed to rest, cut into medallions and serve with sauce over the top. Rice and asparagus can be plated on the side.
Enjoy!

Dinner · Recipes

Cashew Chicken with Cilantro Lime Rice

July 27, 2020August 16, 2020 enbrookshireLeave a comment

I stepped out of my comfort zone on this dish. I am not well versed in curry, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to learn more about it and try new flavor profiles! I may have went a bit conservative on the curry….we live, learn and make adjustments for next time! This meal was fast and easy to cook up for a fast lunch this past Saturday. I usually start using all of our backup ingredients toward the end of the month, because it’s good to use what you have on hand. I always have chicken, rice, cashews and cilantro on hand. I thawed some chicken tenders that I froze a couple of weeks ago and trimmed and coated them in a bit of curry powder, salt and white pepper. Made some easy cilantro lime rice and served up a delicious summery meal!

This dish requires coconut milk and that really helps to cool off the curry powder and tie in that great summer flavor. The lime and coconut in this dish (in my opinion) are the stars and make for a fresh tasting and easy dish. Now, I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we did!

CASHEW CHICKEN WITH CILANTRO LIME RICE

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb chicken tenders, cubed
3 tsp curry powder (more or less depending on your taste)
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (13.5 oz) unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup cashews, roasted
(For rice) 1 cup rice, rinsed
(For rice) 2 Tbsp lime juice, plus two halves of a pulped lime
(For rice) 1/2 tsp salt
(For rice) 6 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Cook rice according to your preference. I use my instant pot and follow directions for the rice cooking feature. I add the lime juice, lime halves and cilantro before cooking. Once rice is done discard lime halves.
Coat a sauté pan with olive and sesame oil; bring up to med-high heat.
Coat chicken in curry powder, salt and pepper. Add to hot pan and cook until chicken for about 4 minutes or until browned.
Add garlic and ginger to pan; cook until fragrant (about 2 to 3 minutes).
Add coconut milk and allow to simmer for 7 minutes to thicken.
Plate to your preference and top with toasted cashews.
Enjoy!

Dinner · Recipes

The One With The Lasagna

July 26, 2020August 16, 2020 enbrookshireLeave a comment

Ok, so we’ve been binge watching Friends since we just completed The Office in record time…no thanks to the quarantine! While watching those early episodes we came across one of my favorites which is The One With The Dozen Lasagnas….this episode inspired me to finally try Binging with Babish’s Lasagna! You can find the recipe here https://www.bingingwithbabish.com/recipes/ziti-lasagna

This was an easy labor of love and perhaps the first homemade lasagna that I’ve ever made that actually sliced up like a lasagna should and not turn into a blob of ingredients on my plate. It is a very time consuming dish, but most of the time delicious meals take a while anyway due to a lot of prep and bake. One thing I loved about this recipe was how much I learned! I love watching his technique and trial and error processes. It makes me feel like I’m becoming a better home cook and there is always something to take away and grow from.

This dish has it all! It’s hearty, it’s filling, it’s gooey and it is DELICIOUS! So, if you haven’t already, I suggest you click on this link https://www.bingingwithbabish.com/recipes/ziti-lasagna and take a weekend to make this delicious lasagna!

Dinner · Recipes

Chicken and Veggie Pasta Bake

July 25, 2020August 16, 2020 enbrookshireLeave a comment

This is a yummy was to bake up a fast weeknight meal that is packed full of something everyone loves! I like to make this Chicken and Veggie Pasta Bake on the regular and I really enjoy how versatile this dish is. You can choose all sorts of veggie combinations with this recipe. It should be fun to try new combos. Keep in mind the season as you could always utilize fresh from the garden veggies like squash and zucchini or even a variety of peppers. In the winter months, I like to use mushrooms and peas because frozen peas work great in a dish like this. There are a couple of staples that are must for a deep and rich flavor. Those staples include Parmesan cheese and sliced almonds. Without these key ingredients your dish would be missing that crunchy topping that completes the whole dish. Now, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

CHICKEN AND VEGGIE PASTA BAKE

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and sliced (cook it how you like it…grilled is our favorite!)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 (16 oz) pkg angel hair pasta, cooked and cooled
1 (8 oz) pkg mushrooms, sliced
1 bundle asparagus, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup butter
3 Tbsp white wine
3 Tbsp flour
3 cups milk (room temp)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook chicken according to your preference. We prefer to grill the chicken, rest it and then slice it. You could even bake or roast the chicken and then shred it.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a casserole dish.
Cook pasta to just under; should only boil for 1 minute.
Sauté mushrooms in a hot pan until juices start to run out and they become brown, add white wine and asparagus; cook for 3 additional minutes. Remove veggies and leave liquid in the hot pan.
Add butter to liquid and allow to melt and bubble. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes or until the flour smell has dissipated; add milk and cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Once gravy is thick remove from heat.
Stir in 1/2 cup of cheese and add pasta, veggies and chicken; combine well.
Add pasta mixture to baking dish. Top with almonds and the rest of the cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.
Let rest for a couple of minutes before serving.
Enjoy!

Dinner · Recipes

Asparagus and Mushroom Pizza with a Peach Berry Salad

June 29, 2020August 16, 2020 enbrookshireLeave a comment

This meal was a fabulous end to a fun filled Sunday! We took it upon ourselves to get out of the house and go for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was so a cool 64 degree ride with the wind blowing through our hair. It’s days like this that make me crave summer on a plate!

Asparagus and Mushroom Pizza with a Peach Berry Salad.

This meal is so refreshing as it incorporates many summer flavors. The mushrooms are cooked prior to adding them to the pizza by simply browning for a couple of minutes and lastly adding a splash of white wine. This helps bring out the deep and meaty flavors of the mushrooms. I slice the asparagus at an angle after finding the area in the stock to snap them. By trimming them down it allows for a easier cook on the asparagus. The salad helps complete the meal with a delicious mix of blueberries and peaches. I like to add a hint of red onion in the salad as well for a bit of a bite to the salad. Sometimes red onion can be more powerful than what you would like, so I like to soak the red onion slices that I use on my salads. By soaking the red onion it takes the punch down a bit. Now, for the recipes!

ASPARAGUS AND MUSHROOM PIZZA

Ingredients:

1 pizza dough
1 cluster of asparagus, trimmed and sliced
1 (8 oz) container of mushrooms, sliced
1/2 container of Garlic & Herbs cheese spread (I used Alouette Cheese)
Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp white wine
Olive oil

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 450 degrees F and prep pizza dough.
In a medium pan cook mushrooms on med-high heat until they start to brown; add white wine and reduce for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Once pizza dough is stretched into a circle, pre-bake crust for a couple of minutes or until the crust just starts to brown; remove from oven.
Top pizza with cheese spread and be sure to spread out evenly.
Top with half of the mushrooms, then add asparagus and finally the rest of the mushrooms.
Rub olive oil on crust.
Bake for 10 minutes or until crust becomes golden brown; remove from oven and immediately top with Parmesan cheese.
Make salad while pizza cools.

PEACH BERRY SALAD

Ingredients:

2 peaches, cut into slices, then in half
1/4 cup of blueberries
A couple of slices of red onion
A couple of handfuls of mixed greens
Balsamic vinaigrette

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together, except the balsamic vinaigrette.
Toss gently to combine.
Add balsamic vinaigrette as a self serve.

Dinner · Recipes

Taco Stuffed Peppers

June 27, 2020August 16, 2020 enbrookshireLeave a comment

This recipe is tasty, easy and packed with incredible flavor! It just takes a little prep with few ingredients to make this colorful and delicious dish. I really enjoy making this recipe because it’s so easy, in fact, I mostly make this dish through the week…you can also prep ahead of time to!

I have used all green peppers in the past, but I think this dish is stunning with red, yellow, green and even orange peppers. The different colored peppers not only add a beautiful presentation, but you can get so many different flavor profiles from the variety bell peppers. These peppers are the vessel for an amazing filling of meat, sauce and gooey cheese….how could that be bad?!

I know I always say that the key to any good recipe becoming a great one is about the quality of your ingredients. I recently discovered the Marketside American Wagyu Beef Patties from Walmart. These beef patties are great and seem to sell out at our local Walmart as fast as they can stock them. They come in 3 1/3 lb packages and that just happens to be the perfect size for this recipe. My family LOVES Cabot Cheese and when I’m cooking any recipe that requires cheese, I always buy a block to shred myself. Most pre-shredded cheeses come with a coating of potato starch. The potato starch is gritty and leaves an oily texture to the pre-shredded cheese which I don’t want in my meal. The Frontera taco sauce adds such a powerful and robust flavor that ties the dish together beautifully.

This dish is a great make ahead especially if you are making it over the weekend. I typically cook the meat and get the peppers filled then place them in the baking dish. I then Put them in the fridge until I’m ready to bake them. Most of the time I just whip this recipe up and bake them immediately, but you could prep them all the way through prior to baking to save some time. Now, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

TACO STUFFED PEPPERS

Ingredients:

5 to 6 large bell peppers of any color
3 1/3 to 1 lb ground beef
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 package Frontera Taco Skillet Sauce
1 (8 oz) block of Colby cheese, shredded

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Carefully cut the tops off each pepper; remove seeds from pepper and tops. Reserve the tops of each pepper for topping later.
Add olive oil to a sauté pan and turn pan to medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until they start to turn translucent. Add ground beef; cook until browned. Add garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes.
Add sauce to beef mixture and allow to cook for 3 minutes; remove from heat.
Add cheese to each pepper bottom, add meat filling to about half way, add more cheese, top with meat and finally top with a little more cheese. do this with each pepper.
Top each pepper with its matching top.
Add peppers to a baking dish. (If you are prepping this meal to bake later; cover with plastic cling wrap and place in fridge until ready to bake.)
Bake peppers for 55 minutes to 1 hour.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Enjoy!

Dinner · Recipes

Cheesy Tortellini With Bacon, Spinach and Mushrooms In A Brown Butter Sauce

June 25, 2020August 16, 2020 enbrookshireLeave a comment

This dish is absolutely delicious…not to mention cheap, easy and stress free for a fast weeknight meal that is sure to be a family pleaser! It’s cheesy, rich, buttery and full of fabulous flavor. This is one of those meals that I would make for a dinner party not only because of how delicious it is, but how simple it is to make. This pasta dish is definitely in the 30 minute meal rotation which is perfect for a fast weeknight meal as well.

All you need to make this meal is a Dutch oven (I use my Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven) and a medium size pot to boil the pasta and a sauce pot to make that tasty brown butter sauce. That deep flavor sauce is super easy to make and whips up in about 10 minutes. The brown butter sauce is what pulls the dish together and you will know that your sauce is done when you start to smell a nutty smell from the butter. It’s this flavor that ties everything together for a rich finish. Now, I hope you and your family enjoy this meal as much we do!

CHEESY TORTELLINI WITH BACON, SPINACH AND MUSHROOMS IN A BROWN BUTTER SAUCE

Ingredients:

1 package cheese tortellini
6 strips of thick cut bacon, diced
1 (5oz) package spinach
1 package mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup unsalted butter
Dash of white pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated (for garnish)

Directions:

In a Dutch Oven brown off diced bacon; remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate and reserve 1 Tbsp of bacon fat.
Cook mushrooms in bacon fat for about 3 minutes on medium heat; add wine and reduce for 3 minutes.
Boil water for pasta; cook according to package and drain.
Strain mushrooms and reserve the wine in a small sauce pan. Add mushroom back to Dutch Oven and cook for 3 more minutes; add spinach and let spinach wilt; add bacon and take off heat.
In the small sauce pan add garlic and butter; let simmer for 10 minutes. When you smell a nutty smell and the color is brown the sauce is done.
Add pasta to veggie mix; top with brown butter sauce. Gently mix with tongs and serve with freshly grated Parmesan.
Enjoy!

Dinner · Recipes

Father’s Day Dinner – Shepherds Pie

June 22, 2020August 16, 2020 enbrookshire1 Comment

I have been really excited to share this blog with you! As you know, yesterday was Father’s Day and my husband is a GREAT Daddy to our daughter. We are so lucky to have him in our lives and he is absolutely the BEST Daddy ever, so when he puts a request for a special dinner I am more than happy to oblige! Ever since we’ve been on lockdown from quarantine, we’ve started watching more and more cooking channels on YouTube. We just happened to stumble across this one https://www.youtube.com/user/bgfilms which I highly recommend you go check him out as he makes some of the most amazing dishes! My husband saw his Shepherds Pie and asked if we could try it out, so that’s what I made for his Father’s Day feast (here’s the link to the recipe: https://basicswithbabish.co/basicsepisodes/shepherdspie)

The Shepherds Pie before piping the potatoes. AMAZING!

This recipe has so many wonderful ingredients and is super tasty. I cannot say this enough…fresh herbs…you MUST use fresh herbs! Because this is a meat and potatoes kind of meal it really sticks with you. One thing I was a little worried about at first was the amount of ingredients that we were going to have to buy for one meal, but as it turns out we had almost everything in our kitchen; which means we didn’t break the bank on one recipe.

I didn’t have a Demi-Glaze puck as it’s not something that I have on hand in my kitchen, so I made my fresh version which I have shared below. The overall recipe for my Demi-Glaze is easy, tasty and rich which I knew would be a perfect accompaniment to the Shepherds Pie recipe; all of those deep robust flavors really come through with each bite of Binging with Babish’s Shepherds Pie recipe. His recipe is now on our rotation of meals we LOVE! I hope you give it a try and here is my simple Demi-Glaze recipe.

DEMI-GLAZE

Ingredients:

4 cups beef stock
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Directions:

Add beef stock to a medium size pot and bring to a rapid simmer; reduce heat to medium-low.
Reduce stock for 1 1/2 hours.
Once stock has reduce by half add a slurry of cornstarch and water; allow to simmer for 10 additional minutes.
Remove from heat and add butter.
Allow to cool at room temperature until completely cool. Store in an airtight container or freeze for later use.
Should make 1 cup of Demi-Glaze.
Enjoy!