Classic Mac & Cheese

Classic mac & cheese casserole is modernized by replacing American and/or cheddar cheese with a buttery-flavored fontina cheese and Parmesan. A touch of garlic and the addition of shrimp results in a totally innovative creation. Fontina is a traditional Italian cheese that is often served as a dessert cheese.

 

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ingredients

  • 1 lb. fresh or frozen medium shrimp in shells
  • 8 oz. dried elbow macaroni (2 cups)
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup half-and-half
  • 1-1/4 cups shredded fontina cheese (5 oz.)
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbsp. pine nuts, toasted
  • 1-1/2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • Fresh basil leaves

directions

  • Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Peel and devein shrimp, removing tails. Rinse shrimp; pat dry with paper towels. Chop shrimp and set aside.
  • Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.
  • In large bowl stir together eggs, butter, half-and-half, 1 cup of the fontina cheese, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, garlic, pine nuts, chopped basil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir in shrimp and macaroni. Transfer to buttered 2-quart casserole. Top with remaining cheeses.
  • Bake, uncovered, 40 to 45 minutes or until heated through and shrimp pieces are opaque. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Top with fresh basil leaves. Makes 6 servings.

recipe source

BHG.com

Parmesan Cheese Sauce with Fettuccine

This classic, creamy, Parmesan cheese sauce tossed with fettuccine is modernized by adding lemon peel and peas for an entirely new, fresh, and creative side dish. Serve with grilled salmon fillets and crisp tossed salads for a complete meal. A vegetable peeler will cut wide strips of zest from the outer peel of a lemon.

 

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ingredients

  • 1/4 cup light cream, half-and-half, or whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon margarine or butter
  • 3 ounces packaged fettuccine, linguine, or other pasta
  • 1/2 cup loose-pack frozen peas
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
  • 2 tablespoons broken pecans or walnuts

 

directions

  1. Let the light cream, half-and-half, or whipping cream and margarine or butter come to room temperature (allow about 30 minutes).
  2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, adding peas the last 5 minutes of cooking. Drain immediately in a colander. Return pasta and peas to the warm saucepan.
  3. Add the room-temperature cream and margarine, the Parmesan cheese, and lemon peel to the pasta. Toss gently until pasta and peas are well coated. Transfer to warm individual plates. Sprinkle with pecans or walnuts. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings.
  4. Fettuccine Alfredo: Prepare Lemony Fettuccine Alfredo with Peas as directed above, except omit the peas and the lemon peel.
  5. Menu Idea: Team this side dish with grilled salmon fillets and crisp tossed salads.
  6. Nutritional Facts per serving for Fettuccine Alfredo: Same as Lemony Fettuccine Alfredo with peas, except: 344 calories, 11 g protein, 35 g carbohydrate, 268 mg sodium.

 

recipe source

BHG.com

Shrimp Curry - Jinga Curry (My Favorite)

ingredients
garnish:
finely chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

In a large saucepan heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds; as soon as they crackle add the curry leaves, tomato, ginger, garlic, and green chiles. Saute gently for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft. Stir in the shrimp; cook for 5 minutes. Add the chile powder, turmeric, and salt; cook for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk and water. Let the mixture come to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are tender. Garnish with the coriander before serving.

variations: If you do not like coconut milk, you can replace it with plain yogurt.

 

tips: Pure coconut milk is extremely high in saturated fat. If you decide to use it, do so sparingly to get the flavor minus the fat

Pita to Go!

This recipe is a quick-fix sandwich that is great when you have a busy schedule. The deli-style turkey and prepared coleslaw make it all come together in a quick 5 minutes. You can make the sandwich fast, but take your time when it comes to eating it so you can enjoy its great flavor. If you need more recipes to fix in a hurry, see more quick-and-easy recipes.

 

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ingredients

  • 1 8-inch white or wheat pita bread round
  • 1/2 cup chopped cooked deli-roast turkey breast
  • 1/2 cup prepared deli coleslaw
  • 1 tablespoon snipped, drained, oil-pack dried tomatoes

 

directions

Cut the pita in half crosswise; gently open the halves and arrange the turkey, coleslaw, and dried tomatoes inside. Makes 1 generous serving.

 

recipe source

BHG.com

Basil Seared-Salmon with Rice

Ingredients

Instructions

20 Minutes Start to Finish

1. Make the chile-garlic paste – In a blender or food processor, combine 1 tablespoon water and the garlic, chile, green onions, and cilantro. Add the basil and process until a paste forms.

2. Make the sauce – In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons water and the fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat until hot and add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the chile-garlic paste and sauté until very fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the fish sauce mixture and simmer for 2 minutes to blend the flavors. Keep warm.

3. Sear the salmon – Season each salmon filet with a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat a large frying pan over high heat until very hot and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the salmon and Sear, turning once, until golden brown on the outside and still slightly rare in the center, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the salmon to a platter or dinner plates and drizzle with the warm sauce. Serve with the rice.

Fried Chicken and Waffles with Killer Maple Butter Recipe

The following recipe is the made-from-scratch version where you make everything in the dish (except the hot sauce) yourself. That can be a lot of work, though, so feel free to swap out the waffles in this recipe for store bought waffles. Also, you can buy premade chicken fingers instead of following the recipe below. Still, whatever you do, make the maple butter. It’s totally worth it.

 

Ingredients:

Maple butter:

  • 2 sticks butter, cut into 1 ounce pieces
  • 1 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Waffles:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1-1/2 tablespoon baking powder
  • Non-stick cooking spray

Chicken:

  • 3 cups flour (divided)
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups milk
  • 4 chickens, cut into strips
  • Oil for frying
  • Hot sauce


Directions:

Maple butter:

  1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and let it cook for about 30 seconds so that some of the water evaporates, but not so that it begins to burn.
  2. Pour in the maple syrup and stir to incorporate. When the maple syrup is hot, add the brown sugar and cinnamon and stir.

Waffles:

  1. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl very well with as few lumps as possible. Spray your waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray and make the waffles according to your waffle iron’s instructions.
  2. Keep them warm in a 250 degree F oven.

Chicken:

  1. Put one cup of flour in a plastic bag with the salt, pepper, and sugar. Next, mix the remaining two cups of flour with the eggs and milk in a bowl. Stir until you have a smooth batter that should resemble the waffle batter you just made.
  2. Put the chicken in the plastic bag, 6-8 strips at a time. Shake well and remove from the bag. Repeat until all of the chicken is coated.
  3. Once all of the chicken is coated in seasoning, dip it in the batter you made and let it get fully submerged. Remove from the batter and let it rest so that the coating can set.
  4. Heat the vegetable oil to 375 degrees F (or let it get hot over medium-high heat.)  You can test your oil’s temperature by putting a small ball of batter into the oil. It should immediately bubble forcefully. If the bubbles are small and not very vigorous, let the oil continue to heat.
  5. Fry the chicken in small batches for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown on the outside and cooked all the way through. Put on a cooling rack to drain, then keep it warm in a 250 degrees F oven.

To make the full dish:

  1. Assemble your masterpiece by taking a waffle, topping it with 3-4 strips of chicken, adding a second waffle and topping that with hot sauce and maple butter.


Enjoy!