teacher by day - chef by night
I have now made this Corned Beef twice… that says a lot since I usually like to experiment and see what other exciting things I can come up with. But after making it around St. Patrick’s Day I ran out and got more Corned Beef …
I love steak, but I have no idea how to grill. Luckily I grew up with a dad who was amazing at grilling and Rich seems to know his way around a grill pretty well and is willing to experiment if I find directions for …
When I suggested making Pumpkin Maccaroni and Cheese to bring to friends, Rich was pretty skeptical. Then, as I was putting the mac & cheese into the casserole dish to bake he was practically licking the pot with the extra pasta clean! Through mouthfuls he was telling me how much this totally worked even though he didn’t think it would. I’ll take it!
This recipe would work wonders on your Thanksgiving Table (it maybe a bit late for this suggestion, sorry). Everything in this recipe works and is perfect for any of your fall mac & cheese cravings. The pumpkin does not come out and smack you in the face like it would in a pumpkin pie but the flavor balance is spot-on and delicious.
Get out your pots and your stretchy pants, and enjoy some of this amazing savory Pumpkin Macaroni & Cheese!
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook pasta in boiling salted water. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
In a heavy pot over medium high heat, melt the butter and add the flour. Whisk together and cook for thirty seconds. Add 2 cups milk and minced rosemary and whisk until smooth. Add another cup of the milk (reserving one cup) and continue to whisk. Cook for four minutes while whisking. The mixture will get very thick! Add 12 ounces of the grated mixed cheese (reserving about a handful of grated cheese) and stir well so that the cheese melts. Add the salt, pepper and cayenne followed by the additional cup of milk and the pumpkin puree. Once everything is smooth, add the cooked macaroni and toss well. Pour into a 9″13″ casserole pan and top with the remaining grated cheese and the breadcrumbs.
Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling
Yield: 8 servings
*Note – I had a 12 oz container of pasta so I just took out about 3/4 cup of cheese sauce before mixing the pasta in. Then that can get used in a soup (think cheddar soup, pumpkin soup, beer n cheese soup) or to make more pasta another day or on top of potatoes or whatever you like!
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And I leave you with this, Today’s Question of the Day… What food combinations are you not sure will work but then turns out tastefully delicious?
I love using my crock pot! It usually gets pulled out an average of once a week during the fall/winter months. There is just something so wonderful about spending some time in the morning to put together a meal and then coming home at the end of the day to the house smelling amazing and your dinner practically done!!
We went to Easton’s Garlic Festival last weekend & enjoyed many tastings of local goodies. We enjoyed taking part of a tasting in which we enjoyed 8 different raw garlics (chopped up) in order to vote for our favorite (we both really like “Music” – a garlic …
We all have lots of things going on and life is busy, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t time to sit down for dinner. According to research, less than 10% of families eat together more than 2 times a week – that blows my mind because I grew up eating together as a family. There are SO MANY benefits to eating together as a family which include things like healthier diets, improved grades, & improved behavior/attitude. Now I know that it is not always practical to eat dinner together every night (sports, classes, etc – I know, even in our household of two life can get hectic many days of the week with both of us taking graduate classes). But everyone has to eat – so when you are home why not carve out that time to eat together. I know that the next problem is the when, when should you create this dinner to eat together! How about the night before when the kids get to bed, or even in the morning?
This chicken is SO easy to put together (thanks Julie) – rub it all over, throw it in the crock pot, turn it on low and come home to a tasty smelling house & a family dinner ready to go. You can broil it for a few minutes to toast up the skin (that does give an extra dish and takes a few extra moments) and also serve it along with some roasted potatoes and you’re set with a delicious meal!
Rub Ingredients
Combine rub ingredients in a small bowl.
Remove chicken from packaging and remove neck and pouch with organs. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Rub garlic all over outside of the chicken. Put garlic inside the chicken. Rub the rub all over the outside and inside the chicken. Add quartered lemon to the inside of the chicken.
Place onions, carrots and celery inside the slow cooker. Place chicken on top of the vegetables. Cover slow cooker and cook chicken on low for 4-8 hours. (I just put it in when I left for work.) Cook until the internal temperature of the leg is at 160 degrees F or use a pop-up thermometer.
To crisp up the skin: Remove chicken and place in a 9×13 glass baking dish. Place baking dish in the oven under the broiler for about 4-5 minutes.
Serve with Potatoes… 4-5 medium potatoes diced & tossed in olive oil, salt, garlic powder, & pepper. Cook at 350 for about 30 minutes. Then add 1 onion & 2-3 medium sized peppers (whatever colors). Toss the onions & peppers in the casserole dish with the potatoes, cover and cook for another 20 minutes or so, until done.
One Year Ago – Healthy Chicken Fingers & Fries
And I leave you with this, Today’s Question of the Day… do you call it a Crock Pot OR a Slow Cooker – and is there a difference between the two!?