Macaroni and Cheese Carbonara

-Before the oven-

For Thanksgiving I thought I would try a new mac and cheese dish and when I received my foodnetwork magazine in the mail,  I seen this recipe and although it was a spendy dish to make (I hear this all the time from my hubby when I even mention making mac and cheese now! *wink*) I had to do it and everyone loved it!

Below you will find the recipe (says it serves four but I served 8 with the extra cheese) and a photo of Bobby Flays dish.

RECIPE:

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter, for the baking dish
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1-inch-thick slice pancetta, cut into small dice
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 5 cups whole milk, or more if needed, hot
• 4 large egg yolks, lightly whisked
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups (8 ounces) grated asiago cheese, plus more for the top
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated Irish white cheddar cheese, plus more for the top
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated American cheddar cheese, plus more for the top
• 1 cup (4 ounces) grated aged fontina cheese, plus more for the top
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for the top
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked just under al dente
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 10-by-10-by-2-inch baking dish and set it aside.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.
Add the garlic to the fat in the pan and cook until lightly golden brown, 1 minute. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the hot milk, raise the heat to high and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 3 to about 5 minutes. Whisk in the eggs until incorporated and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the thyme, cayenne and all the different cheeses until completely melted. Season with salt and pepper. If the mixture appears too thick, add additional warm milk, 1/4 cup at a time.
Put the cooked macaroni in a large bowl, add the cheese sauce, reserved pancetta, and the parsley, and stir until combined. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
Combine an additional 1/4 cup each asiago, cheddars, fontina and parmesan in a bowl and sprinkle evenly over the top. Bake until the dish is heated through and the top is a light golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Oreo Cookies

Well, yesterday I tried these fantastic cookies that I found on PenandPaperFlowers blog (love her ideas!). Actually I belong to her group on facebook and she brought up a conversation on these cookies, so I thought I would try them out and I am glad I did, they are great!!!
A BIG hit here at home and I love the way they turned out. So small (bite size) and cute. Many possibilities with these cute little things for any event!
The first batch I did, I did with coloring the frosting a bit with red (which turned out pink but loved how the brown and pink came out which would be cute for a girls baby shower *wink*). Then rolled it in some chocolate sprinkles. Some I left plain for my picky eaters who don't like too much sweets.
Then I did a batch just the same but instead of using the vanilla extract as it called for I used peppermint extract and crushed up some peppermint candies and rolled them in that! Great for Christmas! *wink* So the possibilities are endless I am sure.
I did a few bigger than the others but I would say my favorite are the mini size (about an inch) which are great for snacks. I also am freezing these for special events that happen often here at my home unexpected. *wink*
Thank you for the great recipe PenandPaperFlowers blog! All credit goes to you!!!

What you'll need:

Cookie Ingredients

1 package of devil's food cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients

1/2 cup butter (softened)

8 oz. cream cheese (softened)

3-4 cups confectioner's sugar (eye this as you will see the thickness you like)

1 tsp. vanilla

Alternative Vanilla Cream Filling Ingredients (I haven't tried this one yet but it was on the blog)

1/4 cup room-temp, unsalted butter

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

2-3 cups sifted confectioner's sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Cookie Instructions

Heat oven to 350°.

Add oil and eggs to cake mix and blend together. (I used my Kitchen Aid mixer with a paddle)

Roll dough into 1/2" balls for mini oreos. (1" for oreo-sized cookies up to 2 1/2" for jumbo size). *Messy but worth it!*

Place on cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes. (I didn't grease my sheets)

Remove from oven and let cool for 1 min.

Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Filling Instructions

Cream butter.

Add cream cheese and mix well.

Add vanilla, stirring until well blended.

Slowly add confectioner's sugar until desired consistency is reached. (I used 3 1/2 cups)

Alternative Vanilla Cream Filling Instructions

Cream butter and shortening together.

Add vanilla extract and confectioner's sugar slowly - until desired consistency is reached.

Assembling the cookies:

Fill pastry bag or gallon size ziploc bag with filling. (I used a butter knife to spread on)

Sandwich two cookies together by squeezing 1 tsp. (or so) of the filling onto the center of one cookie.

Add the 2nd cookie on top.

Lightly press the two cookies together to help the filling spread evenly to the sides of the cookie without spilling over the edges. (unless you prefer it). *I also did a twist when I was pressing them down to secure better*

You can either serve them as-is or freeze them for a frozen treat.

You can also make-ahead, freeze and bring to room temperature on the day of your event/party.

All this is posted on PenandPaperFlowers blog.

Chili's Southwestern Eggrolls

I have never been to Chili's but someone told me about these and sounds delish and had to try them.  I love them and they were a hit!  A bit spicy but that is what we prefer.. you can adjust the spices so they aren't too spicy for you, add or omit a few ingredients is fine too.  

Serve with guacamole, salsa and sour cream.. yum!  

Why would I need to go to Chili's now!  *wink*

It is also a good recipe for that left over chicken you don't know what to do with.  This recipe calls for flour tortillas but you can also use eggroll wraps for a much crunchier, thinner taste. 

Recipe below:

INGREDIENTS:

1 chicken breast fillet
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons minced green onion
1/3 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 tablespoons diced, canned jalapeno peppers
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
five 7-inch flour tortillas


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat barbecue grill to high heat.

Rub chicken breast with some vegetable oil then grill it on barbecue for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until done. Lightly salt and pepper each side of chicken while it cooks. Set chicken aside until it cools down enough to handle.
*I skipped this part and used leftover chicken we had and cut it up

Preheat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. Add red pepper and onion to pan and sauté for a couple minutes until tender.

Dice cooked chicken into small cubes and add it to pan. Add corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper to pan. Cook for another 4 minutes; stir well so that spinach separates and is incorporated into mixture. Remove pan from heat and add cheese; stir until cheese is melted.

Wrap tortillas in a moist cloth and microwave on high temperature for 1 1/2 minutes or until hot.

Spoon approximately one-fifth of mixture into center of a tortilla. Fold in ends and then roll tortilla over mixture. Roll tortilla very tight, then pierce with a toothpick to hold together. Repeat with remaining ingredients until you have five eggrolls.

*Arrange eggrolls on a plate, cover plate with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight. ( I just let them sit for about an hour in the fridge before deep frying in oil).

Preheat 4-6 cups of oil to 375 degrees.
Deep fry eggrolls in hot oil for 12-15 minutes and remove to paper towels or a rack to drain for about 2 minutes. Slice each eggroll diagonally lengthwise and arrange on a plate.
Serves 3-4.

Chicken Carbonara

 

I watched a Giada show on food network and she made this wonderful, quick dish that I just had to try.  Everyone loved it!  

I bought a already cooked whole chicken from the deli and shredded it for a much easier and quicker meal.  One time I didn't nave Pancetta so I just used bacon and it turned out fine.

Recipe below:

 

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 8 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• Salt
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 4 cups coarsely shredded chicken (from 1 roasted chicken)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and garlic and saute until it is brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, cheese, yolks, basil, and parsley to blend.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook until it is just tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Drain.
Add the chicken to the pan with the pancetta and stir to combine. Next, add the spaghetti and the cream mixture and toss over medium-low heat until the chicken is heated through and the sauce coats the spaghetti thickly, about 4 minutes (do not boil or you might end up scrambling the eggs). Season the pasta, to taste, with pepper and salt if needed (the pancetta will likely add all the salt you need). Transfer the pasta to a large wide serving bowl. Sprinkle the walnuts and lemon zest over, and serve.

Mini Caramel-Brownie bites

So.. this is what my final result was on the caramel sauce and the brownies I made last night... I didn't have any white chocolate as I think they would have popped out a bit more with it on top (may have to try that later tonight).  I placed it in a mini cupcake wrap.  Which by the way was a Christmas themed one but can you see that part? no worries... :)

This is what it looks open -->

Chocolate heaven! 

In the middle of the sandwiched brownie is more caramel.  After taking a bite out of one tho.. I'm thinking adding toffee bits would be even better! :)

I dipped it in some melted chocolate and topped it with Caramel (adding toffee bits up there would be great too!)  oh.. my head is spinning!!  lol

My kids are going to love this!  Hey, lets be honest... who cares if they do because if they don't... that means more for me! *WINK*

Caramel

This is my home made caramel sauce that is waiting to be chilled for tomorrow dessert.  

I just pulled out my brownies from the oven and it also is cooling down for the dessert I will be making.  I can't wait!

To be continued...

Jumbo Maple-Pecan Scones

Now this is a Jumbo Scone!!!

This is another recipe from the FN magazine and it is one that was shown on the show "The Office" as one of the desserts offered. 

This to me was like a thick pancake with nuts, don't get me wrong it wasn't bad.. it was just very delicious but very addicting. ;)  

A great breakfast to go!

The recipe is below.

RECIPE:

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup buttermilk, plus more for brushing
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus a pinch
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
• 1/2 cup pecan pieces, toasted
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl and set aside.

Put the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, orange zest, nutmeg, cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add the butter and continue to pulse until the mixture looks like fine meal.


Add the pecans and pulse once. Add the buttermilk mixture and pulse 3 or 4 times, or until the mixture is just moistened. (Do not overmix or the scones will be tough.)


Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until it just forms a ball. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and pat into an 8-inch round, about 3/4 inch thick. (To make individual scones, cut into 8 wedges and space apart on the baking sheet.) Brush with buttermilk and bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.


Mix the confectioners' sugar, maple syrup and a pinch of salt in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the scone. Cut into wedges.

MY NOTES: 
Add some strawberries or some mixed fruit with this to balance the sweetness. 
You can also use the maple syrup mixture for dipping your favorite fruits... yum!

Enjoy!