Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

(Sorry for the crummy photo.  I didn't get this made before the sun went down and I lost the good light.)

So I have what I consider to be a tried-and-true recipe for Macaroni & Cheese, but it makes A LOT and requires A LOT of ingredients.  This is the one I make when I want a creamier result and don't want enough leftovers for two weeks (we're only a household of 3).  I've adapted this from Paula Deen's recipe, removing a messy (and unnecessary) step ... and some butter, lol.  And I always recommend a dash of hot sauce in cheese dishes - not for heat, but for the way in enhances the flavor of the cheese.

SLOW COOKER MAC & CHEESE
adapted from Paula Deen's recipe

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (just a little more than 8 oz)
2 - 2 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry ground mustard
1/2 tsp. black pepper
dash of hot sauce, optional

Boil the macaroni in a 2-quart saucepan for 5 minutes (it will not be cooked through); drain.

In a slow cooker, whisk together eggs, sour cream, soup, milk, salt, mustard, pepper, and hot sauce, if using.  Stir in cheese and macaroni.  Cover and cook on low for 2 - 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Quick and Easy French Bread

Boy am I glad I found this recipe!  Thanks go to www.TheSistersCafe.com.  I have tried several french bread recipes and this one is the winner for me.  It's quick, easy, and it tastes good.  This recipe makes enough for two loaves, but you can easily halve it.  My loaves always end up a deep brown, but they taste delicious - not burned.  I will never buy store-made french bread again.  Well, let's be honest, I probably will when I'm feeling super lazy.  ;)

Even though it's quick and there's only one rising, you will use regular active dry yeast - NOT rapid-rise yeast.  I reduced the salt slightly because I found 2 teaspoons to be too much for my taste.  The recipe also calls for brushing the loaves with butter half-way through baking.  I did this the first time and didn't like how it made the crust kinda soggy.  So I leave that step out now, though you are welcome to do it if you want.

These loaves are dense, but not too dense, and soft inside.  The crust is not a thick, crispy crust (just in case you were looking for that).

Don't forget the pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven!

QUICK AND EASY FRENCH BREAD
slightly adapted from Baguette recipe on TheSistersCafe.com

1 1/2 cups warm water (between 110-115 degrees F)
1 1/2 Tbsp. (2 packages) active dry yeast
2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/4 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. melted butter, optional

In a small bowl, mix the warm water with the yeast and sugar; let sit for about 5 minutes - it should become foamy on top.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 1/4 cup flour and salt.  Gradually add the yeast mixture and mix until the dough comes together in a ball, adding more flour as needed.  Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic, adding a little flour here and there just to keep it from sticking.

Cut dough in half.  Roll each half into a long rectangle and roll up lengthwise; pinch edges to seal (I also turn under the ends so they look smooth).  Place on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper.  Repeat with other half of dough.  Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

Place a rimmed baking sheet on bottom rack of oven and fill with 2 cups of boiling water.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  While the oven is heating, take a sharp, serrated knife and cut 4 or 5 slits across top of each loaf.   When oven is hot, bake loaves for 15 minutes, brushing loaves with melted butter half-way through baking time, if desired.  Let loaves cool at least 5 minutes before slicing.

Chocolate Bird Nests

This is what happens when you read the cereal box.  I saw the recipe for these on the side of a box of Original Fiber One and they just sounded good.  I've been craving chocolate lately and these are actually pretty healthy for you.  Lots of fiber!  Only 3 ingredients and no baking make these an easy treat.  The box calls these "haystacks" but I think "bird nests" is better.  These would be super cute around Easter time with some Cadbury Mini Eggs (you know, those chocolate candies that look like little robin's eggs?) pressed in the center.

The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of peanut butter, but I found that it softens the chocolate a little too much - these melt in your hands pretty easily.  So I decided to reduce the amount of peanut butter to 1/4 cup.  Even less fat that way and they still taste yummy.  And I feel no guilt when I eat more than one. Check the link below for nutritional stats.

CHOCOLATE BIRD NESTS
slightly adapted from Fiber One recipe

1 (12 oz) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter (reduced fat is fine)
1 pouch (3 3/4 cups) Original Fiber One cereal

Line two cookie sheets with waxed or parchment paper.  In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate chips and peanut butter on HIGH 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds.  Microwave 30 seconds to 1 minute more, stirring after every 15 seconds, until melted and smooth.

In a large bowl, stir together cereal with chocolate mixture until evenly coated.  Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto lined cookies sheets.  Refrigerate until firm.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge.  I got 18 "cookies" out of this, but I made them a little big.

Icebox Bran Muffins

My mom got this recipe back in the early 70's.  You can find all kinds of variations of it online.  I keep coming back to this one (probably because it's what I expect of a bran muffin - moist, dense, delicious).  The recipe calls for two different bran cereals: bran flakes and 100% bran.  These days the 100% bran cereal I use is Kellogg's Original All-Bran.  This is NOT the same as the original Fiber One cereal.  When it comes to the flakes, I buy what's cheapest.  This time I used the Kroger brand, which are 40% bran, I think.

And since this recipe originates in the 70's it calls for shortening.  Some people balk at using shortening these days.  For the most part, I don't.  Probably because I don't use it very often, so I don't feel like I'm constantly clogging my arteries with horrible trans fats.  Plus all that bran probably scrubs it right out.  If you do the math, it boils down to 1 teaspoon of shortening per muffin.  If that's just too much for you, you can sub the shortening for a stick of softened butter + 1/2 cup of applesauce.  However, if you make this substitution, I can't vouch for it's moistness (since I never do it myself) and your batter will have a shorter shelf life: one month vs. seven weeks.

Which brings me to the beauty of this recipe.  It makes enough batter for 4 dozen muffins.  You can bake them all at once, or store some of the batter in the fridge for the next time you get a craving.  The recipe will divide perfectly into four, 1 quart jars.  Each jar makes a dozen muffins.  I think it makes a great neighbor gift for holidays when people are overloaded on sweets and super-rich foods.

If you do decide to store the batter in jars, might I suggest you use wide-mouth jars (for easier scooping) and take a trip to Wal-mart to buy some of these handy-dandy babies:

These are BPA-free plastic lids for canning jars.  They are not meant for the actual canning process, but are great for storage and sharing (when you have an open jar of applesauce in the fridge or want to give your neighbors a cookie mix).  They fit both brands of mason jars (Ball and Kerr) and even fit the Better Homes and Gardens brand jars.  You'll find both regular-mouth and wide-mouth lids and at my Wal-mart (in the Phoenix area) a pack of 8 was less than $3!  Much cheaper than the Ball brand of lids.  Just a thought.  And no, I'm not being paid for any of this.  I just think they're fabulous.

Okay, enough talk. Here's the recipe:

ICEBOX BRAN MUFFINS

2 cups 100% bran cereal (All-Bran)
2 cups boiling water
1 cup shortening (or 1 stick of softened butter + 1/2 cup applesauce)
3 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 quart buttermilk (low-fat is fine)
5 cups all-purpose flour
5 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
4 cups bran flakes cereal

To make batter:

In a medium bowl, pour boiling water over 100% bran (All-Bran) and let cool.

In a very large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar; add eggs, buttermilk, and bran and water mixture.  Stir in flour, soda, salt, and bran flakes until thoroughly combined.  Store batter in 4, 1 quart mason jars in the refrigerator up to seven weeks (unless you made it with butter and applesauce, then you can keep it up to one month).

To make muffins:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease or line a muffin tin.  Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and tops spring back when pressed.  (Mine are usually done right at 16 minutes.)  Store muffins in an airtight container up to one week - if they last that long!

Easy Pumpkin Crisp

Holy smokes, I never meant to neglect this blog for so long!  First I came down with pleurisy in my right lung, so I was out of sorts for a week or two.  Then I was busy planning and executing our local Cub Scout Pack Meeting for December.  Then I was scrambling to finish preparing for Christmas.  Then I got sick again with a crummy throat bug (that just refuses to leave, dang it).  I actually made this yummy dessert at the end of November and it's been sitting in my pile of drafts, waiting to be finished and shared. 

There are at least 100 different variations of this recipe on the internet.  Some call it a "Dump Cake," others call it a "Crunch Cake."  Personally, it reminds me more of a crisp than a cake, so that is what I'm calling it here.  The majority of the recipes call for 2 sticks of butter (gag) and suggest you just sprinkle the dry cake mix over the pumpkin filling, then pour the melted butter over.  The problem with doing it this way is you end up with some dry spots and those do not taste good at all.  I've found 1 stick of butter is more than enough, and by mixing the butter and cake mix before sprinkling it over the pumpkin, you get the proper proportions over the entire dessert, with no dry spots or greasy puddles.  Plus, it looks nice and crumbly, like a streusel topping.

I know the pumpkin season is pretty much over since we usually save pumpkin recipes for the holidays, but I encourage you to use up one of those last cans of pumpkin sitting in your pantry and make this dessert (especially since it's still cold outside).  It's a great alternative to pumpkin pie.  It's also a bit rich, so a small serving will usually be enough to satisfy.  I like it best when it's still a little warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.  But it's good cold, too.  Just ask my daughter, who could have finished off the entire pan by herself if I let her.

EASY PUMPKIN CRISP
adapted from Pumpkin Crunch Cake on Allrecipes.com

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed!)
3 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice*
1 (18.25 oz) box yellow or spice cake mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup roughly chopped pecans, optional
vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.  In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, salt, and spice until well blended.  Pour into prepared baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine cake mix and pecans, if using.  Stir in melted butter with a fork until crumbly.  There may be some big lumps, but you can break them up with your fingers.  Sprinkle cake mixture evenly over pumpkin mixture.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and set.  Let cool before serving.  Store leftovers, covered, in the fridge.

Some Changes

So...I've been doing this little food blog for a couple of years now.  It started out as a place for my friends and family to find my favorite recipes and has since grown (not exponentially, obviously) to be something a little bigger.  I have followers!  I sometimes show up on page one of Google search results!  I get traffic from Pinterest!

As a result, I decided it was time to change to a custom domain name.  You can now find this blog at TheTallGirlCooks.com.  You can still use my old blogspot address, but it will redirect you back here.  And anyone who follows me should also be redirected and shouldn't experience any trouble with that.  If you do, please let me know.

There may be some changes in the next few months.  Nothing drastic, I just want to freshen up the place a bit.  As I (slowly) figure out how to do stuff, you'll probably see something new here or there.  And I may even include some ads to generate a little income.  Ingredients aren't free and I could use a little more dough (ha, ha).

Anyway, thank you to my friends, family, and followers for making this teeny corner of the internet a little more popular.  I enjoy maintaining this blog and finding new recipes to try out and share.

Orange Sesame Chicken

This was very popular in our house the night I made it.  Even in spite of the fact that I served it with a side of broccoli.  I was surprised at how good it was and it's relatively easy and quick!  The recipe comes from a wonderful food blog called Jamie Cooks It Up that I discovered through (what else) Pinterest.  Jamie has lots of delicious recipes, all with beautiful photos - you should check her out.

Now this recipe calls for a few ingredients that not everyone has on hand (I do, but that's because I cook a lot of Asian-inspired food).  You'll need rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds.  Personally, I think it's worth investing in these ingredients (they really aren't expensive) because I have a feeling you will add this recipe into your weekly or monthly routine.  And they are ingredients that can be used in lots of other tasty recipes like Chinese Chicken Salad, Teriyaki Chicken, and Korean BBQ Beef, to name a few.

ORANGE SESAME CHICKEN
from Jamie Cooks It Up!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Sauce:
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (from 2 large oranges)
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. orange zest (1 orange should be enough)
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Garnish:
1Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
sliced green onion, if desired

Mix flour and salt in a medium sized bowl.  Cut chicken into bite-sized chunks and toss in the flour mixture, making sure all sides are coated.

Mix together all sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat.  Add chicken pieces to skillet (I did this in two batches) and brown on both sides.  Reduce heat to med-low and add sauce to skillet; stir to coat chicken and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until sauce is thickened and chicken is cooked through.  Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions, if desired.  Goes well with steamed rice.