On most days of the week, I send my sister off with food to help her (and a few of her fellow RN buddies) get through the long night shifts. She doesn’t know it, but I leave my phone on just so I can get the call from her telling me how awesome the food was.   Last night, I sent her with a new Mac n Cheese recipe I tinkered around with. She saw me as I was packing the food and I could tell that she was a little skeptical about it. It was understandable. After all, it was a white sauce recipe, involved rigatoni pasta (extremely large, ridged, tubular noodles) and panko bread crumbs. A far cry from the bright orange and yellow dish with macaroni noodles to which she’s accustomed. To add insult to injury, when she questioned the “green stuff” I’d mixed in, I told her that I thought a few scraps of the uncooked collard greens from my mom’s dish would be a “good touch”. You should’ve seen her face!! lol. I could not bring myself to tell her that it was actually parsley. In spite of my laughter, I took her scrunched up nose as a challenge.

I got my phone call around 1:42 a.m., pretended that I hadn’t been sleep since 10 and listened. A smile crept across my sleep-deprived face as she recounted  how she began apologizing to her friends for my experimentation on them; promising that there was a bottle of hot sauce on hand to mask my mistakes if needed. She said that she was cursing me for the embarrassment she was sure to suffer even up until she placed it in the microwave. She watched its rotations with indifference and was happy she had the other dishes on hand. But 2 minutes into the warm-up, she noticed the dish was different. It bubbled, gooed and oozed and suddenly she was squirming, writhing and salivating. (She didn’t say that but I know that’s what really happened) Of course, once tasted, it did not disappoint. In fact, she claims it “MURDERED ALL MAC N CHEESES BEFORE IT.”(o_O  Given her profession, I will accept that idiom as high praise, lol)  Her friends went on and on about it and I could hear it in her voice that she was as proud as a 7 year old whose mom brought cupcakes to the school on her birthday. She ended our phone call with “…and the collard greens WERE a good touch, ZINA! Gurl you good!”

poor child…smh.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds Rigatoni Pasta, cooked according to package (salt the water)

1 1/2 c. Panko breadcrumbs

1 1/2 lb extra sharp white cheddar, freshly shredded (stop being lazy)

1/2 lb deli sliced fontina

1/2 lb deli sliced gruyere

2 1/2 c. heavy cream

2 1/2 c. half n half

2 tbsp. minced garlic (I had some roasted minced garlic in the fridge)

3 tbsp. parsley

1 tea. Kosher salt

1 tea. Black pepper

Butter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9×13 casserole dish. Spread the cooked pasta into the dish. (I don’t need to tell you to drain it, right? lol) Take half the breadcrumbs and spread them over the noodles. Add the parsley and toss it all to get a good mix. Set aside.

In a sauce pan, heat the cream, half n half, garlic, salt and pepper and cheddar (freshly shredded, right?) on medium. As it starts to melt, grab the other cheeses and break off pieces to toss into the pot. The fontina is too soft for shredding and the gruyere is a pain to work with and I’ve found that it’s gonna melt regardless of how it started. (Yep, figured that out all by myself). Incorporate all the cheese and continue to heat on medium until it is melted and has the consistency of a sauce. Pour sauce over the pasta and stir it a little to “slaquer it” all over every noodle and in every crevice allowable. (I coined that term myself….I’m on a thinking roll today hunh?) Once every noodle is coated, toss remaining bread crumbs over the entire dish and pop that baby in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until bread crumbs are lightly toasted.

I was charged with babysitting my nephews the other day and I couldn’t resist their little pleading faces when they asked me for dessert. I caught a glimpse of the bowl of apples in my periphereal and decided to make the “Company Apple Crisp”  dish I’d found in my Cook’s Illustrated magazine. I recalled how simplistic and common the ingredient list appeared to be and knew I had those items but was still amazed that I did, in fact, have every single item with the exception of fresh lemon juice. I did, however, have a lime and that would HAVE to work….and it did.

Sorry, but site or no site, I was too tired to wash dishes after babysitting and definitely NOT for the SAME 2 little reasons I was so beat. Therefore, you’ll have to deal with the styrofoam bowls I used to serve this sweet treat. They’re not completely unsightly when you peek in on their contents. YUM-MEEEEE.

It may have been inconsiderate of me to give them the Apple Crisp JUST before turning them back over to their mom but all they know is that Auntie Zina is the fav (and if you truly know anything, you know that is a bold face lie).

INGREDIENTS

Topping:

 3/4 c unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 c pecans, chopped fine

3/4 c old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 c (3 1/2 oz) packed brown sugar

1/4 c granulated sugar

1/2 tea. table salt

8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

 3 lbs. Golden Delicious apples (approx 7)

1/4 c granulated sugar

1 c apple cider

2 tea. juice from 1 lemon

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS

For the topping:

•  Adjust rack to the middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Combine flour, pecans, oats, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl.
• Stir in butter until mix is thoroughly moistened and crumbly.
• Set aside.

For the filling:

• Toss apples, sugar and cinnamon together in large bowl; set aside.
• Bring cider to a simmer in a 12-inch oven-safe* skillet over medium heat. 
• Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, approx. 5 minutes.
• Transfer reduced cider to bowl or liquid measuring cup; stir in lemon juice and set aside.
• Heat butter in now empty skillet over medium and cook stirring frequently, until apples begin to soften and become translucent, 12 to 14 minutes. (DO NOT FULLY COOK THE APPLES BECAUSE THEY STILL HAVE TO BAKE IN THE OVEN)
• Remove pan from heat and gently stir in cider and mix until apples are coated.
• Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit, breaking up any large chunks.
• Place skillet on a baking sheet and bake until fruit is tender and topping is deep golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Cool on wire rack until warm, at least 15 mins. and serve….preferably with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

The other night I intended to cook a very quick and easy meal of pork chops, yellow rice and frozen sweet peas. To be honest, I really wasn’t interested in the meal but Greg loves pork chops. Since we have to co-exist, I decided to jazz them up a little bit. I quickly scoured the web for an easy recipe. I already knew apples paired well with them so, I googled pork chops and apples. After comparing 5 or 6 recipes, I found one that used all the crap I already had, lol. I could not believe how easy and DELICIOUS it was. And the best part, it fits into my “A little Fiercer in the Middle” eating plan. Plus, Greg said to put it in rotation.

4 extra lean pork chops (seasoned with salt and pepper)

2 apples (cored, cut into eighths)

1 medium onion (sliced)

2 tbsp. of butter

4 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. Cinnamon (or more to taste)

1 tea. nutmeg

6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat 4 tbsp of olive oil in an ovenproof skillet. Add seasoned pork chops and braise 2-3 mins on either side. Remove from pan and add the remaining 2 tbsp of oil and scrape the bits from the pan. Add onions and saute for 4 mins. Add apples, sugar and spices and continue cooking for an additional 6 mins. Remove from heat. Add butter and toss. Push the mixture aside and return chops to the pan. Top the chops with the apple mixture and place the skillet in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.

After you make these carrots, you will be able to get even the biggest veggie-haters to indulge. The best part, it only takes 3 ingredients.

Directions:

Slice 1 lb. baby carrots lenghtwise. Heat in a skillet with 3 Tbsp butter and 3 Tbsp brown sugar. Sprinkle a little salt and cook at Medium for 15 minutes. Add black pepper just before serving.  Absolutely Excellent!  

Note: You could also use regular carrots but you’d have to peel them but it may be worth it to you because I was chasing these little ones down with every cut.

Super Super Easy!!

I made these bars for my job the other day. I was watching Paula Deen and she made them and I was really amazed at how quickly and easily it was done. Literally, all you have to do is pour the ingredients into the dish and bake. THEY LOVED THEM!! AND ANOTHER PLUS (and perhaps the greatest) IS THAT IT WAS CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP! ENJOY!!!

Combine:
2 sticks of butter, melted (microwave at 50% power for a few minutes)
1 pack of graham crackers, crushed (I did it in a Ziploc bag)
Press into bottom of 9×9 pan (Can use a 13×9 as well but lessen cooking time)

Layer:
1 c. Butterscotch chips
2 c. Semi sweet chocolate chips
1 c. Pecan Halves, roughly chopped (I like varied sizes and jagged pieces)
1 c. Sweetened Coconut Flakes

Drizzle:
1 Can sweetened condensed milk

Bake:
350 degrees for 40 mins.

Serve:
Allow to cool because they will fall apart otherwise. Top with a little more coconut flakes (so people can know it’s in there and to add a little color. : )

(Recipe courtesy of Food Network.com)

Level: Easy, 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ( I quasi-covered the bottom of the skillet with the EVOO)
• 1 medium white onion, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 pound andouille or spicy Italian spicy sausage, cut in chunks
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 to 3 bay leaves
• 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
• Pinch cayenne pepper, adjust to personal preference
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 4 tbsp butter (if using precooked sausage for liquid to make roux)

 Directions:

Place a deep skillet over medium heat and coat with the olive oil.

Add the onion and garlic; saute for 2 minutes to soften.

Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until there is a fair amount of fat in the pan and the sausage is brown. ****

Sprinkle in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to create a roux.

Slowly pour in the chicken stock and continue to stir to avoid lumps.

Toss in the bay leaves.

When the liquid comes to a simmer, add the shrimp.

Poach the shrimp in the stock for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are firm and pink and the gravy is smooth and thick.

Add the cayenne pepper, Tabasco and lemon juice.

Season with salt and pepper; stir in the parsley and green onion.

Spoon the grits into a serving bowl.

Add the shrimp mixture and mix well.

Serve immediately over grits.

Garnish with red pepper.

**** Zina’s note: Because the sausage was precooked (Dairy aisle at Publix), it didn’t render much fat so I added a little more EVOO and 2 Tbsp of butter to add some liquid to the pan before adding the flour.