Broccoli Cheese Casserole

My aunt Darlene had made this for past family gatherings and I hadn't had it in so long, I decided that this would be a perfect side dish for the ham dinner I was making for my in-laws who were coming over. Just as I remembered it! I doubled the below recipe and it made a 9x13 pan full.

Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Recipe courtesy of my Aunt Darlene
Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked Minute Rice
• 1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1 package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
• 1 small jar of Cheez-Whiz

Directions

• Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, transfer to a baking dish and cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

A delicious experiment

We had frozen Tilapia filets for a while now and with groceries dwindling in the house, it was time to get over my fears of making fish....what if it isn't done enough? What if we get sick? What if it turns out tough and rubbery? It will stink up the entire house!

Well, those fears were all completely unfounded! This mild, flaky fish was a cinch to put in the oven and 18-20 minutes later, a delicious meal! Along with this, I decided to make an Italian Baked Macaroni and Cheese...no recipe, just an idea based on this delicious mac & cheese that Paul and I had in the Italian Steakhouse on our cruise...this was close and with a few tweaks, it will be VERY close to what we had and loved!!

Baked Tilapia with Garlic Butter
Recipe courtesy of About.com

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• dash pepper
• dash salt
• pinch dried dillweed or parsley
• dash paprika
• 4 tilapia fillets

In saucepan, combine butter, garlic, pepper, salt, dillweed, and paprika. Heat over low heat until butter is melted and starts simmering. Remove from heat. Brush a little of the butter mixture in the bottom of a shallow baking dish (line baking dish with foil, if desired) then place tilapia fillets on the buttered area. Brush top of each tilapia fillet with the seasoned butter mixture. Bake at 350° for 12 to 15 minutes, until tilapia flakes easily with a fork.
Serves 2.

Italian Macaroni & Cheese
Recipe courtesy of me

• 2.5 cups Mini Farfalle (or any shaped/sized pasta)
• 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3 tbs. cream cheese
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 4 tbs. butter
• 4 tbs. flour
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
  
• 1 cup half and half

Breadcrumb topping:

• 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 2 tbs. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Cook pasta according to directions.

Meanwhile, melt butter in smaller pot and add garlic, paprika, thyme, salt & pepper. Let set over low heat for the garlic to infuse into the butter for about 5-6 minutes.

Add flour to the butter, whisking constantly to form a roux. Cook for 3 minutes over medium low heat.

Add cream, whisking constantly. Let thicken over medium high heat for about 3 minutes.

Add cream cheese and stir in until mixed well and melted.

Add shredded cheeses and whisk until incorporated and melted. If too thick, add a splash of milk and whisk more.

Take drained pasta and add to cheese mixture, folding in until well coated.

Pour into a casserole dish that has been sprayed with a non-stick spray.

Melt 2 tbs. of butter and mix with the 1/2 cup of Italian breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the mixture on top of macaroni.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Who can fondue?

WE can fondue! YUM.... I decided to pick up some cheeses I normally wouldn't use in order to make fondue! I found a recipe from Cook Like a Champion for Garlic Cheese Fondue. SOLD! I love anything and everything garlic, so this fondue was right up my alley. I used a half-and-half mix of Gruyere and Fontina cheeses and it worked out wonderfully...though at the beginning, I think I had the heat on the pot TOO low, because the cheese just clumped up in the pot...I was scared! Then, I turned the heat up a notch and then the magic started happening! I served this with Green and Golden Delicious Apples, blanched broccoli florets, French bread cubes, baby carrots and mushroom quarters. My plan was to serve this and a salad, but we were so full from the fondue, the salad wasn't necessary! OH, can't forget a good glass of Pinot Grigio with dinner!

Garlic Cheese Fondue
Recipe courtesy of Cook Like a Champion, adapted from The Everything Fondue Cookbook by Rhonda Lauret Parkinson

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. Gruyere cheese (Fontina works well, too.)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine, plus 2 tablespoons
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard

Directions:
-Remove rind from cheese and finely dice.
-Smash and peel the garlic cloves.
-Add 1 1/2 cups of wine to saucepan.
-Add garlic cloves and cook on low heat. Do not allow the wine to boil.
-When the wine is warm, stir in the lemon juice.
-Add the cheese, a handful at a time. Stir continually in a sideways figure eight. Wait until cheese is completely melted before adding more. Do not allow mixture to boil.
-When cheese is melted, dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoons white wine and stir into cheese.
-Turn up the heat until mixture just bubbles and starts to thicken.
-Stir in dry mustard.
-Transfer to a fondue pot.

Dinner Divas Recipe Time!

I saw the new picks for the Dinner Diva's cooking club online and thought this particular dish sounded easy and full of flavor. Plus, it has some of my favorite ingredients - cheese and broccoli! So, with that said, the dish I made was Rachael Ray's Mac and Cheddar Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli.
Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 pound chicken breast tenders, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 pound macaroni elbows or cavatapi corkscrew shaped pasta twists
• 2 1/2 cups raw broccoli florets, available packaged in the produce department at the grocery store
  
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 3 cups whole milk- I didn't have whole milk so I used 1 cup cream and 2 cups 2%
  
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 3 cups yellow sharp cheddar
• 1 tablespoon prepared Dijon mustard
• I added 3 cloves of minced fresh garlic
  

Preparation

Place a pot of water on to boil for macaroni.

Heat a medium pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add EVOO, about two turns of the pan, and chicken and season with salt and pepper. Sauté a couple of minutes, then add onion and cook another 5-7 minutes until onions are tender and chicken is cooked through. Turn off heat and reserve.

To boiling pasta water, add pasta and salt to season the cooking water. Cook five minutes, then add broccoli and cook three minutes more or until pasta is cooked to al dente and florets are just tender.

While pasta cooks, heat a medium saucepot over medium heat. Add butter and melt, then add flour, cayenne and paprika and whisk together over heat until roux bubbles; then cook a minute more. Whisk in milk and stock and raise heat a little to bring sauce to a quick boil. Simmer sauce to thicken, about five minutes.

Drain macaroni or pasta and broccoli florets. Add back to pot and add chicken to the pasta and broccoli.

Add cheese to milk sauce and stir to melt it in, about a minute or so. Stir in mustard and season sauce with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli and cooked pasta and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings, transfer to a large serving platter and serve.

I thought the sauce was still too thin at the end of cooking...but it did thicken some when combined with the pasta, broccoli and chicken. Overall, it was a good dish and made a TON of food, so we'll definitely have leftovers. I'm not sure I would call this an EXCELLENT dish, but it was pretty solid and I would make it again.

Cheesy "Casserioli*"

*made up word courtesy of Clara at iheartfoodforthought*

This casserole is courtesy of iheartfoodforthought's wonderful cooking blog. As soon as I saw her pictures, I knew I had to make this!! I have never been a fan of Alfredo sauce, especially any from a jar...but as Clara says in her post, this will make you a scratch-made Alfredo convert! I sooooo wish you could smell the wonderful aroma of this homemade sauce, then when it was cooking away in the oven, you could have floated away on a cloud of garlicky-saucey goodness...

Oh, and it was super easy as well!! Be sure to add this to your must-make list, and Clara's blog to your favorites! :)

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs pre-packaged 4-cheese ravioli, cooked &drained
2 cups frozen broccoli florets, defrosted
1-1/2 cups pre-cooked chicken strips, diced
alfredo sauce (recipe follows) - you could substitute jar sauce here, but....don't. Just don't.
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup mozzarella cheese, divided
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp butter

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

Coat the bottom of a 9×13 glass baking dish with a thin layer of alfredo sauce. In a medium bowl, gently fold the ravioli, broccoli, chicken, garlic, alfredo sauce, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese until combined.

Place mixture into baking dish & top with 1/2 cup mozzarella & parmesan cheese. (I probably used more...)

Cut the butter into small pieces & scatter on top of the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is hot & bubbly. Set to broil for additional 5 minutes if you want it more toasty, which I do recommend!

Alfredo Sauce
Recipe from RecipeZaar

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 garlic clove, minced
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon white pepper (I used black, tasted fine)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Add the garlic, cream, white pepper & bring mixture to a simmer. Stir often. Add the parmesan cheese & simmer sauce for 8-10 minutes or until sauce has thickened & is smooth.

When sauce has thickened add the mozzarella cheese & stir until smooth. STIR FREQUENTLY.

My first ever non-box Mac n' Cheese!

This is the first time I have made a homemade macaroni and cheese. I found this recipe online and it seemed easy enough to try on the first go...We did like it, though you can easily add other cheeses and ingredients to perk it up even more. The flavor of the nutmeg and the cayenne pepper grew on us and we believe it will be even better tomorrow when the flavors get to sit and mingle.






Cheddar Cheese and Macaroni Recipe by Rachael Ray, 30 Minute Meals 2

• 1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked 8 minutes or al dente to package directions
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or EVOO (once around the pan)
• 2 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk
• 3 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• Salt, to taste

Heat a medium-sized deep skillet over medium heat. Add oil and butter. When butter melts into the oil, stir in flour. Gently cook, whisking flour and butter together, until smooth and flour has had a chance to cook, about 3 minutes. Slowly add milk while continuing to whisk. Gently bring milk to a bubble while stirring frequently. Allow the milk to thicken a bit, then stir in 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, a handful at a time. Season sauce with nutmeg and cayenne. Taste and add a little salt, if you like. Add cooked pasta to the sauce and coat completely by turning over and over in the cheese sauce. Transfer to a baking dish, top with remaining cheese, and place under a hot broiler for a minute to brown the top.

Oil and butter in the pan.












Whisking in the milk.


















































The cooked and drained macaroni, all ready to
be drenched in cheesy goodness!













Stirring in the cheese mixture, spread into glass pan and with the sprinkled cheese on top.