Rice and Cheese Bake

http://recipes.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Baked_Rice_And_Cheese_No._1_Recipe

Ingredients for Baked Rice And Cheese No. 1 Recipe

• 3 cups cooked rice
• 1 cup of milk
• 2 tablespoons flour
• ½ pound cheese
• ½ teaspoon salt
• bread crumbs

Instructions

1. Blend the milk, flour and salt.
2. Cook the mixture over medium heat. When it is bubbling softly, add the cheese and blend it as it melts, to make a sauce.
3. Into a buttered baking dish put alternate layers of the cooked rice and the sauce.
4. Cover with bread crumbs, and bake until the crumbs are brown.

Note: you may add lightly steamed vegetables in the rice and cheese casserole's layers, as well

Polenta with Roasted Tomatoes

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/polenta-with-roasted-tomatoes-recipe/index.html

(I skipped out on the chard and replaced farmers cheese with feta...)

Ingredients

• 1 28-ounce can San Marzano plum tomatoes, drained
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup instant polenta
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 bunches Swiss chard (about 2 pounds)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 7.5-ounce package farmer cheese, crumbled

Directions

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450. Toss the tomatoes, olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large ovenproof skillet. Roast in the oven until the tomatoes are charred around the edges, about 25 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 but keep the tomatoes inside.

Meanwhile, bring 5 cups water to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Slowly whisk in the polenta until smooth and creamy. Add 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat, cover and keep warm.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Slice the chard leaves into wide strips and the stems into 1-inch pieces. Boil the stems until almost tender, about 5 minutes, then add the leaves and cook until both are tender, about 3 more minutes. Drain the chard.

Remove the skillet from the oven and place over medium-high heat. Push the tomatoes to one side, add the butter and swirl until the butter is golden brown. Add the chard and toss to coat. Divide the polenta among 4 bowls. Top with the tomatoes and chard. Season the cheese with salt and sprinkle over the top.

Peanut Butter Cups

http://www.therecipeclub.net/2011/02/04/karen-solomons-diy-peanut-butter-cups/

Filling
• 1/3 cups fresh roasted and salted peanuts
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon neutral vegetable oil, like canola or sunflower
• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Coating
• 2 cups chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

Instructions
To make the peanut butter filling, place the liners in your cupcake pan, and have a holding dish standing by. In a food processor, puree the peanuts for 3 to 4 minutes, until very smooth. Add the honey, oil, sugar, vanilla, and salt and puree until completely combined, scraping down the sides as you work.

Take about 2 teaspoons of the peanut butter mixture into your clean hands, roll into a ball, and flatten into a disk that will fit into the center of the cupcake liner but not touch the sides. Shape the remaining 11 centers. The peanut butter should be evenly distributed.

To prepare the coating, in a microwave-safe bowl heat the chocolate on high for 1 minute, and stir well with a fork to distribute the heat. Heat for 1 minute more, and stir again. Heat for an additional 30 to 60 seconds, stirring thoroughly. The chocolate should be melted and quite satiny, and you should be able to drop it in ribbons from the end of the fork.

To assemble the cups, working quickly, spoon about 2 teaspoons of melted chocolate into the bottom of each liner, being careful to coat the bottom in a complete, thin layer, and to coat the sides about halfway up. Gently drop each of the peanut butter disks into the center of a cup, and give it a gentle tap to secure it in the chocolate (but don’t push it all the way through to the bottom). Cover each center with an additional teaspoon of chocolate, covering the top completely and allowing it to surround the sides of the peanut butter, enclosing it completely. Gently smooth out the tops with the back of the spoon or by giving the pan a gentle shake. Let sit, undisturbed, for at least 4 hours, until the cups harden completely.

How to Store It
Devour immediately, or store up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. Do not refrigerate.

Caramel Banana Cream Pie

Ingredients

• 1 box vanilla wafers (65 cookies)
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 large ripe bananas
• 1 cup salted caramel, plus more for garnish (1 cup caramel, plus 1 teaspoon fleur de sel)
• Vanilla Pudding, recipe follows
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put 45 vanilla wafers in a food processor and pulse until the cookies are finely crushed. Reserve 1/2 cup to top the pie. Stir together crushed vanilla wafers and butter in a small bowl until blended. Firmly press it into the bottom, up the sides, and onto the lip of a greased 9-inch pie plate. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool until completely cool, about 30 minutes.

Coat the banana slices with salted caramel. Arrange some banana slices evenly over the bottom of the crust. Spread half of the hot, prepared Vanilla Pudding over the bananas, top with vanilla wafers, and more caramel-coated bananas. Spread the remaining filling over the vanilla wafers, and caramel-coated bananas.

In a large bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Add the almond extract, and sugar and beat until peaks form. Make sure not to overbeat, or the cream will become lumpy, and butter-like. Spread the cream over the pies. At service, garnish with a caramel swirl, and the reserved vanilla wafer crumbs.

Vanilla Pudding:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a bowl whisk together the sugar and flour until all of the lumps are gone. Once it is a fine powder, whisk in the eggs, and egg yolks, and continue whisking until a smooth paste is formed. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of milk, and once this is incorporated add the remaining cup of milk. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan, and cook over medium heat whisking constantly, until it reaches the thickness of chilled pudding, about 10 to 15 minutes. (Mixture will just begin to bubble and will be thick enough to hold soft peaks when the whisk is lifted.) Remove from the heat, and stir in vanilla.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-thornton/salted-caramel-banana-pudding-pie-recipe/index.html

Cheesey Rice Souffle

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked brown rice
1 2/3 cups hot milk
1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces
4 ounces cheddar cheese, freshly grated
4 ounces Swiss cheese, grated
6 eggs, separated
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine rice with milk, butter, Cheddar and Swiss cheeses; set aside. Beat egg whites until stiff in large bowl. Beat egg yolks in small bowl and add to cooled rice mixture. Gently fold egg whites into rice mixture and pour into a lightly-greased 2-quart soufflé dish. Bake on middle rack in preheated oven 30 minutes; increase heat to 450 degrees for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

Spanish Tortilla Potato Chip Style

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil
kosher salt
12 large eggs
1 8.5 oz bag thick-cut potato chips
1 C water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Beat eggs, and 1 C water in large bowl.
Lightly crush chips into egg mixture, let stand about 10 min, stirring occasionally
Heat 1 T oil in skillet
Add egg mix , cook till it begins to set--5 min
Put skillet in oven, bake til eggs are firm and top is golden and slightly crisp---30 to 35 min
remove and let stand about 5 min, slide onto plate

Really in Spain these often have onions in them and are sometimes served on baguettes like a sandwich. I thought this tasted pretty authentic, but think I overcooked it just a tad.

2011

Well, I completed my 2010 goal of making a new recipe each week! I've realized that it's become a great habit, so I'm going to keep it up, maybe not every week, but often :) I think I'll just blog the meals and links I used, and maybe the directions from time to time, at least for now. So to start it off:

1. Chicken Curry Stew
adapted from a goodLife{eats} creation

• 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
• 1 1/2 lb chicken – boneless skinless breasts or thighs, cut into bite sized chunks
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 tablespoons curry powder, adjust for heat preferences
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 8 ounces no-chicken broth
• 2 cups carrots, sliced 1/3 inch thick
• 2 1/2 cups red skinned potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 – 14 ounce can light coconut milk
• 20 ounces canned diced tomatoes, drained but not rinsed
• salt and pepper, to taste

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. Add the onion to the pan and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until slightly tender. Add the ginger, garlic, curry powder, and cumin and sauté for another 2 minutes.

Pour the broth into the pan and stir, making sure to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan because they have a lot of flavor. Stir in the coconut milk and potatoes. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Then add the tomatoes and carrots. Simmer until vegetables reach desired tenderness. Season the stew with salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

2. Broccoli Cheese Soup

http://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/2009/09/my-version-of-panera-bread-broccoli-cheddar-soup.html

My version of Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup

5 cups broccoli florets (if you have a little more or a little less that is fine)
6 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk or 1/2 & 1/2 (1/2 & 1/2 does taste better but I usually use milk)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
2 – 3 cups grated cheddar cheese
bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)

(ps, morningstar meatless bacon is wonderful! especially since bacon is one of the hardest things for me to give up)

Steam broccoli until tender, about six minutes. Chop finely. I do mine in the food processor because we like it really chopped up and it is quicker. Set aside. In a large saucepan combine broth and milk. Slowly whisk in flour. Cook over med to med high heat stirring. Cook until it starts to thicken but not too thick. I usually do it until it just starts to boil. Add chopped broccoli. Reduce heat to med low. Continue to cook about 5 minutes. Add cheese stir until cheese melts. Serve. If using bacon sprinkle each bowl with a little.