My Newest Craze

I have fallen in love with a breakfast food...steel-cut oats. I have always loved oatmeal and eat it most days for breakfast. When I was home over Christmas, I saw an article in the newspaper about steel-cut oats and their health benefits. My mother-in-law gave me a box to try, and now I'm obsessed! The texture is just so much better than rolled oats, and it's so filling. I don't get hungry until lunchtime, and that's a big deal for this hard-working girl! My favorite combination is oats, cinnamon, some Splenda brown sugar, raisins and walnuts (see picture above). Yum, yum. I encourage you to try them. I use McCann's quick-cooking steel-cut oats (they only take 5 minutes to cook instead of 20-30). I make a big batch on Sunday night and then portion it out every morning, add a little milk to help them heat, and gobble them up to get me going for the day. Let me know if you try them!

Hair Donation

So, I've been growing my hair out for a while now so that I could donate it. And the day finally arrived! I was so tired of having such long hair, and it feels so good to have it gone. Here's before:

And here's after!

10 inches donated plus 2 more inches of shaping=12 inches gone! I really like the change, and it feels so light and healthy. I think this is a hairstyle I'll keep for a while :)

Classic Macaroni and Cheese

I have been wanting to make homemade macaroni and cheese for years now. However, I was always a little afraid. That sounds weird, but potluck meals have scarred me when it comes to mac and cheese. That dry noodle mass topped with a layer of thick fake cheese...it gives me nightmares :) The world of food blogs always has so many fantastic-looking mac and cheese recipes, so I decided to make this one for a friend whose mother passed away. I thought some comfort food might help, so I whipped it up. It was amazing. It is very creamy, and not dry at all. I definitely won't make it often because it isn't exactly healthy, but it's a fantastic recipe to have on hand. Here are some pics:

Makes me want to lick the computer screen :)

Important Tip: When making mac and cheese and other cheesy casseroles, you don't want to buy pre-shredded cheese. This type of cheese has an anti-caking agent that will make your dish turn out starchy. You want to buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself. Now, onto the good stuff...

For the bread crumb topping:
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
¾ cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp. dried parsley
Salt and pepper

For the pasta:
1 lb. pasta shapes
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dry mustard
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth
3½ cups milk
1 lb. colby jack cheese, shredded
8 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Ground black pepper

To make the bread crumb topping, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add in the panko and cook, stirring frequently, until the bread crumbs are a light golden brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta to the water and cook just until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and leave in the colander. Return the pot to the heat. Melt the butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic, dry mustard, and cayenne, cooking just until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken broth and milk and continue to heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture bubbles and thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheeses, whisking until completely melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir the drained pasta into the cheese sauce.

Pour the pasta and cheese mixture into a lightly greased 9 x 13″ baking dish. Sprinkle with the bread crumb topping.* Bake 30-35 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden brown. (You may want to place a baking sheet on the rack underneath the baking dish to catch any sauce that bubbles over.)

Source: Annie's Eats, originally from Cooks Illustrated

Santa Fe Chicken Soup

Not much new is going on around here. I've had a productive week in clinic and am looking forward to the long weekend with MLK Day coming up on Monday. Here's a nice soup recipe for this cold weather:

I love soups in the fall and winter. This is a recipe I actually got from our apartment complex. The front office collected everyone's favorite recipes and distributed them to all the residents as a cookbook. It's so easy but it has easily become one of Jonathan's favorite soup recipes.

1 tsp. olive oil

1 c. chopped onion

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 Tbsp. chili powder (or more if you like spice!)

1.5 lbs. chicken, cut into small pieces

1 (14.5 oz) can mild Rotel

1 (16 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cans shoepeg corn

3 cans chicken broth

Shredded sharp cheddar cheese, optional

Light sour cream, optional

Saute onion, garlic, cumin, and chili powder in oil for a couple of minutes. Add chicken and stir to coat with spices. Cook over medium heat until chicken is just slightly opaque. Add tomatoes, beans, corn, and broth. Bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook covered until chicken is done (about 20 minutes but I like to let it simmer longer). Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve topped with cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Tip: This is very good served with broken up tortilla chips.

Buffalo Chicken Bites

This is another football snack that I served for Auburn's bowl game this month. They were a hit with everyone. This is sort-of like the popular buffalo chicken dip, except it's in a bite-sized form. And instead of frying them like some recipes, I chose the corn flake coating plus baking method.

I served them on one of my favorite Christmas presents...my new Auburn platter! I love having Auburn platters to serve goodies on at our football-watching parties.

3 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used one rotisserie chicken)
1/4 to 1/2 cup hot sauce
3 1/2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 – 4 cups Corn Flakes cereal, finely crushed

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, mix the chicken, hot sauce, cream cheese, cheddar, and onions together. Using a small cookie scoop, form chicken mixture into about 1 1/2" balls. Set aside until ready to dip.

Portion eggs, flour, and crushed Corn Flakes out into 3 separate bowls. Dip each chicken ball into the flour, then egg, then roll in Corn Flakes. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes. Serve warm with ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Source: Pennies on a Platter

Redneck Caviar

Happy New Year! This year, we rang in the New Year by having a few friends over to watch the Auburn bowl game, and then by playing board games afterward. It was a lot of fun. I decided to make some redneck caviar for everyone to munch on. This dip goes by many names: redneck caviar, Texas caviar, Tippah County caviar, etc.

Now, Jonathan and I are by no stretch of the imagination rednecks. We don't like to hunt or fish. But what we do like is redneck caviar. The great thing about it is that everyone likes it. Health nuts like it because it has lots of vegetables, and even picky boys like it. I once made this for a group of Jonathan's friends, and they ate it like it was candy, and even asked me for a refill :)

Here's my version of redneck caviar:

2 cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

2 cans Rotel, drained

1 to 2 cans shoepeg corn (to taste)

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 tsp. black pepper

8 oz. Italian dressing (or more to taste)

Tortilla chips for serving

1/4 cup red onion (optional)

Combine all ingredients except chips in a bowl, cover tightly, and refrigerate (it's tasty after a couple of hours, but it's REALLY good if you let it sit in the refrigerator overnight). Stir, and serve with tortilla chips.

**You can leave the onion out if you don't like it, but I had some on hand this time, so I threw it in there. This is a versatile dip, so whatever you like, you can add!