Mac and Cheese.... Light and Lean!!!

Who doesn't love mac and cheese... and I'm not talkin' about pasta in a box sprinkled with cheese dust... REAL mac and cheese!! And REAL easy! Here's how we started! Now it's Thursday... 5 long lonely days since food-shopping, so we had to use what we had... and tonight, we had 2 lovely zucchinis, fresh baby spinach, a box of high protein pasta, and some cheese! I see some mac and cheese in our immediate dinner-future... and I can't wait! Our creamy cheesy flavor tonight comes courtesy of fontina (a nice Italian, melty, nutty cheese) and sharp cheddar (I HATE orange cheese... dyes,grrrrr, but this was all we had, so I sucked it up, and used the cheese). For this super quick mac and cheese (and I mean 30 minutes.... for real), I cooked the pasta first according to the directions (shy a minute or two for al dente). After draining and rinsing the pasta in cold water, I threw 4 tablespoons (half of one stick) of butter on medium heat... in the same pan pan I cooked the pasta in. When the butter melted, I added 1/4 cup of flour with salt, pepper, a pinch of cayenne, and garlic powder. Cook the flour a bit and then, add 3 cups of milk. I used low fat milk, and that's what makes this mac and cheese leaner than any mac and cheese you'll find on food network or in any restaurant. But it has TONS OF FLAVOR!!! After the milk cooks a bit, it will get bubbly... turn off the heat and now you have a a white sauce, ready for cheese. Tonight I shredded my cheese in my handy dandy processor and in 4 seconds, I had cheesy goodness, ready for sauce. Take the pan off the heat and add the cheese. Let it sit and get warm.... then mix it up a bit to combine. Now it's GO TIME!! Take your cooked pasta and add it into a baking dish (that's been sprayed with non stick spray). Add the chopped zuke and fresh spinach. Toss it up a bit and then.... add the creamy tasty cheese sauce!! Mix it up again to combine, and cover with foil. I sprayed my foil with nonstick spray so the pasta wouldn't stick to the foil. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes. Ours took 45 minutes and it was creamy and cheesy and tasty and incredible! Mac and cheese can be made with powder from a box.... but, THIS mac and cheese only took 45 (cooking) minutes, and we used REAL CHEESE, real milk, high protein pasta, and fresh veggies, full of nutrition and fiber!! And we have happy, lean, strong, mac and cheese eaters in the house!!!

More Chicken Soup? Heck YEAH!!!!

Soup?? Again?? Heck YEAH!! I don't know what's going on in your house, but everyone here is coughing, sniffling, sneezing and blowing noses... and while this is a common tale... it's time for MORE CHICKEN SOUP!! When is chicken soup EVER a bad thing? First things first.... we took our roasted chicken carcass and boiled those bones in water with 2 teaspoons of salt and fresh ground pepper! Let it rip for at least 30 minutes (though more is better). Next, I strained the stock and put it back into the pan with some flavor!!! Tonight's flavor is courtesy of the almighty onion (1 chopped), chopped celery (4-6 stalks), and chopped carrots (4 biggies, peeled). Add those veggies to the stock and let the veggies cook for at least 10-15 minutes (I let mine cook for 30 minutes). Next step, add some protien... courtesy of these lovely garbanzo beans (high protein and super yummy)!!! For starch, add about 1 cup of couscous!! It's like little pearly nuggets of pasta. No couscous? Add leftover pasta, spaghetti, tortellini, or not... your choice. For greens (and vitamin C) I added my next favorite player, fresh spinach!!! Then add all the chicken you plucked off that carcass before boiling the bones and let it all simmer together for about 10 minutes!!! And the BIG FINISH!!! Heartwarming, tasty, delicious chicken soup! So many ways to make this classic, tasty healing meal!!! Thank you bones, thank you veggies, and HELLO tasty chicken soup!!!!

Sensational "Stevie Wonder" Salmon and Couscous!!! Grammy Night!!!

So tonight, we're celebrating many things... UMass Basketball won... AGAIN...AT HOME!! And we always love it when that happens! And, it's Grammy night, and STEVIE WONDER is in da house!!! Now THAT'S always a reason to celebrate! (Aside: favorite Grammy quote EVER from Stevie 2 years ago... Lee (explaining the Grammy show): The Grammys are a show about music. People win awards for good music... Stevie: Where's Stevie Wonder? Lee: He's not on the show tonight. Stevie: How could they have a show about MUSIC, WITHOUT Stevie Wonder?) Atta' boy Stevie!!! But, back to tonight and celebrating with a delicious meal fit for a Grammy Winner or UMass Super Star Point Guard Chaz Williams... Salmon and Couscous!!! So good! Here goes! First, I washed and chopped fresh broccoli into bite size pieces, about 4 cups. Then I blanched the broccoli in boiling salted water for about a minute and a half. Then I poured the broccoli in a strainer and rinsed with cold water to cool it off and stop it from cooking. Then I parked it there until I was ready. Next, I added a scant teaspoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of butter in a big saute pan and added 2 cups of Israeli Couscous. On medium-high heat I mixed that couscous around until it got golden brown and nutty, about 5 minutes. Pay attention to it though, and mix often, it's only 5 minutes, and your couscous will thank you later!! When deliciously golden add 2 and 1/2 cups of chicken stock. You could add water, but water doesn't have flavor, so I add stock. Let it simmer for about 8-10 minutes until cooked through. The will look like little pearls of tasty goodness! At this point the couscous is ready for it's prom date, the broccoli, and Boursin cheese (so simple)!!!! I added the broccoli to the pan as soon as the couscous was done so it could heat up gently and slowly while the salmon cooks! Speaking of salmon... here's what we did! First, I washed and dried these two filets and brushed with olive oil. Then I sprinkled with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and the zest from 1 lemon... simple! Pop into a 450 degree oven and cook for about 15 -20 minutes (depending on the size). This salmon took 16 minutes and it was perfect! And if you noticed that I have the crappiest oven in America... you're right! If this salmon can taste THIS GOOD cooked in THIS oven, yours will be awesome!! Here's the hardest part, pull the salmon out and cover it in foil for 10 minutes (at least). Salmon, like meat, will need to rest (you'll be glad you did). While the salmon rests, crumble that Boursin cheese over the warm couscous and broccoli. Leave it on low heat and mix until creamy, smooth, and delicious! So Chaz is getting hungry, and we are too!! And the Grammys are about to start, so let's get to it!!! Dinner Stevie's way.... Delicious oven roasted salmon with broccoli and couscous and boursin cheese garnished with a little sprinkle of pistachio nuts! YUM!!!! There's always a reason to celebrate a great meal, and tonight, we have UMass Basketball, and Stevie Wonder to thank!!!! Happy eating and never stop finding a reason to celebrate!!

Chicken Soup Love

So, it's late after a long work day, and I'm picking up a sniffly kid whose only hope for happiness is a warm bath and a comforting meal. So how can I make that happen.... from the car.... on my way home... late... and it occurs to me! I have a chicken in the fridge, you know, one of those picked apart, rotisserie chickens with all the "good lean meat gone", but plenty of soup meat left!! So it was then, I decided on some super quick, home made chicken soup.... healing and wonderful! First I took this sorry old rotisserie chicken carcass and picked some meat off. Then, I popped it into some boiling water with a chopped onion, 2 teaspoons of salt, and some fresh ground pepper! Let it rip for about 30 minutes, though more is better. But for us, it's Tuesday, and as soon as my little wrestler gets out of the shower, he's gonna need some TASTY NUTRITION, so I'm on A MISSION... and quick-drive!! After the carcass boils for about half an hour, I strain the water and discard the bones. By the way, please THANK that carcass, and those bones... they will keep your kid healthy and strong for the next 48 hours after eating delicious soup. So, return stock to pot and add some flavor!! By flavor I mean 4 peeled and chopped carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1 chopped onion and let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Now here's where I started thinking... perhaps too much... but thinking about nutrition, flavor, and taste!!! So I thought, why not add some fiber and protien with some white beans.... BOOM!!! And then I thought, this soup needs something green (but I was out of fresh parsley), so I added a half a bag of baby spinach.... BOOM!!! Then I wondered about some pasta, noodles vs. tortellini.... and after asking Stevie-boy... the answer was clearly TORTELLINI!!!!! So we decided a little grilled cheese, humble, delicious, grilled cheese would make this a meal! Though if it were up to me... this soup is a winner... with or without a sandwich! Share some love if you have a little rotisserie chicken left and make some heart warming chicken soup! Your house will smell like heaven, and your family will be happy eaters full of nutritious comforting soup! And it really only took about 45 minutes, but only 10 minutes of prep!

Beef Stew.... Sorta....

So, this "end of days" kind of weather requires some warm, comforting, delicious dinner. So, tonight, we use up some leftover, holiday sirloin and add some soup basics to create a delicious, hearty, comforting stew! Now, soup and stew seems like a Sunday afternoon kind of meal that should take a long time. But, the truth is... it's Monday... busy hectic... bad weather, late getting home, starving, kinda Monday. But, if you have leftover meat (in our case, some big ol' beef sirloin), then I promise you, the simplest hearty of soups will warm you up in no time!! And that's what we did tonight, in 20 minutes! No joke! First I started by chopping 2 onions, 4 stalks of celery, 4 peeled carrots, and dropped them into a big pot in a little olive oil and salt and fresh ground pepper! Give them a few minutes to soften. While that happened, I peeled those potatoes and diced them into small half inch pieces, and chopped and peeled 4 cloves of garlic. When the veggies are soft, add the garlic, potatoes, 6-8 cups of beef stock, and chopped mushrooms. I bought a pre-chopped pack of button mushrooms, nothing fancy, but totally perfect for this soup! Combine all the veg with the stock and get ready to add your beef! I used leftover sirloin from Mimi's fabulous 80th birthday party (Cheers-Mimi!!). I chopped the beef and discarded the fat and gristle and added it to the soup with one half cup of barley and 4 tiny bay leaves (1 or 2 would be fine, but mine were teensy-weensy). Let the soup simmer for 45 minutes to an hour or so. After an hour, I added a big ol' handful of chopped fresh parsley and tasted for seasoning... and it was DELICIOUS! Warm, hearty, meaty, barley-ish, and full of veggies!!! Oh, HECK YEAH... Not exactly beef stew (easier)... but a super delicious way to recreate leftover sirloin into one comfort meal full of veggies, nutrition and LOVE!!!