Our Fabulous Bites

We had this tonight, and I'm not the biggest mac & cheese person, but I really liked this stuff. It was nice and cheesy, and I liked the addition of veggies. Plus, it was wicked quick and easy. Abigail wasn't sure she would like it because of the asparagus, but ended up downing her bowl. So it was a win for all. One Pot Veggie Mac & Cheese Baby bella mushrooms (however much you'd like) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp evoo 1 1/2 c pasta (I used cavatappi, and next time I would use more) Cherry tomatoes, quartered (how ever many you'd like) 1 handful asparagus, chopped 1 c whole milk 1 c chicken stock 4 oz shredded triple cheddar (white, sharp, and mild cheddar) 1/2 c grated fresh Parmesan cheese 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp paprika freshly cracked black pepper 2 tbsp flour Slice mushrooms, mince garlic, and put them together in a large saute pan or pot on the stove with olive oil. Cook over med-high heat until mushrooms ...

photocred: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com We had this tonight, and we found it both delicious, simple, quick, and filling. You can really just load up any vegetables your heart desires, but I'll put what we used.   Pasta Smothered with Roasted Vegetables Your choice of pasta, I used cavatappi Broccoli, cut into pieces Yellow squash, cut into half-moons Carrots, chopped Grape tomatoes, halved Onion, chopped (not too small) Red pepper, chopped 6 cloves garlic, chopped Dried herbs - I used sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley, basil, oregano. s&p evoo Place veggies in a large bowl, cover with evoo, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Mix it together and then transfer to baking pan. Bake at 400 for 45 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they are charred a bit and caramelized. Cook your pasta. I got crazy and tossed the pasta in some butter, and enjoyed those calories. Place roasted veggies on top of pasta, sprinkle some fresh parm on top, an...

photocred: lemonsforlulu.com We made this for "Brinner"tonight, and everyone enjoyed it. I got the recipe from the site listed above, though we omitted the meat addition, and loaded it with more tomatoes, avocado, and some green onion. It was really simple to make, and quite filling.   Hashbrown Skillet (I will list the measurements given, but to be honest, I never measure these out.) 1/2 c chopped onion 1/2 c diced red bell pepper 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 2 tsp olive oil 2 1/2 c shredded hashbrowns 4 eggs 1 tomato, diced 1 avocado, diced green onion, chopped 2 tbsp cilantro salsa, optional Heat up oil in a pan on medium heat. Saute your vegetables until softened, about 3 minutes. Pour in your hashbrowns, s&p, and mix, then cook for about 8 minutes until the bottom starts to crisp up.  Then make wells for your eggs, crack them into the wells, place a lid on top, and cook for about 5-6 minutes until the whit...

The girls and I just made these this morning, and I think this is the biscuit recipe we will stick with. Light, buttery, and flaky, plus extremely easy to make. I love that I can make them with the girls without much hassle. On thing with biscuits is you do NOT want to use a rolling pin, and work the dough much. Just gently pat, and create those many layers by folding and patting, repeat. Buttermilk Biscuits 2 cups flour, plus more for dusting 1/4 tsp baking soda 1 tbsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 6 tbsp butter, very cold 1 c buttermilk Preheat your oven to 450....why haven't they made a degrees symbol on a keyboard yet??? Combine dry ingredients in a food processor. Cut butter into cubes and cut into flour mixture. Pulse it a few times until it resembles course meal. Basically you want to feel little pea sized chunks of butter in the mixture. Add buttermilk and mix until just combined. If it appears dry, add some more buttermilk, you want it to be w...

photo cred: peasandcrayons.com I made this over the weekend and it was a hit with Abigail and Josh, but not so much Mailie Ryan...though I attribute that to the fact that she eats like a chipmunk. I thought it was good, though it turned out slightly too heavy for me, so I'd like to tweak it a bit. Shrimp & Veggie Pesto Pasta Farfalle (bow-tie) pasta 8oz sliced baby portobello mushrooms 2.5 oz baby spinach leaves 2-3 cloves garlic, minced 6 tbsp pesto 1/2 c grated parmesan 1/4 c milk or cream (I used cream this time, so maybe I would have preferred milk) 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp paprika drizzle of olive oil pinch of red pepper flakes s&p to taste For the shrimp: shrimp, fresh or frozen 1/2 tbsp butter 1/4 -1/2 tsp dried parsley 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp cajun seasoning 1/8 tsp onion powder 1/8 tsp paprika s&p to taste Bring a large non-stick pan to medium heat and saute mushrooms...

I was really curious how the girls would like this, but at first bite they both said it was "yummy". So a win! We really enjoyed it. It's very simple and quick to make. Shrimp Salad with Grapefruit and Avocado 1 c shrimp 2 tbsp chili paste 1 tbsp oil S&P 1 avocado, cubed 1 c cooked rice Balsamic reduction to drizzle on top salad greens (I used arugula) In a pan on medium, heat oil, then place in shrimp and chili paste. Cook until opaque and starting to brown. Add s&p to taste. Place down greens, and then at this part I used a cylinder cookie press, but you can obviously to place everything on there like a normal salad. First add rice and press firmly, followed by the avocado and grapefruit. Place shrimp on top and drizzle with balsamic reduction. Viola! Bon Appetite!

                                                                    photo cred: h2save.com One day I'd like to try empanadas from an expert. I have no idea if this is what they are "supposed" to taste like, but every one of us enjoyed them and gobbled them up quickly. The rice flavor was good as well, and would have been even better had it not turned out so crispy due to a very old stove. Black Bean Empanadas & Spanish Rice Empanada dough 3 c flour 1/4 tsp salt 6 oz butter, chilled and cut into 12 pieces 1 egg 4-5 tbs water, add more if too dry, but a tiny bit at a time Mix the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the butter, egg, and water until clumpy dough forms. Form a ball, flatten slightly, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Roll it out flat, cut out circles, and fill with re...