A Twist on an Old Favorite

Rice pudding was one of my favorite childhood desserts. My mom would make it upon occasion and it would be saved in a large red Tupperware container. When I visit, I am like Pavlov's dog and sometimes equate that large Tupperware bowl with rice pudding. Though, when I visit it is not filled with rice pudding. Mom, or should I refer to you as "the mother" or "the mom", can it be filled with some rice pudding upon my next visit to PA?

I wanted to try this Latin American twist on one of my childhood favorites. Perhaps, the Latin American twist is only in the name as I have never had rice pudding during my visits to any Latin American country and have no basis of comparison. I suppose that means I should visit another Latin American country soon, whether it be in the Caribbean, Central or South America. I do want to check out Tikal in Guatamala. Maybe I should check on the availability on rice pudding. Oh, darn...husband let's get those passports ready again....

I liked this dessert, but I don't think I would put in the lime zest again. I liked the flavor of the lime, but I was not so into how the zest looked when distributed in the pudding. I would be open to any suggestions on how to better incorporate the lime in this. Also, the husband did not think the pudding was sweet enough. However, I found the level of sweetness to be appropriate, but then again I am trying to watch my calories. If I were not so calories conscious, I'd probably crave a bit more sugar.

Arroz con Dulce (Cooking Light August 2007)
Printable Recipe
2 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (2 inch) cinnamon stick
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
2 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated lime rind
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil Stir in rice. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 10 minutes or until liquid is almost absorbed, stirring occasionally. Discard cinnamon stick. Stir in fat-free milk, sugar, and rind; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 25 minutes or until mixture thickens and becomes creamy, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in golden raisins and vanilla.
   

Yield: 6 servings (serving size 2/3 cup)

Scalloped Potatoes

This is one of my all time favorite potato side dishes. I usually have it at holiday meals. I very rarely make it for the husband and I. However, today was Easter and the husband and I were doing our own thing. I haven't had these delicious carbs in quite some time. They are so easy to make and I rarely stray from the recipe I use from my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. Props go to the husband for peeling and slicing the potatoes today.

1/4 cup chopped onion (I usually go with at least a 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 flour
1 1/4 milk (Usually I use skim milk, but this time I used 2%)
3 potatoes

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
   
2. Cook onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat
3. Place half the sliced potatoes in a greased 1 quart casserole . Cover with half the sauce. Repeat layers.
   
4. Bake covered for 35 minutes. Remove cover and bake for another 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
   

Serves 4

Macaroni and Cheese

I made another one of my favorites for dinner tonight. Tonight, I changed my recipe for this great comfort food. Perhaps my vote cast this morning at 8 inspired me to make a change to my recipe. Change is good.

Normally, I make mac and cheese with American cheese. In this case, I used Swiss and Fontina cheese. I was pleased with the substitution. I do wish that I put in some small pieces of ham. One restaurant that I had a lot of rep lunches had a great mac and cheese that I may have come close to replicating this evening. That mac and cheese was much creamier than mine. Skim milk does not make for a creamy mac and cheese.

2 cups elbow macaroni
1 small chopped onion
2 tbspn butter
2 tbspn flour
dash of pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
3-4 cups of cheese

1. Cook the macaroni according to package directions. When done, drain and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F.
3. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook until tender.
4. Stir in the flour and pepper. Slowly add and stir in the milk.
5. Heat the mixture until it gets thick and bubbly.
6. Add in the cheese and stir until melted. Stir in the macaroni.
7. Pour into a shallow dish and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
   

I really enjoyed the change with Swiss and Fontina. It was a rash decision to throw these cheeses in my grocery cart on Sunday.

Apologies for the choppy post, I have been completely distracted today because of the election. It is a historic night no matter the outcome.

Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs

I actually made this last week, but am getting around to posting it today. Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic meal and is always very comforting. It was also a great meal to have as the weather was getting cooler. Fall is my favorite time of year, there is apple picking (if you read the earlier posts, you know that I do love apples, football is back, baseball playoffs are on, there is new TV, and it is a good time to eat some warm and hearty meals. I am still trying to find a good recipe to use as a base in creating my own red sauce. This was a quick red sauce that worked well in this case.

12 ounces ground turkey
2 teaspoons of garlic powder
2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning
cooking spray (my non-stick skillet is not so much non-stick anymore)
14 ounce can of diced tomatoes with onion
6 ounce can of tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
12 ounce uncooked spaghetti (I used whole wheat and try to use whole wheat pastas when possible)

1. Combine the turkey breast, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning in a bowl; mix well to combine and shape to make meatballs, about 18. Heat up the skillet while you are making the meatballs over medium-high heat.
   
2. Spray cooking spray in a large skillet. You could also use olive oil, but in the interest of trying to cut back on fats and oils when I can, I used cooking spray.
3. When the skillet is hot, add the meatballs and saute until they are browned on all sides. Turn them often. This takes about 5 minutes.
   
4. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, and oregano. Mix well. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, until meatballs are cooked through and the sauce reduces slightly, about 10 minutes.
   
5. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to package directions.
   
6. When the sauce and the pasta are both done, add to a pasta bowl and combine.
   

My Favorite Apple Crisp

One of my favorite things to eat in the fall is warm apple crisp. I can eat it with or without ice cream, with or with out whipped cream. It's just all around good. This was the second of three sweet apple dishes made in one day. I guess that I am making up for lost time. You can use what ever kind of apple you like. I used the apples that we picked yesterday, McIntosh, Empire, and Cortland. Because, I came home to the apples peeled for me, I have no idea of the ratio of the apples that were used.

8 medium apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 cup flour
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup of butter (you can use margarine if you like, but I prefer butter)

1. Preheat the oven 375F.
2. Place the apples into a 9X13 baking dish.
3. In a bowl, mix the flour, sugars, and cinnamon.
   
4. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter.
   
5. When the mix looks crumbly, add to the top of the apples.
6. Sometimes, I like to top with oats, but I didn't have any today.
7. Bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes.
   

I think that last week or the week before, I said that I was going to try to be a bit more healthy with my cooking. Obviously, the half cup of butter contradicts my statement.

8 medium apples

BBQ Rubbed Pork Chops and Cheese Grits

Perhaps my upcoming trip, in November, to see my favorite Southern Belles was an inspiration for two dinner items this week, Oven "Fried" Chicken and Buttermilk Biscuits, as well as items in this entry. This dinner features a side dish that I loved the first time I tried it at Virgil's BBQ in New York. I love grits and as a girl raised in Yankee territory (not the baseball team) I was not exposed to the deliciousness that is grits. Grits will be required eating while in North Carolina this Fall.

BBQ Rubbed Pork Chops

4 pork chops (I prefer the thin sliced chops that are not on the bone)

1 tbpsn brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1/8 tsp ground allspice

Combine the spice together and then rub the mixture over both sides of the pork. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. If you are not using a non-stick pan, coat it with cooking spray. Add the pork, cook each side for two minutes. Next, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 8 minutes, or until they are done.

Cheese Grits

2 cups milk (I use skim)
1 1/4 cups water
3/4 cup quick cooking grits
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I use mild, but sharp works too)

1-2 tbpsn butter
dash salt
dash pepper

Bring the liquids together in a boil over medium high heat. Slowly add the grits while stirring. Cover and reduce heat, let the grits simmer until they thicken (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients. The grits are ready when the cheese has melted.

I am not including the recipe for the tomato and cucumber salad because I wasn't pleased with the results. When I refine this side dish, I will include it.

Oven "Fried" Chicken with Buttermilk Biscuits

It may have been a bit ambitious for a Monday night dinner, but I had a lot of buttermilk leftover from the cupcakes and needed to use it. Lucky for me the recipes for the chicken and biscuits called for buttermilk. I need to use up the rest of the buttermilk before it expires. Maybe pancakes on are deck for this weekend? Or will it be Lemon Chess Pie? It if is Lemon Chess Pie, I will be sampling a new pie crust recipe courtesy of another Fairfield Alum/cooking blogger (whose great blog, Cooking with Jen, is linked on mine).

Originally, I was going to make an heirloom tomato salad as a side dish, however I did start dinner as soon as I got home from work on Monday and did not have the 2 hours to let the granita chill. I'll make the tomato salad another day. The veggie side was plain old lettuce with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

The chicken happens to be one of my favorite dishes for dinner and the leftovers make for great sandwiches with a bit of lettuce. I am going to use the leftover biscuits as sides to the BBQ rubbed porkchops.

Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups flourbaking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 salt

3 tbsp butter
3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 450F. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add in the butter (cut it into small pieces, it is much easier to work with). Use a pastry blender to mix everything together. When the mixture gets mealy, add in the buttermilk. I find it easier to add the buttermilk in slowly and not all at once. When you are satisfied with the consistency, roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface (in the interest of saving Mike from extra clean up, I rolled it out on the baking sheet). The dough height should be 1/2 inch, cut out the biscuits using biscuit cutters. This makes 12 biscuits. The biscuits take about 12 minutes in the oven. They are done when they have a golden color on top. It should be noted for this recipe, and the following, that the pans should be coated with cooking spray, or use a silpat. I love my silpats and highly recommend them to all as they are extremely useful.

Oven "Fried" Chicken

3 pounds of chicken (I prefer thin-sliced chicken breast)
2 cups flour

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

1 cup buttermilk

2 tbsp butter (melted)

Preheat oven to 400F. Combine flour, paprika, salt, garlic powder, thyme, and ground white pepper in a large bowl. Pour buttermilk into a shallow bowl. Dredge the chicken in the buttermilk and then the flour mixture. I prefer douple-dipping the chicken for more coating. Pour the melted butter over the chicken and then place the chicken (on jelly roll pans) into the oven for 40 minutes.

I think that coleslaw would also make a nice side dish for this dinner, if you like coleslaw. Some days I like it, while others I could go with out it.