Noodles Alfredo

 Momma Duck's Noodles Alfredo.

She was so good at having those quick meals that offered such variety in dinners. I never got sick of anything that she made all the time. This is a good quick fix for the creamy white sauce that I have yet to master. Honestly, somehow I cannot cook a good rue and make a good bechamel (look it up sister). I can't even melt cheese into a good cheddar cheese sauce. But with this - TADA!!! I can make cheesy pasta in the microwave.

Now I have a small kitchen, but I've managed to incorporate most every type of dish/gadget I need. Until now. I sat down yesterday morning and took a look at the recipe just to find out, I have only large casserole dishes. Its those stand by dishes that apparently I am lacking.

Anyway... this recipe will do just fine in any microwaveable dish that is large enough to hold your 3 cups of noodles.
 

It was sooo gooood to eat. Like adult mac & cheese.

I know there has to be a good way to make this slightly healthier. For one thing, we can probably swap the whipping cream for a 1% or skim milk. Also, we can probably use less butter, and maybe swap in some mozzarella cheese for the creaminess the butter would add. I had used the faux-parmesan cheese (ya know the fake stuff that's grated down). I bet this would be awesome though if you use freshly grated parmesan cheese - that would also help with creaminess.

Another swap that I know had been done before, is the pasta. Once you master the cheese sauce, any cooked pasta can be tossed in with the sauce. 

Still a good stand-by to add into the recipe box!

Best Manicotti Recipe Ever!

Remember the other day when you called me and I was making manicotti? Well here it is!

I got the recipe years ago in Home Ec. class in middle school. This time I made it with whole wheat flour 'cause that's what we have. I probably should have changed something in the recipe because of this, but I didn't and it still turned out delicious.

I made it the hard way, because it's just more fun that way. Also, because I have a crepe maker and I haven't used it in forever.

Without further ado,

Manicotti:

First we make the crepes...

2 eggs
1 cup water
1 cup flour
2 tbsp butter (melted)

Beat the egg, add the water and butter, then add the flour.

Pour batter onto a plate.

Use crepe maker to make deliciousness. (If you don't have a crepe maker then a: get one and b: you can make them in a pan it's just harder. You have to pour some of the batter in a heated pan and then tilt to spread the batter out. Then cook it for a couple of minutes. I haven't done it this way in a very long time. The other option is to buy manicotti pasta from the store and just cook it and then fill it, but that's just not as much of an adventure. And I like adventures.)

Yum! (on a side note, awesome blister right?)

I stacked them up on a separate plate with wax paper between them so they didn't stick together. I don't know if I was suppose to, but I did.

Then we make the filling. I'm a cheese person, and since I'm trying to eat better I added spinach. (and extra parmesan cheese because it's delicious.)

1 lb ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella
1 cup cut spinach
dash of salt and pepper

Mix the cheeses and egg together. Add the spinach.

And then comes the fun part: Manicotti burrito time!

Fill the crepes and fold like a burrito and then place in a baking dish (best described in pictures):

Fold over the top and bottom (or what you deem the top and bottom to be).

Then a side. 

Fold over the last side and...

Ta-da!

Cover with sauce (I used Culinary Circle's Marinera sauce. It's delicious and doesn't have any added sugar, which is a big button for me. Because, really, who needs added sugar.) Sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top and then stick it in the oven for 25 minutes at 325 degrees. 

Dig in. Even Z loved it. She picked the spinach out and some of it ended up in her hair and on her lap, but she'd just been finger painting before dinner so she needed a bath anyways. 

Answer Unknown

The Great Kale Chip Question

I just don't know sister...

I have a lot a kale in my house right now. I was able to snag both a bushel and a peck of kale from my local produce store (which is my new favorite place - because the kale was only $2!). I have been trying to eat more fresh fruits and veggies in order to be healthy and lose weight through an overall life change. Incorporate more fruits and veggies, and OPTIONS of different fruits and veggies, I will be less tempted to eat the whole cheesecake I made the other week.

So - kale was purchased for green smoothies (something like this). But because my produce place is the creme de la creme of all produce, I have a TON! Thus comes the kale chip.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Remove tough stems of kale, wash and tear into large bite sized pieces.
Toss kale in 2 tbs olive oil
Spread in one layer on a baking sheet
Bake for 15 min
Sprinkle with salt immediately after removal from oven

They taste like little munchies :) It still definitely tastes like a dark leafy green, with a pinch of salt. The curly kale has provided all sorts of little crunch capabilities. I would warn, they shrink more than I expected. So when tearing, keep your pieces larger than bite sized. I have to say - it is no potato chip, but I will also admit, these would be a great replacement for that large bowl of popcorn during a movie!

Please try it yourself and let me know what you think about it :)

Cake Mix should be in EVERYTHING!

So I found the recipe for cake mix rice crispy treats on that wonderful thing called Pinterest awhile back. And I made them. They were OK. Nothing really to write home about. Mostly they tasted like rice crispy treats, but that may be because I didn't let the marshmallows melt enough before adding the cake mix. (My bad.) (Yes, I just said that. I'm allowed to, I grew up in the 80s and 90s. We Early-Y's are nostalgic like that. Then again, maybe it's just me.)

ANYWAY, at the end of the cake mix rice crispy treat recipe, Ali gives you an idea for cake mix cookies. Yes you read that right. Cookies. Made with -- wait for it -- Cake Mix. That sounded like a great idea. And after all the zaniness of moving, I needed something delicious. Also the cake mix was sitting in the cabinet asking to be eaten.

So, without further ado, Cake Mix Cookies (a la Gimmie Some Oven):

Stir 6 oz cake mix, 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil, and an egg until mixed. Form into cookie dough balls, and bake at 350 for 10-12 min:

As you can see, I did not get cookie dough balls. I got cookie soup blobs. But as a wise woman once told me, "It's not what it looks like, it's how it tastes that matters." Even so, I dressed them up with some jimmies. (Don't get me started on jimmies vs. sprinkles.) Voilà...

About 10 minutes later I had the best cookies I've ever had. Z and I each had one, then she ran around in circles for awhile :) Mike and I finished them later while watching Community. SO GOOD.


P.S. I'm sorry about all the caps in this post. I couldn't help myself, these cookies took away my caps lock filter. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In my attempt to hone into my lack of Irish heritage I have decided to make Irish Potato Candies. Potato Candies you ask. Yes - POTATO - b/c they look like potatoes!!!

I was first introduced to Irish Potato Candies when I moved out to Philadelphia. It was store bought little bundles of yummy goodness. Coconut covered in cinnamon. See no potato incorporated in the candy, just the shape.

Over the past week, everyone has been going Irish crazy in preparation for St. Patty's Day, and I came across the recipe here.

It was messy and fun to make. Plus they look like little potatoes, or um... *cough* ... little bricks :)

Still a yummy treat for a Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Enjoy

Lisa