Monthly Archives: October 2011

Two-Pepper Rigatoni and Cheese

Making macaroni and cheese from scratch is nothing new to me. I never even tried boxed macaroni and cheese until I was in college. I remember saying “Why would you buy boxed macaroni and cheese when you can make it from scratch?” My mom always made it from scratch on the stove and she never baked it in the oven or covered it in bread crumbs. Now that to me is how macaroni and cheese should be.

That being said, this Two-Pepper Rigatoni and Cheese is not like my mom’s. But I was willing to give this a try because it reminded me of the most delicious jalapeño pepper pasta dish I had early this summer at Amis, a restaurant in Philadelphia. So, I thought this might be a good make-at-home substitution. I’ll be honest, it isn’t. BUT I have to admit that it’s probably my fault. In typical Shannon-fashion, I used reduced-fat cheese instead of the full-fat cheese the recipe calls for. Therein lies my problem. If you’ve ever made cheese sauce from reduced-fat cheese, you’ll probably know that it tends to get gritty when it melts and doesn’t have that smooth creaminess that comes from real cheese. I knew better. Looking past that, I think I have come to decide I’m not particularly fond of pickled jalapeños. If I were to make this dish over again, I think I would use a fresh jalapeño pepper and sauté it with the red pepper instead. And, of course, I would use real cheese.

There are a lot of dishes that can be made into “lighter” dishes without sacrificing flavor…macaroni and cheese, in any form, should not be one of them. Lesson learned!

The ingredients:

Prepare pasta according to package directions and drain. Melt butter in a pan and sauté chopped red pepper. Once softened, add the red pepper to the drained pasta and set aside.

Using the same pan used for the pepper, add in flour and milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once milk is thickened, stir in both cheeses, pickled jalapeños, and salt.

Carefully pour the cheese sauce over pasta and red pepper. Stir to combine and add in green onions.

Pour the pasta into a baking dish coated in non-stick spray and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake at 375°F.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Whole-wheat rotini for rigatoni (my error!)
Reduced-fat cheddar cheese
Reduced-fat 4-cheese Italian (a wedge of fontina at my store was over $13! Yikes!)
Breadcrumbs for white bread

Overall Rating: So-So

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Apple Cider Doughnuts

I have never, ever in my life attempted to make doughnuts so the whole process of making Apple Cider Doughnuts was a real experience! Yes, it’s a little bit time-consuming but if you have the time and the patience, these are worth making, especially if you are having a guest or two over. The intense apple taste is a result of cooking apples and apple cider until they are reduced down which concentrates their flavor. Cinnamon and nutmeg are added to the dough to give these doughnuts a hint of warmth. These doughnuts are apple-y, soft, chewy and sweet. Yes, these are indulgent but they are so special and so tasty, they are worth making, even if it’s just once a year!

The ingredients:

Cook together apple cider and chopped apples in a pot until reduced, then puree.

In a bowl, combine together the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, mix together sugar and vegetable shortening.

Beat in eggs and reduced apple mixture.

Add in dry ingredients, buttermilk, and vanilla until thoroughly combined.

Pat dough onto a cookie sheet until 1/2 inch thick and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Then cut chilled dough into rounds using a donut cutter or biscuit cutter.

Heat vegetable oil in a pot until a thermometer reads 350ºF. Add doughnuts two or three at a time, flipping once until golden brown (I used a kitchen spider to flip them but a metal slotted spoon will work too).

Don’t forget the doughnut holes!

Place doughnuts on a paper towel to drain and when cool enough to handle, dip the top of the doughnuts into more reduced-apple cider and cinnamon-sugar.

Enjoy!

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Food Network

♥ Miss you, Dad ♥

Texas Sheet Cake

Some of you may have never heard of Texas Sheet Cake but it’s a thin, rich chocolate cake that I remember my mom making frequently when I was little. The cake itself isn’t uber-chocolatey like a death-by-chocolate cake but it doesn’t need to be. The batter is spread out onto a cookie sheet, baked thin, and covered with a velvety, sinful layer of more chocolate goodness. The frosting is the real star of this show. Butter, cocoa, and buttermilk are cooked together and then blended with powdered sugar, vanilla, and walnuts. As it cools on the cake, it thickens while still staying creamy and decadent. Texas Sheet Cake isn’t just a chocolate cake – it’s THE chocolate cake to make. Think of it like a lighter (in texture, not calories!) version of a frosted brownie. Whether you made it with your mom like I did or if you’ve never tried it before, please put it on your to-do list.

The cake ingredients:

Bring butter, water, and cocoa to a boil in a saucepan.

Add in the dry ingredients.

I’m pretty sure I used sour cream instead of buttermilk here now that I look at the pictures, but the cake turned out phenom anyway!

Pour the batter into a sheet pan and bake at 375ºF (Tip: make sure your pan isn’t as shallow as mine was or you might end up with frosting all over your counter…just sayin’!)