Cheesy Velveeta Mac with Ground Beef Casserole

A simple, delicious, cheesy dinner. This is a modification of a version I found a recipe for a while ago in a magazine my mother sent me. The original recipe called for Kraft macaroni and cheese, but I thought it was unfortunately bland, and the beef was dry when using the instructions in the recipe. So I modified it, and it came out way better.
This made a really nice "easy dinner night" meal for my house, but it would also be great as a dish for get togethers. It also goes really nice on flour tortillas!

Ingredients:
1 box Velveeta shells and cheese
1 pound lean ground beef
Dried oregano
Salt
Ground black pepper
Garlic powder
Worcestershire sauce
Shredded mild cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F (about 175 C).
Cook Velveeta as directed on package.
As pasta cooks, add small amount of butter or oil to fry pan and bring to medium low heat. Add beef.
Add seasonings as desired.
Cook beef until no pink remains. Bring to low heat and stir occasionally.
When pasta is ready, pour into a casserole dish.
Drain beef of grease, add to casserole dish.
Stir mixture in dish until well mixed.
Add shredded cheese to top.
Put in oven and bake between 5 and 10 minutes, or until cheese on top is melted.
Serve with garlic bread or tortillas.

Notes:
The amounts in this recipe gave two nice-sized bowls as shown in the photo. If served as part of a larger meal, it will yield more servings.
Experiment with the cheesiness of this dish by adding more or less cheese, or different kinds. Since Velveeta cheese is sold in blocks in grocery store dairy sections, you may wish to add slabs of Velveeta for extra creamy cheesiness.
My biggest suggestion is to maintain moisture in the beef, so don't drain/cook off all of the grease. Dry beef can really kill this dish, so take care when you're removing the grease.

If you have any questions or comments about this recipe, feel free to leave them below!
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Sweet and Spicy Vegetable Stir Fry with Imitation Crab

Momma Brayton got us a very nice hand-hammered wok for Christmas. It's been sitting on top of our shelf-pantry since then, and I occasionally looked at it and sighed with the dreams of an amazing wok-cooked dinner. And I planned.
And here it is. I finally seasoned the bloody wok and made this spectacular stir fry. This meal has actually lasted multiple days. I usually plate big and then the leftovers get placed in a container.
Anyway, I made the sauce for this mostly by just dumping stuff in, so there are no real measurements. It's "to taste," really!

Ingredients:
Stir fry (not sauce)
Button mushrooms, cleaned (These were sold in our supermarket in very small packs, so I got three. You can use larger mushrooms, but quarter them)
Baby carrots, about one half of a package (You can cut these if you wish -- I left them whole)
1 can baby corn, drained
Sticky Asian rice
Chopped fresh garlic -  2 medium cloves
Corn oil (or other oil)

Sauce
Honey
Low sodium soy sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Iron Chef General Tso sauce and glaze
House of Tsang Szechuan spicy stir-fry sauce
Sesame seeds

Crab
One package imitation crab meat
1 good-sized knob of unsalted butter
Sesame seeds

Directions:
Follow rice package instructions to make rice. Use a rice cooker if possible. Begin cooking rice before starting stir fry.
Add enough oil to wok to cover bottom. Bring heat up to medium-high. When oil is hot, add garlic.
Add carrots, turning heat down slightly. Carefully add small amount of water, soy sauce, and Worcestershire, and stir constantly for two minutes. Allow liquids to steam carrots on medium/medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, melt butter in large pan and add crab. Pan fry at medium-low heat, tossing occasionally.
When carrots are sufficiently steamed, add baby corn and mushrooms. Add a very small amount of water, more soy. Steam, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
Add sauce ingredients to discretion, saving sesame seeds until last. Stir thoroughly and very often.
Serve immediately, adding remainder of sauce to the top of the dish.

Notes:
Imitation crab is entirely optional to this dish. You can substitute anything else.
More or different vegetables can be added to this dish, as long as you adjust for their cooking. For example, cooking time will be reduced if you omit carrots or cut them.
Some other vegetables you might want to add include: peppers, water chestnuts, bok choy, or onions.
My sauce had a nice sweet and spicy flavour that didn't detract from the natural flavours of the vegetables. Adjust your sauce as desired.

If you have any comments or questions about this recipe, feel free to leave them below. Don't forget to follow this blog to keep updated on all the delicious things happening in my kitchen!

Creamy Hungarian Mushroom Soup

We had so many mushrooms! Usually, we just cook them up with something, but lately, I've been in a Using-Mushrooms Slump.
Whilst searching for some healthy soups on the Internet, I stumbled upon a recipe similar to the one I used. Since I modified it slightly, I will post my recipe here. I was super excited when I read the original -- it sounded delicious, and the photo included sealed the deal (Check out the original recipe here). Also, this would not only use up our mushrooms, but we actually had to buy another package for it!
So here's the recipe: I will write my version first, and then write variations, including one for vegetarian eaters.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds of mushrooms, washed and cut thinly (Yes. That much)
1/2 of small sweet onion, diced
7 medium to large red potatoes, peeled and cut into half-inch cubes
4 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 tbsp dill weed
2 tbsp Paprika (Preference is for Hungarian Paprika, see notes below)
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
about 3/4 tsp salt
about 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups low-fat milk
Olive oil

Directions:
Mix spices and flour in a small dish and set aside.
Pour olive oil into a large pot and bring to medium heat.
Add mushrooms and onion; stir constantly. When water begins to fill the pot, turn heat up to medium-high. Reduce stirring, and allow water to evaporate; about 10-15 minutes.
Add potatoes, spice/flour mixture, broth, and milk.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until potatoes are cooked through and tender.
Serve immediately with whole wheat rolls or light salad.

Notes:
Hungarian Paprika is preferred because it gives the soup a fuller, richer flavour. We were able to find it in our regular Giant Eagle supermarket, so keep an eye out for it at your own local grocery store.
For a more vegetarian dish, use vegetable broth instead of beef.
The original recipe calls for sour cream to be added at the end. This can thicken the soup and give it a little bit of acidity. If you decide to add it to this recipe, add 1/2 cup at the very end, but BE CAREFUL. If sour cream is added to a very hot substance, it tends to curdle. Instead, take the pot off the heat, let it sit for about a minute, and slowly add the sour cream, with plenty of stirring.
This soup is already full of complex and wonderful flavours, but you can mix it up by varying the amount or kinds of spices to add.
It's super important to stir the mushrooms and onion constantly at the very beginning of this recipe -- even with plenty of oil, there is a risk of sticking to the bottom of the pot.

If you have any questions or comments about this recipe, please feel free to leave them below!
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Beef and Vegetable Soup

Have I mentioned how much I like soup lately?
Since my friend went to Philadelphia for five days, she gave me some meat that she was worried would go bad whilst she was away. One of those things was a package of grass-fed beef for stews. So there's only one logical thing to do, right?
I developed this recipe after reading about twenty other ones, taking some of the ideas that were recurring, and adding a few touches of my own. The result was a filling soup with intensely flavourful broth that doesn't overpower the flavours of the solid components.

Ingredients:
Stew beef, cut into smaller bite-sized pieces
One bag baby carrots, cut in half
Ten red potatoes, peeled and cubed
Market District Beef Stock
4 mid-sized garlic cloves, peeled and diced
1 bay leaf
Worcestershire sauce
Butter or olive oil
Salt, ground black pepper, dried rosemary to taste

Directions:
Melt butter in large pot over medium heat, heat garlic for roughly twenty seconds.
Add beef and enough Worcestershire sauce to cover pot bottom. Simmer beef in sauce until nearly cooked through.
Add carrots and potatoes, followed by stock and bay leaf. Add seasonings and more Worcestershire to taste.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Remove bay leaf and serve.


Notes: I know that it is common to use bay leaves in a soup that simmers for a prolonged time period, but in this case, using it in a fifteen minute soup allowed just enough flavour to be incorporated that it didn't clash with the other flavours.
I didn't actually measure how much Worcestershire sauce I used in the second half of this recipe. I sort of just dumped it in, let it simmer a bit, and based it on the smell. Since I wanted a stronger broth, I added quite a bit. If you want a milder flavoured broth, add less Worcestershire.

If you have any questions or comments about this recipe, please feel free to leave them below. Be sure to follow this blog so that you can get all the latest delicious updates!

Cappuccino Cookies with Chocolate Drops

My latest culinary experiment comes in the form of these two little gems; the cappuccino cookies. I've been meaning to try out this recipe for a long while, but I haven't had the motivation. Since today has gone awry in dumbfounding ways, I decided it was time for some happiness, in the form of fattening, delicious treats.

Ingredients: 
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1/4 cup corn syrup (I actually don't have that. I used a common substitute -- 1/4 cup of honey)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp instant coffee powder
3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Dark chocolate drops (optional)

Directions:
Beat brown sugar and butter at medium speed in an electric mixer until well blended.
Add eggs, corn syrup (or honey), vanilla, and coffee. Beat until well blended and fluffy.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a separate bowl.
Add dry mixture gradually to wet mixture until well blended.
Divide dough in half, rolling each half into a log about two inches in diameter.
Wrap in wax paper and freeze for two hours.
Heat oven to 350F (about 175C).
Cut dough logs into one-inch thick slices.
Place cookies on lightly greased cookie sheet, place a chocolate drop in the centre of each cookie, and bake for twelve minutes or until golden brown.
Cool for two minutes on sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes: This recipe made thirty-two cookies, in my case. They come out nice and thick, with a light crisp on the edge, and soft in the middle. the chocolate drop is a very nice touch to the light coffee flavour of the cookie (I made some without the drop).
You can choose to cut them thinner if you wish, just be sure to adjust the baking time accordingly.
This cookie is really nice when dipped very quickly in a spot of milk. It soaks up the liquid very nicely and retains the flavour, making a great cookie even better.
I would recommend this to people who don't even like coffee, since the flavour isn't overwhelmingly strong. I imagine it would be a fantastic breakfast treat for anyone who doesn't have the time to make something before work or school.

If you have any questions or comments about the recipe, please feel free to leave them below.

Roasted Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

Another soup, since I spent a lot of fall and this winter being in love with soups. This one took a little more time, since we oven roasted the vegetables.

Ingredients: 1 sweet potato, peeled and halved
                     1 acorn squash, halved and seeded
                     4 shallots, peeled and halved
                     olive oil
                     5-6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
                     chicken stock (About one container, or 3-4 cups)
                     salt, ground black pepper
                     heavy cream (optional)
                     snipped chives, for garnish

Directions: Heat oven to 375F (190C)
                   Brush cut side of sweet potato, squash, and shallots with olive oil and place on non-stick baking pan (i.e. cookie sheet). Distribute garlic gloves amongst them.
                   Roast vegetables for about 30-40 minutes, or until tender. Allow to cool briefly.
                   Spoon flesh away from squash halves, cut sweet potato, and peel garlic cloves.
                   Add vegetables to large pot containing stock and bring to a boil.
                   Add salt and pepper, to taste.
                   Simmer for about 10--15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
                   Transfer soup to blender and blitz until smooth (This may need to be done in batches).
                   Transfer soup back to rinsed pot on low heat, add heavy cream and more seasoning, if needed.
                   Serve with snipped chives and ground black pepper as garnish.

Notes: This soup was amazing. The robust taste of the roasted vegetables really gave a hearty feeling to the meal, and made us looking for more.

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Hot Sausage Burgers with Homemade French Fries

We have a TON of sausage in the house. In the summer, Momma Brayton brought us something like five packages of sausages -- four of links and one of patties. They're the big package of links, too, with like, twenty sausages in them. We are down to two packages of links. I keep trying to find new ways to use them, so I, personally, don't get bored of sausage forever.
Since it's winter now, we don't use our grill -- we brought it into the apartment for the colder months. Still, when I was thinking about dinner this afternoon, it came to me -- we can put those patties to use. So, here's how we did it.

Ingredients: 1 package of hot sausage patties
                     5 Russet potatoes
                     Cheese (we used pepper jack for this)
                     Fresh, soft Kaiser rolls
                     Olive oil
                     Salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, to taste

Directions: Preheat oven to 425F (about 220C).
                   Wash potatoes. Cut into strips, keeping them thin so cooking time can be kept short.
                   Place strips in large bowl, coat with olive oil and seasonings.
                   Place strips on cookie sheets (You may wish to grease these -- we had to).
                   Bake for 25-35 minutes, until browned on the edges, turning over once.
                   Whilst potatoes cook, add butter or oil to a nonstick pan and bring to medium-low to medium heat.
                   Cook patties, turning once (should be about 5-8 minutes per side, based on pan heat and thickness of patty). If needed, cut patty open to check for doneness -- undercooked pork can cause illness, so be sure to cook thoroughly!
                   Reduce heat slightly, add cheese and allow to melt. Move to Kaiser roll.
                   Serve whilst still hot. Add extra seasoning to fries if desired.

Notes: The recipe here is for two servings, which consisted of two patties, and a bowl of fries. Five good-sized potatoes will make more than two servings, and we stored the rest in the refrigerator. Further, if your cookie sheets are way better than my abused old guys, you might not have to grease those, so operate at your discretion.
           As always, exercise caution when cooking pork -- it cannot be cooked to different degrees, like beef, and eating undercooked pork can make you very ill, so always be sure to double check for doneness!