Tag Archives: recipe

Thanksgiving Favorite: Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe!

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Thankgiving is tomorrow! If you’re still looking for the perfect side dish, we thought we’d share one of our favorite with you for to help you be a holiday hero! Happy holidays from our family to yours.

Let’s get cooking!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon powdered mustard
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 large egg
  • 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh black pepper

Topping:

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it’s free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Mouthwatering Roasted Brussels Sprouts

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Are you like everyone else and just now falling in love with brussels sprouts? If so, the way you prepare them makes all the difference in the world! This recipe is so easy and has the added flavor of balsamic vinegar and tasty bacon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • One pound brussels sprouts (Make sure you trim them) 
  • One tablespoon olive oil or extra virgin olive oil 
  • Two tablespoons balsamic vinegar 
  • One-fourth teaspoon black pepper 
  • One-eighth teaspoon sea salt 
  • Two slices bacon (Cook till crispy, drain the bacon and then crumble. To bake pork bacon, place slices next to each other on a rack in a foil-lined shallow baking pan with sides. Bake for eighteen or twenty minutes until bacon is crispy. Drain well on paper towels) 
  • Two teaspoons finely shredded, fresh lemon peel 

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Make sure you cut large brussels sprouts into lengthwise quarters. If you have small brussels sprouts, cut them in half. Take a large bowl and mix together brussels sprouts with one tablespoon of the balsamic vinegar and the extra virgin olive oil until all of the brussels sprouts are coated lightly. Salt and pepper to taste and toss the ingredients and make sure everything is coated. 
  2. Place the brussels sprouts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for about twenty to thirty minutes or until the sprouts are brown and tender (turning about every ten minutes). 
  3. Now transfer the brussels sprouts to a large bowl. Drizzle the leftover, one tablespoon vinegar, and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon. For personal preference, you can garnish with a fresh lemon peel. 

Note: The sprouts will take about twenty minutes to prepare and ready to eat in about 40 minutes. 

We hope you enjoy! Let us know what other recipes you would like to see by sharing your ideas with us in the comment section. Thanks for reading!

St. Patrick’s Day Cookies: Matcha Green Tea Shortbreads

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With St. Patrick’s Day being a month away, you have got to try our Matcha Green Tea Shortbread cookies. Yep, we are talking about fresh-baked, chewy, and soft cookies that are everso delicately flavored. It is a tea cookie inception!

Our cookie is not too sweet with the unique matcha flavor that is so delicate and special. These green tea cookies are soft, pillowy, and pair perfectly with tea. Please do not overlook the beautiful color that is just perfect for St. Patty’s Day cookies.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons Matcha green tea powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt or sea salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • ½ cup powdered sugar (add more or less depending on personal preference)

Directions: 

  1. Sift the flour, matcha green tea powder, and salt into a bowl. 
  2. In a mixing bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar until fluffy. 
  3. Add flour mixture to a mixing bowl and mix slowly until dough just comes together. 
  4. Pull and roll dough together carefully into a log, about two inches in diameter. 
  5. Wrap dough logs in cloth or wax paper and place it in the freezer for thirty minutes or until the dough is firm to the touch. 
  6. Slice dough into ¼ inch round pieces and place 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. 
  7. Bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees for 16 to 18 minutes until cookies are a light golden brown around the edges – turning the pan halfway through the baking time. 
  8. Remove cookies immediately and place them on a wire rack to cool. 
  9. Store in an airtight container or wrap and freeze. 

We hope you enjoy your Matcha Green Tea Shortbread Cookies, and Happy St. Patty’s Day!

Cauliflower Rice with a Mediterranean Twist

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Are you on the fence about the taste of cauliflower? We were not quite sure about how delicious cauliflower can really taste, so we decided to try this recipe with a Mediterranean twist. Boy, are we glad we did! Spruce this recipe up with a few extra ingredients, and we are sure you will love it as much as we do!

Ingredients for Cauliflower Rice:

  • One medium to large head of cauliflower 
  • Two cloves garlic, minced or pressed 
  • One 1/2 cup sliced almonds 
  • Just a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
  • Two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
  • One tablespoon lemon juice (fresh if available)
  • One 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 
  • One 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley – chopped well 
  • Top off with fresh ground pepper for taste 

Directions for Cauliflower Rice:

  1. Cut the head of cauliflower into medium chunks and throw away the core. Put a small amount in your food processor until the pieces are broken into small pieces. Now you have the rice. 
  2. Wrap the cauliflower rice in a kitchen towel and twist well to remove as much water as possible from the rice. Actually, during this step, you will see how much water was in the cauliflower. 
  3. Now toast your almonds in a large skillet over medium heat, making sure to stir often, so they do not burn. Once they start to turn gold and you smell them, they are ready. This usually takes about four to five minutes. Place in a bowl to cool. 
  4. Take the skillet and return to heat while adding olive oil and garlic. Make sure to keep stirring until you smell the garlic. This only takes about ten to twenty seconds.  
  5. Add the cauliflower rice, red pepper flakes, salt, and stir well to blend. Now cook for about six to ten minutes until the rice turns golden. 
  6. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in your cooled off toasted almonds, parsley, and lemon juice.  
  7. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Serve warm. 

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cooking Time: 15 minutes | Serving Size: Four Servings as a Side Dish

Thanksgiving Turkey Alternative: Baked Chicken

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With Thanksgiving around the corner, it is time to begin game-planning your holiday meal. The delicious course usually involves turkey paired with tasty side dishes. But this year, if you are looking for an easier main course, try baked chicken breast. It is often a crowd-pleaser and is easy to cook for first-time hosts.

Ingredients for Baked Chicken Breast: 

  • Four chicken breasts – 150 – 180g, four to six ounces each 
  • Two teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 
  • One and one half tablespoon brown sugar 
  • One teaspoon paprika 
  • One teaspoon dried thyme or oregano or choose another herb that you prefer 
  • One fourth teaspoon garlic powder 
  • One half teaspoon sea salt 
  • One half teaspoon black pepper 
  • Finely chopped fresh parsley for garnish 

Directions for Baked Chicken Breast:

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cooking Time: 18 minutes | Total Time: 23 minutes

Serving Size: Four servings | Calories: 285 calories per chicken breast 

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 F on a standard oven or 390 F on a convection oven. 
  2. Pound the chicken to 0.6” at the thickest part of the chicken by using a rolling pin or meat mallet. This is a key tip for ensuring that the chicken is cooked evenly throughout. 
  3. Mix all of the seasonings. 
  4. Now line the tray with aluminum foil and baking paper (this will help in clean up). Place the chicken upside down on a tray. Drizzle the chicken with one teaspoon olive oil and rub over with your fingers. Sprinkle with seasonings. 
  5. Flip the chicken. Drizzle with one teaspoon olive oil, rub with your fingers, sprinkle the seasoning, and be careful to cover as much of the surface as you can. 
  6. Bake for eighteen minutes or until the surface is a golden color, or if the internal temperature is 165 F, using a meat thermometer. 
  7. Now remove from the oven and transfer the chicken to serving plates. 
  8. Wait about three to five minutes before you put the final garnish of parsley on top. 
  9. Serve with your favorite Thanksgiving side dishes and bread.

Notes Baked Chicken Breast:

For a juicy chicken breast, use a touch of brown sugar in the seasoning. This makes the chicken sweat while it bakes, making a semi-sauce and cooking fast at a high-temperature.

We hope you enjoy our baked chicken breast recipe and would love to hear any feedback!