Spinach and Artichoke Mac & Cheese - Rachael Ray

Ingredients

• Salt
• 1 pound regular or whole wheat penne
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 cups milk
• A few grates fresh nutmeg
• 1 box frozen chopped spinach (10 ounces), defrosted and wrung dry in a kitchen towel
• 1 box frozen chopped artichokes (10 ounces), defrosted and wrung dry in a kitchen towel
• Ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Italian fontina cheese, plus additional for sprinkling on top
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus additional for sprinkling on top

Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF.
Place a large pot of water over high heat to cook the pasta. When the water is boiling, salt it well and drop in the pasta. Cook to al dente, according to the package directions.
While the pasta is cooking, place a medium pot over medium-low heat with two turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons, and the butter. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook them until very soft, about 10 minutes.
Turn the heat up to medium-high and sprinkle the flour into the pan. Cook for about 1 minute, then whisk the wine into the pan, cooking for another minute to burn off the alcohol. Whisk the milk into the pan and bring up to a bubble. Add the nutmeg, veggies and some salt and pepper to the sauce and simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Add the cheeses to the sauce and stir until melted.
Toss the prepared sauce with the cooked pasta and transfer to a casserole dish. Sprinkle some more of the fontina and Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses over the top and bake until the cheese has melted and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

I've made this before and I love it, its addicting! It has been getting so cold and I wanted something comforting to make, mac & cheese makes for the perfect comfort food.

I did make some changes. First I have never added nutmeg when making this, maybe I will one day but for now I'm anti-nutmeg. I also use artichokes canned in water. I usually buy everything the day I make it and defrosting them would probably take longer. I used a small onion because the store didn't have larger ones and they are easier to chop. Another thing to point out is the Parmigiano Reggiano is kind of like really fancy and expensive Parmesan. I use it because it does taste really good, but if you can't find it or don't want to pay $12 for cheese use Parmesan.

Have a great week :) The holiday countdown is on!

Chili-lime fish fry with Tex-Mex Peperonata - Rachael Ray

First the Veggies:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup beer or chicken stock
• Handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, for garnish

Directions

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, the hot and sweet peppers, garlic, and salt and pepper, to taste. Saute the onion mixture until crisp-tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cook 2 minutes. Add the beer or stock and stir for 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter, garnish with cilantro and serve. 

You can start the fish while making the peperonata:

Ingredients

• 4 tilapia fillets
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 limes, zested and juiced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder, a couple of palmfuls
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2/3 palmful
• 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2/3 palmful
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme leaves or 2 teaspoons dried
• 1/4 cup vegetable, canola or safflower oil

Directions

Season the fish with salt and pepper. Arrange 3 shallow dishes. Put the flour in 1 dish and add the eggs to the second dish. Combine the bread crumbs in the third dish and season with 1 tablespoon of lime zest, 2 tablespoons of chili powder, the garlic powder, onion powder and thyme. Coat the fish in the flour, then the egg and then the bread crumbs.

Heat the oil, about 1/4 cup, in large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. If your pan is not large enough to fry 4 fillets, in a single layer, heat the oven to 275 degrees F and put a cooling rack on a baking sheet. As you fry the fish, transfer them to the rack in the oven to keep warm. Fry the fish until deeply golden and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes, and transfer to a serving platter. Season with a little extra salt, top with lots of lime juice and serve.

This was really yummy. I served mine with tortillas; my mom and I ate them like fajitas. I served it with whole grain rice, which I mixed with the peperonata to soak up the sauce. I've also never cooked fish, I'm really glad I took the risk!

I cooked the fish in olive oil, I always use olive oil. I think the oil itself is healthy and I don't really care for the taste of vegetable oil. I also cut down the chili powder just a little, I've made some of her food before and its been VERY spicy but this time it was right on.

As a note: be careful when you cut jalapeno peppers. The first time I cut and seeded them I did it with out using plastic gloves; I had to soak my hands in milk because the seeds are crazy spicy. Jalapenos themselves are mild, but the ribs and seeds are very hot. While my friend Lili was amused (and felt bad) at the situation, it was really uncomfortable. My mom and I laughed about it tonight actually, lesson learned :)

White Chocolate Gingerbread Blondies - Martha Stewart

I made these for my cookie swap tonight. Delicious!

Ingredients

• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
• 2 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 1/2 sticks (20 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
• 10 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 17-by-12-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Line bottom with parchment cut to fit, and coat parchment. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
Beat butter and brown and granulated sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs and yolk, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in white chocolate.
Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake until edges are golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 2-inch squares or desired shape.

Tonight I'm off to a cookie swap, so I made these :) They came out very dense, much like a hermit cookie. The white chocolate is awesome with it!

These weren't hard to make, the hardest part was spreading the batter into the pan. Its very thick and kept moving the parchment paper around. Well worth it though. I can't wait to try everyone's cookies!!