Pantry Diving - Roasted Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

If you want to be a good cook, you have to act like a good cook. If you are going to take your time in the kitchen seriously, you have to take cooking seriously. Be well equipped; that is to say, be prepared when you step in front of the stove. It creates an experience of ease and comfort as opposed to panic and fury. Quality pots, pans and knives will not only make your food taste better but if you look the part, you are more likely to BECOME the part. GOOD TOOLS HELP YOU WORK BETTER. I don’t recommend running out tomorrow and replacing everything you use to cook (caution: will break bank) but over time, begin to collect cooking utensils so that when you need a whisk…you actually own one.

Now that you have the tools, you need the food. The other crucial component to eating, no? A well-stocked pantry allows you to find inspiration for meals AND the ingredients on hand when you are ready to fire up and make a great meal.

For me, the place I dread most while toting my two little ones around, is the grocery store. So, when I do go, I try to pick up items that I need for tonight’s dinner and items that I know I'm going to use in the near future. I also form recipes and ultimately, entire dinners, in my head as I browse the aisles. This sounds very crazy (and probably is) but for me, it keeps me sane. I always begin in produce. This is where I pick up my lunch items like salad, deli meat, veggies and fruit. This is also where you can pick up fresh spices like thyme, basil and oregano. Fresh spices go bad FAST so if you are making a special recipe, splurge and get what you need. Otherwise, make sure you always have dried spices if you need to substitute.

The other end of the store is the dairy section and that is primarily where I get all I need for breakfast. For most, breakfast (especially during the work week) is a non-event, so not much ADVANCE thought needed.So, the rest of the store is where I focus my DINNER energy on. There are a number of items I just always have on hand for a quick weekday meal. Pasta is big in my house. Yes, I know the evil, diet-crushing item that many would never let pass their lips but hey, I am the first to admit I'm a carbohydrate girl living in a carbohydrate world. Pasta is easy, versatile and my daughter and husband could eat it every night of the week (but we don't).So after I pick up my pasta selections like linguine, mini shells and penne, I have to figure out what I'm making with them. Now, as a good Italian woman, I always have a few Tupperware bowls filled with marinara in the freezer for when we just want the traditional pasta with red sauce; but most of the time I like to spice it up. Also, if I'm going with a one-pot wonder, I try to add veggies and meat so I know we are getting a rounded out meal. Also, less pasta in the bowl gives you that pasta feel and not ALL the carbs...hey, I am still trying to keep my girlish figure here.I'm also in love with canned artichokes in water. I’m not talking out the marinated ones drenched in oil but the ones packed in water taste fantastic in some olive oil, lemon, garlic and frozen peas. Just throw it all in a skillet and cook your pasta of choice. If you want to be really special, cut up some pancetta too and it adds salt and a nice crunch.So, these are some of the items I have in the pantry; fresh, canned veggies, frozen ones too, lemons, garlic and chicken stock. I use chicken stock almost every night! You'll see it a lot in my recipes and it’s a quick way to make a sauce or a soup.

Cheese is also always in my shopping cart. Grilled cheese sandwiches for my daughter is a lunch stand by, we need Parmigiano for pasta, and mozzarella and cheddar are good to have on hand for recipes on the fly.

So this post’s recipe is made in honor of diving into your pantry at a moment's notice and grabbing what you need, any night of the week. It’s good for the kids, the hubby and even company, just serve it with some chicken and enjoy.

Macaroni and Cheese with Roasted Butternut Squash

1 lb mini shell or elbow pasta
Olive Oil and 2 tablespoons Butter
3 tablespoons flour
Salt and Pepper
Oregano, dried
1/2 cup onion, chopped in ¼ inch pieces
½ cup milk
1 ½ cup chicken stock
½ cup grated mozzerella
1 ½ cup mild, shredded cheddar
½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano
1 Cup Ritz Crackers, crushed

1 Butternut Squash cut into ½ cut dice and roasted in oven at 425 with olive oil and salt and pepper for 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Do not overcook or will end up as mush after baking. While pasta is cooking, make the sauce. In a pot, melt olive oil (about a tablespoon) in the pan with butter. Once butter is liquid, add onion and sauté until translucent.
Then, add a pinch of oregano, a teaspoon salt and teaspoon of pepper and flour to the pot. WHISK all this together until the flour has turned a deep brown. Make sure the heat in on medium/low or the flour will turn black and you will have to start over.

Then, add ½ cup of milk and stir quickly until it becomes a paste consistency. This will happen very quick. Then, add the chicken stock and let all the ingredients come together to a boil. Now, turn the heat very low and add the cheddar and mozzarella and stir until thick and creamy.

Add the roasted butternut squash to the sauce and stir until combined. You will now have a light orangey goodness with squash floating all through. Taste it and make sure it has enough salt. IF it doesn’t, add a teaspoon at a time until you are happy with the flavor.

Now put it all in a big bowl with the cooked pasta and mix it all together. Pour the combined mixture into a buttered baking dish and top with crushed Ritz crackers and the Parmigiano.
Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Happy Valentines Day! - Lady in Red Velvet Cupcakes

I think the best part of any holiday is the cooking. Yes, surprise, surprise, for me, the holidays are all about the food. So, when February rolled around, I immediately starting thinking about Valentine’s Day and all the delish desserts I would begin craving. While for most, the highlight of Valentine’s Day is the big box of chocolates you try to avoid but ultimately work your way through, I try to figure out which dessert will be the finale of my Valentine’s dinner.

Last year, I made chocolate cake. It was the real deal. Three layers, mounds of chocolate frosting and really moist chocolate cake. The recipe can be found on the back of Hershey’s cocoa powder. It’s HANDS DOWN the best chocolate cake you will ever eat; so I say, why mess with perfection. The recipe is also very simple, so I highly recommend it when you have a major chocolate craving, birthday or, you know, Wednesday.

This year, though, without explanation, as Valentine’s Day approached, I got the strongest craving for Red Velvet cupcakes. I love cupcakes because they are portable cake, so, what’s not to love? What I wanted to do, though, was freshen up the recipe because, while I love the moistness of red velvet cake, the frosting recipe in most cookbooks leaves much to be desired.
I’ll begin by saying I’m not a frosting fanatic. I hate the fake stuff in the can because it tastes just that, fake. So, most of the time, I make my own but still end up scraping it most of it off. Therefore, I was on a quest to rid my little cakes of the usual butter/cream cheese concoction that just leaves me feeling like why the heck didn’t I just take a stick of butter out of the fridge (à la Homer Simpson) and eat it whole. It’s kind of what you’re doing anyway. I still wanted the traditional cheese flavor but not all that butter. The butter is an integral part of the recipe as it smooths out the cream cheese so that the frosting will have a thin, spreadable consistency but I just thought there had to be a better, not butter, way.

I think my favorite spreadable cheese is MASCARPONE. It’s Italian (of course) It comes in a little plastic tub and you can find it the specialty cheese section of most grocery stores. It’s just like American cream cheese, but better. If you have ever had Tiramisù, you’ve eaten it. It’s really smooth and not as tart as cream cheese. It’s very mellow which allows for other ingredients to be added to it, and really shine. In addition, it feels like butter so I thought maybe this could provide me with an elegant substitution. Combining the Italian and the American really worked (just like me, HA!). I sweetened the two cheeses with some confectioners’ sugar. Not the FOUR AND A HALF cups that other recipes suggested (yuck!). Instead I used 1 cup and found it to be just enough (for me). You can add more if you wish. A splash of vanilla added the second layer of flavor and finally, what I think really “made it” was the lemon juice and zest I added: they took it from good to great.

I am really happy with the final product here because I took a classic, Southern favorite and made a better tasting version that my Valentines will know came straight from my heart.

Cupcakes:

Makes 12 or 6 Bakery Size (my preference, Just buy JUMBO muffin liners and add 5 min to cooking time)

1 1/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon(s) unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
1/2 cup(s) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup(s) sugar
2 large eggs
Zest of ½ lemon
1/2 cup(s) buttermilk
1 tablespoon(s) liquid red food coloring
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
1 /2 teaspoon lemon juice
Frosting
8 ounce(s) mascarpone cheese
8 ounces cream cheese
Juice of ½ lemon
Zest of ½ lemon
1 cup(s) confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

Directions
Cupcakes: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the muffin tins and spray with PAM. I do this because I hate when ½ your cupcake ends up on the paper and let’s face it, licking the paper liner is just not attractive. In a small bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Then add buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and lemon juice. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture in thirds, alternating with buttermilk mixture, until blended. Beat 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally, until batter is smooth. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a pick inserted into cupcakes comes out clean. Let cool in pan 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.
Frosting: In a food processor, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and zest and beat until smooth and fluffy.

Frost cupcakes and try not to eat them all before your Valentine comes home. If you do, hide the evidence!