Mac n Cheese- Instant Pot

•   4 cups of water

•   1 tsp. sea salt

•   1/2 tsp. garlic powder

•   2 tbsp. of butter

•   1 pound of uncooked pasta

•   ½ -1 cup of milk or cream

•   2 cups of shredded cheese (whatever you like)

The flavor really changes based on your cheese!

•   Put the water, salt, butter, garlic powder and noodles in the instant pot

•   Close the lid and make sure the valve is on closed

•   Use the MANUAL setting for 4 minutes

•   When the pot beeps, quick release the steam (my pot started squirting out liquid, so keep an eye on that. I just closed it for a second and then opened it again)

•   After the pressure has dropped, remove lid and give a stir

•   Start with adding a ¼ cup of milk and shredded cheese

•   stir until cheese is melted, add more milk if it seems 'dry'

Let sit at warm to let the liquid 'cook' a bit and the flavor to mingle for about 2 minutes

*Cooking time is based off of pasta that the box says to cook 7-8 minutes. The rule of thumb I have found is to do about half of the suggest time for stove top cooking. 
AND YOU CAN HALF THE RECIPE! Same cooking time, 2 cups water to 2 cups pasta.

Bon Appetit,
Helen

Chile Verde Chicken Rice Bowls- Instant Pot

about 2lbs frozen chicken tenders*

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

16 ounces salsa verde (TJ's Green Chile Verde is my fave)

Place all the ingredients in your Instant Pot

Set instant pot to MANUAL for 15 minutes.

When the timer goes off, quick release the pressure and shred the chicken with 2 forks.

Serve over rice. (TJ's frozen brown rice is great if your in a hurry)

Toppings:

CHEESE shredded

Sour Cream

Avocado

*If using chicken breast or larger pieces of chicken add a few minutes cooking time.

Bon Appetit,
Helen

Sugar Cookie Bars

Making sugar cookies is one of those activities that is high on my list of Things That Sound Fun in Theory But Usually Just End Up Being a Royal Pain (other items include carving jack-o-lanterns, shopping at thrift stores, and anything involving a sewing machine). At least once every October/December/February, I get to thinking about how it would be oh-so-cute of me to create pumpkin/star/heart-shaped sugar cookies to take to work/neighbors/a party. So I do it. And inevitably end up thinking “never again” as I’m rolling out dough for the millionth time while every surface of my kitchen is covered in either flour or powdered sugar.

The worst part is that, for me at least, all the repetitive rolling, cutting, baking, and frosting don’t really end up being worth it. Sugar cookies are fine and all, but I’d take a simple drop ‘n bake chocolate chip version over them any day of the week and twice on Sunday. In fact, if chocolate chip cookies required that kind of effort I would still make them on a regular basis because that is the kind of love I have for them.

These bars solve both of my sugar cookie issues, since they are both dead simple to make and a whole lot tastier than your average sugar cookie. All the recipe requires is making a simple dough, spreading it into a pan, and baking. No refrigeration, no rolling pins, no cutters. And making the cookies in bar form eliminates the issue of overbaked edges or dry, rolled-too-thin shapes. The end result is dense and buttery without being too heavy, and moist without becoming too light or fluffy. Plus the recipe is incredibly versatile, as you could serve these bars in whole, sheet-cake fashion, or cut and pile them on a plate for a different sort of presentation. Hell, you could even cut the unfrosted bars with cookie cutters and then decorate them if that’s the kind of crazy you’re into.

Sugar Cookie Bars (from the Keeping Up Coookbook)


1 cup butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 3/4 cups flour

1) Combine butter, cream cheese, and sugar until smooth.
2) Beat in egg, almond extract and vanilla.
3) Add dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated.
4) With a floured knife (I used an offset spatula) spread dough into a greased and floured 12x17 sheet pan (sometimes known as a jelly roll pan).
5) Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, or until light golden brown on top.
6) Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting (recipe follows).

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
splash of milk
food coloring (optional)

1) Blend butter and cream cheese well
2) Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
3) Add vanilla and splash of milk to reach spreadable consistency.
4) Stir in food coloring, if desired.

Cilantro Lime Shrimp

I’ve been in a bit of a cooking rut lately. I blame it on the whirlwind that was the month of May, which found Mike and I either out of town, celebrating a birthday or graduation, or grabbing whatever foodstuffs were handy for dinner while frantically preparing for the aforementioned vacations.

June has brought with it not only a return to our more-or-less usual routine, but also weather so beautiful that it seemed criminal to waste it indoors cooking or strolling the aisles of the grocery store. This means that dinner at the Cassity house lately has consisted of such gourmet offerings as egg salad sandwiches, hot dogs, and cold cereal. Aren’t you jealous?

In an effort to try and get my groove back, I dug some shrimp out of the freezer one morning last week, put them in the fridge to thaw, and started looking around for a recipe. This cilantro lime version I found produced flavorful, succulent shrimp that are the perfect balance of salty, sweet, sour, and hot. Served with some quinoa and a green salad, they were a perfectly light summer meal that came together so quickly that we had plenty of time to bask in the outdoors after dinner. Let’s just not talk about how the shrimp actually took two full days to thaw, so that on the night I planned to cook them we once again forewent a decent home-cooked meal and indulged our lonestar taqueria habit instead. That little debacle is entirely beside the point.

Cilantro Lime Shrimp (from The Gourmet Cookbook)

The recipe recommends sauteeing the shrimp, but I thought the smoky flavor of the grill would complement the flavors nicely so I grilled them instead. I’ve included instructions for both cooking methods. Also, these are originally meant to be served as an appetizer, so if you’re looking to serve them as a main course for more than 2 or 3 people I would up the quantities.

3 garlic cloves
1 1/8 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons olive oil (plus more if sauteeing shrimp)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined (The recipe says 20-24 to the pound but I used 25-31 to the pound)

1) Using a large knife, mince garlic cloves and mash to a paste.
2) Mix garlic with 1 teaspoon salt.
3) Whisk together garlic paste, lime juice, marmalade, cilantro, 3 tablespoons oil, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt,and pepper in a small bowl.
4) Transfer 1/3 cup of the mixture to small serving bowl and reserve for dipping sauce.
5) Combine shrimp with remaining mixture in a large sealable plastic bag and seal bag, pressing out excess air.
6) Marinate shrimp in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, turning the bag once halfway through.
7) Drain shrimp and gently pat dry.
8) To grill shrimp: Thread shrimp onto skewers (if they’re wooden skewers make sure to soak them in water for 15-20 minutes beforehand). Place on an oiled grill and cook over medium heat until shrimp are pink on the outside and opaque (about 1 ½ or 2 minutes per side).
To pan fry: Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large non-stick skillet over moderately high heat.
Add half the shrimp and cook, turning occasionally until shrimp is cooked through, about 3 minutes total. Transfer to a platter and cook the remaining shrimp in 1 1/2 teaspoons of oil.
9) Garnish with cilantro and serve with dipping sauce.

Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream Sandwiches

The last time I posted on this blog, I was all about the chocolate and peanut combination. Well, now it’s time to talk about its more subtle, sophisticated cousin, the one I love most of all: chocolate and hazelnut.

My first introduction to this combo was the ferrero rocher chocolates my mom always bought for Christmas, and oh man did I fall hard for those. Then came nutella, that European chocolate hazelnut spread that puts peanut butter to shame. I still remember eating it in a giant crepe with bananas on the street in Paris. Perfection. But it’s also pretty good on toast or eaten by the spoonful out of the jar. Basically what I’m saying is that I would eat this stuff if it were spread on cardboard.

And now that you know of my undying love of all things chocolate and hazelnut, let’s talk about these ice cream sandwiches. I was given the recipe posted below by my older brother and forgot all about it for a couple of years until I recently cleaned out my recipe folder. I had some chocolate wafers left over from making an icebox cake and, as fate would have it, the same brother who asked me to make them in the first place had recently returned home from grad school in Switzerland and I figured he was due a “welcome home” treat.

So I made these ice cream sandwiches and fell head-over-heels in love. A stellar combination of barely sweet dark cookies, crunchy hazelnuts, smooth chocolate ice cream, and the aforementioned nutella, these chic little frozen treats are the dessert equivalent of those small, elegant cups of after-dinner espresso. They are also the ultimate example of the “quality over quantity” mantra, as one of these tiny sandwiches feels more indulgent and satisfying than a giant Fat Boy. But that’s not to say I’ll judge you for eating two. Heaven knows the terms “restraint” and “nutella” don’t really pair well in my world.

Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream Sandwiches (from Better Homes and Gardens, Sept. 2008)

When I made these I totally ignored the instructions and just spread the nutella to my liking, smeared the ice cream all willy-nilly between the cookies, and pretty much made a giant mess. The end result was good but inconsistent. You couldn't taste the nutella in some of the sandwiches, and the ice cream didn't look very pretty. I would suggest learning from my rebel ways and following the directions instead.

16 chocolate wafer cookies (I used nabisco brand but you can also make your own)
1/3 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (nutella)
1 pint premium chocolate ice cream (I used Haagen Dazs)
1/3 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts*

1) Spread flat side of each wafer with nutella; set aside.
2) Scoop 8 ice cream balls, about 3 tablespoons each, and keep in freezer until ready to assemble.
3) To assemble sandwiches, remove ice cream balls from freezer and allow to soften for one minute.
4) Place 1 ice cream ball on each wafer and top with remaining wafer; press gently together.
5) Sprinkle edges with nuts. Place sandwiches on baking sheet lined with wax paper and freeze for 3 hours, or until firm. To store, freeze up to 2 weeks in self-sealing plastic bags.

*To toast and skin hazelnuts, spread nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes until skins crackle. Wrap hazelnuts in a clean towel and let steam for 5-10 minutes. Rub hazelnuts in towel until skins flake off.

Squirrel Bars

There are few combinations more universally popular than the pairing of chocolate and peanut butter. And there are few examples of this pairing that I love more than squirrel bars. A favorite of my family’s , these cheekily named bars are essentially a peanut butter blondie with swirls of melted semi-sweet chocolate running across the top. They are a perfect combination of salty and sweet and, though they are fairly rich, they impart a generous dose of chocolate and peanut butter flavor without evoking the mouth-filling heaviness of, say, a Reese’s peanut butter cup.

I actually can’t believe it’s taken me this long to post about these, since they are frequently my go-to recipe when someone asks me to bring a treat to a shower, open house, etc. Squirrel bars look a little fancier than your typical brownie or cookie, but are easy and quick to make. Perfect for when you want to change things up a bit but don’t have a lot of time to make anything elaborate. Just be careful serving them to children, since word on the street is that they all have deathly peanut allergies these days.

Squirrel Bars (from the Ivory Favorites cookbook)

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1) Cream together first four ingredients.
2) Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well blended.
3) Stir in flour and baking powder.
4) Spread dough in a greased 9x13 pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips.
5) Bake at 350 for 3 minutes, or until chocolate chips are nice and melted, like this:
6) Remove from oven and marbelize by dragging a butter knife or similar utensil (I use a chopstick) through the chocolate chips, like so:

Until they look like this:
7) Return the bars to the oven and bake for another 18-20 minutes, or until bars are a pale golden brown and set (mine usually don't take that long, so start checking after like 15 minutes).

*Don't be tempted to substitute milk chocolate chips- they don't impart enough chocolate flavor. Also, every time I have made these with chocolate chips that have been sitting in my pantry for quite some time, the end result isn't quite as pretty, since the chips don't melt enough to be marbelized. So if you're looking to achieve the result pictured above, use fresh chocolate chips (one sure sign that chocolate chips are old is if they are kind of white on the outside).

Mediterranean-ish Pasta Salad

This is what I like about pasta salads: they’re easy to make and adapt to your tastes, they can be prepared ahead of time, and they are a relatively inexpensive yet filling dish to serve at a party, shower or other such function where you want to feed people without spending too much money. This is what I don’t like about pasta salads: just about everything else.

Maybe this is because when I think of pasta salad I immediately picture a bland mixture of tri-color pasta, broccoli, and black olives drenched in overly sweet Italian dressing, but even as I type that I realize that even the most artisan cold pasta creations from Tony Caputo’s don’t really do it for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll eat pasta salad (I’ll eat just about anything, really) but it’s never something I go out of my way to procure. I guess at the end of the day I just prefer my pasta served hot (preferably drenched in some kind of tomato cream sauce) and my salads to consist primarily of vegetables.

But like most of my deeply held convictions, I eventually came across an exception to my apathy toward pasta salad. It came in the form of a Mediterranean style pasta salad that my older sister created for a family dinner, and which I have susequently adapted and made for a handful of bridal showers, book club gatherings, etc. In my opinion, what sets this pasta salad apart is the homemade Italian dressing and the way it mingles with the oil of the sun-dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts to create a complex blend of flavors; the high ratio of other ingredients to the pasta (of course, if you like more pasta you can always change this aspect of the recipe, but I prefer more of the other stuff); and the use of whole wheat pasta, which lends a nutty depth to the dish. If there were ever a reason to reconsider my culinary opinions, this pasta salad is it.

Elena's Pasta Salad

When I made this pasta salad for a book club last week, I had every intention of measuring out the ingredients and writing everything down, since people often ask for the recipe and I’m tired of responding with, “well, you just kind of throw a bunch of stuff together…” But life happened and I did end up just throwing everything together in a hurry, like always. So just use these measurements as very loose guidelines and go with whatever ratio looks right to you. As mentioned above, I like to have an equal amount of pasta and non-pasta ingredients, but do whatever you like.

Also, some of the ingredients in this salad might sound fancy but they are actually a Costco shopper’s dream because they stay good for years. I bought big jars of artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, and kalamata olives at Costco for a good price and now they just sit in the back of my fridge until I need them.

1 pound whole wheat spiral pasta
About 1 cup artichoke hearts marinated in oil (not canned), quartered
About ¾ cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
About ½ cup sundried tomatoes, sliced
About 8 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut into bite-sized cubes
About ¾ cup diced tomatoes (I had some baby heirloom tomatoes on hand, so I just used those cut in half)
1 ripe avocado, diced
About ½ cup Italian Dressing (recipe follows)

1) Cook pasta according to package directions and allow to cool to room temperature.
2) Once pasta is cool, place in a bowl with remaining ingredients and stir to combine. If making a day ahead, wait to stir in avocado and dressing until just before serving. Keep refrigerated.

Italian Dressing (via food.com)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon grated parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients in a bottle. Shake to blend. Allow flavors to blend about an hour or so, Will even be more flavorful the following day. Be sure to refrigerate any leftovers.