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.