Still here, still behind, but not giving up!

Hi, everyone. Here I am again. I'm so behind, but I am getting better. I have posted several things on my creative writing blog in the past couple of weeks, but haven't been cooking much lately, so didn't really have much to say here. Money is tight right now, so I haven't made anything requiring more than a few ingredients. I made tacos two days ago - I had tortillas and shells on hand, had plenty of hamburger and a pack of taco seasoning in the pantry. I had also bought some cheddar on sale recently, so had the cheese, too. I sent a message to my daughter so she'd bring home lettuce and tomatoes. I put some French fries in the oven (I know - they don't really go with tacos, but I wanted something else) that I had seasoned with Parmesan cheese and steak seasoning. I haven't made tacos in years, if ever, so I wasn't sure what to expect from the taco seasoning, but it wasn't at all what I had expected (I expected something sharply bitter from the chili powder). I was happy with it. I was happy I had the fries, though, because it just didn't seem like enough. My daughter, though, was happy with just tacos. 

The original recipe from Plain Chicken blog

Right now, I'm thawing chicken broth to make another batch of mac-n-cheese from the no-boil recipe I posted a while back. I love it!! I never have creme cheese on hand, but have had sour cream that I used instead and it turned out perfectly fine. This time is no different, other than I'll have to shred the cheese myself. That's OK. It's really good cheese. I'd like to get some sharper cheddar, but I'll use what I can afford to buy and this was on sale for $.99 for 8 ounces. That's $2/pound - a good price by any standard.


I have gone out a couple times with friends recently and had some pretty good food. A week ago, a friend from Utah was here for a brief visit and we all went to a local diner. They were impressed by the quantity of food that came for the price. I'm pretty sure they ate their leftovers for breakfast since their flight was scheduled for the next morning. But, I had ordered "steakhouse" chops because it sounded pretty good. The kitchen instead cooked breaded pork chops, but that was OK since I like them, too. And, they were really quite good, not at all greasy, and definitely moist inside. I couldn't eat both of them, so I brought one home that my daughter ate.

An example of Vegetarian Thali

Earlier that day, my guy friend and I had eaten lunch at an Indian restaurant next to the Starbucks he likes. Because their lunch specials were close to ending, we ate before getting coffee and I had the non-vegetarian Thali (a "sampler" meal that gives a little taste of several different dishes all on one tray). My meat choices were Chicken Tikka Masala (a creamy tomato curry) and Lamb Curry as well as Dal Mahkani (lentils), Basmati rice, Raita (a yogurt cucumber sauce that reminds me of Tzatziki sauce), papadam crisps and Naan bread. Other than the Raita, I love all of it!


Then, this past Wednesday night, the same friend decides to go to another Indian restaurant where he had seen a sign for AYCE buffet for $9.99. He stopped by after his class, which is unusual, so it was at least 9PM when we got there. They were pretty busy, too, because that day was the Hindu Festival of Lights and many families stopped by after they attended whatever services or festival they attend for the holiday. The main waiter told me they hadn't expected many customers because of the holiday, and he was apologizing for how noisy it was (kids running and playing, one screaming, which I can live without), but it was interesting how apologetic he was. Then he explained how he used to work for a restaurant in Florida and most of his customers were non-Indian, where up here in New Jersey, most of the customers were Indian. I kind of got the feeling that he thought that bothered me, which it didn't. It just means their food is genuine when those who grew up on it flock to enjoy it. It was more the decibel level I had a problem with and that wouldn't matter WHO was causing it. But, I enjoyed the food and will be looking forward to going there again for their weekend buffet sometime in the future.


At the moment, I am straining the chicken broth that is finally thawed to remove the bits of seasoning and vegetables my daughter had added to it when she made her soup. I don't think they'll work well in the mac-n-cheese. At the very least, they'll alter the appearance, I think, to something not so pleasant to look at. Not that I have the proper strainer. I'm using a colander lined with paper towels. LOL Ya gotta do what works!


That's about it for today. I hope to be posting more often, even if not every day. I know I've said that before, but honestly - I mean it! They've predicted snow (IN OCTOBER) for the weekend. As much as I hate the summer heat, I'm definitely not ready for snow! LOL Stay warm!!

Plain Chicken's No-Boil Mac & Cheese - Worth a Second Post!

It's been quite a while since I posted and I am sorry. I really haven't done much cooking during this horrible heat we've been having. The desire to work in the kitchen just hasn't been there. But, I threw this together last night and am so happy with the results after a few tweaks that I had to tell you about it.

Steph's Casserole

Plain Chicken: No-Boil Mac & Cheese: "This was the best traditional baked mac & cheese we've ever made. It was SO simple and SOOO delicious! The best part about this mac & che..."

That's how Steph's blog begins for this wonderfully easy mac n cheese recipe. Now, I don't know that it's the best I've ever had, but it's sure up there with the best!

I already blogged about this before, but now that I made it again with some adjustments, I can safely say it will be my primary mac n cheese recipe from now on!

The first time I made it, I used her directions other than the cream cheese - I didn't have any, so I used sour cream instead. Although it tasted wonderful, the macaronis just weren't fully cooked and it was a bit on the hard side. I attributed that in part to the fact that I had used two casserole dishes to make it. But this time, I used slightly more than 2 cups of chicken stock and more than a cup of milk as well as the sour cream instead of the cream cheese. Plus, I baked it in one of my dutch ovens instead of splitting it between two casserole dishes. I also downgraded the oven temp to 350 from 375 and cooked it for 40 minutes. It turned out fantastic.

Now, this comes out pretty solid, so if you want yours a bit looser, you might add even more liquid. I haven't tried that yet to guarantee it, but this recipe is good enough that it deserves several efforts to see how it turns out.

The other thing that's different about what I did than the recipe is that the chicken stock I used is simply salted water that chicken was poached in. I didn't want to see all that flavor tossed down the drain, so I packed it in containers and froze it. I am sure glad I did!!

No-Boil Mac & Cheese by Plain Chicken

Plain Chicken: No-Boil Mac & Cheese: "This was the best traditional baked mac & cheese we've ever made. It was SO simple and SOOO delicious! The best part about this mac & che..."

These are the first words you'll find in Plain Chicken's blog entry for this absolutely wonderful recipe. I haven't cooked much in a while, as you have noticed, I'm sure. But, when I saw this recipe and knew I had pretty much all the ingredients (and knowing that I LOVE macaroni and cheese), I just HAD to make it. Of course, it was after 9:00 when I began, but I've never been much of a clock watcher when it comes to eating, so when the mood strikes, I follow it.

I am so glad I did. First, let me tell you of some adjustments I had to make out of necessity. The first was the cream cheese. I had none. And, I didn't have money to buy any. But, I had ricotta on hand, so guess what? I used ricotta cheese. Secondly, I didn't have four cups of cheddar cheese. I had about three cups of Mexican blend cheddar and Jack plus shredded Mozzarella. Guess what again? I used it! Thirdly, I didn't have onion salt. Instead, I used dried minced onion. It turned out just fine. Lastly, I added more liquid because it just seemed like it needed it. I was right. But, that could be just me, so follow the recipe the first time and make that decision for yourself.

The thing I loved most of all about this was that it was all thrown together into one dish (or, in my case, two dishes since I didn't have a single dish big enough) and put into the oven. No pots of boiling water heating up the already warm kitchen from this summer heat, no pots coated with sticky cheese sauce that would then be poured over the already cooked macaroni, and no major mess in the kitchen. I did use a large bowl to mix everything because of the already mentioned lack of a large casserole dish, but since nothing is baked into it, it's easy to clean.

I will say this, though. Be sure to add the flour BEFORE you add the cheese and macaroni. It will be easier to blend into the liquid that way. Despite that, it turned out wonderful!

Now, I'm a big fan of easy, so I am absolutely thrilled with this recipe and that it turned out so well. It's obviously flexible or it wouldn't have turned out so well with the adjustments I made. And, it's so much easier to put unboiled macaroni in than it is to know when it's reached the al dente stage. In fact, it wasn't until I made no-boil lasagna that I finally had a wonderful firm pan of lasagna that didn't slip-slide away while it was being cut, so I'm a huge no-boil fan. And, trust me - you don't need no-boil pasta to make a no-boil recipe. That's just an added expense that's unnecessary. I just make sure there's enough liquid for the pasta to absorb while it's cooking - which is what this needed for me. I think it's because I used two smaller casserole dishes instead of one large one. I probably should have reduced the cooking time, but no matter. I'm just so happy with how it turned out.

Don't be afraid to try this one. It'll be worth it!