Holy Cheeseballs!

The weather has been so beautiful the last couple of days! Spring has finally arrived in the Adirondacks.  Everything has started sprouting and budding. I actually have some tulips and daffodils popping out of the ground.  I need to get outside and start getting my yard ready for planting and gardening.  There is raking to be done and it is not going to get done by itself. (But wouldn't that be nice!) I have a beautiful gardening board on my Pinterest, now I just need to cull it for ideas to put into practice.  My wonderful husband has promised me raised beds for my vegetables this year.

Because the weather has been so nice, I have been spending time outside with my Beauty. Once homework has been finished we head outside to ride her bike, scooter or play in the backyard. I have been looking for fun quick dinners.  I found this Grilled Cheese Pull Apart Bread by Oh Bite It on Pinterest a couple days ago and tonight I made it!

All I have to say is OMG!!!!!!!! This was super gooey, super yummy and SUPER bad for you.  It is definitely a "sometime" food to quote my good friend Cookie Monster.

There were a couple of little tweaks I made to this recipe to try to make it a little more healthful and cut down on the calories and fat.  Once I made it I realized that you could probably cut the butter down to 1/4 of a stick and still get the same effect and flavor.  It might even be possible to eliminate it completely from the bottom of the pan (spraying it of course with non stick spray or lining your pan with parchment paper) and just brush the tops of the biscuits.

The original recipe calls for you to use an entire biscuit for each dough ball.  I split each large biscuit into thirds. Also, the original calls for the use of 3/4 of the Velveeta and I cut it down to 12 ounces.

Grilled Cheese Pull-apart Biscuits

1 package Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers Biscuits 8 biscuits

1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup) 

12 ounces Velveeta 2% Milk cut in 1/2 oz cubes

1 tsp garlic powder (optional) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 9 inch round cake pan melt 1/2 stick of butter.  Cube the Velveeta into approximately 1/2 oz portions you will need 24 cubes (I cut each 3 oz square into 6 cubes).  Split each using the layers into 3 portions.  Place a cube of cheese in the center of each biscuit round.  Draw the dough around the cheese like a little purse.  Place each dough ball in the pan.  You will have 24 dough balls.  

Once all the biscuit balls are in the pan.  Place in the oven and cook for 12 minutes.  After the 12 minutes take pan out of the oven and brush the tops with butter.  You will be able to use the butter from the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle the tops with garlic powder if desired and return to the oven for another 12-15 minutes until biscuits are golden brown.  

Let cool 5 minutes before serving.  

This would be a fun recipe served after a day of playing out in the snow with a cup of tomato soup.  We had them with salad.  I can tell you that a little goes a long way.  Because of the butter and the Velveeta they are very rich.  I had enough for my family of 3 and then called my girlfriend to come get the rest to feed her family of 4 on her way home from softball.  

Paradise by the Magnalite

It's here! I finally have a Magnalite pot in my house! Generations of Guillory women in my family have and still cook with Magnalite cookware. My grandmother taught me how to make gumbo it one.  My mother taught me how to make chili in one.  Most recently, my wonderful cousin Patricia taught me how to make her easy crawfish etouffe recipe in one. (One of the biggest Magnalites I have ever seen by the way!)

Four generations of Guillory women. 

 I have seen its re release to the public but refused to use anything but vintage. (Yes, I am a pot snob.)  On my most recent visit to Louisiana and Florida I drooled over all the Magnalite being used to cook Easter dinner.  I tried like the dickens to sneak a pot or two out to our car (believe it or not we drove from New York to Louisiana!).  But to no avail, I left the Sportsman's Paradise Magnalite-less.

I had all but given up my quest when, on the last day in Florida, along with some hand-me-down wall hangings for my house...there it was. Quietly sitting at the bottom of the pile.  My mother's Magnalite GHC 5 quart stock pot. (squee!)  I could barely contain my joy.  OK, I didn't contain my joy. Truth be told I danced around the kitchen with it and then kissed it.

Now my Magnalite is home and sits on my stove.  I can't bring myself to put it away yet.  Tonight I am cooking Patricia's etouffee.  I know it is crazy but my Magnalite makes me feel connected to all the strong, beautiful Guillory women who have come before me. And one day soon, I will teach Keely how to cook her first meal in my Magnalite pot.

Sorry, forgot the Ro*tel. 

Patricia's Easy Crawfish Etouffee

1 lb crawfish tails with juices 

1 can Ro*tel (diced tomatoes) 

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of celery soup

½ cup white wine

½ cup chicken stock

1 large onion (chopped)

1 green pepper (chopped)

2 or 3 garlic cloves (minced) to taste

2 or 3 Tbsp parsley (chopped) to taste

1 stick of butter

Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning (to taste)

In a 4 quart pot over medium heat saute onions, green pepper in butter until soft (about 25 minutes).  Add garlic and cook another 3 minutes stirring constantly so garlic does not burn.

Stir in cream of celery, cream of mushroom, wine and chicken stock.

Increase heat and bring to a boil stirring constantly.

Reduce heat to medium and stir in crawfish and Tony's seasoning(to taste).

Cook for about 10 minutes and reduce heat to low. Sprinkle parsley on top.

Serve over hot rice. 

Being the Yankee Cajun that I am I do not like spicy food.  I put very little heat in my food when I cook it, so I serve this with a bottle of hot sauce. 

What to do for Lunch?

I have a confession to make.

I love cheese sticks. 

Not just any cheese sticks, they have to be Sargento Provolone Mozzarella cheese sticks. I can eat them three at a time.  It is my lunch of choice. It is my snack of choice and quite frankly it is my dessert of choice.  However, I won't eat them cold. They have to be room temperature or warmed slightly in the microwave (5 seconds).  Bump into  me out somewhere and ask to see a cheese stick.... chances are I will have at least one on me. (have cheese will travel)
I know that this is not a healthy lunch choice and really can't be done everyday with out some serious gastro-intestinal distress.  So I have a rotating line-up of quick and easy lunches that I make for myself.  All recipes serve 1.

Quick and Easy Shrimp Salad

5 boiled shrimp (16-20 count size)
1/2 Hass avocado
1 hard boiled egg
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp Hellmann's mayonnaise

Dice shrimp, avocado and hard boiled egg. In a small bowl toss diced shrimp, avocado and egg with lemon juice and mayo until well dressed.  Serve on bed of lettuce if desired.

California Roll Salad

4 oz Trans Ocean Shred Style Imitation Crab
1/4 Hass avocado diced
1/4 cup diced cucumber
1/4 cup white rice
2oz cream cheese (optional) cubed
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp ginger paste

In a small bowl combine imitation crab, avocado, cucumber, rice and diced cream cheese.  In an small bowl whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, lemon juice and ginger.  Pour dressing over salad ingredients and mix to combine.

Mozzarella Rollatini Salad

3oz Mozzarella Prosciutto rollatini  diced
     or 3oz mozzarella pearls and 1/8 cup diced prosciutto
1/4 cup diced roma tomatoes
1/4 garbanzo beans (optional)
1 tbsp balsamic glaze
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped romaine lettuce

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Drizzle with glaze and olive oil.  Serve over 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce.

My current favorite lunch is a spinach and cheese stuffed pita. Sort of like a mini calzone with out the ricotta cheese.

Skinny Calzone

1 pita bread
1/2 cup baby spinach
1/4 cup tomato sauce (I used Classico Florentine)
1/4 cup Italian blend shredded cheese
6 pieces reduced fat pepperoni

On a microwave safe place place pita bread. Slice just the top of the pita and open.  Spoon 1/8 cup of sauce on bottom.  Stuff with Baby spinach. Spoon remaining sauce over top of spinach and add pepperoni.  Finish with cheese.

Cover plate and microwave for 2 minutes until cheese is melty and bubbly.

That is it. Simple and easy. I have even  made this with out the pita and just put everything in a shallow bowl.  Just a yummy and less carbs.

Dear St. Jude...

Dear St. Jude, I really would like to make chili.  I am not asking you to help me find the chili but rather my can opener that I need to get into the 7 cans that go into my chili.  Love, Kim

As you can see I have lost my can opener.  I did not realize how much I actually used my can opener until I found myself without it.  Every meal I have thought to cook this week requires said can opener. Chili being the worst offender. I did not realize it was missing until Tuesday.   I went to make the creamed corn to go with our tamales.  I got the corn out of the cabinet and looked where my can opener should be... no can opener. I glanced around the counters...no can opener. What the what?  Think Kim, when was the last time you used it?  Friday, self. I used it Friday to open a bazillion cans of sauce, crushed tomatoes and paste for me to make the 6 gallons of meat sauce for the Girl Scouts spaghetti supper. *HEAD SLAP* Oh no, I left my beloved and apparently hardest working kitchen tool at the spaghetti supper!

So I have been operating this week with one of those little poke and push can openers.  The creamed corn looked like something came and chewed the top off.  Wednesday we had chicken parm with spaghetti and I used a jar of Classico sauce (if I can't make my own sauce this is the only sauce I will use.  Right now one of the grocery stores around here has a great deal on Classico sauces so I have allotted $10 in my shopping budget to get 5 jars every time I go to the store until the special is over.).  Thursday we went out to eat after going to the movies (Jack the Giant Slayer at our second run theater in town.  Such a good movie.) My initial thought was to have chili waiting in the crock pot when we got home then I remembered my missing can opener. Tonight I made cheese enchiladas.  I am getting better with my poke and push can opener it only took me 10 minutes to open this can.  Hopefully someone picked up my can opener at the dinner. Until then my sister (who lives down the block) loaned me one, apparently she has 3!

It has been a little while since I posted a recipe (I have a bunch coming. I went to Louisiana over spring break and got to cook with my family!) So here is my Enchilada recipe from dinner tonight.

Easy Cheesy Enchiladas

8 - 6 inch flour tortillas
16 oz queso blanco
1 cup shredded cheese blend
28 ounce mild red enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.  Pour just enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of the baking dish.
Cut the queso blanco cheese into 8 2 ounce strips.
Roll cheese tightly in tortillas placing them seam side down in baking dish.
Pour remaining enchilada sauce over of rolled tortillas and top with shredded cheese.

Cover dish and bake for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.  Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.  Enchiladas will sort of flatten out.

Serve with spanish rice and refried beans.

Losing Myself in "Reality"

I found myself wishing in recent days for the time when I would get indignant over behaviors in people like trying to go through the drive thru at the bank without your transaction in order.  I worked in a bank for a while and it never ceased to amaze me the people who would pull up and not only ask for a deposit ticket but a pen as well! (I know, the nerve right?!) As the drive thru teller I would give them everything they asked for and if it was a Friday make them pull around the bank to the back of the line.

Another job I had was as a checker in a grocery store.  Again, I would marvel at how people would come through the express lane (10 items or less back then) with way more than the allotted number of items (30 cans of cat food does not count as 1 item) AND then want to write a check.  What part of express did you not catch?

Then Columbine was huge, Timothy McVeigh did the unthinkable, Susan Smith was a monster mother who drowned her own babies. My heart stopped during the Atlanta Olympics because I could not get ahold of my sister for a day and a half.  Slowly these events started happening more and more.  More school shootings, more bombings, more kidnappings, more acts of terror, more insanity, more and more and more.

There is a laundry list of things I have to worry about for my own child.  Will she be snatched out of my front yard?  Camps and counselors are thoroughly investigated before they get ahold of my precious beauty.  How are the children who have grown up with her going to accept her when they get into middle school?  How much do I tell her and how much do I keep from her?  We did not talk about Sandy Hook.  I did not have on regular TV after the Boston Marathon bombings.  Am I doing her a disservice or truly preserving the innocence of childhood in her?

With all this weighing heavy on my mind.  Between errands and chores today I thought I would get lost in a little reality television.  I decided on Wife Swap (I did not know this was even still on!) I pulled up the first episode On Demand and settled in.  It was a nice relaxing escape from the real world.  I am a reality TV JUNKIE.  I love it.  Scripted or not, I love peeking into other people's lives.  It is my true escape from the world at large.  I can forget everything that is going on and just focus on the train wreck that is reality television.

Now excuse me, I need to get back to Toy Hunter.

Why?

My thoughts and prayers go out to all in Boston in this time of sorrow and confusion.