My Retro Kitchen

Monday, January 11, 2010

It Isn't Always a Bad Thing to be Sneaky

You don't even need to have your own kids to know that it isn't always easy to get children to eat their vegetable's. We have our definite up's and down's when it comes to how much Jackson likes (or is willing) to eat them. Sometimes the only way I can get them into his diet is to be a bit sneaky and hide them in some of his favorites dishes. So when I stumbled across this macaroni and cheese recipe by Hungry Girl. I was dying to give it a try. It takes Jackson's favorite- Mac 'n Cheese and sneakily adds diced cheesy cauliflower to it. It is a wonderful alternative to the high fat neon orange stuff we usually have in our pantry.

This recipe was a HUGE hit. Not only did he gobble it up, but after each bite he had to tell me "Mmmm, this is yummy Mommy!" or "Mommy, this is gooood!" He asks for the "Super Cheesy Mac 'n Cheese" all the time and I feel great about making for him. Plus, Scott and I love it too. The only altering I did to this recipe was to chop up the cauliflower into tiny pieces so he wouldn't notice they were there. Since the first time making it, I can now keep the vegetables larger and he still loves it just as much.

Too-EZ Mac 'n Cheese

Photo and recipe courtesy of Hungry Girl

Ingredients:

1 package Green Giant Family Size Cauliflower & Three Cheese Sauce (freezer aisle)

2 cups uncooked Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend Rotini Pasta (or another whole-wheat or whole-wheat-blend pasta)

3 wedges of The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese

salt and black pepper, to taste

Prepare pasta according to the instructions on the box, and then drain well and set aside. While pasta is cooking, place contents of the cauliflower & sauce package in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave for 12 - 16 minutes, until sauce has melted and cauliflower is hot. Once the bowl is cool enough to handle, remove it from the microwave and add cooked pasta. Set aside. Unwrap cheese wedges and place in a small microwave-safe dish. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth, and then add to the bowl. Mix thoroughly, ensuring that the Laughing Cow cheese is evenly distributed and the pasta and cauliflower are coated in cheese sauce. If you like, season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Sunday, January 10, 2010

My Love for Brussels Sprouts or How My Mom Was Right

"Try it, you'll like it!" How often have you heard that phrase in your life? Millions of times for me! Not only did we have to give new things a taste- we couldn't get up from the table until we at least ate our mandatory spoonful. I was a pretty stubborn kid, and there were many nights I would be sitting alone at the dinner table swearing I would never eat those positively horrible {fill in the blanks}. This drove my sister Bonnie absolutely crazy. For you see she could also not go talk on the phone with her girlfriends or watch TV until she had washed all the dishes (which she couldn't finish until I finished my spoonful)! I was so stubborn that Bonnie would often end up eating my share just so she could get the dishes done faster! (Thank you Bonnie!)

But I wasn't like this forever. I promise. The older I got the wider my tastes got. There weren't many things I truly disliked- except that is for Brussels Sprouts and Asparagus. I honestly couldn't understand why people would actually choose to eat these gross things! Especially Brussels Sprouts. Yuck. Well it turns out that Scott actually loves these weird little cabbages. As a matter of fact he claims they are one of his favorite vegetables. My initial thought was "Seriously?!" But being the good wife that I am, I decided to go on a hunt to find a new recipe that I might be able to at least choke down my mandatory spoonful while leaving the rest for him to finish himself.

Rachael Ray to the rescue! She has a recipe that sauteed the Brussels Sprouts in bacon with shallots- OK, doesn't everything taste better with bacon? We gave it a try and OH. My. GOODNESS. These babies are heaven! Not only did I eat my mandatory spoonful- but I think I was actually fighting with Scott to make sure he didn't get more on his plate then I did. Who would have thunk it?! These are a huge crowd pleaser, and are never a disappointment. Mom I have to say, once in my life I think I actually have a recipe for something better then yours. Don't worry though, I don't see myself saying this again! Since my Brussels Sprouts Epiphany I have tried out a few other recipes, but these remain our absolute favorite!

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Last night we served these as a side dish to a filet and shrimp.

Ingredients:
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 shallot, chopped
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed, small spouts left whole, larger spouts halved
Salt and pepper, to your taste
1 cup chicken broth

Brown bacon in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease. Add extra-virgin olive oil to the pan, 1 turn. Add shallots to the pan and saute 1 to 2 minutes. Add Brussels spouts and coat in oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook Brussels sprouts 2 to 3 minutes to begin to soften, then add broth. Bring broth to a bubble, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Cook 10 minutes, until tender.* Transfer sprouts to a serving dish with a slotted spoon and top with cooked bacon bits.

*A variation of this is too add dried cranberries to the pan to plump them up while the Brussels Sprouts are getting tender. I have never tried it this way, only because I don't tend to have cranberries on hand. But it sounds yummy. If you happen to try this, please let me know how it tastes!

"Life expectancy would grow in leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon." ~Doug Larson