Penne with Five Cheeses

07 Friday Jun 2013

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This delicious five-cheese pasta dish is super easy to put together, can be made ahead and includes quality ingredients that everyone loves. The Nugget DEVOURED this and even stood at the empty casserole dish scraping the bits from the side of the dish. In fact, one of the first comments when we heard was “put this in the dinner rotation.” Can’t ask for a better review than that!

Penne with Five Cheeses | The Barefoot Contessa
We found this dish out of necessity – and we’re so glad we did. Cindy had to make a pasta dish for a dinner party, and when we need a “no fail” dish, we turn to Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa. Needless to say, this dish was a hit at the party, and is now a hit in our home.

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This is more than our usual four or five ingredient list, but trust us, it is a simple dish to assemble. We wouldn’t share if it was too hard to put together!

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All five of these glorious cheeses – just waiting to melt together into a heavenly mix.

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Mix all ingredients in one big bowl. See what we mean when we say super easy?!

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Pour into a casserole dish and dot with little butter pieces… because all that cream and five cheeses just aren’t enough! Did we mention this isn’t a skinny dish?

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Bake until the edges are bubbling and the center is hot.

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Is your mouth watering? The five cheeses and fresh basil make this dish smell like something out of a little Italian restaurant. And the taste? Mangia bene!

Here’s the recipe
Ingredients:
Kosher salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup crushed tomatoes in thick tomato puree
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano (1 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup shredded imported Italian fontina (1 1/2 ounces)
1/4 cup crumbled Italian Gorgonzola (1 1/2 ounces)
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1/4 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 pound imported penne rigate pasta
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil in a stockpot.

Combine all the ingredients except the penne and butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.

Drop the penne into the boiling water and parboil for 4 minutes. Drain well in a colander and add to the ingredients in the mixing bowl, tossing to combine.

Divide the pasta mixture among 6 shallow ceramic gratin dishes (1 1/2 to 2-cup capacity), or pour into one large casserole dish. Dot with the butter and bake until bubbly and brown on top, 7 to 10 minutes in ramekins or 10 – 15 minutes in a casserole dish.

Nom. nom. nom.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeños

23 Thursday May 2013

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By now you should know Blended Kitchen LOVES bacon. We also love spicy. We also love cheese. Today, we’re having a bit of a ménage à trois with our three loves as we combine them into one absolutely fabulous appetizer.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeños | Blended Kitchen
Prepare to fall in love with bacon all over again when you bite into these delicious little peppers. A little bit spicy, a little bit creamy and a little bit bacon-y? There’s absolutely nothing better than these.

finished jalapenos

Ahhhh, the love…

Ingredient picture

3 ingredients – bacon, jalapeños and cream cheese. Center cut bacon is the least fatty cut of bacon, so we prefer to use that. Turkey bacon can also be used if you’re looking for a healthier option.

Now, this point of preparation is VERY IMPORTANT. DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EYES OR PICK YOUR NOSE FROM THIS POINT ON! The heat from the jalapeños can stay on your fingers for a few hours – and cause a lot of tears. Wear thin kitchen gloves if you want, but we just use the spoon, lots of cold water and try to remember the above tip!

cleaned jalapeno

Place all the jalapeño halves on a tray and pat dry with a paper towel.

Fill the jalapeno cavity with cream. cheese. Reduced fat can be used.

Fill each jalapeño half with cream cheese.

Wrap one slice of bacon around each jalapeno half.

Wrap each jalapeño half with bacon, wrapping the ends under the jalapeño.

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Place the wrapped jalapeños on a foil covered pan.

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The bacon will start to brown and the cheese will start to bubble after approximately 15 – 20 minutes. Ovens can vary in temperature so keep an eye on it.

finished jalapenos

Can you feel the love? We’re feeling hot, hot, hot!

Here’s the recipe
Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
12 fresh jalapeño peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 package of center cut bacon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Spread cream cheese into jalapeño pepper halves; wrap each with a piece of bacon. While wrapping, tuck each bacon end under the jalapeño to keep it from unraveling.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 – 20 minutes. Due to oven temperatures varying, keep an eye on the jalapeños.

When the bacon is sizzling and the cream cheese is melted, remove from the oven and enjoy!

Nom. nom. nom.

Slow Cooker Rolls

16 Thursday May 2013

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Summer’s heating up and the last thing we want to do is heat up the oven, too. That’s why we love our slow cooker. It’s such a great way to cook things in the summer when the weather is hot but you want to keep your kitchen cool. When we realized you could cook dinner rolls or a loaf of bread in the slow cooker, we thought we’d give it a try.

Slow Cooker Rolls | Pinterest
Sometimes we get that carb craving, where we just want a nice, warm roll with our dinner. It’s the perfect treat with a summer salad, and an even more perfect treat when you don’t have to heat up your oven to get one!

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We tried and succeeded with these Rhodes Texas rolls, which you can find in the freezer section. We tried this method twice. The first time we thawed the rolls completely (below). The second time, we put the frozen dough in with no thaw and they turned out great with a little extra time in the crock pot.

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We started by laying a piece of parchment paper in the slow cooker. No cooking spray needed, just place the paper in there and place the dough on it. Keep a little space between the dough knowing it’s going to rise and grow together. Turn the cooker on high and let it work its magic.

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This is how the rolls looked after about 40 minutes. The smell was just starting to waft through the kitchen like fresh bread baking. Mmmm!

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After about an hour and 10 minutes, this is what we found. Beautiful golden edges and the smell of heavenly goodness. Our mouths are watering just thinking about these rolls!

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Look how the bottom cooked up nicely. Very easy to pull apart.

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Perfect and ready for the butter table. Such a great way to serve fresh rolls in the hot summer!

Keep in mind that slow cookers can vary in their cooking. Some may have “hot spots” resulting in uneven cooking. We used a Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker (not expensive at all!) and it turned out great both times. Keep an eye on the rolls after approx 50 minutes.

Here’s the recipe
Ingredients:
Parchment Paper
Dough – fresh homemade, frozen, or frozen rolls.  If using thawed or fresh, the cooking time will be reduced from using the frozen

Directions:
Place parchment paper in slow cooker to cover the bottom and sides of the slow cooker.

Put the dough (fresh or frozen) into the slow cooker and turn the cooker on high.

Let the rolls cook for 50 min, and then check on them. If you used frozen dough, the rolls may take up to 1 hr and 10 min to cook through.

Pull the rolls out of the slower cooker and get the butter out – these rolls are ready to eat!

Nom. nom. nom.

Margarita Cupcakes

02 Thursday May 2013

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Happy Cinco de Mayo! Today is the day we are celebrating our inner Mexican heritage, or maybe just our love for Arizona – which is by Mexico. That counts, right? Or maybe our love for Margaritas – which is what we drink in Arizona. Or maybe our love for cupcakes – which is what we eat after drinking Margaritas. How about Margarita Cupcakes? This is a great way to celebrate ANYTHING.

Margarita Cupcakes | Recipe Girl
When we stumbled (not because of the tequila) upon these cupcakes, we knew we had to try these for Cinco de Mayo. Not only did the picture look so pretty, but what a great combination (Cupcakes and margs? HELLO! Those are two of our favorite things!) We shared these with the family after making them and it was fun to watch the faces of the people eating them. Was it salty? Sweet? What is this? I’ve never had anything like this! The icing is great! Oooh it’s so limey (is that a word?). It really does taste like a margarita. Pick up the ingredients and try it yourself. You won’t be sorry – but it’s probably best to keep them away from the kids.

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Get out the tequila and lime, it’s Margarita Cupcake time!

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These festive ingredients will get the party started.

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Whisk together margarita mix and tequila in a small bowl. Measure out 1 1/4 cups for the recipe. Pour the rest on some ice and drink it while making the cupcakes.

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In a large bowl, blend the cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, lime zest and 1 1/4 cups of the margarita mix.

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Blend on low for about 30 seconds and then increase the speed to medium and blend 2 additional minutes. Batter will be slightly lumpy. Look at the gorgeous green lime zest coming through.

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Spoon batter into cupcake liners and bake 20 – 15 minutes or until cooked through. Cool completely.

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Look how beautiful and festive they are! So festive that we were so excited we forgot to take pictures of the icing and piping it on.  We think you will forgive us when you taste these. ¡Olé!

Here’s the recipe
Cake Ingredients:
9 ounces Margarita Mixer, bottled liquid
3 ounces tequila
1 (18.25 ounce) box white cake mix
3 large egg whites
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 Tablespoon lime zest

Lime Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 to 6 cups powdered sugar
3 – 4 Tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lime zest
green food coloring, if desired
small lime slices for garnish, if desired

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two dozen cupcake tins with paper liners.

Prepare cupcakes: Whisk together margarita mix and tequila in a small bowl. Measure out 1 1/4 cups for the recipe; pour the rest on some ice and drink it while making the cupcakes :)

In a large bowl, blend cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, lime zest and 1 1/4 cups of the margarita mix from step 1. Blend on low for about 30 seconds and then increase speed to medium and blend for two additional minutes. Batter will be slightly lumpy.

Spoon the batter into cupcake liners (about 3/4 full). Bake for 20-25 min, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool for about 10 minutes in the pans, then remove them to a rack to cool completely.

Prepare icing: Once cupcakes are completely cooled, prepare the icing. Place butter in a large bowl and beat with electric mixer until butter is fluffy. Add 5 cups of powdered sugar, salt, lime juice, and lime zest. Mix until thick and creamy. Add more powdered sugar until the frosting is of a good spreading (or piping) consistency. Mix in a tiny amount of green food coloring or gel paste if you’d like the frosting to have a green tint. Ice cupcakes in whatever manner you prefer… spreading or piping the frosting. Use small lime slices as garnish.

Nom. nom. nom. 

Pete’s Parmesan Chicken

24 Wednesday Apr 2013

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Here we go again! Another one of Pete’s favorite things to write about. This gets requested all the time. All. The. Time. So we figured we’d share the love with this delish and kid-friendly recipe. If you know a hard-to-please picky eater, you may just want to try this family favorite chicken dish.

Pete’s Parmesan Chicken | Blended Kitchen adapted from Cooking Light
Who doesn’t love chicken parm? There’s something so perfect about the combination of breaded chicken, gooey mozzarella and marinara sauce. And there’s something even more perfect about turning traditional chicken parm into chicken parm strips, am I right?

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The list is more than our usual four ingredients, but’s it’s super easy to whip together.

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Putting these ingredients in their own plates/bowls to create an “assembly line” will help in the preparation.

Click on the pictures above to see larger photos of the assembly line steps. We’re trying something new with the blog format – do you like it? IMG_7815

Start to brown the chicken pieces by placing them in the oil in the heated pan

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Turn pieces over after a few minutes. You do not want the chicken cooked through, just a beautiful golden brown.

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When all the pieces are browned on both sides, transfer the chicken to an oven proof dish. You can use a casserole dish or any oven proof dish.

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Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is melted and gooey.

Here’s the recipe
Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into strips
2 – 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
approx. 1/2 cup  of your favorite pasta sauce
approx. 1/2 cup  grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
approx. 3/4 cup  shredded mozzarella, provel or provolone cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°.

Combine first 3 ingredients in a shallow dish; place egg whites in a bowl. Place panko in a shallow dish. Dredge 1 chicken piece in flour mixture. Dip in egg whites; dredge in panko. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken, flour mixture, egg whites, and panko.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Turn chicken over; cook 2 minutes, place pan in oven. Bake at 450° for 5 minutes. Turn chicken over; top each piece with sauce,  Parmigiano-Reggiano, and mozzarella. Bake 6 minutes or until chicken is done.

Nom. nom. nom.

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