Foodie McBooty
… I Cook and Tell. Practical Recipes for the Every Day Cook.
Category Archives: Sides
Jan 14 2012

Orzo with Apples, Cranberries and Toasted Almonds

by Miss McBooty

Tis the season for comfort food.  During these chilly days and nights, it is easy to indulge in heavier dishes — with all the soups and chilis and bacon out there (oooh bacon, how I love thee).  This dish warms the soul with its creamy, rich orzo yet the fruit and fresh herbs keep it light and fresh.  It’s a dish fit for holiday meals or chilled and enjoyed on a picnic blanket with your loved one.

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RECIPE:  ORZO WITH APPLES, CRANBERRIES, AND TOASTED ALMONDS

serves 8

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups of low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2 cups of orzo (or couscous), regular or whole wheat
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
  • 1 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 medium green apple, diced
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Follow the directions to cook your orzo (you may need to add some water to your pot to meet their requirements).

While the orzo is cooking, toast your almonds until golden brown by stirring them in a sauté pan over medium heat.  Remove from heat and set aside.  You can also toast your almonds in the oven at 350 degrees F.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in a single layer and cool.

Once your orzo is cooked, strain the liquid out (as much as possible) and add the parsley, rosemary, thyme, apple, cranberries, and almonds.  Combine and serve.

Note:

Add some fresh arugula, either cooked or uncooked, for some added greens.

Categories: Recipes, Sides, Vegetarian | No Comments »

Dec 19 2011

Baked Mac and Cheese With Buttery Goldfish Crust

by Miss McBooty

I was at a friend’s house of mine a few nights ago enjoying an evening of fine conversation (and strong wine) when we started to get hungry.  Us ladies searched the pantry for scrumptious treats when she kindly suggested preparing a box of mac and cheese.  I looked at her, wide-eyed in disbelief, as if she had just told a child that Santa doesn’t really exist.

“Blasphemy!” I yelped and rambunctiously explained to her how powdered cheese doesn’t do a noodle justice. It should be banned from the United States for posing as a cheese, heck, all American cheeses should be banned from the cheese section  … but I digress.  I continued my snobbish manifesto until the crooked look on her face made me realize how absurd I was being (I get a little passionate when it comes to mac and cheese, sue me).

Instead of telling her, I decided to show her.  It is so easy to make real deal mac and cheese, you may never make boxed mac and cheese again.  Once you get the hang of things, you can add other ingredients and play with the concept a bit.

This recipe is adapted from Alton Brown’s Mac and Cheese recipe. 

TOTAL COOK TIME:  1 hour
YIELDS:  6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 pound pasta (elbow macaroni, spirals, ziti… your choice)
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon powdered mustard
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 large egg
  • 6-ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 3-ounces gruyere cheese, shredded
  • 3-ounces colby-jack cheese, shredded
  • salt and pepper

Topping:

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup crushed Goldfish Cheddar Crackers or Cheez-It Crackers (or both!)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large pot of boiled, salted water, cook the pasta to al dente.  While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a separate pot.  Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes.  Make sure it’s free of lumps.  Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, paprika and cayenne.  Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
  2. Temper in the egg.  Stir in 3/4 of the cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.  Fold the cooked pasta into the cheese sauce and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish.  Top with remaining cheese.
  3. Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the crackers to coat.  Top the macaroni with the cracker mixture and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Categories: Make Ahead, Pasta, Recipes, Sides, Vegetarian | 2 Comments »

Jul 15 2011

Buttermilk Cornbread

by Miss McBooty

Do you ever dream about food?  I do.  Sometimes I dream about slow roasting meats sizzling over a fire or savoring a perfectly baked pastry.  Other times I dream about chocolate pudding and slathering it all over my body.

Let’s not get into that right now.

More recently I dreamt about cornbread.  Cornbread with a brown, crisp yet chewy crust that is fluffy and springy in the middle and has just the right amount of sweetness to it.  This is that recipe.

This is a very light and moist cornbread unlike other cornbread recipes I have made that are dense and heavy.  When I eat this, I feel like I still have room for a rack of BBQ baby-back ribs.

I usually double this recipe and bake it in a greased cast iron skillet.  This way I get a nice brown crust on all sides.  This also works in a 9-inch round glass pie pan or muffin tins too, but the time will vary depending on what sort of container you use.

If your results end up being more bitter than sweet, your cornmeal may be old.  If you want awesome cornbread, you’ll need some fresh cornmeal.

Try adding jalapenos and shredded cheddar cheese to spice things up.

Recipe adapted from Trini Gourmet.

COOK TIME:  20-25 minutes, depending

YIELDS:  12 pie slice pieces (in a 9 or 10-inch pan or skillet)

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2/3 cups yellow cornmeal
  • 3/4 cup frozen corn kernels
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup melted butter, plus extra for topping
  • Your favorite local honey

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (or 400 degrees F if you have an older oven without a ceramic top).
  2. Whisk the eggs and sugar together.  In a separate bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients.  Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
  3. Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk and corn, whisking in between to mix everything evenly.  Mix in the melted butter.
  4. Pour into a greased skillet or pan.  Bake until the sides come away from the skillet (about 20 – 25 minutes for me).  In the mean time, mix your honey with the additional melted butter to use for a topping.  Turn the oven to a high broil and brown the top for about 2 minutes (watch carefully).  Remove the cornbread from the oven and brush the honey butter on the top of your crust.  Allow to cool and enjoy.

 

Categories: Recipes, Sides | No Comments »

Jul 13 2011

Farmer’s Market Pasta Salad

by Miss McBooty

The other day at the farmer’s market in Denver I picked up these beautiful cherry tomatoes (amongst other finds).  Inspired by all of the market’s fresh ingredients, I decided to make a Farmer’s Market Pasta Salad using their tomatoes and peppers.

I think this salad turned out great.  It was light yet satisfying.  Plus it made enough to share with a large group of people at a BBQ.  I brought this to a big BBQ for the 4th of July and I still went home with leftovers.  That’s alotta pasta!

If you can manage, try making this day before your big event.  I noticed that the flavors melded better as time went on.

PREP TIME:  10 minutes

COOK TIME:  10 minutes

YIELDS:  A huge bowlful

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
  • 1 pound bow tie pasta
  • 1 cup organic Italian Dressing (Tuscan is my favorite to use)
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 diced green bell pepper
  • 1/2 diced red bell pepper
  • 1/2 diced yellow bell pepper
  • 1/4 to 1/2 diced red onion (according to your tastes)
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan, plus more for topping

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat.  Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions.
  2. While the pasta is cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together the dressing, mayonnaise and sugar.
  3. Drain the pasta well, transfer to a large serving bowl and let cool.  Add the tomatoes, peppers, parmesan cheese, fresh basil, salt, to taste, and the black pepper.  Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.  Add parmesan cheese to top and serve.

Categories: Make Ahead, Party Ideas, Pasta, Recipes, Sides, Vegetarian | No Comments »

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