Whip It Up Wednesdays

New York is such a gluttonous city. Not just with those in the upper echelon, but with everyone. gluttony surrounds the lifestyle, the nightlife, the retail market, and last but certainly nor least....the food.
I have been making up recipes left and right, but I can't keep up with trying them all out.

A) I'm not home enough;

B) more than 1/2 of them involve things that cluck, moo, baa, gobble, or oink- so I'm off the taster panel;

C) My roomate's on a diet;

D) the food would spoil before I could eat it all....

So here is my plan: I'll post a few new recipes on Wednesdays (all courses, varying cuisines, both unique and common interests). Please feel free to try them and let me know your thoughts and/or suggestions you have for tweaking them.

Enjoy!

Kick-Off
Homemade Mac and Cheese

1 8oz packet of softened light cream cheese
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons of margarine or butter
1 tablespoon flour
3-3 ½ cups shredded cheese (cheddar or mozzarella, or any Italian blend)
1 box pasta (preferably something with ridges)
salt and pepper to taste
garlic salt (if desired)
Optional:
-1 cup corn (can be frozen)
-1 c. peas + 1 ham steak cubed (about 2 cups)
- 1 can of chopped tomatoes drained (Italian variety recommended) + 2 cups (cooked) baby portabella (or cremini) mushrooms—just cook mushrooms in 1 tbs butter and add tomatoes, for the last minute of cooking
-1 package of drained, thawed, frozen spinach + 2 cups cooked mushrooms
- For a crunchy top: mix 1 cup grated parmesan cheese and 1 cup breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the top of the pasta and place under a broiler until golden brown

1) over a medium heat, whisk the butter and flour together; after the flour is mixed with butter, add in the milk—be sure to continuously stir to prevent the milk from scorching
2) add the cream cheese and continue to stir until the cream cheese is melted down
3) prepare the pasta- drain-set aside, making sure to keep it warm
a) if you are going to add any other vegetable
4) slowly add the shredded cheese. Be sure to mix well, and keep the heat low to prevent the cheese from getting lumpy. If the mixture seems to thick, add a little milk, and keep stirring. When the shredded cheese looks to be all melted, turn off the heat and immediately pour over the warm pasta.
5) Toss the cheese and pasta mixture
a) add any “mix ins”
6) Serve hot!
7) If you want to eat it as leftovers, pout 1-2 tbs of milk onto the pasta dish and either warm over low heat on the stove top or re-heat in the microwave

Toffee Crunch Cookies


1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 (10-ounce) bag toffee candy bits
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup sweetened flake coconut
1 cup chopped whole, skinned almonds

Oven to 350

Cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla. Beat the eggs slightly; then add to the butter mixture and mix well. Sift flour, salt and baking soda; then add slowly to the moist ingredients and mix thoroughly. Mix in the toffee bits, oatmeal, coconut and nuts.
Drop dough by the teaspoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Vegetable Pie
- 1TB organic extra virgin olive oil
-1 c. canned organic soybeans
-1 c. organic carrots, diced
-1 c. organic onion, chopped
-1 c. organic sweet corn (1 large ear stripped of kernals)
-1 c. organic broccoli, chopped-
-1 c. organic red bell pepper, diced
-1 lb fresh organic spinach, cooked, drained and chopped
-2 cloves organic garlic, peeled and chopped
-1 tsp nutmeg
-sea salt, to taste
-ground black pepper, to taste
-1/2 c. organic pecans, chopped (optional)
-2 frozen pie crusts, or recipe for two-crust pie
-1 c. grated mozzarella cheese or cheese substitute
-2 tsp organic sesame seeds
Sauté vegetables in olive oil until tender-crisp. Add garlic, nutmeg, salt, pepper and pecans. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes until the flavors blend.
Oven: 350 degrees for 20–30 minutes or until the crust turns brown. Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

1) Line a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan with one prepared crust.
2) layer the vegetables with the cheese beginning with the cheese and ending with the vegetables.
3) Top with another crust, seal with a fork and trim excess pie dough. With a sharp knife, poke vent holes in the top of the crust. Sprinkle top with sesame seeds.