Apple Crisp

My mom is a teacher in Providence, and it's a requirement that they teachers administer breakfast to the students (the food is provided by the school system, but my mom actually has to hand it out to the students). A few days this week, she was given apples to hand out to the class, and she ended up bringing all of the leftovers home.  That meant baking for me!!!

As I mentioned a while ago, I've had the itch to bake,  I didn't really care what it was, but I wanted to bake SOMETHING.  Well, here was my opportunity.  I have an amazing apple crisp recipe that I always use (it's from the King Arthur Flour cookbook), but seeing as all of my cookbooks are stored away in a storage location, we needed to improvise.  I looked online, and found an extremely simple recipe that I decided to go with.  I improvised a big, so here's what we did:

The Ingredients

2 1/2 cups oatmeal (I don't think it matters if it's quick oats or old fashioned, but I used old fashioned)

2 cups flour

2 cups brown sugar

2 sticks melted butter

6 cups apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

3/4 cup white sugar

Cinnamon

The Method

• Mix together the oatmeal, flour and brown sugar with a fork.

• Add in the melted butter, mix initially with the fork, and then get your hands in there and mix it until it is crumbly
• Put half of the crumble mixture into a greased 9x13 pan

• Spread the apples on top of the crumble mixture

• Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon on top of the apples (I just eyeballed the cinnamon.  The original recipe called for about 4 teaspoons, but I didn't measure it).
• Put the other half of the crumble mixture on the top

• Bake in a pre-heated 350* oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown

Note:  Assuming 20 servings (which is a VERY generous portion)
Per Serving:  296 Calories * 50 Carbs * 10 Fats * 3 Protein * 2 Fiber * 10 Sodium

Serve with ice cream, and ENJOY!!

Mac and cheese

Macaroni and Cheese.  I know some people hear that and they just see a box of Kraft Mac and Cheese. When my family hears Mac and Cheese - they see a huge pan hot out of the oven.  That's right.  It may be made with the plainest of all the cheeses, but it makes the most decadent of all Mac and Cheese.

My mom and aunt found a recipe for Macaroni and Cheese years ago in a Betty Crocker Book.  If I remember correctly, the recipe had a number of steps, including layering the cheese sauce with the macaroni.  Instead, they decided that mixing the the sauce and the macaroni was sufficient.  And trust me, it really is sufficient.

So this is not a Mac and Cheese that you'll want to make for dinner.  This is a party mac and cheese and two lbs goes a LONG way (I mentioned in Monday Matters that we made it this weekend for a little Labor Day get together and it made so much that we sent everyone home with leftovers)....So here goes!

The Ingredients

2 lbs Cellentani or Cavatappi macaroni

1 stick butter

1/2 cup onions, finely chopped

1/2 cup flour

1/2 gallon milk (I usually use 2%)

2 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

3 pounds Land o Lakes American Cheese, shredded (Yes - 3 lbs.  And it HAS to be Land o Lakes...We've tried it with other cheeses, and it just isn't the same)

For the topping:
3-4 Tbsp melted butter
1 sleeve ritz crackers, crushed

 

All of the shredded cheese - you can use either a box grater or the attachments on the food processor - and the ritz and macaroni

The Method

• Set a big pot of water to boil for the macaroni.  While the water is heating up, do the following:


• Melt the butter in a large pot and add in the onions to saute

• When the onion is softened, add in the flour and stir continuously.

• When the flour mixture starts to bubble, slowly stir in the milk, salt, and pepper

• Stir continuously on medium-high heat, and once the milk has warmed up a bit (it should be warm to the touch but not anywhere close to boiling), add in the shredded American Cheese


• Stir until creamy.  You shouldn't see any strings of cheese left in the mixture.  Lower the heat and continue stirring until the water has come to a boil, and the macaroni has been cooked until al dente (You need to stir the mixture the entire time, otherwise it will stick to the bottom of the pan.  Also, you do NOT want the macaroni cooked all the way here, because it needs to bake and it will be too mushy if overcooked).   When you're ready to strain the macaroni, just take the cheese mixture completely off the heat.

Add the drained macaroni to a baking pan (I use the throw-away foil pans) and pour the cheese mixture on top.  Mix everything together  (You can put the drained macaroni back in the pot, and add all of the cheese sauce there, and then transfer everything into the foil pan....Do whatever is easiest for you!!)

Top the Mac and Cheese with crushed ritz cracker crumbs (about 1 sleeve) that have been mixed with melted butter (about 3-4 Tablespoons)

Bake covered for 45 minutes at 375*.  Unover, then bake an additional 15 minutes until the crumb topping is golden brown.

Let the Mac and Cheese set for at least 15-30 minutes before serving.

A delicious serving of Macaroni and Cheese, just waiting to be eaten!!!

Note:  Assuming 20 servings (which is a VERY generous portion):

Per Serving:  500Calories * 44 Carbs * 28 Fat * 21 Protein * 2 Fiber * 1133 Sodium

 

ENJOY!!!

Now that's what I call a cookout!!!

Monday Matters

1. My current music playlist on Grove Shark is ridiculous.  Yep....Ridiculous.  Here's a short list, including but not limited to...I mean, honestly....How do these songs even relate to each other??  THEY DON'T!!!  I guess that's what makes it so much fun!


1. 50 Ways to Say Goodbye - Train
2. One Thing - One Direction
3. Sugar We're Going Down - Fall Out Boy
4. Everybody Talks - Neon Trees
5. Pound the Alarm - Nicki Minaj
6. Hello - Karmin
7. How I Could Just Kill a Man - Rage Against the Machine
8. Magic - B.o.B Feat Rivers Cuomo
9. Sabotage - The Beastie Boys
10. We Found Love - Rihanna
11. Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen
12. Hold it Against Me - Britney Spears
13. Turn All the Lights On - T-Pain & Ne-Yo
14. Misery Business - Paramore
15. Life is a Highway - Rascal Flats
16. Sellout - Reel Big Fish


2. While listening to said music, I found out that listening to RBF at my desk makes me want to get up and skank.  Just sayin'..... What is skanking, you ask?  Ch-ch-ch-check it out!!  (It's a horrible quality video, but skip to about 20 seconds in....)


3. My mom is an art teacher in Providence and they have a new rule about how teachers have to administer the kids breakfast (and she has to do for classes that are first thing in the morning).  She brings home all the extra apples so I got to bake this weekend!!!!  Here's a little preview....But I'll post a full recipe (and a cooked picture) later this week!



4. Somehow, I was able to eat the serving size of Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and Stacy's Whole Grain Pita Chips on Friday.  Seriously, do you know how hard it is to only eat 9 of those pita chips???



5. I have continued with my workouts and have decided to try a few personal training sessions with a trainer at work.  I was talking to my favorite instructor (Beth) who teaches the Tae Bo classes and she said that some weight work will help with weight loss.  I can see a noticeable difference in my body and how my clothes fit, but I have not seen a single pound drop off, and it's annoying me.  So I'm trying something new!!


6. I've decided it's necessary for me to learn the Thriller Dance.  And Beat It.  I'll keep you updated on that one, lol


7. I went to both TJ Maxx and Marshalls on Saturday on a quest to buy some new work out clothes.  I was not happy to find that neither store had any nice clothes over a size Medium.  Any pants were full length (and I prefer capri) and there were no nice tops.  How annoying is that???


8. With it being Labor Day this weekend, I decided very last minute to have a cookout.  We made said Apple Crisp (see bullet point 3) as well as Macaroni and Cheese, since I bought all of the ingredients to bring it to a friend's house, and then didn't make it (I suck).  Keep a look-out for the recipe for Mac and Cheese this week.  Here's a preview!

Siena East Greenwich

So Friday, Scott and I drove into work together.  On the way home, we stopped by the house to see any progress in the painting and then we decided to go out to dinner.  My first thought was Cassarino's on Federal Hill in Providence....However, we have a gift certificate there and it was in Cranston....So that was a no-go.  Then we decided on Siena....But instead of going to the location on Federal Hill like we usually do, we decided to go to the location in East Greenwich.  Well, we were pleasantly surprised!!

The menu is very different, and they have an amazing appetizer choice - The Cheese Board!!!  You can get one of the three cheese board combinations that they put together, or you can do a "make your own" by choosing between some meat selections, olives, and cheeses.

Dinner was also amazing!!

If you have the chance to go there, I highly recommend it!!

Here's what we chose!

Soprasada, Castelvetrani olives, and Burrata (amazingly fresh mozzarella cheese).  The board also comes with crustini, fig jam, and candied nuts.  AMAZING!!!

Scott's dinner - Schiaffoni del Calzolaio - large tubes of pasta with ground sausage in a San Marzano tomato sauce

My Dinner - Cavatappi con Pollo - corkscrew pasta with chicken, spinach and roasted red peppers in a lemon-garlic sauce