Spinach and Artichoke Mac & Cheese

I made a couple of dinners for a friend this week who has been having some health issues. She is a vegetarian so I figured I’d try a recipe that is healthy(ish) yet substantial. One of her staple foods is macaroni and cheese and so that was the base of the meal. I started by boiling some water and preparing pasta as directed on the box. I used mini shells. I then cooked up a rue (2 tablespoons of flour, 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 cup skim milk) in a non-stick pan on the stovetop, melting the butter first, mixing in flour and finally milk until there is a creamy sauce base. Next I added the cream cheese, half of the mozzarella cheese and the garlic powder and continued stirring until the sauce was smooth. I removed the pasta from the stovetop, drained excess water and put the shells right back into the pot. I then mixed in the sauce, spinach and artichokes (drained and broken up) until the pasta was evenly covered. This mixture was then poured into a casserole dish and sprinkled with the remaining cheese, bread crumbs and red pepper to taste.

-shell pasta

-2 tablespoons flour

-2 tablespoons butter

-1 cup milk

-1 cup mozzarella cheese

-4 oz. cream cheese

-1 tablespoon garlic powder

– 1 cup thawed/cooked frozen spinach

-1 can artichoke hearts

-1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

-red peper flakes (to taste)

Bake for 20 minutes at 350′ in order to rewarm this at a later time- and enjoy!

 

Overnight Banana Nut Oats

Wow. So the high “real feel” temperature is 10 degrees today. No that is not a typo- ten degrees. Anyone who knows me, knows that I think 50 degrees is chilly. Until this week in Pennsylvania, we have had an unseasonably warm winter which has been wonderful until now so I’ll refrain from complaining. Instead I’ll just share my latest breakfast obsession that is healthy, warm and oh so filling! Plus you can make these ahead of time and leave them in the refrigerator for the week. It only takes 1-2 minutes to warm up in the microwave (without the lid).

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup skim milk

1 teaspoon chai seeds

1/2 banana

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

a couple of pecans or walnuts

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon lite maple syrup

Literally all you do is mix these together and put it in the refrigerator in a mason jar.

Take it with you to work or have it on your couch with a mug of coffee in the morning while snuggling your pup.

Warm it up for about 1 minute and 20 seconds (more or less depending on your microwave).

Nursing School Graduation Present

Wahooo! I graduated nursing school! I’m currently studying for the NCLEX and preparing to start my career as a cardiac nurse. In nursing school we learned all about human Anatomy and Physiology, ways to treat illnesses and the pharmacology that goes along with those treatments. I also learned that little meaningful gestures are sometimes more comforting to your patient than any pill could be (I said SOMETIMES). This made  deciding on a present for my two nursing school besties a bit difficult for me. We already have the essentials like stethoscopes, scrubs and blood pressure cuffs. And I felt like as a new nurse, the present had to have a personal (yet practical) touch.

I started thinking about all of the little extras that experienced nurses suggested for getting through an overnight 12 hour shift when I was in my last term of school working overnights. With that in mind I decided to create a “Kit for the New Nurse.” Of course I busted out some rhymes to describe why each component would be essential.

Candy– for when you are feeling hypoglycemic after not eating

Eye Mask– so you don’t find sleep to be fleeting

Hair ties– for when your days get hairy

NSAIDs– for when your patient is scary

Bandaids– for the little bumps along the way

Coupon for wine night and poop talk– for a better ending to a rough day

Hand lotion– for all of the gelling in and out

Chapstick – to keep your lips looking pretty, even if they are in a pout.

Hand sani– because people are the worst

Compression socks– to remind you to always choose airway, breathing & circulation first

Mints – because you were mint to be a nurse!

 

I also couldn’t resist adding a surprise from, you guessed it, Etsy. I found these bracelets from the shop MyInitialCharm.

 

Braised Rib Flatbread

Okay. It has been a long time. Like a really long time. I’m in the homestretch of school so I promise I’ll get back to regularly scheduled blog posts soon. But in the mean time this recipe is worth the wait.

I brought ribs a few weeks ago. I split the rack in half and cooked half that day and froze the other half. The cut of meat was fatty and the meat on the ribs was meager. I still had a frozen half a rack of ribs though. So I decided to try a short rib braising method on the meat to make it more tender. I made it in my crock-pot because everything is better in a slow cooker. I mixed the following in the pot and added ribs and cooked on low for 7 hours.

-1/2 cup whiskey

-1/4 brown sugar

-1/4 cup ketchup

-1/4 cup beef stock

-3-4 minced garlic cloves

After about 6.5 hours, chop up one sweet onion and sauté in 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Let this simmer for about 10-15 minutes on low. Add salt and pepper to taste.

While this is simmering, make the flatbread. Super easy. Just mix the following ingredients together and knead the dough. Then roll it in flour to about 1/4 inches thick. Bake for about 10 minutes.

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil plus more for brushing

While this is baking, use two forks to pull the rib meat. I put it in with the onions on high heat to crisp everything up a bit.

Shred about a cup of gruyere cheese. Set aside.

Rip up about 1 cup of arugula toss in olive oil, salt and pepper.

When the dough is done in the oven, add about half of the cheese, the rib meat and onions to the dough. Top with more cheese. Cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Once this is done baking spread just a little bit of horseradish over the top of the flatbread, then sprinkle with the arugula mix and serve! This recipe is great if you have tougher pork or even beef that you’d like to make edible. This pairs really well with a dry red wine or an IPA beer.

 

Bruschetta

I have been working a lot of over night shifts at the hospital the past couple of weeks, while still attending classes during the day. To say that my sleep and eating schedule have been out of whack lately would be a colossal understatement. The other night I got home and opened the fridge to discover only tomatoes, bagels and beer. Grocery shopping has not really been a priority either.

The bagels were a few days old and so I decided to make bagel chips out of them, while sipping the beer. The tomatoes were the last man standing on the shelf. I decided that I had all of the ingredients to make a bruschetta. Here are the ingredients you need:

-2 bagels

-2 tomatoes

-2 garlic cloves

-4 basil leaves or 3/4 teaspoon dried basil

-salt to taste

-balsamic vinegar

-olive oil

-parmesan cheese

I sliced the bagels into thin chips and dipped one side of each chip in olive oil. The oiled side got placed on a broiler tray face up. I put these in the oven on broil for 7 minutes (more or less depending on how strong your broiler is). While the chips cooked, I chopped up the tomatoes, garlic and basil and mixed these together. I then added about 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar to the mixture. Once the bagel chips were done cooking and cooled, I spooned a teaspoon of mix onto each chip, sprinkled parmesan cheese over the tray and enjoyed!

Pizza on the Grill

This weekend we bought a grill!! I was so excited about this that not 5 minutes after my fiancé finished putting it together I had it heating up for this dinner. I put a summer spin on my recipe for “Girl’s Night Pizza.”

I took the pizza dough and laid it right on the grill over a medium flame for about 5 minutes. I flipped the dough over and while the bottom cooked, I spread oil, cheese, apples, arugula and bacon on the
top, per the recipe. I closed the lid for an additional 5 minutes and allowed the bottom to cook and the cheese to melt. Sprinkle garlic salt and parmesan cheese over the pizza before serving.You could easily make a traditional pizza, a pulled pork barbecue pizza or another type of pizza that you can dream up. I hope you are all enjoying our last bit of summer & grilling.

Ribs

I always thought ribs were an unattainable meal for me to make. I have no problem experimenting with chicken dishes or attempting new baking feats, but when it comes to pork and beef I am quite the novice. However, I am on a crock-pot kick with my busy schedule and when searching for recipes I was repeatedly met by crock-pot rib recipes. I followed one that boasted it was the easiest rib recipe ever and that the meat falls right off the bone. It certainly did not disappoint.

What you need:

3lbs of pork ribs

1 sweet onion

1 bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce

Salt & Pepper to taste

Chop up the onion and place it in the bottom of your crock pot. Rub salt & pepper on ribs and place on top of onions. Pour in barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

That’s really it! I liked that I could make mashed potatoes ahead of time, set my crock-pot and enjoy a home cooked meal with minimum effort.

Southwestern Wrap

As many of you know I am a full time student in an accelerated nursing program. I am always trying to come up with quick and easy dinners that are more healthy than a frozen meal or take out. I am a huge fan of anything I have ever ordered at Salad Works, and my most recent obsession has been the Fire Roasted Cabo wrap. Obviously, it isn’t feasible for me to order this as often as I’d like AND pay my tuition so I’ve created my own version. Here’s what you’ll need:

-Lettuce

-Avocados

-Tomatoes

-Frozen corn kernels (cooked)

-Green onions

-Cilantro

-Cooked chicken breast

-Fajita sized tortilla shells

-Cheddar Cheese (shredded)

-sour cream

-medium salsa

Chop up one head of romaine lettuce, one tomato on the vine, one bunch of green onions, one avocado, 1/4 cup corn and cilantro to taste. Shred up one chicken breast and toss all of the ingredients together. Add about a cup of filling to each tortilla shell and fold to your liking. Mix equal parts sour cream and salsa together for a dip. Dip away, pair with a Corona and enjoy!

Homemade Lemonade

I recently thew a surprise party for my sister (more on that soon) and made homemade lemonade for the first time. I can’t really justify making myself a whole vat, so instead I’ll just share my recipe with you all and hope to have an occasion to make it again for soon!

What you’ll need:

Lots of Lemons (18 lemons for every 14 cups you want to make + 1 to slice up for garnish)

Sugar

Water and Ice

In a 2:3 sugar:water cup ratio, make your simple syrup. I used 4 cups of sugar and 6 cups of water, but you could cut this in half for a smaller shindig or double it if you are having a bigger party. I boiled this mixture until the sugar was completely dissolved.

Then I squeezed 18 lemons and sifted out the pits, leaving some pulp. After the simple syrup cooled, I added the lemon juice and mixed it all together and chill. I added ice to fill my 2 gallon container and an additional 8 cups of water, mixing well. I stuck it in the freezer until the party (about an hour and a half) because it was so hot out that day. The lemonade stayed chilled until it was all gone!

Easy Caprese Grilled Cheese

This summer I gave in and finally bought a basil plant. I love fresh basil and caprese salad– so much so that I wrote about my homemade caprese salad in my Fourth of July grilling post.  Fresh basil has been a great addition to anything I make in tomato sauce, on top of takeout pizza and in my latest grilled cheese.

This sandwich is really more of a meeting of caprese salad and white pizza in a grilled cheese.

I buttered the outside of two slices of bread and sliced up some cracker barrel extra sharp white cheddar cheese. I think you could use any white cheese you like though (mozzarella, provolone or some other type of cheddar). Layer the cheese on one piece of bread and sprinkle garlic salt on top of this layer. Cut up two basil leaves and sprinkle these evenly over the cheese and garlic. Add a few tomato slices to the stack and sprinkle parmesan cheese over it all before topping it all with the second slice of bread. I cooked this in a pan over medium heat, flipping the sandwich until both sides were golden brown. Hopefully you enjoy this easy summer meal as much as I did!