Macaroni & Cheese

The all time best food ever.  I try to only make this occasionally because I could eat the whole dish myself.  I top it with whole wheat breadcrumbs & a little ground flaxseed for extra crunch.

Elbow macaroni
2 c skim milk
2T butter
2 T flour
garlic powder
ground mustard
fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 c grated cheese (4 different types works best)
breadcrumbs for crunchy top


Boil macaroni till al dente, drain, set aside.  In same pot melt butter, stir in flour to form rue, let cook 1 minute, stir in milk, spices and let thicken.  Add cheese stir till blended, mix in macaroni and spoon into buttered baking dish.  Top with a little more grated cheese and breadcrumbs.  Bake till bubbly about 15 min in 350 oven.

cheddar, gruyere, parmesan, blue cheese

I've tried different whole grain pasta
but so far this has the best texture

stir till thickened

add cheese and crumbs to top

Boneless Pork Chop roasted over vegetables

I got this idea after seeing the chickens roasting over potatoes in France.  The juices, seasonings and oil dripping onto the potatoes make for a delicious meal.  So my version was to take boneless pork chops and put them on a grate over a pan of potatoes, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, celery,  you could also add parsnips, turnips, carrots, whatever vegetables you have on hand or are in the mood for.  It turned out really well and I will definitely do it again.  This has been a long winter and these types of meals seem to help deal with the dreary, cold days.

I pressed whole wheat bread crumbs into the pork before baking at 350 for about 30 min or internal temp of 160 which is suggested.  I actually go to about 150 as it will cook a bit while resting and I don't want it to dry out.  Really liked this method with the pork on the rack above vegetables.

added some grated parmesan to the broccoli

It went well with this Coppola wine.

Chicken Pot Pie with whole wheat crust

This is one of those recipes I switch to as soon as the weather starts to cool and when we are deep into the cold winter as we are now I still haven't tired of it.  It is the time of year where I try to have a soup meal as often as possible.  I have switched whenever possible to using whole wheat or whole grain flours and this is so tasty with the King Arthur Whole Wheat flour, you can definitely taste the difference with their products.  http://www.kingarthurflour.com/  Some day I plan to go there and take one of their education classes, what a treat that would be.

Chicken Pot Pie


Saute in olive oil:  1 large onion chopped
                            3 med-large carrots chopped
                            1 bunch of celery chopped
                            ------till vegies are translucent, I actually like the onions to begin to carmelize.  Add black pepper, thyme, red pepper flakes to taste.  When vegies are ready add about a tablespoon of flour and stir for about 1 minute to slightly cook flour blending with the vegies.  Pour in chicken broth to cover and allow to simmer so flavors will meld together, add more chicken broth if needed keeping vegies covered.

Meanwhile:  you will need cooked chicken any will do but I prefer to sear chicken breasts (I used 3 in this recipe) in olive oil, black pepper, and thyme and then place in oven till cooked.  Cut up chicken into bite size pieces and add to broth vegetable mixture.  Allow this to simmer until you are ready to use.
                          

Crust top:

1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c white flour
1/2 c cold butter
pinch salt
5-6 T milk
(I like to add a couple Tablespoons of ground flax seed if you like a little crunch, grainier consistancy and it ups the fiber content)

I mix in food processor pulse the flours & salt with the butter till crumble forms then add milk through tube till moist crumble and then form into ball.

Roll out dough to form crust for top.  This is a very delicate crust and will break up easily, but does cook up nicely.
Ladle soup mixture into heat proof ramekins, a large is fine but individual dishes work best.  I place them on a cookie sheet for easy handling and bake till crust is cooked about 15 min at 350. Top of crust is sprinkled with parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of the same spices.  I did not have my dish full with soup mixture so crust sunk into dish.......smaller dishes would have helped the crust stay up higher.  These were from a regular weeknight dinner so I didn't go all out making them pretty.  It is fun to make the crust pretty especially if it is a holiday and you put some cut outs to decorate the top.

on cookie sheet for easy handling