Back in the Kitchen

Sorry I disappeared for a while. I had some "technical" difficulties with... life? blogging? business? Don't ask! But I am back. I will try to catch you up on some things. And hopefully do a lot more posting.

So I last left you with some menu ideas. We LOVED the Sweat & Saucey Meatballs. I might have to make those again. Where did I find that recipe? I will post it when I find it. My boys LOVE the Cheesy Tortellini Bake. This is the second time I made this. It is easy and yummy.

Here is that recipe:

Pasta
1/2 C chopped onion
1 tsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 jar (16 oz.) white Alfredo pasta sauce
2 pkgs. (9oz.ea.) refrigerated cheese-filled regular or spinach tortellini
1 1/2 C cubed cooked chicken
1 C milk
1 C water
1 C frozen peas
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
2 Tbsp. snipped fresh basil leaves or 1 tsp. dried basil leaves

Crumb topping
1/4 C (1 oz.) grated fresh paremesan cheese
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1 C fresh bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 400F. For pasta mixture, chop onion using Food Chopper. In 4-qt. Casserole, heat oil over med-hi heat; add onion and garlic, pressed with Garlic Press. Cook and stir 2-3 min. or until onion is tender. Stir in pasta sauce, tortellini, chicken, milk, water, peas and pepper. Heat until mixture just come to a boil; remove from heart. Stir basil into mixture.

2. Meanwhile, for crumb topping, grate Parmesan cheese using Deluxe Cheese Grater. Place butter in Small Micro-Cooker; micorwave on hi 30-45 sec. or until melted. Stir in bread crumbs and cheese; mix well.

3. Spoon pasta mixture into Square Baker; sprinkle with crumb topping. Bake 15-20 min. or until edges are bubbly and topping is golden brown.

Tips: Do NOT substitute refrigerated Alfredo sauce for Alfredo sauce in a jar; it may separate and curdle during baking.

Our Valentine's Day

I forgot to take pictures of everything we made for Valentine's Day! Sorry... But out menu was:


Breakfast we had Belgium Waffles- I made regular batter- could have added some red food coloring, but ran out and forgot to buy more- I used red frosting to pipe a heart and filled it in with whipped topping and valentine sprinkles. We had Strawberry Milk with our breakfast.


Lunch was fun, we ate BLT (Because Love is Today) sandwiches. I cut out parchment paper hearts and stuck them to the bread (with butter) before grilling. But they grilled through the parchment. Just not as much. So you could see a faint sign of a heart on the bread. And we had chocolate fondue. We dipped Graham Crackers, Pretzels, Banana Chunks, and Orange Wedges. We drank LOVE POTION.



After Dinner I remembered to take photos. We had a "nice" dinner. We had cheese fondue: I used 8 oz. Brie (no rind) and 8 oz. swiss. I added 1/2 cup chicken broth and 2 Tbsp. flour. This was an okay consistency, but it didn't stick to all the food we dipped. We dipped Lemon Pepper Chicken, Lemon butter Crab, Pretzels, and Broccoli. We have fun with Fondue. But we don't do it very often. I think we like the Cheddar Fondues better. I enjoy brie, but I like it better baked. We drank Sparkling Cider and had a candle lit dinner. For dessert we savored a Chocolate Velvet Cake with Strawberries.



Chocolate Velvet Cake with Strawberries

Cake
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1/2 cup milk chocolate morsels
1 pkg (18.25 oz) devil's food cake mix
3 eggs
3/4 cup water
1 jar (12 oz) seedless strawberry jam, divided


Glaze & Garnish
1/3 cup melted vanilla ice cream
1 cup milk chocolate morsels
1 qt. fresh strawberries, divided
Additional ice cream (optional)


Brush Stoneware Fluted Pan with 1 tbsp of the oil. For cake, combine chocolate morsels and remaining 1/4 cup oil in Small Batter Bowl. Microwave on HIGH 30-60 seconds or until melted and smooth, whisking after 30 seconds. In Stainless (4-qt.) Mixing Bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, water, 1/2 cup of the jam and chocolate mixture; whisk until well blended. Pour batter into pan.
Microwave cake on HIGH 9-12 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Remove cake from microwave. Center Simple Additions® Large Round Platter over pan and carefully invert. Without removing pan, cool 10 minutes. Remove pan.
For glaze, combine ice cream and chocolate morsels in Small Micro-Cooker®. Microwave on HIGH 20-60 seconds or until melted and smooth, stirring after each 20-second interval.
Place remaining jam into Prep Bowl and microwave on HIGH 30 seconds or until melted; brush evenly over cake, using Silicone Basting Brush. Dip 16 of the strawberries into glaze; arrange around bottom edge of cake. Drizzle top of cake with remaining glaze. Slice remaining strawberries using Egg Slicer Plus®; place into center well of cake. Serve with additional ice cream, if desired.
Yield: 16 servings
Nutrients per serving: Calories 360, Total Fat 14 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Cholesterol 45 mg, Carbohydrate 57 g, Protein 5 g, Sodium 290 mg, Fiber 1 g


Cook's Tip: For best results, bake this cake in a 1000-watt microwave with a built-in turntable. This cake can be baked in a conventional oven, if desired. Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes.



We REALLY enjoyed our food filled Valentine's Day.