What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?

Caprese Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

for the sauce
100g butter
½ cup flour
1 litre milk, warmed with 1 bay leaf, ½ onion and 5 black peppercorns
pinch of nutmeg
150g gruyere/ other strong, mature cheese, grated
salt & white pepper to taste

for the tomato layer
400g tin whole peeled tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

for the mac and cheese
500g pasta of your choice (I used a spiral shaped tube), cooked + 1 cup of cooking water reserved
8 ripe tomatoes, sliced into ½ cm slices
½ cup basil pesto
150g fior di latte (or other mozzarella of your choice)

Instructions
To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan then add the flour and whisk to make a roux.
Slowly whisk in the milk until it has been fully incorporated.
Turn the heat down, add the nutmeg and allow the sauce to simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Turn down the heat then add the cheese, salt and pepper and stir until the cheese has melted.
Mix the sauce with the pasta and add a little of the cooking water should the sauce be too thick.
Pre-heat the oven to 200°c.
To make the tomato layer, add the salt and sugar to the tomatoes and blend with a stick blender until smooth. Pour in the bottom of an oven-proof dish.
Place half of the pasta in the dish on top of the tomatoes then top with half of the tomato slices and cheese. Dollop on the basil pesto.
Top with the remaining pasta.
Top with the remaining tomatoes and cheese then place in the oven.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the tomatoes are roasted slightly and the cheese has melted and is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

A fanatic is a nut who has something to believe in.

Quick Nut Bread

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 cups white flour
(OR 3 cups of white flour)

1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins (or dates or chopped citrons)
3/4 cup nutmeats
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 1/2 cups milk

Mix and sift dry ingredients.

Beat egg, add milk, and combine with dry mixture, beating lightly as they blend.

Last stir in floured fruit and nuts.

Bake in a greased tin 40 minutes in a 375°F oven.

If you dispute with me you will only quarrel with your bread and butter.

Orange Bread

1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups flour
peel of 2 oranges

Cook the orange peel about 1 hour in 1/2 cup water. Scrapt off the white substance and discard it (it is very bitter) and chop the yellow into fine cubes.

Bring the sugar and water to boil, add the orange peel, and cool.

Beat egg and milk.

Add orange mixture and the dry ingredients sifted together.

Bake one hour in a 375°F oven.

Aspiring to a souffle, he achieves a pancake at which the reader saws without much appetite

Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes

CINNAMON FILLING:
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

CREAM CHEESE ICING: 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

PANCAKE BATTER: 1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons cooking oil
Directions:
Prepare the cinnamon filling: In a small bowl- mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.

Whisk the filling ingredients together and then pour it into a sandwich-sized zip baggie.

Zip up the baggie and lay it on the counter while you prepare the pancake batter.

Prepare the Icing: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat butter and cream cheese 30 to 60 seconds, just until butter has melted and cream cheese has softened.

Whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla and combine until smooth. Set the icing aside.

Prepare your batter: In a mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In another mixing bowl combine egg, milk, and cooking oil.

Add to flour mixture all at once.

Stir mixture just till blended but still slightly lumpy.

Preheat a large skillet or griddle to medium, and spray it with nonstick spray.

Use an ice cream scoop or ladle to add the batter to the pan.

Use the bottom of the scoop or ladle to spread out the batter into a nice, even circle.

Reduce the heat to medium-low.

Pick up your cinnamon filling baggie and squeeze the filling into the corner.

Starting at the center of the pancake squeeze the cinnamon filling on top of the pancake batter in a swirl (just as you see in a cinnamon roll).

Cook the pancakes 3 to 4 minutes, or until bubbles begin popping on top of the pancake and it is golden brown on the bottom.

Slide a thin spatula underneath the pancake and gently but quickly flip it over.

Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the other side is golden as well.

When you flip the pancake onto a plate, you will see that the cinnamon filling has created a crater-swirl of cinnamon.

Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and repeat with the remaining pancake batter and cinnamon filling.

Serve pancakes topped with a drizzle of cream cheese icing.

HELPFUL TIP: Instead of using a ziplock back for your cinnamon swirl, use a squeeze bottle with a cone lid.

You can't compare an apple to an orange. It will cause a lot of self-esteem issues.

Baked Orange Chicken


Ingredients
2 -4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces + 1 tablespoon oil
1½ cups water
½ cup orange juice
⅓ cup rice vinegar
2½ tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon ground ginger
zest of 1 large orange
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
6 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup cold water + 3 tablespoons corn starch

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400.

Heat oil over medium high heat.

When oil is hot, add chicken and quickly brown both sides (about 1-2 minutes each side).

Place chicken in a bowl and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan combine water, orange juice, vinegar, and soy sauce and heat over medium high heat. Stir to combine.

Whisk in ginger, orange zest, crushed red pepper (optional), and sugar.

Whisk and bring to a boil.

In a small bowl whisk corn starch into cold water until dissolved.

Pour into boiling sauce and stir until thickened, then remove from heat.

Place chicken in a shallow baking dish.

Pour ⅔ of sauce over chicken.

Bake 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Serve chicken over rice and with remaining sauce.

Garnish with sliced green onions if desired.

Are you casting asparagus on my cooking?

Spring Asparagus Tart

Ingredients

1 package frozen puff pastry (Preferably Dufour)
1/2 bunch asparagus, about 15 pieces, sliced in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
1 egg, beaten for egg wash
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 ounce aged Cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Two to 3 hours before baking, defrost the puff pastry in the refrigerator. Alternately, defrost at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Dust a work surface with flour and lay the dough flat on the surface. Dust the top with flour and roll with a floured rolling pin to make a uniform shape. Trim 1-inch borders from the edge of the dough and set the strips aside.
4. Brush the edges of the dough with the egg wash and place the strips on top of the egg wash. Press down lightly to seal the dough together.
5. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Place the halved asparagus spears in a medium bowl. Toss the asparagus with the 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
7. Prick the dough lightly all over with a fork. Do not pierce the dough all the way through. Then, on the edges of the dough, press the tines of the fork down on the raised strips to make diagonal slashes.
8. Brush the raised strips of dough with egg wash.
9. Lay the asparagus spears lengthwise in the center portion of the dough. Season again with salt and freshly ground pepper.
10. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the dough is hard and well-cooked.
11. Remove from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack. Slice strips of the cheese with a vegetable peeler and place on the tart to let melt. Serve hot!

If you pour oil and vinegar into the same vessel, you would call them not friends but opponents.

Balsamic Glazed Chicken

This would work really on any cut of chicken.

Turn oven to 400 while you get the chicken ready.

Put chicken pieces in a baking dish.

Pour extra virgin olive oil over the chicken to thoroughly coat.

Sprinkle all with salt & pepper.

Next liberally dose the whole lot with balsamic vinegar.

Put in oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Then take out of the oven and turn the chicken pieces over, spooning the liquid in the dish over the chicken and return to the oven.

Bake another 15 minutes and then check the internal temp of the meat until it reads 160. Times vary depending on the meat thickness.

Cook until it gets to that temperature.

Once there, take out of oven and cover dish with aluminum foil for 5 minutes. Done.

Really could not be easier. Truly. The chicken gets this amazing caramelization on it and becomes so tasty.