Monday, June 30, 2014

cheeseburger casserole

I don't know about you, but the first time I heard about this dish was when I was watching some American cooking show on the Food Network. My first thought was, HUH?? And my second thought was, WHY??

That was a while back, and I am happy to say that I have since broadened my mind, and admit that hey, actually, this is not at all a bad idea for a dish.
Casseroles are great when you have fussy kids (or adults) to feed, and this casserole, which tastes somewhat like a deconstructed (for lack of a better word) cheeseburger will be a hit with kids.

Recently, I did a small survey to see what recipes my reader (ahem, that's you) want to see in my blog and quite a few asked for one pot dishes. Well, your wish is my command, so today, for my final post in Cook Like a Star - Paula Deen and the Deen Brothers, I present to you the know-how on how to cook this easy-peasy casserole.
The first thing I did was to brown the minced beef in a heated Dutch oven with some olive oil. Just be patient and let the beef brown, stirring ever so often. Once the beef was brown, I added the diced onions and cooked a further 2 minutes.
Into this I added diced red peppers (or any vegetables you like) and cooked until the vegetables were tender.
I added Worcestershire [wors-ter-sher] sauce, dried oregano, salt and pepper.
Gosh I love the smell of Worcestershire sauce!

Then I added the chopped tomato.
And stirred to combine. Let this simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Finally, simply add the cooked pasta (I always take 2-3 minutes off the recommended cooking time).
And mixed.
If you are feeling lazy, you can serve this, topped with some Parmesan cheese.

If you want something a bit more fancy, then dish this into a casserole dish (or individual dishes) that has been sprayed with oil, top with Cheddar and some black pepper, and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the tops have turned golden brown, and the sauce is bubbling.
Which is how we like our casseroles.
It has been a great month cooking and baking with the Deens.

I have added some great dishes to my repertoire.
Thanks, Paula!

RECIPE
Cheeseburger Casserole (Serves 6)
Adapted from Paula Deen

Ingredients:
1 lb. (450g) ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped - I used a red pepper
1 (28-oz.) can chopped tomatoes, with juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces (226g) wide egg noodles - I used shaped pasta
Cooking spray
2 cups (200g) grated sharp cheddar cheese

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176.6°C). In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium heat, stirring to break up the lumps, until all of the pink is gone from the meat. Get an adult to help you drain off the fat. Add the onion and the green pepper, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, with juice, and the Worcestershire sauce, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to low. Simmer the mixture for about 15 minutes.
2. Fill medium pot half full of water. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring the water to a boil. Stir in the noodles and boil for about 8 minutes, until tender. Get an adult to help you drain the noodles, Return the noodles to the pot. Pour the tomato mixture over the noodles and stir until blended.
3. Put the noodle mixture into a baking dish that you have sprayed with cooking spray. Top with cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Enjoy it has a family meal, then refrigerate the leftovers.

This post is linked to Cook like a Star, Paula Deen and the Deen Brothers organised by me the Domestic Goddess Wannabe, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids.
Want to cook or bake like Paula Deen or the Deen Brothers? To join, simply cook or bake any recipe from their websites or cookbooks and link with us at this (Joyce's), this (Zoe's) or this (Diana's), post for the whole of June 2014.

To use this linky tool, please make sure that:
(1) Your post is posted in June 2014.
(2) Please mention Cook like a Star in your post and link back to us at Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe, Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and Joyce from Kitchen Flavours.

For more details, please see this.

I am submitting this recipe for Cook-Your-Books hosted by Kitchen Flavours.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

the lady's cheesy mac | macaroni and cheese

I know it is pretty unusual for me to post on a Sunday.

But today, I decided to post a recipe. Why? Well, mostly because we are nearing the end of Cooking with Paula Deen and I really cannot not post this recipe.

After all, think southern cooking, think Mac and Cheese.
Recently, Aden had been coming to me and saying, "Mommy, I am REALLY hungry." And he would complete this make-my-mom-guilty statement (like I had not been not feeding him enough!) with a hand-rubbing-tummy action.

So that got me thinking. I can't be the only Mom facing (a horde, well, it feels like that) of hungry kid(s)!
The final reason why I had to post this recipe was because I really dislike how a simple mac and cheese recipe has somewhat got "upgraded" into something elaborate, and made with super-expensive cheeses. This was supposed to be a poor-man's dish!

So enough of my ranting (hehe).

Here is a simple, inexpensive, but very tasty mac and cheese recipe!

I started by cooking the macaroni in a pot of salted boiling water. Once cooked (I took 3 minutes off the recommended cooking time), I added Cheddar, and gave it a stir. This was set aside.
Then I mixed together the remaining ingredients: eggs, sour cream, butter, salt and milk.
And poured this over the macaroni.
I gave everything a good stir, transferred this into a casserole, added more cheese on top, and baked!
Once the top was golden brown, I served the mac and cheese immediately.
Yes, it was that easy!

This was gone before I could take any pictures of the inside of the dish.

Oppss.

RECIPE
The Lady's Chessy Mac (Serves 6-8)
Adapted from Paula Deen

Ingredients:
4 cups (500g) cooked elbow macaroni, drained
2 cups (400g) grated cheddar cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup (125ml) sour cream
4 tablespoons (56.7g) butter, cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (240ml) milk

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (176.6°C).
Once you have the macaroni cooked and drained, place in a large bowl and while still hot and add the cheddar. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and add to the macaroni mixture. Pour macaroni mixture into a casserole dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes. Top with additional cheese if desired.

This post is linked to Cook like a Star, Paula Deen and the Deen Brothers organised by me the Domestic Goddess Wannabe, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids.
Want to cook or bake like Paula Deen or the Deen Brothers? To join, simply cook or bake any recipe from their websites or cookbooks and link with us at this (Joyce's), this (Zoe's) or this (Diana's), post for the whole of June 2014.

To use this linky tool, please make sure that:
(1) Your post is posted in June 2014.
(2) Please mention Cook like a Star in your post and link back to us at Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe, Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and Joyce from Kitchen Flavours.

For more details, please see this.

I am also linking this post to Little Thumbs Up, hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY, and Jozelyn of Spice Up My Kitchen.
Last but not least, I am submitting this recipe for Cook-Your-Books hosted by Kitchen Flavours.

Friday, June 27, 2014

perfect vanilla cupcakes with swiss meringue buttercream

The thing about jinxes is that when they have been broken, things do get better.

If you have read my post on Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes, you would know that for the longest time, I've had pretty bad luck with cakes that are made by the method in which sugar and eggs are first beaten before the rest of the ingredients are added.

It got so bad that I avoided this method of cake-making for ages. There is little that is more demoralising than baking batch after batch of little rocks that pretend to be cakes.
Of course, my luck turned when I managed to bake a batch of moist and super flavourful Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes. *salivating*

So I followed up by baking another cupcake using the method.

And I am happy to report that these are the yummiest vanilla cuppies I have ever made. That's really saying something because the recipe for vanilla cupcakes from Primrose bakery that I had shared a while ago was pretty amazing.
But these are beyond amazing! These cupcakes are really moist *love* and go so well with the buttercream.

If you are interested in making some cupcakes this weekend, here's how!

To start, I beat together sugar and eggs until the mixture turned light and fluffy. This is the most important step in the entire process, so please take the time to beat the eggs and sugar well.
Into this, I added oil. I like to use canola oil because it has a neutral flavour but other mild-flavoured oils would work too.
And continued beating.

Finally, I added the flour and buttermilk in the sequence flour-buttermilk-flour-buttermilk-flour, and beat until all the flour had been incorporated.
The very thin and watery batter was ladled into cupcake liners.
And baked.

Once done, they were cooled in the tray for 10-15 minutes before I transferred them onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Only when the cupcakes were completely cool did I frost them with my favourite Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
Can you see how moist the cake was? And how lovely the crumbs were?
So in the words of a Singaporean, Go make lah!

Thank you so much for your support! We have a winner for our OXO 3-piece angled measuring cup set! Click on the photo to see if you are our winner!

RECIPE
Perfect Vanilla Cupcake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream (Makes 15)
Adapted from Natashaskitchen

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups (125g) cake flour or plain flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup (168.7g) sugar
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (125ml) canola oil (vegetable or extra light olive oil also work)
1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350°C (176.6°C) and line a cupcake/muffin pan with cupcake liners.
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set flour mix aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat 2 eggs and sugar on medium speed (3-4 minutes).
3. Add vanilla and oil and beat on medium speed.
4. Reduce mixer speed to medium/low and slowly add the flour and buttermilk in the sequence flour-buttermilk-flour-buttermilk-flour.
5. Beat until just combined and smooth, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl. The batter should be thin.
6. Pour batter into a lined muffin pan. Fill to about 1/2 full.
7. Bake for 12 -14 minutes. Let them cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then remove.

I am linking this post to Little Thumbs Up, hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY, and Jozelyn of Spice Up My Kitchen.



Thursday, June 26, 2014

broccoli and cauliflower casserole

I wanted to make a broccoli and cauliflower casserole for Jadelyn's birthday party.

Since I knew that Paula Deen has some pretty tasty casserole dishes, I decided to have a look to see if I could find something suitable. I did find a pretty good broccoli and cauliflower casserole recipe but I made some changes to it because I also wanted to incorporate roasted garlic into my casserole. For a step-by-step guide on how to roast garlic, see here.
If you are thinking of ways to get your kids to eat vegetables, this is a brilliant recipe for you to try. You can hide all sorts of vegetables in this, really, but broccoli and/or cauliflower work really well here.

I started by roasting the garlic and once it had cooled, I squeezed the garlic cloves into a bowl.
I used a fork to mash the garlic. This was then set aside.
I didn't have any panko breadcrumbs so I made my own by blitzing wholemeal bread in my food processor.
I also grated tasty Cheddar and Gruyere and mixed 1/3 of the cheese with the bread crumbs.
I cut the cauliflower and broccoli into thin slices. They were blanched in boiling water for 2 minutes, then drained and set aside.
In a hot Dutch oven, I melted some butter. Into this, I added flour and stirred.
 I added the milk slowly, stirring all the while.
Once the milk had thickened, I added the garlic and nutmeg.
Finally I added the remaining 2/3 of the cheese, along with Parmesan cheese and stirred until combined.
I seasoned with salt and lots of black pepper.

I ladled some of this sauce into my casserole dish. Then I layered the cauliflower and broccoli. And finally I topped this with another layer of the sauce.
I topped this with the cheese and breadcrumbs. I also grated some black pepper over the top.
This was baked for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the topped had turned golden brown and the sauce was bubbling.
I'd suggest that you wait a little before you start eating this as it tends to be very hot.
But I would also totally understand if you couldn't wait.

I couldn't.

:)

A giveaway!
I have tons of kitchen equipment and one of the things I cannot do without when I cook or bake are my measuring cups. Not just any old measuring cups, mind you. OXO Good Grips Angled Measuring Cups! A patented angled surface lets you read measurement markings by looking straight down into the Cup and eliminates the need to fill, check and adjust the amount of liquid you are measuring. The handle is soft and non-slip for a firm grip, and cup, ounce and milliliter measurement markings increase convenience. The set includes 1-cup, 2-cup and 4-cup versions.

To take part, click on the picture above!

RECIPE
Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole (Serves 6-8)
Adapted from Paula Deen

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, small chopped - I substituted with 3 heads of roasted garlic
1/2 cup mushroom, any kind - I omitted this
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk - I used 2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup sour cream - I omitted this
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
1/2 cup tasty Cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 cups broccoli florets, fresh and steamed crisp-tender - I par-boiled for 2 minutes in salted boiling water
4 cups cauliflower florets, fresh and steamed until crisp-tender - I par-boiled for 2 minutes in salted boiling water
1 cup panko breadcrumbs - I used fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted - I omitted this
Note: I added 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (176.6°C).
2. Lightly grease an 11x7 inch baking dish. (I used individual casserole dishes)
3. In large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
4. Add onion and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. (I omitted this)
5. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly.
6. Gradually stir in milk and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until mixture thickens.
7. Stir in sour cream, cheese, salt, and pepper, stirring until smooth. (I replaced the sour cream with mashed roasted garlic and nutmeg)
8. Stir in broccoli and cauliflower and spoon into prepared baking dish. (I layered the sauce with the vegetables)
9. In small bowl, combine panko and melted butter.
10. Sprinkle evenly over casserole.
11. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown and casserole is hot and bubbly.
12. Serve immediately.

This post is linked to Cook like a Star, Paula Deen and the Deen Brothers organised by me the Domestic Goddess Wannabe, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids.
Want to cook or bake like Paula Deen or the Deen Brothers? To join, simply cook or bake any recipe from their websites or cookbooks and link with us at this (Joyce's), this (Zoe's) or this (Diana's), post for the whole of June 2014.

To use this linky tool, please make sure that:
(1) Your post is posted in June 2014.
(2) Please mention Cook like a Star in your post and link back to us at Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe, Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and Joyce from Kitchen Flavours.

For more details, please see this.

I am also linking this post to Little Thumbs Up, hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY, and Jozelyn of Spice Up My Kitchen.