Dinner at the Thompsons

I have enjoyed trying new mac and cheese recipes lately. Lil D adores "cheesy noodles" and Mr. T will never complain about eating them either. I found another recipe in my food network magazine to try (the picture doesn't really do it justice:(

...and a recipe my cousin shared on her boiled hotdogs blog for Kielbasa and apples...

so freakin' good...I make them with any mac and cheese recipe I try.

Lil D calls them "BIG hotdogs".

Triple-Cheese Spirals

12 oz spiral shaped pasta

3 T unsalted butter

1 T all-purpose flour

1 tsp. dry mustard

pinch cayenne pepper

1 12oz evaporated milk

1/2 C whole milk

3/4 C shredded yellow sharp cheddar cheese

3/4 C shredded monterey jack

1/2 C grated parmesan

1/2 cup panko (or regular breadcrumbs)

2 T chives or scallions

1. Boil water..add noodles...cook per directions.

2. Melt 1 T butter in sauce pan over medium heat. Add flour, mustard and cayenne and stir to make a paste. Cook stirring, until paste puffs slightly, about 1 minute. Whisk in both milks and 1/2 tsp. salt and simmer. Whisk occasionally, until slightly thickened and creamy, 6-7 minutes. Add cheeses (leave about 2 T of the parm out for the topping) and whisk until melted.

3. Combine panko, 1 T butter, 2 T parm and chives. Microwave about 1 minute and toss

4. Drain the pasta (reserve some water to thin) and return to pot, toss with 1 T butter, then stir in cream sauce, adding any water if needed. Season with salt and top with crumb mixture.

I'm linkin' to Foodie Friday

November Challenge day 12....dinner at the Thompsons....Foodie Friday

My 2 comrade in arms ditched me on the challenge (no eating out for a month)...It's okay...I forgive you both! I am still staying strong:) Luckily, I remembered to throw a banana in my purse on the way out the door this morning, so Lil d had a snack to tide him over till we got home for lunch...phew!

For dinner tonight, I decided to try and make Reuben sandwiches.  I LOVE Reuben sandwiches...but I have never made them before...what was I thinking?

I bought a corn beef brisket at Walmart for $4.50 (and I will be using it for another meal Saturday...that's cheap).  It was my first time cooking a corn beef brisket...but WILL NOT be the last!

Reuben Sandwiches

1 corn beef brisket

sauerkraut

swiss cheese

thousand island dressing

rye bread

Cook brisket in crock pot on high for 8 hours. (I also read that you can cook it on high for 3 hours, then low for 10-12 hours...what, am I going to put it in the night before?). Slice it thin and layer on rye bread with swiss cheese, sauerkraut and dressing. Delicious! I think each sandwich cost around $1.50 (crazy right?....crazy good).

I'm linking to Foodie Friday!

November Challenge DAY 5 & Foodie Friday!

Today was a VERY hard day to keep the challenge...and we are only on day 5! Thursday is Gymboree day and we have class from 11-12...dragging Lil D around afterward without grabbing him a bite to eat was almost painful.  Probably the first time in his 2 1/2 years of life that he actually said, "I'm hungry....I need food"...sorry kiddo...you have to wait till we get home. Guess I need to buy some grab and go lunch items...BUT...we did it...another successful day of eating in our own home for all 3 meals!

Breakfast: Lil D chose "waffles (eggos) with syrup on side like this" and a "foofy" (strawberry smoothie...don't ask, it's just how he says it:)

Lunch: Wendy's sure looked good when we passed it 3 times...but NOPE...we came home and had chicken nuggets, mandarin oranges and I had some Ritz with laughing cow.

Dinner: Cheesy Rice Fritters

I was going to do leftovers again, but with all this eating at home stuff, I didn't really have any.  So I pulled out a recipe I found in this month's issue of Rachel Ray.  When I read it, not only did they sound good...but I had all the ingredients at home...I LOVE that!

Cheesy Rice Fritters:

1 C arborio rice

3 slices bacon, chopped

1 C shredded mozzarella cheese

1 C parmesan cheese

1 large egg, beaten

Salt and Pepper

1/2 C seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 C EVOO (it is from Rachel Ray after all)

10 oz bag spinach, coarsely chopped

1 pinch red pepper flakes

1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, bring the rice and 2 1/2 C water to a boil.  Lower to a simmer and cook until rice is still firm, but cooked through and water has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and let cool slightly.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the bacon till crisp. Using a slotted spoon, add the bacon to the rice, reserving the bacon fat in the skillet.  Stir in the 2 cheeses and egg into the rice mixture; season with salt and pepper.

3. Divide the rice mixture into 12 mounds on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten into 3-inch patties.  Sprinkle both sides with bread crumbs.

4. Add the EVOO to the bacon fat and heat over medium-high.  Working in batches, add the patties and cook, turning once, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.  Add the spinach to the skillet and cook over high heat, turning, until wilted, about 2 minutes; season with crushed red pepper. Top with the fritters.

These little guys were pretty good.  Lil D even ate a lot of his...not the spinach so much, he had an apple! I didn't cook my spinach 'cause I just can't eat it that way.  Only thing I would change about these...I would add more bacon...the best bites were the ones with the bacon in them (no shocker really)...AND I would add the crushed red pepper to the fritters instead of the spinach.  They needed a little more flavor or some kick...but overall I really liked them.  And it's a good thing...'cause it made a lot...guess what's for lunch tomorrow:)

I'm linking to Foodie Friday...you should go check out all the great recipes! Maybe you can find some to help you get through your challenge:) How you doing on that...almost one week down!