What I Ate Wednesday Week 7: Valentine's Day Edition

I continue to fight the cold I have had since last week. I woke up this morning feeling much better.

Breakfast

Low Sodium Chocolate Chip Waffle

Lunch

Grilled Cheese. Not terribly exciting, but great sick food.  

Dinner

We went out to Woodwinds for their fancy buffet for Valentine's Day. It was nice not having to think about dinner since I wasn't feeling well.

Photo borrowed from the Woodwinds Facebook Page.

 Photo borrowed from the Woodwinds Facebook Page.

It was a good Valentine's Day despite being sick. Josh does a great job of making me feel loved all year round.

~Stefani =)

Mac 'n' Cheese 'n' Burgers

This recipe is basically a homemade Hamburger Helper. It is from Rachael Ray's book Just in Time.

1 Pound of Rotini or Penne
1 Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Pound of Ground Beef
3 to 4 Tablespoons of grated onion and juice
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) of butter
3 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
1 Cup of Chicken Stock
2 Cups of Milk (whole or 2%)
2 Cups of Cheddar Cheese
Black Pepper to taste
Up to 1 Tablespoon of Dijon Mustard

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook al dente.

While the pasta cooks, heat a nonstick skillet with EVOO over medium to high heat.
Add the beef and cook until brown, breaking it up.

Add the grated onion with its juice and pepper to the skillet and combine.

While the meat browns, heat a saucepan over medium to medium-high heat.

Add the butter and melt. 

Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute.

Whisk in the stock and milk.

Season with pepper.

Bring sauce to a bubble, then cook for a few minutes to thicken.

Stir in the mustard.

Add the cheese a few handfuls at a time, stirring in a figure 8 motion as it melts into the sauce.

Drain the pasta, then return it to the hot pot. 

Add the beef and cheese sauce to the pasta.

Stir to combine. 

The ingredients.

Brown the beef in the skillet.

Add the onions.

Melt the butter.

Add the flour to the butter.

Add the stock....

then the milk.

Add the cheddar cheese.

The completed cheesey goodness.

Combine the pasta, beef, and cheese sauce.

The completed dish.

We added turkey bacon to the top. Yum!

~Stefani =)

Turkey Tetrazzini

This is a great post-Thanksgiving meal. We froze one of the turkey's breasts from our Thanksgiving turkey and used it for this meal this past week. Making a roux with homemade chicken broth reduces the sodium greatly. This is another dish where I do not miss the salt. 
This recipe was adapted from the one that can be found here.


12 oz egg noodles, spaghetti, linguine or other pasta
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/4 cup cream
2 cups chicken broth
3 cups coarsely chopped cooked turkey
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan (divided into 1/3 and 1/3 cups
Salt and Pepper
1/3 cup bread crumbs (panko are best for low sodium cooking)
 
Preheat oven to 375°F. 
Start heating 2 to 3 quarts of water for the pasta. Follow the package directions and cook until al dente.
In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 1/4 cup of butter. Whisk in the flour and cook the mixture over low heat, stirring, for 3 minutes.
Into the saucepan with the butter and flour, slowly whisk in the milk, cream, and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 to 8 minutes.
When the pasta is ready, drain it. In a large bowl combine the pasta, the sauce, and the turkey. Stir in 1/3 cup of the Parmesan. 
Transfer the mixture to a buttered 3-quart casserole.
Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs evenly over the tetrazzini, and dot the top with the remaining butter, cut into bits.
Bake the Tetrazzini in the middle rack of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it is bubbling and the top is golden.

The Ingredients.

Cubed turkey breast.

The unsalted butter melting.

The flour added to the melted butter.

The broth added to the butter and flour mixture.

The milk and the cream.

The turkey and the sauce.

The pasta and cheese added to the sauce and turkey.

The mixture put into a 3 quart glass casserole dish and topped with panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and dotted with butter. 

The final product baked to golden brown perfection.


You can add mushrooms and peas if you so desire. I do not like mushrooms and Joshua doesn't care for peas. Hence, why we leave it plain.


~Stefani =)