Free & Easy

Alright, this is going to be a two-for post so let's get down to business. First the "free" part. Did you know Dillons (actually all Kroger stores) offer digital coupons every Friday for a free item? It's usually new products they're trying to promote, but hey...you can't beat free right! So last week I finally cashed in on my 3 free coupons I had loaded onto my shop loyalty card & here's what I was able to get. Oh, I should also mention that I picked up a few clearance items as well.

The Haul

So in the end I paid $1.59 for the 6 items pictured, a savings of 68%! We ended up eating the yogurt & pretzel chips for snacks then I had the Aquafina later on. I'm still holding on to the Mountain Dew for a cake experiment. Yes, I said cake... don't worry, I'll post the results when I do try it :-)

Alright, now on to the "easy." The other day I was trying to figure out a quick dinner as all 3 minions were in full-on "I need mommy" mode, not to mention I was pulling single mom duty as a certain some one was traveling for work. I mention no names, but he knows who he is ;-) The first thing I thought of was macaroni & cheese since that's usually a sure-fire hit with the boys. The prospect of making a roux & cheese sauce did not fit into my easy box though so I started looking around online for inspiration. I did the Google thing & stumbled onto a recipe for homemade hamburger helper. Of course I "Mikied" it up a bit to make it my own. Hmm..."Mikied"...I like that :-)

In any case, it took a total of 20 minutes & I had a potful of delicious cheesy mac ready to go. The boys had 3 servings a piece so I'm going to call it a winner! Next time you're in a hurry, give this one a shot!

Cheeseburger Skillet Pasta

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Cheeseburger Skillet Pasta
Ingredients
1 pound ground meat (I used ground turkey since that was all I had)
16 ounces dry pasta (macaroni, penne...your choice)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups milk
2 cups cold water (or just enough to completely cover the pasta)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions
Brown the ground meat in a skillet until it is cooked through. Add in the onions and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add in the remaining ingredients, except for the sour cream & cheeses. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover skillet, and simmer until the pasta is done, about 10 minutes. Don't forget to stir occasionally so the pasta doesn't stick.

Once the pasta is done, remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. Adjust seasonings to your liking. Let skillet sit for a few minutes to let sauce thicken. Enjoy!

Note: You can leave out the Parmesan cheese if you don't have any, but I found it made the dish a bit more cheesy & added a nice finishing touch. And if you're avoiding meat you can always sub some veggies in, sweet potatoes are really good in a cheese sauce or even broccoli. The idea is to get a meal on the table in no time at all so use whatever you have on hand! 

Of Tarts & Quiches

Ok, so the plan for Meatless Monday was to make leek & potato bake. As the name suggests it's leeks & potatoes "baked" in a slow cooker with cream, cheese, & seasonings. Well of course I got distracted & never  got around to setting up the slow cooker in the morning. So at 3pm it dawned on me that there was going to be no slow cooking going on so I had to find an alternative. I thought about making the bake in the oven, but the idea wasn't very exciting so I started considering my options. The first thing that came to mind was to make a leek & potato tart that I'd seen on The Chew so off I went to find the recipe. Since I didn't have a pre-made pastry crust I'd have to make one from scratch & with 3 small people that was not going to happen. "What about a potato crust?" I thought. Surely in all the web there should be a tart/quiche recipe that uses a potato crust. After lots of Googling I stumbled upon a potato-crusted quiche recipe at Food Network. So armed with the two recipes I came up with my own version...leek tart with sweet potato crust. 

The first thing I did was slice the sweet potatoes on a mandolin & toss with canola oil & seasoning. Yes I know olive oil would've been better, but you have to use what you have. After a thorough seasoning. I baked the potatoes and then lined an 8x8in baking dish with them. The original recipe called for a 9in pie plate, but I figured the deep dish would serve more people. And trust me, there are days when the little people eat like grownups so the more food available, the better.

Sweet Potato Crust

Next up was the filling. I fried up the sliced leeks in a bit of oil with some seasonings. If you've never cooked with leeks before, fear not..here's a  tutorial on how to prep them. 

Fried Leeks

I mixed the custard (aka milk & eggs), then stirred in the leeks plus some shredded cheese for extra oomph.

Filling Mixed & Ready to Go

Then it was time to bake & wait for the goodness to be done. Here's the final product.

Delicious Tart Goodness

So there you have it, my leek tart with sweet potato crust. The potatoes were crisp and caramelized in some places so that made for a tasty base to the rich eggs. We had it with a tomato salad on the side, but I'm sure some crusty bread would be a good addition as well. In any case, the munchkins cleaned their plates as did the grown-ups so it's definitely a keeper. I hope you try it & if you do, let me know what you think!

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Leek Tart with Sweet Potato Crust
Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons oil (olive, vegetable, canola...whatever you have is fine)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 large leek
6 eggs 
3/4 cup milk (I used almond milk)
1 cup grated cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Slice the potatoes into thin ovals. I used a mandolin, but a sharp knife would work just as well. Toss the potatoes with 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp paprika, salt and pepper. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on a large baking sheet, or 2 if necessary. Bake for 15 minutes. Line the bottom and sides of an 8x8in baking dish with overlapping potato slices.

Slice the leek as shown in the linked tutorial. Heat a pan over medium heat with 1 tbsp oil. Add the sliced leek and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tsp paprika, salt, and pepper. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 375deg. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk then add salt and pepper. Stir in the leeks and cheese. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and bake for 45-60 minutes, until the eggs are set in the center. (I bakes mine for 30 minutes originally then sliced only to have a runny mess so I put it back in the oven for an extra 20 minutes.) Cool for a few minutes before serving, 5 - 10 should be fine.

Let's Try This Again

Hola amigos, welcome to my mad, mad world! I originally planned for this blog to be an outlet/showcase for my culinary adventures, but after becoming a stay-at-home mom (that's another story in itself) I figure I can use this to chronicle all of my (mis)adventures. From dealing with a teething baby to trying to potty-train the most stubborn little boy ever to trying out new recipes, I'll go on about any and everything. Hopefully you'll join me for the ride!