5 tips for the best mac ‘n cheese . . .

Mar 15, 2012 by Ani

Everyone has a favorite mac ‘n cheese recipe . . . I prefer mine baked.

Five tips for the best baked mac ‘n cheese ever:

•  Try using spicy cheese for a flavor switch up.

•  Undercook the pasta. The macaroni will stay softer–especially important when making baked macaroni and cheese.

•  Don’t skimp on cheese. Overestimate.  I like to add additional cheese to the top of the casserole.  Don’t feel compelled to limit your cheese to the amount specified in your recipe.

•  Use freshly ground black pepper – and lots of it.

•  If your recipe doesn’t use sour cream, consider finding one that does!

If you have a technique for making the best mac ‘n cheese on the planet, share it with us!

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baked apples in ramekins

Mar 15, 2012 by Ani

Baked apples!  One of my favorite comfort foods!

I don’t like to heat up the oven to bake just one item.  Husband had requested mac ‘n cheese, so I thought–why not use those darling little le creuset ramekins . . . and bake some apples.

I won’t pretend I used a recipe, but I can tell you what I did in case you would like to try my method.

First of all, regardless what type of apples I am using, I always coat the slices with fresh lemon juice.  To make this dish, I coated  the lemon saturated apple slices in sugar and cinnamon.  The easiest way to do this is to take half a cup or so of sugar, sprinkle a heaping teaspoon of cinnamon into it, put it in a zip lock bag, dump the apple slices in–and shake.

Next, layer the apple slices in the ramekin or bowl.  Take 3 dots of butter (about 1 tsp of butter, in 3 pieces) and insert the pieces around the apples (I put them in a triangle for good coverage).

Pour a tiny bit of honey over the mixture (less than a teaspoon).

And here is my secret ingredient: Fresh orange juice! Yes, pour 3 tablespoons of orange juice over the mixture in each ramekin.

Put the ramekins on a cookie sheet, and bake in a pre-heated oven at 325 degrees until bubbling and browned on top  (about 35 minutes).

If you want to use this dish as dessert, add some whipped cream.  Enjoy!

This recipe uses one large apple and makes two small ramekins.

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2012: a new year and a new look

Feb 4, 2012 by Ani

Glad you stopped by! As you can see, we are giving Carolina Lifestyles a new look.  We are working towards a more interactive site and hope you will like the changes.

 

 

 

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Ani’s Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Nov 22, 2011 by Ani

Love those expensive Pumpkin Spice Lattes in every coffee shop this time of year?  I certainly do!  Here’s my take on the recipe . . . with a twist.  So that I can prepare them easily, I decided to freeze the pumpkin into “pucks” . . .

Hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Lattes

2 cups milk
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
2 T  sugar
2 T vanilla
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup brewed coffee

Put coffee and milk in crockpot. Mix pumpkin, spices, sugar, and vanilla together.

Set crockpot on high for two hours. Stir and serve. Add whipped cream and cinnamon stick, if desired. Will make 2-3 servings, depending on sizes of mugs.

I use canned pumpkin, so  this means opening a full can and having unused pumpkin. To solve that problem, while also making it easy to prepare the lattes on a moment’s notice, I decided to make frozen “pumpkin pucks.”  I mixed up all the ingredients, except the milk and coffee (of course) and poured into a muffin tin.  Each puck equals about 1/4 cup.  I froze them overnight, then popped them out, put in Tupperware, and returned them to the freezer.  When I want to make a batch of lattes, I just pour the milk and coffee into the crockpot, add one of these neat little pumpkin pucks . . . and that’s it!

The aroma is an added bonus . . .

Enjoy!

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Green Bean Casserole (Traditional Recipe)

Nov 22, 2011 by Ani

I have received about two dozen requests for the “traditional” Green Bean Casserole that families have been serving at Holiday tables for decades.  There seems to be a lot of nostalgia connected to the dish.

I have been making this recipe since I was a teenager.  In fact, it is one of the first dishes I learned to put together. I have added bacon to the recipe over the years, as I like the added flavor.  If you don’t want to fix bacon, or prefer to cut down on the fat, feel free to substitute the crumbled bacon pieces that are available from Hormel and Oscar Mayer.

Teach your kids how to make this dish, and you can rest assured that it will continue to be served at family gatherings for many years into the future.

Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients

1-10 3/4-ounce can Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 cup milk

4 pieces of bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Dash ground black pepper

2 -16 oz. cans french cut green beans

1 1/3 cups Durkee’s or French’s Fried Onions

Method

Mix soup, milk, Worcestershire Sauce, black pepper, green beans, bacon and 2/3 cup onions in 1 1/2-quart casserole.  Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30 minutes or until bubbling.  Sprinkle with remaining onions.  Put under broiler a minute or two to brown the onion.

Makes 6 servings

I double this recipe for large gatherings.  If you don’t have a 3 quart casserole, use two 1 1/2 quart casseroles. Also, if someone in the group is not fond of mushrooms, you can substitute Cream of Celery soup. Some recipes call for Soy Sauce instead of Worcestershire Sauce, but I prefer the Worcestershire Sauce.

©Carolina Shortcut Chef

For more variations and photo:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/green-bean-casserole-recipe2/index.html

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