whipping cream – Buen provecho…2022

Macaroni and Cheese

No luncheon meats in the house and the cleaning lady is here today. What to give her for lunch? Penne. Large bag of Kirkland cheese blend. Whipping cream. Onion powder. Parmesan. Panko. Milk. Macaroni and cheese!!!

If you do not have gruyere experiment with another shredded cheese…

Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

16 ounces pasta, I had penne
1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons butter melted or olive oil or canola oil
½ cup parmesan grated
6 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
⅓ cup all purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups cheddar cheese shredded
2 cups gruyere shredded O or whatever shredded cheese you have on hand
1½ teaspoons onion powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 9×12 casserole dish.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta. Prepare noodles al dente. Drain, drizzle with oil to prevent sticking and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine panko, butter or oil and parmesan. Set aside.

4. Melt butter in large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute.

5. Whisk in flour. Whisk continuously until golden, about 1 minute.

6. Gradually whisk in milk and heavy cream until smooth. Whisk about 5 minutes.

7. Add onion powder, paprika and pepper.

8. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk in cheeses until smooth.

9. Fold in pasta. Stir until well combined. Transfer to casserole dish or bake in Dutch oven.

10. Spread panko mixture evenly over the top.

11. Bake approximately 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

Muffin Tin Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

My spouse’s mother always made him pineapple upside down cake for his birthday when he was young. Waking up early on his birthday, I decided that was what I would make him also. I had previously found a recipe and purchased all of the ingredients. It doesn’t get much easier than this recipe! PS…It would be great for Easter Sunday!!!

Muffin Tin Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

Ingredients…

1/4 C Butter
1 C Packed Dark Brown Sugar
1 Can (20 Oz) Pineapple slices in juice, drained, reserve juice
1 Jar (6 oz) Maraschino cherries without stems – drained
1 Box Betty Crocker Supermoist yellow cake mix
- oil and eggs called for on box –

1 – Preheat oven – 350 degrees. In a 13 x 9 x2 pan, melt butter in oven. Here is where I made a change – I sprayed the pan first with PAM – just a precaution I wanted to take. Sprinkle brown sugar over melted butter. Arrange pineapple slices on brown sugar. Place cherries in centers and around the slices – press gently into the sugar/butter.

2 – Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to make 1 cup. Make cake batter as directed on box, substituting pineapple juice mixture for the water. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.

3 – Bake about 40 or so minutes – or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately run a knife around the edges of pan to loosen cake. I let mine sit in the pan for about 10 minutes then turned it out onto a serving platter leaving the pan on top for an additional 15 to 20 minutes… This lets the brown sugar drizzle over the cake – remove pan. Cool for about 30 minutes. Serve warm or cool. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Keto White Chicken Chili

Have leftovers, will whip up something…LOL Have had this recipe for sometime but never made it until this week. It is a great way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken! Great flavours, too!

Keto White Chicken Chili

Ingredients

1 lb chicken
1.5 cups chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 4.5oz can chopped green chiles
1 diced jalapeno (OMIT if you need less heat)
1 diced green pepper
1/4 cup diced onion
4 tbsp butter
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
4 oz cream cheese softened
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

In large pot, season chicken with cumin, oregano, cayenne, salt and pepper

Sear both sides over medium heat until golden

Add broth to pot, cover and cook chicken for 15-20 minutes or until fully cooked

While chicken is cooking, melt butter in medium skillet

Add chiles, diced jalapeno, green pepper and onion to skillet and saute until veggies soften

Add minced garlic and sauté additional 30 seconds and turn off heat, set aside

Once chicken is fully cooked, shred with fork and add back into broth

Add sautéed veggies to pot with chicken and broth and simmer for 10 minutes

In medium bowl, soften cream cheese in microwave until you can stir it (~20 sec)

Mix cream cheese with heavy whipping cream

Stirring quickly, add mixture into pot with chicken and veggies

Simmer additional 15 minutes

Serve with favorite toppings such as: pepper jack cheese, avocado slices, cilantro, sour cream

Skillet Chicken and Mushroom Wine Sauce

Really enjoyed this recipe even though it looks kinda blah in my photo. Ran out of thyme for garnish…LOL.

Skillet Chicken and Mushroom Wine Sauce

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut diagonally into cutlets
½ cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
12 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and thick sliced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 large shallots, sliced thin
1 ½ cups chicken broth, low sodium
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup heavy cream
2 large springs of fresh thyme
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water or broth

1. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Cut each breast in half diagonally into 2 thinner cutlets. Alternately, place the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness.

2. In a shallow bowl combine the flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Set aside.

3. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet. Heat over medium until the butter is melted. Dredge 3 chicken cutlets in the flour mixture, coating both sides, shaking off the excess flour. Add the coated chicken to the skillet and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook another 3-5 minutes. Remove the cooked chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat until all chicken is browned.

4. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pan and heat until melted. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook, undisturbed, until the mushrooms are well browned on one side. Stir and turn the mushrooms and continue cooking until the moisture is released and evaporated, and the mushrooms are all well browned.

5. Add the sliced shallots to the pan and cook until softened. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Pour the wine into the pan and scrape the bottom to deglaze.

Add the thyme sprigs, chicken broth, mustard and cream. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the dissolved cornstarch. Bring the sauce back to a light simmer and add the chicken. Heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce is thickened and the chicken warmed through. Remove the thyme sprigs, and season the dish with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Garnish with parsley or additional thyme and serve with rice, potatoes or noodles

Penne alla Vodka

No doubt you have had this dish at any one of thousands of Italian restaurants around the world. It really is quite simple once you have prepared the sauce. You can use canned tomatoes, but in this case I used 2 larger fresh tomatoes, NOT plum. I simply chopped them up. One thing of note – do NOT use more than 3 – 4 tablespoons of vodka, as it will leave the dish bitter…

Penne alla Vodka

Ingredients

28 oz. whole plum tomatoes, undrained OR 2 large fresh tomatoes, chopped
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, roughly chopped
3-4 Tablespoons vodka
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
¾ cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons cold butter
Salt/Pepper, to taste
1 lb. Penne
Fresh parsley, roughly chopped
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Instructions

Puree the tomatoes in a blender, food mill, or an immersion blender and set aside. You can decide how chunky or uniform you’d like the tomatoes to be. I simply chopped them up!

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced garlic and the basil. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant and softened.

Turn off the heat.

Add the vodka to the pan and let it sizzle. Turn the heat back to medium and reduce the vodka until there is about a Tablespoon left.

Add the pureed tomatoes and let it simmer for 45 minutes or so, allowing it to reduce and become quite thick.

During the last 12 minutes or so, cook the penne according to package instructions. For saucier pasta, use ¾ lb. instead of the full pound. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water.

Add the heavy cream and the red pepper flakes to the sauce.

Add 2 Tablespoons cold butter to the sauce, along with 1/4 cup pasta water. Stir to combine.

Season with salt/pepper if desired.

Add in the drained pasta.

Garnish with roughly chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese and serve!

Seared Scallops in a Cajun Mustard Cream Sauce

Just in time for News Year’s Eve! As a change this year I decided to have Oysters Rockefeller in place of the usual escargots. Alas, they were impossible to find as fresh and on second thought I did not want to have to shuck them. Third choice was either mussels or scallops. NO mussels to be found. I had to settle on frozen scallops. This recipe from Closet Cooking was not only simple, but really awesome with the mustard sauce. Since I neglected to take a photo, this is the photo which accompanied the recipe.

It was perfect with the broiled asparagus AND very perfect with the leftover mustard sauce, so much so that |I had an idea for using this sauce on Eggs Benedict some time.

Let me know if you try it! It made a great and simple romantic dinner for two.

Seared Scallops in a Cajun Mustard Cream Sauce

Prep Time:5 minutes Cook Time:10 minutes

Total Time:15 minutes Servings: 2

1-pound sea scallops (about 1 inch thick) I used ten scallops
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Cajun mustard (or grainy mustard)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

Pat the scallops dry and press on the Cajun seasoning.
Met the butter into the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the scallops and sear until lightly golden brown, about 1-2 minutes per side, before setting aside.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
Add the heavy cream, mustards and lemon juice, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens a bit, about 2-3 minutes.
Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste and serve the scallops in the sauce garnished with the chopped parsley.

Option: Replace the butter and oil with bacon grease or butter yet, start by cooking 4 strips bacon, use the grease to cook the scallops in and sprinkle the crumbled bacon onto the scallops just before serving!

Option: Add 1/4 cup chicken broth or seafood broth or white wine to the pan before adding the cream and deglaze the plan by scrapping all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon while the broth simmers.

Option: Add 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese to the sauce!

I chose not to use any of the options this time around!!

Happy New Year!!

Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken with Bacon and Cheese

Just another slow cooker recipe…LOL. This one tastes incredible AND its Keto friendly as part of my new JOURNEY to eat healthier this year. As always I was touring around Pinterest and came across this one by Kasey Trenum. It was so great I forgot to photograph it. It was on Kasey’s Pinterest page.

Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken with Bacon & Cheese {low carb & keto}

Ingredients

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons butter
½ tsp poultry seasoning
½ tsp rosemary
¼ tsp thyme
1 tsp garlic
¾ cup chicken broth
3 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled
⅔ cup heavy whipping cream
2 oz. cream cheese
1 cup cheese
3 pieces of bacon, crumbled
¾ tsp Xanthan Gum (for thickening – available at higher end grocery stores)
salt/pepper to taste

Instructions

Add chicken and next 6 ingredients to slow cooker.

Crumble 3 pieces of cooked bacon on the top of the chicken.

Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 to 3½. (Watch your cooker – it was done sooner than I expected)

Add heavy whipping cream to slow cooker.

Dollop cream cheese on top and stir to combine all ingredients.

Using 2 forks, shred chicken in slow cooker.

Sprinkle ¾ tsp Xanthan Gum and allow to simmer with the top off for a few minutes while the mixture thickens.

Spray a casserole dish generously and dump contents of slow cooker into dish.

Add 1 cup of cheddar cheese (or more if you’d like) then crumble 3 pieces of bacon on top.

Place in oven on broil for 2-4 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly and bacon is extra crisp.

Enjoy!

Nutritional Information based on MyFitnessPal app (8 servings) – Calories 302, Fat 24.7, Protein 17.2, Carbs 3.3 -Fiber .8 = Net Carbs 2.5

Keto Parmesan Garlic Pork Chops

Do NOT be afraid to try these Keto recipes. Yes, they are low in carbs, medium in fat and high in protein BUT they really do taste great! Keto likes things like cream cheese, oil, whipping cream, cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. There are very little pasta or grain foods in Keto, which aids in trying to shed some pounds. Most spices are allowed.

Once you try this recipe you will LOVE it!

Keto Parmesan Garlic Pork Chops

Ingredients

1.5 lb. center cut boneless pork chops

½ medium onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 oz. cream cheese

⅓ cup chicken broth

⅓ cup parmesan cheese

½ cup cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon pepper

salt to taste

Instructions

Brown pork chops, onion, and garlic cloves in 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet on medium/high (approx. 3-5 minutes each side).

Remove pork chops from skillet.

Add the rest of the ingredients, and cook on medium until sauce thickens. Make sure to use a whisk and stir continuously.

Add pork chops back to sauce mixture and simmer on low for 5 minutes or until done.

Serve with cauliflower rice or broccoli (the latter is a little high in carbs)

Nutritional Information based on MyFitnessPal app (6 servings) – 529 calories,

36.5 g fat, 48.9g protein, 2.7g carbs – .2g fiber = 2.5g Net Carbs

Cheesy Ranch Chicken and Broccoli Bake (KETO)

Alas, we have succumbed to the Keto Diet which requires us to eat very few carbs, lots of protein, veggies and some fruits. Beginning today you will see Keto friendly recipes. This is not to say they aren’t tasty!! I am a novice here and still in the early stages of figuring out what is good and bad. Help me!! If I post a recipe which you know is not KETO please let me know. I need your help… You know if I post it, it must have at least tasted good…LOL. Here we go….

Cheesy Ranch Chicken & Broccoli {Keto & Low Carb Friendly}
Ingredients
• 2 cups cooked chicken breast (3 small breasts)
• 2 tablespoon of butter
• ½ pack ranch seasoning mix (see below )
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened.
• ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
• Broccoli (Costco pieces – steamed
• ⅔ cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup crumbled bacon
• ½ cup cheese
For the Topping
• 2 cups cheese
• ½ cup crumbled bacon
Instructions
1. Kasey* cooked her chicken first in a slow cooker on high for 3.5 hrs. (Boiled mine for 10 minutes)
2. Remove from slow cooker (or the pot) and shred.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. In an oven-safe skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter.
5. Add ranch seasoning, cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, chicken broth, ¼ cup crumbled bacon and ½ cup cheese.
6. Use a whisk to combine ingredients and cook on low for 5 minutes.
7. Steam broccoli in the microwave while the ranch mixture is cooking.
8. Add chicken and cooked broccoli to ranch mixture and stir to combine.
9. Sprinkle 2 cups cheese and ½ cup crumbled bacon on top.
10. Cook in oven for 25 minutes then move to top rack.
11. Cook on broil 2-3 minutes until cheese is bubbly and bacon is browned. (I skipped this)
*Recipe by Kasey Trenum at https://kaseytrenum.com/cheesy-ranch-chicken-broccoli-keto-low-carb-friendly/

Dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning Mix (I used the whole recipe)

1 tbsp dry Parsley
1 tbsp Dill
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp onion flakes or dry minced onion
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder

Chicken Marsala with Portobellos and Gorgonzola

Ok…there are probably many of you who do not like Gorgonzola or any blue cheese. Its okay to skip this and use another cheese like Parmesan or mozzarella, but you will miss the great flavour of the blue cheese in the sauce…LOL. It is fairly quick and goes well with mashed potatoes and steamed carrots!

Chicken Marsala with Portobellos and Gorgonzola Cheese
Ingredients
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)
• 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 pound sliced baby Portobello mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup Marsala wine or sherry or Port wine
• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, divided (optional) (try Mozzarella or Parmesan_
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Directions
1. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. In a large skillet, cook chicken in 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat 6-8 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 165°. Remove and keep warm.
2. In same skillet, sauté mushrooms in remaining oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute.
3. Add wine, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by a third. Stir in cream and remaining salt. Return to a boil; cook until slightly thickened.
4. Return chicken to pan; add 1/3 cup cheese. Cook until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; garnish with parsley. Yield: 4 servings.