Ham, Peas, Mac and Cheese

My friend gave me an old issue of Cooking Light magazine and I found this recipe. The reviews weren't great but I thought I could make it great. Below is my version.

Ingredients: 

12 oz of Eating Light veggie elbow macaroni
1 1/2 cups chopped ham
1 1/2 cups frozen peas 
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
3 cups milk (I used one cup of heaving cream and two cups of organic whole)
4 cups of sharp cheddar
1 teaspoon of garlic salt
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1/4 teaspoon of paprika
1/8 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon of italian herbs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup of panko crumbs

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400°.
Cook pasta in boiling water 6 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain. Combine pasta, ham, and peas in a large bowl.
Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt butter then add flour. Cook until flour has soaked up all the butter. Add milk; bring to simmer and whisk. Dip a spoon in and run your finger down the middle of the back. If sauce stays separate, it's done. Remove from heat; stir in cheese, seasonings, salt, and peppers. Pour cheese mixture over pasta mixture; stir to coat. Spoon pasta into a 13 x 9 glass baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Sprinkle panko over the top. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
This feeds 8 people. Enjoy!

Favorite Things Post!

Here is a list of my favorite things right now, Oprah style, well not really Oprah style because I can't give the items to everyone in my studio audience... I also do not have a studio audience... Click the links for where to buy!

Pacifica - Pretty much any scent is amazing. Their body lotion is thick and creamy. My favorite scents are Hawaiian Ruby Guava and Island Vanilla.

Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Stress Scrub - This clears my face and makes it feel clean with a tingle.

Le Creuset French Oven
I cook many things in this. Pasta, soups, meat, etc.

Aladdin 20 oz Tumbler 
I drink water in these at work, goal is three a day. Helping me hydrate.

Alba Passion Fruit Nectar Chapstick - Smells delicious and heals my lips.

Kettle Honey Dijon Chips
Nuf said.

Nike Women's Free Run+ 3
Super light weight and comfy

Happy shopping and perusing.

White Chocolate Caramel Macadamia Nut Cheesecake Cupcakes

Ingredients:

3 8oz blocks of cream cheese

1.5 cups of white sugar

4 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste

8 oz of melted white chocolate (I half melted mine so there would be bits of chocolate to crunch into)

8 oz tup of Cool Whip

A sleeve of crushed graham crackers

6 Tablespoons of melted butter

Caramel

Macadamia Nuts

Directions: 

Mix crushed graham crackers and butter together. Spoon into cupcake liners and smash with a glass to make even.

In a mixer, cream together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla.

Add melted white chocolate while mixer on.

Gently fold in cool whip.

Spoon batter into cupcake liners, sprinkle with chopped macadamia nuts and caramel.

Pop in freezer for at least 4 hours and serve cold. Enjoy!!!

DIY Glitter Ornaments

I love the look of glitter. But, I hate glitter itself. It gets everywhere, falls on everything and it's hard to get rid of. Someone put glitter all over my co-worker's desk in June for her birthday. It's November now and she is still finding glitter.

I found this tutorial on Pinterest: http://www.plumadorable.com/make-your-own-glitter-ornaments/

They were so beautiful and the glitter was INSIDE!!!

I went to Joann's and picked up a 16 pack of glitter samples and 18 clear ornaments (one broke and the other I put extra glitter and some acrylic paint inside). Then at Safeway I got some MopNGlo. I have no idea why the MopNGlo helps the glitter stick but, it does.

Set up a station with newspaper or a cardboard box because this gets messy. I also used a shot glass to help rest the ornament if I needed an extra hand.

Remove the silver tops of the ornaments, swirl in some MopNGlo making sure to get the entire inside coated. Drain the remainder into the MopNGlo container. Use a Q-Tip to get rid of bubbles or excess in the opening. Pour in your glitter, shake to coat all areas, replace silver top and hang!

Frozen Nutter Butter Treats

These are delicious and addictive. Like biting into a light fluffy cloud of peanut butter goodness. They are adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

12 Nutter Butter Cookies

2 Tablespoons of Butter

1 8oz package of softened cream cheese

1/2 cup of peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons of Vanilla

1 8 oz tub of Cool Whip 

1/4 cup of melted dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Crush the nutter butters with a rolling pin in a ziploc bag and then mix with butter. Press onto bottom of cupcake tins lined with cupcake liners.

Mix cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and peanut butter until blended. Whisk in the Cool Whip and take 1/2 cup into small bowl. Blend in melted chocolate. Spread half the remaining cream cheese mixture over crust, top with layer of chocolate mixture and remaining cream cheese mixture.

Top with mini chocolate chips. Freeze 4 hours or until firm. Eat 3 in one sitting and then feel guilty but happy. 

Thai Iced Tea

Many years ago, while living in a small town, my brother and I used to go to a Thai restaurant for dinner. He would always order a Thai Iced Tea with Cream, so I did too. It is one of my favorite drinks. But, I hated that the only way to get it was to go to my nearest Thai restaurant. So, I went searching and found thai tea mix on amazon. This is how I make it at home:

Ingredients: 
8 tablespoons of Thai Tea Mix
1 Cup of Water
3 teaspoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla
1/4 cup of milk or cream or half and half

Directions:
I use my Keurig to heat up my water and then my french press to separate the tea from the water. So first I place the tea mix in my french press and click the middle cup button on my keurig. Or use 8 oz of hot water. Let the water and tea mix for a few minutes. Then place the top on the french press and plunge down until the plunger can't go anymore. Pour the liquid in a separate glass that already contains the sugar. Stir. Add the milk, stir, then add lots of ice. Add a straw and consume. 

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

My old neighbor used to make these for her family and I got the chance to try to them so I started making my own and now they are a Fowler Family Favorite. 

Ingredients:
6-8 flour tortillas
2 cups of shredded Mexican cheese 
2 chicken breasts
1 cup of Chicken Broth
Stubbs BBQ Sauce

Directions: 
I use two frozen chicken breasts from Costco that I place in a skillet with some cooking spray on medium heat. As they de-frost, I salt and pepper both sides. Cook for two minutes on each side, then add the chicken broth and put on the lid. Cook for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Once cooked, shred the chicken with a fork or slice into bite sized chunks. Add the chicken to a bowl and add BBQ sauce. I use about 1/2 cup of sauce but use however much you'd like and mix.

Heat a pan on low-medium heat. Take a tortilla and add a layer of the cheese on one side, then place some chicken over that and another layer of cheese. Close the tortilla and make a second. Either spray your pan with cooking spray or add butter. My husband likes butter more. Place both quesadillas in the pan and cook until browned on both sides. Continue until you've used all the chicken and enjoy!