Food | Travel | Family | Life
It’s Cinco de Mayo, a great excuse to celebrate with some Mexican food. We started celebrations yesterday with beef tostados. We toasted soft tortillas in the toaster oven and then topped them with seasoned ground beef, peppers, onions, salsa, avocados and sour cream. Anything with taco meat is a hit around here.
Looking for some ways to celebrate at home. Try out these recipes!
When I stayed at the Banff Springs Hotel a couple months ago, I indulged one day with their Grown-Up Mac and Cheese – a pasta dish made with Boursin and lobster. It was a comforting meal and was so delicious. I’ve been thinking about it ever since I ate it.
I decided to give it a go, and make some Mac and Cheese tonight. I’m hoping Q will love it and that it will be a hit for school lunch.
Using this recipe as a reference, I made the pasta dish with lots of mushrooms. I ended up not putting the pasta in the oven with breadcrumbs because I wanted the dish to be creamy through and through. The addition of three different cheeses – Boursin, Cheddar and Parmesan – made the dish ooey and gooey.
This pasta dish was definitely a splurge but oh so worth every single bite!
Three Cheese Pasta
Slightly adapted from here.
1 pound pasta
4 TB butter
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 TB flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups milk
2 stalks of thyme
1 package Boursin cheese with garlic and herbs
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water, following package directions. Drain and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Add the mushrooms until they are cooked. Add 2 TB butter and add the flour and stir until well blended and bubbly. Add salt and pepper, and the milk. Cook, stirring, until thickened. Add the herbs, Boursin cheese, and Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses.
Cook, stirring, until cheeses have melted. Stir in the drained pasta. Indulge!
Birthday month was fun! It was so great to be able to hold some giveaways for all of you. Thank you to everyone who stopped in and entered and for your ongoing support. All winners have been notified. A huge THANK YOU to the amazing sponsors who donated some awesome prizes. Thanks for helping me celebrate!
A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend an evening with some fellow bloggers learning about Catelli’s Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains Pasta from none other than Chef Lynn Crawford!
Catelli’s new pasta is made with five ancient grains – quinoa, amaranth, teff, sorghum and millet. Currently available in Western Canada, the pasta is available in three cuts – Spaghetti, Spaghettini and Rotini.
We were so lucky to have Chef Lynn make us a couple of tasty treats. The first was Rotini in a Marinara sauce topped with cheese and fresh mozzarella. The second was the Spaghettini, tossed with pesto and cheese. So delicious!
She shared some great tips with us – use the stems of cilantro, think salty sea when salting the pasta water, never rinse the pasta after cooking for sauces to better adhere to the pasta.
Chef Lynn then proceeded to show us how to make her Chilled Noodle Salad with Ginger Wasabi Dressing. We then headed to the kitchen to make it for ourselves.
It was such a fun and memorable evening! Want a chance to win a one year supply of Catelli Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains pasta? Enter below!
Chilled Noodle Salad with Ginger Wasabi Dressing
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 8 min
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 pkg (340 g) Catelli® Healthy Harvest® Ancient Grains Spaghettini
2 cups (500 ml) snow peas, thinly sliced diagonally
1 cup (250 ml) shelled edamame
1 small English cucumber
2 cups (500 ml) napa cabbage, finely shredded
1 cup (250 ml) red pepper, cut into matchsticks
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1/4 cup (60 ml) cilantro leaves
2 tbsp (30 ml) black sesame seeds
Ginger-Wasabi Dressing:
1/4 cup (60 ml) seasoned rice vinegar
3 tbsp (45 ml) canola oil
2 tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce
2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
1 tsp (5 ml) lemon zest
2 tsp (10 ml) brown sugar
2 tsp (10 ml) sesame oil
1 tsp (5 ml) grated fresh ginger
wasabi to taste
Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well. Rinse under cold water until well chilled; transfer to large bowl and set aside.
In a pot of boiling water, cook snow peas and edamame until tender-crisp. Drain and rinse under cold water until well chilled; set aside.
Meanwhile, halve the cucumber lengthwise and use the end of a spoon to scoop and discard seeds; cut cucumber into julienne strips.
Ginger-Wasabi Dressing: Whisk together rice vinegar, canola oil, soy sauce, lemon juice and zest, brown sugar, sesame oil and ginger. Season with wasabi to taste.
Add cucumber, snow peas, edamame, napa cabbage, red pepper, green onions and avocado to noodles; toss with enough dressing to coat.
Garnish with cilantro leaves and black sesame seeds.
Tip: If you have time, you can chill the noodle dish by refrigerating for 1 to 4 hours.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
One of our favourite places to eat is Earls Kitchen + Bar. I’ve been going to Earls for years – the service is great and the food is always good!
Hubby sticks to his usual Cajun Chicken with a side of Fettucine. I change it up every time but always make room for the fries with a side of their delicious parm dip.
Want to win one of three $25 gift card from Earls? Enter below. Good luck!
There’s no better way to celebrate than with chocolate! Milk, dark, white – it doesn’t matter which kind, they all make me happy. Our friends over at Cococo Chocolatiers, owners of Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut want to make you happy!
In honour of Food Mamma’s birthday, they have an Easter gift basket filled with amazing handcrafted seasonal favourites for the young and the young at heart. Winning is easy! Just enter below.
One of our favourite burger places in Calgary is Smashburger. I was introduced to the US chain when it opened in Calgary three years ago. We love their burgers and their sides, especially their sweet potato fries and fried pickles!
Smashburger has opened it’s third Calgary location in McKenzie Towne Center. They have generously given us vouchers for free kids meals so you can check out the new place for yourself! There are lots of vouchers to be won, just be sure to enter!
It’s always fun to play in the kitchen. Finding great quality products to use while you’re playing is important, especially when you’re cooking with and for your little ones. That’s why President’s Choice products are always a welcome addition in our household.
Escape the winter blahs through travel in taste with new and
innovative Must Try President’s Choice products, available at Real
Canadian Superstore locations. While you’re there, don’t forget to
support the Loblaw Spring Food Drive by purchasing or bringing
non-perishable food items and dropping them into the donation bins
in-store or by making a cash donation at the check-out. The food drive
is taking place from March 20 to April 9 will raise food and funds in the fight against hunger.
Enter now to win a $100 President’s Choice gift card!