Shells and cheese with tomatoes and ham

I made this on Super Bowl Sunday. We were completely snowed in. Scott tried to get out twice-once we got stuck in our driveway, the other in the street. Thank goodness I had gone to the store on Saturday. Take a look at all the snow (right after we shoveled our garage area I might add):

Anyway, I was a bit nervous about this recipe because of the tomatoes. I've recently learned to get along and kind of like tomatoes, but trying them in new things concerns me. I love macaroni and cheese the way it is...cheesy, gooey and warm. Changing things up reminds me of a terrifying time in my childhood my dad tried to make Kraft Macaroni and Cheese with Vienna Sausages. It was absolutely terrible.

Whenever I make macaroni and cheese at home now, Scott always wants to know if I'm putting breadcrumbs on top to make it crunchy. I think that's a big deal to him. Since we really don't buy much processed items, I have no problem accommodating that.

In the end, three of us ended up finishing the entire pan of this stuff (yes, that's two servings each!). It was absolutely delicious, warm and just like a comfort food. It's easy and pretty quick to make too!

Shells and cheese with tomatoes and ham-adapted from Fall Baking by Better Crocker
Total time: 45 minutes
Serves 6

• 8 ounces uncooked medium shell pasta
• 1/4 cup salted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups low fat milk
• 1 1/2 cups ham, cooked and diced
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package using the minimum cook time.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium-high heat. Cook garlic in butter, stirring until golden. Reduce heat to meduim and stir in flour, salt, mustard and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens, about 5 minutes. Gently stir in ham, tomatoes and pasta.

Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted. Spoon into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. In a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs and melted butter, then sprinkle over pasta. 

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Buttermilk waffles

I've only made waffles one other time, but I have to say, my parents, older-than-me, waffle iron is awesome! The waffles make an excellent change up to our breakfast routine. This recipe makes a TON of waffles-like 20-24 and that's no exaggeration. So definitely think about cutting this in half unless you're making them for a lot of people.

Buttlermilk waffles-adapted from Cuisinart Recipe Booklet
Total time: 20 minutes
Makes 20-24 waffles

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 1/2 cups lowfat milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

Lightly coat your waffle maker with cooking spray and preheat to desired setting.

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix the dry ingredients to sift.

In two other large bowls, separate the egg whites and egg yolks. Put the buttermilk, milk, vanilla and melted butter in with the egg yolks and mix well. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined.

Whip the egg whites with a mixer approximately 2 minutes until firm peaks form. Carefully incorporate egg whites into the batter, being careful not to over mix.

Pour the batter into your waffle maker and cook to desired doneness.

Cottage pie

I don't know that I've ever truly had a shepard's pie. I worked for an Irish pub in college and we served it, but I never tried it. The meals always looked really good though. When I came across this recipe, I was excited to give it a try.

It wasn't anything spectacular, but was a very cozy food. I'd definitely call it a comfort food. I prepped it the night before, put it in the refrigerator then warmed it up instead of having to do everything the night of.

The original recipe calls for putting all the ingredients into four individual serving dishes. I definitely could've done this, however, since it's just me and Scott, I opted to make one big pan. Plus, I got to use one of my new Rachael Ray casserole dishes-isn't it awesome?!

Cottage pie-adapted from Dinner Tonight: Done! by Real Simple
Total time: 45 minutes
Serves 4

• 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about 3), peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup carrots, diced

If you are assembling and cooking right away, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Otherwise, you can assemble these up to two days in advance, just add 10-15 minutes to the cook time.

Place the potatoes in a large pot filled with enough cold water to cover them. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender. Drain and return to the pot. Add the milk, butter and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper to taste. Mash to desired consistency.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the beef and cook until no longer pink, 5-6 minutes. Stir in ketchup, Worchestershire sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Fold in carrots.

Transfer beef mixture to a baking dish (or individual baking dishes), and top with mashed potatoes. Baken until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Asparagus with balsamaic tomatoes

Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables. It's extremely easy to cook in just olive oil. pepper and salt. This recipe had a bit of an extra kick with the tomatoes, balsamic and feta. It wasn't anything mind blowing, but I did like the change up.

Asparagus with balsamic tomatoes-adapted from Dinner Tonight! by Cooking Light
Total time: 20 minutes
Serves 4

• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons crumbled feta
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Cook asparagus in boiling water for 2 minutes until crisp tender; drain.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and garlic; cook 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and cook for 3 minute minutes. Stir in salt. Place asparagus on a platter, top with tomato mixture, feta and pepper to taste.

Chili

This was a chili that surprised me. It takes less than an hour to make, and I'm always skeptical of those. It was actually quite tasty, and I think it was the tomato basil soup! I liked that this was a recipe that had a lot of already prepped ingredients for nights where I just don't feel like doing it all!

Chili-adapted from Campbell's Creative Cooking With Soup
Total time: 45 minutes
Serves 6

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can condensed tomato rice soup
• 1 can tomato basil soup
• 1 can kidney beans
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Cheddar cheese and sour cream for garnish

In a 4-quart Dutch oven over medium heat cook the ground beef, onion and garlic until beef is browned. Pour off fat.

Stir in soups, beans, chili powder, and red wine vinegar. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Ladle into bowls and top with cheese and sour cream.