Just~One~Donna

I found today's macaroni and cheese recipe on the internet when I was cruising for a healthier version of the traditional baked macaroni and cheese.    The kitchn , an internet food blog, hosted a Best Healthy Casserole contest and today's recipe was one of the winners.  It caught my eye for two reasons.  The first was that it had artichoke hearts as a key ingredient and I LOVE artichoke hearts.  The second thing to catch my eye was the use of silken tofu in the cheese sauce.  I hear you gasping, "Tofu!"  Yes, friends, tofu.  This recipe uses the very soft, creamy "silken" tofu.  I've become a fan of tofu through using it in my Pad Thai recipe . I was curious about using it in a macaroni and cheese recipe. I have made this recipe twice.  The first time I used canned artichoke hearts because I had them on hand.  In my second attempt at this recipe I used frozen artichoke hearts, and I must say I prefer the frozen to th...

It's Friday!  It's time to think about Pizza Night.  Tonight we are having a favorite-Caramelized Onion, Prosciutto and Ricotta Cheese Pizza.  This pizza is made with my homemade ricotta cheese.  If you haven't tried making ricotta cheese at home yet, please do.  You won't believe how delicious this pizza is!  Let's make it together. Caramelized Onion, Prosciutto and Ricotta Cheese Pizza Ingredients  The Pizza Ingredients  1 pizza dough 4-6 ounces home made ricotta cheese 6-8 slices prosciutto 2 Tablespoons butter 2 large onions, caramelized salt and pepper 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper parchment paper Early in the day, prepare your pizza dough, and ricotta cheese .  Cut onion in half and slice thinly.  Heat butter in large frying pan over medium heat.   Add onion, cayenne, salt & pepper and saute for 10 minutes.   Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes more,...

Tomato Soup Do grilled cheese and tomato soup qualify as one of your go-to comfort meals?  So perfect in its simplicity, for me, the combination evokes memories of lazy winter weekends, warm hugs and tummy satisfaction. I had a hankering for grilled cheese and tomato soup this week.  Not just any old grilled cheese and tomato soup, mind you, but a delicious homemade tomato soup paired with a crusty, crunchy, cheesy sandwich. My tomato soup recipe is quick and easy.  I use a large can of crushed tomatoes so it doesn't need to be tomato season to make this soup.  I also use homemade chicken stock, but you can use any chicken stock, or vegetable stock, you have on hand.  I really like having complete control over the amount of salt (and other additives) in my stock so I try to use homemade as much as possible.  I know, it's the control freak in me!  Well, let's see how this is done. Donna's Tomato Soup Tomato Soup Ingredients Serves ...

Red wine or white wine, which do you prefer?  I prefer white.  Now, mind you, I am not a wine connoisseur.  Not by a long shot.  If you ask me my preference in wines I will  choose either Pino Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.  I like the freshness of the taste and the citrus flavors. Many people prefer Chardonnay when selecting a white wine.  I've noticed that Chardonnay is most often chosen by my female friends, family and colleagues at dinners and social gatherings.  Did you know that Chardonnay is the most popular of the grape varietals in America?  So, I thought a wine tasting with Chardonnay wines would be a great way to expand my wine horizons. I wanted to compare and contrast the flavors and characteristics of different Chardonnays. We spent last weekend in Vermont with our friends Ron and Sharon.  They agreed a Chardonnay wine tasting sounded like a fun idea, so we made it a plan for Friday evenin...

Do you want to make a steak dinner at home that has that special touch?  A dinner that says you put in a little extra effort?  This Steak Au Poivre is one of those meals, but it won't take you all day and it only requires a handful of ingredients. Steak Au Poivre Ingredients The Steak Au Poivre Ingredients 2 bone-in rib-eye steaks, about 1 1/2 pounds each Kosher salt 2 tablespoons coarsely cracked black pepper 1/2 cup brandy 1 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar 2 tablespoons butter Directions Preheat the oven to 375 °F . Crush peppercorns with a mortar and pestle, the back of a pan, or a spice grinder. Heat a large, well-seasoned cast iron skillet over high heat. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel, season with salt, to taste, and coat the meat with the black pepper.  We only cooked one steak and shared it and all the other ingredients were cut in half.   Put the steaks in the hot skillet and cook until blackened and...