52 New Things – Week 4

This week it seems like it was all about cooking!

Jamie:

This week, I made macaroni and cheese.  New thing?  Well wait until you read the recipe.  It’s a rich, brie-based macaroni and cheese with gobs of butter and whatnot.

So, was this your mama’s mac and cheese – probably not.  But if so, I’d like to meet your mama. Get the recipe here

Trish:

My new thing this week was making sushi!  Up until a few months ago, I was a sushi-hater.  Then I tried some that was fresh, crisp, and cool in my mouth.  And now I crave it basically all the time.  So I decided to make it myself.  I was very nervous about the rice and the rolling technique.  As it turns out, having a rice cooker takes the pressure (literally!) off of you.  It was perfect!  And layering everything out and rolling it was a blast!  We made a night of it and had so much fun.  Special thanks to “Precious Sweetie,” the fish man at Whole Foods who made sure I had sushi grade fish and prevented us from food poisoning.  😉  We’ll definitely be making sushi often in the future.

Angie:

In my attempt to spice up our weekly Taco Tuesday around here, I tried a new recipe that was a win for the whole family. Riveting, I know. I’ll try to be more creative next week!

Tacos in Pasta Shells:

12 ounces dried jumbo shell pasta
2 6-oz jars salsa
2 1/2 pounds of ground beef
6 ounces of cream cheese
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (6 ounces)
chopped tomato (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain again.

2. Meanwhile, divide about 1-cup of the salsa between two ungreased 2-quart rectangular baking dishes, spreading evenly. Set aside. In an extra-large skillet, cook ground meat over medium heat until brown. Drain fat. Stir in cream cheese and chili powder, cool slightly.

3. Spoon meat mixture into cooked pasta shells. Arrange filled shells on top of salsa in dishes. Tips with remaining salsa.

4. Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes more or until heated through. If desired, sprinkle with tomato. Makes 12 servings.

And don’t be shy, add sour cream, black beans, or any thing you like with your tacos, it’s a great recipe for being creative!

For more New Things or if you’d like to participate in 52 new things along with BirminghamMommy and many others – please join in by posting your new thing to your blog, facebook or on twitter (use #52newthings) – Also, you can head over to www.willblogforshoes.com to link up every Thursday!