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one-pot cauliflower & kale (or other stuff) mac & cheese

I like a lot of the recipes on the site that rhymes with Shmaf-Shmaked Shmarvest, but the ads are so invasive that it's almost impossible to read on my phone while cooking. So here's what I did tonight: 1 pound short-cut pasta (I used the Barilla protein elbows) 1 medium cauliflower, roughly chopped lots of chopped kale, stems removed (this was my addition; recipe says you can also use spinach or any other leafy green)  3/4 cup milk 3 oz cream cheese 1 T dijon mustard 1 t garlic powder 2 c shredded cheese (recipe calls for sharp cheddar; I had some weird bagged mac & cheese blend that J bought on sale) 1 c shredded cheddar (recipe calls for fontina or provolone) 2 T butter (recipe calls for salted; i used unsalted; this was plenty salty as it was imo) pinch cayenne some panko or breadcrumbs  fresh chopped parsley and/or chives Preheat oven to 350 (the baking at the end is optional)  In a large pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons salt, ...

potato & pea curry in the slow cooker

Here's another version of this slow cooker vegetable curry , which I make periodically but didn't have any of the right ingredients for the other day. Saute:  1 onion or 2 shallots, chopped fresh garlic and ginger, minced Add: 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed maybe 1 lb of potatoes -- sweet or regular, unpeeled -- chopped 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped probably whatever other random veggies you have, great 2 T curry powder 2 t cumin 1 t turmeric 2 cans full-fat coconut milk Stir and cook for 2-3 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low, until potatoes are fully cooked through.  Add: a bunch of frozen peas a handful of kale or spinach Stir and cook a little longer til heated through. Serve with rice or noodles, and chili crisp or gochujang on the side for those of us with kids who don't like spicy food (yet). 

egg braid

This is from Jessica what’s her name, the wash your fing hands woman, whose videos I really like. But I always forget what she calls it (it’s “breakfast braid”) and I have trouble following recipes that are only videos, so here is my loose transcription with my own modifications: Preheat the oven to 350. Sauté and scramble up some combination of veggies, meat, eggs, etc. I like diced onions, peppers, spinach, leftover chicken sausage, and 8 eggs. (Do not use tomatoes or zucchini unless you’re really careful about cooking off all the water forest; you don’t want it to be wet.) You can cook/scramble it all in the same skillet. Take premade pizza dough or two tubes of premade croissant dough and stretch them out into a large rectangle on an oiled cookie sheet. Put the egg mixture in the middle. Lay 4-5 slices of cheese or a handful of shredded cheese on top. Cut the dough into strips about 1.5-inches wide and alternate folding them on top. Melt a few t butter and mix with a squirt of whol...

pasta & meatballs in the slow cooker

Is the texture of this pasta perfect? No it is not. Is this a perfectly balanced dish? Again, no. But do you have a hot home-cooked dinner at the end of a long day without having to do anything, and will your child actually eat it? Yup.  Ingredients: 16 oz dried pasta (bigger shape like fusilli or penne preferable) 2 24oz jars of sauce (or equivalent with crushed tomatoes and water) Frozen meatballs, some amount (I used 12 beyond meatballs)  2 handfuls mozzarella cheese (ricotta/marscapone/grated parm optional, and probably you could get away without the mozz) Directions: Pour half a jar of sauce into the slow cooker Add half the pasta and half the meatballs. Add the other half jar of sauce   Add half the cheese. Repeat til it’s all gone. If the pasta on the top doesn’t have liquid covering it, add some water until all the pasta is covered.  Cook on low for six hours. Serve with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes & oregano so people can add more seasoning to taste....

chicken corn soup in the slow cooker