candid eats

for all you vegetarians & dieters out there, here's a really delicious dish that you can enjoy without any worries : mac'ncheese with kale & swiss chard ! it is easily the BEST MAC N CHEESE I HAVE EVER HAD.

FOR THE VEGGIES: start by taking one leaf of kale and rip it up into one-inch pieces (this doesn't have to be exact, they will shrink anyway :D). drizzle about a half-teaspoon of olive oil on the kale, and coat it well with your hands. heat a pan over med-high heat, and put the kale in, and sprinkle it with just 2-3 shakes of Mrs. Dash (any flavor you like, i used Southwestern Chipotle).  Stir it occasionally for about 2-3 minutes, and then add two tablespoons of chicken stock (you can use vegetable stock if you prefer).  Stir on high heat, and when the stock starts to evaporate, take it off the heat, and set it aside.  Do the same with the swiss chard; remember to snip off the bottom inch of the stem and discard it before you chop it and put it in the pan!

FOR THE MACNCHEESE: Boil a good amount of water (3-4 cups), and pour the macaroni in (For this I used a box of Kraft Mac 'N Cheese).  Cook it until the noodles are tender-- it says 7 minutes on the box, but it only took me 5 minutes. If you want to test them just take a noodle out and taste it-- if it tastes done, take the mac off of the heat and drain it. Mix in the kale and swiss chard -- if there's a small amount of liquid left, add it in. Put the mixture back into the pot, and turn the heat to medium-high. Add a quarter cup of skim milk, and one slice of American cheese, stirring to melt the cheese. Add in about a tablespoon of the cheese mix from the box to thicken the mixture, and then add a bit more until you have put in half of the cheese packet (You can use less if you'd like, according to your taste). Sprinkle a few drops of hot sauce, and a dash more of seasoning. When the sauce has thickened, the mac 'n cheese is done! When you serve it, add a drizzle of sesame oil and dash of seasoning for garnish. ENJOY!

thirdcandideat: chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies -- they are veryy deliciousss & possibly one of my favorite things to makee (: this recipe is based off of ina garten's recipe on food network, with a little twist.

after preheating your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit, start by mixing 3/4 cup of margarine & 1/2 cup of sugar in a mixer. if you dont have a mixer, use a medium sized bowl and a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, and mix vigorously until combined. 

add a teaspoon of vanilla.

in a separate bowl, sift: one and three-quarters cups of flour & an 1/8 teaspoon of salt.

add sifted flour and salt to the butter&sugar mixture. blend until it comes together. then put it on a lightly-floured surface, and wrap it in plastic wrap; put it in the fridge for 20 minutes.

roll the dough out to however thick you want your cookies to be--i like my cookies to be about a half-inch thick--and cut them into 3 by 1 inch pieces with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet, and sprinkle them with sugar-- if you like a little crunch, try muscavodo sugar. it's the sugar they have at Starbucks :)

bake for around 15-20 minutes, or until the edges start to brown.

to coat the cookies, take 3 ounces of good-quality dark chocolate (Ghirardelli is best! in my opinion lol) and place it in the microwave for 30 second intervals, until it is melted. Stir it vigorously to make it glossier (: Drizzle half of each cookie with a spoon, and spread it around the entire half of the cookie. Place each one on wax paper or parchment paper until it is set. You could also place the cookies on the paper and drizzle them with a fork in any which way you would like.

second candideat: chocolate-filled croissants! :)

first post! :)

so the first "candideat" is a delived egg-tuna melt on toast with grape tomatoes, garlic mashed potatoes & spicy sauteed mushrooms :]