Penne Soup with Ham

Traditionally, this dish is made with macaroni and is a popular breakfast item at Hong Kong style cafes. Unfortunately, I did not have any macaroni at home so I settled for penne. I also did not have peas and corn, which is generally what is also included in this dish, and decided to substitute it with some mushrooms. Nevertheless, I find this pasta soup very comforting and extremely easy to make.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cup Penne (or any type of pasta)
2 cans Chicken Stock
1/2 cup Water
1/2 lb. Ham (cut into small pieces)
1 cup Mushrooms
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
2 tsp. Sesame Oil

DIRECTIONS:

Cook the penne according to the package instructions. Drain well and set aside.

Use a large pot, add chicken stock and water. Bring it to a boil. Add macaroni, ham, and mushrooms. When it comes to a boil again, season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle a bit of sesame oil on top. Serve in individual bowls topped with a fried egg (optional).

Cheeseburger Macaroni

Having a baby definitely makes you need to think of ways to make quick and easy dishes. There usually doesn't seem to be enough hours in a day. Most of the time is spent feeding, cleaning bottles, pumping and laundry so to find time to cook is really a juggling act. This would be one of the dishes that I just threw together with the ingredients I had at home. I would have loved to include some mushrooms though.

INGREDIENTS:

½ lb. Macaroni
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 Onion (minced)
1 tsp. Thyme
1 tsp. Rosemary
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
1/4 Cup Ketchup
2 tbsp. Mustard
1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
1 tsp. Butter

DIRECTIONS:

Cook and drain the macaroni according to directions on the package.

Heat up pan and add butter. Add minced onions and saute until softened.

Add ground beef to the pan. When the meat is almost cooked, add the thyme, rosemary, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper.

Once the ground beef is cooked and everything is incorporated, add the grated cheddar cheese. Allow to melt and blend together.

Add the macaroni to the pan and mix everything together. Taste and adjust as necessary, then serve!

Stir Fried Macaroni with Chả Lụa

This is another of my mom's classic recipes that I grew up with. The dish actually evokes memories of childhood. I think anything that requires adding ketchup usually does evoke such memories for me. I'm not sure if this dish is actually Vietnamese or some kind of fusion that my mom created, but the use of the Chả Lụa leads me to believe that it should have that label. Unfortunatly, hubby is not a big fan of this dish which is why I don't make it very often. Thankfully, other friends I have made it for have told me they enjoyed it though...

INGREDIENTS:

½ lb. Macaroni
2 cloves Garlic (minced)
1 Chả Lụa (can be bought in Asian supermarkets - wrapped in banana leaves)
2 Eggs
4 tbsp. Soy Sauce
2 tbsp. Dark Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Pepper
2 tsp. Sugar
3 tsp. Oil

DIRECTIONS:

Cook and drain the macaroni according to directions on the package.

Slice Chả Lụa into strips and set aside.

In a small bowl, beat to eggs and set aside.

Heat up wok and add 1 tsp. oil. Stir fry 1 clove of garlic until browned, then add Chả Lụa strips. Stir fry until browned on both sides, then remove from wok.

Heat up wok again and add 2 tsp. of oil. Stir fry 1 clove of garlic until browned, then add macaroni. If macaroni sticks to the wok, you may need to add a little more oil. Once macaroni is not sticking together and warmed up, add soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, pepper, and sugar. Taste to see if it is salty enough, then adjust as necessary.

Add beaten eggs into the macaroni and stir fry until eggs are cooked and incorporated with the macaroni.

Remove from wok and serve immediately with ketchup and/or hot sauce.

Baked Macaroni Casserole

There is something about macaroni that I have always found very comforting. I guess it could be associated with a macaroni in soup dish that my mom would make me sometimes when I wasn't feeling well while growing up. Honestly, I find that other types of pastas are really overrated...you can hardly ever find macaroni on the menu of restaurants other than the random place with macaroni and cheese on their kids menu.

In terms of the cheese, I ended up using a full block of cheddar and found that the cheese flavor was a little strong for me. I would definitely want to do half and half with mozzarella in the future.

INGREDIENTS

½ lb. Macaroni
3 tbsp. Butter
3 tbsp. Flour
1 ½ cup Milk
½ lb. Cheese (Cheddar or mix of Mozzarella with Cheddar)
½ cup Bread Crumbs
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
1 cup of Mushrooms (sliced)
1 cup of frozen mixed Vegetables
10 slices of Ham (cut in thin strips)

DIRECTIONS

Cook and drain the macaroni according to directions on the package.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a small pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour, salt and pepper while stirring constantly.

Add milk while still stirring. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Add ¾ of the cheese and stir until melted. Once the cheese is melted into the mixture, turn off the heat and set aside.

In a buttered casserole dish, mix macaroni, mushrooms, frozen mixed vegetables and ham until all combined. Add cheese sauce. Mix with all the ingredients until everything is coated with the sauce. Top with remainder of the cheese and bread crumbs.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. To brown, remove aluminum foil and broil for an additional 5 minutes.