Spicy Cheesy Orzo

 It's Sunday Funday time again, featuring Mac and Cheese recipes.    A few weeks back, I picked up some Orzo at the store, thinking I'd add it to soup, but then this challenge came up, and I wondered how I could do a twist on classic Mac n' Cheese.    I love pasta and cheese,  and have made many versions of Mac n' Cheese over the years. 

 We were introduced to Bahamian Style Mac n' Cheese many years ago, on a trip to the Bahamas, and I've since made it several times.   Personally, I love the blue box Mac n' Cheese and have been known to make it for myself when I wanted to indulge.    Many years ago, I cooked for our local Senior Center, and one memorable meal, I made some Mac n' Cheese, and people literally scraped the pan clean. Then I was asked to bring some to an Easter dinner, so I did.    

I wasn't done experimenting either; last year I was staying in a rental with a half kitchen, got a craving for Mac n' Cheese, and came up with this: Stovetop Mac n' Cheese with Asparagus.    And it was good.  

And now we are here.  I had some Edam Cheese in the fridge; I'd bought it as a BOGO, and ate one but still had another wheel in the fridge.  I also had some Tilsit Cheese, which needed to be eaten, and I decided to combine it with some grated Colby Jack cheese in a Bechamel sauce.    I added some powdered wasabi as well, and it was ok, not great, but ok.   Then I sautéed some shallots and ham, chopped a serrano pepper, and added it to the pot, and it got a lot better.  

 It actually tasted more like a cheesy risotto, and I'll probably not make it this way again.  Or maybe I will.  I do love my pasta, in pretty much any form.   

Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures is our hostess this month.  She wanted to see what fun stuff we could do with good ol' Mac n' Cheese.  

Check out what my fellow Sunday Funday bloggers came up with: 

• Cauliflower Spinach Mac and Cheese by Food Lust People Love
• Gruyére and Emmentaler Macaroni and Cheese with Ham and Sourdough by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Instant Pot Chicken Mac and Cheese by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Keto Roasted Cauliflower Mac & Cheese by Sneha's Recipe
• Messy Jack Mac'N'Cheese by Culinary Cam
• Pesto Mac by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Spicy Cheezy Orzo by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

And here's the recipe card for how I made this dish: 

Spicy Cheesy Orzo

Yield: 4

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking - Adapted from many recipes

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min

Orzo isn't just for soup; make this stovetop Cheesy Orzo for your family.

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup grated cheese, mixture of Edam, Tilsit, and Colby Jack
• 1 tsp. cornstarch mixed in with the grated cheeses
• 1 cup bechamel sauce
• 1 serrano pepper, finely diced
• 1 shallot finely diced
• 1/2 cup diced bacon or ham
• 1/4 teaspoon powdered wasabi
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard

Bechamel Sauce

• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Melt butter in a small saucepan, add flour, and cook over heat for 4-5 minutes to cook the flour. Whisk in milk and cook until thickened, stirring the entire time. Pour over the cooked orzo and stir in the grated cheeses.

Add ins

• 1 serrano pepper, finely minced
• 1 shallot, finely minced
• 1/2 cup bacon or ham, minced
• Saute in a pan until the shallot is translucent and the bacon is cooked through. Set aside while preparing the orzo and bechamel sauce.

Instructions

1. Cook orzo according to package directions in the water and chicken stock; do not drain. Set aside while making the bechamel sauce.
2. Add the bechamel sauce, the cheeses, and the sautéed veggies and meat to the cooked orzo. Most of the water will have been absorbed by the orzo. Continue stirring on low heat for another couple of minutes. Serve alongside meat or veggies or make a meal of it.

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All recipes and their respective images are either original or adapted and credited, and are the sole property of Sid's Sea Palm Cooking © 2011-2026, with all rights reserved.

Check out my cookbooks on Amazon.  All are available as paperbacks or as e-books. 
 Simple Shrimp Recipes - 25 + Appetizer, Entree, and Dipping Sauces.
 Nibbles and Bites - A Compilation of Appetizers, Canapes and Finger Foods. 
  Hygge - Danish Food and Recipes 

Maple Banana Muffins

 I had to participate in today's Sunday Funday.   I am a Canadian who loves the many and varied recipes you can use Maple Syrup in.   I've posted several quintessential Canadian recipes in the past, from Nanaimo Bars to Butter Tarts, but this time around, I decided to use some of the half-gallon of Maple Syrup I had in the pantry, along with some of the bananas that had taken up residence in my freezer.    I had to use them, cause they weren't even paying rent, just hanging around, teasing me.  

I present to you some Maple Banana Muffins.   Not only do they have Maple Syrup in them, but they're also topped with Candied Maple Walnuts.   The only problem with the Walnuts is that they taste so good that it's hard not to just eat them out of hand.    I know whereof I speak.  

I like using an ice cream scoop to put the muffin batter into paper cupcake liners.   They're easier to get out of the muffin tin.   My original recipe had me adding some berry compote to the muffins before baking them. I decided against that this time and just added some berry jam to the muffins after baking, along with some butter. 

I can also say that cold without any butter or jam on top, these are still pretty darn tasty.  

The unbaked muffins looked pretty good to me as well.  I drizzled a little of the leftover syrup from candying the walnuts over the top of the unbaked muffins.  

 

    BTW, this was also a Sunday Funday group effort.   The theme was Celebrate Canada Day.  And since I'm Canadian, this hit home for me too.   Our Sunday Funday hostess this month is Mayuri Patel of Mayuris Jikoni  .  Check out the fun offerings my fellow Sunday Funday bloggers shared. 

There are some fun recipes here:

Sunday Funday

Celebrate Canada Day

• Butter Tarts by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Cherry Chip Cake by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• City of Nanaimo's Namesake Bar by A Messy Kitchen
• Maple Banana Muffins by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Maritime Hodge Podge - Creamy Summer Vegetables by Food Lust People Love
• Pouding Chômeur by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Quick and Easy Poutine by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Maple Banana Walnut Muffins

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking - Adapted from many recipes

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Topped with a maple syrup-candied walnut, these muffins are a powerhouse of good. Low sugar, hearty, and delicious gluten-free breakfast muffin.

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas- mushed up
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup gluten-free flour
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup flax seeds
• 1/4 cup Maple Syrup
• 1/2 tablespoon or 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 tablespoons softened butter
• 2 teaspoons Drambuie or 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract. I used some Drambuie as I was getting low on Vanilla Extract. I also like using Liqueurs as flavorings when they can complement the baked goods.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place cupcake liners in a muffin tin. Or just grease the muffin tins really well.
2. Cream the butter and maple syrup together, then mix in the mashed bananas and eggs, adding in the vanilla or liqueur of your choice.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the oats, chopped walnuts, baking powder and gluten-free flour.
4. Pour the banana mixture over the dry ingredients and combine.
5. Place a good 1/4 cup of the mixture into the prepared muffin tins, top with Maple Candied Walnuts if desired, and bake for 30-35 minutes. Eat them with some butter and a dollop of your favorite berry preserves.

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All recipes and their respective images are either original or adapted and credited, and are all the sole property of Sid's Sea Palm Cooking © 2011-2026, with all rights reserved thereof.

Check out my cookbooks on Amazon.  All are available as paperbacks or as e-books. 
 Simple Shrimp Recipes - 25 + Appetizer, Entree, and Dipping Sauces.
 Nibbles and Bites - A Compilation of Appetizers, Canapes and Finger Foods. 
  Hygge - Danish Food and Recipes 

Carrot Pudding

 Is there a more versatile vegetable than Carrots?    

From sweet to savory recipes, they work and work hard.  At least I made them do the work.   

I've used carrots in Spaghetti Sauce and also make an amazing Carrot Cake.   I made some Carrot Mousse a while back, as well as one of my favorite salads, which also doubles as a great vegetarian main dish.  White Bean, Carrot, and Celery Salad.  I've used them in Curried Carrot Hummus, and I even made a Candied Carrot Coffeecake once.   They're great in soups, stews, and as pickles in some Carrot Escabeche .  I could go on and on and on, but you get my drift.  I hope.  Carrots are good food.   Treat them well, and they'll work for you.   And work hard.  

And this time round for our Sunday Funday, I'm using them in a Carrot Pudding.  Karen of Karen's Kitchen Stories is our hostess this week, and she enjoined us to use Carrots in a dish, with carrots being featured.    So after some thought, I decided to make a Carrot Pudding, and came up with this recipe.   An old-fashioned, steamed pudding, usually made around Christmas, but I decided, why wait for Christmas? I'm going to enjoy it now.   And it is good.  The Whiskey Lemon sauce is very sharp but goes really well with the highly spiced Carrot Pudding.   Did I mention it's also gluten-free?   Cause it is.  I elected to use some gluten-free flour I had on hand, and it worked, and worked really well.  I ate two wedges for my dinner that night and have the rest of the pudding in the freezer for pudding emergencies.    I'm out of Jameson whiskey, but I bet I can use some regular whiskey or even bourbon to make up some more sauce.   

Sometimes, it's fun to play with food.  😏

 I have some stainless steel mixing bowls I bought a while back, and decided one of them would be perfect for this.

  I cooked my pudding in my small crockpot, and the bowl rested on the lip of the crockpot with an inch or so of water underneath.  Perfection...

And as you can see, it came out of the bowl, really nicely.  

Take a look at what my fellow Sunday Funday Bloggers came up with:  

• Carrot Cake Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Carrot Pudding from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Carrot Fries from Mildly Indian
• Carrot Roulade from Sneha's Recipe
• Grilled Carrots from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Nomato Soup - a Faux Tomato Soup with Carrots from A Messy Kitchen
• Roasted Carrots with Burrata from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Spicy Carrot Ginger Dressing from Food Lust People Love

Carrot Pudding

Yield: 4-6

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking - Adapted from many recipes

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 4 H & 30 MTotal time: 5 Hour

This would be a perfect pudding to make for a celebratory meal. 15 minutes or so of prep and 4+ hours of unsupervised cooking time.

Ingredients

Carrot Pudding

• 1 cup carrots - grated
• 1 unpeeled apple, grated
• 1/2 cup craisins
• 1/2 cup pecans - chopped
• 1 cup gluten-free flour
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar - either white or brown
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Instructions

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
2. Add the egg and spices, mix thoroughly.
3. Then add the flour, nuts, and craisins, and mix together well.
4. Press into a greased heat-proof bowl and place into a crockpot that has an inch or so of water in the base. Let it cook on high for 3 hours and an additional hour or so on low until it is cooked through. (You can also put the mixture into mason jars, well-washed cans that can have a lid put on. I was able to nestle a small bowl inside my crockpot and just used the crockpot lid. Cook to an internal temp of 210 degrees. Or just wing it.

Lemon Whiskey Sauce

1. 1/4 cup Lemon Juice
2. 1/4 cup sugar
3. 1/4 cup whiskey (I used Jameson, your choice as to which one you like)
4. 1/8 tsp. Lemon extract
5. 1/2 tsp. Lemon zest
6. 2 tablespoons butter
7. 1 lightly beaten egg yolk
8. Whisk the first five ingredients together, until the sugar has dissolved, over medium-high heat, taste for sweetness, and add more sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until it's to your taste. Whisk in the butter, temper the egg yolk with some of the hot lemon juice, then whisk in the tempered egg yolk, and cook until thickened, stirring continuously. If you don't temper the egg yolk, you will end up with scrambled egg yolk.  (This is pretty much like a lemon curd but with whiskey, 😉 Pour over the carrot pudding while still warm or serve on the side.  The Lemon sauce is very sharp, but it goes really well with the pudding.  

 

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Margarita Cake, my way

 I love making and baking cakes, but rarely eat more than a small slice; however, I've just started going to Bingo and found out that they love it when someone bakes a cake and donates it.  The cake is raffled off, and usually the winner shares it, so it's a win-win.  Not only do I get to bake a cake, but I get to taste it as well.

I signed up to make a cake this week, and since it's the day after Cinco de Mayo, I thought it would be fun to make a Margarita Cake.  Well, once I started looking for a recipe, I went down a rabbit hole, but I managed to find a side tunnel and came out with this.  

If you know me, you may know I do not like using cake mixes.  I much prefer baking from scratch, and I have to say 90% of the time, it works well.  

After glazing the cake, I let the excess glaze run onto some paper towels (less mess and cleanup) 

Then I had fun.   I added the third glaze, which was a lot thicker, zested some more lime over it and added some candied lime slices. 

Put it onto a pretty platter and brought it with me to Bingo.

BTW, I made the candied lime slices just like I used to make Candied Orange Slices.

Margarita Cake

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking - Adapted from many recipes

A fun cake to make to celebrate Cinco de Mayo or anytime you want a celebratory cake, this one is perfect for many occasions.

Ingredients

Cake

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan; set aside while mixing the cake.
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks) softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups AP flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch (mix in with flour to make cake flour)
• 3 large eggs
• 4 oz. softened cream cheese
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Zest from 2 limes
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup Tequila ( good stuff, you can taste the difference
• 1/16th cup Grand Marnier or a good orange liqueur
• Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the softened cream cheese, and continue to cream together.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well.
• Add the zest, lime juice, tequila, and orange liqueur, mix.
• Add the flour and baking powder mixture alternating with the milk, one-third at a time. Being careful to not overmix.
• Spoon the batter into a prepared bundt pan and bake in 325 deg oven for 45 minutes. Checking for doneness at 45 minutes, and baking an additional 10 minutes if needed, and a toothpick or cake tester shows that the cake has not cooked fully.
• Take out of the oven when baked and place on a cooling rack, upside down. Let cool for 30 minutes before applying the first glaze.

Instructions

Glazes to top baked Bundt.

1. 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
2. 1/8 cup tequila
3. 1/8 cup fresh lime juice
4. Zest of a half lemon
5. Mix well, and drizzle half over the baked cake in an even fashion. Let it sit for an hour and then apply the second glaze
6. Make the second glaze by adding more confectioners' sugar, enough to make a drizzle glaze. Drizzle half of it on the cake in a pleasing design. Set aside.
7. Add enough more confectioner's sugar to make a stiff glaze and spoon or spread across the top of the bundt cake. Decorate with candied lime slices and a sprinkle of lime zest if desired.
8. The first two glazes will set nicely, as will the third. If the glazes get too stiff, add more lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon at a time.
9. It's very easy to make the glazes too loose, but if you do, you can correct it by adding confectioners' sugar to compensate.

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Blini with Smoked Salmon

 I love Smoked Salmon.  

That was a complete sentence. 

 I've been known to pick up pieces and just shovel them into my mouth, ok, so I was a little more delicate than that.    I've made quite a few dishes/recipes with smoked salmon over the years, but this is one of my favorite ways to use it, for now.  I may change my mind in the future.  As I experiment try new recipes. 

I've used both cold-smoked and hot-smoked salmon in my recipes.  I think it elevates just about every recipe you make.   I've made Salmon Mousse, Smoked Salmon Tarts, Salmon Cakes, topped Deviled Eggs with a curl of smoked salmon, and I've even made my own Gravad Laks.  And I made this amazing Smoked Salmon Cheesecake once as well.   And a few years back, I made this Chunky Shrimp and Smoked Salmon spread, and people still ask me about it.  It is good, I will say that.   It also looks pretty on a plate. 

Get the idea, I like Smoked Salmon?  Well, I do.   I actually have way more Smoked and regular Salmon recipes on my blog.  Go ahead and take a look.  I would detail them here, but this post is all about Elegant Appetizers for Mother's Day for our Sunday Funday Bunch.

And I just had to participate, with, you guessed it, Smoked Salmon.  Our hostess this week is Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Even though I'm the only mother I'm celebrating this year, I can make it special for me.  So I did, make it special, that is.    And I blame it all on The Great British Bake Off.   They had their contestants make Blini with Hot Smoked Salmon once, and I kinda glommed onto that idea and came up with these little bites of deliciousness. 

Too much hyperbole? Nah.   

I made some buckwheat blini (I had some buckwheat flour on hand to make buckwheat Pancakes).  And then I played, a lot.  

I raided my dill plant, minced up some red onion and some capers, and decorated. 

 Then I consumed.

But before I finished consuming, I decorated with some fresh Dill Fronds, cause I could. 

 I even topped them off with some Caviar.  I had way too much fun, and now I have a jar of Caviar in the fridge to use on something. I'm sure I'll come up with an idea or two to use it.   I'll share my attempts on here as well.  

Take a look at what our other fabulous cooks came up with: 

• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Wendy Klik Blini with Caviar 
• Amy's Cooking Adventures: Crackers with Salami & Pepperoni Rosettes 
• Sneha's Recipe: Crumb Coated Cheesy Veg Crepes 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories: Fresh Artichoke and Spinach Dip 
• Culinary Cam : Roasted Carrot Tarte Tatin 
• Sid's Sea Palm Cooking : Smoked Salmon Blini 
  
• Mayuri's JikoniMayuri's Jikoni: Sweet Potato Brie Bites

 

Buckwheat Blini with Smoked Salmon

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking - Adapted from many recipes

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 3 MinInactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 43 Min

Make this Mother's Day extra special with these bites of deliciousness. Be aware, this recipe makes a lot of blini. 

Ingredients

Blini

• 1/2  cup Buckwheat Flour
• 1/2 cup AP Flour
• 1 egg separated - room temperature
• 3/4 cup warm milk
• 1 teaspoon yeast
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Toppings

• 1/2 cup Crème Fraîche
• 1 tsp. Creamed Horseradish
• 2 + oz. Cold Smoked Salmon, sliced thinly
• 1-2 Tablespoons finely minced Red Onion
• 1-2 Tablespoons, finely chopped Capers
• 2 + teaspoons Caviar
• 2 + teaspoons finely chopped Fresh Dill, plus more for decorations
• Mix the Crème fraîche and horseradish together and set aside

Instructions

1. Heat the milk to about 110 degrees, add egg yolk, yeast, and sugar, set aside until frothy.
2. Sift the dry ingredients together, then add the milk-yeast mixture and combine.
3. Cover with some plastic wrap and set aside for about an hour or until the batter has doubled in size.
4. Beat the egg white until stiff. Fold into the risen batter.  
   
   
   
5. Place a non-stick frying pan on the stove and heat to medium-high. Or spray some cooking spray in a frying pan and heat.
6. Dollop about a tablespoon of the batter into the heated pan, doing about 4 at a time, cook until  bubbly, turn over and cook an additional 45 seconds or so. Remove to a warmed platter.

Assembly

1. Now for the fun part, assembly:
2. Dollop about a half teaspoon of the Crème fraîche-horseradish sauce on each blini.
3. Form a 'rose' out of each piece of salmon, and place carefully on top of the creme fraiche mixture. Top with a sprinkle of the finely minced onion, capers, and chopped dill. Add a 1/4 teaspoon of caviar on top if you wish. Use some dill fronds to decorate further if desired.
4. Serve immediately.

 

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