Alton Brown's Stove Top Mac and Cheese

OK, here is the first recipe in the Wednesday Mac and Cheese Challenge. I love Alton Brown, and his show Good Eats. I use several of his recipes for staples such as baked potatoes and chicken wings which both turn out spectacular every time I make them. So, I was excited to try this version of stove top mac and cheese. Like his other recipes that I have tried this one was delicious and easy. I especially liked that it made plenty of cheese sauce. I like my mac and cheese very creamy and I find that many recipes call for to much pasta so I have to double the cheese sauce. This one was perfect! You should try it soon.

I haven't picked out next week's mac and cheese recipe. If you have a suggestion for me, please post it as a comment!

 

Ingredients

1/2 pound elbow macaroni

4 tablespoons butter

2 eggs

6 ounces evaporated milk

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Fresh black pepper

3/4 teaspoon dry mustard

10 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded

Directions

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Return to the pot and melt in the butter. Toss to coat.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir into the pasta and add the cheese. Over low heat continue to stir for 3 minutes or until creamy.

Charleston Cheese Stuffed Chicken

As I've written before, I LOVE cookbooks. One of my favorite things to do when I travel is to find a locally written cookbook. I especially love Junior League and Church cookbooks with recipes from local families. I have these types of cookbooks from Apalachicola to West Virginia to Maine. This recipe is from the cookbook Music, Menus and Magnolia's by the Charleston Symphony Orchestra League.




I bought this cookbook over 15 years ago on a Bayless family vacation, and when I say Bayless family vacation, I mean the whole Bayless family. When my son Brandon was young we took a summer vacation every year with my husband's parents and his brother. On this vacation we spent a week renting cabins outside of Gatlinburg and stopped for a couple of days in Charleston on the way home. I have wonderful memories of this trip because Brandon was at the truly delightful age of about 14 and entertained us thoroughly the entire trip, including his imitation of the ribbon dance routines we watched during the summer Olympics. Oh yes, today he will try to deny it, but it is the stuff of legends in our family!

I spent the trip back from Charleston reading this cookbook. Once I found this recipe, I couldn't wait to get home to try it. In fact, we had it the very night we arrived home. It is simple and delicious!

Begin this recipe by pounding out your chicken breasts very thin. Then make your cream cheese mixture which includes green onion and tarragon. Dip the chicken breast in lemon juice and put the cream cheese mixture in the middle.

Next wrap the chicken breast around the  cream cheese mixture. Wrap with 2-3 slices of bacon and secure with toothpicks. Bake at 350 degrees.











Ingredients
(serves 6)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup green onions
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 - 18 slices bacon
toothpicks

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Flatten chicken pieces by pounding between plastic wrap. Dip in lemon juice. Combine cream cheese, onions, tarragon and salt. Place 3-4 tablespoons of this mixture on each piece of chicken. Roll chicken around cream cheese mixture and wrap with slices of bacon. Secure with a toothpick. Place in a shallow 9x12-inch buttered baking dish and bake, uncovered for about 30 - 40 minutes. Then turn the broiler on high for about 5 minutes to crisp up the bacon.

Mom's Oatmeal Pie

Our Thanksgiving Dinner at my dad's house was wonderful. We had a great time catching up with friends and family members and eating delicious food. One of the best items on the menu was the Oatmeal Pie that Sister Ruth made. She found the recipe several years ago in a magazine and it has become a family favorite. This pecan-pie like desert, topped with cinnamon whipped cream is absolutely delicious!









Ingredients
2 eggs, lightly beaten 3/4cup maple syrup
1/2cup granulated sugar
1/2cup packed brown sugar
1/2cup milk
1/3cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flaked coconut
3/4cup regular rolled oats
1/2cup chopped walnuts
1 9 -inch unbaked pie crust
Cinnamon Whipped Cream (optional) (see recipe below)

Directions
1. For filling:In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, maple syrup, granulated sugar, brown sugar, milk, butter, and vanilla. Stir together well.
2. Stir in the coconut, oats, and nuts. Pour filling into unbaked pie crust.
3. Bake in a 375 degrees F oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until set.
4. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate within 2 hours. Cover for longer storage. Serve with Cinnamon Whipped Cream, if you like.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

Ingredients
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash ground nutmeg

Directions
In a chilled mixing bowl, combine whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Beat with chilled beaters of an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.

Creamy White Chicken, Artichoke and Asparagus Lasagna

I found this recipe from Kraft on Pinterest. I made it last night for dinner adding asparagus to the original recipe. Puppy Daddy and Sister Ruth agreed that it is absolutely delicious! Yes, it is as creamy and cheesy as it looks!













Ingredients
2 cups boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, chopped

1 1/2 asparagus, cut in two inch slices and cooked for 2 minutes in the microwave on high

1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) package KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese with a Touch of PHILADELPHIA, divided
1/2 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 (8 ounce) packages PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup basil, chopped
12 lasagna noodles, cooked or 12 no cook lasagna noodles

 

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine chicken, artichokes, asparagus, tomatoes, 1 cup mozzarella and Parmesan. Beat cream cheese, milk, and garlic powder with mixer until well blended; stir in 2 tablespoons basil. Mix half with the chicken mixture.

 

4. Bake 25 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining basil. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

The Wednesday Mac and Cheese Challenge

Over 25 years ago Puppy Daddy and I unknowingly started a lifelong tradition. At that time and for some 20 years to follow, Puppy Daddy directed church choirs that rehearsed on Wednesday nights. We would never get home until after 9:00 and needed a quick, easy dinner.  Somehow we settled on macaroni and cheese, and tuna fish sandwiches. Even since Puppy Daddy retired from directing choirs six years ago, he still insists on this comfort meal every Wednesday. The tuna sandwiches have varied over the years from simple white bread, tuna and mayo to tuna melts with a variety of ingredients. The macaroni and cheese however has mostly stayed the same, Kraft Sharp Cheddar Deluxe.

Well, now I'm giving myself a new challenge, a new homemade Mac & Cheese recipe every Wednesday. There is a  restriction, however.  I know this is southern sacriledge, but we don't like baked macaroni and cheese. So I'm looking for stovetop recipes only. If you have any suggestions please post them as comments. I'm anxious to get started. I'll keep you posted on the results.

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

Sister Ruth arrived yesterday. Yippee! I knew I wanted to serve something easy for dinner so that we could spend the entire afternoon chatting and giggling. This recipe was perfect. It takes less than 5 minutes to get into the slow cooker and less than 10 minutes to get on the plate when you're ready to eat. Besides that it is delicious!

 

 

Ingredients

 

1 1/2 lb pot roast

3 - 4 cups beef broth or beef stock

1 package onion soup mix

1 medium onion sliced

slice provolone cheese

hoagie rolls

 

 

 

Directions

 

Put pot roast in slow cooker. Add enough beef broth to just cover the roast. Sprinkle onion soup mix over roast. Cover with sliced onion. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove roast from slow cooker and shred. (It will be falling apart.) Fill sliced hoagie rolls with meat and onions. Drizzle with a bit of the broth. Cover with provolone cheese and heat sandwiches until cheese melts. Serve with broth for dipping.

Sausage, Cranberry and Pecan Stuffing

It's Thanksgiving week, and I'm so exited that Sister Ruth is flying in from North Carolina tomorrow. She'll be staying here at the "Bayless' Bed and Breakfast, Where You Make Your Own!" We will have Thanksgiving Dinner at my dad's house with about 20 people. As I think it should be, everyone is bringing something. Sister Ruth (who is a great cook) and I were assigned stuffing. When I asked her if she had a good recipe, she told me she had never made stuffing before. We joked about making "Stove Top" to see if anyone would notice! Of course that won't happen, so I've picked out this recipe which is a combination of several that I've researched.

Now, of course I've been watching the Food Network Chefs preparing Thanksgiving recipes and they all say to use day old bread, or to make your own cornbread and dry it out. That seems like a lot of extra work to me.  So, I'm trusting my grandmother Mimi Bates, who was one of the best cooks ever! She always used Pepperidge Farm stuffing doctored up with her own ingredients and it was always delicious, so that's what I'm doing. I'm using the country style, but here are several different bread choices including white, wheat and cornbread. Pick your favorite or combine them. Since I'm not making the stuffing until Thursday, there won't be any pictures until then, but I encourage you to try this recipe.

Ingredients
1 lb Italian sausage (follow link to make your own)
1/2 cup butter, divided
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 clove crushed garlic
1 12 oz package of Pepperidge Farm Stuffing, your choice of bread types
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup dried cranberries
1 - 2 cups chicken or turkey broth
1 TB poultry seasoning
2 TB fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cook sausage in a large heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring and breaking up large lumps, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.

Add 1/4 cup butter to fat remaining in skillet and cook onions, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add celery, and garlic and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with sausage and stir in bread, egg, pecans, cranberries, poultry seasoning, and parsley. Add up to 2 cups of broth depending on how moist you like your stuffing. Then add salt and pepper to taste

Transfer stuffing to a buttered 3 to 4 quart shallow baking dish and put slices of the rest of the butter on top. Cover with foil and bake in middle of oven 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until bread is golden and stuffing is heated through, 20 to 25 minutes more.

 

Yield: 10 servings