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

Mr. Free Stuff

Who doesn't love free stuff? If you do then this website mrfreestuff.com is for you. You can all kinds of links for coupons as well as stuff that will be mailed to you. I especially like the recipe link that includes 3 pages of of online, electronic and printed cookbooks. Check it out!

Spinach and Sausage Stuffed Shells

Cookbooks, I adore them. My book shelves are packed with them. I love collecting them. I love reading them. One of the first cookbooks I owned is The Frugal Gourmet Cooks with Wine. I methodically cooked my way through this book and still refer to it often. It has notes throughout, stains on the pages of my favorite recipes and is falling apart. If you ask Puppy Daddy what meal of mine is his favorite, I can guarantee it is this one. It is nothing like any stuffed shells you have ever eaten. It's certainly cheesy, but it's also filled with Italian sausage and spinach with lots of garlic and lemon. I encourage you to try it very soon!


Ingredients
1 lb large shells
1 10 oz package of chopped frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
1/2 lb Italian sausage (Follow link to make your own.)
1/2 lb small curd cottage cheese, drained
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp oregano
1 egg, beaten
2 cups marinara sauce
2 cups coarsely grated mozzarella

Directions
Boil the pasta until firm but tender. Rinse in cold water and drain.

Saute the sausage and break up into small pieces.  Mix with the drained spinach, drained cottage cheese, garlic, lemon juice, grated cheese, salt, pepper and oregano. Stir in the beaten egg.

Stuff the shells with the above mixture and place in a greased baking dish. Top with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 300 degrees until all is hot and cheese melted, about 20 minutes.

Sausage and Tapenade Pasta

Arriving home late and hungry with no plan for dinner for me means looking through the fridge and pantry to figure out what I can throw together. This has led and to some of my best and worst recipes. This one is a keeper. The magic in this combination is the olive tapenade or olive salad. You can get a really great olive salad at the Saturday Morning Market from Jays Marketplace. It's an easy meal and you can switch out many of the ingredients for what you have on hand.

 

Ingredients

2 TB olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 lb Italian sausage
1 can diced tomatoes with juices
1/4 cup olive tapenade or olive salad
1/2 lb pasta of your choice
salt
Parmesan cheese

Directions
In a large skillet brown onion and sausage in olive oil, breaking sausage into small pieces. Meanwhile bring water to a boil in a large pot. Salt water and add pasta. Cook according to package directions. After sausage and onions are browned add tomatoes with juices and olive tapenade or spread. When pasta is finished cooking drain and add to sauce. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Aztec Chicken Soup

It's soup night and a perfect way to use some of the delicious veggies I bought at the Saturday Morning Market this week. Several years ago I discovered some great low carb cook books by Dana Carpender including, 500 Low Carb Recipes. It has some amazingly delicious ideas including this soup.  The beauty of this recipe is not only is is low carb, it's also low fat if you don't add the cheese. (Why anyone wouldn't want a little cheese, I don't know, but....) I've added chick peas to the original recipe which are tasty and up the fiber content. You will love the fresh taste of this yummy soup!

This recipe makes 10 servings, but it freezes well. You can also easily cut it in half.

Ingredients
3 quarts chicken broth
2 cups diced cooked chicken or boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic, crushed
2-3 ribs celery, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 small carrot, shredded
1 small zucchini, diced
2 cans(14 1/2 each) diced tomatoes, including juice
1 can chick peas, drained
1 package frozen chopped spinach
2 TB dried oregano
2 TB dried basil
2 tsp pepper
At least 8 oz Mexican Queso Quesadilla or Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
5 ripe avocados, diced

Directions
1. Heat the broth and the chicken in a large pot over low heat.

2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion, garlic, celery, green pepper, carrot, and zucchini together until they're limp. Stir the oregano, basil and pepper into the vegetables and saute for another minute and add them to the soup along with the tomatoes, chick peas and spinach. Let the whole thing  simmer for 1/2 to 1 hour to let the flavors blend.

3.When you're ready  to serve the soup, put 1/4 - 1/2 cup of cheese (more won't hurt) in the bottom of the bowl, and anywhere from 1 - 3 chipotles, depending on how spicy you like your food. If you want it even less spicy, just add some of the adobo sauce, or leave it out completely. Ladle the hot soup over the cheese and the peppers. Top with avocado.

Serve with tortilla chips or cheese quesadillas.

A Taste of Sam's Club

OK, this event is right up my alley! I have fond memories of Puppy Daddy offering to take me out to dinner at Sam's Club. "You can get everything from appetizers to deserts, all for free!" he would declare. Of course he was just kidding. Puppy Daddy is very romantic and treats me like a queen. So here are the details.

A Taste of Sam's Club - All area Sam's Clubs invite members to "try before they buy" at an event to sample "gourmet-to-go" appetizers, main courses, side dishes and desserts. Find out how to plan interesting menus, make celebrations special and keep prep work minimal.

Dates:
November 16, 17, 18 at noon

Homemade Italian Sausage

 I love Italian sausage! I use it crumbled in lots of pasta dishes. A few weeks ago I was watching the Rachael Ray Show and she made Homemade Hot Sausage with Lentil Soup . I wasn't so interested in the lentils, but I definitely was excited about making my own sausage. The sausage turned out to be delicious and very easy to make. It's also about $1.50 per pound less than premade sausage. One of the best things about making your own sausage is that you can adjust the flavors to suit your taste. I love lots of fennel in my Italian sausage, but this caused a problem in my first batch. I didn't want whole fennel seeds in the sausage, but I couldn't find ground fennel in the grocery store. I know you can grind spices in a coffee mill, but I didn't want my coffee to taste like fennel so I tried grinding it in my food processor. Note to self, don't try that again. Fennel seeds are very hard and it took me forever to get just a little fennel dust. Thankfully Savory Spice in downtown St. Petersburg has just about any spice you could ever need including ground fennel. My next batch of sausage was even better than the first because I could pile in the ground fennel.

This recipe is great because you can use it to make many different kinds of sausage.









Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground pork, dark meat chicken, dark and white meat turkey or lamb

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (2/3 palmful)

2 teaspoons sweet paprika (2/3 palmful)

2 teaspoons granulated onion (2/3 palmful)

2 teaspoons ground sage (for pork or lamb) or poultry seasoning (for ground chicken or turkey), (half a palmful)

1 teaspoon fennel seed (1/3 palmful)

Salt and pepper

Directions
Combine all ingredients and chill for several hours or up to two days ahead.

Penne and Asparagus with Tomato Cream Sauce

The Saturday Morning Market in downtown St. Petersburg has recently become a favorite outing for Puppy Daddy and me. I can't believe it has been in existence for ten years and we have just now discovered it. The market has several fresh produce stands, baked goods, gourmet foods, arts, crafts and prepared foods. We love buying our fresh produce for the week and fresh bread. This week we bought Tomato-Basil Penne from Pappardelle's. They make over 100 flavors of dried pasta and fresh-frozen ravioli, sauces and pestos, each handcrafted in small batches using every facet of traditional Italian pasta making techniques. It is sold only in a few gourmet shops and farmers markets across the country. We bought the very last of the Tomato-Basil Penne on Saturday. The poor customer right after us had to make an alternate choice. This recipe uses the pasta and fresh asparagus from the market. I served this pasta with delicious rosemary rolls, also from the market. If you haven't been, I encourage you to check it out soon!

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
4 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup milk
4 TB prepared marinara sauce
1/2 lb asparagus, sliced into 2 inch pieces
1 lb penne pasta
salt

Directions
Fill a large pot with water add a generous amount of salt and bring to a boil. When water is boiling add pasta and cook according to directions on the package.Add asparagus to the pot for the last 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile make the sauce. In a medium sized sauce pan melt butter over medium heat. When melted add cream cheese. Stir until melted. Add milk and marinara sauce. Continue to stir until sauce is melted. Drain pasta and asparagus, and add to tomato cream sauce. Stir to coat pasta.

Sweater Weather Chili

The boys have needed their sweaters for the past couple of days. Yes, in Florida when the temperature gets below 65 degrees, we must bundle up, especially the Whippets. These puppies have short hair and very little body fat, so they get cold easily. I know most dogs hate and don't need clothes, but my dogs enjoy their sweaters in the chilly weather. Of course, chilly weather means a warm pot of chili. Everyone has their own recipe and in this post I will reveal my "secret ingredients". Being a heat lover married to a non-heat lover, I have always made our food without, adding it in to my own serving after cooking. But this pot of chili was an adventure because Puppy Daddy, who has never been a fan of spicy food, has decided that he wants to learn to love heat.  Puppy Daddy convinced me to make the chili "a little" spicy so I added one chipotle chili in adobo. Surprisingly, Puppy Daddy didn't think that the chili was very spicy, so I've increased the chipotle chili in adobo amount in this recipe. We'll see what he thinks next time!

This is an easy, basic chili recipe. Saute the onion in olive oil. Add and brown ground beef. Then add garlic, chipotle in adobo, beans, diced tomatoes, ground chili, and cumin. Then come my "secret" ingredients.

Surprise, unsweetened cocoa and cinnamon. I know it sounds weird, but these two ingredients really add a great depth of flavor. I also like to add a tiny pinch of Splenda or sugar.

Bring everything to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for at least and hour. More time is definitely better and of course it's even better after it sits over night in the fridge. Of course you should top it with your favorites like cheese, sour cream, green onions and my favorite, pickled jalapenos.

Ingredients
2 TB olive oil
1 medium or 1/2 large onion, diced
2 lb ground chuck
2 15.5 oz canned kidney beans
1 28 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 large clove garlic, pressed or grated
2 chipotle in adobo, finely chopped
1 TB chili powder
1 TB cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
pinch Splenda or sugar, optional, to taste

Toppings
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
chopped green onion
pickled jalapenos

Directions
Heat olive oil over medium high in dutch oven. Add chopped onions. Cooked until soft. Add ground chuck and cook until browned. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for at least 1 hour. More is better. Serve with your choice of toppings.

Capital Hill Ranch Dressing

My favorite salad dressing is Ranch and I've taken to making it myself lately. I've used several different recipes, but usually just eyeball it and add what ever herbs, fresh or dried, that I have available. Last week I experimented with using Capital Hill Seasoning from Savory Spice Shop in downtown St. Petersburg. It is the best  I've ever made. Capital Hill Seasoning is the perfect blend of seasonings for Ranch Dressing, shallots, salt, pepper, dill weed, parsley and chives.

I used a recipe that I found on allrecipes.com and just traded out Capital Hill Seasoning for the herbs and spices listed. It truly is perfect!


Ingredients
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
1 TB Capital Hill Seasoning
milk or buttemilk, optional if you want the dressing a little less thick

Directions
Combine all ingredients. Chill for 1 hour.

Creamy Lemon Parmesan Chicken

Wow, it's amazing how busy you can get being semi-retired! I haven't blogged in almost a month now, but I've still been doing plenty of cooking. Even when I'm DOG tired, my favorite thing to do is pour a glass of wine and prepare a home-cooked dinner. This recipe has been a family favorite for as long as I can remember. It came from a holiday cooking magazine about 20 years ago, but it makes a great any night meal. Even my son Brandon, who was quite a picky eater when he was young, loves this.

There are just a few simple ingredients: Chicken Breast, Lemon, Heavy Cream, Chicken Stock or Broth, Grated Parmesan Cheese and Butter

Begin by pounding the chicken breast very thin. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and saute in some butter. When the chicken is done take it out of the pan, place it in an oven safe dish and keep it warm in the oven while you make the sauce.




Next deglaze your pan with lemon juice. Then add lemon zest, chicken stock and heavy cream. Bring to a boil and reduce by half. Add your Parmesan cheese. Stir until sauce thickens and serve it with your chicken. So tangy and cheesy!

Ingredients
2 TB butter
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Melt butter in 12 inch skillet. Pound chicken between plastic wrap until about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Saute in melted butter, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from skillet and place in an oven safe dish. Place in the warm oven while you make the sauce.

Deglaze the skillet with 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Next add one tablespoon of lemon zest, chicken stock and heavy cream. Bring to a boil and reduce by about half. Stir frequently and reduce heat if sauce is bubbling too much. The sauce should easily coat the back of a spoon. Then add Parmesan cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Serve sauce over chicken breast.