Bobby Flay's Mac and Cheese

Holy Goodness Gracious!

This Macaroni and Cheese recipe is to die for.

Unfortunately, Food Netork (.) com crashes on me every single time I try to find the link to add to this blog - so if you are interested, go here and do a search for "Mac and Cheese Carbonara." You will not be disappointed. There was a reason Bobby Flay won that particular Throwdown.

Nathan, who came home late and had to reheat his portion, acutally said "Man! This is the best fucking macaroni and cheese I have ever tasted." Yes, he said the F word. Loudly too. Leftovers rocked. In fact, I've had this mac and cheese for lunch 3 straight days in a row, and it never got old. I did omit the pork (panchetta?), because I accidently forgot to add it to my grocery list and was too darn lazy to go back to retrieve it.

Look how creamy! And, those herbs really make a huge difference...

"Springtime" Quiche

It's officially Spring! Time to phase out all of the hot, tummy warming soups - and add even more fresh vegetables to your diet. I saw this recipe for Springtime Quiche on www.landolakes.com - and decided that this was the perfect dish to help ring in the change of seasons. The recipe is pretty fool proof, if you use a store bought crust, like I did (shameful, I know!)...and it would make a fabulous Mother's Day brunch item! (hint, hint)

SPRINGTIME QUICHE

1 premade pie crust, thawed and rolled out slightly on a well floured surface
8 slices of crispy bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces and drained on a paper towel
1 bunch of fresh asparagus, washed and cut into 1 inch pieces
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups of Half & Half
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk together the eggs, salt and pepper and Half & Half in a small bowl until well combined. Add a handful of shredded chedder cheese to the mixture and set aside.In an ungreased pie dish, place your premade pie crust, crimping the edges as you go along. (You can certainly make your own...I didn't have the patience - and happened to have the crust in the freezer already - so I was golden!) Sprinkle the rest of the cheese onto the crust, followed by the bacon and asparagus. Pour your egg mixture on top and shimmy the pie plate a little to even distribute. If you wish, you can use a little egg wash (1 egg and 1 tbsp water mixed up) on the crust, to give it a pretty sheen.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until center is set. Let quiche rest 10 minutes before serving, or it will be simply impossible to take out of the pie plate neatly and you will burn the roof of your mouth!

The orginial recipe said that you should leave the asparagus whole, creating a little pattern out of the stalks...I was going to do that, then remembered the last time it made a huge mess when it came time to eat! The asparagus didn't cut easily. So, chopping it up into bite sized pieces made better sense to me - but you can certainly do as you please.

How can you go wrong when BACON is one of the main ingredients?!

Food and other thoughts in my head

First things first - let's commit to some dinners!

Monday -Broiled Scallops and Shrimp over Mango Majo and Wild Rice
Tuesday - Springtime Quiche aka "girlie food"
Wednesday - Baked Linguine Pie with Sausage
Thursday - Mac and Cheese...prepped the day ahead and ready for Nate to heat up in the oven. (I have a work event)
Friday - Pizza!
Saturday - Leftovers. (Another work event)

I am so ready for this month to be over. It's been full of nightime work events - that I don't get paid for! - and fast and furious dinners that require no thought or brain power.

I have to admit, that Bobby Flay once again tickled my taste buds with his Mac and Cheese Throwdown! I literally had to wipe my mouth with the back of my hand after seeing his dish come out of the oven. I'm totally going to test his recipe this week and blog it!

Last night I caught the biography of Miss Rachael Ray on Food Network. Even though I am not a fan of her, I do watch 30 Minute Meals from time to time...and have tried many of her recipes, with good results. Watching her drive and determination actually gave me some insight into that giggle monster...I actually have a new found respect for her. I never knew that she kicked ass and took names to get to where she is currently at! Now, I'm not saying I lurve her or anything...so don't put words in my mouth! I still think she's looney tunes! (Like most of my friends.) Like Rachael, "I'm not champagne. I'm beer. Straight out of the bottle."

Edited to add: St Patrick's Day dinner was fab-u-lous! I splurged on the beef and got a piece that was all meat with great marbeling - yet little fat - that boiled up to tender perfection. I boiled it with a lovely head of cabbage, and served some roasted carrots and sour cream smashed potatoes on the side. The carrots were nicely caramelized and had the best flavor. I also whipped up a loaf of Irish Soda Bread - this time made with dried cranberries. So good!

Pork Chops with Apricot Scented Onions

Do you know how long it takes to sweat onions?! A really long time, if you do it right - which, apparently I have not done correctly in the past.

I wanted something a little different, because pork has a tendency to become a bit boring over time. I wanted something sweat and rich - but not heavy...in other words, I wanted a dish that would not feel like a brick in my stomach.

I ended up with this:



PORK CHOPS with APRICOT SCENTED ONIONS

3-4 boneless center cut pork chops, about 1/2'' thick
2 sweet onions, finely sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup apricot preserves
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add the onions, and stir in oil to coat. Turn the heat down to low, and let "sweat" until the onions caramelize. (This will take a good 45-50 minutes, at least! So, plan accordingly.)

Meanwhile, season pork with salt and pepper, on both sides. In an oven safe skillet, heat up 1 tbsp olive oil, and cook pork over medium high heat about 3-4 minutes on each side. Place entire skillet in oven and cook an additional 25 minutes, or until fully cooked through.

Right before service, add apricot preserves to your caramelized onions, and heat through, stirring until preserves "melt" into the onions. Serve onion mixture on top of the cooked pork, and enjoy!


I finished the dish off with some couscous (multicolored!) and some brussel sprouts.

Compliments sprang forth from Nate, who told me that this pork dinner was a keeper. I agree!

Bribes

Every once in a while, a bribe is called for. This weekend (before I came down with the dreaded sickies), I decided to take the issues into my own hands - and made some awesome cookies for the boyfriend to drool over.

Kat: Will you please fix the back door?
Nate: Hun, I am awfully busy.
Kat: I'll make you cookies if you do it.
Nate: What kind?
Kat: You choose...chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin?
Nate: Oatmeal raisin! They're healthier.

OK - oatmeal in a cookie does not make it healthy. We all know that - but for one moment can we just use his logic as gospel? 'Cause that would sure make life a whole lot tastier!

I searched all over for my great grandmother's recipe, and I could not find it. But, I couldn't give up, because the back door needed fixing badly, so I took out the oatmeal box and peeled off the lid. Horray! A recipe!

So, let me give Quaker some props. The cookies were nice and moist - just as I like them. I still like my recipe better (because it has molasses in it!), but these are a very close second.

QUAKER'S VANISHING OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well to incorporate. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. Stir in oats and raisins.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a silpat lined baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until the edges are a golden brown. Let cook for 1 minute on baking sheet, before transferring to a wire rack to completely cool.


But, you know what? After all that baking and snacking...the door was never fixed! I just may have to bust out a cheesecake or something. (After all, according to Nate, cheesecake is healthy, because it has cheese in it.)

Gotta Try It!

I've been a faithful user of another brand (which I will not name), since I have lived on my own - and the other day at the market, it was all sold out. So, I grabbed a bottle of Dawn with Bleach Alternative, the Fresh Rapids scent. I used it that night, and I can not believe the cleaning power of this stuff! I don't want to say that it made washing dishes enjoyable, but it kinda did. (And, for me - that says a lot!) The stuck on food and grease just slid off with very little effort, and everything came out squeeky clean.

I've made this my new dishwashing liquid.

What does everyone else use?

Lobster and Shrimp Bisque

Oh yum! And, I don't even like lobster! The original recipe is from Food Network's Paula Deen, (I'd add a link, if Food Network didn't crash on me every time I do a simple search) but in my usual fashion, I added and subtracted a couple of ingredients to make it all mine! The bisque was really creamy and full of flavor - but not fishy at all. The lobster and shrimp were both so tender...it was like heaven in a bowl.

When I make it again, I will probably serve it as a soup course, instead of an entree, because although it is very rich, it isn't very filling. (I managed it make it through the night without snacking, but Nate couldn't help eating out the rest of the refridgerator!) It is a bit on the expensive side - due to the lobster - but you can certainly omit that ingredient and double up on the shrimp, or add some other kind of white seafood (scallops, cod).

LOBSTER AND SHRIMP BISQUE

2-3 large lobster tails, pre-cooked and cut into bite sized pieces

1 lb medium shrimp, tails removed

6 cups of chicken stock

1 cup of heavy cream

2 celery stalks, halved and sliced

2 carrots, halved and sliced

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

4 tbsp butter

4 tbsp flour

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)

salt and pepper, to taste

In a large stock pot, melt butter. Add onion, garlic, carrot and celery and cook until veggies are tender. Immediately add flour, stirring to combine. Slowly add chicken stock and bring to a boil, stirring often. Once boiling, add one dried bay leaf to the liquid, followed by the seafood. Let boil further until soup reduces some.

Turn the heat down to simmer, and sprinkle in the thyme, stirring to incorporate. Remove bay leaf and discard. Before service add 1 cup of heavy cream to complete the soup.

A nice loaf of crusty Italian Bread is a must for getting all of that wonderful broth, and much more civilized than licking the bowl itself!

There's lots of lobster and shrimp hiding in that soup!

Hey shrimpy, shrimpy - where are you?!

Oh Lasagne!

I did make the Sausage Lasagne last night, and I have to tell you - it was yummy and well worth the added effort. Unfortunately, Nate and I were both super hungry by the time it was done that we didn't let the dish "set" which caused our plates to look like a crime scene...so, no picture of my efforts.

I have fond memories of my Meme's lasagne growing up. Instead of browned ground beef or sausage, she would make these mini meatballs. I would (very carefully) pick out all of the meatballs from my serving, and eat those first because they were just so cute! When I have a lot of time on my hands, I make it the same way - - it just becomes all the more special and warms me from within.

KAT'S CLASSIC SAUSAGE LASAGNE

Barilla (no pre-cook needed) lasagne noodles* - I used the flat version
2 jars of your favorite marinara sauce
1 cup of bechamel sauce (recipe to follow)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 lb ground sweet italian sausage
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tbsp parsley
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 container of ricotta cheese
1 egg, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare Bechamel: Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a large skillet. Add 2 tbsp of flour, and stir to combine. Slowly add 1 1/2 - 2 cups of milk and stir. Let thicken (until mixture yields approximately 1 cup of bechamel). Add a touch of freshly grated nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.

In another skillet, heat olive oil. Add sausage, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. Once sausage is half-way cooked, add onion and garlic and finish cooking until onion is translucent and sausage is browned. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, beaten egg, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and parlsey. Mix thoroughly to combine. In a large bowl, combine marinara sauce and freshly made bechamel sauce.

Assembly: Place approximately 1 cup of sauce mixture into the bottom of a 9x13x2 inch baking dish. Place none-cook noodles in a single layer along the bottom. Layer cheese mixture then sausage mixture, then top with more sauce. Finally add a good helping of shredded mozzarella cheese. Continue entire layering process until you reach the lip of the baking dish, finishing with the final layer of noodles, sauce and mozzarella cheese. (I got about 3 layers completed.) Cover whole dish with foil, and place on a baking sheet (seriously - don't skip this part...it's "insurance" for your oven) in the middle of your oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Serves an army. (I plan on freezing the rest, by serving size.)

*I've always used generic brand pasta - but many of my foodie friends encouraged me to try Barilla, since they claim that it is the best dried pasta available. I finally caved in and bought it, and they were right. It cooked up perfectly.

Weekly Menu Planning

I have no idea if my menus will remain even remotely close, since March pretty much sucks at work - I have so many late nights and work events as we juggle all of the celebrations of "the American Music Festival." But, I will still plan, and cross my fingers in the meantime.

Monday - Sausage Lasagna
Tuesday - Tacos
Wednesday - Lobster and Shrimp Bisque
Thursday - Apricot Honey Grilled Chicken (only not grilled for us)
Friday - work event
Saturday - eating out

Alternate menu: Ramen noodles and Kimchee

Rigatoni with Acron Squash

I really like the idea of squash and pasta together - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Last night, it worked! (Thankfully - although I had to hear moans and groans of dismay from Nathan as he walked by the stove.)

I think it's the stringy texture of the acorn squash that I like so much - or the sweetness against the bland pasta. And, the cream...definitely the cream! The dish was fast, easy and hit the spot. The one thing that really pissed me off is that I got so side tracked after dinner, that I forgot to put our leftovers in the refrigerator, so I had nothing to bring today for lunch. Bummer! It would've probably been very good.

RIGATONI WITH ACORN SQUASH

1 lb rigatoni

1 medium acorn squash, peeled and cut into small cubes

2 tbsp butter

1 small onion, finely minced

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

1 tbsp fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 cup brown sugar

Prepare pasta as directed.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium high heat. Once butter is melted, add onions and cook until translucent. Add brown sugar and cook until dissolved, stirring constantly. Then, add chicken stock, squash, nutmeg and thyme. Bring to a boil, and cook until squash become tender. Finish off with heavy cream. Drain pasta into squash mixture, stir gently (so you don't break up your pasta!) and serve.

I add a bed of sauted spinach (hooray for germ free spinach!) in garlic and olive oil on the side. And, BTW - Nate ate it, and liked it and even had seconds. The punk!