To Taste: Smokey Bacon Mac & Cheese

Posted by Erin L. in To Taste ~ Recipe and tagged with bacon, baked, butter, casserole, cheddar, cheese, Cheez-Its, cooking, mac & cheese, macaroni, milk, mozzarella, mustard, onion, paprika, recipe, side dish, smoked gouda, Velveeta December 3, 2009

Dre’s main request for Friday’s dinner was Mac & Cheese WITH BACON to accompany my Roasted Tomato, Mushroom, & Smoked Mozz Stuffed Chicken Breasts. On a shopping trip last week, I picked up the most adorable red casserole dish and this was the perfect opportunity to christen it. I needed to refresh myself on Mac & Cheese basics and Alton Brown seemed like my go-to man. I forgot how easily you can turn a basic rue, some milk, onion, & cheese (and bacon, of course) into the most comforting of foods. Mmmm, Mac & Cheese!

Shredded Mozz, Cheddar, Smoked Gouda, & Velveeta

I put Dre in charge of finishing up the Mac & Cheese. He crumbled bacon and tossed it into the macaroni & melty cheese mixture. The jumbo macaroni were perfectly filled up with the bacon & gooey cheesiness. He gets half the credit on this cooking venture for that move!

Smokey Bacon Mac & Cheese

No Baked Mac & Cheese is complete without a crunchy crust and why not have it add to the cheesiness! Dre crushed up some Cheez-Its, tossed with melted butter, and sprinkled on top. It added a crunchy texture to the creamiest, yummiest Mac & Cheese I’ve ever tasted, if I do say so myself! And how cute is that casserole dish?!

Smokey Bacon Mac & Cheese w/ a Cheez-It crust

Smokey Bacon Mac & Cheese

adapted from Alton Brown’s Macaroni & Cheese Recipe

Macaroni – (1) lb, cooked al dente
- Farfalle, Orchiette, Spirals & Shells all work well, too
Butter – (3) T + (2) T
Flour – (3) T
Milk – (3) cups
Whole Grain Mustard – (1) T
Paprika – (2) tsp
Bay Leaf – (1)
White Onion – (1/2) med onion, chopped
Shredded Cheeses – (4) cups or more
- I used (2) cups Mild Cheddar, (2) cups Mozzarella, & (1) cup of Smoked Gouda
Velveeta – (8) oz, cubed
Smoked Bacon – (4-5) slices, cooked & chopped (optional, I guess…)
Cheez-Its – (1.5) cups, crushed
- Next time, Goldfish!

Cook macaroni until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Melt (3) T of butter in a heavy pot on Med and add flour. Stir for about 5 min until it turns a light caramel brown, watching closely.
Add Milk, Mustard, Paprika, Bay Leaf, Onion, & S&P and stir. Bring to a simmer on Med for about 5 min. Remove Bay Leaf.
Immediately add the cheese mixture to the pasta in a large bowl or your stock pot and coat. The bacon crumbles can go in now, too.
Pour mixture into a large, greased baking dish or casserole.
Crush (1.5) cups of Cheez-Its in a sealed plastic baggie and then toss with (2) T melted Butter in a bowl. Sprinkle over Mac & Cheese.
Bake for about 30-40 min until bubbling. Remove and let it sit for (5) min before eating.

To Taste: Roasted Tomato, Mushroom, & Smoked Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast

Posted by Erin L. in To Taste ~ Recipe and tagged with basil, Black Friday, chicken, chicken breast, chicken stock, cooking, garlic, mushroom, onion, recipe, roasted, smoked mozzarella, stuffed, tomato November 30, 2009

I love Thanksgiving! Family, friends, turkey/stuffing/gravy-filled meals, and four days to fill with whatever I felt like doing. I went Black Friday shopping, but dodging salespeople & shopping bags got old pretty quick. I just wanted to be in my warm kitchen cooking yummy food!

The grocery store was pretty empty (whew!), so I quickly grabbed my ingredients… and some Stoli to get me thru a long evening in the kitchen. I’ve got nothing to do tomorrow! I kicked off my prep work at 4pm-ish to have the meal almost complete when Dre got done work. The components of the main dish took up most of my time: roasting grape tomatoes with garlic & fresh basil; sautéing mushrooms with minced onions & butter; and, gleefully pounding chicken breasts to a 1/4 inch thick. Every smokey, juicy morsel of the resulting Roasted Tomato, Mushroom, & Smoked Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts reminded me that it’s always worthwhile.

Tomatoes with Garlic, Basil, & Olive Oil to be Roasted

Just Stuffed

Roasted Tomato, Mushroom & Smoked Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Roasted Tomato, Mushroom & Smoked Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Roasted Tomatoes

Grape Tomatoes – (1-2) pints, halved
Minced Garlic – (2) T or more
Fresh Basil – a few chopped leaves
Olive Oil – (3-4) T, to grease dish & coat tomatoes
S&P

Coat baking dish with olive oil or line with non-stick sprayed foil.
Add all ingredients and toss with olive oil.
Cook 30-40 min in a 400 degree oven. Stir a few times until tomatoes are bubbling, but not burnt.
Make a big batch, leftovers are great on French bread and added to pasta sauce

Sautéed Mushrooms

White Mushrooms or Creminis or Baby Bellas -(2-3) cups, cored and sliced
White Onion – 1/2 med onion, chopped
Butter – (2) T

Melt butter in a saucepan on Med. Add onion & cook about 2 min.
Add mushrooms and give them room to breath. Julia says so.
Stir and cook until tender.
Use leftovers on a quick pizza or in pasta sauce, red or alfredo.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast – (3-4) breasts – trimmed, sliced lengthwise, & pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
Smoked Mozzarella or Gouda – 1 oz per breast
Roasted Tomatoes
Sautéed Mushrooms
Chicken Stock – (1) cup or so
S&P
Stovetop to Oven Sauté Pan
Long toothpicks or Bamboo picks

Pound filleted chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness between sheets of plastic wrap.
Add a few spoonsful of tomatoes & mushrooms onto half of each chicken breast.
Layer slices of smoked cheese.
Fold chicken breast in half and secure by sewing a toothpick or bamboo pic to secure. S&P each side of the breast.
Pan sear breast in olive oil on Med-High until golden brown, about 5 min on each side.
Add chicken stock to pan and bring to a boil.
Cover pan with lid or foil and tranfer to 375 degree oven.
Bake for 20 min, let cool for 5 min, and serve with pan jus.
Leftovers make one KILLER sandwich!

To Taste: Homemade Apple Butter

Posted by Erin L. in To Taste ~ Recipe and tagged with apple, apple butter, Autumn, cinnanmon, cooking, nutmeg, recipe, sugar, to taste November 28, 2009

In a gluttonous haze, we forgot to buy a jar of Apple Butter on our trip to the Amish Country. It’s apple season, so it seemed reasonable enough to channel my PA Dutch roots and make a batch of my own. I bought a variety of apples and was amazed by my fully intact thumbs after peeling them with a paring knife. Quite proud of myself, actually!

Golden Delicious

I referenced one of my favorite recipe sites, 101cookbooks, as I appreciate their dedication to an honest approach to cooking. After boiling the apple down in apple cider and a whirl in my Grandma’s 1970s era Cuisinart, I had fresh applesauce. Once chilled, each bite tasted as crisp as all the apple pieces I sampled along the way! I returned the majority of the applesauce to the pan with lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, & the remaining liquid. After 2.5 hours of reducing, stirring, & a delicious scent, I had a worthy batch of Apple Butter for Dre & Lexi to enjoy! I’m actually not a fan, but sharing such a warm, delicious treat with the people I love makes it all worth it.

PA Dutch Apple Butter on an Eggo

PA Dutch Apple Butter
adapted from 101cookbooks – Apple Butter with Carolina B.

Apples – cored, peeled, & cubed – I used (1) lg Empire, (3) med Macintosh, & (3) med Golden Delicious
Apple Cider – about (2-3) quarts – enough to cover the apples in a large saucepan
Sugar – roughly (1) cup – probably good with brown sugar, too
Lemon Juice – from a 1/2 lemon
Cinnamon – a few dashes to taste
Nutmeg – a few dashes to taste, though I hate to admit I didn’t use fresh ground

Simmer apple cubes with enough cider to cover in a large saucepan. Skim layer of foam as cider reduces.
Once tender, transfer apple to blender or Cuisinart with a slotted spoon and puree to desired texture. Spice now or leave plain for applesauce.
Return applesauce to saucepan and simmer on med-low for say… 1.5-2.5 hours, stirring regularly.
Once thickened to a rich brown color, spread on an English Muffin and enjoy!

To Taste: Cheesy Smashed Cauliflower

Posted by Erin L. in To Taste ~ Recipe and tagged with cauliflower, cheddar, cheese, chicken stock, cooking, fresh, gouda, mashed, recipe, Shady Maple, smashed, smoked gouda, stock November 4, 2009

I finally took Dre on an Amish adventure to Lancaster County complete with a stop at Shady Maple Smorgasbord. I regret that I went to one of my favorite places to eat and didn’t take any pictures! Shame on me! We did, however, make a few farm stand stops on our scenic ride home where I picked up a beautiful head of Cauliflower. I knew I’d have to transform it into a tasty creation though, if anyone was going to enjoy it as much as I would!

I recalled an episode of 30 Minute Meals where Rachel Ray make a quick batch of her Smashed Cauliflower with Cheese. I stuck to the basic parameters of the recipe but impressed myself with the addition of shredded Smoked Gouda (from the never ending wedge in my fridge). The smokiness really enhanced the depth of flavors in such a simple dish. It was so good, I didn’t even have to pass it off as mashed potatoes, though you know I tried!

Farm Fresh Cauliflower & our Jack-o-Lantern

P.S. We also picked up a pumpkin on our Amish adventure that Dre & I carved for Halloween. BOO!

CHEESY SMASHED CAULIFLOWER
adapted from Rachel Ray’s Smashed Cauliflower with Cheese

Cauliflower – 1 large head cut into florets
Chicken Stock – about 3 cups, 2 cans, or enough to cover Cauliflower
Butter – let’s say 2-3 T of the REAL stuff, no oleo here!
Cheddar, Smoked Gouda, Mozzarella, Parmesan, etc. – (1)+ cup of your favorite shredded cheeses
S&P

Place Cauliflower florets in a medium pot & cover with Chicken Stock.
Bring to a boil over high heat. Then cover & reduce heat to a simmer until Cauliflower is tender, about 15 min total.
Drain the cauliflower once tender, reserving the stock. (You could also turn up the heat and reduce the stock instead of draining, but who has the time?!)
Add the butter & cheese. Smash with a potato masher, adding in stock until you reach desired consistency. Think “thick grits”!
Season w/ S&P and serve. It reheats really well, too, so feel free to make a double batch to enjoy all week!

Leftover Lightning! Roasted Turkey, Zucchini, & Tomato Pizza!

Posted by Erin L. in Leftover Lightning! and tagged with Boboli, cheese, cooking, dinner, leftovers, mozzarella, pizza, smoked gouda, tomatoes, turkey, zucchini November 4, 2009

I’m enjoying the house to myself for an evening, which usually means I have to cram a bunch of relaxation & chores into one night. Amongst laundry, the World Series, & making homemade Apple Butter for Dre, I needed to make sure I had a good dinner to keep me going. I’ve been getting back into cooking on the regular, but kept it fairly easy this week as I’m battling the infamous flu. Luckily, I had plenty of leftovers to work with: Pizza Sauce from Lazaro’s delivery on Sunday (Mmmm, Garlic Knots!); leftover Dijon Turkey Tenderloin, Roasted Zucchini & Grape Tomatoes from Monday’s quick din; and, a leftover 8″ mini Boboli shell (leftover from last night as I pretty much ate this exact dinner). I layered the pizza with sauce, diced turkey, & veggies and topped with shredded Mozzarella & Smoked Gouda (my fave, still leftover from Make Your Own Pizza night). 10 minutes in the toaster oven on 450 and YUMMM!

Roasted Turkey, Zucchini, & Tomato Pizza via Leftovers

Family-Style: Build Your Own Pizza

Posted by Erin L. in Family-Style, To Taste ~ Recipe and tagged with asiago, basil, bell peppers, chicken andoille sausage, cooking, crab, dinner, garlic, herbs, lemon-thyme, mozzarella, olive oil, pizza, recipe, ricotta, shallots, smoked gouda, summer, to taste, tomato, tomatoes, Top Chef, zucchini September 8, 2009

Last season of Top Chef, we started a tradition of “Family Dinners” at my house to watch each week’s episode along with a home-cooked meal! Tom, Dre, & Lex were the regulars at last season’s dinners, but couldn’t be happier to add Sarah to this year’s season. She brought along her homemade pizza dough for the return of Top Chef AND the return of “Build Your Own Pizza Night,” my favorite dinner theme!

The original plan was to do grilled pizzas, but after a summer of cooking and roasting Grape Tomatoes (via The Bitten Word’s amazing recipe) & Yellow Bell Peppers for pizza toppings, my grill ran out of gas. At least we always have the oven for back-up. I also prepared sauteed Zucchini, Chicken Andouille Sausage, Crab Meat, & Creole Shrimp, along with shredded Mozzarella, Smoked Gouda, Asiago, & Ricotta Cheeses, as topping options. Can’t forget some tomato sauce, as well! We all got to loading our shells with Dre opting for a Crab White Pizza & Tom piling on just about everying!

We were 3 episodes behind with all of our busy schedules, so we got together on a Thursday night to cook & recap via the DVR while the pizzas baked to perfection…

Dre's Crab White Pizza - Pre-Baked

My Pizza w/ the works

Build Your Own Pizza Night

Homemade Pizza Dough a la Sarah

Roasted Tomatoes, Yellow Bell Peppers, & Zucchini

Chicken Andoille Sausage

Crab Meat

Creole Shrimp

Mozzarella, Smoked Gouda, Asiago, & Ricotta

Fresh Basil & Lemon-Thyme

To Taste: Chicken under a Bri… Something Heavy

Posted by Erin L. in To Taste ~ Recipe and tagged with basil, butterflied chicken, butternut squash, chicken, cooking, dinner, entree, garlic, grill, grilled, herbs, lemon-thyme, olive oil, parsley, rosemary, side dish, spatchcock, squash, summer, to taste, vegetable September 8, 2009

My boyfriend has come to love food porn as much as I do, so when he sent me Pinch My Salt‘s step by step photo blog of Grilled Chicken Under a Brick, I couldn’t wait to get my spatchcock & grill on! Dre & I were both working late on a Friday night, and seeing that I already learned my lesson in grilling in the dark, I decided to at least get my meal prepped that night for a yummy pre-work lunch the next day.

When there’s chicken of any kind on sale, I impulsively pack my already stuffed freezer with as much as I can. I thawed one of the roasting chickens to make some space for my next grocery trip, watched this very helpful video on butterflying a whole chicken, & got to butchering! Call me sadistic (I’ll spare my veggie friends/readers from seeing the pics), but I really enjoyed the whole hands-on process of removing the spine & breast bone of my chicken so it could lay flat for its visit to the grill.

I picked some Fresh Herbs from my garden, chopped, & combined with Olive Oil & Minced Garlic for a simple chicken rub. I coated both sides of the chicken & marinated in the fridge overnight. I also peeled & cubed a butternut squash; to me, its serves as a starch & veggie side to any meal.

Spatchcocked Chicken w/ a Basil, Lemon-Thyme, Parsley, Rosemary, Garlic, & EVOO Marinade

Grilled Butternut Squash with Fresh Herbs, Spices, & Garlic

Grilled Butternut Squash w/ Fresh Herbs, Spices, & Garlic

Saturday morning, we got the grilled warmed to about 350 degrees per the Whole Foods recipe that Pinch My Salt referenced. I seasoned the Butternut Squash with Fresh & Dried Herbs, Paprika, Red Pepper Flakes, S&P, Garlic, & Olive Oil and divided them among 4 foil pouches while the chilled chicken came up to temperature. When it came to grill time, I realized that, uh… umm… I didn’t have any bricks! So the only troubleshoot I could come up with was a heavy, foil-covered cast iron pan, which proved to be a perfect substitution. The original recipe called for a 3-4lb chicken, but I was working with a 7lb bird, so it took about 20-25 minutes per side. I tossed the squash pouches onto the grill, too, as they were tender after flipping a few times in about 40 minutes. Towards the end of grilling, the drums of the chicken fell off, but it fortunately gave them some extra time to cook when the breast & wings were perfect.

All future birds cooked in my household will surely be spatchcocked & grilled, as this was the juiciest & tastiest one I’ve ever made. Looking forward to a Turkey Under ALOT of Bricks this Thanksgiving!