Three-Cheese Macaroni

I am always on the hunt for a great mac and cheese recipe. To me it's the ultimate comfort food and I'm always up for a little comfort. This recipe comes from the Oct. 2009 Food Network Magazine. Not only is this one tasty, but it's also healthy. A 1 1/3 cup serving is only 403 calories! I added some browned turkey smoked sausage to mine, but here is the magazine recipe.

Three-Cheese Macaroni

1 large egg

1 12-oz. can evaporated whole milk

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/3 cups grated muenster cheese, plus 4 deli thin slices

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 head cauliflower, cut into small florets (4 cups)

4 cups medium pasta shells

Whisk egg, evaporated milk, cayenne, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. Toss grated cheeses in a separate bowl.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower and cook until almost falling apart, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to bowl with slotted spoon. Add pasta to the same water and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of water. Preheat broiler.

Combine egg mixture with cheeses in empty pot and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese melts and sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and add cauliflower. Puree with immersion blender until light and smooth. Stir in some water until creamy.

Toss pasta in sauce; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to shallow baking dish and top with muenster slices. Broil until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

The Ultimate Mac and Cheese

I am always trying to find the best mac and cheese recipe, I just love the stuff. This is a recipe that I have come up with by trying other recipes and finding what worked best for me. I fixed this recipe last week and Dan loved it so much that he thought I should take it over to my sister's house for Easter. The entire family loved it, I just couldn't say what was in it. This can easily be doubled and serve 8 as your main meal.

The Ultimate Mac and Cheese

Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 bay leaf
3 oz. pancetta, diced
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. hot sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
2.5 oz. Gruyere, grated
4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
8 oz. dry penne pasta
1 tsp. finely grated lemon peel
6 oz. Monterey Jack, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Boil a large pot of salted water.
Heat milk in small saucepan on low heat. Melt butter in skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion, pancetta and bay leaf; cook until soft, about five minutes; stirring often. Add flour and cook 2 minutes; stirring often. Slowly whisk in hot milk, bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes, whisking often, until thick and smooth. Add 1/2 tsp. salt, nutmeg, hot sauce and pepper to taste. Remove and discard bay leaf. Stir in Gruyere and blue cheese.
Cook pasta until al dente. Drain well and return to pot. Toss with lemon zest and Jack cheese. Add cheese sauce and combine. Stir in parsley and transfer to shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmigiano and breadcrumbs. Bake until bubbly and golden brown about 25 to 30 minutes.

Chicken, Broccoli and Penne Casserole

I made this casserole on Sunday night and it was okay, nothing to special. The recipe comes from the April/May 2008 Cook's Country. To me the casserole was really nothing more than a glorified canned soup recipe. It wasn't bad it was just boring. The magazine's recipe called for ziti, but penne was the pasta I had on hand.

Chicken, Broccoli and Penne Casserole

4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces

8 garlic cloves, minced

2 1/2 cups grated Asiago cheese

5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, 2 Tbsp. melted

Salt and pepper

1 lb. Penne Pasta

1 onion, chopped fine

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white wine

3 cups whole milk

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into 1/4" slices

12 oz. broccoli florets, cut into 1-inch pieces

Pulse bread, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 cup Asiago and melted butter in food processor until coarsely ground. Set aside.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 Tbsp. salt and pasta to boiling water and cook until nearly al dente. Drain in colander and rinse under cold water until cool.

Melt remaining butter in empty pot over medium heat. Cook onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add remaining garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in wine and cook until liquid is nearly evaporated, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and broth and bring to a boil. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in remaining cheese.

Microwave broccoli, covered, in a large bowl until bright green and nearly tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir broccoli and drained pasta into pot and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a 13 by 9 baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve.

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

I prepared this recipe last week. It's a pretty simple weeknight recipe, but I think it could have been better if prepared the night before and baked the next day. It could also stand the addition of a can of black beans, rinsed, and added when you add the corn and some fresh green onion added as a garnish would be good. This recipe comes from Tables of Content from the Junior League of Birmingham, Alabama. My friend, Stacey, gave me the book and this is the first recipe that I have attempted from it. It's one that I would make again.



Chicken Tortilla Casserole


1 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 cups sour cream
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
15 (6 inch) corn tortillas
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish



Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add chicken, onion and garlic. Saute 8 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, green chiles, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and reduce heat to low. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375. Combine the sour cream, 2 cups of Cheddar, Montery Jack and 1/4 cup cilantro in a bowl and mix well. Line the bottom of a lightly greased 2 1/2 to 3 qt. baking dish with 1/3 of the tortillas, tearing as needed to completely cover bottom. Layer with 1/3 of the chicken mixture, 1/3 of the corn and 1/3 of the sour cream mixture. Repeat the process 2 more times. Sprinkle with 1 cup of Cheddar cheese and bake for 25 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Spanish Rice Beef Bake

Last night was one of those clean out the cabinets nights. I did not have anything planned to prepare and did not want to go out, so I looked in the cabinets and freezer and put this together. Dan loved it, he loves casseroles. Personally I liked it, but felt it could have been better. Maybe a jalapeno pepper to spice it up some.

Spanish Rice Beef Bake

1 lb. lean ground beef
2 tbsp. taco seasoning
1/4 cup water
1 (6.8 oz) box Spanish Rice Mix
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 1/2 cups water
1 (11 oz) can Mexicorn
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
Sour cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brown beef in large skillet, drain fat. Add taco seasoning and 1/4 cup of water, cook an additional 5 minutes. Place into an 8x11.5x2 2qt. baking dish. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in same skillet, add rice and vermicelli from box and cook for 2 minutes to brown the vermicelli. Remove from heat, add 2 1/2 cups water and tomato paste. Stir until mixture is smooth. Add seasoning packet from rice and corn, stir to mix. Pour into baking dish with beef and stir to mix. Bake for 50 minutes. Serve topped with a dollop of sour cream.

Mexican Cornbread Casserole

The following recipe came from a box of cornbread stuffing. When I saw the recipe I thought it sounded simple and good , which is something we all need on week nights. While not one of the best casseroles I've ever had it certainly wasn't the best. I substituted the ground beef with a mild pork sausage. I don't really think that was the problem, the problem lies with the recipe itself. It calls for sprinkling the seasoning packet over the meat mixture after you place it in the baking dish. this gives the casserole a grainy, crunchy and all around unpleasing texture. It would have worked better with the seasoning mixed into the soup mixture. I used lite sour cream in my recipe and sprinkled the top with 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. I thought it might taste better the next day, but it didn't. Here is the recipe from the box.

Mexican Cornbread Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
1 (6oz.) package cornbread stuffing mix
1 (10.75 oz) can nacho cheese soup
8 oz. sour cream
1 (4.5) oz can chopped green chilies, undrained
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of a 9x13 casserole. (I used an 8x11.5 casserole, the other was too big.) Brown ground beef in a skillet; drain. Place beef into casserole; sprinkle with seasoning pouch. In medium bowl, stir together soup, sour cream, green chilies and water. Reserve 1/2 cup dry stuffing crumbs for later use. Sprinkle remaining stuffing crumbs evenly over ground beef. Pour soup mixture over stuffing. Sprinkle reserved stuffing crumbs over top of mixture. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.