Mac' n' Cheese

I love mac 'n 'cheese, but have never found a recipe that that I really like, until now. This recipe comes from the December 2013 BBC Good Food magazine. The recipe was meant as a way to use left over turkey, but you can really add whatever you have. I added some cooked, crumbled sausage, but it would have been good without it. Whatever meat you use, just throw in a handful and call it done. You can also use whatever cheese you like. The real reason this dish works so well is the crème fraiche. I never would have thought of using it, but it gives the mixture that creamy consistency that most recipes lack. Enjoy this one, it's quick and simple and will serve four.


Mac 'n' Cheese


Heat oven to 200 Celsius. Cook 350g macaroni or penne about 3 minutes less than package guidelines. Stir together 250g half-fat crème fraiche, 125g grated mozzarella, 125g grated English medium cheddar and a handful of leftover meat in a large baking dish. Drain the pasta and stir into the dish, stirring everything together well. Season with salt and pepper. Top with 50g of bread crumbs and drizzle with olive oil. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until crisp and golden.

Goat Cheese and Tomato Bruschetta

This recipe was prepared by Alicia's boyfriend Jim and was one of my favorite dishes. I am not a fan of goat cheese, bit it seemed to work well on this dish and it makes an awesome presenting on a platter. Jim used a wonderful sour dough baguette from Trader Joe's, but a French one will do. The goat cheese he used also came from Trader Joe's and was, I believe, a garlic herb concoction. Use what you like, but if you do go with a plain goat cheese,l rub the bread with garlic after toasting. Since I don't have exact proportions I will write the recipe as I saw Jim prepare it.

Goat Cheese and Tomato Bruschetta

Take 1 baguette and slice about 1/2 an inch or less, brush one side with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Place under broiler and watch closely so you don't burn the bread. When golden brown remove from oven and spread with goat cheese. Top each piece with sliced tomato and sprinkle with fresh chopped basil. Place on a platter and serve.

Ricotta & Honey Bruschetta

If you want an easy party appetizer or a good pre-dinner treat, this is the recipe. I prepared this recently at my friend Alicia's Oscar party and it was a hit. I came across this recipe at food52.com and was glad I did. There are some slight changes to the original recipe, but I feel that is what makes cooking so fun, being able to adapt a recipe and make it your own.

Ricotta & Honey Bruschetta

1 loaf French baguette
extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, cut in half
2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
Sea salt
Honey
2 lemons
fresh chopped basil

Cut bread into 1/2 inch slices, brush one side with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Place under broiler, watching carefully, remove when golden brown. Rub bread slices with cut garlic. Smear with ricotta and place on a serving platter. Sprinkle with salt, drizzle with honey and using a microplane, grate lemon zest over the top. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

Turkey-Cheese Soup

This is a full bodied, spicy soup that's perfect on a chilly night. The recipe is based on one from an April 1989 Bon Appetit that I finally made last night. Their recipe calls for pureeing the soup mixture after cooking the veggies, broth and wine and then pushing it through a fine mesh sieve. Since I decided to add ground turkey to my recipe, I thought that the smooth factor did not really apply. It worked out well and the texture was just fine.

Turkey-Cheese Soup

2 large carrots, peeled, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 small onion, peeled, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 small apple, cored, cut in 1-inch pieces
2 jalapenos, seeded
3 Tbsp butter
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 lb ground white meat turkey
6 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a food processor, process first 4 ingredients until finely minced.
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add contents of work bowl and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add stock and wine, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a small skillet, add ground turkey breaking up with a spoon. Season with salt and pepper and cook until brown. Discard any liquid and set aside.
Place flour in bowl. Slowly whisk in half of milk, making a smooth paste. Add to veggie mix along with remaining milk and cooked turkey. Cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
Stir in cheeses and cook over medium heat until smooth, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper and serve in warm bowls.

Skillet Lasagna

This was an easy lasagna recipe that came from Martha Stewart's Real Simple. I've had this one for awhile so I do not recall from which issue it came. I changed up the sauce a little to make it closer to what I would normally prepare. This is a good one for dinner in about an hour.

Skillet Lasagna

3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 (28oz) can tomato puree
1(15-oz) can diced tomatoes
8 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper
1 large egg yolk
1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese, room temperature
1 (12oz) box no-boil lasagna noodles
8 oz. mozzarella, shredded
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large deep skillet, heat olive oil  and add garlic, stirring for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and basil, bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper and reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix egg yolk, ricotta and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
Carefully pour sauce into heat proof bowl and return 3/4 cup to skillet; spreading sauce evenly. Add a single layer of noodles, breaking them to fit. Top with half of ricotta mixture, spreading evenly. Follow with a second layer of noodles, then 1 1/2 cups of sauce. Add a third layer of noodles, then remaining ricotta. Follow with a final noodle layer, then remaining sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan.
Bale until golden and bubbly, about 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

White Chicken Chili

 

This was the perfect chili for the first really cold night of the year. I've had this recipe forever and finally prepared it for the first time last night and was pleased with the outcome. It had a really nice thick consistency and the flavor was not too spicy, but just spicy enough. You can add more chili powder or even try a chipotle chili powder, the original recipe did not call for it, but I wanted a little more flavor. Top it with white cheddar, Monterrey Jack or a a good pepper Jack.

White Chicken Chili

1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 c. chopped white onion
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 (15oz) can cream-style corn
1 (7oz) can chopped green chiles
2 cups whole milk
1 (15oz) can cannellini beans
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
grated white cheese for topping


In a large sauce pan, heat oil over high heat. Add onion, pepper and jalapeno and cook, stirring often, until onion softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and stir for another minute. Add cumin, chili powder, corn, green chiles, milk and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken and salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into warm bowls and top with cheese.

Mac n' Cheese Soup

This is a thick and hearty soup with great flavor! I was sceptical when I started making it, but enjoyed the finished product. The recipe came from Cuisine At Home Magazine, one of my favorites.

Mac n' Cheese Soup

1 1/2 c. dry elbow macaroni
1/2 c. minced onion
1/4 c. minced celery
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/3 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. dry white wine
2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 c. whole milk
4 c. shredded sharp Cheddar
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste
1/4 crumbled blue cheese
2 Tbsp. minced fresh chives

Cook macaroni in a pot of salted, boiling water according to package directions; drain and set aside.
Sweat onion and celery in butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
Stir in flour to coat and cook 1 minute. Deglaze with wine and simmer until nearly evaporated. Stir in broth, mustard, nutmeg, and cayenne. Simmer 5 minutes, until slightly thickened, then whisk in milk and warm through. Do not let it boil, it will become grainy.
Add Cheddar, 1 cup at a time, allowing it to melt completely before adding the next cup. Stir in macaroni, lemon juice and salt; remove from heat.
Combine blue cheese and chives in small bowl. Garnish each bowl with mixture.

Fresh Ricotta

I made cheese!! Okay it's a bad picture, but I made cheese! And it was easy. Thanks to my favorite cooking couple, Gabriele Corcos and his wife Debi Mazar on The Cooking Channel's Extra Virgin, I have made cheese. This is a wonderful , fun recipe that is so good served warm on toasted bread with lemon zest, a drizzle of olive oil and some cracked black pepper. I imagine that this will become a staple in our house. I just used a thin dish towel that was folded over instead of using cheesecloth, but do what you are most comfortable with.

Fresh Ricotta

4 cups whole milk

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, plus the zest of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 baguette, sliced and toasted

Extra-Virgin olive oil for serving

Lay 3 layers of cheesecloth over a colander.

Add the milk to a large heavy pot and place over medium high heat. Stir in lemon juice and salt and heat until an instant read thermometer reaches 175 degrees. The milk will just begin to bubble and steam. At this temperature you will see the curds separate from the whey. Do not over stir while the curds are forming, you don't want the ricotta to become stiff. Let sit for 5 minutes undisturbed.

Gently remove curds from the pot to the colander. Tie the cloth using butcher's twine and let drain for 5 to 10 minutes. I hung mine from the faucet. Remove from cloth and place in a bowl. Serve warm on toasted bread with lemon zest and a drizzle of olive oil.

Refrigerate leftover in a covered container for up to 5 days.

Jan's Original Cheese Ball

This is another one of mom's cheese ball recipes. She has served this at holiday gatherings for ever.

Jan's Original Cheese Ball


2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1 small can crushed pineapple, well drained
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix first 5 ingredients and roll into a ball. Roll in chopped nuts and serve with crackers.

Jan's Tasty Cheese Ball

I have been going through my piles of recipes and trying to get the ones posted that I have tried. This is one of my mom's cheese ball recipes.

Jan's Tasty Cheese Ball


1 stick butter, softened
1 8-oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup finely chopped green olive
1/4 cup finely chopped black olive
1/4 cup canned dried onions
1 cup shredded mild cheddar

Mix butter, cream cheese, olives and onions. Form into a ball and roll in shredded cheese.