Macaroni and Cheese

I've tried so many scratch recipes for macaroni and cheese. I was raised on Kraft rather than the old fashioned baked stuff so I could never come around to really liking it.

We found a brewery around here that the hubster and I love to frequent when we get boy-less time (which is hardly ever, but still). They serve a macaroni and cheese with smoked gouda and ham. We liked it so much we were trying to go back just for that so I started trying to find a recipe to make it at home so we could all enjoy it. 

This is where I ended up.
I vary this recipe with different types of cheese and different add-ins. It's been a hit every time. Most often it's ham with smoked gouda but I add in steamed broccoli at the end. 

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
2 cup heavy cream
2 cup shredded cheese (we have used cheddar and smoked gouda)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dry mustard
1lb, pasta


Start cooking pasta according to package directions while you work on the sauce. When it's ready, drain and set aside.
In a large pot on medium high heat, add butter until melted. Whisk in the flour and cook for about one minute. Reduce heat to medium and add milk, heavy cream, salt, dry mustard and pepper. Continue whisking until it begins to bubble. Reduce to low and add white cheddar. Stir until melted.
Add cooked pasta and whatever extra add-ins sound good at the moment.

Stuffed Shells

1 box pasta shells
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1 container ricotta cheese
1 pound ground beef
1 medium grated zucchini
1t minced garlic
1c or so grated mozzarella

Boil shells according to package directions.Fry up ground beef. At the end add zucchini and garlic. Allow to cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add remaining ingredients (except for sauce and cheese.) Fill shells with a spoon and place in a greased pan. Pour sauce over shells and cover with mozzarella. Bake for 30 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted.

Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard

A random recipe I found on a card years ago that is definitely a family favorite!

For honey mustard:
1/2c honey
1/4c dijon mustard
Mix together. Set aside to dip in later.

For chicken:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1c flour
1/2t salt
1/4t pepper
3/4c milk
1c oil for frying
Cut chicken into 1/2 inch by 2 inch strips.
Mix flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dip chicken into milk then foll in flour mixture to coat well. Place chicken on waxed paper.
Pour 1/4 inch of oil into a large heavy skillet. Heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees.
Divide chicken into batches and place in an even layer in hot oil. Fry, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Serve with sauce.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

A little while back I was made aware of just how much filler was in the taco seasoning mix we use on a regular basis. I don't think I even finished the can of it that was in our cupboard! This is the new recipe I use. It's super easy and tastes so much better than the can or packet variety!

2T chili powder
1/2t salt
2t cumin
1/2t garlic powder
1/2t onion powder
2t oregano

Add to cooked ground meat with a little water and cook until water evaporates.

Pizza Dough

This is the pizza dough we use when we make our pizza from home. With 3 boys at home we make pizza a lot! I actually have this recipe on a post it on the inside of my cabinet because I use it so often.

1t sugar
1 1/2c warm water
2 1/2 t yeast
2T olive oil
2t salt
3 1/2-4c flour

Mix sugar into warm water and add in yeast. Let it sit until foamy then add in olive oil, salt and slowly add in the flour. I use my kitchenaid with the dough hook, though you can do this by hand. Knead until it's a smooth dough.
Let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour.
Divide into 2 pieces. Shape your pizzas and let rest for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Top with whatever you would like. I use a homemade red pizza sauce, bbq sauce or ranch mixed with some chopped garlic.
Bake for 15 minutes or so. Keep an eye on it and make sure it's solid all the way through the bottom.
We also use this recipe for pizza on the grill which has an even better flavor!

Perfect Oven Roast

• I've tried many kinds of pot roasts in the slow cooker and the oven and this one was the most delicious one I've ever made! I used a 3 pound roast so I did a little math to adjust the times appropriately.
• 
  
• 1 (5 pound) standing beef rib roast (I used a regular roast and it turned out great!)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  
  Allow roast to stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Combine the salt, pepper and garlic powder in a small cup. Place the roast on a rack in a roasting pan so that the fatty side is up and the rib side is on the bottom. Rub the seasoning onto the roast.
  Roast for 1 hour in the preheated oven. Turn the oven off and leave the roast inside. Do not open the door. Leave it in there for 3 hours. 30 to 40 minutes before serving, turn the oven back on at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) to reheat the roast. The internal temperature should be at least 145 degrees F (62 degrees C). Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before carving into servings.

Shepherd's Pie

For the meat mixture:

1 1/2 lbs lamb or beef (cubed or ground is fine)
1 container mushrooms
1 large sweet onion, diced

3 large carrots, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp butter
5 tbsp flour
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup red wine
1 cup beef broth
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried sage
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
salt and pepper

For the potatoes:2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into equal sized pieces
4 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups grated white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/3 cup chives, chopped
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. 

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain well and return to pot to remove any excess moisture.

Meanwhile, brown beef or lamb in a large dutch oven over medium heat.  Drain off any excess fat.  Add onions, carrots and garlic, and sauté until softened.  Add butter, stir until melted.  Sprinkle flour over meat and veggies, stirring to coat.  Cook 1 minute.  Deglaze pan with Guinness, red wine, and beef broth.  Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium low.  Add Worcestershire sauce and spices, simmer about 15 minutes, or until carrots are tender.  Add peas, and season mixture to taste with salt and pepper.  Simmer until mixture has thickened.

Once potatoes are drained, stir in butter and milk and mash until consistency is smooth (add a little more milk if necessary).  Stir in cheese, parsley and chives.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Pour thickened meat mixture into greased casserole dish (I used an oval one, smaller than a 9×13).  Spoon potatoes gently over the top of the meat mixture, making irregular peaks with the back of your spoon.  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and edges are bubbly.

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

This is a pretty simple recipe to get together and a family favorite. At the end of the last deployment Phil made this was the dinner he was asking for! 


3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

1 pound linguine , cooked al dente

1 1/2 tablespoons cajun seasoning

2 tablespoons butter

4 thinly sliced green onions

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cubed tomato

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Place chicken and Cajun seasoning in a bowl and toss to coat.

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté chicken in butter or margarine until chicken is tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Reduce heat add green onion, heavy cream, tomatoes, basil, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and heat through.

Pour over hot linguine and toss with Parmesan cheese.

Chili

I find it funny that I put our cornbread recipe on here, but not our regular chili recipe.
I have found chili to be very forgiving of adaptations. To this basic recipe I have added so many different things over the years. Ground beef instead of turkey, black beans instead of red, adding bacon...
We probably have this about once a week during the fall.

1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 can drained pinto beans
1 can drained red kidney beans
1 lb ground turkey
1 diced onion
1 diced green pepper
2 stalks of celery, diced
3 minced garlic cloves
2-4T chili powder
1t pepper
1t cumin
1t salt

Brown the turkey meat. Pour rest of ingredients into crock pot. Stir, cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours or high for 5-6 hours. Great with cheese and sour cream on cornbread.

Chicken Wellington

• This one ended up on the list at the suggestion of a friend. While I'd save it for a special occasion, I'd definitely make it again.
• 

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened, divided
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 packages (15 ounces each) refrigerated pie pastry
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 
  SAUCE:
• 1-1/4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1-1/4 cups hot water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons white wine or chicken broth
• 
  
• Flatten chicken to an even thickness. In a large skillet, cook chicken in oil and 1 tablespoon butter for 4-5 minutes on each side or until browned.
• 
  
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the rosemary, sage, salt, pepper and remaining butter. Unroll pastry sheets; cut each into a 9-in. square (discard scraps). Place a chicken breast half on each square; spread chicken with butter mixture. Fold pastry over chicken. Trim off excess pastry; pinch seams to seal.
• 
  
• Place on a greased baking sheet; brush with egg. Bake at 450° for 18-20 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
• 
  
• Meanwhile, for sauce, dissolve bouillon in hot water. In a small saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in bouillon and wine or broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with chicken.

Creole

I had completely forgotten about this recipe until a friend called to ask for it. It originally came from a slow cooker recipe booklet and was labeled as "Shrimp Creole" but over the years I've improved it quite a bit, I think. I don't follow the amounts exactly, but here is my approximate recipe:

2T butter
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper
2 chicken breasts, diced
2T flour
1 1/2c water
1 6oz can tomato paste
1t salt
dash pepper
1/4t sugar
1 bay leaf
1 lb shrimp, tails off
1 turkey kielbasa, sliced
fluffy rice

In a large skillet, melt the butter, add the onion, pepper and celery and cook slightly. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink. Add the flour and stir until well blended. Add the remaining ingredients except the kielbasa, shrimp and rice. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add meats and cook until shrimp turns pink and all is warm. Serve over cooked rice.

Paella

First, this recipe said "Easy Paella" but I wholeheartedly disagree. I have put off making this recipe because anything that includes more than 1 meat is intimidating to me. It's not that I don't think I'm capable of cooking it, just that it seems like a lot of effort for one dinner for 4 people. 

I'm really glad I chose this recipe, though. It was delicious! I have a feeling Phil will be asking me to make this again sometime. Oh and this recipe could definitely feed a crowd! The 4 of us went through maybe half of it.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch pieces
•  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 cups uncooked short-grain white rice
• 1 pinch saffron threads
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 2 lemons, zested
•  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Spanish onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1 pound chorizo sausage, casings removed and crumbled
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
  
  In a medium bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons olive oil, paprika, oregano, and salt and pepper. Stir in chicken pieces to coat. Cover, and refrigerate.
  
  Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or paella pan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, red pepper flakes, and rice. Cook, stirring, to coat rice with oil, about 3 minutes. Stir in saffron threads, bay leaf, parsley, chicken stock, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer 20 minutes.
  
  Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Stir in marinated chicken and onion; cook 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and sausage; cook 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp; cook, turning the shrimp, until both sides are pink.
  
  Spread rice mixture onto a serving tray. Top with meat and seafood mixture.

Barbeque Sauce

 I used the Neely's recipe for BBQ sauce on the Food Network site because I thought it would be a guaranteed good recipe. I'm not a huge fan, honestly. I'm not won over to making it myself from scratch like I expected. I can say I've done it, though!

2 cups ketchup

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 5 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 
  
• In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Red Enchilada Sauce

This is my sister-in-law's recipe given to me through my Mom. I waited for a long time to try it, for whatever reason. I should have tried it earlier. I LOVE it! I don't buy canned sauce anymore. This tastes so much better! I usually double this recipe for the right amount for our family.

2T flour
1/2t. salt
2t or more chile powder
Mix together dry ingredients
stir in 2T Melted Shortening or oil
add 1 1/2 cup water
Boil sauce 10 minutes

Chicken and Dumplings -from scratch-

Phillipp loves chicken and dumplings and requests I make it often. When someone recommended I make it completely from scratch, I thought it wouldn't be such a bad idea. I found this recipe to try and it turned out pretty good! Phil preferred the biscuits from this one, so it was good I tried something new!

3 quarts water 
1 3-4 pound chicken cut up 
1 1/2 teaspoons salt 
1 small onion sliced 
2 stalks celery, chopped 
1 clove garlic, peeled and quartered 
1 bay leaf 
4-6 whole parsley leaves 
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 
1 tablespoon lemon juice 

Dumplings:
2 cups all purpose flour 
1 tablespoon baking powder 
1 1/4 teaspoons of salt 
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk 

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add the chicken, 1 teaspoon of salt, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and parsley to the pot. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook the chicken, uncovered, for 2 hours. The liquid will reduce by about one third. 

2. When the chicken has cooked, remove it from the pot and set it aside. 

3. Pour 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) of the stock back into the pot (keep the leftover stock, if any, for another recipe-it can be frozen). You may also want to use a smaller pot or a large saucepan for this. Add coarsely ground pepper, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the lemon juice, then reheat the stock over medium heat while preparing the dumplings. 

4. For dumplings, combine the flour, baking powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and milk in a medium bowl. Stir well until smooth, then let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to about a 1/2 inch thickness. 

5. Cut the dough into 1/2 inch squares and drop each square into the simmering stock. Use all of the dough. The dumplings will first swell and then slowly shrink as they partially dissolve to thicken the stock into a white gravy. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until thick. Stir often. 

6. While the stock is thickening, the chicken will have become cool enough to handle. Tear all the meat from the bones and remove the skin. Cut the chicken meat into bite-size or a little bigger than bite-size pieces and drop them into the pot. Discard the skin and bones. Continue to simmer the chicken and dumplings for another 5-10 minutes, but don't stir too vigorously or the chicken will shred and fall apart. You want big chunks of chicken in the end. 

7. When the gravy has reached the desired consistency, ladle four portions onto plates and serve hot. Serve with your choice of steamed vegetables, if desired