Another Marvelous Meal

Chopped Salad with Point Reyes Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

2012-04-19T23:37:00.000-04:00

I had intended to make a salad with blue cheese dressing for dinner one night last week in San Francisco. B is a huge fan. He enjoyed the traditional iceberg wedge with blue cheese dressing and bacon at Buckeye Roadhouse on Sunday. Later in the week, we spent an afternoon at Point Reyes National Park. B and I were both a little disappointed about the trail to the St. Andreas Fault. As improbable as it seems, we both thought we were going to see an actual crack in the ground! The plan had been to have some local oysters for lunch. But, we were running out of day so stopped by the Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes Station and bought a baguette and several cheeses, including a wedge of Point Reyes Farmstead Blue Cheese. I assumed B would eat a little of the blue cheese, leaving the rest for us to use in a salad. Not so.

Fortunately, the overrun cheese drawer in my fridge at home held a wedge I had bought a few weeks earlier at Earth Fare. Tonight, this salad from April's Food and Wine was the perfect accompaniment to tonight's grilled chicken.

Chopped Salad with Point Reyes Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1/2 cup walnuts
1 tablespoon very finely chopped shallot
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces Point Reyes blue cheese, crumbled
2 romaine hearts, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 fennel bulb, cored and finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1/2 seedless cucumber, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 Fuji apple, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 Hass avocado, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 tablespoons thinly shredded basil leaves

Directions:

Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the walnuts and toast them for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until they are golden.
Let the nuts cool, then coarsely chop them.
In a large bowl, whisk the shallot with the Dijon mustard and sherry vinegar. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil and whisk until smooth. Add half of the blue cheese and whisk until the dressing is creamy.
Add the lettuce, fennel, carrots, cucumber, apple, avocado, basil and walnuts. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the salad well to coat with the dressing.
Top with the remaining blue cheese and serve right away.

Yield: 6-8 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes

I rarely follow a recipe exactly, but saw no reason not to follow this one. The toasted walnuts are a must -- I'll likely increase the quantity next time. The cheese was pungent, the avocado creamy. The lettuce added crispness, the apple sweetness and the carrots a nice crunch. The fennel was completely lost, and I am not sure the cucumber added much. I'll cut that out or decrease the amount next go-round. That said, this is a dandy salad that would work well with simply spiced and grilled pork, chicken or beef.

This post is linked to It's a Keeper Thursday.

Meal Plan with Recipes (2/12)

2012-02-13T21:50:00.003-05:00

Sunday

Smothered Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Onions

Mashed Potatoes with Herb-Shallot Butter

Roasted Broccoli

Monday

Smoked Gouda Macaroni and Cheese

Mixed Greens and Apple Salad with Apple Cider-Walnut Oil Vinaigrette

Tuesday

Sloppy Joe Sliders

Sweet Potato Fries

Wednesday

Quick Avgolemono Soup

Pita Bread

Greek Salad with Creamy, Not-too-Tangy Feta Vinaigrette

Thursday

Brunswick Stew with Smoky Paprika

Honey Sage Cornbread Muffins

This post is linked to the Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Spicy "Firecracker" Cocktail Crackers

2012-02-08T22:24:00.000-05:00

Warning: my son W and I refer to these crackers as "crack" because they are truly addictive!

I love to have simple and delicious snacks on hand and these Spicy "Firecracker" Cocktail Crackers fit the bill perfectly. The crackers are a great accompaniment for whatever you are serving at Happy Hour and ideal as a do-ahead hostess gift. My sister Virginia has been making them for a couple of years now and bringing them to family gatherings. This past holiday season, my enterprising Mom started selling her version as "Zaza's Crazy Cocktail Crackers". This is my version:

Spicy "Firecracker" Cocktail Crackers

Ingredients:

2 cups Healthy Choice oil
1envelope Ranch dressing seasoning
3 tablespoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons Cholula hot sauce
1 9-ounce bag oyster crackers
1 11-ounce bag mini-saltine crackers

Directions:

In a large salad bowl, whisk together the oil, Ranch dressing seasoning, garlic and onion powders, and Cholula. Pour the seasoning mixture into a large (2-gallon) plastic zip-lock bag.
Add the crackers, seal the bag and gently toss to thoroughly coat the crackers with the spice mix.
Let the crackers soak in the spices bag about 2 hours, turning occasionally.
Cover a flat surface with a large plastic garbage bag. Top with a layer of newspaper and then a layer of paper towels.
Spread the crackers over the paper towels and let the excess oil drain off for about an hour, gently tossing occasionally.
Store in an airtight container.

Meal Plan with Recipes (2/5)

2012-02-05T10:41:00.002-05:00

In this week's meal plan, I'm using some of the food swag I received last weekend at Food Blog South 2012 in Birmingham. Our swag bags included a box of Roland Gallettes, buttery French shortbread cookies, which have long since disappeared. I also picked up a couple of their flavored quinoa mixes. While I prefer to make everything from scratch, I need to spend less time in the kitchen these days so am hoping this short-cut works for me. Another sponsor of the conference, Jim n' Nick's Bar-B-Q, hosted a great party the night before the conference and handed out samples of their delicious biscuits along with bags of their biscuit mix. I am looking forward to feeding those biscuits to the boys!

Follow me on Facebook to get more delicious recipes and weekly menu plans.

Sunday

Nate Waxman's Brisket (recipe forthcoming!)

Mashed Potato Gratin

Sauerkraut

Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic and Herbs

Monday

Smoked Sausage, White Bean and Kale Soup

Jim n' Nick's Bar-B-Q Cheese Biscuits

Tuesday

BBQ Chicken and Smoked Gouda Pizza

Grilled Eggplant Salad with Cilantro-Chile Vinaigrette

Wednesday

Asian Grilled Chicken Wings

Roland Toasted Sesame and Ginger Quinoa

Asian Cucumber and Carrot Salad

Thursday

Butternut Squash and Tasso Bisque

Catfish Po'Boys with Broccoli Slaw

This post is linked to the Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Quick Avgolemono Soup

2012-02-04T15:18:00.000-05:00

My evenings have gotten a bit busier lately -- hence the lack of blog posts. Having a home-cooked meal on the table most nights is not something I'm willing to give up so I'm rethinking my mid-week dinner plans. Quick and easy dinners that do not mess up very many pots and utensils are not exactly my specialty, but I'm working on it!

My kids adore Avgolemono Soup so when I had some leftover roast chicken last week, I went looking for a short-cut version of chicken and lemon soup. I found this recipe for Quick Avgolemono Soup on Cooking Light. I borrowed their ideas of using dill and orzo in place of the rice, but also used some of the ingredients and techniques from my post for a long-simmered Greek Lemon and Chicken Soup.

Quick Avgolemono Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1 tablespoon garlic
7 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 teaspoon minced dill
1/2 cup orzo
2 cups cooked chicken cut into bite-size pieces
4 large eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Garnish:

Minced dill
Lemon slices

Directions:

Warm the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes longer.
Add the chicken broth and dill to the pot. Turn up the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil, then stir in the orzo. Turn down the heat to medium low.
Cook the orzo, stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes, then add the chicken and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes.
Whisk together the eggs and lemon juice. Carefully pour the egg and lemon mixture into the soup in a slow and steady stream, whisking constantly so that the eggs do not scramble.
Simmer the soup for 1-2 minutes longer but do not let it boil.
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with dill and lemon slices.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

I loved the addition of the dill, and the orzo made for a slightly heartier soup compared to the traditional version with rice. Both kids happily cleaned their bowls. B thought it could have used more eggs but as a long and lean 13-year old, he doesn't have to worry about his cholesterol.

I served the soup with warm pita bread and a salad of greens, thinly-sliced cucumber and red onion, shredded carrots and black olives tossed with my Creamy, Not-too-Tangy Feta Vinaigrette. The dressing can be made a few days ahead of time and the salad can easily be thrown together by a kid while the soup simmers.

This is about as close to a 30-minute meal as you are ever going to see here!

Lazy Day Cooking - Pork Belly Bánh mì

2012-02-03T20:22:00.000-05:00

Pork Belly Banh Mi

Giselle from PainPerdue

Back in August, I spent a long weekend in New Orleans at Foodista's International Food Blogger Conference. On Sunday after the conference ended, I went for lunch at Cochon Butcher with a couple of new food blogger friends, Dani who blogs at Romancing the Scone and Giselle of PainPerdu. Cochon Butcher is not the most comfortable restaurant you'll find in the city -- I managed to knock my glass of wine off the narrow counter along the wall where we initially perched on bar stools -- but the food is incredible and the customer service is excellent. As in they gave me a new glass of wine even though the accident was completely my fault as I was using the almost empty glass as a tripod shortly before it fell.

Dani and boyfriend Matt from Romancing the Scone

I was in the throes of Charcutepalooza so had to order their charcuterie platter to go with my glass of red wine. Giselle ordered the Bánh mì. I had vaguely heard of Bánh mì but had no clue what it was. But man, did it look tasty! Unfortunately, once home, the closest Vietnamese restaurant was over two hours away. I had a fabulous dinner there with my Kim a couple of years ago and would love to go back. But if I wanted the sandwich without the road trip, I was going to have to make it. In those lazy days that follow Christmas, I found myself with a couple of extra pounds of pork belly and the perfect cooking project.

The recipe I used to braise and caramelize the pork belly is White on Rice's Caramel Braised Pork Belly Bánh mì . The blog post is part of her hilarious Nail Shop Eats series, chronicling her mother's cooking adventures in her nail salon. I've made regular visits to my local nail shop for a number of years now. The Vietnamese-American owners John and Tammy have a lovely salon and do a great job but, sadly, they never cook anything. The recipe for the Pickled Daikon and Carrot is from Battle of the Bánh mì. I was not sure exactly what kind of pork pâté would be appropriate but I had some leftover Paté de Campagne so used that.
For a perfect sandwich, choose rolls that are crisp on the outside but light and airy on the inside.

Pork Belly Bánh mì

Ingredients:

For the Pickled Carrot and Daikon:

1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1/4 pound carrots, shredded
1/4 pound daikon radish, shredded

For the Braised Pork Belly:

3 tablespoons sugar
1-1 1 1/2 cups water plus 2 tablespoons water (divided)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons minced shallot
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 pounds pork belly, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper corns

To finish:

4 6-inch rolls
Pork pâté
Mayonnaise
Soy sauce
Cilantro
12 1/4-inch slices of cucumber

Directions:

To pickle the carrot and daikon, first put the water in a small sauce pan and warm it over low heat. Stir in the vinegar, sugar and salt. Continue to stir until the salt and sugar have dissolved.
In a medium bowl, toss together the shredded carrot and daikon to combine thoroughly. Blot with paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
Pack the carrot and daikon into a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables until they are covered.
Cover the jar and let the mixture pickle for one hour.
Put the suar and 2 tablespoons of the water in a medium heavy-bottom sauce pan and place the pan over medium heat. Stir using a wooden spoon while the sugar melts and the sauce starts to turn golden. Watch it closely, continuing to stir. Remove the sauce pan from the heat as soon as the sauce caramelizes and turns golden brown.
If the sauce is too thick, sparingly and carefully add up to another tablespoon of water, quickly stirring it in. Set the caramel sauce aside.
Heat a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil and when hot, add the shallot. Cook for 2 minutes then add the garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes until they soften.
Add the cubed pork belly to the pot and sear the cubes on each side, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
Stir in the fish sauce and cook the pork belly another 5 minutes.
Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups water so the the pork is just covered. Add the peppercorns, lower the heat, and braise the pork for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the caramel sauce and continue to braise the pork, stirring occasionally, for about an hour until it is tender.
Slice the rolls lengthwise. Spread the cut-side of the bottom half of the roll with the pâté and the top half of the cut-side of the top half of the roll with mayonnaise
Spoon the pork belly onto the roll and top with soy sauce, cilantro, pickled carrot and daikon, and sliced cucumber.

Enjoy!

Meal Plan with Recipes (1/30)

2012-01-29T09:01:00.000-05:00

Sunday

Chicken and Butternut Squash Cassoulet

Baguette

Monday

Summer Squash Pizza with Basil & Ricotta Salata

Italian White Bean & Artichoke Salad

Tuesday

Chicken Meatballs with Pasta al Pomodoro

Green Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

Wednesday

Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Sauteed Apples and Creamy Grits

Green Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Thursday

Spicy Tuna Tacos with Jicama Slaw

Sliced Avocado

Black Beans

This post is linked to the Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Meal Plan with Recipes (1/23)

2012-01-23T09:58:00.000-05:00

Meatless Monday

Tapas of Marcona Almonds, Olives and Manchego Cheese

Tortilla Espanola

Tuesday

Spicy Smoked Chicken and White Bean Chili

Honey Sage Cornbread Muffins

Wednesday

Grilled Salmon with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Parmesan Grits

Thursday

BBQ Chicken and Smoked Gouda Pizza

Pesto Caesar Salad

Friday

Pulled Pork Tacos with Pumpkin-Chipotle BBQ Sauce and Cilantro Slaw

Sliced Avocado

Black Beans

This post is linked to the Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Chicken Meatballs with Pasta al Pomodoro

2012-01-22T17:42:00.001-05:00

I've been on a tear trying to eat out of the freezer and pantry as much as possible in recent weeks. Looking for something to make with a package of ground chicken, I came across this Rachel Ray recipe for Chicken Parm Meatballs. I changed up the meatball recipe a bit, and made a version of Bon Appetit's Pasta al Pomodoro for my sauce. I'd come across the recipe a few weeks ago and thought it might make a good Meatless Monday dinner. But now that I've served it with the meatballs, I'm sure the kids would think that something is missing!

My Chicken Meatballs with Pasta al Pomodoro comes together in about forty-five minutes -- time well spent for a soul-satisfying weeknight dinner. And since much of that time is spent occasionally stirring whatever is in the skillet, you have the perfect opportunity to turn on some tunes and enjoy a glass of wine! The meatballs are scrumptiously light and tender. The spinach in them and the tomato sauce for the pasta give the dish a nutritional boost. I used whole wheat spaghetti for extra fiber. Add a simple green salad tossed with a light vinaigrette and you've got a happiness-inducing family dinner. If forty-five minutes is more than you can spare to cook a weeknight dinner, make the meatballs ahead of time on the weekend and rewarm them in the microwave or wrapped in foil in the oven. The pomodoro sauce comes together in the time it takes the pasta to cook so you'll be dining in no time. And still likely have time for that glass of wine.

Chicken Meatballs with Pasta al Pomodoro

Ingredients:

For the Chicken Meatballs:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup minced onion
2 ounces fresh spinach, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 pound ground chicken
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 large egg, beaten
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons milk
olive oil cooking spray

For the Pasta al Pomodoro:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup minced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 28 ounce can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
1 tablespoon Gourmet Garden Basil Herb Blend or basil pesto
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt (divided)
12 ounces spaghetti
1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1/3 cup chopped parsley

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Put a large pot of water to boil for the pasta.
Warm the olive oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes until it softens and begins to brown.
Add the spinach to the skillet and cook for about 3 minutes until it is wilted and any water has evaporated.
Add the garlic and cook another 1-3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and let the vegetables cool.
In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, bread crumbs, cheese, egg, tomato paste, salt and pepper. When cool, add the vegetables and stir to combine. Stir in the milk, adding it sparingly.
Spray a rimmed cookie sheet with olive oil cooking spray
Roll the chicken mixture into 12 golf ball-sized meatballs and place them on the cookie sheet.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees.
Wipe out the non-stick skillet and heat the 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil. Add the minced onion and cook for about 10 minutes until it softens and begins to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1-3 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium and add the crushed red pepper flakes, tomatoes, basil puree, pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, until it thickens, about 20 minutes.
Add the 1/2 teaspoon salt to the pot of boiling water then drop in the pasta. Cook the pasta according to package directions until it is not quite tender (about 2 minutes less than the prescribed cooking time). Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of pasta water.
Turn the heat up to medium high and stir the pasta water into the sauce to loosen it. Bring the sauce to a boil and stir in the drained pasta, continuing to stir until the sauce coats the pasta and the pasta is al dente.
Serve the pasta in shallow bowls. Top each with 3 meatballs and a sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano and parsley.

Yield: 4 servings

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Giveaway! FoodBlog South Registration

2012-01-19T20:33:00.000-05:00

FoodBlog South is a one-day food blogger conference held annually in Birmingham, Alabama. The 2012 conference is next Saturday, January 28th. I registered for the conference months ago -- I was one of the first people to sign-up -- and was really excited about attending. But, sadly, life is getting in the way of blogging these days and it looks like that road trip is something I need to give up .

My loss can be your gain! I've checked with Jason at FoodBlog South and they are cool with me transferring my registration so I've decided to make it a giveaway! To enter, leave a comment on why you'd like to attend FoodBlog South. For more chances to win, follow Another Marvelous Meal on Facebook or Twitter, tweet this, share it on your blog or blog Facebook page, and leave separate comments for each. FoodBlog South is sure to be an amazing experience. Don't miss out!

I'll pick a winner on Monday night, January 23 at 8 pm eastern time.

Meal Plan with Recipes (1/15)

2012-01-15T17:49:00.000-05:00

Sunday

Mom's Vegetable Soup

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches - Sharp Cheddar on Sourdough

Monday

Red Beans and Rice

Iceberg Wedge with Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing (recipe forthcoming!)

Tuesday

Chicken Tetrazzini

Green Salad with My Favorite Vinaigrette

Wednesday

Spicy Pork Stew with Cumin Grits

Sliced Avocado

Thursday

Curried Chicken Burgers with Chutney Mayo

Spinach Salad with Curried Almonds

Meal Plan with Recipes (1/8)

2012-01-07T11:32:00.001-05:00

Sunday

Sweet Potato, Bacon and Apple Hash

Toasted Whole Grain English Muffins

Monday

Smoked Gouda Macaroni and Cheese

Mixed Greens and Apple Salad with Apple Cider-Walnut Oil Vinaigrette

Tuesday

Crock Pot Mexican Pot Roast Tacos with Cilantro Slaw (recipe forthcoming!)

Black Beans

Wednesday

French Onion Soup

Frisée Salad with Lardons and Soft Egg

Thursday

Crock Pot Pork Chops with Apples (recipe forthcoming!)

Smashed Red Potatoes

Roasted Broccoli

Bloglovin'

2011-12-27T10:07:00.001-05:00

Have you heard of Bloglovin'? Its a nifty new way to follow your favorite blogs! I'm setting up an account there for Another Marvelous Meal.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Brandy Milk Punch

2011-12-26T17:07:00.000-05:00

The mention of Brandy Milk Punch conjures up such fond memories -- Sunday brunch at Galatoire's, Fat Tuesday parades on St. Charles Avenue, and many holiday mornings. We sip them until dinner is served at Thanksgiving and a batch has to be mixed before present opening can commence on Christmas morning. Make a batch the night before and store them in the fridge -- they are even better when made ahead.

This recipe for one cocktail is from In the Land of Cocktails, a handy little drink book by New Orleans mavens Ti Adelaide Martin and Lally Brennan.

Brandy Milk Punch

Ingredients:

For the Simple Syrup:

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of boiling water

For the Brandy Milk Punch:

1 ounce simple syrup
2 ounces brandy
1/2 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract
1 1/2 ounces milk
Freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:

Pour the sugar into a small saucepan, add the boiling water and stir until the sugar dissolves.
Let the simple syrup cool to room temperature. The simple syrup can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to a month
Combine one ounce of the simple syrup with the brandy, vanilla and milk in a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously,
Pour over ice into a cocktail glass.
Grate or grind a dusting of fresh nutmeg over the top.
Serve immediately.

Yield: One cocktail

I like to serve Brandy Milk Punch in a tall skinny glass or a wine goblet, although rocks glasses are often used. I've drunk more than my share from plastic go-cups as well.

Cowgirl Cookies

2011-12-23T11:52:00.000-05:00

I'm not much of a fancy cookie maker, even at the holidays. Last year, I cut-out and decorated these sugar cookies using my grandmother's recipe, but other than that I'm a brownie-drop-cookie-biscotti-is-pushing-it kind of girl. My favorite drop cookie recipe is one for Cowboy Cookies published in the Junior League of Monroe, Louisiana's cookbook, Cotton Country Collection. I've been making these cookies for more years than I care to admit. The cookbook came out in 1972 when I was 9. I think I started making them when I was 12. You do the math.

A cowboy cookie is an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. Depending on how long you bake them, they can be either crispy or slight soft and chewy. They are wonderful either way though I prefer the slightly soft and chewy version. This year, I decided to experiment a bit. For this batch of cookies, I added toasted pecans and a bit of extra salt to offset the sweetness from substituting toffee chips for half of the chocolate chips. I decided to call this version Cowgirl Cookies.

Great cookies of any sort start with properly creamed butter and sugar. Creaming butter and sugar softens the butter and whips air into it. My mom taught me that butter and eggs used in baking should always be at room temperature, even if the recipe doesn't tell you that. But what exactly is room temperature? To cream butter properly, it needs to be about 65 degrees. In most homes, that supposedly takes about 20 minutes out of the fridge. In my chilly house, butter would never get to 65 degrees without a little help. I move it under a bright light and use a meat thermometer to measure the temp. If your butter is 68 degrees or over, don't try to cream it. At that temperature, the emulsion of water and fat has broken so it won't cream properly. I don't think the exact temperature matters all that much for eggs -- you just don't want them right out of the fridge so the 20 minute rule of thumb works fine.

Cowgirl Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
t teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups flour
1/2 cup pecans
2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup toffee chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars, beating for around 3 minutes on medium-high speed.
Break the eggs into a small bowl and whisk them, then add the eggs and vanilla to the creamed butter and sugar.
In a medium bowl, combine the baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour.
With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the wet about a third at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Do not over beat!
Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans and toast for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the pecans become aromatic.
Remove the pecans from the skillet and roughly chop them.
Use a wooden spoon to stir in the oatmeal, chocolate chips, toffee chips and toasted pecans.
Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls on a baking sheet.
Bake the cookies for 9-12 minutes depending on whether you want crunchy or slightly chewy cookies.
Let rest on baking sheet for a minute or two, then remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

The kids and I, along with the friends we shared them with, love the new Cowgirl Cookies. The bit of saltiness along with the earthy flavor of the browned pecans balances the extra sweetness from the toffee chips perfectly. I had to fight to have any cookies left to photo!

Chicken and Butternut Squash Cassoulet

2011-12-21T18:21:00.003-05:00

The main course for our Christmas dinner on Sunday will be Duck Confit. I've never made confit before so I've been digging through cookbooks looking at different recipes and techniques -- Ruhlman's Charcuterie, Keller's Ad Hoc at Home, and of course, anything by Julia Child. While perusing the C section of these various indices, I couldn't help but check out recipes for cassoulet as well. I have a couple of lesser-known Julia Child cookbooks in addition to the obvious choice of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. One, Julia Child's Menu Cookbook, includes a menu for Cassoulet for a Crowd -- Consomme au Porto, Toasted Armenian Cracker Bread, Cassoulet with Goose, Lamb and Sausages, Red Pickled Cabbage, and Sliced Fresh Pineapple - En Boat. Quite the feast! Julia begins this cassoulet by making goose confit. The version published in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, leaves out the goose, but includes homemade sausage cakes along with pork shoulder and lamb. This recipe is prefaced with a section entitled "A Note on the Order of the Battle", conjuring images of a PERT diagram. All of this sounds absolutely divine to me, but decidedly time-consuming and not terribly heart-healthy. My version is quite a bit quicker and easier, and decidedly better for you.

Cassoulet is essentially beans cooked with meat. Admittedly, my Chicken and Butternut Squash Cassoulet is non-traditional. While, by all accounts, a great debate rages on in France about the origin and proper composition of a cassoulet, neither the cooks from Castelnaudary nor those from Toulouse used chicken, turkey sausage and canned beans. The traditional versions don't include much in the way of vegetables beyond onion, while a bowl of mine provides the diner with a healthy serving of vitamin-rich butternut squash.

The jumping off point for my cassoulet is this Cooking Light recipe for Chicken Cassoulet with Acorn Squash. I changed up both the ingredients and the cooking technique a bit (why in the world would you boil vegetables when you can add so much more flavor by roasting them?). We found the resulting dish to be perfectly delicious and nutritious winter comfort food. My children devoured it.

Chicken and Butternut Squash Cassoulet

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
2 cups peeled and diced butternut squash (1/2-inch dice)
1 cup diced carrot (1/2-inch dice)
2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/3 cup Calvados
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with oregano
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat leaf parsley (plus extra to garnish)
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 14.5 ounce cans Cannellini beans
1/2 pound smoked turkey sausage
4 slices bacon
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Spread the squash and carrot in a single layer on a baking pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss to coat.
Roast the vegetables for 15-20 minutes until they have begun to turn brown and caramelize slightly.
After removing the vegetables from the oven, turn the heat down to 350 degrees.
While the vegetables roast, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 5-10 minutes until they begin to brown.
Add the garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes, then use the Calvados to deglaze the pan.
Turn the heat down to low and add the tomatoes, thyme, parsley, basil, salt and pepper.
Put the beans in a medium bowl and smash about half using a potato masher. Stir the beans into the pot and simmer on low heat while you prep the other ingredients.
Slice the sausage lengthways, then cut into 1/4-inch slices.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook for 5-10 minutes until the sausage has some crusty texture. Add the sausage to the pot.
Slice the bacon crossways into 3/4-inch slices. Fry the bacon until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, add the bacon to the pot.
Add the chicken breasts to the skillet and cook in the bacon fat until cooked through, flipping once, about 10 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Remove the chicken from the skillet and chop into 1-inch chunks.
Add the bacon fat and the chopped chicken to the pot. Stir to combine.
Cover the pot and bake the cassoulet for an hour.

Yield: 6-8 servings
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 1 hour

A green salad tossed with vinaigrette, some crusty wheat rolls and a nice bottle of red wine were the perfect accompaniments.

While this is not a dish that you want to come home and make after work on a weeknight, it makes for a not-too-demanding Sunday afternoon cooking project. The leftovers were fabulous -- this cassoulet is a great one-pot meal you can make ahead and then rewarm for a night when there is no time to cook.

Meal Plan with Recipes (12/18)

2011-12-18T21:48:00.001-05:00

Sunday

Turtle Sauce Piquant with Fried Catfish

Rice

Green Salad with Creole Buttermilk Dressing

Monday

Rostii Casserole with Baked Eggs

Dried Apple, Cherry and Fig Compote

Tuesday

Sloppy Joe Sliders

Sweet Potato Fries

Wednesday

Mexican-Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

Spicy Tuna Tacos with Jicama Slaw

Thursday

Smoked Turkey Cobb Salad with Green Goddess Aioli

Baguette

This meal plan is linked up to the Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Cocoa-Kissed Chili

2011-12-11T19:55:00.001-05:00

We are having an unseasonably warm December with very little snow, but that didn't stop me from cooking up a big pot of chili last weekend. I made our favorite pork chili a few weeks ago, so went for a ground beef version this time around. Cocoa Chile Blend from McCormick's Gourmet Collection is a spicy mixture of cocoa powder, chipotle chile pepper and sugar. I've used small amounts of it in chili in the past and haven't really been able to detect it. For this pot, I decided to see what flavors I'd get by using a larger amount. I loved the results -- great spicy chile flavor balanced by a subtle chocolatey sweetness.

Cocoa-Kissed Chili

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground sirloin
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cocoa chile powder
2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons Cholula hot sauce
2 cups beef broth
1 can Bush's chili beans with sauce (I used the hot)
3 tablespoons warm water
2 teaspoons masa harina

Garnish:

Grated colby jack cheese
Minced green onion

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the meat, breaking it up so that no pink remains. Set aside.
In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat, then add the onion. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes until they begins to brown. Add the garlic and cook 2-3 minutes longer.
Add the browned meat to the pot along with the chili powders, cumin, oregano, and salt, stirring to combine.
Stir in the tomatoes, Cholula, and beef broth. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook over low heat for about an hour.
Stir in the beans and cook for another 30 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine the warm water and masa harina, whisking until the masa has dissolved.
Add the mixture to the pot of chili and cook for another 15-20 minutes.
Ladle into bowls and top with grated cheese and green onions.

Yield: 8 servings

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 2 hours

This Cocoa-kissed Chili was a crowd pleaser! My kids like spicy food, but I've been known to make chili too hot for anyone but me to eat. The chili has heat from several sources -- the cocoa chile powder, the hot sauce from the beans, and the Cholula. To keep from getting the chili too spicy, I used a run-of-the-mill, not very hot chili powder along with the cocoa blend. The masa harina adds some body to the chili. I bought mine at a local Hispanic market when I made tamales a couple of months ago. If you can't find it, the chili will not suffer greatly if you skip that step.

Meal Plan with Recipes (12/11)

2011-12-11T09:56:00.001-05:00

Sunday

The Best Turkey Meatloaf

Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

Roasted Broccoli

Monday

Spicy Smoked Chicken and White Bean Chili

Manchego-Jalapeno Corn Muffins

Tuesday

Stuffed Eggplant

Italian White Bean and Artichoke Salad

Wednesday

Sweet Potato and Bacon, and Apple Hash with Smoked Gouda Cheese Grits

Dried Apple, Cherry Compote and Fig Compote

Thursday

Smoked Sausage, White Bean and Kale Soup

Mixed Greens and Apple Salad with Apple Cider-Walnut Vinaigrette

This post is linked to the Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

German Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Pecan Frosting

2011-12-04T19:24:00.001-05:00

Growing up in the Mississippi Delta in the 1950s, my mom was served cake every Sunday. Six days of the week, my grandmother Mimi made a pie. On Saturday, she baked a cake as well. And on Sunday, she went to church then came home to a bounteous lunch with delicious cake for dessert. Mimi baked an impressive array of cakes, all from scratch -- Devil's Food or Angel Food with 7-minute Icing, white cake with caramel icing and pecans on top, and one she called 1234 cake. She iced yellow and white cakes with fudge-like cooked chocolate icing, white cakes with coconut icing and, at Christmas time, made her special Jam Cake. But, by my mom's account, she never made a German Chocolate Cake.

After spending her freshman year at the Mississippi State College for Women (now the Mississippi University for Women) -- a somewhat improbable choice in my view -- my mom transferred to Ole Miss where she met my dad while working on his successful campaign for editor of the student newspaper, The Daily Mississippian. At some point during her sophomore year, her sorority sister Eleanor Becker's aunt arrived from El Dorado, Arkansas with a German Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Pecan Frosting for her niece's birthday. In my mom's words, she "thought that she'd died and gone to heaven". I'm not sure my boys are familiar with that expression, but they pretty much feel the same way.

Eleanor's aunt was happy to share the recipe. My mom used it to bake the cake for years until the frayed recipe card washed away with much of the rest of the lower floor of our family home in Hurricane Katrina. Now she uses the recipe from the inside of the Baker's German Chocolate package.

German Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Pecan Frosting

Ingredients:

For the German Chocolate Cake:

4 ounces Baker's German Chocolate
1/2 cup water
4 eggs, separated
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon good quality vanilla
1 cup buttermilk

For the Cococut Pecan Frosting:

4 egg yolks
12 ounces evaporated milk
1 1/2 teaspoon good quality vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
7 ounces sweetened coconut flakes
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Cut 3 rounds of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 9-inch round pan.
Spray the bottoms and sides of 3 9-inch round pans with cooking spray, then line the bottoms with the rounds of parchment paper.
Combine the german chocolate and water in a microwaveable bowl on high, stirring every 30 seconds until the chocolate is almost melted. Remove from the microwave and stir until the chocolate is completely melted.
Beat the egg whites in a bowl with the mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form and set aside.
Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each.
Add the melted chocolate and vanilla and blend to combine.
Add the flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.
Fold in the egg whites, stirring gently until well blended.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans.
Bake the cake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in one of the centers comes out clean. Immediately run a small spatula around each of the layers.
Cool the layers in the pans on wire racks for 15 minuntes, then remove the layers from pans and set on wire racks to cool completely.
While the cake cools, make the frosting by combining the egg yolks, milk and vanilla in a large saucepan, whisking until well blended.
Add the sugar and butter and cook on medium heat for about12 minutes or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and add the coconut and nuts. Stir well to combine.
Cool slightly to desired spreading consistency.
Spread the frosting between the cake layers and on top of cake.

Prep time: 40 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

B, who generally prefers batter to baked good, loves the delicate, moist chocolate layers. Neither of my kids is big on icing but they love this not-too-sweet frosting with the added textures and flavors of the coconut and pecans. My mom has made the cake the last two times we've visited, and I am afraid it may have replaced her chocolate pie and whipping cream pound cake -- both very good -- as the treat they expect to find upon arrival.

Starters and Side Dishes for Thanksgiving Dinner

2011-11-16T20:17:00.001-05:00

We'll be having Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' house in Mississippi this year. My mom decided to go with a very traditional menu this year -- roast turkey, cornbread stuffing, spinach madeline and sweet potatoes with a brown sugar pecan topping. She's also making a german chocolate cake for my kids. By my last count, there will be fourteen of us, including six kids from ages 15 to 6.

Normally, I would have begun obsessing about what I'd contribute weeks ago, but the holiday has somehow sneaked up on me this year and I've yet to give it much thought. If you're in the same boat, here are some suggestions for your holiday table.

Appetizers

Paté de Campagne

Blue Cheese with Candied Cayenne Walnuts and Port

Soups

Butternut Squash and Tasso Bisque

Turtle Soup Au Sherry

Salads

Green Apple and Celery Salad with Walnuts and Mustard Vinaigrette

Mixed Greens Salad with Clemtines, Dried Cranberries and Spicy Pecans

Sides

Smoked Gouda Macaroni and Cheese

Mashed Potatoes with Herb-Shallot Butter

Creamy Winter Greens with Lardons

Dried Apple, Cherry and Fig Compote

Spinach Salad with Curried Almonds

2011-11-16T18:08:00.001-05:00

So what do you make when you've got a couple of pounds of ground chicken and a bag of fresh spinach, but want Indian flavors? That was last week's dilemma which led to the creation of those delicious Curried Chicken Burgers with Chutney Mayo. I wasn't terribly optimistic about what I might find googling "Indian spinach salad" but came across this recipe which looked to have potential. I modified the dressing, toning down the tartness with a bit of yogurt, and tossed in some spicy curried almonds to make the perfect side dish for the burgers. The Spinach Salad with Curried Almonds was so good that, after having it for dinner, I ate it two days in a row for lunch. When the weather gets cold, I love tomato-based curry dishes served over rice. The spinach salad will be the perfect side we've been missing.

The curry powder I used for the sweet and spicy almonds was my favorite Frontier Indian Curry spice blend -- lots of flavor and not too fiery. For the dressing, I used Spicy Plum Chutney from The Virginia Chutney Company. Major Grey's mango chutney would work fine here, but you may want to add a pinch of cayenne or some black pepper to balance the sweetness.

Spinach Salad with Curried Almonds

Ingredients:

For the Curried Almonds:

2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup roasted unsalted almonds
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

For the Spinach Salad:

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
2 tablespoons minced chutney
2 1/4 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
10 ounces fresh baby spinach
1 1/2 cups diced apple (unpeeled)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup sliced green onions

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with foil. Pour the butter on to the baking sheet. Add the almonds, then sprinkle with the curry powder, salt and sugar. Toss together and spread in a single layer.
Bake the almonds for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cool the almonds completely, then scrape everything from the foil on to a cutting board and roughly chop.
In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar and vegetable oil. Whisk in the yogurt, chutney, sugar, curry powder and dry mustard.
Add the spinach, apple, raisins,green onions and almonds to a large salad bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and toss thoroughly to combine.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Prep time: 30 minutes

This post is linked up over at These Chicks Cooked.

Curried Chicken Burgers with Chutney Mayo

2011-11-10T12:06:00.000-05:00

The weather was decent enough to cook out a couple of nights this week. Grilled burgers are one of the things I'll miss most when the deck and the grill are buried in snow so I jumped at the chance to make one last batch. The freezer yielded a couple of pounds of ground chicken, and the fridge a big box of organic baby spinach. Indian flavors are my current obsession so I made these Curried Chicken Burgers with Chutney Mayo. My Spinach Salad with Curried Almonds complimented the burgers perfectly. I was pretty sure it would be a good dinner -- the surprise was that it was an absolutely great one. I've eaten the leftovers for lunch for the past two days and would happily have them again tomorrow!

Curry and chutney are both ingredients that, when listed in a recipe without any specifics, make me a little nervous. The flavors of various brands can vary tremendously for both. Curry paste, which I used in the burgers, has a much more intense flavor than curry powder. Some curries are super spicy. Others don't have much oomph at all. Curry powder is a blend of spices that typically includes coriander, tumeric, cumin, fenugreek and red pepper. It may also include ginger, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, carraway, cardamon, black pepper and fennel seed as well as other spices. Some day I'd love to play around and develop a signature curry powder. In the meantime, I've tried a variety of brands, looking for the right combination. The one I used in the chutney mayonnaise is one of my favorites -- Frontier Indian Curry. It has lots of flavor without a lot of heat. The first ingredient is tumeric which colors the curry powder a gorgeous yellow, followed by coriander, cumin and lemon peel.

Chutneys can also include a variety of vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices, and can be either spicy or sweet. In my pantry, I have tomato chutney, spicy plum chutney and Major Grey's. For the mayonnaise, I used the Major Grey's, a sweet mango-based chutney reportedly created by a British Army officer with the same name, in Colonial India. It is reasonably-priced and relatively easy to find.

Curried Chicken Burgers with Chutney Mayo

Ingredients:

For the Chutney Mayo:

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup minced Major Grey chutney
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the Curried Chicken Burgers:

2 pounds ground chicken
1/2 cup grated onion
1/2 cup grated apple
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon curry paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup bread crumbs
8 whole wheat buns

Toppings (choose one):

2 cups shredded lettuce
16 thin slices of apple

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, chutney, curry powder and pepper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, gently combine the chicken, onion, apple, ginger, curry paste, salt, pepper, mayonnaise and bread crumbs. Do not overwork the meat.
Form into chicken mixture into 8 patties, about 3/4 inch thick, placing the patties on a baking sheet.
Cover the patties with plastic wrap and refrigerate the patties for about 30 minutes.
Preheat a gas grill on high.
Clean the grill well and spray the grate thoroughly with cooking spray.
Gently place the chicken patties on the grill. Sear on one side, grilling for 5-7 minutes with the top open and the grill on high. Then flip the burger and grill the other side for 5-7 minutes. Note: if you try to flip the burger before the first side is seared, you will have a mess!
When the burgers have about 2 minutes to go, put the buns on the grill to warm.
Put the burgers together with the 1/2 tablespoon of the chutney mayo on each of the bun halves. Top each of the bottom buns with a chicken burger, then either 1/4 cup of lettuce or 2 apple slices, and a top bun.

Yield: 8 burgers

Prep time: 45 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

2011-11-09T14:19:00.001-05:00

Crave, a local tapas and wine bar, is hands-down B's favorite spot for dining out. It's his choice for birthday dinners, good report card celebrations, and our date nights when his brother is not around. He is quite the creature of habit and always orders the same thing: the Iceberg Wedge with Applewood-smoked Bacon and Blue Cheese Dressing (no tomatoes, please), the Espresso-dusted Filet (aka "chocolate steak") cooked medium rare and the Smoked Gouda Macaroni and Cheese. Occasionally the Fried Cheesecake wins out over the Chocolate Pyramid for dessert, but that's about the only variation.

Crave's Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese is one of my favorites from their menu as well. Over the past year or so, I've had some success in replicating it, but never managed to write down the recipe when it turned out right. This recipe for Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese is based on one that I found in a Special Collector's Edition of All-Time Best Recipes, published by Cook's Illustrated. Their suggestion that you cook the mac and cheese on the stove, then just put it under the broiler to brown the bread crumbs is right on if you want crunchy topping, tender pasta and creamy sauce.

Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

1 pound Cavatappi pasta
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, divided
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
5 cups low-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon Cholula hot sauce
8 ounces Smoked Gouda cheese, grated
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
olive oil cooking spray
2/3 cup Panko
3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil in a dutch oven over high heat. Stir in the pasta and tablespoon of salt. Cook according to package directions (about 8 minutes) until just past al dente so that it is a bit tender.
Drain the pasta and set aside.
Return the dutch oven to medium heat. Melt the butter, then whisk in the flour. Cook the flour for about 1 minute, making a blond roux.
Slowly whisk in one cup of milk, stirring constantly until all the lumps are dissolved.
Whisk in the remaining milk, dry mustard, cayenne, and hot sauce.
Turn up the heat to medium high and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly. The sauce must reach a full boil to thicken properly.
Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and reduces to a heavy cream.
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cheeses, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and black pepper.
Add the pasta back to the pot, stirring gently to combine.
Return the pot to medium low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until hot.
Adjust the oven rack to the lower third of the oven and preheat the broiler.
Spray a 9 X 13 glass pan with olive oil cooking spray.
Whisk together the Panko and olive oil.
Pour the macaroni and cheese into the pan and sprinkle evenly with the bread crumbs.
Broil until the topping is deep golden brown, 3-5 minutes, rotating the pan if necessary so that the bread crumbs brown evenly.
Allow the dish to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 10-12 side servings

Prep time: 40 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

The Smoked Gouda adds big flavor to the mac and cheese, while the Monterey Jack adds a creaminess you can't get from using the Smoked Gouda alone. I used Cavatappi pasta rather than ordinary macaroni because I wanted to make it a little fancier. I've given up trying to make the dish with the Barilla-plus pasta I usually use. It may have more protein, fiber and Omega-3s, but the texture just doesn't work for mac and cheese.

This post is linked to These Chicks Cooked.