Mac and Cheese

So I love Mac and Cheese. We tend to do Kraft Blue box variety a lot and then add things to it like mustard and hot sauce; sour cream, tomatoes, and green peppers; tuna; and a variety of other things that suit our fancy at the time.

I decided that Mac and Cheese and Ham sounded good today, but want to try making it homemade again. This is usually unsuccessful for me because I can never make a smooth cheese sauce. So I did what I always do when I want a new recipe. I went and search AllRecipes.com.

I found a recipe called Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 pound elbow, shell or other bite-size shaped pasta
  • 2 (12 fluid ounce) cans evaporated milk
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Bring 2 quarts of water to boil in large soup kettle. Add salt and pasta. Using package directions as a guide, cook until al dente. Drain. To prevent sticking, drain and immediately pour onto a large lipped baking sheet and let cool while preparing sauce. Meanwhile, microwave the milk and chicken broth in a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup or bowl until hot and steamy (not boiling). Melt butter in the empty pasta pot; whisk in flour, then hot milk mixture. Continue to whisk until thick and bubbly, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in mustard, Parmesan and pepper. Turn off heat, stir in cheddar until melted. Add drained pasta (and optional flavoring ingredients, see notes) to sauce, and stir until everything is well combined over low heat. Stir to heat through, and thin with a little water if the sauce is too thick. Serve hot.


I boiled the pasta in one pot while cooking the sauce in another, saw no reason to not do it this way. When both were done I drained the pasta and stired it together with the sauce. There is a bit too much sauce for pasta, but it is very good.

My homemade Mac and Cheese is usually grainy. I read in the comments on AllRecipes for this recipe that one way to get rid of that graininess is to use part cheddar and part something else like jack. Someone else mentioned using peper jack for part or theirs. I thought this sounded pretty good. I went to the store intending to buy 8 oz shredded sharp cheddar and an 8 oz block of cheddar jack to shred. Instead I found a shedded cheese blend that was mild cheddar, monteray jack, and jalapeno peppers. So I used it. This gave the sauce a nice smooth texture and a little kick.

Posted by Nicole at 1:24 am (Edit)

Cornish Pasty

Growing up we visted Pendarvis in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. Pendarvis is a historical Cornish lead mining settelment. It was a relly fun place to vistit as a child. While we were there they told us about pasties. I was facinted by them then. I bought a little brouchure for 10 cents with a recipe for Pasties and a recipe for saffron cakes. I've only ever made the pasties.

The back of the brouchure says:

Cornish Pasty

In Cornwall the miners had for centuries gone to the mines carrying a "pasty" for their noon lunch. A pasty was almost an ideal food to carry to a mine. The miner's wife would roll out pastry douugh, much like a pie crust, into which shee put cubes of beef, chopped suet, sliced potatoes and onions. The dough would be folded across the top and the whole baked on a flat stone or pan. The miner would carry the pasty to the mine in the pocket of his jacket, or in his dinner pail, for his noon meal. If the mine had a steam engin, the pasty would be placed near the steam pipes. At noon, the pasty would be wamr and tasty for the miner's lunch. The Cornish miners brought this custom with them when they emigrated to the lead mines in and around Mineral Point.


The following recipe is found on the inside:

Cornish Pasty

Crust:

  • 4 C flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 3/4 C lard (I used crisco when I made them)
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 1 Tbs. vinegar
  • 1/2 C water

Mix the flour, salt and baking podwer. Cut in lard until crumbly. Mix in remaining ingredients.

Filling:

  • 6 medium potatoes, diced
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 lb ground chuck steak (or cubed sirloin) (I used lean ground beef)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Mix together.
Roll out dough into four 8-inch circle. Place mixed pasty ingredients on half of each circle. Dot with butter. Moisten edge of pastry with water and fold over. Seal tightly with fork or by rope twist crinkling. Prick top. Bake on cookie sheet in preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 45 minutes.

Posted by Nicole at 1:48 am (Edit)

Pasta with Mushroom Cream Sauce

A few weeks ago one of Sean's co-workers brought a dish called Chicken Milano that she found on AllRecipes.com to work for lunch. It was very good. Although it was made with chicken and sun-dried tomatoes, it kind of reminded me of a mushrrom pasta dish that I used to get at Brown Bottle (115 E Washington St) in Iowa City while I was in college. I've always tried to find a dish like it at other restaurants or find a recipe for it. In my search I have found a lot of good dishes, but never found anything that was exactly the same.

I decided to try and alter the chicken milano recipe to try and replicate the dish I have been searching for for the last 7 years. As I told Sean, I replaced the tomatoes with mushroom and the chicken with mushrooms. I also replaced the chicken broth with beef broth (I might try mushroom broth in the future, but I think it needs the beefiness). I just found the printout out of the chicken milano recipe that I marked up while expirementing and decided to add it here for all of you to see and for me so I won't lose it. It's not exactly the same as the dish at Brown Bottle, but it's the closest I have come so far. Served with a light salad and a good glass of reisling this is a great dinner.

Pasta with Mushroom Cream Sauce
  • 5 Tbs. butter, divided
  • 5 cloves minced garlic (you could use less, but why?)
  • 1 oz dried porccini mushrooms (I'm sure any other dried mushrrom would work)
  • 2 C beef broth, divided
  • 2 C heavy cream (also known as whipping cream)
  • 8 oz sliced button mushrooms
  • 4 oz sliced wild mushrooms
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 16 oz fettucini pasta, cooked

In a large saucepan over low heat, melt butter; add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the dried mushrooms and 1 1/2 cups of the beef broth; increase to medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until the mushrroms are tender. Add the cream and bring to a boil; stirring. Simmer over medium heat until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and saute fresh mushrroms. Cook for about 4 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked through. Deglaze skillet with the remaining beef broth. Reduce slightly and add to the cream sauce. Toss pasta with the cream sauce and serve.

Posted by Nicole at 1:12 am (Edit)

Kraut Bratwurst Casserole

This was dinner on Saturday. It is super easy to make, but is quite tasty. You can make it in the crock pot as well. However if you use the crock pot, you want to leave out the bread crumbs and butter.

Kraut Bratwurst Casserole
  • 1 jar bavarian sauerkraut rinsed and drained (can use caraway kraut)
  • 4-6 brautwurst
  • 1/2 Tbps. hot or spicy mustard (we use brown horseradish mustard)
  • 1 medium dill pickle, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
  • 6 oz swiss cheese slices (we use provelone because Sean doesn't like swiss)

Mix together sauerkraut, mustard, pickle and caraway seed. Layer in baking pan with bratwurst. Top with cheese slices. Sprinkle with bread crums and dot with butter. Cover with foil and bake at 35 0 for 45 minutes. Uncover for the last 10 minutes.

Posted by Nicole at 12:21 am (Edit)

Lewis & Clark's White Chili

This recipie is from Lewis & Clark Restaurant in St. Charles, MO. My mom found it in the paper several years ago. Not healthy, but, really really good. It was dinner on Thursday.

Lewis and Clark’s White Chili

3 lbs. cooked Great Northern beans, canned or bottled
2 lbs. skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium onions chopped
2 tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. oregano
2-4 oz. cans chopped mild green chilies
4 cups chicken broth or stock
20 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, grated
Sour cream
Chopped Jalapeno peppers, canned

Place chicken in a large saucepan. Add cold water to cover and bring to simmer. Cook until tender, approximately 15-20 minutes. Remove from sauce pan and dice into ½” cubes.

Using the same pan discard water and heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Stir in garlic, chilies, cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, and cloves. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add chicken, beans, broth and 12 oz. cheese, let simmer for 15 minutes. Ladle into large bowls and top with 1 oz. cheese. Serve with a side of sour cream and chopped Jalapeno peppers.

Posted by Nicole at 11:45 pm (Edit)