Broccoli and Cheese Pasta

This pasta dish is a straight indulgence.  I'm not even going to try to pretend otherwise just because there is something green in here, this is thick, dreamy, cheesy indulgence.  If you grew up a fan of Velveeta shells and cheese, this is right up your alley.

I was having a craving the other day for something cheesy and filling and comforting.  It was cold and I was the kind of exhausted that makes you want to get in bed and stay there until spring.  All I could think of was bacon cheeseburgers and Velveeta shells and cheese. So I started thinking maybe I should make the kids broccoli, cheese and rice soup, but I couldn't quite convince myself of it because I wanted something richer, more decadent.  So I decided to make my version of Velveeta, but with some broccoli and chicken thrown in there, all over pasta instead of rice.

This cheese sauce is stick-to-your-ribs thick, but you can thin it out a little more if you want, and the cheese level is easy to adjust to your taste as well.  Once you master a sauce like this, the possibilities are endless. Next up, I am going to make a homemade version of the Annie's White Cheddar sauce.  Stay tuned for that!

Broccoli and Cheese Pasta

Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients:

• 8 - 16 oz of pasta, cooked and rinsed (I made the whole box and then added until it was my desired cheese-pasta ratio)
• 6 chicken tenders
• 1 white onion, minced
• 3 tbs. butter
• 1 tbs. minced garlic
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup of flour
• 2-3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup whole milk
• 8 - 12 oz of sharp orange cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
• 4 oz. (half a block) cream cheese
• 2 cups frozen broccoli florets

In a dutch oven, over medium-high heat, melt 1 tbs. of butter.  Season one side of your chicken tenders with salt and pepper, then place seasoned-side down into the dutch oven and brown, about 3-5 minutes.  Season the uncooked side of the chicken and then turn it over, browning the other side.  After the outsides are browned, add enough chicken broth to cover half the depth of the chicken.  Flip the chicken and cover the pot, turn the heat to medium, and let the chicken simmer and steam in the broth until cooked through and tender.  Once the chicken is cooked, remove the chicken from the pot and set aside on a plate. 

Add the minced onion and garlic to the broth, saute and simmer in the broth until onions are soft.  Add the remaining 2 tbs. of butter and let it melt.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour over the broth mix and whisk together.  There should be enough flour to absorb all the liquid, if you need to add more flour, do so a little at a time until all the broth is absorbed. 

Slowly add the milk, whisking until smooth. Turn heat down to medium-low. Add the shredded cheese, a handful at a time, and stir after each addition until cheese had completely melted and incorporated.  Add your desired amount of cheese, I recommend at least 8 oz, but go for more to your taste.  Stir in the cream cheese until incorporated. 

If the cheese sauce is too thick for your liking, slowly add chicken broth until it has thinned to your preference.

Add the pasta, a handful at a time, mixing to coat in the cheese sauce.  Add the broccoli florets and stir to incorporate.  While the broccoli heats through, chop the chicken tenders into bite sized pieces and add to the pot.  Season with salt and pepper, serve immediately.

Jalapeno Chedder-Jack Grits

Grits are not something I grew up with in New England, but I sure am glad I found them when I moved down here.  There are endless opinions and ways to make grits - lots of people think they know the "right way" but the way I look at it, there isn't one right way, but there is the right now.  When I made these, I was serving them with some delicious garlic baked shrimp and thought these flavors would be a perfect compliment.  That's whats so great about grits, they are a total blank canvas for flavor.  These come out creamy, lightly cheesy and with a hint of heat.

Jalapeno Cheddar-Jack Grits

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs. butter
  
• 3 tsp. minced garlic
  
• 1/2 medium white onion, diced very small
  
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced very small
  
• 4-5 cups of chicken broth
  
• 1 1/2 cups of stone ground grits
  
• 3/4 cup half and half
  
• 1 1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar
  
• 1 1/2 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese
  
•  Salt and pepper
  

In a medium-large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt the butter.  Add the garlic and saute for just a minute or two, until fragrant.  Add the onion and jalapeno, and saute for five minutes more. 

Add 3 cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil, add the grits and stir, lowering the heat to a simmer.  Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.  After half of the liquid is absorbed, add another cup of chicken broth and the half and half. Cook until thickened, if the grits are still not soft enough, add a little more chicken broth until it is to your liking. Total cooking time should be about 15-20 minutes.

Turn the heat very low and add the cheeses, handfuls at a time, stirring to incorporate between additions. Once all the cheese is added, turn off the heat and continue to stir until all the cheese is melted and mixed smooth. Serve immediately.

Comforting Chili-Mac

So right now finding things to eat in our house can be a bit of a challenge; everyone has an opinion and so I feel like often whatever I make, at least one person is unhappy that night at dinner.  Townes is in a phase where all meat is "sausage" and he only wants "sausage" - Hondo is all carbs all the time, if there isn't pasta, life's not worth living - and Aaron is fine as long as the vegetables aren't big enough to be obvious.  Easy to make everyone happy, right?

Not surprisingly I was exasperated figuring out what to make for dinner, so I asked Chanel (who I have finally realized is like a dinner Magic 8 Ball - I don't know how she does it - I say what should I make for dinner and she just says "x" and its perfect).  Well, she said chili, because it would make T happy, but then macaroni because of Hondo.  I couldn't choose between my children, so I made both.

This chili-mac is full of veggies (and you can even add more, I think sweet potatoes diced up add a great layer of flavor in chili and are chock full of nutrients; a spicy pepper like a jalapeno would kick it up a notch; use your imagination!), has pasta for Hondo, meat for Townes (we can just call it sausage), and is wrapped in a silky cheese sauce no one can resist.  Serve it Texas-style with some Fritos for a second-level frito pie, or top it fully-loaded with sour cream, bacon, green onions and shredded cheese, or just eat it as it is.  You can't go wrong.

Cozy Chili-Mac

Serves 8

ingredients for chili:

• 3 tbs butter
• 2 tbs minced garlic
• 1 red bell pepper, diced small
• 1 green bell pepper, diced small
• 1 medium to large white onion, diced small
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 3 tbs chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp chipotle powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• Salt and pepper
• 1 can of red kidney beans (15 oz)
• 1 can of black beans (15 oz)
• 1 small can of crushed or petit diced tomatoes
• 1 lb tube pasta, uncooked (I used elbows but cavatappi would be fun, or anything you like to hold sauce well)
• 1 box (32 oz) beef broth

ingredients for cheese sauce:

• 2 tbs butter
• 2 tbs flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chicken broth (optional)
• 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
• Salt and pepper

In a large Dutch oven or pot, melt the 3 tbs of butter and sauté the garlic for just a minute or two until fragrant. Add the peppers and onion and sauté until onions are translucent.

Push the vegetables to the on half of the pot, add half of the ground beef and brown. Once browned well, and broken up, stir into the vegetables and push the mixture back to half the pot. Repeat with second half of the meat.

Add the seasonings (chili powder, chipotle, cumin, oregano and salt and pepper) and stir to combine well. Add the beans and tomatoes. Combine evenly and bring to a simmer.

Pour in the beef broth, bring to a boil and add the uncooked pasta. Boil until the pasta is cooked: it will probably take 50% longer than the time on the box (i.e. If it says 8 minutes, expect about 12). Stir frequently to prevent the chili from cooking into the bottom of the pot.

While the pasta in cooking, prepare your cheese sauce. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat and then whisk in the flour. Whisking constantly, let the floor and butter cook for just a minute or two, but do not burn.

Slowly, adding it just a little at a time, whisk in the half cup of chicken broth, whisking until smooth. Repeat with the milk and then cream. Once combined, mix in the cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Once the pasta is cooked into the chili, remove from heat and pour the cheese sauce into the chili. Stir well to combine together. Serve immediately. Garnish with sour cream, bacon bits, shredded cheese, sliced green onions, chives or Fritos.

Baked Potato Shepherd's Pie

I love comfort food.  So much that I wish it was a cold season almost all the time because my favorite feeling is being cold, putting on a warm sweater, leggings, and big socks and settling down with a warm mug of soup or digging into a hot meal - I know, I'm so basic, don't hate.

In any case, it rained in Austin today and I felt a cool breeze so I immediately put a sweatshirt on (and started sweating a little) and walked to the grocery store to pick up food to make a comfort food feast for dinner.

Chanel had suggested Shepherd's Pie or Loaded Baked Potatoes - I'm terrible at choosing, so I made both.  The concept is really simple, it's a little time consuming for a weekday dinner I suppose; it probably took an hour start to finish before we were sitting down eating.

I kept it simple and "baked" my potatoes in the microwave - you probably need to do it 5-7 minutes per potato.  So if you are doing three potatoes at a time (more than that won't fit in my microwave) you poke each potato all around with a fork, put them in the microwave, cover them with a damp paper towel, and microwave on high for 15-20 minutes.

While I cooked the two batches of potatoes I was able to cook the bacon and make the sausage and veggie filling.  This was a much better use of time than wrapping them in foil and waiting an hour while they did their thing in the oven. The "Shepherd's Pie" filling was a simple variation on the standard ground beef, peas and carrots.  My kid's seem kind of burnt out on peas this week, so I decided to mix it up and chop some broccoli really small, saute it with onion and garlic, then add ground sausage instead of beef (I love all the extra flavor), season it with a bit of sage and basil, thicken it with a little gravy and it was ready to go.  I think the standard beef, peas and carrots would be divine though and you could make the gravy the same way.  Use your imagination!

I made the mashed potatoes with cream, butter, salt, pepper, broth, and some shredded cheese. Once that was mixed up, its all assembly!  Line your scooped out potatoes with a little bit of mashed potatoes, then fill with meat and veggies, sprinkle a little cheese, top with heaps of mashed potatoes, cheese, bacon, and green onions.  Bake till the cheese is melty and enjoy!

Baked potato shepherd's pie

Serves 6

ingredients:

• 6 medium-large russet potatoes
• 2 sticks of butter, divided
• 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 small white onion, diced
• 1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped small
• 1 lb. ground sausage
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tsp. ground sage
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 2 tbs. flour
• 1 -2 cups beef broth, divided
• 1/2 cup or more heavy cream
• 2 cups shredded cheddar
• 1 lb. bacon, cooked, drained and diced
• 1 bunch (6-8) green onions, green parts sliced

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Begin cooking your potatoes in the microwave. Rinse your potatoes and poke them all over with a fork.  Fit as many in your microwave as you can comfortably (don't stack them - I only fit three) and cover with a damp cloth or paper towel.  Microwave on high for 5-7 minutes per potato - my two batches of three potatoes each took 20 minutes. As the first batch is done, remove them and set them on a cookie sheet to cool.

While your potatoes are baking and cooling, make the filling.  In a large pan or dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt three tbs. of butter.  Add the garlic and onion and saute until translucent and fragrant.  Add another 2 tbs. of butter and then add the broccoli.  Season with salt, pepper and the sage and basil.  Saute gently for a few minutes until warmed.

Push the veggies to the side and add the ground beef to the pot.  Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, break up the sausage as it cooks, working it into the veggie mix.  Once the meat is all broken and cooked, stir to combine evenly with the veggies. 

Sprinkle the flour over the sausage mixture and stir until coated and combined.  Slowly add 1/2 cup of beef broth, stirring to create a thick gravy holding the sausage mix together.  If you want it with more gravy, stir in more broth until its the consistency you like.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare the potatoes.  With the potatoes cool enough to touch, slice the very top layer off the potatoes and scoop out the middle, leaving 1/4 inch of potato lining to skin to hold it together.  Fill a large mixing bowl with the scooped out potatoes and set the six remaining skins on a cookie sheet.

Add 6 tbs. of butter to the potatoes in the bowl with some salt and pepper.  Using a hand mixer, beat the potatoes on low.  Slowly add the heavy cream a little at a time.  I like the potatoes to be more the consistency of a fluffy paste, not runny, so add just a little at a time to make sure there isn't too much liquid.  Once that is well combined, add 1/4 cup (or more) beef broth and mix.  Finally, whip in a good handful of shredded cheese.  Set aside.

Finally assemble the potatoes.  Using a spoon, line the inside of the potato skins with a thin layer of mashed potatoes. Next, fill the rest of the potato up with the sausage and broccoli mixture (evenly distribute the mix among all six potatoes).  Top with a sprinkle of cheese.  Top the potato with heaping spoonfuls of mashed potatoes, then shredded cheese, bacon, and green onion.

Arrange the assembled potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and gooey.  Serve immediately.

White Russian Casserole

I don't know if this is a casserole as much as it is a family-sized sandwich.  You put it together like a sandwich but in a casserole dish and then you bake it to crispy, melty deliciousness. 

The Inspiration for this came from a sandwich I ate all the time in high school back home in New York.  There was a restaurant down the road from my mom's house, The Katonah Bar and Grill (which has since been renamed Oliver's and the menu is different), and they had a sandwich on the menu, the White Russian.  I'm not entirely sure why it was called that, but it was my favorite.

It was layers of turkey, ham, bacon, cheese and Russian dressing in between buttery-toasted rye bread.  They served it with beer battered french fries and a pickle.  I highly recommend the pairing - however, I didn't have any fries to go with this dinner.

This is honestly one of the easiest, cleanest meals I've ever put together.  With the exception of a bowl for melted butter and a cutting board, all you need is a knife and a casserole dish.  Woohoo! A meal that requires practically no clean-up!

This would also be a great dish for a winter potluck of sorts - a football party or something.  Its basically the epitome of a bar food casserole. 

Anyway, back to making it.  You butter the bottom of your dish, then layer like a sandwich: rye bread (topped with a little butter), provolone cheese, ham, turkey, bacon, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, rye bread (a just a bit more butter).  Cover it with some foil so it doesn't burn while the cheese melts, bake it for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.  Uncover it and bake for 5 more minutes to toast up the bread on top. It's that easy! Enjoy!

White Russian Casserole

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 6 tbs. butter, melted
• 10 slices of Rye bread, cut in 1-inch squares
• 4-6 slices of Provolone Cheese, cut in 1-inch squares
• 8 oz. deli sliced ham, cut in 1-inch squares
• 8 oz. deli sliced turkey, cut in 1-inch squares
• 1 lb. bacon, cooked, and diced
• 4-6 slices of Swiss Cheese, cut in 1-inch squares
• Russian dressing

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Brush the bottom of a 12x9 casserole dish with the melted butter.  Layer half the bread on the bottom of the dish, brush with butter.

Layer the Provolone cheese on top of the bread, followed by the ham, then turkey, bacon, and Swiss cheese. 

Drizzle Russian dressing over the entire casserole (amount to your preference).

Top with the remaining rye bread, brush with butter.  Cover the casserole with aluminum foil.

Bake, covered, for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-8 minutes, until top layer of bread is toasted golden.