Macaroni & Cheese, Take Two

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I was putting together some freezer meals, including Meatballs Stroganoff.  One of the other meals I made was Macaroni & Cheese.  At the last minute, I opted to try a new Mac & Cheese recipe, so I wanted to share my notes on that with you, as compared to my old standby.

A shot of my "usual" recipe - a take on Alton Brown's mac & cheese, this one has three different cheddars and is topped with buttery breadcrumbs.

For comparison's sake, here is a photo of the finished version I made this time.  This is adapted from the Pioneer Woman's Mac and Cheese.

Major differences between these two recipes - no breadcrumbs in the PW recipe.  I topped the PW version with bacon instead, since I had it in my fridge.  I used radiatore for this version, and I loved the way the cheese clung to every nook and cranny!  Much better than elbows, in my opinion, and this shape is stout enough to stand up to cooking in the cheese sauce without getting floppy.


Macaroni & Cheese, Version 2
adapted from The Pioneer Woman

1 lb. radiatore or your favorite pasta, cooked al dente
1/2 stick butter
1/4 c. AP flour
2-1/2 c. skim milk
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 egg, beaten
1 lb. cheddar, grated
1 c. mozzarella, grated
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Melt the butter in a large (I mean it, LARGE) saucepan over medium heat.    Whisk the flour and mustard into the butter and cook the roux over medium-high heat for five minutes.

Pour in the milk and whisk to combine.  Cook about five minutes, until very thick, then drop the heat to low.

In a small bowl, combine the beaten egg and 1/2 c. of the milk mixture.  Whisk vigorously to avoid scrambling your egg.  Pour mixture back into the sauce and stir until smooth.

Add cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper.  Stir slowly until cheese has melted and sauce is completely combined.  Add cooked pasta and stir to coat. 

Pour into large greased baking dish (I used cooking spray), top with mozzarella and crumbled bacon, and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

This dish is a crowd-pleaser that's easy to put together - comfort food at its best!

Throw Together Pasta: Version 3

We do love our pasta around here, and I'm all about putting together meals with food we've already got on hand, even when we have house guests.  My mom and aunt were visiting again, and last time, I made butternut squash risotto.  To please my carb-loving relatives without being repetitive, I opted for a pasta dinner one night.  I had pesto left over from the panini, so I opted to turn it into a sauce.  I needed to use up some random veggies in my fridge, so I paired those with some frozen shrimp and the pesto cream, and TTP #3 was born.


Throw Together Pasta: Version 3
The Farmer's Market Version

1 lb. pasta (I used rigatoni) 
1 bunch spinach, washed and trimmed
1 bunch asparagus, washed
1 lb. shrimp, cleaned and deveined
4-6 slices bacon
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. chicken stock
2/3 c. pesto, leftover
1/2 c. fat-free half & half
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.  Salt the water liberally, then add the pasta and cook al dente (according to package directions).

In the meantime, chop the bacon into 1" pieces.  Cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Remove to a paper towel-covered plate using a slotted spoon.  If you have an excessive amount of bacon grease, pour it out.  I had less than a tablespoon, so I left it in the pan.  Add the olive oil to the skillet.  Once the oil is hot, in goes the diced onion and garlic.  Cook until onion is translucent, being careful not to let the garlic brown.

Chop the asparagus into pieces about 2" long and add to the pan.  Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer.  Cook two minutes, then add shrimp and spinach to the pan and cover.  Once spinach has wilted, stir in cooked pasta.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together pesto and half & half.  Pour over the pasta and toss to coat.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with grated cheese - we like asiago!

Restaurant Review: B Spot

I'm a big fan of Michael Symon - you may know him as the first winner of The Next Iron Chef, but he was a well-known and well-loved member of the Cleveland food scene long before his Food Network fame.  His restaurants Lola and Lolita revitalized downtown Cleveland, with the new Lola setting the stage for 4th Street to evolve into a hub of the city's nightlife.  Since Andrew and I currently live about 20 minutes outside of Cleveland, we have personally enjoyed 4th Street's vibrant atmosphere and have also had the pleasure of eating at Lola.

Recently, I enjoyed Michael Symon's newest restaurant - B Spot - a burger joint with a twist.  Check out their menu to get the full concept.  This was a fun place for a girls lunch - Ann, Auntie Judy, and I enjoyed a welcome respite from shopping to refuel with some fantastic food.

All the food is a la carte - you order your burger separately from your sides - which worked out great for us, as we could barely finish what we ordered as it was!  Ann, a mushroom lover, opted for the "Shroomage" - a burger piled with portabellas, blue cheese, caramelized onions, and more!  Auntie Judy chose the very safe yet very delicious "Cheeseburger", and I opted for a Cleveland favorite - the "Chili & Cheese Brat".  I'm usually not one for bratwurst, especially piled with stuff, but for some reason, this really appealed to me that day.  Of course, I skipped the roll, as meat on bread is still a no-no for me in most situations.  As it was, I couldn't finish the brat, so I can't imagine what would have happened if I tried to eat the bun! 

We opted to share two sides - the "Lola Fries" and the simple "Chips".  Let me tell you, the parmesan fondue that came with those chips?  I could roll around in it and lick it off myself.  It's that good.  Seriously.  The picture above somehow manages to capture all the food we ate - my brat is in front, the sides are in the middle, "Shroomage" is off to the left, and the Cheeseburger is in the background.

The piece de resistance of this meal was by far the Bad **s Shakes.  Ann drove, and she insisted that Judy and I could get a little tipsy since, after all, it was already 2 in the afternoon and we didn't have to drive anywhere, so why not?  She didn't have to twist our arms too hard - we both got one!  Auntie Judy opted for the Chocolate Banana Marshmallow Shake with Dark Rum.  It tasted like those bananas you wrap in foil with chocolate chips and marshmallows, then stick in the campfire, only WAY better!  We even got that little "char" taste, because the marshmallows were torched so they were toasty.  See?

I opted for the extremely enticing Vanilla Bean Apple Pie Bacon Shake with Bourbon.  That's right people.  Vanilla Bean + Apple Pie + BACON.  I swear, that milkshake gave me super powers.  (Maybe that was the bourbon?)


B-Spot is a fun place to go for lunch - the decor is awesome, the food is fantastic, the service was good, and it's a nice way to experience Mike Symon's vision without paying big bucks at one of his other restarants.

Split Pea Soup

Watching Food Network with Andrew's stepmom Ann is always fun - we get ideas, chat about recipes we've made lately, and plan meals for the following week.  Recently we saw an episode of Sunny Anderson's show, Cooking For Real.  I had never seen it, but in this episode, Sunny made an "Easy Peasy Split Pea Soup" that looked absolutely delicious.

I went home and immediately bookmarked the recipe, but it's taken me several weeks to make the soup.  I'm so glad I got this soup onto my menu plan, because it was a rich, velvety, comforting dinner that was easy to put together on a cold weeknight.

You can click the link above for the full recipe, but I wanted to point out the differences in my version.  Instead of slab bacon, I used six slices of peppered bacon that I had leftover in the fridge.  I skipped the celery (we don't like it) and the cumin (I couldn't find it), and didn't garnish with tomato or lime as Sunny suggested (it sounded gross).  I also used my own homemade chicken stock rather than the boxed or canned variety.

This split pea soup truly was "easy peasy" - Andrew and I both enjoyed it's thick consistency and the nutritional value of the soup is sky high, a major plus for the healthy lifestyle we're trying to maintain through the holiday season.  The best part?  I had everything I needed on hand except the dried peas.  Now that I bought them for the soup, I'll have them on hand, and next time, this will truly be a meal straight out of my pantry.

Speaking of Food Network, Ann attended the Cleveland Fabulous Food Show and she got to meet our FN crush, Tyler Florence!!!  Aren't they so cute?!?

Cheddar Bacon Mashed Potatoes

It's a simple fact that I am a carb girl.  I love my pasta, my bread, my rice...and my potatoes.  Oh, potatoes, how I love thee.  Let me count the ways.  Baked, scalloped, french fried, roasted, MASHED.  Let's stop there.  Mashed.  I have loved mashed potatoes since forever.  When I first started staying home alone after school, one of my favorite things to snack on after school was instant mashed potatoes.  I'd mix the flakes and the milk, water, butter, and salt, then stand in front of the microwave watching the creation of my mashed potatoes.

I've since moved on from my potato-flake origins, to bigger and better things.  Though there are a few more ingredients, these mashies will make you sooo happy.  The melted cheddar turns them a pale orange color, and the bits of bacon are crunchy, salty, and delicious.  Although, when is bacon not delicious?

Cheddar Bacon Mashed Potatoes

8 baking potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 c. milk

3/4 c. heavy cream

4 oz. cream cheese

2 tbsp. butter

1 c. cheddar cheese

6 strips leftover cooked bacon, crumbled

salt & pepper, to taste

I like to cut my potatoes in chunks about 1" cubed.  The smaller you cut them, the quicker they cook.  Place cut potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water.  Once all potatoes are cut, bring water to a boil.  Cook about 10 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.  Drain.

While potatoes are draining, add 2 tbsp. butter to the hot, empty pot.

Return the potatoes to the hot pot, and add milk/cream mixture and cream cheese.  I used cream because I had it on hand.  If you don't have it, you can certainly just use milk. 

I like to use my electric hand mixer to mash the potatoes and liquid together.  Andrew and I both like smooth, creamy potatoes, so I get all the lumps out.  Add salt and pepper to your liking.  At this point, you could stop, and have absolutely delicious mashed potatoes.

But I had the ingredients on hand to take it a step futher - shredded cheddar cheese and leftover cooked bacon.  Add them to the pot and mix it up!

Lick the beaters while your husband isn't looking, then serve with your favorite meat and veggie. 

Throw Together Pasta: Version 2

You know I love my pasta, and you may even know that I'm good at throwing things together at the last minute. What you may not know is that I put together a random pasta dish almost every week, and it's never the same twice. I wanted to post tonight's dinner so you can get an idea of how I come up with these meals.

Unlike my last version, this throw together pasta is not vegetarian. Andrew is not a fan of meals that don't include meat, so I try to keep certain items (like bacon and shrimp) in the freezer at all times. I stick to bacon and shrimp for a few reasons: they are quick to thaw, easy to incorporate into any dish, fast-cooking, and most importantly, I like them. See, I'm a little devious that way.

Throw Together Pasta: Version Two

The Fridge & Freezer Version

6 slices raw peppered bacon, chopped

1 lb. pasta (*see note below)

12-15 frozen shrimp

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 small green pepper, chopped

1 c. fresh mozzarella, diced

1 egg

salt & pepper

red pepper flakes

To start, crisp the bacon in a large pan over medium high heat. It's okay if it doesn't get completely crispy, it will have more time to cook. I didn't need to, but depending on the quantity and type of bacon, it may be necessary to drain some of the fat.

Add the onions, peppers, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, and saute until vegetables soften.

In the meantime, put a pot of water on to boil for your pasta. I used cresti di gallo, a pasta shape that made the best mac & cheese ever - served at a restaurant I waitressed at here in Ohio. I never knew the name of the pasta shape until today, when I googled "ruffly elbow noodles" to try to find out what they were called. It didn't even say what it was on the box, so research was necessary.

Once you drop the pasta, throw your shrimp into the bacon/veggie pan, ladle in some pasta water, and put a lid on the pan. I used uncooked frozen shrimp straight from the freezer, shells on. Usually I thaw them, remove the tails, and devein them, but I was in a hurry and Andrew was hungry, so we peeled them ourselves while we ate.

While the pasta cooks, beat one egg in a small bowl.

Give the bacon/veggie mixture a stir, then dice the fresh mozzarella.

Drain the pasta - see how pretty?

Combine all ingredients in the pasta pot - the bacon/veggie mixture, the egg, the mozzarella, and the pasta. Stir to coat the pasta with the egg and evenly distribute the bacon, veggies, shrimp, and cheese.

Serve in bowls topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Andrew and I have come to love pasta night - I get to be creative, we get to use up various items in our fridge and freezer, and we always end up liking the results. Try your own throw together pasta next time you're short on time, ingredients, and ideas. Trust me, you'll like whatever you come up with.