For those who are looking to compare my version with the original, here are the differences: I used a red skinned yellow fleshed potato, about 6 oz. of whole wheat penne, and Bone Dust seasoning instead of Old Bay (I’m not going to spend $9 on a large container if I’m not sure I’ll ever use it again). I’ve got the cookbook Hot, Sticky and on Fire book by Ted Reader, where the Bone Dust recipe comes from. Unfortunately, it’s only available in Canada or through Amazon.ca. I got my copy as a gift several years ago, and we love many of the recipes in it.

Anyway, my version of the recipe can be found after the jump.

Corn Chowder Mac and Cheese

Makes 4 servings plus around 2 servings of leftovers

Salt and black pepper
6 oz whole wheat penne
2 cups frozen corn kernals
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1/4 lb. bacon, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 red skinned yellow fleshed potato, diced into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
2 tbsp. Bone Dust (or your favorite bbq dry rub)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 red chile pepper, such as fresno, seeded and chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped into 1/4-inch cubes
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup minced garlic (what can I say, we love garlic)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
2 cups whole milk
Few grates fresh nutmeg (I used about 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg)
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp yellow cheddar cheese

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook to al dente. Drain and return to the pot.

While water is boiling and pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and the bacon and cook until crisp. Add the corn, potato and Bone Dust to the skillet and brown for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the celery, chile pepper, bell pepper, onion, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add butter to the skillet and stir it into the veggie mixture until it melts. Add in the flour, then stir until it’s all mixed in. Add the milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook until the sauce coats a spoon thickly; lower the heat to low. Stir in the parmigiano-reggiano and the cheddar until it’s all melted.

Add the pasta to the large skillet and stir together. Serve immediately.

The original recipe calls for green beans, but they’re not a favorite in our house, so we just have a nice side salad instead.

Chicken with Apple Gravy and Rice Pilaf

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup unfiltered apple cider
2 scallions, chopped

Directions:

In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the rice and toast until light brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in 2 1/2 cups broth and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, stir in the peas and cheese.

While the rice cooks, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the skillet and cook until the juices run clear, 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet, then whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the apple cider and 1 cup chicken broth and cook until slightly thickened; season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

Pour the apple gravy over the chicken and serve the rice alongside. (The gravy tastes good on the rice too.)

Based on Chicken with Apple Gravy, Rice Piaf and Green Beans from Rachel Ray.

Biscuit Crusted Sausage Pie

non-stick cooking spray
1/2 lb bulk pork sausage with sage
1/2 recipe of your favorite biscuit recipe
1/2 red onion, sliced very thin
2 oz diced farmer’s cheese
2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
1/2 c milk
salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. In a non-stick skillet, cook sausage, crumbling it as it cooks, until browned and cooked through. Drain and set aside to cool.

Grease a 9″ round pie place. Press the biscuit dough into the pie plate so it’s even all the way around, and comes up to the top of the pan. (If you’re using a rolled biscuit dough recipe, roll the dough out into a circle that will fit the pie plate.)

In a medium bowl, combine cooked sausage, red onion slices and diced cheese, then spread evenly over the crust. In the same bowl, beat eggs, egg yolks, milk, and salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the sausage mixture. Bake until the middle is set, about 25 to 35 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

If you’re making this ahead, reheat in a 350 degree oven for about 15 to 20 minutes. If you’ve frozen the baked pie, thaw it in the fridge before reheating.

It’s been added to the “yes, we’d love to eat it again” list. I’ve included the nutrition information for the soup, but you need to be aware the fat count is way off. Yes, there’s half a pound of bacon, but all the fat that came out when it was cooked was drained off, so it’s not as bad as it looks.

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

 
Serves 6

1/2 pound bacon — chopped
1 medium onion — diced
2 medium carrots — sliced thin
1 pound ground round
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups chicken broth
2 medium potatoes — peeled and diced
2 cups milk, 1% lowfat
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese — cubed or shredded

Put bacon into a cold, large heavy bottomed Dutch oven. Turn heat onto medium to medium high and cook until the bacon starts to get crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and put onto a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Pour the bacon fat out of the pot and into a mug or something that can handle really hot stuff, leaving only what covers the bottom of the pot.

Add onion, carrots, ground round, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the pot and cook until the meat is browned. Drain off any liquid.

Add chicken broth and potatoes and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Add milk, and cook 5 minutes. Smash a bunch of the potatoes up to help thicken the soup.

Remove the pot from the heat. Add cheese to soup and stir until melted. Serve immediately.

– - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - –

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 658 Calories; 46g Fat (63.6% calories from fat); 42g Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 127mg Cholesterol; 1805mg Sodium.

Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 5 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 6 Fat.

NOTE: The fat count is *way* off, as most of the bacon fat is rendered out and drained off.

I did, and they loved it.

Monte Cristo Waffles

Preheat your waffle iron.

For each “waffle”, you’ll need to make a ham and cheese sandwich. Use your favorite ham and cheese, maybe put a little bit of mustard on it. Other toppings, like tomato, lettuce, etc., probably wouldn’t work too well.

Make your egg mixture. For 3 sandwiches, I beat together 2 eggs, a splash of milk, and a bit of salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Once you’ve got your sandwich made, dip each side of the sandwich in the egg mixture. Place the sandwich in the waffle iron and cook according to the directions for making waffles. They’re done when the sandwich is golden brown.

We didn’t eat them with butter and syrup, but I suppose you could if you wanted to.

It’s really not all that difficult. Prepare some ground beef as if you were making tacos, using your favorite spice blend (packed or scratch doesn’t matter as long as you like it). Put a layer of tortilla chips on a microwave safe plate or in an oven-proof dish. Sprinkle 1/3 to 1/2 (depending on whether you’re doing two or three layers of chips) of the taco meat on the chips. Sprinkle sharp cheddar or a Mexican blend of cheese over that. If you want to put salsa in, put little dots of it over the ships. You don’t want to do too much salsa or the chips will turn into a soggy mess.

Put on another layer of chips, and repeat with meat and cheese (and salsa). If you’re doing three layers, repeat the process a third time.

Once your nachos are assembled, put them in the microwave or oven until the cheese has melted. If you want, you can then garnish it with finely sliced green onions, cilantro, or whatever else floats your boat.

This recipe makes 6 jumbo sized muffins.

Chicken & Cheese Breakfast Muffins

 
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup diced cooked chicken
1 cup cheese crumbles
1/2 cup bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and spray the jumbo muffin tin with no-stick cooking spray.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, garlic powder and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. In a small bowl or 2 cup measuring cup, beat egg with a fork. Stir in milk and oil. Pour all at once into the well in the flour mixture. Mix quickly and lightly with a fork until about half mixed.

Add in chicken, bacon and cheese and stir until all the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter should be lumpy.

Divide the batter equally between the six jumbo muffin cups and abke for about 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

This Chili Cheese Fondue recipe is based on the Chili con Queso Fondue recipe by Rachel Ray. All I can say is darn, this is good! I served this with tortilla chips, pretzel rods, and celery and carrot sticks. Next time, I’ll switch slices of red and green bell peppers and omit the pretzels. The peppers might be a better match, providing better support for the chili flavor in the fondue.

The recipe below makes a nice light meal for two adults and two kids, or a good appetizer for four to six adults.

Chili Cheese Fondue

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken stock (eyeball it)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 – 3 drops liquid smoke
1 can tomato sauce (7 – 8 oz)
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 cups leftover meat (steak, chicken, pork – whatever you’ve got), chopped or shredded up into bite-size pieces

Suggestions for Dipping: Tortilla chips, Veggie sticks (bell peppers, carrots, celery – whatever you like), pretzel rods

In a medium-sized saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. (If your fondue pot can be used on the stovetop, you can cook everything in that.) Add the onion, garlic and jalapeño pepper and sauté until the veggies are tender, 5-6 minutes.

When the veggies are soft, add the butter. When it’s melted, add the flour and cook for one to two minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk the chicken stock into the butter-flour mixture, adding salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook until thickened, a couple of minutes.

Add the meat and cook until heated through. Mix in the shredded cheese and simmer until all of the cheese has melted, about 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce and chili powder and simmer until slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes.

Latin Mac & Cheese

 
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

* 1 pound whole wheat elbow pasta
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 3 tablespoons flour
* 1 cup chicken stock
* 2 cups milk
* 1/4 cup hot sauce
* 1/4 cup yellow mustard
* 3 cups Swiss or Gruyere cheese, shredded, plus additional for topping
* 1/2 cup pickles, chopped
* 1 lb cooked Latin-style pork shoulder, chopped (around 1/4″ sized pieces)
* A handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring it up to a boil to cook the pasta. Once at a boil, add some salt and the pasta and cook it until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a large pot over medium heat and add the butter. When the butter melts, add the flour, stir until it’s all mixed together and smooth, and cook about a minute. Whisk in stock, milk, hot sauce and yellow mustard, and bring up to a bubble. Stir in the cheese in a figure-eight motion, reserving enough to sprinkle on the top of the casserole, until it’s all melted. Fold in the pickles and ham, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

When the pasta is done, drain it well and combine with sauce.

Serve with a nice salad.

To say Ari can be picky and stubborn about what she eats is putting it very nicely. When she finds a new food, or food combination, she will eat, it’s a cause for celebration. She created this recipe last night, and I thought I would share it with you.

Ari’s Cheese Salad

Take one big handful of shredded lettuce and put it on your plate. Take one small handful of shredded cheese and sprinkle it on top of the lettuce.

Eat with a fork.