Grownup Mac & Cheese

Last night, I made one of the best macaroni and cheese recipes that I have ever eaten.  Seriously.  One of my best friends posted this recipe in her facebook notes ages ago, along with lots of other deliciousness.  Every once and awhile, when I think of it, I page through her notes and steal her fantastic recipes;)  I'm not sure why I haven't made this one before, but I am glad that I found it.  I will say, my kids weren't as big of fans of this as the adults were.  I also say that their opinions don't count though, since all they really want me to do is start buying Kraft Mac & Cheese again and it is the standard against which they judge all others.  Enjoy & THANK YOU Jen!

Here is what you will need

Please note that I doubled this recipe for my family.  The pictures above are of the doubled recipe.  

Grownup Mac & Cheese

8 oz. cavatappi (can use macaroni)- I used mini Penne

3 1/2 Tbs. butter (divided)

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots

2 Tbs. flour

1/2 cup dry white wine

3/4 cup chicken broth

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

7 oz. grated gruyere (I used Fontina which was delicious also)

3 oz. grated aged gouda, smoked gouda or romano (I went with smoked gouda...because I'm obsessed with it)

2 Tbs. minced fresh chives

1 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. coarse salt (divided)

1/8 tsp. cayenne (more if you like it spicy!)

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

4 oz. (1/4 loaf) crusty sourdough bread, torn into large pieces

Preheat oven to 400.

Cook pasta until al dente in salted water, drain but do not rinse.

In large frypan, melt 2 Tbs. of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until they're light golden - about 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook & stir another minute. Add wine & broth, then cook & stir, scraping up the yummy browned bits. Add cream, stir well. Add the grated cheeses, one handful at a time, stirring each handful until melted. Stir in the chives, mustard, 1/4 tsp. of the salt, the cayenne & nutmeg. Stir pasta into this mixture, and dump it all into a 2-qt. baking dish.

Place the broken sourdough pieces, the remaining 1 1/2 Tbs. butter and the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt into a food processor. Pulse until it becomes coarse crumbs. Sprinkle this on top of the pasta, pop it into the oven, and bake 20 minutes until bread is lightly brown & crunchy and cheese is bubbly.

Serves 6

Source: Jen P.

One Year Ago:  Bowties in Sausage Cream Sauce

Knoephla Soup

Last night, I was watching a documentary on PBS about the Germans from Russia that are so common in North Dakota.  It was a very interesting program, especially so for me because my grandparents on my dad's side are part of that culture.  Recently, I have heard my grandpa talk more and more about what it was like to be a youngster in a very large, poor farming family in Western ND.  My grandpa could have been one of those interviewed, his story was so like others that went through the same hard times.  I think he would really enjoy the program, I believe it was called Of Earth and Sky.  One interesting tidbit that my grandpa recently told me, was that he never actually had a birth certificate.  He was born at harvesting time and his family did not have the time to take care of it during that busy season.  It was apparently, forgotten and never did happen.  In the grand scheme of things, those times are not long behind us, but things have certainly changed dramatically.

One piece of my Germans from Russia heritage is Knoephla soup.  I grew up eating this, often with premade "knoephla dumplings" that a local company called Baker Boy makes.  We always made the recipe on the back of that package.  Recently, I started wondering how hard it would really be to do it entirely from scratch.  I came up with this recipe and I am really happy with it.  I also like the fact that it contains much less than the entire stick of butter the Baker Boy recipe calls for.

Knoephla Soup

2 Tbsp. butter

2-3 carrots, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

2 Tbsp. chicken base

2 Qts. water

3-4 potatoes, peeled & diced

3-4 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. dill weed, optional

1/2 tsp black pepper (or to taste), optional

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c. cream

Dough:

2 c. flour

2 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1/2 c. milk

Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large stockpot.  Add carrots, celery, and onion.  Saute until the vegetables are crisp tender and onion is beginning to turn translucent.  

Add 2 Qts. water, chicken base, potatoes, bay leaves, dill weed, and pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.  

Meanwhile, combine dough ingredients and knead until smooth and elastic.  I like to throw mine in my kitchen aide mixer and let the bread hook attachment do the work for me:)  Lightly flour your counter and gently roll out dough into a "rope" (approximately 1" in diameter).  Use a pizza cutter or knife to slice the dough in 1" increments.  As you slice, add the cut dumplings to the soup.  Let simmer for 5 more minutes.  

Combine cream of chicken soup and cream with a whisk.  Add to soup.  Let simmer for 2 more minutes.  

Enjoy!  

One Pot Mac & Cheese

I am so excited, because I just found THE EASIEST recipe for mac & cheese (that doesn't come from a blue box).  Yes, there are fancier and tastier recipes out there, but this one is PERFECT for a quick lunch.  My kids gobbled it up, I think it was one of their favorites.  This is going to be my new go-to recipes for the quick lunchtime macaroni.  Can't beat it!  Just a few ingredients, one pot, quick, and TASTY!  This also fits right in with my post from yesterday, about minimizing the processed ingredients in our diet and cooking more from scratch!

Picture will be coming soon...next time I make it!  I didn't have my camera handy at lunchtime today but I didn't want to forget where I got this recipe, so I am posting it anyway!

One Pot Mac & Cheese

4 cups water

2 cups milk

4 chicken bouillon cubes

1 lb. macaroni noodles (or other small pasta)

3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

In a large saucepan, mix water, milk, bouillon, and pasta. Bring to a boil and let it simmer, stirring occasionally, until nearly all of the liquid is gone and the pasta is tender (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Enjoy!

Makes 6 servings

Source: Recipe Shoebox

Fettuccine Alfredo

Last night, I made Fettuccine Alfredo.  Don't let the simplicity of the recipe fool you, it was incredibly delicious.  Often times, simple is best.  Because my boys feel like they must have meat with every meal, I marinated 2 chicken breasts in Zesty Italian salad dressing for 3-4 hours and grilled them.  I then sliced them and served it on top of the Fettuccine Alfredo.  The chicken was delicious with it, but not really necessary, in my opinion.  You just go ahead and do whatever floats your boat.  

Here is what you need to get started, a mere 6 ingredients:

Fettuccine Alfredo

1 lb. Fettuccine Noodles

1 stick Butter

1 c. Heavy Cream

Salt & Pepper, to taste

2 c. Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.  

In a saucepan or skillet, warm butter and cream.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  

Grate Parmesan cheese and place half of it into a large serving bowl.  Pour warm butter/cream mixture over the top.  

Drain pasta and immediately pour it into the bowl.  Toss a couple of times, then sprinkle in the other half of the Parmesan.  

Toss to combine, thinning with pasta water if necessary.  Serve immediately as a main course or an accompaniment to meat or salad.  

Source: PW

Cheese Buttons (AKA: Kase Knepfla)

One of my warmest childhood memories is having Cheese Buttons at my grandmothers house.  They were, hands down, my favorite food growing up and I still think of them as the ultimate in comfort food today.  When I first married my husband, he wasn't impressed by them...I am pretty sure they are growing on him too.  That could have something to do with that I have become much better at making them.  These may seem odd to all of you non-Germans out there, but give them a try!  I always serve these with canned peaches, because that is what grandma always did:0)

Cheese Buttons (Kase Knepfla)

Dough:

2 1/2 c. flour

1 egg

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. water

Filling:

2 c. dry curd cottage cheese 

1 egg

salt and pepper, to taste

Finishing Ingredients:

Butter, 1/4-1/2 c.

Stale bread pieces (I use at least 5-6 pieces), torn

1 medium onion, sliced

Serve With:
Heavy Cream

Salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients together.  It will be a very stiff dough.  I find that it is very easy to use my Kitchen Aid bread hook to mix this.

Combine filling ingredients together.

Roll dough about 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 inch squares.  Place a spoon-full of filling on half on each square.  Fold dough over and pinch sides together securely to make the button (my grandma always made triangles instead, so that is what I usually do).

Put buttons into a kettle of slowly boiling salted water and cook for no more than 10 minutes (they are done when they float).  Boil and handle gently, or you may lose filling.

Fry Cheese Buttons in a large skillet with the other finished ingredients until lightly browned.

Drizzle with heavy cream and salt to taste.