Three Cheese Mac and Cheese w/ Prosciutto & Leeks inspired by The Big Chili

One of my favorite types of books to read are cozy mysteries (or cozies). Although I've enjoyed almost every cozy I've read, I tend to gravitate towards the foodcentric ones. Weird, huh?  I credit Diane Mott Davidson and her Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery series for introducing me to the genre. A few more of my favorite culinary cozy series are the Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke, the Coffeehouse Mysteries by Cleo Coyle, the Wine Country Mysteries by Ellen Crosby, the Savannah Reid Mysteries by G.A. McKevett, and the Gourmet Girl Mysteries by Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant. I also enjoy the Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries by Jane Cleland, but they are't culinary centered.

Obviously I love the foodie-type ones. I mean, have you read the title of my site? Anything that combines two of my favorite things (food and books) is a-ok in my book...did you catch my post about joining the Foodies Read Challenge this year? Well, as a part of that, I'm hoping to introduce you to even more reads for you or the foodie in your life over the course of 2016.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Mac and Cheese

I know today is the first day of Spring, but since it doesn't officially start until 10:45 pm tonight—I'm going to slide in one last comfort food dish. Okay, I can't actually guarantee it's the last one; you never know when the mood may strike. But you know, in the spirit of the weather turning warm(ish) and all...

So yes, this dish. It had been dancing around in my head for quite some time before I actually made it happen. I'd been thinking back to some of my favorite foods growing up. There were certain meals that I always looked forward to. Chicken a la King, Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken Noodle Soup, Chicken Cordon Bleu...and I loved it when I heard my dad pounding out some chicken in the kitchen. That meant we were having either Chicken Cordon Bleu or Pepperoni Chicken Rolls. Hmmmm, I sense a theme here.

The funny thing is, even though these are some of my favorite childhood meals, I don't find myself making them very often for my own kids. What's wrong with me? I mean, chicken noodle soup and chicken pot pie are fairly regular, but none of the others. When I mentioned chicken cordon bleu, my kids looked at me without recognition registering on their faces. I mean, surely I'd made it once or twice before. Right? I racked my brain and think the last time I made it, my 17-year old was about 3 or 4. That meant that he didn't remember, and my two younger ones had never tried it. #momfail

Smack 'n Cheese Pizza + Homemade Pizza Dough

Pizza. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Seriously. It's a bit of a tradition in our house; we eat pizza once a week. Fortunately pizza is entirely versatile and customizable. Sometimes it's take-out, sometimes it's frozen (there's some good ones out there), and as often as possible, it's from scratch. It's funny, because every person in the house has a favorite crust or topping or combination thereof, so it's rare that we please everybody (entirely) in one meal. Good thing we do it once a week.

So when asked if I'd like to be a part of the Revolutionary Pizza book tour, the obvious answer was "psssshh, YES!". This cookbook is all sorts of fun. If you're a traditional pepperoni or just-cheese kind of pizza-eater, this cookbook is definitely too much fun for you. It's for the bold and adventurous eaters, and the daring of mouth! It's for those who aren't afraid to enjoy their meal and their cocktail all in one bite. It's for those who welcome crazy combinations and deconstructed favorites.

And yes, it's definitely for the people who've thrown back a few over the course of the day. Or night.

Pimiento Mac 'n Cheese

What's every kid's favorite food - at least at some point?*

Mmmm-hmmm, macaroni and cheese. It's been my daughter's favorite for darn near her whole 11 years. And she even likes the boxed stuff. Dare I say, I think she may even prefer it sometimes. Whatcha gonna do?

Now, me on the other hand, have never liked the boxed stuff. Not even as a kid. But I love me homemade mac and cheese. As often happens, we're tossing out ideas for dinner. 6 times out of 10, said daughter throws the mac out there as a suggestion. Groans rise up from around the room, and she looks wide-eyed around at everybody like she has no clue what their problems are.

But as long as I have some sort of pasta noodle in the pantry, and some sort of cheese in the fridge, everybody else is a lot more receptive.  This particular mac and cheese is all done on the stovetop, and can be on the table in under 30 minutes.

Oxtail Ragú over 4-Cheese Macaroni

Although it is officially Spring, you'd never be able to tell it by the snow boots still strewn all over our entryway.  Instead of witnessing quiet birds huddled together in the tree in my front yard, I want to hear a raucous racket of tweets and chirps that won't let me sleep!  I want to see tender green shoots with buds emerging from the ground, as opposed to those brittle remains of the last time we didn't have to pull on hats and gloves when we walked out the front door.

Phil lied.  I always knew he was unreliable.

So, it's with visions of Spring cleaning (really) in my head, I'm balancing bouts of cabin fever with a few last hurrahs of hunkering down with comfort food.  I know it shouldn't be stick-to-your-ribs meal time anymore.  I do.  However, I find braised meat that is not only pull-apart tender, but rich and warm like a blanket, enough to make me enjoy this still-frigid weather.  Winter's final hurrah, if  you will.

But don't tell Phil I said that.  I'm still not talking to him.

Oxtail Ragú over 4-Cheese Macaroni

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 30 minutes (includes meat-pull

Cook Time: ~2½ hours

Keywords: braised entree beef cheese pasta oxtails

Ingredients (serves 8-10)

for the oxtail ragu:

• 3 lbs. oxtails, 2-inch sections
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbs. olive, corn, or vegetable oil
• ~1 c. all-purpose flour, for dredging
• 3 small onions, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled & smashed
• 1 small carrot, carrot
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 c. red wine
• 2 c. Pomì strained tomatoes
• 3 c. beef stock or broth

for the four-cheese macaroni:

• 1 lb. cavatappi
• 3 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 2 c. whole milk
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. ground white pepper
• 18 oz. shredded white cheese (I used a mixture of Aged Irish Cheddar, Dubliner, Gouda, and Swiss)

to serve:

• fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

making the oxtail ragu:

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Trim any excess fat from oxtails and season liberally with salt and pepper. Dredge them in flour. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over high heat until it is very, very hot. Add prepared oxtails and sear them on all sides until browned, ~8-10 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside. Drain all but one tablespoon of grease from the pot and return to heat.

Add onions to same pot, stirring almost constantly, until browned, ~5-7 mins. Add garlic, carrot, and herbs to the pot and saute for another 5 minutes. Add wine and let bubble for about 1 minute. Add the Pomì tomatoes and the beef stock and bring to a boil; let bubble for 5-10 minutes before carefully adding the oxtails to the pot. Cover and slide into preheated oven for 1½-2 hours, or until meat is falling off bone.

Remove pot from oven and carefully remove oxtails to a bowl or plate. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones and shred into small pieces with a fork. Also remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf at this point.

Discard the bones (or save for another purpose, if you wish. I give mine to my husband and he gets ridiculously giddy).

Skim the fat from the surface of the sauce, and then return the shredded meat to the pot. At this point, you should have a very thick ragú. If by chance it is not thick, set over medium heat and reduce until thick. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed.

Serve over 4-Cheese Macaroni, sprinkled with parsley.

making the Macaroni and Cheese

When the ragu is almost ready to come out of the oven, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the cavatappi and boil for 8 minutes.

In the meantime, melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and whisk in the flour to form a roux; cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk, salt, and white pepper until smooth and bring just to the simmer. Let bubble until thick and then turn off heat. Whisk in the cheeses until melted.

Drain the cavatappi and toss with the cheese sauce. Serve immediately with the oxtail ragu over the top.

notes:

Refrigerate leftovers tightly covered for up to 3 days.

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And by Phil, I mean that lying groundhog.

I received two free cartons of Pomì Tomatoes for tasting purposes.  All opinions stated in this post are my own.

Macaroni and Cheese w/ Roasted Jalapeño-Tomato Salsa

Although my favorite mac 'n cheese and I are still going steady, if anything were to ever come between us, it would be this version.  It's smooth and creamy and laced with the deep earthiness of roasted chiles, tomatoes, onions, and garlic.  Though it's infused with a pleasant heat, it is still classically cheesy.  We definitely hit if off.

I gave it a little gift after we spent time together in the kitchen.  Tortilla strips.  Okay, tortilla squares to be exact.  Crisp.  Salty.  The perfect adornment.  Don't let the photograph fool you.  I stacked on another handful and stirred it up before tucking in.  Sure, you could forgo the tortillas for buttered bread crumbs.  If you're into that kind of thing.  You could even shun all "jewelry" and go bare.  I wouldn't blame you.  It looks good in nothing. And tastes good, too.

Macaroni and Cheese w/ Roasted Jalapeño-Tomato Salsa

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Keywords: entree side vegetarian cheese chiles pasta tomatoes American

Ingredients (serves 8)

Roasted Jalapeño-Tomato Salsa:

• 1½ lbs. ripe plum tomatoes (~10 medium)
• 1-1½ oz. jalapeños, stemmed (2-3)
• 2 oz. white onion, sliced ¼" thick (~½ small)
• 4 fat garlic cloves, peeled
• ~¼ c. water
• ⅓ c. fresh chopped cilantro, loosely packed
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1½ tsp. cider vinegar

for the mac and cheese:

• 2 c. milk
• 2 oz. butter
• ¼ c. all-purpose flour
• 2 c. Roasted Jalapeño-Tomato Salsa
• 12 oz. shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese
• ~1½ tsp. salt
• 1 lb. cavatappi (or other short spiral or twisty pasta)

to garnish:

• chopped cilantro, optional
• fried tortilla pieces, optional

Instructions

making the Roasted Jalapeño-Tomato Salsa (yield ~2½ c.):

Heat the broiler. Lay the tomatoes, jalapeños, onions, and garlic cloves on a broiler pan, baking sheet, or foil. Set pan below broiler and broil until darkly roasted and blacked in spots, turning as needed. The garlic will get done before everything else, just pull it out and continue on with the rest. This could take a total of ~12-15 minutes.

Transfer jalapeños, onion, and garlic to the jar of a blender or food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl. Add the tomatoes (peel first, if you wish) to the jar without rinsing it out first, along with any accumulated juices and coarsely puree them. Add them to the bowl. Stir in enough of the water to give the salsa an easily spoonable consistency. Stir in the cilantro. Season with salt and vinegar.

Will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 5 days if necessary.

making the Macaroni and Cheese:

Fill a large pot with about 4 quarts of heavily salted water and bring to a boil.

Melt butter over medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Stir in the flour and whisk until mixture turns a deep golden hue, ~2 minutes. Add milk all at once and whisk constantly until mixture thickens and comes to a boil, 4-5 minutes. Stir in the salsa, then remove from heat and add cheese, stirring until it melts. Taste and season with salt.

When the water has come to a boil, add pasta and cook until al dente (according to package directions). Drain and return to pot. Stir in the cheese sauce and then spoon into a serving dish or dishes.

Sprinkle each dish with a bit of cilantro, if you like. You can also top it with some fried tortilla strips, for added crunch.

note:

You could transfer the macaroni and cheese to a buttered baking dish, top it with buttered bread crumbs, and bake 375° F until golden.

adapted from Salsas That Cook by Rick Bayless

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I am sharing this post with:
IHCC theme: Salsas and Sauces
Presto Pasta Nights hosted by creator Ruth at Once Upon a Feast this week.

King Ranch Chicken Mac and Cheese

A riff on King Ranch Chicken Casserole, a quintessential Texan potluck dish, this mac and cheese is just as creamy and comforting as you'd expect the casserole itself to be.  As a matter of fact, I've never even made the casserole...though it's something I've "meant" to make.  It's still on my list, but until then I'm happy as a pig in mud to eat another serving of this sinful dish.  When I received the January issue of Southern Living in the mail, this was on the cover.  It reminded me that Kim made it last month...and I wanted it.

So, I really started to wonder where King Ranch Chicken Casserole got its name...what are its roots.  And the best I answer I found is:  it's murky.  Huh.  One common thought is that it originates from the actual King Ranch in Texas.  This is a charge they deny.  Another theory is that it's size (think large casserole) relates to the wide open spaces of Texas.  Or perhaps it comes from a Tex-Mex twist on Chicken a la King (this idea comes from Lisa, The Homesick Texan...and it's as good a guess as any).  Which reminds me.  I've never talked about Chicken a la King here- and I LOVE it.  L.O.V.E.  LOVE it.  It's going on my reminder list.  Yes, I have numerous lists.  So many lists, in fact, that I think I should be called King Ranch List-Maker.  No?  Yeah, that was bad.  Anyway.

I don't know its exact origins.  And I'm okay with that.  As long as I can eat it.

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King Ranch Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Keywords: entree side pasta cheese American Southwest

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 8 oz. cavatappi pasta
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/ green chiles
• 8 oz. Velveeta, cut into chunks
• 3 c. chopped, cooked chicken
• 1 (10¾ oz.) can cream of chicken soup
• ½ c. sour cream
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• ½ tsp. ground cumin
• 6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

Preaheat oven to 350° F. Grease an 11"x7" dish or a 10" cast-iron skillet. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and reserve.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and saute until tender, 3-5 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes w/ green chiles and Velveeta; cook, stirring constantly until Velveeta melts, 2-3 minutes. Stir in chicken, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, chili powder, and cumin along with the reserved pasta. Pour or spoon into prepared pan and sprinkle with the shredded cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.

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p.s... Yes, this contains Velveeta and condensed soup.  Throw caution to the wind and make it anyway.  If you like creamy, comforting mac and cheese with a hit of spice and juicy chunks of chicken, then you won't be disappointed.

I am sharing this post with:
PPN #247 hosted at Cook. Craft. Enjoy.

Poblano Macaroni and Cheese {The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off}

I am dismissing any of my previous Macaroni and Cheese's as mere crushes.  Sure, we've had some fun. Ever since my youngest sister was "old enough" to start bringing her own contributions to our annual Thanksgiving feast, she's brought her version with her.  It's rich and creamy and I crush on it for the whole day...and several days afterwards.  Plus, I start looking forward to it about a month before turkey day each year.  There was also a period in time when I was seduced by the rich, creamy, so-good-it's-gotta-be-fattening version that is not only scented with rosemary and the rich tang of goat cheese, but also studded with tender bites of chicken.  I blame a handsome, bald, tattooed chef with an Ohio accent and a sexy laugh for that crush.  And we all know that bacon is to blame for my enduring crush on this version.  Smoky, delicious, brainwashing bacon.  While I will always cherish these past crushes (as I now recognize them to be) and probably pull out their pictures and reminisce about them from time to time...and heck, even visit with them (you know, for old-times sake), I've found a new love.  A true love.  A love will endure through thick and thin.   Who would've guessed that a Homesick Texan would have been the one to introduce me to the "real thing"?  Even the hubs, who takes a pass on mac and cheese normally went back for thirds! Unfortunately for him, he had to be satisfied with seconds, because the dish was empty. {chuckle}  I want to eat this daily.  Is there really anything so wrong with that?  While the earthy, roasted poblano chiles and gooey cheese combined to start me swooning, I think it was the warm, heady scent of cumin that pushed me over the edge.  I ♥ Poblano Macaroni and Cheese.  I want to marry it.  I don't think Mexi would mind...

Poblano Macaroni and Cheese 

adapted from The Homesick Texan Cookbook
serves 8 (<----uuuummmmm, no. So good, you'll want huge helpings. I say it serves ~4)

2 poblano chiles
8 oz. elbow pasta
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
4-6 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1½ c. whole milk
1 tsp. mustard powder
¼ tsp. cayenne
½ tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. lime zest
½ c. chopped cilantro
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
12 oz. grated white cheddar cheese (I used half white, half yellow)

for serving:
Cotija cheese (or goat cheese...not the same thing, but I had it and wanted to use it and it rocked)
Tortilla chips, crushed

Roast the poblanos under the broiler until blackened, ~5 minutes per side.  Remove and cover them to let them steam, for ~20 minutes.  I like to roast them right on top of a large sheet of foil, then just bring the foil up and around the chiles.  Peel/rub off the skins and remove the stems and seeds, then dice into ~1" chunks.

Bring a large salted pot of water to a boil and cook pasta until just al dente.  Preheat your oven to 375° F.  Grease a large baking dish or cast-iron skillet (personally, I'd choose an 8"-10") and set aside.

In a pot set over low heat, melt the butter.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Whisk in the flour and cook until light brown and toasty smelling, ~1 minute more.  Whisk in the milk and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes.  Remove pot from heat and stir in mustard powder, cayenne, cumin, lime zest, cilantro, and prepared poblanos.  Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper, as needed.

Stir half of the cheese into the sauce until melted.  Throw in the pasta and stir until coated.  Pour into prepared dish.  Top with remaining cheddar cheese and bake, uncovered, until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden.  Sprinkle with Cotija (or goat cheese) right when it comes out of the oven (to help it melt in a bit) and crushed tortilla chips (you could also sprinkle these on top before baking, if you wish), if you wish.

*This post is part of The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted (right here!) at girlichef*

(watch for the sopapillas in a few days...)

I am also sharing this post with:
Mangoes and Chutney: Mac and Cheese Quest
Presto Pasta Nights hosted at Pictures of All My Princesses