Broccoli Basil Mac and Cheese

I'm not out to go out and ruin something perfect like mac and cheese.  I like healthy food, but I like food that tastes good more.  And if it tastes great, all the better.

I used to think that the only way to improve upon mac and cheese was to add bacon.  And perhaps more cheese.

As it turns out, a helping of vegetables actually improves mac and cheese, bringing some depth to the dish.

This isn't like Jessica Seinfeld sneaking vegetables into food for kids, making nobody happy in the process.  This is making a basil crumb topping to brighten the flavors.  This is pulsing together creme fraiche, cheese, and cherry tomatoes to create an irresistible filling.

I'm the first to admit that cutting up a butternut squash isn't my favorite activity, but if you aren't up to the task, feel free to buy some pre-cut squash.  Roasting the squash before adding it to the mac assures that it is completely tender by the time you're digging in.  

This is no "healthified" mac and cheese that takes away everything delicious about mac and cheese.  Instead it just adds to the beauty of an already great dish.  Dig in!

Broccoli Basil Mac and Cheese

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

1 small butternut (or other winter) squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into tiny pieces

Olive oil

1 bunch of basil, stems removed

2 slices good wheat bread, stale or dried out in oven

Small head of broccoli, roughly chopped

1/2 cup creme fraiche (or sour cream)

3 cups white cheddar cheese, grated

3 cups gruyere, grated

1 pint or yellow cherry tomatoes

3 cups (300 g) dried whole wheat macaroni

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  

Place pieces of squash on a cookie sheet and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, pulse half the basil, all of the dried out bread, the broccoli, and a glug of olive oil in a food processor until a fine crumb forms.  Remove crumbs to a bowl and rinse out the food processor.  

In a separate bowl, combine grated cheese and creme fraiche.

Place the cherry tomatoes and the remaining half of the basil in the food processor.  Pulse a couple of times to break things up.  Stir in the grated cheese and creme fraiche mixture.  

Boil macaroni in salted water until just slightly undercooked.  Drain, reserving one cup of pasta water.  Return the pasta to the pot it was boiled in and stir in the cheese mixture.  Add pasta water, as needed, to thin the mixture to the consistency of cream.  If it is runny, the pasta will soak it up in the oven.

Transfer pasta mixture to a large baking or casserole dish.  Sprinkle with green crumbs.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until the topping is crunchy.  Wait ten minutes before serving.  

Spicy Baked Ziti

"Don't take this the wrong way," he says, "but this tastes kind of like the Hamburger Helper I used to make."  "Oh okay," she says, taking it the wrong way.

Just a little snippet from my my life, folks.

Don't worry, I wouldn't post a recipe of something I thought tasted like Hamburger Helper.  Just something John thought tasted like Hamburger Helper...in a good way.  (He and I are both in love with this dish and I have made it twice in two weeks.)

I will admit there is a je ne sais quoi quality to this recipe.  And it isn't that it tastes like Hamburger Helper.  It might be the eggs beaten into the sauce or the Worcestershire sauce tossed in, but there is something about this recipe that makes it taste more savory and delicious than the ingredients make it out to be.  There is no cheese at all in this recipe, yet it tastes so rich.  John's not a big cheese guy (though I didn't say he wasn't cheesy), so it works out to our benefit.

Two teaspoons of chipotle powder make this slightly spicy, but not so much that you are reaching for your big glass of water.  It just adds another depth of flavor to the dish that separates it from the more traditional baked pasta.  If you don't like spicy food, cut it down to about 1 teaspoon of chipotle powder.

In the time it takes to boil your ziti, you will have prepared a delicious meat sauce to toss with the pasta and bake.  It is simple enough to make the night you eat it, or you can make it and keep it in the fridge overnight before baking it.  Make sure you bring it close to room temperature before baking, or the je ne sais quoi in this ziti will be a lukewarm center.

Spicy Baked Ziti
From Not Your Mother's Casseroles

1 pound ziti
1 pound ground beef or pork
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
One 28-oz can tomato sauce (I recommend Muir Glen)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup quality dry bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease casserole dish with olive oil.  Cook a pound of ziti according the package directions until barely al dente.  Drain and toss with a drizzle of olive oil, return to pot.

In a large pot or skillet heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium high heat.  Add ground beef and cook, stirring and breaking up until crispy and well browned.

Add the chopped onion and garlic to the browned meat and turn the heat to medium low.  Cook for 10 minutes or until the onion and garlic are softened.  Add tomato paste and chipotle and cook for another minute or two.

Stir is tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer.  Simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce is slightly reduced.  Let the sauce cool for at least five minutes and season with sugar, salt, and pepper to taste.  When cooled slightly stir in the beaten eggs.  Spread the cooked pasta in the casserole dish and pour sauce over pasta.  Mix a little, but no need to combine thoroughly.

In a small skillet heat butter over medium heat and when melted add the bread crumbs.  Cook until bread crumbs have absorbed the butter and then spread evenly over pasta.  At this point the casserole can be refrigerated for 24 hours and brought to room temperature before cooking.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, uncovered, until the bread crumbs are browned.  Let stand for a couple of minutes before  serving.

Butternut Squash and Bacon Strata

In vain I have struggled.  It will not do.  My feelings will not be repressed.  I must tell you how ardently I admire and love my cleaning lady.  She has changed my life in a way not many people have.  When you're a working woman, especially one who has unpredictable hours, keeping up with cleaning can be a bit, er, difficult.  The older we get the cleaner people seem to want to keep their houses (or is that just me?), the bigger our living spaces seem to become, and the more responsibility we're getting at work.  Recipe for disaster.  Enter: cleaning lady.

Having a cleaning lady allows me to do things I enjoy that I probably wouldn't have time for, mainly cooking and blogging.  I'm sure I would get to cook some, but frankly, cooking some isn't enough for me.  Cooking and talking (/blogging) about food has become a real outlet for me that I have no intention of giving up.  The more I cook the more I want to cook.  The more I eat the more I want to eat.  But that's another issue.

Often, lately, I find myself making comfort foods.  Because life with a cleaning lady is rough.  This casserole fits the comfort food bill and happens to combine two of my favorite ingredients: butternut squash and bacon.  Mine didn't turn out spicy, so I might up the spice next time.  This recipe isn't exactly a looker, but it sure is delicious.  A creamy sauce binds the squash slices and a crisp breadcrumb topping makes it all the more incredible.  I'm on a casserole kick thanks to my new casserole pan and casserole cookbook, and I thank my cleaning lady for affording me the free time to develop such obsessions.  With or without a cleaning lady, this recipe is a must-make while butternut squash is still in season.

Butternut Squash and Bacon Strata
Adapted from Not Your Mother's Casseroles

4-6 slices bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
One 3-4 pound butternut squash
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder, cayenne pepper, or smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoon olive oil
3 sprigs thyme (leaves only)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease baking dish with olive oil or butter.

Place bacon in large skillet and turn heat to low.  Slowly cook bacon for 10 minutes until crisp.  Add onion and cook over medium heat for another 10 minutes, until translucent.  Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the butternut squash.  Cut the squash in half horizontally, separating the bulbous seed portion for the skinnier top.  Slice skin off of both portions and then cut in half.  Remove seeds from bulbous portion. Now that squash is cut into quarters and the skin is removed, slice into 1/4 inch slices (they will look like half moons or semi-circles).

In greased baking dish layer one layer of squash semicircles on the bottom, overlapping the layers slightly.

As garlic turns fragrant stir in chipotle powder, salt, and pepper.  Stir in cream and milk and bring to a simmer.  Remove pan from heat.

Using a slotted spoon remove half the onions and bacon, spreading them over the initial squash layer in the pan.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese on top of the onions.  Layer half of the remaining squash on top.  On top of this layer add the remaining bacon and onions and top with another 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Place the last layer of squash on top and pour all the liquid from the pan over the squash.

In a small bowl mix the bread crumbs, olive oil, and thyme leaves together with a fork.  Sprinkle evenly over the casserole.  (You can cover the casserole and put it in the fridge for 24 hours at this point.)

Bake uncovered for 40-50 minutes until the squash is tender and the liquid is bubbling.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving, if you can wait that long.

Five Things

Vacations are always wonderful, but going back to work afterwards is a headache when you're playing catchup for a few days.  It's John's birthday week and we will be celebrating until Sunday when we go out to a surprise dinner.  I figured this was a great week to list my ultimate favorite, John, as one of this week's Five Things.

Yes, Girl Scout cookies, again.  I have a feeling I'm not the only one lusting after Girl Scout cookies this year. I go through these boxes by myself in about three days.  It's just so dangerous that the adorable Girl Scouts always lurk outside my favorite haunt - farmers markets.  This week I opted for Samoas and now I can't decide if I like those more than Tagalongs!  Maybe next week I'll get both to compare.

I grew up eating pretzels.  Preferably of the Snyder's variety.  I would sit down on the floor (undoubtedly in some contorted position my parents couldn't imagine was comfortable to me) with a bag of Snyder's and a huge glass of 1/2% milk (yeah, you read that right) and chow down.  Nowadays I don't really have milk in my house, so I stick with the pretzels solo.  Apparently they carry Snyder's at Whole Foods now.  Dangerous.

My newest cookbook arrived just in time for us to go on vacation.  Be on the lookout for lots of casseroles on the blog in the near future.  This cookbook seems wonderful so far - I've made two recipes and both are winners.  Hopefully I'll be able to change your mind about casseroles like this book has done for me.  I sprained my ankle slightly earlier this week so one morning instead of working out I made a casserole, put it in my fridge, and that night dinner was "made" by slipping it in the oven.  That's something I could get used to!

Casseroles are also a blessing for leftovers.  I'm not a leftovers kind of gal (as my mom can attest), but casseroles and soups are two things that almost always taste better the next day.  Right now we have one waiting in our fridge to be reheated for dinner tomorrow night.  It's spending the evening chatting with the lonely beers in our fridge that haven't been touched since the last time we had beer drinkers around.

And just because I love you guys, here's a bonus picture of our shaggy beast.

Chipotle Mac & Cheese

Am I the only one who thought of chipotle as more of a Mexican fast-food joint than an item you cook with?  Apparently, chipotles are dried jalapenos, and the ones canned in adobo (the can comes with almost 10 peppers) are extra flavorful.  I bought a can of chipotles in adobo to make this recipe and I'll never be the same.  When mixed in well it makes the whole dish taste of spicy smokiness.  Yum.

It's shocking I haven't managed to put bacon in mac and cheese before, but needless to say, it makes a great thing even better.  But what puts this mac and cheese over the top is the combination of chipotle and bacon.  Both have a smokiness and richness that tastes perfect together.

The pasta cooks in the oven (lasagna-style), so you don't have to bother with the pre-cooking step.  Instead of cooking in water, it absorbs the flavor of chipotle-spiced milk it cooks in.

This mac and cheese gets a crispy top and crispy sides, which means even more of the best part of the mac and cheese.  Honestly, this is one of the best things I have made in ages.  I might even make it again next weekend it was so good.  And it happens to be a lot easier than other mac and cheese recipes, which makes it even better.  If you don't like spicy food you could just make the recipe without the chipotle (though I would add some fresh pepper), and if you don't like bacon then you know what to do.

Speaking of bacon...Does someone smell the bacon?  Harper rarely seems interested when I cook dinner, but bacon piqued her interest like it would to any good LaBarre.

Chipotle Mac & Cheese
Adapted from Homesick Texan

Butter for the pan
2 cups uncooked elbow pasta
2 cups whole milk
1 cup cottage cheese
1 chipotle chili canned in adobo (look in the international section)
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of cumin
Kosher salt to taste
3 cups freshly shredded cheese (a mixture of Monterey jack and cheddar)
4-6 pieces of cooked bacon, chopped into small pieces

Cook 4-6 pieces of bacon in a 400 degree oven  for 15 minutes (or until crispy).  Drain on paper towels.  When done, change the oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Butter a 9-inch cast iron pan or a 9x9 baking pan.  Add 2 cups of uncooked elbow pasta to a large bowl.  In a blender, mix 1 cup cottage cheese, 2 cups whole milk, 1 chipotle chili, 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard powder, 2 minced garlic cloves, pinch of cumin, and kosher salt until smooth.  Add milk mixture to the bowl with dried pasta.  Stir until mixed completely and then stir in 2 cups of shredded cheese (a mixture of Monterey jack and cheddar).  Pour the soupy mixture into the greased pan and cover tightly with foil.  Bake for 30 minutes and then remove from the oven.  Stir in half the bacon (it will still be soupy) and then top with the remainder of the bacon and the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese.  Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes until the top is bubbling and browned.

Christmas Morning Casserole

Every year for as long as I can remember, my dad has been in charge of making the Christmas morning casserole.  This breakfast bake involves cubes of bread, milk, cheese, and ham and is placed in oven in the morning when the late-rising child (ahem, me) finally crawls out of bed and comes down for presents.  While the presents under the tree are ransacked, the casserole bakes for about an hour, usually finishing as soon as we are done untying the last ribbon and are surveying our hoards of presents.  We eat the piping hot casserole and eagerly await the stockings sitting in the next room.  Once we have finished breakfast, the stockings are emptied faster than Santa filled them.  

This year, since I was hosting my family for Christmas, I decided I wanted to carry on the Christmas Morning Casserole tradition, but put my own spin on it.  I'm not much of a ham-kind-of-gal, so I went with sausage instead.  Perhaps next time I'll use sausage and bacon to make it a real gut-buster.  Plenty of sharp cheddar cheese, loads of whole milk, almost a dozen eggs, and cubes of Italian bread fill up the rest of this breakfast treat.  While Christmas is long gone, I still wanted to share this recipe with you in case you are ever in charge of feeding a family on Christmas morning or perhaps have a brunch to serve.  It's easy to make, and best of all, sits in the fridge overnight so that all you have to do is pop it in the oven on the day you want to eat it.

Not a person (or puppy) went hungry on Christmas morning because of this sausage casserole.  (Don't worry, we didn't give Harper any.)

Sausage Breakfast Casserole
From Simply Recipes

1 pound Italian pork sausage (I used sweet, not spicy)
4 1/2 cups day-old Italian bread, cubed (I used one large loaf)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
10 eggs, slightly beaten
4 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon dried mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Slice links open and discard casings.  Break into small pieces and cook until browned on all sides.  Do not overcrowd or the sausage will not brown.  When fully cooked, place on paper towels to drain (and crumble into smaller pieces if necessary).

Butter a 9x13 pan and place cubes of bread inside.  On top of bread, spread out 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese.  Combine 10 eggs (lightly beaten), 4 cups whole milk, 1 teaspoon dried mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and freshly ground black pepper in a very large mixing bowl.  Pour mixture over bread and cheese.  Sprinkle cooked sausage on top and cover and chill overnight.  The next morning preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Bake (uncovered) at 325 degrees for about an hour. When the top is browned, it should be done.  Serves 6-8 people.

Tomato Crouton Casserole

Tomato season is coming to a close, so it's time to make the most of those last beauties.  The weather is getting a bit colder, so it's nice to have a warm, comforting dish that utilizes those last fresh tomatoes.  This tomato crouton "casserole" can work as a fancy side dish or a main dish with a nice salad.  I actually just ate the whole pan by myself since John was out of town.  That was a bit of overkill, but hey, your opportunities are endless.

I used sweet purple cherry tomatoes, though you can use really any kind of fresh tomato you have on hand.  I'm a big fan of the smaller tomatoes, though the larger ones would hold up a bit better when cooking.   

This dish has three stars - tomatoes, bread, and parmesan.  A nice thick round of French bread works great for this recipe.  You cut off the crust and then snack on it while making the rest of the dish.  Or instead you can save it because the recipe you make the next day requires bread crumbs and you have run out.

Carbs + Tomatoes + Cheese = Win.  There's a reason this combination has lasted for years.  

The key to this dish is to keep the croutons as croutons and not as soggy bread.  To do this, I upped my bread content in the dish, cooked the croutons until they were pretty crispy, and used a larger baking dish so the casserole was spread relatively thinly across the dish.  And if you get those croutons to stay crisp, you might just be eating the whole pan yourself too!

Tomato Crouton Casserole
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, crusts removed
2 pounds tomatoes cut into 1/2 inch dice (or just cut your cherry tomatoes in half)
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup basil cut in thin slices
1 cup freshly grated parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a very large saute pan over medium high heat.  Add the bread cubes and toss until coated with the oil.  Cook cubes until crispy on all sides - about 5-7 minutes.  Meanwhile combine the chopped tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt, and ground pepper in a large bowl.  When the bread has turned into croutons, add in the tomato mixture and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.  Remove  from the heat and stir in the slices of basil.  Pour into a medium sized baking dish and top with the grated parmesan.  Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top browns.