Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese a la Schamelot

(Like Famous Dave's, only better!)

I modified this recipe from a Cook's Illustrated version after tasting Famous Dave's mac-n-cheese. If you keep shredded cheese in the freezer, it's practically as easy as boxed mac-n-cheese, but probably cheaper and definitely tastier--probably healthier, too!

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
2 chopped jalapenos, seeds removed)
2 teaspoons table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard , dissolved in 1 teaspoon water
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 ounces or 1 1/2 cups of extra sharp cheddar
6 ounces or 1 1/2 cups of Monterey Jack or Mozzarella

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, mix eggs, 1 cup of the evaporated milk, pepper sauce (or 2 chopped jalapenos, seeds removed), 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, pepper, and mustard mixture in small bowl; set aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat 2 quarts water to boil in large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and macaroni; cook until almost tender, but still a little firm to the bite.
4. Drain and return to pan over low heat. Add butter; toss to melt.
5. Pour egg mixture over buttered noodles along with three-quarters of the cheese; stir until thoroughly combined and cheese starts to melt. Gradually add remaining milk and cheese, stirring constantly, until mixture is hot and creamy, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Ultimate Schamelot Stromboli

(Picture coming!)

We don't even make pizza anymore. It just doesn't compete with the stromboli!

Ingredients:

Dough:

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Sauce:

1 can tomato paste
1 1/2 cans water
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil

Fillings:

1 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese

any combination of the following:

pepperoni
sausage
bacon
mushrooms
onion
olives
roasted eggplant
ham
pineapple
anchovies
peppers

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.

2. Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.

3. Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out.

4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

5. Divine dough in half and roll out into a rectangle. Working in the middle third of rectangle, spread sauce, cheese and meat/veggie combination. Fold one side-third over and then the other, sealing edges, and transfer to cornmeal-dusted stone or oiled pan. You can drizzle oil and salt over the rolls, or sprinkle more shredded cheese if you want to.

6. Bake stromboli in preheated oven, until the crust is golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Buon Appetito!

Tomato Feta Sandwiches ala Angela

Today is Angela Beckham's birthday (God rest her soul). She and I came up with the recipe for this sandwich about 8 years ago and I eat it at least a couple times a year, but always on her birthday! I've had more requests for this recipe than any other!

1 fat loaf of Italian bread, sliced open hoagie style
2 fat, juicy tomatoes (good luck in February!)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup extra heavy mayonaise
1/4 cup minced or chopped dried onion (fresh works, too, but I actually prefer the dried in this recipe)
1 teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Mix the mayo with the onion and spices. Slather it all over the cut sides of the bread and broil cut sides up on HI until golden and bubbly--it only takes a minute or two so watch it. Angela and I burned two loaves of bread one afternoon before we finally got the third one right (we still ate the other two anyway!)

When the bread is toasted pile thick slices of tomato and chunks of cool feta cheese on top. Fold over, slice and devour!

This may be the most delicious sandwich you'll ever eat!

May the Divine Assistance remain always with us and may Angela's soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Buon Apetito!

Miracle Dough

...to play with, not to eat!

This is the recipe for a WONDERFUL salt dough that is so lovely to work with and much more affordable than the store bought sculpt and bake products. Justin is totally loving it! I prefer to weigh the flour and salt so I've included the weights in ounces.

5 cups or 21.25 oz. cake flour (I used Softasilk.)
3 cups or 12.75 oz. all purpose flour
3 cups or 31.5 oz. fine salt (I ran table salt through the food processor to powder it.)
3 cups warm water 2 tablespoons cooking oil (Next time I'd like to try adding a drop or two of lavender oil--to reduce the likelihood of a clay fight in the kitchen!)

Mix the flours and salt together in the Kitchenaid, then mix in the water and oil together. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and pliable. Roll out a log of dough and hold it over the counter between your two fingers. If it stretches, it's too soft and you should add another tablespoon or two of all purpose flour. It if keeps its shape it's just right!

Be sure to use two grades of flour so you get a dough that's dense enough to keep its shape, but not so heavy that it's hard to work with and likely to crack when you bake it. Also, don't skip the oil! Let the dough rest for 1-2 hours before working with it. Put it in sealable plastic bags in a cool place (the fridge is TOO cold). Keep the portion you're not modeling with wrapped so it doesn't dry out.

Large figures should be baked for 3-4 hours at 300*F and small figures for about 2 hours at 225*F.

(Pictures to come!)

Happy Modeling!

Jessie's Homemade Ranch Dressing

This is from my dear friend, Jess, who always brings us Spicy Beef and Bean Pie when I have a baby--the kids have been knows to ask me to have another baby so we could eat Beef and Bean Pie! This is the delicious salad dressing she brought the last time. Maybe I'll post the pie recipe later...

1 cup mayo
1 cup buttermilk, 3/4 cup for thicker dressing
1 tbsp minced dried onion
1/2 tea oregano
1/4 tea onion pwdr
1 tea dried parsley
1/4 garlic pwdr or 1/2 - 1 clove garlic minced
1/4 tea paprika
1/8 cayenne pepper
1/4 tea salt
1/4 tea black pepper

For dip use sour cream or yogurt in place of milk

Buon Apetito!

Winter Soups--The Ultimate Comfort Food!

I love soups in the winter time! They're great for a large, busy family. They're great for using up left-overs. They're great on a budget. They're just plain great! In the winter time, when the woodstove's going full blast I can put together a soup in my 24 quart stock pot, set it on the woodstove, and pretty much forget about it until dinner time!

I have a lot of soup recipes, but here are a few to get started. I'll continue posting them until they're all here. Just keep checking "soup" in the archives.

Buon Apetito!

Risotto, almost the way my mother makes it...

2 quarts chicken broth
1 medium size onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, lightly smashed with knife
1/2 stick butter
1 pound Arborio rice
2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 generous pinches saffron threads

The broth in the pot should be simmering. In a large pot slowly simmer the onion and the garlic in the butter, when the onion starts to turn a gold color, remove from the heat and take out the garlic. Put the pot on heat again, add the rice, and mix very well with the onions. This is called toasting the rice because the broth has not been added.
After a minute or so start to add the broth a ladle full at a time, in order to allow the rice to absorb it. Do not over-stir, or rice grains will lose their individuality. Add another ladle of broth as the previous one is absorbed by rice.
When risotto is almost done, add the saffron and stir until well mixed. Add a handful of Parmigiano and mix well. Risotto should be soft enough to spread and cover the entire plate when served.

Buon Apetito!