Baked Mac and Cheese with Bacon

I wanted something decadent to go with my BBQ Baby Back Ribs and Mac and Cheese was the obvious choice. To make my Mac and Cheese a little more decadent, I used Smoked Gruyere cheese and good quality bacon.

There are a few things going at a time on this dish. You have the bacon going, the pasta, the milk, and the bread crumbs. The trick is low heat. Cook the bacon on low heat while the water is coming to a boil, while you are prepping the bread crumbs and the milk. The milk is heating slowly, while you are cooking the bacon, while making sure the milk doesn’t scald. Once the pasta is done, drain it. Now it’s time for assembly.

Pour in the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce, add the cooked, chopped bacon, (if you don’t eat meat, omit the bacon) and season with salt and pepper.

Pour mixture in to baking dish(es) and bake for about 30 minutes until brown on top and bubbly.

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Baked Mac and Cheese with Bacon

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 6-8

Baked Mac and Cheese with Bacon

Ingredients

1 lb elbow macaroni or penne rigati or cavetappi - your choice
1 Qt milk
8 Tbsp unsalted butter + another 2 Tbsp for browning the breadcrumbs
1/2 cub all purpose flour
12 oz / 4 cups Smoked Gruyere cheese, grated
8 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces (3/4 lb if you want to snack while you are cooking)
1/2 Tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 Tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 Cup Panko bread crumbs

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil

Once the water is boiling, add the pasta (cook to pkg instructions, about 6-8 minutes)

While the water is coming to a boil, heat the milk in a small sauce pan over low heat (don't let it boil)

In another large pot, heat the butter and add the flour. Whisk until smooth

Slowly add the hot milk, whisking to keep smooth

Add the cheeses, salt, freshly ground pepper, and nutmeg

In a medium pan, over medium heat, heat 2 tbsp of butter and the panko bread crumbs

Stir in the cooked pasta, season with salt and pepper

Pour into casserole dish and put in the oven

Sprinkle on the buttered panko and put in the oven

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top

Serve immediately

September 18, 2020 By patrickdulmage

Casserole/ Chicken

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

I’ve eaten this dish a lot over the years but I don’t think I’ve ever made it. I don’t know why either because I love it and Chicken & Broccoli Casserole isn’t hard to make. While it isn’t a quick meal to make, it will feed a crowd! And if you don’t have a crowd to feed, it makes for great leftovers.

Since I hadn’t made this casserole before, I searched the internet for recipes. This one sounded most like the ones I’ve eaten and liked. Trisha Yearwood made this on her cooking show. The thing that takes a little longer to make is that you have to cook the chicken separately from the rice. In planning the dish, I knew it was going to take a while, so I cooked the chicken ahead of time and stored it in the fridge. You could also use a store bought rotisserie chicken if you didn’t feel like making the chicken. And if you wanted to take another shortcut, you could use left over rice from another meal.

I hope you’ll make this casserole and let me know what you think.

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Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

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By Trisha Yearwood – Serves: 10-12

Prep Time: 40 minutes – Cooking Time: 2 hours – Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray or butter, for the baking dish
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium head broccoli, cut into small florets
2 cups cooked white rice
One 10-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
10 ounces Cheddar, grated (about 2 1/2 cups)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking

dish with nonstick cooking spray or butter.

Place the chicken in a large pot with water to cover.

Add some salt, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low

simmer and cook the chicken until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain the chicken, cover, and refrigerate until cool, or up to 24 hours.

Shred.

Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of generously salted water to a boil.

Add the broccoli florets, and boil until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes.

Spread the rice in an even layer in the baking dish.

Make a second layer with the broccoli.

In a large bowl, mix the chicken soup, the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, shredded chicken, half the Cheddar and some salt and pepper.

Pour the mixture over the broccoli and top with the remaining Cheddar.

Bake for 40 minutes; let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

May 10, 2020 By patrickdulmage

Casserole/ Vegan/ Vegetarian

Harissa Hot Dish

I watch a lot of cooking shows. I get a lot ideas and inspiration from these shows. One of shows I’ve been watching lately is Girl meets Farm featuring Molly Yeh. Her heritage is Jewish and Chinese. She lives in the Mid-West, so between her heritage and where she lives, her flavors and style is really interesting.

While looking for a vegetarian or vegan dish I could make for Audrey, I saw this recipe that Molly made called Harissa Hot Dish. I’d never heard of hot dishes before but essentially it is a casserole topped with tater tots. She had me at tater tots!

If you haven’t cooked with it before, Harissa is a spice used in North African cuisine. Harissa paste is used in this dish, hence the name, and it is pretty spicy. Some brands are spicier than other. Since the dish is vegan, what’s the protein? Chickpeas. The chickpeas are cooked with harissa paste, some white wine, thyme and a few other things. The sauce is made separately as the chickpeas cook down a little. After the chickpeas are done, combine with the sauce and top with the tater tots. Bake it and once done, top with grilled lemon and some fresh herbs. If you want to add some feta cheese – it won’t be vegan but it’ll still be vegetarian.

The next time you’re in the mood for a casserole, try something a little different. This dish is AWESOME! Check out the recipe and make your version.

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Harissa Hot Dish

(No Ratings Yet)

By Molly Yeh – Serves: 8-12

Prep Time: 30 min – Cooking Time: 1hour 30 min. – Total Time: 2 hrs

Harissa Hot Dish

Ingredients

Chickpeas:
2 tbsp + 1/2 c olive oil, divided
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tb harissa
1/2 c dry white wine
2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 sprigs thyme or about a tbsp of dried
Black pepper
Sauce:
2 tb olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 large carrots, finely chopped
2 large stalks celery, finely chopped
Kosher salt
Black pepper
3 cloves garlic
1 tb harissa
1 tb tomato paste
2 tsp aleppo pepper or paprika
1 (28 oz) can or carton chopped tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
About 1 1/2 lbs tater tots or potato nuggets
1 lemon, to serve
Fresh cilantro and parsley, finely chopped, for serving
Optional serving accoutrements: crumbled feta or other cheese/vegan cheese of your choice

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Bake the tater tots for 25-30 minutes. (This is a departure from Molly's recipe. I like really crispy tater tots, so I do a double bake)

In a large pot, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook until soft, 5-7 minutes.

Add the garlic and harissa and cook for 1-2 more minutes, until fragrant.

Add the wine and cook until reduced by half.

Add the chickpeas, 1/2 cup olive oil, thyme, black pepper, a few good pinches of salt, and bring to a simmer.

Cover and cook for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas are soft.

Meanwhile, make your sauce. In a separate pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

Add the onion, carrots, celery, a pinch of salt, and a few turns of pepper and cook, stirring until soft, about 10-12 minutes.

Add the garlic, harissa, tomato paste, and Aleppo or paprika and cook for another minute.

Add the chopped tomatoes and sugar and cook, covered, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes.

Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chickpeas to the tomato sauce, draining the chickpeas of excess olive oil (and discarding the thyme twigs when you come across them).

Transfer the mixture to an 8x12 casserole dish and cover with tater tots.

Season with salt, pepper, and more aleppo and bake until the tots are golden, 30-40 minutes.

At some point while it’s baking, grill your lemon: heat a skillet over medium high, cut the lemon in half and then place it face down on the skillet until it gets nice brown marks.

When the hot-dish is done baking, let it cool slightly, top with fresh herbs, squeeze with lemon, and serve with feta or other cheese/vegan cheese as desired.

May 9, 2020 By patrickdulmage

Casserole

Cheesy Gnocchi Casserole with Ham

On the menu tonight – Cheesy Gnocchi Casserole with Ham! While trying to figure out something different to do with gnocchi, I found this recipe and it sounded delicious. I tried it and it was delicious! If you’ve never had gnocchi, they are little fluffy potato pillows of goodness. In this dish, combined with the onions, ham and melted cheese you’ve got something special.

You can make your own gnocchi, but I used a frozen variety in this recipe. This would make a great side dish or as a complete meal. The next time you’re looking for something a little different, try making this Cheesy Gnocchi Casserole.

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Cheesy Gnocchi Casserole with Ham

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Casserole

By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 6

Prep Time: 5 minutes – Cooking Time: 30 minutes – Total Time: 35 minutes

Cheesy Gnocchi Casserole with Ham

Ingredients

1 Tbsp butter
1 onion, diced
½ teaspoon thyme
1 cup chicken broth
¼ cup water
One 17.5 package potato gnocchi
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
¼ cup heavy cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese

Instructions

Preheat broiler to high.

Melt the butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat.

Add the onions and cook until translucent.

Add the ham and thyme, cook until the ham is browned.

Add the chicken broth and water, bring to a simmer.

If you are adding the peas, now is the time.

Add the gnocchi, cover, and cook until the gnocchi is slightly tender – about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat.

Add the peas, cream, salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle the cheese on top of the mixture and broil until golden and bubbly.

April 26, 2020 By patrickdulmage

Beef/ Casserole

Corned Beef Casserole with TaterTots

If you made Corned Beef and Cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day (or any other time) and and some left over, here is one way to make use of the leftovers. This dish would be great as a breakfast casserole or for dinner. What could be better than Tater Tots, corned beef, eggs, cheese, and onions? All that stuff combined like it is here!

Try something different and make this recipe. Feel free to add or substitute ingredients. I can’t wait to hear how your version turned out.

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Corned Beef Casserole

(No Ratings Yet)

By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 8

Prep Time: 30 minutes – Cooking Time: 1 hour 15 minutes – Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb corned beef – cooked and cut into ½ in. dice
32 oz bag of tater tots
8-12 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1 medium sweet onion, diced
3-4 Green Onions sliced fine
8 eggs
1 ½ cups milk or half n half
1 tsp ground mustard
4 dashes hot sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or any flavorless oil)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees

In a 13x9 baking dish lay down half of the tater tots with the oil and bake until brown and crispy, about 25 minutes.

While the tots are cooking, pre-heat a pan with a tablespoon of oil and cook the onions until translucent.

Once the onions are cooked, let them cool.

Once the tots are cooked, let them cool about 15 minutes.

Mix the eggs, milk, mustard, and hot sauce in a bowl.

Add about half the shredded cheese to the tots.

Pour the egg mixture in the baking dish.

Top the mixture with the rest of the tots along with the rest of the cheese.

Bake for 60 minutes and top with the green onions.

Let it cool for about 10 minutes and serve.

March 21, 2020 By patrickdulmage

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