Nacho Cheese and Pickled Jalapeños

Homemade nacho cheese and pickled jalapeños

Last weekend my Dad gave me a gallon-size freezer bag full of jalapenos harvested from his garden. The wet spring and summer in Northern Indiana did wonders for his plants and the bounty this year was much larger than in years past.

I used 18 right right off the bat by making poppers at the family campground, but I still had half a bag leftover and I ended up bringing them home.

I was cleaning in the kitchen Friday night and that mess of peppers was just sitting on my counter screaming "what are you gonna do with me!" After some thought, I decided to pickle them. They would never go bad if I did that.

I have pickled jalapenos before. This time, I did it a little different. Instead of just pouring the simmering liquid over the jalapenos in a bowl and then letting them cool — I added the peppers to the simmering liquid and let them cook for a few minutes. This changed their appearance to that olive-green color, similar to pickled jalapenos found on grocery store shelves. I let them cool, jarred them and put them away.

With the peppers in the fridge, Saturday night rolled around and I couldn't wait the recommended two weeks to let them fully pickle before trying them. I decided to make the occasion special and create a homemade nacho cheese for some gourmet ball-park-style nachos!

My favorite nachos feature runny cheese sauce. This type of sauce requires a little work. It starts with sweating down aromatics in butter, making a roux, adding milk and thickening it into a gravy and then the crucial part - gradually melting the cheese and making a gooey delicious sauce to scarf on. It takes some patients to make, but totally worth it.

Once I had my sauce, I broke out the peppers and a late night nacho feast ensued. The fresh-pickled jalapenos were rife with flavor — spicy and tangy. The cheese sauce — creamy with lots of depth. Making it extra yummy were the fresh-made tortilla chips from the deli of a local grocery I had purchased earlier in the day.

All together, it made for a legendary plate of nachos.

The best part: I still have enough nacho cheese for another batch or two waiting in the fridge!

Eat well, cook often ...

PICKLED JALAPENOS
Makes 2 cups
30 minutes cooking, 2 weeks pickling
10 to 15 jalapenos, sliced thin
3/4 white vinegar
3/4 cup water
3 TBS sugar
3 Tbs salt
2 Tbs peppercorns
1 Tbs Old Bay seasoning

Mix together vinegar, water, sugar, salt, peppercorns and Old Bay seasoning in a pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer. Add sliced jalapenos, return to simmer and let cook 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Transfer mixture to a resealable jar and refrigerate. Best if left to pickle for two weeks but can be eaten before.

NACHO CHEESE

Homemade nacho cheese and pickled jalapeños

Makes 2 1/2 C, 30 minutes
4 Tbs unsalted butter
4 Tbs flour
1/4 C red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno, finely diced
2 tsp garlic, minced
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
2 C milk
2 C pepper jack cheese, shredded
Salt to taste
Tortilla chips for serving

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Saute onion and jalapeno until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Add Chili powder, cumin and garlic cook 1 minute more. Stir in flour, mix well and let cook two minutes. Add milk and whisk until well incorporated, bring to a simmer and let thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cheese 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking and stirring until completely melt. Repeat until all cheese is mixed in. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with tortilla chips and pickled jalapenos.

Multiple papers publish Super Bowl recipes!

I'm happy to say that 11 Newspapers out of the 17 put together at the Design Center in Munster for Lee Enterprises have used my Super Bowl snacks project. I put it together from recipes that have originally appeared here!

It has been my goal from day 1 at my new job to find a way to get my recipes published at the center. I saw the opportunity with the Super Bowl. Hey, it's where Steve Jobs launched Apple, so I said what the heck, maybe this is the opportunity I've been looking for to take what I do here to a different level.

As a bonus, I got a VIP award from the management, but more important, there are editors at Lee Enterprises that are now well aware of my skill for recipe development and food presentation. I can't wait for the next opportunity to arise.

Eat well, cook often ...

Mini English Muffin Pizzas

Printable version

When it comes to a party, pizza is king. Whether it be a work party, school party, frat party or church party – pizza will always satisfy the crowd.

Super Bowl Sunday is not only a big day for football parties but more than likely the biggest day of the year for pizza parties. Domino’s Pizza will increase sales by nearly 80% over a typical Sunday and sell more than 11 million slices on the day of the big game. If you were to string those pizza slices end to end it would stretch the length of more than 21,000 football fields. Pizza restaurants in general will typically double their normal business on Super Bowl Sunday.

For this recipe, I take English muffins and top them with sauce, cheese and mini pepperoni to create a personal snack pizza for an easy pizza party treat.

The key here is to use the English muffins as the crust, any number of toppings can be featured to make custom pizzas. The muffin provides a quick alternative to pizza dough and a variety of toppings should help please all the different tastes that come from a room full of people attending a party.

BEHIND THIS BITE

Mini English Muffin Pizzas

This was really a simple snack to make and perfect for kids. It's a great treat for Moms and Dads to bust out when hosting a slumber party. Just put out a few toppings to choose from and each kid can have there own custom pie in just a few minutes.

I can’t wait to try this with my niece and nephews. They always want to help me cook but rarely do I have something for them to get involved in because most of the elements of cooking involve fire and knifes. Not here though, custom English muffin pizzas are easy and as kid friendly as food gets.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE

Mini English Muffin Pizzas

Makes 12 mini pizzas; 25 minutes
6 English muffins, split
1/2 C Pizza sauce
2 C Mozzarella cheese
5 oz Mini pepperoni

Assemble and bake
Preheat oven to 425°
Separate English muffins, on each half layer pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, mini pepperoni and a little more cheese. Place on sheet pan and bake until cheese is melted and edges of muffins are golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

Wonton Poppers

Printable version

This is my favorite Super Bowl creation for 2014 - jalapeño wonton poppers. Which combines ... you guessed it ... Jalapeno poppers and wontons!

Wonton wrappers are paper-thin sheets made from flour, water, eggs and salt and are sold pre-packaged at most super markets. They can be filled with any number of ingredients or fillings and are usually steamed, boiled or fried. They are the Chinese cuisine equivalent to the Italian ravioli. The wonton is the perfect devise to deliver the popper filling for this recipe comprised of cream cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon, cayenne pepper and jalapeño.

Tradition poppers use either half or a whole jalapeño stuffed with filling and if you’re a popper fan like me, this means you may end up eating lots of jalapeños by the end of the night because they are simply to powerful to resist. Adding the jalapeño to the filling and using the wonton to deliver it requires much less of the spicy pepper and will help reduce indigestion caused by a spice overload.

BEHIND THIS BITE

Wonton poppers

I have passed by wonton wrappers a number of times in the last couple months, picked up a package and pondered what I should make with them, only to put them back and move on. This time I went to the store knowing what I wanted to do. I have learned to be careful when impulse buying unique items, like wonton wrappers, that are perishable.

I often buy things with the intent of making it in a couple of days or sometime during the week and the items sit in the fridge or pantry. The couple of days turns into a week and next week turns to two weeks and eventually what I bought has spoiled, dried out or wilted. I have gotten better at using everything I buy, but I still occasionally throw out an item or two. These wonton wrappers are easy to put off until tomorrow and very susceptible to being forgotten about until it's to late.

I know because it has happened to me twice in the last two of years.

So, if you’re not gonna make this recipe in the next couple days WAIT to buy the wonton wrappers. Don't just buy them to have 'em, they're easy to forget about and let go to waste.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE

Wonton poppers

Makes 24 to 28; 45 minutes
4 slices Bacon, cooked, crumbled
3 Jalapeños, seeded, diced
1 C Cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz Cream cheese, room temp
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
24 to 28 Wonton wrappers
Oil for frying

Make filling
In a bowl mix together bacon, jalapeno, cheddar cheese and cream cheese until thoroughly mixed.

Fill wantons
With a scoop, grab a teaspoon of the filling and place it in the middle of a wanton wrapper. Wet the edges, fold opposite corners together, then pinch to seal. Repeat until filling is gone.

Fry
Heat at least 1-inch of oil to 350° in a fry pan. In batches, fry wantons until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn at least once in the oil while cooking. Remove to a paper towel let cool a little, then serve.

Deluxe Pigs in a Blanket

Deluxe Pigs in a Blanket

Now that Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year holiday are past it’s time to prepare for the biggest party of them all - Super Bowl Sunday.

My all-time favorite things to cook are football party snacks – wings, sliders, nachos, pizza – the list goes on. To me, Super Bowl snacks are like a simple American version of Spanish tapas, which are a variety of small appetizer-like bites served one after another to form a meal. It’s an excellent way to eat hardily with friends and family in a social setting — much like treats on Super Bowl Sunday.

For this recipe, I take the classic “pigs in a blanket” and make it a Super Bowl worthy treat. For extra pizzazz, I make it with smoked sausage and add marinara, green pepper and onion. Together, these flavors combine for an easy score.

BEHIND THIS BITE

Deluxe Pigs in a Blanket

I decided to make this recipe because of a mistake in documenting the dish I created the day before. I had forgotten to take a picture of smoked sausage after I had sautéd it, which creates little caramelized spots on each slice. I do that because those spots are little flavor bombs that give a dish with smoked sausage a little extra flavor pop.

I bought the sausage to photograph and thought it would be a good ingredient to use in my first Super Bowl snack of 2014. Each year I have really enjoyed creating new treats for the big game. With the sausage on hand I decided a souped up pigs in blanket was in order.

Some food bloggers and gourmet cooks may turn up their nose at such a primitive treat but for me it’s a simple and tasty snack that anyone could recreate as part of their own Super Bowl spread. These deluxe blankets are tasty, simple and great to wash down with beer!

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE

Deluxe Pigs in a Blanket

Makes 12; 30 minutes
1 sheet Cresent dough, unperferated
1/4 C Marinara sauce
12 slices Smoked sausage (1/2 lb)
12 slices each
Green pepper and onion, sliced 1-inch long

Assemble
Preheat of to 375°
Cut cresent dough sheet into 12 equal squares. On each square place a dab of marinara, slice of sausage and 1 slice of green pepper and onion. Fold opposite corners of dough together forming a role around ingredients. Place on a baking sheet.

Bake
Put blankets in oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes, then serve.

Italian Grinder Fail

Originally I had planned to make a giant toasted sub, cut it into about 15 slices and present it as a Super Bowl Italian Grinder. I layered the meat and cheese, toasted it, threw on the fresh LTO and smothered it in Kraft's Green Goddess sauce. Once I closed it shut and sliced it I knew there was a problem – bread overload!

It was tasty, but I did eat it without the top portion of the bread.

Toast the bread, meat and cheeses

The loaf I had chosen was a large fresh baked french bread, the only problem was that I need 2 to 3 times the amount of meat on it to balance the sandwich. I should have went with a lighter, fluffier bread, or just made several individual sandwiches with sub buns. There was nothing wrong with it flavor wise, which is why I'm sharing it here.

Usually I would make a custom sauce for something like this but I wanted to give the Goddess Sauce a test, and I must say it passed with flying colors. It reminds me of a creamy Italian or Caesar dressing with a little extra pepper or spice.  It was a great compliment to the meats I had chosen and I'm going to try and keep this on hand to use as a special sandwich sauce when I'm in a pinch for something nice. It's not that expensive and an easy thing to keep in the pantry for the occasional saucy surprise.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE

Add the fresh LTO!

1/2 lb Smoked ham
1/4 lb Hard salami
1/4 lb Sandwich slice pepperoni
1/2 lb Mozzarella cheese
Lettuce, Tomato, Onion
Green Goddess Sauce
1 loaf Bread that can be halved length-wise, or 6 sub buns

Layer meats
Preheat oven to 400°
Cut bread in half length-wise. On bottom piece layer ham, salami, pepperoni and cheese. Place in oven with top half of bread along side and cook until cheese is melted and bread is toasted, 5 to 6 miniutes. Remove from oven.

Finish
Add lettuce, tomato, onion and Green Goddess sauce, and top with bun. Then serve, if using a larger loaf for bread, slice before serving.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Printable version

NOTE: For all my regular readers, this is the last buffalo chicken recipe for a while. Promise.

I was at holiday party back in December and someone had brought buffalo chicken dip. It seems like 90 percent of the time I have eaten the dip it has been made with to much hot sauce. I don’t mind the heat, it’s the acidity. It leaves a foul after-taste in my mouth.

Honestly, I have never cared much for buffalo chicken dip – until I tried it at the holiday party. The secret was adding more cheese and dressing, enough to balance the hot sauce. More mozzarella, combined with ranch dressing, cream cheese and blue cheese was enough to take away the unpleasant after taste. I nearly wiped out the entire crock-pot myself.

The most common recipes for buffalo chicken dip found on labels and manufactures web sites do not call for enough cheese to balance the hot sauce in my opinion. A half cup of Frank’s or Tabasco sauce goes a long way – there has got to be a good amount of milk based product to balance that out.

For this recipe, I add a cup of cream cheese (8 oz), cup of mozzarella, quarter cup of blue cheese and half cup of ranch, That’s 3/4 of a cup more combined than what you’ll find in most Buffalo Chicken Dip recipes. For me, that is the key to make this dip delicious.

BEHIND THIS BITE
Two weeks ago I made four different Buffalo Chicken recipes. I was inspired by some Buffalo Chicken Rub I had picked up at Williams-Sonoma. I wanted to mix it up and get my Buffalo on. I had intended to make the dip then, but I got burned out on Buffalo Chicken. I had to give it a break. I decided to wait until the Super Bowl got closer to make this.

Of all the Buffalo Chicken recipes I've made in the last month this was my favorite, I love how the creaminess of the dip works with the hot sauce. I use tortilla chips with this recipe but it's equally good, and a little healthier, with stalks of celery.

The irony of my Buffalo Chicken recipe frenzy is that I never made the one thing Buffalo Chicken is famous for – wings! Honestly though, if I’m going to make wings, I’m going to make my own gourmet sauce, like the Chipotle Bacon wings I made last summer. Buffalo wings are good, but to me, the secret to great wings is in a special gourmet sauce.

THE RECIPE
Party Dip; 45 minutes
2 cans Chicken (12.5 oz)
8 oz Cream cheese, room temperature
1 C Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 C Blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 C Ranch dressing
1/2 C Hot sauce (such as Frank’s)
Tortilla chips or celery for dipping

Mix together and bake
In a 2 quart baking dish mix together hot sauce, ranch dressing, mozzarella, blue cheese and chicken. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 30 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. Stir and serve with tortilla chips.

Beefy Mexican Nacho Dip

Printable version

Another Super Bowl is upon us. The big game has become an unofficial holiday in America, bringing together millions to watch two teams compete for the championship of the NFL. The Super Bowl has something for everyone, if you’re not a fan of football then there’s the commercials and star-studded entertainment.

For me, not only is it the biggest game of the year, but it’s a day to showcase my best party snacks, which is also my favorite type of cuisine to cook and eat. What I love about this type of food is the variety of bites and flavors that can adorn one plate. A good Super Bowl spread should look like a parade of appetizers that will provide hours of snacking. This will create a good base for hours of drinking – or praying – after all, the game is always played on Sunday.

For this recipe, a huge helping of ground beef is smothered in nacho cheese, spices and sautéd vegetables. It’s then heated through in a slow cooker, creating a batch of beefy nacho dip big enough to feed a party.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I am really looking forward to Super Bowl XLVII. It’s the first year in a while that I’m not emotionally invested in the game in one way or the other.

I am a huge Colts, Peyton Manning and whoever is playing the Patriots and Steelers fan.

That said, I have had a real reason to root for one team or the other for the last decade. Some games have been euphoric, the Colts triumphant win in Super Bowl XLI and The Giants destruction of the Patriots perfect season the following year were two amazing highs. The night the Colts lost to the Saints in SB XLIV was a devastating low.

This year, there is no Tom Brady, Ben Rothlisburger or Peyton Manning to sway my fandom. I can set back and just hope for a great game. Will the Raven’s Ray Lewis go out on top or will the young Colin Kaepernick from the 49ers make a mark on the game for the new type of running QB that seems to be emerging around the league.

I hope it’s a game for the ages.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Party Dip; 1 hour, 30 minutes
2 lb Ground beef
1 C Red onion, diced
1 C Jalapeño, chopped with flesh and seeds removed
2 Tbs Chili powder
1 Tbs Cumin
2 cans Nacho Cheese (15 oz each)
1 can Tomatoes, diced and drained (24 oz)
2 bags Tortilla chips

Prep ingredients
In a skillet over medium-high heat brown ground beef, 6 to 8 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove with slotted spoon and place in slow cooker. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of drippings. Sauté onion and jalapeño until soft 5 to 6 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove to slow cooker.

Combine, heat and serve
Add chili powder, cumin, cheese and tomatoes to slow cooker and combine with beef and vegetables. Cook on high until heated through and bubbly,
1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips.

Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Pizza

Printable version

I make a lot of gourmet pizzas. This time I wanted to get fancy. I don’t know why, but I guess my idea of “fancy” is roasted red peppers and artichokes. The two ingredients, with a little olive oil instead of sauce, is what I have conjured up.

And you know what?

It’s awesome!

This is one of the better pizzas I have eaten in a long time. It’s a must try for any pizza connoisseur. It also has the distinction of being vegetarian, something not very common with my recipes. My mom had been raving for months about a friend of hers that made a sun-dried tomato and artichoke pizza, so I thought I would go in that direction but I replace the tomato with the roasted red pepper.

Another touch with this pizza that makes a huge difference in taste is the oregano. As I sprinkled it over the pie I crushed it with my fingers bringing out more flavor. The ingredient is essential to bringing the whole thing together - it added flavors that are usually provided by a sauce.

BEHIND THIS BITE
This has to be one of my top three pizzas ever. It was light and tasty and I love roasted red peppers. I could see this being an opening course for an important dinner like a wedding party or even a Valentines meal, only I would call it “flat bread” just to make it sound fancy.

This pie delivers the boom. In the last year alone I’ve made at least 12 pizzas and posted them here. All are unique and gourmet so I created a link where all of them can be found.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Make 2 12” pizzas; 30 minutes
Divide over crusts
2 Tbs Olive oil
2 C Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 jar Artichoke hearts (6 oz)
1 jar Roasted red pepper (7 oz)
1 tsp Oregano
1/2 C Parmesan cheese, fresh grated

Assemble and bake pizza
On pizza crusts layer olive oil, mozzarella, artichoke, roasted red pepper, oregano and parmesan. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Printable version

I made this soup with the potato I had leftover form making potato skins. I knew I would have a good amount reserved as well as extra bacon and cheddar cheese – which is perfect for making loaded potato soup. I view this dish as a liquid with everything wonderful about a loaded spud from a steak house blitzed together into drinkable form! (With a little depth added from the root vegetables.)

Using bacon in the base of any potato soup is pure culinary gold. Bacon in general is culinary gold, but the smoky hint that it provides next to the mild flavor of potato just seems to be a magical combination! Add the mirepoix and garnishes and BAM - you’ve got a winner on your hands. 

BEHIND THIS BITE
This soup and the potato skins from my last post are a great combination for a Super Bowl party because it’s like getting two for one. Both are made from the same batch of baked potatoes. Heck, if you get lazy or tipsy on booze while baking the potatoes you can quit right there and have a yummy baked spud if need be.

There are many different direction that this soup could be taken, I went with the loaded theme simply because of the extra ingredients I had around. I could have very easily went with potato and leeks. (which is my favorite soup of all-time) Potato soup is a nice compliment to the skins and both are great in any party spread.

Eat well, cook often ... 

THE RECIPE
Serves 4; 45 minutes
4 strips Bacon diced
1 C Onion diced
1/2 C Celery diced
1/2 C Carrot diced
1 Tbs Garlic minced
4 C Chicken broth
3 C Potato cooked
DIVIDE AMONG BOWLS
1/2 C Cheddar cheese shredded
1/4 C Green onion sliced

Make base
Over medium heat in a soup pot, sauté bacon until cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes. Add onion, celery, carrot and garlic cook until soft, 6 to 8 minutes more.

Finish soup, blend, garnish and serve
Add chicken broth and potatoes bring to a simmer and cook 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Carefully move soup to a blender. Process until silky and smooth. Pour into a bowl and garnish with cheddar cheese and green onion.

Cheesy Baked Potato Skins

Printable version

Potato skins remind me of a part-time job I took at the Texas Roadhouse soon after relocating to Indiana in the Summer of 2010. They used leftovers to make them. Baked potato is an item that is not made to order, there has to be large batches prepared ahead of time. The Roadhouse utilizes leftover baked potatoes to make the skins as an appetizer the next day. I’m sure there are many restaurant that do this, but, I thought it was an interesting fact. That little tid bit has stuck with me long enough for me to mentally regurgitate it here.

A typical order came with cheese, bacon and a side of sour cream. I always took it a step further and would often smother them with chili. Looking back, that was a little overkill, but I would get them after busting my butt waiting tables. It's hard to not be over the top with food after you have served more than a $1,000 worth to customers and not been able to eat one bite.

One of the great benefits about making this recipe at home is that there is plenty of potato leftover, enough to make another potato favorite - which will be featured in my next post.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I never thought I would be doing something like waiting tables at a steak house. But, I had been in Fort Wayne for about three months and was really digging my new found spot at a little paper as the Visual Food Columnist, the only problem was that there was no pay. To me, getting the print space was all that mattered.

I had to build a portfolio of work and see if I could sustain it for the long run. In the news business, you have to be able to do your job, when the last thing on your mind is your job, meaning that your work has got to be good when it’s at it’s worst. Generally, you can look at a year’s worth of work and determine if your in the right spot.

In order to save money while I built my portfolio, I took some part time employment with my sister waiting tables. I thought it would be easy, but I will tell anyone this right now – to be a good server at a busy restaurant and make good money – you have to bust your ass!

It took me a couple of months learning the new trade. In the beginning, I totally sucked, I literally had to learn how to carry a tray of drinks.  During that process I drenched a baby with a glass of ice water - true story.

I worked hard and was determined to be good at it before giving up. The work paid off and I did become a good server. I’m proud to say that during the 9 months that I worked at the THR, I was secretly evaluated by customers working for corporate headquarters twice (neither was during the first couple of months thankfully) and both times I received a 100 percent score.

I proved I could sustain my food column and picked up the skills necessary to be a good waiter in the process. That said, I’m glad I don’t have to do that now. I quit waiting tables exactly a year after starting my food column, I could not wait to cash out my last table and I hope that I never have to do that again, but I will if I have to, waiting tables is probably the most lucrative part time job in Fort Wayne. The experience has made me work even harder at making a living as a food columnists - which is still a work in progress.

Eat well cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Serves 6; 2 hours
6 large Russet potatoes
1 Tbs Vegetable oil
1 Tbs Kosher salt
DIVIDE OVER POTATO SKINS
1 C  Cheddar cheese, shredded
5 strips Bacon, cooked & crumbled
1/2 C  Sour cream
1/4 C  Green onion, sliced 

Bake potatoes
Clean and rinse potatoes. Pat dry. Toss potatoes with salt and vegetable oil. Poke three deep holes in each potato with a knife. Place potatoes on a baking rack over a cookie sheet. Roast in a preheated 350° oven until cooked through, 1 hour and 30 minutes. Remove and let cool, slice in half. 

Make potato skins, garnish and serve
Scope flesh from potatoes with a spoon leaving a thin layer of potato attached to the skin. Reserve flesh for later use. Fill potatoes with cheese and bacon. Return to pan with baking rack and heat in 350° oven until cheese is melted and potatoes are heated through, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and garnish with green onion and sour cream, then serve.

Meat Lovers Casserole

Printable version

This is a man’s meal.

It's loaded with meat - so much so that I advise any vegetarians to quit reading now - Your head might explode by the end of the next sentence. This casserole contains three and a half pounds of cooked animal flesh and five, yup, FIVE cups of cheese. Not to mention the pound of pasta and quart of sauce.

All said and done I bet there is 90,000 calories in this pot. Enough man fuel to power the Vegas strip on Super Bowl Sunday.

Adding to the Manliness of this casserole - it’s super simple, idiot proof.

All that is needed is to mix this stuff together and hit the cook button. I guess there is one difficult part - making the pasta. Which, to be honest, if that is difficult – like the vegetarians – stop reading this blog now because the recipes on the site will make your head explode.

I served this at a meeting attended by about 20 guys - it went so fast that not everyone there got to try a full helping. If your hosting a party for the defensive line of the Minnesota Vikings or catering a meal for the patrons of the local strip club, this should be on the menu.

BEHIND THIS BITE
Every so often I cook the hearty snack for a local church group that I attend. This recipe is what I made for them last Wednesday night. I really enjoy making things for the group because it’s really the only time I get to cook for a large group of guys, which is a different test group for recipes. Most women would look at this dish and see nothing but calories, some would dare to try it, and I’m sure would enjoy it, but many would turn away at the site. To be fair, there are guys out there too that would see this and wince.

I have found there is no better test for a Football party snack than this group of guys. If it’s good, there will be no leftovers - no matter what the amount. I made this with the intent of making to much. I thought there was no way they would eat it all - and I was totally wrong, in fact the opposite happened. There wasn’t enough!

This dish is a must if your hosting a Super Bowl Party.

Eat well, cook often ...

RECIPE
Serves 15; 2 hours, 30 minutes
2 lb package  Meatballs thawed
1 lb Ham diced
4 oz Pepperoni
4 oz Bacon crumbles
5 C Pasta sauce
5 C Mozzarella cheese
       (4 C mixed in, 1 C for topping)
1 lb Elbow macaroni

Make pasta
Bring 2 quarts of salted water to boil in a large pot, add pasta, return to boil. Cook 7 to 9 minutes for al dente. Then drain.

Assemble, cook, serve
In a large slow cooker, mix together meatball, ham, pepperoni, bacon, pasta sauce, pasta and most of cheese. Once mixed together top with remaining cheese, cover and cook on high setting for two hours or until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbly. Then serve.

Buffalo Chicken Nachos

Printable version

As part of the ultimate buffalo chicken experience I have been posting over the last week, I arrive at one of my favorite all-time snacks.

Nachos.

Buffalo chicken and nachos lend themselves to each other perfectly. Nachos are usually made with seasoned meat and are garnished after being cooked. This same concept is used in buffalo chicken, the garnishes being blue cheese dressing and celery. Plus, nachos and buffalo wings are party classics. I think it's only natural to combine these beer-bash Hall of Famers.

One of the keys to this recipe is tossing the chicken in the hot sauce, rather than dumping the hot sauce on the nachos, it assures the buffalo chicken taste with every bite and, if measured properly, eliminates the buffalo sauce overload - when the acid from the hot sauce accumulates on the taste buds and starts to ruin the experience.

In the end, buffalo chicken nachos worked as well as the pizza, sandwich and tenders from previous posts. They all deliver the buffalo chicken boom without the mess.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I made both the pizza and nachos at the same time when I documented the two recipes. I preferred the pizza. When I shared the leftovers with my parents. Dad liked the nachos. Both are great gourmet twists and party pleasers.

In the last week, I have made a number of buffalo chicken recipes. I have one more to make - the dip. That will be the finishing touch on my buffalo chicken extravaganza here at the Behind the Bites. I’m going to wait before I make the dip though. I’m little burned out on buffalo chicken. If I have to eat it again in the next couple of days I might go into buffalo chicken overload. I'll wait for the upcoming Championship Sunday when we find out who'll be playing in the Super Bowl.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Appetizer for 4; 25 minutes
BUFFALO CHICKEN
2 Tbs Unsalted butter melted
1 Can Chicken white meat (12.5 oz)
1/4 C Hot sauce
DIVIDE FOR TWO BATCHES OF NACHOS
1/2 bag Tortilla chips
2 C Mozzarella cheese
Buffalo chicken
1/2 C Blue cheese dressing1/4 C Celery diced

Make buffalo chicken
Melt butter in a microwave on high in 20 second intervals, stirring in between. Mix together butter, chicken and hot sauce until well incorporated.

Assemble, bake, garnish and serve
On an oven safe pan layer chips, cheese, chicken and another layer of cheese. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with blue cheese dressing and celery, then serve.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Printable version

After using the Buffalo Chicken Rub from Williams-Sonoma – and loving the results – I was inspired to create my own buffalo chicken recipe. A large part of the reason I liked the rub so much was that I got all the great buffalo chicken flavors without being covered in sauce or getting an overload of it on my taste buds.

Eliminating the mess was relatively easy, it just requires a delivery method other than bare hands. I decided that a thin pizza crust would be optimal, a sandwich has a top and bottom bun which makes the bread a major element with each bite, a thin crust pizza is more like a cracker or chip and is really just an edible utensil for delivering the toppings.

To eliminate the overload of hot sauce, I toss shredded chicken in the mixture before I put it on the pizza, rather than dump the sauce on the crust like traditional pizza sauce. Blue cheese dressing and celery are added after the pizza comes out of the oven. The end result was one of the best buffalo chicken meals I have ever eaten.

I highly recommend this if you're hosting a Super Bowl party. The guests will love it.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I did a test run of this recipe over at my cousin Jessie’s house. I stopped over to visit her and her husband earlier in the week to catch up and have them critique my new creation. I’m glad I had two pizza crusts and enough ingredients for two pies because my cousin Jessie had a ton of ideas as well, and was bound and determine to take over the pizza making responsibility for the night.

I thought it was so funny, she takes after her late mother and aunt (my mom) so much. They are busy bodies and can hardly stand to see someone doing work without pitching in. Which is great, except, if you let them do to much they end up taking over the process.

Total Divas!

Now, when your cleaning the garage, this is a good thing. Ask them for a little help and before you know it they are telling you to get the hell out because all your doing is getting in the way. But when your trying to cook a recipe for your blog — not so much.

While making the pizzas I had to draw the line, I told her I needed to make the first one the way I had planned and the second could be all hers. It worked out well because the pizza I made (this post) worked perfect - a buffalo chicken experience - without the mess. Her pizza was a gourmet chicken pizza and gave me a great idea. But you’ll have to wait for that post in the future.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Make 2 12” pizzas; 30 minutes
2 Tbs Unsalted butter melted
1 Can Chicken drained (12.5 oz)
1/4 C Hot sauce
DIVIDE OVER TWO PIZZAS
Buffalo chicken
2 C Mozzarella cheese
1/2 C Blue cheese dressing
1/4 C Celery diced

Make buffalo chicken
Melt butter in a microwave on high for 45 seconds to a minute, stirring once half way. Mix together butter, chicken and hot sauce until well incorporated.

Assemble, bake, garnish, serve
On a pre-made pizza crust layer, buffalo chicken and cheese. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly. Garnish with blue cheese dressing
and celery. Slice and serve.

Buffalo Chicken Burgers

Printable version

This is the second recipe I have created with Williams-Sonoma Buffalo Chicken Rub. First, I created chicken tenders – which were awesome. This time I used the same directions (from the package) to cook the chicken, only this time I made a sandwich with blue cheese dressing and lettuce.

I loved it - even more than the tenders.

The bread, lettuce and dressing that accompanied the chicken with every bite allowed the buffalo flavor to be a little more subtle than with the tenders.

Once again, the rub is a much preferred replacement to the messy buttery hot sauce that seems to drip everywhere when eating all things buffalo. I thought the sandwiches would be loaded with seasoning because each patty got half a tablespoon of the seasoning, but to my surprise it was really the perfect amount for each patty.

Before I knew it, I had inhaled two of these. I literally had to stop my self from eating half of a third patty by itself. If given the choice, I would choose the sandwiches over the tenders, but both would be a good meal any day.

BEHIND THIS BITE
As I mention before, what I love about this rub is that I get the flavor of buffalo chicken without the mess. It seems whenever I get anything that is buffalo chicken, I have buttery hot sauce dripping from my elbows and chin by the time I’m done. The dry rub really eliminates that.

I’m the kind of person that grabs a stack of napkins to eat a regular meal because I don’t like sloppy eating and is often the reason I won’t get chicken wings or ribs - I hate meals that require a shower after eating them. I think that is why this rub appeals to me so much - It provides the buffalo without the mess.

I’m taking this as a challenge - I’m going to use the traditional hot sauce and butter mixture to flavor a buffalo chicken meal or appetizer that has little or no clean up. Stay tuned.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Makes 4 sandwiches; 45 minutes
For chicken
1 lb Ground chicken, made into 4 patties
2 Tbs Williams-Sonoma Buffalo Chicken Rub

For baste
4 Tbs Unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp Williams-Sonoma, Buffalo Chicken Rub

For the sandwiches
4 Hamburger buns
1/2 C Lettuce, shredded
1/4 C Blue cheese dressing

Marinate chicken patties
Season patties with 2 tablespoons of Buffalo Chicken Rub and salt to taste. Let marinate for 30 minutes, allowing chicken to reach room temperature.

Grill and baste chicken
Melt butter over medium heat and mix in remaining seasoning. Grill chicken until cooked through 8 to 10 minutes, turning at least once. Near the end of cooking baste chicken with butter mixture. Remove and let rest at least 5 minutes.

Assemble sandwiches
On a bun place chicken, then top with blue cheese, lettuce and top bun. Then serve.