World's Best Macaroni & Cheese

BAKED MACARONI & CHEESE

 

2 tbsp butter

1 cup cottage cheese
2 cups milk
1 tsp dry mustard
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb grated cheddar cheese (or any other kind)
1/2 lb elbow pasta, uncooked


Heat oven to 375 F. Spread butter all over the insides of a 2-quart dish (do not melt butter in oven). Puree cottage cheese, milk and spices together. In large bowl combine cheese, milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover pan and stir gently. Bake uncovered 30 more minutes or until the top is browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Chicken Tikka Masala & Naan

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA


3 chicken breasts
2 cans tomato sauce
1 quart heavy whipping cream
5 tsp cumin
2 ½ tsp paprika
½ - 1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp curry
½ tsp nutmeg
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp garlic, minced
Fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
5 cups, uncooked basmati or jasmine rice

Cut chicken into bite size pieces, season with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper, and cook using the method of your choice (I find baking the chicken while the sauce is simmering to be the easiest).

Mix tomato sauce, cream, and spices in a large saucepan. If desired, adjust seasonings to taste. Simmer on low for an hour to an hour and a half, until the sauce thickens. Add cooked chicken and simmer for another 10 minutes. Serve over prepared rice and garnish with cilantro. Naan is also typically served with this Indian dish (the recipe for naan is below).



　
NAAN


1 package yeast
1 cup warm water
¼ cup white sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 ½ cups bread flour
¼ cup butter, melted

Proof the yeast in a large bowl with the cup of water (and however much sugar the back says that you need to use to proof it). Wait about ten minutes until it is nice and frothy. Add everything else except the butter and make into a dough. Knead it on a floured surface until it is smooth. Place it in a well oiled bowl, cover with a wet cloth, and let it rise somewhere warm. It is done when it has doubled in size--about an hour.

Punch it down, tear off small sections and roll into golf ball-sized balls. Place on a greased tray, cover with a towel and let rise again until doubled in size--about half an hour.

Preheat grill to a medium/medium-low temp (I use an oven rack, if you want the nice lines on it. You could also use a skillet). Oil lightly. Roll out/use your hands to smash and flatten a ball of dough into a thin circle. Cook for a couple minutes until puffy/lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter. Flip. Brush cooked side with butter. Cook another few minutes until nicely browned. Remove from grill. Repeat.

Corn Dish!!!

CORN DISH


1 cup macaroni noodles, uncooked
1 cup velveeta cheese
1 stick butter
1 can creamed corn
1 can corn, drained

Mix all ingredients together in a 9x9 casserole dish (cut velveeta and butter into smaller squares). Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes; stir and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Beef Strogenoff with Rice

BEEF STROGENOFF


1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 10-oz cans cream of mushroom soup
1 12-oz tub sour cream
4 cups white rice (or noodles), cooked

Brown the ground beef with the onions; drain grease. Add cream of mushroom soup and sour cream to ground beef. Mix well and cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated. Serve over rice (or noodles). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Slow Cooked Chili

CHILI

2 lbs ground beef
1 green bell, diced
1 red bell, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
2 packages chili seasoning (any brand)
2-3 cans seasoned chili tomatoes
2 cans black beans drained
1 can each: light red, dark red, kidney, chili beans
1-2 12-oz cans tomato juice
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder

Fry ground beef with peppers and onion. Add chili seasoning packets (do not prepare according to package!) and water until sauce reaches nappe state (clings to back of spoon). Simmer for about 3-5 minutes. Add tomatoes and continue to simmer. Open and drain cans of beans. Mix beans, tomato juice, and spices together in a crock pot. Add beef mixture and cook on low (5 hrs) or high (2-3 hrs).

*You may also cook this on the stove top: cover and simmer on low to medium heat for 1-2 hours, stirring frequently.

Garfield's Favorite Lasagna!

Welcome to my new food blog! Because many of you have requested recipes from me, I have created this blog to post my favorite recipes and other food and nutrition discussions. Not many of these are my own creations, but I hope to change that as I continue to experiment! For my first post, I am providing the recipe for my family's homemade lasagna. I don't know where it comes from originally, but I have tweaked it slightly here and there. It is delicious and simple to make, so enjoy!

LASAGNA

1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 cans tomato sauce
1 6oz can tomato paste
3 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tbsp parsley
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1/8 tsp basil
16 oz cottage cheese
1 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ cup parmesan cheese
½ lb. lasagna, cooked (about 10-12)

Brown hamburger, onion and the garlic. Add the next 7 ingredients (combine dry ingredients together and mix well before pouring into sauce). Stir sauce, cover and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Boil lasagna (add oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together). Drain and cool lasagna by running water over them. Put a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Layer as follows: half the lasagna, half the cottage cheese, half the mozzarella, half the sauce. Repeat for a second layer and top with ½ cup parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes 12 servings.

 

Photographs by Cheri