Chuck's Favorite Mac and Cheese

I don't know who Chuck is, but I can understand why this is his favorite mac and cheese.  The only Chuck I know is the one who had my cell phone number before me. When I first got the phone, I was bombarded with calls, mostly bill collectors, for Chuck. People even asked me to take messages for him.  Or they would leave voice mail for him, though my announcement clearly said, "This is Rocquie" in my own voice. One caller even asked if I was his wife! What a pain. I set up ring tones for my own callers and ignored the generic ring whenever I heard it.  Then one day I had a voice mail from the actual Chuck. He had the audacity to ask me to take messages for him, then he gave me his new phone number to report his messages.  Over five years later, I will still get an occasional Chuck call. 

Be that as it may, I really like this Chuck's Favorite Mac and Cheese. I found the recipe at All Recipes and have made it a few times. This time, I used farfalle (bow ties) rather than elbow macaroni because it is what I had and because it is so cute.  The first time I made it, I had a few scallions on hand that wanted to be used, so I tossed them in. I liked the taste so much, I plan for them now.

Another way I strayed from Chuck's recipe is that I use fresh bread crumbs, made with whole grain bread, rather than dried bread crumbs. Also I bake mine in a 3 quart deep casserole instead of the 13 x 9 inch casserole Chuck uses. 

Chuck's Favorite Mac and Cheese
8 oz. macaroni, cooked until done
8 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese
12 oz. cottage cheese
8 oz. sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 scallions, white and green parts, sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 3 quart casserole. Mix together the cooked macaroni, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, scallions, and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Pour into the prepared casserole. Mix together the bread crumbs and butter; spread over the macaroni mixture.  Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

Cheese Spread

I am a purist when it comes to Pimiento Cheese.  Although this has some of the elements of Pimiento Cheese, I'm not calling it that because of all the extras.  Originally, I was going to mix together cream cheese and olives. Period. Then I started seeing dabs of things in the fridge and stirring them in too.  I have to say, this turned out to be very tasty, indeed.

Cheese Spread

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

8 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated

1/2 cup chopped salad olives

1/4 cup chopped deli sliced jalapeno peppers

3 scallions, sliced

1 (2 oz.) jar diced pimientos plus juice

Stir everything together until well combined. Stuff into celery, smear onto crackers or a bagel. Or make a toasted sandwich. 

What other ways would you use it?



Spinach Cheese Pie

I must like triangle shaped food.  I didn't realize this about myself until I was organizing some of my photo files. I kept seeing more and more foods cut and formed into triangles and wedges. Over 30 such shaped items have been appeared on this blog and there are more! These include pies, quiches, tarts, pizza, sandwiches, frittata, turnovers, claufutti, wedges of cake, cheesecake, cornbread,  wedges of cheese, even cookies. 

I saw this recipe at All Recipes and decided to try it. I suppose my initial attraction was the shape, but it is also very cheesy and I love cheese. Also Pritchard Parker loves spinach. He is especially fond of those dense packages of frozen spinach, which is great because fresh spinach, in this area, is quite expensive. I usually only buy fresh spinach for salads. 

Spinach Cheese Pie

(adapted from allrecipes)

2 (9-inch) pie crusts

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

15 ounces lowfat cottage cheese

4 oz. mozzarella cheese, freshly grated

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

2 cups diced sharp cheddar cheese

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fit one pie crust into  a pie plate. In a large bowl, mix together the spinach and cheeses. Mix together well and season with freshly ground black pepper. Pour into the bottom pie crust and place the second pie crust on top of the filling. Trim and crimp edges. Bake for 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.



Upside Down German Chocolate Cake

All the Christmas cookies were gone and it was time to make more dessert for my sweet (toothed) husband. I am still reeling from all the butter and sugar from the holidays, so I made this shortcut German Chocolate Cake. Shhhh, don't tell anyone but I even used a cake mix! I do hope you will click here and read about the real German Chocolate Cake I make for Pritchard Parker's birthday last year.

I think I originally got this recipe from Taste of Home Magazine. This is the third time I've made it and I would like to share my experiences.  First of all, I would like to say, prepare your pan according to the recipe and not the cake mix box.

Secondly, don't get the cream cheese closer than an inch from the the edges of the pan or your cake will not turn out without sticking.

And lastly, don't overbeat the cream cheese mixture like I once did. The recipe told me blend the mixture until combined, then beat until smooth. Because the first time I made the cake I had trouble "spreading" the mixture over the cake batter, I decided, wrongly, to really beat it until light and fluffy.

Big mistake.  After the cake had been in the oven for a while, I started hearing hissing and sizzling sounds. When I looked in the oven, I shrieked! The cream cheese was boiling out of the pan like flowing lava. I quickly put a sheet pan under the cake to stop any additional mess to my oven. 

This is NOT what you are looking for:

Upside Down German Chocolate Cake
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup pecans
1 box German chocolate cake mix
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 13x9x2 inch baking pan very well.  Sprinkle coconut and pecans into the pan.  Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Pour batter into prepared pan.  In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until blended.  Add egg and blend.  Add powdered sugar, mixing one cup at a time.  When all is combined, beat until smooth.  Drop by tablespoons over the batter  to within 1 inch of edges.  Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter.

Greek Green Beans

This is a wonderful recipe for green beans, especially if you love feta cheese like I do.  I made this dish during my post- holiday-super-intense-craving for vegetables, and only vegetables phase.  

The recipe starts with fresh green beans, which are washed and stemmed. Sweet onions and garlic are sauteed in olive oil before stirring in the green beans, along with tomato sauce. Fresh mint is used, and try not to skip it because it really adds so much to the flavor.  In the end, feta cheese is stirred in. 

I served the green beans with a sweet potato prepared my favorite way--baked, with butter, salt, and pepper.  This was a perfectly satisfying supper for me.  For Pritchard Parker, I added a couple of pork chops and buttered biscuits. 

Greek Green Beans

1 large, sweet onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 lb. fresh green beans, washed and stemmed

1 cup tomato sauce

2 tsp. fresh mint, chopped

8 oz. feta cheese, cubed or crumbled

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In large skillet, saute onion in olive oil, then add garlic. Add green beans and tomato sauce and stir well to combine. Add 1/2 cup water. Stir in the fresh mint. Cover and cook over medium heat until beans are nearly done, adding more water or tomato sauce as necessary. Lower heat and add feta cheese. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.