Spicy Mamma's Mac and Cheese with Corn bread and Wasabi Green Beans

I've never been a fan of mac and cheese. *gasp* - I know, it's a sin in some people's books. I'm convinced it's one of those foods you like because you grew up with it. I did not grow up with that or really any dish laden with cheese. Keep in mind I come from a family whose dad is a very health-conscious vegetarian and mom is a picky eater who is lactose intolerant. So basically Kraft macaroni and cheese never made it to the dinner menu. Even throughout childhood when I would visit people's houses and faced with the opportunity to try out mac and cheese, I had already determined it was a disgusting concept and deemed it as one of my least favorite foods. I do realize in my wise old age that I can't decide I HATE foods without ever trying them. I finally broke down and tried mac and cheese at my husband's parents house a few years ago. I must admit I really didn't want to try it but I figured it would be rude to refuse to eat my dinner based on artificial determination I hate all mac and cheese. Man, it was SO good. So now I'm a pretty big fan of HOMEMADE mac and cheese.

We decided to make dinner with a spicy theme - so we whipped up spicy mac and cheese, spicy cornbread and wasabi green beans. The mac and cheese was a slightly altered version of Mamma's Mac and Cheese from foodtv.com. Here's the altered recipe below:

Mamma's Mac and Cheese
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

1 pound elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups plus 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar
*** add 2 - 3 finely chopped chipotles in adobo sauce

Cook the macaroni in boiling water for about 10 minutes until tender but still firm. Drain well and set aside. In a deep skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour to make a roux and cook, stirring, to remove any lumps. Pour in the milk and cook until the mixture is thick and smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 2 cups Cheddar and continue to cook until melted. ***Add the chopped chipotles and stir*** Add the cooked macaroni and stir. Transfer the mixture to a 2-quart casserole dish. Bake in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 20 minutes. Remove the casserole from oven, top with remaining 1/2-cup cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes until hot and bubbly.

The cornbread was made from a bagged cornbread mix but I added chopped chipotles in adobo to taste and a can of corn. Add cilantro if you have it on hand.

For the green beans, I decided to mix a tablespoon or so of sesame oil with one of those small wasabi packets you get when you buy grocery store sushi and use a pastry brush to baste the steamed green beans. I'd definitely make this recipe again and maybe add some sesame seeds to the top next time.

For the record, to this day, I think I still have not eaten mac and cheese from the box...and after eating this recipe, I probably never will :)

Calling All Fellow Food Artists...

My brother has recently discovered his love for cooking so he has joined Patently Delicious to post about his own kitchen exploits. So stay tuned for his postings...

On the same note, I know have many friends who also love to cook so if anyone wishes to post here or make a quick comment about one of their latest creations with a link to their own blog, please let me know and I'll make you a member of Patently Delicious! And no need to have any interest in intellectual property to post here! Especially M-Scribbles (she's really making me look like a slacker), Exuberant B, SMC and brother-in-law S.

The Swedish Chef still cracks me up :)

Roasted Mushroom Salad with Spinach and Bacon paired with Grilled Corn

So we managed to go to the grocery store three times today. First, to stock up at Costco - one of our least favorite tasks because we always manage to spend a ridiculous amount of money and wind up dizzy at the end of the trip. However, today we got to redeem our Costco American Express rebate check so the trip was a lot more like a shopping spree (although we did exhibit some discretion). We kept getting inspired this afternoon after looking at our Mexican cookbooks resulting in multiple trips to the grocery store. Now we have well-stocked kitchen once again (so hopefully stay tuned for more frequent updates) and a pretty full tummy as I type right now.


We decided to go back to one of our favorite cookbooks - Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless and try out a rather simple salad recipe and last minute decided to grill up some corn because Safeway was having a great special. The main working element behind the salad was making a roasted mixture of chunks of thick-cut bacon, sliced mushrooms and red onions. The bacon does a heavenly (yes, heavenly) job of coating the vegetables with grease to make a bacon-flavored, crispy yet moist topping for a bed of spinach leaves. The salad were then topping with a olive oil dressing containing oregano, lime and minced chilies in adobo. We also used this Emeril Lagasse recipe for corn on the grill. Both recipes were major winners...let me know if you want the salad recipe - it's very easy! Clearly, I was pretty pleased with dinner considering I've already posted about it! tee hee!

Oooh, dessert is ready! Hmm...maybe I can cram in one more thing tonight :)

Tortas

Last week, AC and I took a trip to visit his brother and family in Salem, OR. Like us, S and his wife love to cook and basically are foodies. We also share a similar love for Mexican/Central/South American cuisines...in fact, I believe this past Christmas we all gave each other Mexican cookbooks :) I can honestly say I ate very well on this trip with minimal cooking on my part. My favorite meal, S and his wife whipped up, was tortas with his wife's, R, famous rice recipe. AC and I are definitely going to need to make this dish sometime soon! Here's the recipe copied from the blog of S. Oh, btw...I think onions are perhaps the best thing ever on the grill because they carmelize perfectly while staying moist. yum!

(Quantities represent what we use to make 2 sandwiches)

Tortas DF

2 bolillos (basically Mexican-style French rolls -- available at most Mexican bakeries and every Super Wal-Mart in the Willamette Valley)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, thinly sliced into rings
1 avocado, sliced
queso asadero, sliced thin (queso fresco works as well if it's not too crumbly)
pickled sliced jalapenos
mayonnaise
butter or margarine
salt
pepper
chile powder (I generally use hot New Mexico)
olive oil

Cooking
1. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and chile powder. In the winter I tend to thinly slice the chicken, season it, and then saute it in olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. In the summer, I season the chicken, grill it, and then thinly slice it after it's grilled. You have one of these, right?

2. Thinly slice the onions into rings. Carmelize with olive oil in a pan over medium to medium-high heat.

3. Slice each bolillo lengthwise. Slather the inner surface with butter or margarine. In a pan with enough flat surface (comal, griddle, saute pan -- I use an 8" Calphalon saute pan for my comal duties) over medium-high heat, place the butter side down of each bolillo-half and cook until the butter surface is browned and the bolillo-half is warm. Be careful not to burn them -- watch your heat level.

Assembly
For each bolillo, slather the bottom half with mayonnaise. Put each bottom down, because now we stack. First, put as many pickled jalapeno slices on top of the mayo as you think you can handle. Second, put the sliced chicken on top of the jalapenos. Third, put the onions on top of the chicken. Fourth, put the thinly sliced cheese on top of the onions. Fifth, put the sliced avocado on top of the cheese. Finally, place the top of the bolillo on the stack. If you are brave, cut it in half.

While in Oregon, we also visited Bend, OR and had some pretty good microbrews at Dechutes Brewery. I was surprised that I actually was enjoying the darker beers - perhaps, when you find quality, it's easier to venture outside of your comfort beer zone. I think our next challenge should be to make our own beer :)