Green Chile Broccoli Mac & Cheese

February 27, 2014 By 1 Comment

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Some might say it’s a little sad… but I really do love mac & cheese. I used to be all about the boxed stuff, but within the last few years, I’ve really taken to finding some delicious and creative recipes that take mac & cheese to a whole ‘nother level.

Just to give you an idea of how good this mac and cheese is, I made this pan full on Monday night, it was gone by Wednesday at lunch. And there were only two of us eating it. It’s still mac and cheese so I won’t go promising that it’s completely healthy, but you can at least feel good about knowing exactly what you’re eating, which is something you can’t say about the boxed stuff.

 

Alright, you might be thinking, broccoli and cheese, I get that. But green chile? Let me back up. I’m from New Mexico, where we put green chile on everything. I’m not talking about chili you see at a cook off or chili peppers from the produce section, I’m talking about THE New Mexico state vegetable. It’s a type of pepper only grown in New Mexico because of the extreme dessert climate. It can be used similarly to jalapeños or more like a salsa that goes on top of different food. New Mexicans eat it on everything, from breakfast eggs to chicken enchiladas at dinner. I’ve had green chile mac and cheese many a time at a local restaurant.

The broccoli, green chile, and bread crumb topping add so much complexity to a relatively simple dish! Each bite has a totally different consistency, based on whichever combination of ingredients you get. Green chiles are known to be spicy, although I didn’t find the canned green chiles to be spicy at all. If you aren’t crazy about spice, you might skip the green chiles. But if you love it, I might recommend two cans of the chiles, so there is enough for the whole dish.
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Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

November 27, 2013 By Leave a Comment
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Up until about two years ago, I could not make good mashed potatoes for the life of me. I always either undercooked or overcooked them. After countless mishaps, I have finally gotten it down!

I think people have a lot of different opinions about which potatoes are best for making mashed potatoes, but I prefer red potatoes. The potatoes become so amazingly creamy and fluffy when mashed. I have tried this recipe with other potatoes and I always come back to red potatoes. Though it’s not just the red potatoes that make these mashed potatoes so perfectly creamy, it’s also the addition of sour cream. My husband isn’t typically a fan of sour cream, but he loves it in these potatoes!

If you are still trying to finalize your Thanksgiving menu, you simply must add these sour cream mashed potatoes! And if not Thanksgiving, any holiday!

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Easy Focaccia Bread

November 15, 2013 By 1 Comment

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I think if you let me, I could live on bread and olive oil. Seriously. Is there anything better than fresh bread, warm right out of the oven? Add in fresh herbs and olive oil and I’m all set!

I used to really fear working with yeast. I’ve never considered myself to be a good baker but over the years, I have realized that baking with yeast is really not that big of a deal. Yeah, sure, you could buy bread at the store, but homemade bread is just a gazillion times better. I love focaccia bread and it’s mostly because of the topping. The smell of fresh rosemary in the oven is pure heaven! Unlike other focaccia bread recipes, this recipe will be ready in about 2 hours to prepare, most of which is just letting the dough rise. We usually eat this bread with soup or a good Italian meal!

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Easy Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread

November 5, 2013 By 1 Comment

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I should really start this post with a disclaimer.

If you’re from the south, you are probably going to hate this cornbread. In fact, it is not really cornbread in the traditional sense at all. It’s more like corn cake. Actually, it’s exactly like corn cake.

I am not from the south, and am therefore not bound by tradition to make cornbread the old fashioned way. The cornbread of my youth? It’s made from a cake mix. If you don’t want to think of it as cornbread, I don’t mind. This version is sweet, and still crumbly, and despite it’s very tenuous relationship to real cornbread, it still tastes fantastic with chili.

Of course, mom never put jalapenos in her version, but me? I likey the spicy. Having that little kick of heat and the creamy cheesiness just takes this corn-whatever-you-call-it to the next level.

I will share this one piece of advice: be careful who you share your corn-cake-bread with. It could get you in trouble.

A couple years ago, I sent a pan full of this cornbread with my boys to the Boy Scout overnight camping trip, enough for them to share. In the days that followed, I received multiple compliments from the scouts, and the cornbread was specifically requested for the next several camping trips.

Granted, teenage boys will eat anything. But still.

Last piece of advice: be sure to bake this thoroughly. In a 9×9 pan, it will be quite brown on top before it’s done in the middle. If you are concerned about this, you can make a thinner layer in a 9×13 pan, and reduce the baking time to 25-30 minutes.

Then cut, eat, and brush the crumbs off your shirt!

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