BB: Grown Up Mac and Cheese

This months first Barefoot Bloggers pick, chosen by Heather of Randomosity and the Girl, was for Grown Up Mac and Cheese. I must say I was thrilled at this choice, I have been dying to make a Mac and Cheese, and I loved the grown up cheeses used!

My husbands immediate comment was: "oh my god, this mac and cheese is better than my mothers". Hehe. I said, no honey, its just VERY different. It was sooo good, though. I did not have a problem with the blue cheese being overwhelming. I thought the balance was perfect. I actually tasted mostly cheddar, then gruyere, and maybe just a hint of the blue. Any way you look at it, It was GOOD, as you can see by my GIANT side of the mac with my dinner. Boy was I full!! Also, notice the brocolli, I had to do something to feel healthy after all that mac and cheese!!



4 ounces thick-sliced bacon
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt
2 cups elbow macaroni or cavatappi
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
3 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated
2 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and arrange the bacon in 1 layer on the baking rack. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Remove the pan carefully from the oven - there will be hot grease in the pan! Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and crumble when it is cool enough to handle.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, blue cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon and stir well. Pour into 2 individual size gratin dishes.

Place the bread slices in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Add the basil and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the pasta. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top

BB: Un-butterflied Chicken

Okay, okay, I'm a chicken (hehe). I just couldn't buy a whole chicken and debone and butterfly it. I just couldn't. I'm kind of new to this whole cooking thing, and I've been doing really well, and I wasn't in the mood for a disaster.

SOOO... I bought bone-in, skin-on breasts. And just rubbed the yummy "paste" under the skin. I grilled these babies, on medium heat on the grill for about 15 minutes on each side.

In the words of my husband: "This is the best chicken I've ever had". Seriously, it was good. So here it is, this weeks Barefoot Bloggers pick, Butterflied Chicken, chosen by Stefany of Proceed With Caution.

The recipe:

1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves, plus 2 sprigs
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 roasting chickens (2 1/2 to 3 pounds each), deboned and butterflied
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced

Mix the chopped rosemary, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a small bowl to make a paste.
Place the chickens on a sheet pan, skin side up, and loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers. Place 1/2 of the paste under the skin of each chicken. Rub any remaining paste on the outside and underside of the chickens.

Turn the chicken skin side down and scatter the lemon slices and sprigs of rosemary over each chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Roll each chicken up, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Heat a grill with coals (I used a gas grill- on Medium heat). Spread the coals out in 1 dense layer and brush the grill with oil. Unroll the chickens, place them on the grill and cook for 12 minutes on each side.

BB: Panzanella

For this installment of the Barefoot Bloggers, chosen by Melissa of It's Melissa's Kitchen, we made a Panzanella salad. I had never heard of this salad before this, but it was very good. I halved the recipe, and I would say, there was enough for 3 very good sized servings, to eat as a meal. We loved this salad, it was light, refreshing and perfect for a summer afternoon.


Source: foodnetwork.com
Recipe below halved from original

1 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (3 cups)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
10 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons capers, drained

For the vinaigrette:
1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.

For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.

BB: Smoked Salmon Spread

Source: foodnetwork.com

Late July's Barefoot Bloggers selection was Ina's Smoked Salmon Spread. I am not a big fan of smoked salmon, although, every once in awhile, I will try a smoked salmon cream cheese on a bagel, or have a bite of my husbands lox on his bagel. I don't hate it, I just don't enjoy it as much as other things that are usually available to me at the same time!

I halved the recipe for this since 1: I don't love smoked salmon, and 2: It was only DH and I that would be eating it.

The spread was actually quite good. DH LOVED it. I did enjoy a little of it, actually more than I thought I would, but again, I didn't have the same feelings of love as DH had.

I'm glad he liked it, and I'm glad I tried it. That is the whole point of participating in a cooking blog, isn't it?? Thanks to Ashley of The Spicy Skillet for late July's selection! Can't wait to see whats to come in August!

Ingredients (already halved):

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon minced fresh dill

1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish, drained

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 pound (4 ounces) smoked salmon, minced

Directions:

Cream the cheese in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until just smooth. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, dill, horseradish, salt, and pepper, and mix. Add the smoked salmon and mix well. Chill and serve with crudites or crackers.

BB: Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

For our first July Barefoot Bloggers recipe, a jalapeno cheddar cornbread, was chosen by Sabrina and Alexander of Cooking with the Kids.

This cornbread was more cake-like in texture than the more common crumbly cornbread that I am used to. I think it kind of surprised me at first, but after my second piece, I started to enjoy it! This would be great dipped in a spicy chili during football season! I think I will save this one for then! It's coming up soon!!!


3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups milk
3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease the pan
8 ounces aged extra-sharp Cheddar, grated, divided
1/3 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts, plus extra for garnish, 3 scallions
3 tablespoons seeded and minced fresh jalapeno peppers

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter. With a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry until most of the lumps are dissolved. Don't overmix! Mix in 2 cups of the grated Cheddar, the scallions and jalapenos, and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking pan.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining grated Cheddar and extra chopped scallions. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into large squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

BB: Parmesan Chicken

Source: Foodnetwork.com

This is my first Barefoot Bloggers post! This is also my first Ina Garten recipe! It was tasty! I have wanted to try a few of hers, but was never able to get around to them... so I am excited to see what new recipes this group brings to us! One more first... it is my first blogging group that I have joined!!! If you are interested check us out at barefootbloggers.wordpress.com! Thanks to Megan of My Baking Adventures for choosing a great recipe!

As you can see, no photo...

Unfortunately, my camera is acting up. Hopefully we can figure it out soon, since I just started my own blog, and I have very few pics so far!

This recipe was EASY, so simple! Really, I am no expert cook, I followed the recipe to a T and it came out perfectly! The only thing I would change, it that I would use a spring mix as the salad topper. I love spring mix, and our grocer was sold out, so I used an Italian mix of romaine and radicchio. It was a little too bitter and had a bit too much crunch. So definitely spring mix next time!!

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
Unsalted butter
Good olive oil
Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry

1 recipe Lemon Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

Lemon Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Yield: 6 servings