Comfort Food At It's Best! Bacon Cheeseburger Mac!

Sometimes you just need some comfort food!  This bacon cheeseburger macaroni skillet fits the bill!  My daughter Micah had happened to mention that I had not made this in a while so we planned to make it for dinner on the night in question.  While I have never done a video of this particular version I have done one of a pantry style version using pantry staples.  This one is made with all fresh ingredients and is perfectly delicious.

When I was growing up in the 1970's Hamburger Helper had just launched onto the scene.  Every busy mom in America reached for that box with the helping hand on the front.  Just brown a pound of burger meat and add the ingredients included in the box and a few others like water, milk and or butter and you were on your way to a delicious meal to set in front of your family.  The iconic commercials always made it seem so homey and great.  

The trouble was that my mom was one of the last hold outs of an age.  A stay at home mother who cooked three squares a day and was there when we needed her 24/7.  She did not work outside of the home until I was 16 years old, out of necessity because my father got laid off from his job.  So the first time we were served Hamburger Helper, it was a potato stroganoff version and all I can say if "eww"!  The memory still haunts me today.  Although we did try both the cheeseburger mac and chili mac varieties and liked them, they were not really a frequently featured meal in my home growing up.  

Fast forward several years later.  I am a newlywed, young married to a man who loves anything out of a box, mix, can or bag.  He loved, loved, loved cheeseburger mac.  So I made it for him.  Truthfully, it never was my favorite.  Fast forward again, I have a couple of daughters, and a desire to prepare healthy food for my family.  Anyone who has looked at the back of that box knows that this is not the best choice and we can do better.

So, better we will do!  Using a few simple ingredients that we most likely all have on hand, we can make this delicious bacon cheeseburger macaroni in no time.  This is a super fast meal that will satisfy and the amounts I have given will feed a family of four for at least two meals and a couple of lunch servings.  This is super budget friendly and easy enough for your "learning how to cook" teens can make without much supervision.    

I have used 2 pounds of 80/20 ground chuck.  This is my go to for this type of meal.  If you prefer, you can use 93% lean or even ground turkey if you like.  Brown that up then add onions, garlic, steak seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, beef stock, milk, and cheddar cheese.  These simple ingredients come together all in one skillet to create a super satisfying and delicious, comfort food favorite that will have your kids and even your husband clamoring for more!

I have served mine with some lettuce, tomato and pickles on the side to go along with the "cheeseburger" theme and then to top everything off I also offered some additional shredded cheddar and crumbled bacon on the side in case anyone wanted theirs to be bacon cheeseburger mac!    This is the perfect meal for a busy night and the bonus is that you will have leftovers for another meal later in the week if you have a family of four like we do.

I hope you will give this homemade bacon cheeseburger mac a try.  Free from artificial ingredients, colors, flavors, additives, preservatives and a myriad of unpronounceable chemicals.  This version is quick, easy and accessible.  No special ingredients needed, just plain old fashioned goodness.  

I hope you give this bacon cheeseburger macaroni a try and I hope you love it!

Happy Eating!

Get a printable version of the recipe here:    http://bit.ly/1UpW9YH

Noreen's Kitchen

Bacon Cheeseburger Mac

Ingredients

2 pounds ground chuck 1 1/2 cups onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound macaroni 4 cups beef stock 2 cups milk (3 if you like it super creamy)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 2 tablespoons flour (optional) 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon steak seasoning 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled.

Step by Step Instructions

Brown ground beef in a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat.  Be sure to cook the meat until it actually begins to brown on the bottom of the pan, all the water has cooked out and all that remains is a bit of fat and a good sizzle.

Add onion, garlic and seasonings and stir well to combine.

Add macaroni, beef stock, milk and cheese.  Stir well being sure to incorporate everything.  

Bring to a simmer.

Reduce heat to medium and place a lid on the pan.

Allow to cook slowly for 15 minutes or until the macaroni is soft and cooked through.

If your mixture looks a little broken, like the fat has not absorbed,  add two tablespoons of flour to your pan and stir well. 

Turn off heat.  Place lid back on the skillet and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with additional cheese and the bacon for topping if desired.

NOTE:  You can choose to stir the bacon into the macaroni mixture after it is cooked.  My girls did not want bacon in this so we compromised. 

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and should be eaten within five days.  This recipe is not recommended for freezing.

You can see how I made this in my YouTube video:

Summer in a Bowl! Avocado, Mango Salad with Strawberries!

Today I want to share a delicious salad that I have been enjoying for a couple of weeks now for my lunch. This avocado mango salad with strawberries, hits all the notes, is super satisfying and will keep you coming back for more. I think you are going to love it!

This salad screams summer! It has all the freshness that you look for in a summer lunch. It smells amazing when you are making it and it looks amazing when you get it all in the bowl together. This one is a knock out the ballpark winner! I personally love a salad that has not greens in it from time to time. I love to have a chopped salad that has lots of veggies and fruits mixed together and this one is the perfect combination.

I know what you are thinking! Mango AND avocado AND strawberries AND onions? Really? Yes Really! Trust me on this one. This hits all those flavor notes you are looking for. Sweetness from the berries, tang from the mango, rich creaminess from the avocado and spicy bite from the onion. Lime juice brings the whole thing together with a palate cleansing citrus burst and married with a little bit of agave nectar to enhance the natural sweetness of the berries and the mango this is a real winner. Top this all off with a sprinkling of homemade chili lime seasoning and you have one out of this world experience in your bowl for lunch or dinner!

Like I said, I have been enjoying this for lunch the last couple of weeks. Normally I only eat two meals a day so Rick and I either enjoy breakfast and dinner or brunch and dinner. This is the perfect afternoon offering. i have been pairing this with a hard boiled egg on the side and this takes me to dinner with no problem. This is light but filling and it will stay with you and give you what you need to get the job done.

This salad is enough for two people as a side dish to a nice piece of grilled chicken or you can even serve this on top of the grilled chicken or a nice filet of grilled or broiled fish! This salad has amazing potential. Make it fresh when you want to enjoy this because it won't keep very well past a day or so because the avocado may get to mushy and disappear if it is ever so slightly too ripe. So you will want to keep that in mind.

If you don't have access to fresh strawberries or they are not in season, you could use blueberries, blackberries or even cubed nectarine, plum or peaches would be great. You can basically make this work with so many different fruits! Don't have sweet onion? Use red onion or green onion to round it out. Don't like onion? Skip it! Make this salad your own and enjoy!

I used a homemade chili lime seasoning on my salad. If you would like to see it, stay tuned because I will be sharing that in an upcoming video! I know you are just going to love that seasoning because it is so versatile in so many different dishes! Keep an eye out for that coming soon!

I think this is the perfect summer salad. I hope you do too! I know that when you give this a try you are going to keep on making it all summer long!

I hope you give this salad a try and I hope you love it! 

Happy Eating!

Get the recipe on my website here:

http://bit.ly/1SlqBjA

You can see how I made this in my YouTube video:

Amazing, Alfredo, Chicken & Bacon Pizza!

Thursday night means pizza night in our house.  In an effort to make at least three more meals from the roasted chicken dinner that we made on Sunday, I am using some of that chicken in a fabulous pizza for our pizza night!  Pizza is a wonderful use for leftover meats and veggies because you can really stretch a little to go a long way.  Add a bit of dough, either store bought or homemade and you have pizza.  You could even sub out the dough and use some sliced French bread to make this pizza.  Whatever you choose, you are going to love this deeply flavorful and decadent pizza that you make using leftovers!

This is no ordinary pizza, and required only a few ingredients that I had on hand.  I made my dough earlier in the day in a double batch and divided it into four balls, each of which I wrapped in a plastic bag and then placed them all in the fridge to "rise" before dinner.  Then I pressed the dough into an oiled pizza pan.

In advance of putting the pizza together, I cooked cut bacon in my skillet low and slow to assure a crispy product.  Removed that from the pan and removed all but a tablespoon of the rendered bacon fat which I sautéed 8 ounces of Crimini mushrooms, 1 medium sliced onion and four cloves of chopped garlic.  I removed those from the skillet and then tossed in about two cups of cubed dark meat chicken which I pulled from the remaining leg and thigh quarters from Sunday's dinner.  I tossed those around in the warm pan just to take the chill off the chicken.

I used some prepared Alfredo sauce on the bottom, topped with some shredded Mozzarella cheese and then topped that with the warm chicken, some of the sauteed onions, mushrooms and garlic and topped that with a bit more cheese.  Then for the piece' de' resistance, the crispy crumbled bacon, strewn across the top of the beautiful pie.  I sprinkled a bit of grated Parmesan as well as a bit of pizza seasoning to top everything off just right.  If you like, you could apply a light drizzle of a high quality olive oil if you like, Who would complain about that?

Baked at 425 degrees for just under 20 minutes until the cheese was lightly browned and bubbly, the crust was browned and crunchy and the house was permeated with the amazing aroma of this luscious pizza.  I allowed this to cool for about 10 minutes before cutting into it and enjoying a taste.  I was not disappointed!  This pizza was amazing!

The flavors in this pie are incredible.  Bacon, onion, garlic, herb roasted chicken, cheese and crunchy crust.  My mouth is watering just writing this and I'm wondering if there is a slice left this morning to enjoy with my coffee. 

So with a little effort, I can tick another meal off of my list in which I used the chicken from Sunday evening.  So far that makes two meals, including the Mexican Style Chicken Lasagna, which really will end up feeding us for two dinners for four people, so you could easily say that I have made three extra meals from that chicken.  I plan on at least one more project with the chicken that I have leftover now, which really consists of the carcasses and the wings.  I suppose a soup of some sort is in order and I know you are going to love what I have planned. 

Creating meals from leftovers can be a challenge, especially if you are like me and cannot really stand to eat some types of leftovers. So the challenge is even bigger for me.  I love to "makeover" the original meal so that it is not evident that we are actually eating leftovers.  It takes some doing, and it takes some creativity, heck, it even takes some "outside the box" thinking.  Give it a try.  Cook one large protein a week and see what you can get out of it.  I think you'll have a blast creating dishes your family will love and in the end you will increase your recipe repertoire. 

Remember that if you don't have any leftover chicken and just can't wait to give this a try, then get yourself a rotisserie chicken and use some of that meat for your pizza.  See how many meals you can make for yourself out of one chicken.  You'll have fun and your family will love you!

I hope that you are going to give this recipe a try and I hope you love it! 

Happy Eating!

If you would like to see how I made the pizza, you can watch here:

What's for Dinner? Ground Beef Wellington

Filet Mignon Taste and a Ground Beef Budget

Since I have been doing my videos for Youtube, I have had more than one adventurous viewer request that I demonstrate how to cook Beef Wellington.  Now you can imagine the first ever request for this fancy schamncy dish put me over the top, but then I got another and then another.  What to do?

I can assure you that I, although well versed in the kitchen have never attempted to make such a culinary wonder, but I was up for the challenge.  The only thing holding me back?  The economy!  Taking a look around at the current state of the economy had me worried that making such a dish would be like rubbing salt into the wound of a broken and flat broke foodie.  Beef Wellington is amazing with its layers of flakey pastry wrapped lovingly around a beef tenderloin that has been buddied up with duxcel of mushrooms and goose liver pate and tenderly brushed with nothing but the best Dijon mustard.  But lets be real, this is not a dish for the faint of heart nor the weak of wallet!

So what was I to do?  I did what any self respecting video blogger would do.  I politely ignored the request and went along my happy way doing other things to please and tantalize the pallets of my viewers.  Then one day, not so long ago, I was visiting the store and I saw it, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Cookbook.  Now I am a huge fan of Jamie, having followed him all along from his days being dubbed the Naked Chef and boy was I happy to leaf through this book in the store, but as I leafed I realized that I needed to take this book home.  Much like a visit to the pound will result in you acquiring another pet, a visit to the bookstore will most assuredly guarantee the procurement of one if not several new tomes.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I read cookbooks from cover to cover along with a stack of sticky notes to mark the recipes that I will be trying.  You should also probably know that I am a self professed cookbook junkie, having spent years building a library that would rival the most intense cook among us.  But like cats, there is always room for one more.   One afternoon while reading this book, page after page, sitting the waiting room of the doctors office, I discovered this lovely recipe for Ground Beef Wellington.  This was the answer!  I was so excited, I believe I embarrassed my daughter but at 13 that is not hard to do. 

So, now I had everything I needed, a great recipe, an answer to the expensive problem and you.  Everyone can afford a pound of ground beef, along with the other ingredients, this dish did not cost a lot to make.  In all, this dish can cost anywhere from $10.00 to $15.00 depending on if you purchase organic meat or regular.  The puff pastry is around $4.00 and the other ingredients are all easy to come by.  Don’t want to use Portabellos?  Use Criminis they are smaller and they are actually baby portobellos, or you can just use regular white button mushrooms.  But don’t leave out the mushrooms and don’t forget that potato is important too, because the starch from it will help to absorb any of the liquid from the veggies and meat as it cooks in it’s little pastry cocoon.  I made the mistake of leaving out the potato, and while the dish was still amazing, I saw why the spud was necessary.

So without further Adieu, I give you the fanciest meatloaf you will ever make:  Ground Beef Wellington.

GROUND BEEF WELLINGTON

Here is what you will need to make this dish:

1 medium onion chopped

1 carrot chopped

2 stalks of celery chopped

2 garlic cloves chopped

2 Portobello Mushrooms roughly chopped

1 potato finely diced

Olive oil (around a tablespoon)

1 Teaspoon of Marjoram, Thyme or Rosemary

1 Large egg beaten

Sea salt

Cracked Black Pepper

2 Sheets Puff Pastry (I used 1 box of Pepperidge Farm Brand it’s in the freezer)

In a large skillet heat olive oil.  Sautee’ all veggies until soft and the potato is fully cooked, around 15 minutes.  Place the hot veggies on a small baking sheet and spread out into a thin layer.  Place the sheet in the fridge for around 15 minutes and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the veggies, ground beef, salt, pepper, herb of your choice and half of the beaten egg.  Blend with your hands until the mixture is well combined.  Set aside while we work with the pastry.

Lightly flour a board or your counter and take the puff pastry and unfold both sheets and slightly overlap them and roll together.  Do not make the mistake of leaving them out for too long, because they will stick to themselves as mine did, but I just rolled them together with a rolling pin and everything was fine.

Your puff pastry should be around 12 inches by 16 inches with the long side in front of you.  Take the meat mixture and form a long log or sausage shape toward the long front side of the pastry.  Brush the remaining egg mixture along all edges, this will act as a glue to keep the pastry together while cooking.  Roll the pastry around the beef mixture and roll, leaving the seam side down under the log and pinching the ends together so the whole thing looks like a loaf of French bread. 

Transfer to a baking sheet line with parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing. 

I served this with steamed cauliflower with browned butter bread crumbs.  There is no need to make a starch because the puff pastry is rich enough.  A green salad on the side would be a lovely addition as well. 

I hope you try this and I hope you enjoy it.  Look for Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Cookbook, along with this recipe there are lots more that are wonderful and I look forward to making some of them for you.  I also understand that he is coming out with a new book very soon dealing with 30 minute meals.  Check it out, you will not be disappointed! 

I hope you try this and I hope you enjoy it.  As always Happy Eating!

What's for Dinner? Ham and Cabbage Bake with Noodles

August is waning and I can feel and smell autumn trying really hard to burst on to the scene.  Autumn is by far, my favorite time of all the year.  In  my estimation, the finest of all seasons, with spring coming in second, winter trailing behind spring and summer in dead last.  I HATE SUMMER!  I never did well in the heat.  The only thing that saves me in the summer is gardening and the bountiful harvests that I get from my hard work in the spring, along with the canning and putting up or putting by that is done inside an air conditioned house!


Today is one of the first this summer that the humidity decided to take a holiday and a the temperature did not raise into the nineties.  As I walked outside this morning, I could feel Autumn calling to me, letting me know that she was on her way to put the earth to sleep for another winter.  I for one have never been sad to see the summer go.  Back to school, making way for Halloween and Thanksgiving as well as the changing of the clocks are all highly anticipated.  These things make me know that no matter what may happen, the seasons will always turn one into another keeping grounded for yet another year.


Autumn brings with it so many things that I love, leaves, pumpkins, gourds, hay bales in my front yard, putting the garden to bed for the coming winter, wood smoke, chilly mornings, campfires in my back yard and the ability to cook items that are just not good when the weather is hot and muggy.  Who wants to eat a big heavy meal when the temperature outside is breaking 100 degrees and the humidity is breaking 100 percent.  Who can eat anything for that matter when things are that uncomfortable?  But Autumn is my friend.  She is gentle, she whispers to me each morning when I step outside on my back deck with my hot coffee and breath in the cool, dewy air that is crisp and satisfying and smell the faintness of a wood fire, that someone has stoked to take the morning chill of his house.  She says “I Love You!”  “I am here for my yearly visit.”  “Enjoy me while I am here!”.  Perfection!


The beginnings of Autumn are magical to me.  It restores me, body and soul, bringing with it cool weather and the opportunity to spend comfortable time outdoors with my family.  It also brings with it cool weather veggies at their peak.  Crucifers abound, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, chard, kale, collards, mustard, Brussels sprouts and my favorite cabbage!  I for one, don’t think that there is anything better than a steaming plate of cabbage, sauteed with onion, apples and butter!  Green cabbage can be done like this as well as my personal preference, Savoy or curly cabbage.  Let’s not forget the red cabbage either, cooked long and slow and made to be sweet and sour, Harvard style.  YUM!  Love on a plate.


Today’s recipe will focus on the previously mentioned Savoy or curly cabbage, rich and green and bumpy and delicious.  Paired with onions, apples and ham, they join together to make a perfect main course alongside some buttery egg noodles and you have an Eastern European standard waiting to show you how wonderful dinner can me!  Give this one a try and you will not be sorry that you did.  Salty ham, tender crisp cabbage with just a hint of sweetness from the apples and onions.  You will be happy.  Instead of noodles, pair this with some prepared frozen Pierogies that have been sauteed with butter after boiling in a hot bath.  Delicious!  I think I can hear Autumn knocking at my kitchen door and she has brought me a dish of ham and cabbage and noodles.  I am happy!

Here is what you will need to make this recipe:

1 medium Savoy cabbage (use green cabbage, bok choy or other greens of your choice)

1 large onion sliced

1 apple cored, peeled and sliced

½ stick butter cut into slices

½ cup hot water

1 ham bullion packet

1 pound ham steak

1 bag egg noodles prepared and buttered

Rinse, core and chop cabbage into medium sized pieces.  Place in a large casserole dish or baking pan along with sliced onions and apples.  Place butter slices atop cabbage.  Mix ham bullion into hot water and pour over cabbage in waiting pan.  Cut ham steak into quarters and remove outer rind.  Place slices of ham atop the cabbage, onions and apples.  Cover with aluminum foil and place pan on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes.  Make sure not to peek, or you will lose all that good steam that will build up under the foil and it may take even longer for the cabbage to cook.  

While the cabbage and ham are baking in the oven, boil water in a large stock pot and prepare 1 12 ounce bag of egg noodles until they are cooked to you preferred doneness.  I don’t like them mushy.    When they are done, drain and butter with a couple tablespoons of butter or use some olive oil if you like.  

At the 35 minute mark, check the cabbage for doneness.  If you are happy, get ready to serve!  Plate up some noodles and cabbage and top with a nice piece of ham.  Sprinkle on some celery or caraway seeds and you are in for a treat!  Just like your Bubbe used to make!  Wink ; ).  

I hope you try this and I hope you enjoy it!  Until next time; See Ya!