Sour Cream Biscuits! Not Your Grandma's Biscuit!

Today I want to share with you this simple and delicious twist on a good, old fashioned every day biscuit!  This sour cream biscuit is easy to make just like your traditional buttermilk biscuit, but this uses sour cream and milk instead of buttermilk.  This may be something you can make if you don't want to use buttermilk, don't have it available in your area or just don't feel like running to the store for a special ingredient.  

This is a very basic biscuit recipe.  I have developed this based on my traditional buttermilk biscuit recipe and it makes a big pan full.  You can easily cut this recipe in half if you like or you can make the whole think and only bake what you will eat and freeze the rest of the raw biscuits on a sheet for later use.  

As far as biscuits go this is pretty simple.  Flour, butter, leavener, a bit of sugar for a golden brown finish, milk and sour cream.  You could use all sour cream, but that will make this biscuit super heavy.  Adding the milk give this a lightness that you will enjoy.  Mix it up as you would any other biscuit, by cutting the butter into the dry ingredients then I like to mix the milk and sour cream before pouring into the bowl.  Toss with a fork to form a shaggy dough then dump  onto your well flour work surface.

The magic of flaky layers comes in how you handle the dough from here.  First you will want to press everything together.  Don't "knead" the dough.  Fold the dough into itself like you would fold a letter.  This is called laminated.  When you laminate dough you develop layer upon layer of flaky goodness.  When the dough is pressed out like this it will puff kind of like puff pastry, but not as high.  Biscuits are awesome when you prepare the dough like this.  I like to fold the dough into itself at least four times for maximum flakiness.

When you have folded the dough enough times for your liking, be sure not to do it to many times, which will result in a tough biscuit, go ahead and press or roll out into approximately at 10 x 12 inch rectangle.  You will want the dough to be approximately 1/2 inch thick.  Then cut out in the size you like.  This time I used a large, 4 inch biscuit cutter because I will be using these biscuits to serve with creamed chicken for dinner.  You can cut them smaller and my preferred size is the 2 1/2 inch cutter.  It makes perfect size biscuits for biscuits and gravy, serving on the side with eggs or stew or for eating out of hand with butter and jam.  

These bake in a moderate oven at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until they are golden brown.  When they come out of the oven, I like to brush the tops with melted butter.  This will add flavor and ensure a soft top to your biscuits.  Allow these to cool for a few minutes before serving, even though they will be very hard to resist!

These biscuits are flaky, buttery, and have an amazing tang from the sour cream.  Different that that of the buttermilk.  These are simply delicious and I may say that I like them just a little more than my traditional recipe for buttermilk biscuits!  This recipe will definitely be showing up more often at my house!

I hope that you will give these sour cream biscuits a try some time soon and I hope you love them!

Happy Eating!

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

Noreen's Kitchen

 Sour Cream Biscuits

Ingredients

4 cups all purpose flour 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cold and cubed 2 tablespoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt 1 cup sour cream 1 cup milk Melted butter for brushing on top

Step by Step Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl blend flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Whisk together. 

Add cubed butter to the flour mixture and toss to coat and make sure the butter cubes are separated.  Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, sand or coarse meal.

In a small bowl or jug, mix the sour cream and the milk together until smooth. Pour the liquid mixture into the butter and flour mixture.  Blend with a fork until it just comes together.

Flour your work surface liberally with more all purpose flour.  Pour the dough mixture out onto the flour.  Dust the dough with even more flour on the top.

Work the dough gently by folding into thirds, adding more flour as needed to keep a nice smooth and not sticky dough.  Press down and turn a quarter turn.  Fold into thirds again, press down, turn a quarter turn and flip the dough over, then repeat the folding and turning process twice more.

Roll or pat the dough out into a 12 x 16 inch (approximately) rectangle.  Then cut out using a biscuit cutter in the size desired.  Be sure not to twist your cutter.  That will cause your biscuits to be lopsided and also will inhibit them from rising to their fullest.

Place cut biscuits on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.

You can choose to place the biscuits close together or leave an inch or two between.  This is up to you, depending on whether or not you like your biscuits crispy all around the edges or soft. 

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or just until golden brown on top and around the edges.

Remove from oven and brush with melted butter.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.


Get a printable version of this recipe on my website:  http://bit.ly/2aW06mn

A Trip Down Comfort Food Lane! Southern Style Hot Hamburger Plate!

Let's do a little visualization exercise!  Close your eyes!  Remember back to when you were a child or young adult.  Your family went out to eat for a treat or celebration dinner or maybe it was just payday for dad.  You went to your favorite diner.  Ours was the Burlington Diner.  Then picture yourself being seated in your favorite booth with your brothers and sisters and mom and dad all around that wood grain formica table.  You asked your parents for a quarter to play a selection from the juke box.  As you flip through the pages on the table side selector, you fight with your sister about what song to choose.  Eventually your father takes the quarter away and plays Charlie Rich, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.  UGH!  DAAAAD!!!  But you enjoy it anyway while you are choosing from the menu.  So much to choose from!  Burgers, club sandwiches, fried chicken, eggplant or chicken parm, my usual choice of roasted turkey, stuffing, and fries with gravy, but sometimes I looked forward to getting the Salisbury steak and always leave room for a parfait glass full of green gelatin with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup.  Simple food, good company happy memories.  Ok, now you can come back to reality.

Today I want to share with you something that harkens back to that Burlington Diner salisbury steak.  Something that I have come to know, since moving to the south.  The hot hamburger plate.  Nothing special really except that this is good, old fashioned comfort food.  Not salisbury steak which has been fanicfied and dolled up with eggs, herbs and bread crumbs.  A mini meatloaf if you will.  No, the hot hamburger plate is the southern diner's answer to that fancier fare.  

Simple to make with good quality ground chuck, seasonings and an old fashioned pan gravy made with pan drippings, flour and beef stock.  Yes, this is comfort food at it's best.  The kind that you will find on any self respecting diner, truck stop or cafe menu in the south.  For that matter, we go to a burger joint that boasts this offering on their menu as well, served with fries instead of mashed and the burger is laid on top of a thick piece of Texas toast.  A feast fit for a king!  I almost always see a senior patron enjoying this selection every time we go.  

Well cooked burger patties, simmered in thick brown gravy served with mashed potatoes and green beans.  I also served this with some sauteed mushrooms.  Grilled onions are also a great accompaniment as well.  You make this how you like it.  Next time, I am going for the grilled onions too!

I am not sure why we don't have this more often.  It is delicious, economical and filling.  Always have enough left for lunch for two the next day.  This could even be done as a leftover makeover using grilled burgers from earlier in the week.  If you love to plan ahead, this would be a great use for those patties!  

I hope you enjoyed our little trip down memory lane.  I hope that you give the hot hamburger place a coveted spot on your weekly menu in coming weeks.  I think you will be glad you did!  Then think about all those other things you used to love as a kid when you got the great chance to eat at the diner or truck stop or cafe.  Make those things too!  Introduce them to your children or grand children.  Tell them your story around the dinner table!  Those are priceless moments you cannot purchase but they will be cherished!

I hope you try this and I hope you love it!

Happy Eating!

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

Noreen's Kitchen

 Hot Hamburger Plate

Ingredients

2 pounds ground round 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon season salt 1 teaspoon steak seasoning 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup all purpose flour 4 cups beef stock or consommé

Step by Step Instructions

Combine ground chuck with spices and mix well by hand to incorporate.

Shape into 6 patties.  Poke a hole in the middle of each patty for even cooking.

Heat a cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed skillet or griddle over medium high heat.

Place burger patties on to cook.  You may need to do this in batches if you have more than your pan can accommodate.

Cook for about 5 being sure there is a nice crust.  Then flip and cook for an other 5 minutes.

When burger patties have been cooked completely, remove from pan to a plate lined with paper towels.  Set aside. 

Drain the fat from the pan and wash out your pan. 

Return a few tablespoons of the fat back to the cleaned pan and whisk in the flour over medium heat.

Add the beef stock and whisk well to incorporate.

Continue to cook over medium heat stirring to avoid lumps until the gravy has thickened to your liking.

Add the cooked burgers back into the pan and turn to cover in gravy.  Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat and allow to sit for five minutes before serving.

Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans, maybe a biscuit.  Now you have a southern style, down home hot hamburger plate that would make any roadside diner, homestyle café or truck stop proud!

Enjoy!

Get a printable copy of this recipe on my website:  http://bit.ly/2aDOTqC

How To Fire Roast Green Chilies At Home! A Serious Summer Treat!

Summer is on and we are heading right into the thick of it!  Independence day is almost here and we have all things picnic and BBQ on our mind.  So on that note we are embarking on a theme for July of perfect picnic and bbq foods.  Today we begin with some amazing and easy fire roasted green chilies!  

Green chili season is just about here for those of us who grew up in the southwest and remember the middle of summer being the time when Hatch green chilies would be abundant and being fresh roasted at the farmer's market, at the swap meet and just about anywhere else you can think of!  

I lived in Northern Arizona for a long, long time and July was always when the fire roasters would show up at the Flagstaff Farmer's Market.  Giant mesh drums set over open flames.  The drums were filled with Hatch green chilies fresh out of New Mexico fields.  The smell is intoxicating and the sheer volume has you pick up on that delicious fragrance from a mile away, quite literally.  

The deep green peppers would go into that drum by the barrel full and the roasting man would turn that drum until those peppers were soft, black and blistered,  That is the time when you would request the amount you would like.  He would put them in a paper sack and away you would go.  Ready to create something wonderful.

The drive home would be difficult because the smell of those chilies is amazing and you want to just dig right in!  You can't get home fast enough to slap one on a freshly grilled burger with melted pepper jack cheese on top!  

Enough reminiscing though!  You don't have to live in New Mexico or Arizona to enjoy fire roasted green chilies at home!  Keep in mind that Hatch green chilies will be available soon in the stores and I can even get them in my area so if you find them buy a case and make your own salsa because it will be amazing!  But you can do this with Anaheim chilies with no problem.  

Get your grill good and hot.  No matter if it is charcoal or gas.  Just get it nice and hot.  Then pop those peppers right on that grill.  When you hear them start popping and crackling you will know that the magic is beginning to happen!  You want to keep turning and turning and turning until the skin is black and blistered all around the pepper and they become soft and no longer have a stiffness to them.

When you have removed the peppers from the grill you want to put them into a large bowl.  Then back into the kitchen!  Fill the bowl up with cold water and begin to gently rub the charred skin off the peppers.  It should come off quite easily.  The gently pull the stem off and run your finger down the side to split the pepper open.  Dunk it back in the water and wash the seeds away the best you can.  Then into an awaiting plate or bowl.  

You can use these peppers to make pork green chili, chicken salsa verde, green chili sauce, chunky roasted green chili and onion salsa, or green chili burgers.  You will want to use these in about a week and if you can't just pop them in the freezer until you are ready to use them.

It is not recommended to can these on their own, however you could use them in a recipe calling for green chilies if you are canning up some salsa or other dish.  You will want to research that on your own.  

I hope you see how easy it is to fire roast your own green chilies at home.  I hope you give this a try and I hope you love it because there really is nothing better than a fresh fire roasted chili on your burger!  

Happy Eating!!

You can see how I did this in my YouTube Video:

Perfect Hard Cooked Eggs in the Pressure Cooker! You Will Never Boil Them Again!

When I first purchased my pressure cooker, I had visions of quick and easy pot roast and chicken soup, however as the years have gone by and I have fallen more and more deeply in love with my pressure cooker, I have discovered a host of wonderful things that I can do with this fantastic electronic appliance.  

I have shared many different and delicious recipes using this pressure cooker and another that I had several years ago that was a different brand.  I actually went through two of those.  The old versions were only 5 quarts.  A couple of years ago this model was featured as a value of the day on HSN and angels sang LOUDLY!  This has been an amazing pressure cooker and I highly recommend that every one get one of these fantastic appliances because it will make your life easier!

Today I wanted to share with you how to make perfect hard boiled eggs in your pressure cooker!  I had no idea that this could even be done and when I learned about it, I was still skeptical.  My model did not come with instructions for how to do this so I went looking.  Then I saw my friend Heather make some and I had to try.  Additionally, a viewer gave me some sound tips on how she did hers so I employed her technique and the rest is history!

To pressure cook eggs to perfection you need to have a rack in the bottom of your pressure cooker.  I have a rack that is for cakes, but any rack will work as long as it will fit in the bottom of your cooker.  You can even use a small plate if you like.  It will need to hold the eggs above the water so keep that in mind.  I do recommend getting a rack if at all possible.  Pour in 1 1/2 cups of water then lay your eggs in there in a single layer.  Some people say you can do multiple layers, but I don't recommend that.  

Put the lid on and follow the manufactures instructions for sealing up your cooker then set for 5 minute on the "rice" setting.  Allow to come to pressure, cook and then time out.  Quick release your pressure being careful to avoid the stream of steam and remove the lid away from you.

Using tongs, remove the eggs to an ice bath to cool.  You can choose to peel them all at one time or place them in the fridge in their shells.  The one thing I will say about pressure cooking eggs, aside from the ultimate perfection of a purely pale yellow and creamy yolk, these eggs will nearly leap out of their shells for you with little effort and sticking.  This is especially nice if you buy farm fresh eggs, which can normally be a bit of a bugger to peel.

I am not exaggerating when I say I will never cook my hard boiled eggs another way again.  This method is a sheer winner overall and an energy saver and a water save and a time saver and a sanity saver!  You will always have perfect eggs now when you want to make deviled eggs or just have eggs on hand for breakfast or snacking!  

I hope you will get that pressure cooker down off the shelf and give this method of hard cooking eggs a try!  I think you will be pleasantly surprised to be sure!

I hope you try it and I hope you love it!

Happy eating!

You can see how I did this in my YouTube video!

I have an Elite 10 Quart Electronic Pressure Cooker.  You can get one for your own by following this link: http://amzn.to/28WXOWW

10 Minute Lemon Paprika Shrimp and Pasta!! A "Tasty" Recipe Trial! Did It Work? You Be the Judge!

Tasty videos are so popular in everyone's Facebook feed, that we wanted to give some of these recipes a try to see if they really are what they appear to be.  In a previous installment, we shared a slow cooker apple crumble that was good, but not great.  Today we are sharing a dinner recipe that my daughter Molly shared with me for this Lemon Paprika Shrimp and Pasta.  You can find the original Tasty video and recipe here:  http://bit.ly/lemonpaprikashrimp

This dish was super simple to make and it was good.  However it was a bit on the spicy side and if you like that, great!  But if you like it a bit milder, add less of the smoked paprika and add in regular paprika that will not be so spicy.  I also thought the sauce was a bit on the thin side so at the end, in an attempt to not over cook my shrimp into eraserville, I added a bit of a cornstarch slurry to tighten up the sauce a bit.  The sauce was still a bit on the thin side, but I was not going for a gravy consistency and just let it remain the way it was and it was easily soaked up into the pasta.

One of the other things I did differently was to not add the pasta to the pan because I did not want to have everything mashed together in case there was leftover pasta.  So we served them separately.  We enjoyed this and the next time I would make a few changes that would boost the flavor.  Other than spicy, this was a little bland for my taste and feel like it may need a bit more flavor.  That is the beauty of giving new things a try.  They actually give birth to even more new things!

In the end, we had a great dinner and it spawned a few new ideas for future recipe ideas.  We love shrimp, so anything with it, is going to be a great dinner anyway.  

I hope you will check out this recipe and give it a try for yourself and see what you think!

Happy Eating!

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You can see how I made this in my YouTube Video!

Easy Peasy & Fancy Schmancy! Pork Scallopini!

Today I want to share my quick and easy pork scallopini recipe with you!  Yes, you read that right!  Pork!  I accidentally took out a package of hand cut, boneless pork loin chops out of my freezer thinking they were chicken breasts because I forgot to label them.  So I needed to do something with these beauties.  Since I live in pork country, this is a super economical meal to make for my family and they love it.  You can, of course do this dish with thin chicken cutlets or even with the traditional veal cutlet if you prefer. 

This dish could not be any easier to make.  The end result is a silky, rich dish that is a mushroom lovers delight.  The light sauce is super flavorful and the perfect accompaniment to hot buttered pasta, rice or couscous.    

I started by slicing my pork chops in half.  I had hand cut some fairly thick chops off of a large whole pork loin I purchased.  So I got between two and three pork cutlets off of each chop and I had a total of four.  Then I pounded the cutlets with a meat mallet or something closely resembling a meat mallet.  In my case that would be a mini cast iron skillet.  That gets the job done.  You should use what you have available to you.  Then I dredged the meat pieces in a seasoned flour to coat.

The meat was sauteed in a mixture of butter and olive oil, in batches until they were all cooked and a bit browned.  Then I removed the meat to a warm plate to build my sauce.   I added onion garlic and a passel of mushrooms to the pan.  I also added a splash of chicken stock to de-glaze.  Then I let all the veggies steam saute for a bit to soften.  

Next I added chicken stock and lemon juice to the pan and gave everything a good stir.  Again I let this simmer for a few minutes to reduce and build flavor.  Then I added some additional butter to finish the sauce and give me a beautiful rich and glossy finish.  

I added the meat back to the pan and nestled those cutlets down in all that lovely sauce and mushroom loveliness.  I turned the heat down just a bit and let that simmer for a few additional minutes before turning the heat off and letting everything come to a peaceful rest before serving.

I served this on a bed of cooked and buttered angel hair pasta, but this would be just as delicious served with rice, plain or pilaf, couscous, quinoa or even cauliflower rice if you are on a low carb diet.  In which case, you can always leave out the flour and just sautee the meat in the butter and olive oil.  

This dish is quick and simple.  It has tons of flavor and a satisfying air about it.  I love this dish for a busy weeknight or a lazy weekend evening when I don't really want to do a bunch of work.  This is excellent served as I have shown or it can be dressed up for company and nobody has to know how easy it was for you to make!  I promise you though, they will be asking for the recipe!  So your secret won't be a secret for long.  

I hope you give this recipe for pork scallopini a try and I hope you love it!

Happy Eating!

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

Noreen's Kitchen

Pork Scallopini

Ingredients

2 pounds thin boneless pork loin chops 4 tablespoons butter, divided 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 pound Crimini mushrooms, sliced 1 large onion, minced 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced Juice of 1 lemon 1 cup chicken stock or dry white wine

Step by Step Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and all of the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet, over medium high heat.

If necessary, pound the pork chops with a meat mallet until they are about 1/8 inch thickness.

Mix together flour, salt and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish.

Dredge the pork chops in the flour mixture to cover completely.  Set aside on a dish until all of your chops are finished.

Working in batches, brown the pork chops for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until they are browned and slightly crispy looking.  Remove to a covered plate to keep warm while to finish the rest.  Remember not to crowd the pan or you will not get a nice brown coating.

When the pork chops are cooked, add the onions, garlic and mushrooms.  Using a flat spatula, gently coax the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  If needed, add a splash of chicken stock to help you along.

Allow the vegetables to cook for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are softened.

Add the remaining chicken stock and the lemon juice to the pan with the veggies.  Stir well and allow the mixture to simmer for five additional minutes to reduce the sauce just a bit.

Add the butter to the sauce to finish.  Stir until it is incorporated.

Add the pork chops back to the pan and nestle them into the vegetables and sauce.  Allow to simmer for five more minutes.  This will help to thicken up and bind the sauce even further for a beautiful silky finish.

Turn off the heat and allow to sit for five minutes before serving over rice or pasta.

See how I made this in my YouTube video:

Here's the Skinny! How To Butterfly or Cutlet a Chicken Breast ~ Noreen's Kitchen Basics!

Today I wanted to share a kitchen basic with you.  How to prep, and butterfly a chicken breast.  This can also be referred to a prepping a chicken cutlet.  No matter what you call it, this is a simple task that you can do at home.  

The most important thing is to have a good, sharp knife.  Remember a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one.  Especially if you are slicing meat like this!  One slip in the wrong direction with a dull knife and you will have done much more damage that if the knife were sharp.

Get the Rada Cook's Knife Here:  http://amzn.to/25BCnSD

I am using my Rada Cooks Knife with an aluminum handle.  If you are interested in getting one, click the link above.   This is my favorite knife and I use it multiple times every day for just about everything.  If I could only have one prep knife, this would be it.  

The process for butterflying the chicken breast is simple.  Trim your piece of meat,  Lay it flat and place your non dominant hand on top.  Estimate what half of the thickness would be and gently run your knife along the chicken breast, opening up like a book as you go.  If you are new to this process, do it slowly and you will have success.  

When you have opened up the chicken breast, flip it over and place it between some plastic wrap in in my case, I used a zip top bag that I cut open on three sides.  Then use a meat mallet or a heavy bottomed skillet to pound the meat a bit thinner.  This will be helpful in breaking down the fibers of the meat and will allow you to use the chicken in recipes that require rolling such as chicken cordon bleu, Kiev or Marco Polo or in my spinach rollups.  This thin chicken cutlet can also be breaded and fried to be used on it's own or in chicken Parmesan, Milanese or picatta.  Left unbreaded this thin chicken can be used in chicken scallopini or my creamy lemon pepper chicken.  There are a number of ways to use this thin, butterflied chicken cutlet!  

Get the Norpro Meat Mallet Here: http://amzn.to/1WxwhO7

This is a very basic skill to know how to do in the kitchen and if you did not know how, I hope that I helped you learn!

If there are other kitchen basics you may like to learn leave me a comment and I will add them to the list!  You can also check out my kitchen basics playlist to see more skills that everyone should know how to do in the kitchen!

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

Happy Eating!

See how I did this in my YouTube video:

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: