Homemade Mac and Cheese with Chicken

Macaroni and cheese is definitely a top comfort food of mine. After seeing that I had enough ingredients to make it, I shared my idea with the fiance. His reaction was not exactly what I was expecting, "I only like the Kraft Mac and Cheese and the kind made with Velveeta." If you haven't noticed yet, my dishes revolve around him, because he is extremely picky. Although I was saddened with his comment, I was determined to make him like this. So, I compromised a bit and added some ingredients that he liked, like onions and pasta shells.

This recipe will require more ingredients than I have used previously, but I believe that all of them is what made this dish so good. What you'll need is chicken, shelled pasta, shredded cheese, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, paprika, a bay leaf, garlic powder, minced garlic, butter, milk, flour, diced onion, and bread crumbs. You can begin by preheating your oven to 350º.

Meanwhile, cook your pasta shells until they are al dente. After they have finished cooking, drain and put them aside.

While your pasta is cooking, you can start to prepare your chicken. I seasoned the chicken using salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I used my George Foreman grill to grill my chicken breasts rather than saute. I am sure sauteing the chicken would be just as good, I just didn't want to overcrowd the stove.

After the chicken has cooked, cut them into bite sized pieces. Leave these aside as well. 

Making the sauce takes a lot of babysitting, so I didn't take many pictures for it. What you will do is start by melting the butter in the pan. Once melted turn the heat to low and pour in the milk. You want to warm the milk, not boil it. Once the milk is warm, whisk in the flour. Continue to whisk until there aren't any lumps and the sauce begins to thicken. 

Add in the onion, garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, and a bay leaf. You will want to continue stirring while the sauce starts to simmer for about ten minutes. Take the bay leaf out once the time has surpassed and start stirring in three quarters of the shredded cheese and half of the parmesan cheese. Once the cheese is melted, you can fold in your noodles. If you think the sauce is a little too thick, add more milk until you get the consistency that you like just don't let it get too runny. 

Once the shells are folded in, add your chicken. 

After all the chicken is mixed into your sauce and shells, you can now transfer it into a baking dish.

Spread the remaining of the shredded cheese on top as well as the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Let this bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. If you get impatient halfway through, turn the broil on and it will brown the top quicker. 

Let it sit for a couple minutes before serving. And if you were wondering, yes, the fiance will now eat three kinds of mac and cheese. :)

Recipe

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

1/2 a box of medium shelled pasta

3 cups of whole or 2% milk

3 tablespoons of butter

3 tablespoons of flour

2 cups of shredded cheese(your preference) 

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup of diced onion

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoon of salt, divided

2 teaspoon of pepper, divided

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 cup of bread crumbs

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, divided

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Cook the pasta until al dente. Keep aside warm.
3. Season the chicken with half of the salt, half of the pepper, and the garlic powder. Grill or saute your chicken. Let sit to cool down and then cut into bite sized pieces.
4. Melt the butter in a pan. Turn the heat on low and pour in milk until it warms. Whisk in the flour until there aren't any lumps. Add the onion, paprika, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and minced garlic. Continue mixing for about ten minutes while it simmers. 
5. Remove the bay leaf and mix in three quarters of the shredded cheese and half of the parmesan cheese. Continue stirring until the cheese is melted. If you feel the consistency is too thick, add a bit more milk.
6. Fold in the noodles and chicken.
7. Pour it into a baking dish. Top with the remaining shredded cheese, breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese. Cook for 20 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

While living in northern Illinois, finding good barbecue was very few and far between. The only time I would get quality barbecue was when I was storm chasing in the southern plains. With the inactivity during the winter months, I was dying for a pulled pork sandwich. After doing some research, I figured I could throw something together in the good ol' Crock Pot. To my surprise, it ended up tasting just like something that I would get in on those storm chase days.

This recipe does take some preparation in advance, but I can assure you it is well worth it. What you will need the night before is a pork shoulder(Boston Butt is what I used), brown sugar, barbecue seasoning(I used Magic Barbecue Seasoning by Chef Paul Prudhomme), and your favorite barbecue sauce. Start by poking holes in the pork so that the seasoning will be able to soak into the pork. Next, cover the pork with the barbecue seasoning and brown sugar. Don't be afraid to get the seasoning in the holes that you have previously made. Lastly, rub the pork with a couple tablespoons of the barbecue sauce. This may seem like an overkill now, but the more you do the night before, the less you will have to do tomorrow. Once the pork is well glazed with the seasoning and sauce, cover it and put it in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning, cut up a large white onion into slices and place them at the bottom of the Crock Pot. Place the marinaded pork shoulder on top of the onions. You can add more seasoning and brown sugar if you like. I always like to add more brown sugar, because I like my pork sweet. Lastly, add a liter of soda. The soda I have used for this recipe was either Coke or root beer. I have loved both so this again is your preference. Cover the Crock Pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Once time has surpassed, remove the pork and place into a large bowl. Try to drain as much as possible from your transfer to the bowl. Gently shred the pork with two forks. You can either add the barbecue sauce after shredded or leave it to let your eaters do on their own sandwich. Also, the cooked onions are a great addition to your sandwich, but I like to eat them on the side. The great thing about pulled pork is that leftovers can be used for other dishes the next day.

Recipe

Ingredients

1 boneless (4-6 lb) pork shoulder

1 large white onion, sliced

1 liter of soda

1 bottle of barbecue sauce

Barbecue seasoning

Brown sugar

Hamburger buns

Directions

1. Prepare your pork shoulder the night before you are going to cook it. Start by poking holes in the pork all over so that the seasoning will be able to soak through. Then cover your pork in barbecue seasoning, brown sugar, and a few tablespoons of barbecue sauce. Try to get the seasoning into the holes if possible. Cover the pork and let sit in the refrigerator overnight.
2. The next morning, line onions on the bottom of the Crock Pot. Place the pork on top of the onions. Add more seasoning and brown sugar if you like. Lastly, pour the soda in the Crock Pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours. 
3. After time has surpassed, remove the pork into a large bowl. Shred with two forks. Either mix the barbecue sauce with the pork or leave it for your eaters. 

Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken

Hawaiian barbecue chicken was one of those recipes that I kind of made up as I went along. I like to experiment in the kitchen. Most dishes turned out really well while others did lack. But don't run away just yet, because this dish ended up turning out really well. You can ask my best friend(roommate at the time) Jess, and I am positive she will tell you the same.

Something you should know about me, if you already don't, is that I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and am half Filipino. I love Asian food, Japanese food being my favorite. Although I am very timid with making most of the popular Asian dishes, I did want to experiment and create something that was easy. So, I pulled together some ingredients that were Asian/Hawaiian inspired. I grabbed some teriyaki sauce, barbecue sauce, garlic, brown sugar, and a can of pineapple chunks and combined it with chicken in the Crock-Pot. Once it was done, I served it over white rice and was very surprised by how good it turned out.


Recipe


Ingredients
6 chicken breasts, frozen or thawed
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 can of pineapple chunks, in own juice
1 bottle of barbecue sauce
1 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of teriyaki sauce


Directions

1. Mix barbecue sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and teriyaki sauce. Carefully drain the juice from the pineapple chunks into your mixture. Stir until smooth.
2. Put chicken breasts and pineapple chunks into slow cooker. Cover with the sauce mixture and cook on low for 6-8 hours. 
3. If you are serving it on a bed of rice, start to cook the rice a half hour before chicken is complete.
4. Once chicken is complete, shred chicken with two forks in the slow cooker. After shredded, combine chicken and pineapples over rice. Top with sauce that is left over in the slow cooker.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

If you read my last post, you'll notice that these two recipes are very similar. I like to think of this as a spicier version of Chicken Alfredo. I started making this dish after my best friend, Andrew made it for me and it has been a favorite ever since! 

I like to add red and green peppers to this dish, but the selection at the grocery store was lacking when I went shopping. So, add veggies if that is what you like! Also, I must warn you... I have a very high tolerance for spicy food. So, please feel free to lessen the spices if you need to.  I feel sometimes like the spiciest foods don't faze me. This is why I end up making completely different dishes for my fiance and I. And if you are wondering later, no, this dish wasn't spicy to me.

To start, cook your noodles until al dente and keep them aside until later.

Meanwhile, cut your chicken into strips and place them in a bowl.

Once finished cutting, the amount of the future spices will depend on your tolerance for spicy food. I started by adding extra virgin olive oil to coat the chicken so that the spices would stick better. Then, I added minced garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, and sriracha sauce. The bowl on the right is what it looked like afterward. Let the chicken sit for about 20 minutes so all the spices can be absorbed into the chicken. 

After time has surpassed, add your chicken to a skillet on medium heat. If you are wondering what the extras on the pan are, I used the same pan as the Chicken Alfredo because you will essentially be adding the same ingredients to make the sauce. Cook your chicken for 2 minutes on each side. 

Once the chicken is cooked, turn your heat down to low and add the milk and sriracha. Give it a quick stir and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in your cheese until it is dissolved.

Last but not least, fold in your noodles. Continue to cook for several more minutes and you are all set.

Recipe:

Ingredients

8 ounces of linguine noodles

4 chicken breasts

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup of parmesan cheese

1 cup of whole milk or heavy cream

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper 

1 teaspoon of paprika

2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon of chili powder

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup of sriracha, divided

Directions

1. Cook your noodles until they are al dente. Set them aside and keep them warm for later.
2. Cut your chicken into strips. Put the chicken into the bowl with the extra virgin olive oil, sriracha sauce, and the dry spices. Mix well and set aside to marinade for 20 minutes.
3. Once time has surpassed, cook chicken in a pan on medium heat for two minutes on each side.
4. Turn the heat to low and add the milk and the rest of the sriracha sauce. Let simmer for five minutes.
5. Stir in the cheese until dissolved.
6. Fold in the noodles and continue to cook for several more minutes.

Chicken Alfredo

Chicken Alfredo is one of those meals that was always really intimidating to make. I would usually get it at an Italian restaurant but never did I dare to make it until today. The fiance wanted Chicken Alfredo, but I was craving a Cajun Chicken Pasta that my best friend Andrew always makes. So what to do when you have two slightly different meals? Make both. 

This recipe will focus on the Chicken Alfredo dish while I will have another that focuses on one with a kick. For this Chicken Alfredo, I used linguine noodles instead of the typical fettuccine. To start, cook the noodles to al dente and set aside for later.

Meanwhile, cut your chicken into strips and place into a bowl.

Marinade your chicken with some extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. For this recipe, refer to the bowl on the left. The Cajun Chicken Alfredo's chicken is to the right. Let your chicken marinade for about 20 minutes so that you can enhance the flavor of the chicken for the overall dish.

After time has surpassed, start to melt the butter in a skillet. 

Add the chicken and cook it for several minutes on each side. 

Once cooked, turn down the heat to low and add the milk. Let it simmer for 5 minutes and then stir in the cheese. 

Once the cheese is almost dissolved, fold in your noodles. Continue to cook for several more minutes on low. Once the noodles have cooked completely, you are all set.

Recipe:

Ingredients

8 ounces of linguine noodles

4 chicken breasts

4 cloves of minced garlic

2 tablespoons of butter

2 teaspoons of salt

1 1/2 cups of parmesan cheese

1 cup of whole milk or heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Cook your noodles until al dente. Set them aside and keep warm for later.
2. Cut your chicken into strips. Put them in a bowl with the extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Let sit for 20 minutes so chicken can marinade. 
3. Once time has surpassed, melt butter in a pan. 
4. Cook the chicken in the same pan for several minutes on each side. 
5. Once cooked, turn the heat to low and add the milk. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the cheese until it is almost dissolved.
7. Fold in the noodles and continue to cook on low for several more minutes. Wait several minutes before serving.

Guacamole

Easy, easy, easy is all I have to say about one of my favorite snacks. Guacamole can be one of those dishes that can be great somewhere, but absolutely horrid somewhere else. If you take proper precaution to your avocados and tomatoes, I think you will be set!

First and most importantly, when shopping for your avocados, make sure the ones you pick are ripe! That is the most crucial part of the recipe. The way you will know if your avocados are ripe is if they feel somewhat soft. You don't want it completely mushy, but you want them soft enough so that it will be easy to prepare. Take the time to feel the avocados, because trust me, it does make a difference. Yes, you may get some looks if you take time to feel every avocado and believe me, I have many times. If the market doesn't have the ripe avocados you want, buy some anyway and let them ripen several days at home.

All you will need for this recipe is 4 avocados, 1 lime, one half cup of fresh chopped tomatoes, one fourth cup of chopped onions, and several teaspoons of salt. I know my mother and friends love adding cilantro to their guacamole, but I, however, am not a huge fan. This is another dish that ingredients can be added or dropped depending on your liking.

I have found that this is the easiest way to separate the avocado from the skin. Once you remove the seed, cut like so. You can then scoop the avocado close to the skin directly into a bowl.

Once your avocados are in a bowl, start to mash them with a fork. Don't go mash crazy, though. Leave some chunks in it for texture.

After you feel that you have made a nice consistency with your avocados, add a couple of teaspoons of salt. Mix in the salt and then add your chopped tomatoes and onions. If you taste it and still feel it is a bit bland, add more salt. Once you are happy with your guacamole, add a tablespoon of lime juice. The acidity from the limes helps to keep the guacamole fresh!

RECIPE:

Ingredients

4 avocados

1 lime

1/2 cup of fresh chopped tomatoes

1/4 cup of chopped onions

several teaspoons of salt

Directions

1. Separate the skin and seed from the avocados and place into a bowl. Start to mash the avocados in the bowl with a fork. Leave chunks for a fuller texture. 
2. Once mostly mashed, stir in salt, tomatoes, and onions. Add more salt as needed.
3. Add lime juice to the final product and serve.