Creamy Panera Broccoli Cheddar Mac & Cheese

Mac and cheese inspired by Panera. Actually, it’s inspired by Pinterest since I’ve never even had Panera’s mac and cheese. When I do indulge in mac and cheese, I tend to prefer it to come from my kitchen and to be of the baked variety. I am a sucker for those crispy ever-so-slightly burnt edges. That said, I’ve been (always am…) craving Panera’s lethally delicious Broccoli Cheddar Soup, so I decided to meld the two. So, while I can’t say that I know this to be an exact replica of Panera’s popular mac & cheese, it was yummy, easy, and decadent, and the original recipe is said to come from Panera itselft. AND, it included one of my very favorite, and very under-rated cheeses, the American Cheese, white, thinly sliced from the deli. Yum.

Deep Dish Sausage Pie with Hashbrown Crust

*Content and photos updated July 2012.*
This was one of those clean out the refrigerator types of meals. Make this when you’re too lazy, poor, or uninspired to order takeout — We both agree that it was WAY better than what we expected, and way better than take-out, too. Next time I may try with a mixture of eggs and egg whites to make it a smidge healthier. Literally add whatever’s in the fridge and go to town.

Reuben Sandwich

I made corned beef for the first time this weekend in honor of both St. Patrick’s Day and of my Irish boyfriend. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the end result (Italian girl), but, to be fair, I think it’s because I overcooked it and it was a little dry. But, I was SO happy when the leftovers turned out to be fantastic in this sandwich. More than fantastic — comfort food at its crispy, buttery finest.

Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion, and Goat Cheese Wellingtons

First, let me apologize for the dreadful picture. We had a couple friends over for dinner last night and I just plain did not feel like taking the time for fancy pics. Hence what you have here. BUT, as I was eating it, I said to myself that I couldn’t not post this recipe. I really toiled for a quite a while trying to find a vegetarian entree suitable for entertaining, and I was pretty psyched with how this turned out. The original recipe I found had mushrooms, but me and mushrooms aren’t getting along right now so I decided to switch it up. Goes to show that really any recipe can be customized to what you like. Get to it.

Cool Ranch Buffalo Chicken Nachos

I love football so much. Actually, not really, but I do love that it lets me get away with serving food like this for dinner.

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

What’s a soup without a dipper?! You’ve got to have a dipper, as far as I’m concerned, and these easy biscuits were fab. Based on a “copycat” recipe of the famous Red Lobster biscuit, these definitely hit the mark. Yum.

Parmesan-Onion Crusted Chicken

Gawd, I wish this wasn’t as tasty as  it was! Since I’m apparently a huge food snob, the idea of this recipe was something totally eye-roll worthy. I mean, it comes from the Hellmann’s website. But tonight, I wanted something different to do with the chicken breasts I had defrosted and this recipe that I had seen on the blogosphere came to mind. I figured, what the heck. And the result? Seriously, the tastiest chicken I have had in a long while. Moist, rich tasting — and with the addition of the, gasp, onion soup mixture — SUPER flavorful. Try it when no one’s looking — it’s delicious.

Gruyere, Apple, and Sage Scones

I’m gonna have to stop saying that i don’t bake if I keep posting these baking projects.

I’m willing to do that for these scones. Since baking does scare me quite a bit, I’m pretty proud that I pulled these off. They’re yummy, perfectly flaky, and savory with just a little sweetness.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

I just found these pictures on my computer and cannot believe I never posted this recipe! This is probably the best dessert I’ve ever made, and it couldn’t be easier! Picture a pecan pie combined with a chocolate chip cookie. Amazing.

Steak with Gorgonzola and French Fried Onions

Juicy New York Strip steaks topped with blue cheese and crunchy, buttery french fried onions. If this is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

Sausage and Harissa Pinwheels

It’s clean out the cupboard time, folks. After almost 7 years in the same apartment, we’re getting set to move in just about 4 weeks. It is in times like these that my food obsession/hoarding really comes to light, and not in a cute way. More like a how-the-hell-am-i-going-to-pack-all-of-this-stuff way. For example, I’ve had an unopened tube of harissa in my pantry for, oh, about 4 years, just waiting for that delicious tagine or some other Moroccan feast worthy of breaking it out for. I tend to pick up random food stuffs for “special” meals or dishes, all the while semi-afraid to use them because then they’ll be gone! The horror, really, the stuff is 2 bucks on amazon… What this leaves me with, of course, is an overstuffed pantry full of too-specific items that will, in fact, never get used. I also had a package of puff pastry in the freezer “just in case”. And obviously tons of italian sausages — I mean, everyone buys 8 pounds at a time at Costco, right?

Anyway, a simple google search for “what the hell do i do with these random ingredients” and I was on my way to one of the yummiest appetizers ever.

Logan County Cheeseburgers

Holy comfort food. This is essentially a patty melt, and it’s awesome. This recipe comes from Katie Lee, Billy Joel’s ex. This means nothing to me, outside of the fact that I first learned about her earlier this week while watching RR’s talk show (no judgment). I loved her calm, warm personality, and was actually thinking about picking up her cook book, The Comfort Table. Unknowingly, I had printed this recipe of hers back over the winter, and it was delicious! Pretty much a grilled cheese with a burger inside, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Mac & Cheese Muffins

Do I even have to say anything about these little genius muffins? Legit, mac & cheese in muffin form. Handy. Convenient. Delicious. Versatile. And I can’t wait to try them in a mini-muffin tin for parties. Yum.

Truth time: I blatantly failed at following this recipe. I put the butternut squash in the microwave to defrost and promptly found it still sitting in there hours after we were done eating. Oops. And I also forgot the cream cheese, which I think would make almost anything better. Truth be told, as I made them, these were a teensy bit on the bland side — but still amazeballs good because it’s handheld pasta and melted cheese.  Try making the recipe as it was originally written, though – I know I will (try)!

Bacon, Fig, and Asiago Mac & Cheese

Just when I (and my thighs) thought we were in the clear with comfort food cravings, Boston’s been hit with a swell of gloomy, rainy weather, which, inconveniently, seems to only occur on the weekends. I’m not too disappointed, though — gives me a chance to make this dish which I thought I’d be waiting ’til the fall to try. The verdict: probably the best mac & cheese I’ve ever made or tried. The sweet fig, salty bacon, and buttery breadcrumb topping is ah-mazing. Thighs be damned.

Cinnamon-Cayenne Baby Back Ribs with Agave Glaze

I have a big problem. Every time I learn just how bad a particular food is for you, I can’t get it out of my head. You see, as my interest in nutrition/health continues to grow over the past couple of years, I read more and more about the health benefits (and defecits) of many food stuffs. Recently, while Brian and I were weekending in Portland, we hit up a Chili’s chain restaurant in search of some margaritas. (BTW, problem #2, for later discourse, is my inexplicable longing for chain restaurants when I am out in the middle of nowhere – restaurants that I am not particularly amenable to frequenting in “real life”). Regardless, as we perused the menu at Chili’s, we were fascinated that all of the menu descriptions were adorned with calorie counts. Let me just say: OHMYGOD. I was most taken aback by some of the “healthier” stuff’s deadly characteristics (um, 1400 calories for a salad?? almost 1300 for a grilled chicken sandwich??), and yet still bummed by some of the more notorious items (ribs and burgers clocking in over 2,000 calories, etc.).

Moral(s) of the story:

1) i took immense pleasure in the country fried steak (1270 cals) I ordered, of which I ate half and was glad with every bite that it was not a salad.

2) though it is probably not great for business, I appreciate having the information.  maybe this kind of exposure will inspire restaurants to offer healthier food.

3) I haven’t been able to get ribs out of my mind since — and here is a killer recipe! These ribs are quick cooking, relative to most rib cookery which typically takes 4+ hours (this recipe only takes 1 hour), and have a great sweet/spicy flavor combination. Yum!

Pappardelle with Prosciutto and Orange

I don’t like to pick favorites with my pasta, but this one is pretty special. I love egg noodles, and while this recipe calls for — nearly demands — fresh pasta, this egg pappardelle found at TJ’s is super close to fresh pasta. The combination of the salty prosciutto and sweet/tangy orange is amazing.

Steak Sandwiches

“Steak Sandwiches” is probably a bit of an understatement. This is a steak sandwich. The steak sandwich, even. Seared flank steak surrounded by a spicy and sweet mixture of onions, cubanelles, roasted reds, and jalapeno, covered in a blanket of provolone cheese.

Yes, please.

Oh, and then, top it with some chopped bacon, for good measure.

Spinoccoli Pizza

Pizza night at our house! We served this looker and a nice little stuffed crust number topped with turkey pepperoni. Love pizza night.

Penne alla Vodka with Shrimp

So here’s the thing about diets:

I suck at them.

I mean, no carbs, sugar, or alcohol for two whole weeks???

You know what I say to that?

Pasta with vodka cream sauce. That’s what I say.

Bam.

What? At least I used whole wheat pasta.

Croque Madames (quickened, definitely not lightened)

In a continuing effort to improve my photos, I took a little field trip to one of my favorite shops, Paper Source, to purchase some props. Behold one of the pieces of beautiful wrapping paper I purchased to use as a background. Despite my somewhat inexplicable lack of motivation in pretty much every area of my life right now, I have, somewhat miraculously, managed to construct a DIY light box, very much using Ashley’s model and other resources on the interwebs — something that’s been on my to-do list for many months.  I’m starting to see some improvements around these parts, which is a nice motivator. Who knew?

Oh, and the food. This sandwich is the freaking bomb. Make it, immediately.