I was just looking through the Bashas’ ad for what to make for dinner and they happen to have fresh asparagus on sale!

One of my favorite ways to prepare fresh asparagus is wrap it in bacon!

It is really easy to prepare and can be made ahead of time!

BACON WRAPPED ASPARAGUS~

Wash and break off woody pieces of asparagus.  Take 5-6 spears and wrap 1 piece of thin sliced bacon around each bundle. 

Grill, turning frequently, until bacon is done to desired crispiness!

Cheers!
Chef Kathy

It’s that time of year again!  Every year for the past 10 years, it has been my New Years resolution to go on a diet.  Lose those 10 pounds I gained over the holidays and then try to lose those 10 pounds that have been just hanging on…So every year between Christmas and New Years, I think I have to have all of the things I’m not going to eat once the New Year rolls in (ha)…

First on the list this week is going to be SHEPHERDS PIE – we must use those leftover mashed potatoes from Christmas dinner. After the first of the year there will be no more white potatoes in this house… 

There are so many variations that you can make with shepherds pie.  Growing up, we ate it after large holiday meals.  We used the leftover mashed potatoes and vegetables and gravy, sometimes Dad would cut up leftover roast beef instead of using ground beef.

Shepherds Pie is enjoyed in several parts of the world!  In England it is called Cottage Pie and they use ground lamb instead of ground beef.  It doesn’t matter where you eat it, it is always loaded with lots of meat, vegetables and those wonderful mashed potatoes on top!

Here is my version of SHEPHERDS PIE:

Brown together 1 1/2 #’s of lean ground beef with 1 chopped onion and salt & pepper to taste.  Skim off any excess grease from the ground beef.  Add 1/2 cup beef broth and a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in some sliced carrots (about 3), 1 cup of corn and 1 cup of peas.   Give it a taste, you might have to add some more Worcestershire sauce and pepper!  Spread out in a 9×13 dish.  Melt 4 T. of butter and stir that into your 4 cups of mashed potatoes, spread over meat/vegetable mixture.  Sprinkle some Parmesan Cheese over top and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until potatoes have a nice golden brown crust on top.

The next item is going to be MARTHA STEWARTS MACARONI AND CHEESE.   If you like macaroni and cheese at all, this is the best!  I used to eat the Kraft mac and cheese in the blue box growing up; but Martha, you out did yourself on this one!  Lots of carbs; just try not to think about it when you are indulging.  To erase the calories, just eat some steamed broccoli on the side 

MARTHA STEWARTS MAC AND CHEESE:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for casserole
6 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to l/2-inch pieces
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for water
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyère or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 pound elbow macaroni

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place the bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside.

2. Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

3. While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, 8 to 12 minutes.

4. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyère (or 1 cup Pecorino Romano); set the cheese sauce aside.

5. Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook the macaroni until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir the macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

6. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyère (or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano), and the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes (though we needed a bit more time to get it brown, but your oven may vary). Transfer the dish to a wire rack for 5 minutes; serve.

The third and final carb overload item is going to be a CHOCOLATE GANACHE CAKE – thank you Barefoot Contessa!

I just made this cake recently for a dinner party.  The hostess of the party kept eating the frosting, she asked me what was in it.  When I told her instant coffee she said she couldn’t believe it!  It really makes the frosting!  The beauty of this cake recipe is that you can make it into a 8 inch round pan like I did or cupcakes or even bite size cupcakes! I prefer to make it in the 8 inch pan – I then flip the cake over onto a large dinner plate and let that good ganache fall all over the cake!

CHOCOLATE GANACHE CAKE:

1/4 # butter @ room temperature

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs @ room temperature

16oz. can of Hershey chocolate syrup

1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Butter and flour a 8 inch round cake pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time.  Mix in the syrup and vanilla.  Add the flour and mix until just combined.  Over mixing will result in a tough cake!

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until just set in the middle.  Don’t over bake or the cake will be dry!  Let cool completely in the pan.  Take a knife and loosen the cake from the pan and flip over onto a large dinner plate.

For the ganache, cook 1/2 cup of heavy cream 8 oz of semi sweet chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon of instant coffee granules on low heat, stirring constantly until smooth and warm.  Pour over the cake!

Well, this could be the last post of really bad comfort food for a while.  Next week I am going to share some great green salad, chicken & seafood recipes!  I can’t wait!

Happy New Year Everyone!

I don’t know about you; but I never really cared for vegetables unless it was potatoes, corn or green bean casserole.  I did like celery & carrots if it was dipped in ranch dressing.

When I went on my first diet (there have been several of them in my life so far)  I needed to come up with a way to eat peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, zucchini because according to a health website…potatoes & corn are considered starches…  WHAT?

So I started experimenting and this is how I eat mostly all of my veggies now!  Sometimes I will even dip the roasted broccoli in ketchup and pretend it is a french fry… 

OVEN ROASTED VEGETABLES:  There really isn’t a “set” recipe for this, I just kind of ad lib it every time.

Assorted vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, zucchini, asparagus, red onions, peppers, snow peas, whole green beans, cut up butternut squash – whatever you have to get rid of in the fridge!

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Cut veggies in uniform pieces and toss with 2-4 T. olive oil

Spread out on a large sheet pan

Sprinkle with Mrs. Dash, garlic powder, black pepper and if you like spice – red pepper flakes

Place in oven and roast for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Everyone has a different “crunch” factor so just pull them out whenever you like!

I grew up eating potatoes for about every dinner/supper.  Whether they were mashed, baked, broiled, fried or frozen french fries/tator tots; potatoes were a staple on our dinner/supper table.

As I got a little older and expanded my food horizons, I realized that eating all of those white potatoes that often was not  the best choice.  I then started experimenting with the sweet potato and the yam.  I really had no idea what the difference was between the two of these so I did a little research and this is what I found out:  Most (all) supermarkets in the United States mistakenly market their “yams” .   There are very few markets in the U.S. that see “yams” – they are flavorless and white in color.  So in a nutshell you are always buying a sweet potato.  Click on the hilighted link, it is interesting 

Sweet potatoes are a better health choice for us since they have lots of beta carotene, soluble fiber and are low on the glycemic index.  However, there is nothing like a plate of mashed potatoes with gravy or a loaded twice baked potato.

I will share some of my recipes that I use for sweet potatoes and a few  recipes that I pull out when I want to splurge…

I  made these little sweet potato sliders for dinner the other night – I must say, they were a hit!

CHIPOLTE SWEET POTATO SLIDERS:

Preheat oven 400 degrees

Scrub 2 large sweet potatoes

Cut the potatoes into 2 1/2 inch chunks, rub each chunk with olive oil

Bake on a baking pan for about 1 hour, turning 1/2 way through or until they are tender

Scoop out the potato flesh, leaving the shell in tact – place in a large bowl with the following:

1/2 cup sour cream

2 T. butter

4 tsp. lime juice

3-4 chipolte chilies in adobo sauce (use more or less depending on how spicy you want them)

Salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup sliced green onions (reserve 2T. for garnish)

Mash with a fork until creamy.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Stuff each shell with the potato mixture.  Top with reserved green onions and some fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 min or until golden brown.

**Dinner last night…Grilled Pork loin chops, chipolte sweet potato sliders and green salad with homemade buttermilk garlic vinaigrette.  

SWEET POTATO FRIES

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Peel 2 sweet potatoes and cut into oven fry wedges.  Toss with 2 T. good olive oil and 2 T. Mrs. Dash, 1 tsp. garlic salt and if you like spice, sprinkle with some red pepper flakes.  Place on a baking sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes, stirring half way through.  Bake until desired crispyness (I don’t think that is a word )  – but you get the drift 

TWICE BAKED POTATOES

8 – large Russet Baking Potatoes (I buy the ones in the bulk as they are all uniform)

1/2 cup real butter

1 cup sour cream

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp. prepared mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

Bake potatoes until tender.  While still warm,  take a little of the skin off the top and scoop out the potato flesh (use a melon baller to do this) Mix the potato with the above until creamy.  Scoop back into each potato shell.  Top with chives or parsley.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Since these are a little tedious to make, make a double batch and individually wrap in waxed paper and place in a freezer bag.  Then just thaw in refrigerator and bake as directed.

Delicious!

HASH BROWN CASSEROLE (this is my great aunt Joanne Dirks recipe)  The best cheesy hash brown recipe I’ve ever tasted!

2# bag of shredded hash brown potatoes

2 cans cream of potato soup

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Mix all together and place in a buttered 9×13 inch casserole.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, stirring half way through.  The last 10 minutes sprinkle 1/2 cup canned Parmesan cheese on top.

Happy Cooking!