Stovetop Mac n' Cheese

I wasn't planning on doing a post/tutorial on mac n' cheese since there are so many recipes out there, but my Instagram friend's have been requesting this for quite some time, so....here it is!

I don't make this often, because well...it's pretty bad for you. A ton of cheese, and a bit of velveeta, isn't exactly good for your waistline, lol.

This mac n' cheese recipe is a staple in my home, and if you love good ol' comfort food, then you've come to the right spot! :)

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 pound of elbow macaroni (cooked al dente, according to the packaging)

4 Tablespoons of unsalted butter

4 Tablespoons of all purpose flour

8 ounces of Velveeta, cubed

4 ounces of freshly grated monterrey jack

4 ounces of freshly grated sharp cheddar

2 1/2 cups of milk

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp of ground mustard

black pepper to taste

onion powder to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a large pot of boiling water, add some salt and throw in your elbow macaroni. Cook al dente, drain well, and set aside.

2. Have your flour ready, and set to the side.

3. Into your pot or large skillet, add in your butter. Turn the heat to medium. Once butter has almost fully melted, dump in your flour all at once and whisk for 3-4 minutes, until you've cooked all the flour taste out.

4. Slowly, pour in your milk, whisking constantly, until thickened to liking. If you like more of a "sauce" then you don't want the milk mixture too thick.

5. Once thickened, add in your cubed velveeta. Season with black pepper, onion powder, and ground mustard. Depending on what type of cheese you are using, you should add the salt last.

6. When your velveeta has fully melted, add in your monterrey jack and sharp cheddar cheese. Turn off heat, and whisk until smooth. Taste check for seasoning. Add salt if needed.

7. Add in your drained macaroni, toss to coat, and serve immediately.

Clam and Lobster Chowder(in a bread bowl)

You will need:

2(10 ounce cans)of WHOLE baby clams
10 ounces of lobster meat
7-8 strips of bacon, thinly sliced
1 cup of diced celery
1 cup of diced potatoes
1 cup of diced carrots
1 whole small shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
5 cups total of clam juice(you will get some juice from draining the canned clams)
1/2 cup of softened, unsalted butter
1/2 cup of sifted all purpose flour
2 cups of heavy cream
salt, white pepper, and sugar to taste
scallions(green onions) for garnish
bread bowls(optional)
extra virgin olive oil(for bread bowls)

Using a mixing bowl and sieve, drain the juice from the canned clams and set the clams aside along with your lobster. Add more clam juice into mixing bowl to total 5 cups. Next, add your sliced bacon into a large, ungreased skillet, and fry until crunchy. Remove the bacon but leave the fatty goodness in the skillet. On medium heat, add in your shallots and cook until almost browned. Then, add in your chopped garlic and cook until fragrant. Add in your diced carrots, potatoes, and celery and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour in all of your clam juice and bring it all to a rolling boil. Turn the heat down a bit then cover and cook for about 20-25 minutes. Once tender, remove lid and turn heat down to LOW. In a separate, smaller saucepan on medium heat, add in your softened butter. When your butter has completely melted, quickly add in your flour(all at once), and whisk until smooth. Once smooth, pour in your heavy cream and continue to whisk until sauce has slightly thickened. Strain your heavy cream mixture and then pour it into your veggie and soup base. Mix to combine and then add in your clams and lobster. Stir until heated completely through. Taste check and add in some salt, white pepper, and some sugar to taste. Serve immediately, or allow to cool down and place in the fridge overnight. Garnish with bacon pieces and chopped scallions.

To make the bread bowls:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Using a sharp serrated knife, slice off the top part of the boule. Use your knife or hands to tear out the inside bread to create a pocket for your chowder. Take some extra virgin olive oil and brush the insides and all around the outside of your bread bowl. Bake for 7-8 minutes or until bread has slightly browned. Garnish and serve immediately.

Asian Beef Stew

My beef stew is literally FINGER LICKIN' GOOD!!

MakeIt.SmellIt.TasteIt.LoveIt.

ENOUGH SAID.

You will need:

2 pounds of beef shank
1/2 pound of tendon
a couple of carrots cut into large chunks(maybe 1/2 pound to 1 pd)
1 stalk of lemongrass trimmed, bruised, and cut in half
4 cloves of chopped garlic
half of an onion(chopped)
2 tomatoes(I used tomatoes still on the vine)
2 cups of coconut juice/soda(no pulp)
2 T of ketchup
2 cubes of Bo Kho Seasoning
1/2 T of sugar
1 tsp of salt
1/4 cup of fish sauce
8 cups of water
olive oil

For the red food coloring:

1 T of annatto seeds cooked on very low heat in extra virgin olive oil(you may omit this step and use paprika instead)

Serving suggestions:

Thick Rice Noodles(follow cooking directions according to packaging)
Over Rice
Freshly baked french bread

Garnishes:

cilantro
parsley
chili peppers

 Clean and rinse off your beef shanks. Cut your beef shanks into large pieces(about 1 1/2 inches wide). Beef shanks are really tough so you need to boil it for some time to help make it more tender.

Put your beef shank and tendon into a pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium to medium high heat and continue to keep at a rolling boil for 1-1 1/2 hrs. Make sure to keep enough water in the pot to cover the meat and tendon, so you may need to add more water while it's boiling away.

While the meats cooking chop up your garlic and onion and set aside.

Chop up your tomatoes and place them in a bowl. Starting with clean hands(of course)start squeezing and smashing the sh*t out of them! You want to bring all that juice out of them but don't throw it away. Later, you will add in the tomatoes along with their juices into the soup.

After the 1 1/2 hrs, turn the heat off , remove the tendon and cut into medium size chunks and set aside along with the beef shanks.

On medium-medium high heat, put some oil into a skillet and throw in your chopped onions and bruised lemongrass. After 2 minutes or so, add in your beef shank and just before completely browned, throw in your chopped garlic.

Once meat has browned, add in the coconut juice. Add in the tomatoes in their juices, ketchup, salt, and sugar. Continue to cook on medium low heat for 20 minutes.

Add in your tendon, large chunks of carrot, 8 cups of water, fish sauce, and the bo kho seasoning cubes. Turn the heat up just to bring it to a quick rolling boil and turn heat down again to medium low. Put a lid on it but do not cover completely. Leave a little space so that the steam has somewhere to escape.

Continue to cook for an additional 2-2 1/2 hrs until the meat and tendon are deliciously tender and finger licking good, baby!! Remove bruised lemongrass once cooking is complete.

Taste for additional seasonings if needed. I ended up adding a tad bit more salt to mine but that's just my own personal preference.

Notes: This stew tastes great spooned over some thick rice noodles, with rice, or some freshly baked french bread too! The possibilities are endless with this tasty dish. Usually, when my mother in law buys this stew from a Vietnamese deli, they tend to be more on the sweeter side, so if you want, you may omit the sugar at first and then gradually add some in as you go along.
Also you can find bo kho seasoning boxes in most Asian markets. The ones I buy, come in these tiny small packaged boxes that contain 4 cubes of bo kho seasoning. If I had to guess, I would probably say that I used anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 T of the seasoning.
Okay, so enough reading already...GET YOUR LAZY ASS UP, log off of Facebook, and get crackin' in that kitchen!! :)