One of my favorite side dishes for fall dinners is macaroni and cheese, and I am always trying to come up with new ways to change it up. Since everyones favorite part of home made mac and cheese is the crispy edges and topping I got to thinking "what if I browned each serving in the waffle iron?". Once I figured out how to do that I started thinking about what to do as a main dish with it and thought I would go with the obvious chicken.
Read moreReview: McMenamin's The Sand Trap Pub at The Gearhart Hotel
Located in the historic Gearhart Hotel, The Sand Trap Pub is classically McMenamin's. Art Deco decor dominates the design of this newest hotel in the McMenamin's chain which opened in March of 2012.
Read moreDinner Tonight: Fat Boy Heaven's Gluten Free Bacon Feta Macaroni and Cheese with Dates
One of the things you may have noticed by now is how much we LOVE comfort food here at Fat Boy Heaven. There is nothing that epitomizes comfort food for most of us more than a nice rich Mac and Cheese, but it would get boring if it was always the same. I decided that the saltiness of the feta might tie in nicely with the smokey saltiness of the bacon very nicely, and since feta doesn't melt, provolone was a nice neutral base cheese to develop the sauce. I added the dates as the milk was first coming to a boil so that some of the sugar would help sweeten the sauce to offset the salt.
Read moreDinner Time - Steak Gratin
When I was planning this weeks menu I noticed that top sirloin was on sale, and was trying to figure out what I could do with it. I remembered my Dad making homemade Mac and Cheese when I was a kid with hamburger, and have always loved the flavor combination. I took that and ran with it to kick things up a few notches with this Steak Gratin. The rich flavor of the sirloin combines well with the lighter marscapone and parmesan cheeses to really let the meat shine. The addition of a little bit of dried mustard with salt and pepper takes the flavor just a little bit higher without overwelming. If you are looking for comfort food, welcome to Fat Boy Heaven.
Steak-Macaroni Gratin
INGREDIENTS
-
- 4 tbsp. butter
- 1 lb. sirloin, sliced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp. dry mustard
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 lb. pasta, cooked al dente
- 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a med.-size oval baking dish.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in deep skillet over med.-high heat; add steak and onion; sauté until vegetables are tender, about 5 min.
- Stir in flour, mustard, salt, and pepper; cook 1 min.
- Gradually whisk in milk; stir until slightly thickened, about 3 min.
- Remove from heat. Add cheeses and stir until cheese melts.
- Mix in pasta. Remove to baking dish.
- Melt remaining butter; add bread crumbs and sauté until golden. Sprinkle crumbs over pasta. Bake about 20 min.