Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe & picture courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens

Makes: 6 servings
Prep: 10 minutes
Bake: 30 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes

• 4 strips bacon
• 1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 6 oz. dry elbow macaroni
• 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded (2 cups)
• 2 to 4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled (cream cheese can be substituted)
• 1 cup half-and-half or light cream
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, turning once. Drain bacon on paper towels; crumble. Reserve bacon drippings in skillet.
2. Cook onion in reserved bacon drippings for 5 to 8 minutes or until onion is tender and golden brown. Set aside.
3. Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions. Drain and place in a 1-1/2-quart casserole. Add the crumbled bacon, onions, 1-1/2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, the blue cheese, half-and half, and pepper. Toss gently to combine.
4. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir gently. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 10 minutes more or until top of casserole is brown and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes.

**Personal Review: No Review Yet**

Harvest Creamy Corn “Choup”

Recipe & picture courtesy of Rachael Ray

4 Servings
Prep 5 min
Cook 25 min

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 pound small potatoes, cut into small chunks
• 4 to 5 large ears corn, kernels scraped from the cobs, or one 10-ounce box frozen corn
• 1 medium or 2 small zucchini, finely chopped
• 5 to 6 sprigs thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 3 tablespoons flour
• One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Salt and pepper
• Hot pepper sauce
• Oyster crackers or popcorn, to pass around the table

1. In a medium soup pot, heat the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp at the edges. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the potatoes, corn, zucchini, thyme, bay leaf and paprika and cook for 4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the pot, stir and cook for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the broth and simmer until thickened a bit. Stir in the milk, cream and parsley and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 8 minutes.
2. Season the corn choup to taste with salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce and serve with crackers or popcorn to float on top.

**Personal Review: No Review Yet**

Baked Beans with Burnt Ends

Recipe & picture courtesy of Rachael Ray

Serves 8
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 20 hr

• 8 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons pickle juice
• 2 tablespoons dry mustard
• Two 28-ounce cans pork and beans
• One 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed
• 2 cups chopped burnt ends from chopped ham

1.  In a large pot, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar, ketchup, pickle juice and dry mustard and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes.
2. Stir in the pork and beans, pinto beans and burnt ends; cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 10 minutes.

**Personal Review: No Review Yet**

Bacon-Wrapped Salmon with Broccoli and Mashed Potatoes

Recipe & picture courtesy of Rachael Ray

Serves 4

• 2 pounds small red-skinned or yukon gold potatoes
• Salt
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• A few sprigs thyme
• One 3-inch piece lemon peel
• Pepper
• Four 6-ounce salmon fillets, skinned
• 4 slices black-pepper bacon
• 1 head broccoli, cut into spears
• One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 2 pinches crushed red pepper
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons tamari (dark soy sauce)

1. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450°. In a large saucepan, add the potatoes and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, salt the water and cook until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain; return to the pot.
2. While the potatoes are working, in a saucepan, combine the chicken broth, cream, thyme sprigs and lemon peel and steep over medium-low heat. Pour over the drained potatoes and mash together; season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.
3. Season the salmon with salt and pepper, then wrap each fillet with the bacon. Arrange the fish on a broiler pan and roast until the bacon is almost crisp and the fish is almost firm, about 12 minutes.
4. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss together the broccoli, ginger, garlic, EVOO and crushed red pepper; season with salt. Roast in the lower third of the oven until tender, about 12 minutes.
5. In a small saucepan, bring the maple syrup and tamari to a boil. Baste the salmon liberally with the glaze and cook for 1 minute more. Serve with the mashed potatoes and broccoli.

**Personal Review: No Review Yet**

Pistachio-Crusted Pork Chops

Recipe & picture courtesy of Rachael Ray

Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 25 min

• 1/2 cup shelled pistachios
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• Salt
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• Pepper
• Four 1-inch-thick pork chops
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Using a food processor, finely grind the nuts, garlic, lemon peel and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Transfer to a shallow bowl; whisk in the breadcrumbs.
2. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Dip each chop into the egg, then coat with the nut mixture; transfer to a baking sheet.
3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chops and cook until golden, about 2 minutes on each side; return to the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 140°, about 20 minutes.

**Personal Review: No Review Yet**

Zucchini, Potato and Ham Soup

Recipe & picture courtesy of Rachael Ray

Serves 4
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 30 min

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 large yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as Yukon gold (about 1 pound total), peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 3 zucchini (about 1 pound total), sliced 1/4 inch thick
• Salt
• One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken broth
• Two 1/4-inch-thick slices cooked ham (about 8 ounces), finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• Pinch nutmeg
• Pumpernickel bread, for serving

1. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden, about 8 minutes. Add the potatoes and zucchini and season with salt. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil; cover, lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Using a blender, partially puree the soup, leaving some chunks. Stir in the ham, dill and nutmeg and serve with the bread.

**Personal Review: No Review Yet**

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Recipe & picture courtesy of Food Network

Cook Time: 55 min
Yield: 1 (9 by 5-inch) loaf

• 1 pound ground chuck
• 10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 (8-ounce) package sharp Cheddar, grated
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs, toasted
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 1 (3-ounce) can French fried onions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck and next 8 ingredients, mixing well.
3. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and mustard. Stir 1/4 cup ketchup mixture into meat mixture, reserving remaining ketchup mixture.
4. Press meat mixture into a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan, or shape into a loaf and place on a rack in a broiler pan. Spread remaining ketchup mixture over loaf. Bake 40 minutes. Top with French fried onions; bake another 10 to 15 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink.

**Personal Review: This came out AMAZING. It wasn’t as firm as meatloaf usually is but it had such great taste. Everyone gobbled it up at dinner. There were no leftovers – I did cut the bacon raw before cooking it, it made it cook faster and instead of crumbling it I just put the pieces in as cut. It provided a nice crunch.**

Roasted Garlic Twice-Baked Potatoes

Recipe & picture courtesy of Kraft Foods

Prep Time: 1 hr 10 min
Total Time: 1 hr 40 min
Makes: 8 servings, one stuffed potato piece each

• 1 head garlic
• 1 tsp. oil
• 4 large baking potatoes (2-1/2 lb.)
• 1 cup BREAKSTONE’S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
• 1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut up, divided
• 1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 4 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, crisply cooked, drained and crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut thin slice off top of garlic head to expose cloves; discard top. Place garlic head on square sheet of foil; drizzle with oil. Wrap garlic loosely with foil. Prick potatoes in several places with fork. Bake potatoes and garlic 1 hour.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF. Cut small slice off both ends of each potato. Cut potatoes crosswise in half. Scoop out centers, leaving 1/8-inch-thick shells. Place potato flesh in medium bowl; mash. Squeeze garlic out of papery shell into bowl with potatoes. Add sour cream, three-fourths of the VELVEETA and the Parmesan cheese; beat until fluffy. Spoon evenly into shells, mounding filling as necessary to use all the filling; place in shallow baking dish.
3. Bake 30 min.; top with remaining VELVEETA. Bake an additional 5 min. or until VELVEETA is melted. Sprinkle with bacon.

**Personal Review: No Review Yet**

Sesame Pork Rice

Recipe & picture courtesy of My Recipes

Makes 4 servings

• 2 (3 1/2-ounce) bags boil-in-bag long-grain rice
• 1 pound boneless center-cut loin pork chops, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic, divided
• 1 teaspoon bottled ground fresh ginger, divided
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil, divided
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1. Cook rice according to package directions; omit salt. Drain well; set aside.
2. While rice cooks, toss pork with 1/2 teaspoon garlic and 1/2 teaspoon ginger. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; sauté 3 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; keep warm.
3. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat; add 1 teaspoon garlic and 1/2 teaspoon ginger; sauté 30 seconds. Add rice, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and vinegar; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in pork; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds.

**Personal Review: This was very simple to make – it tasted pretty good too – although I think I will add a scrambled egg, onions and other “goodies” to this the next time I make it.**

Breakfast Bake

Recipe & picture courtesy of Kraft Foods

Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 40 min
Makes: 8 servings, one piece each

• 1 can (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) OSCAR MAYER Smoked Ham, chopped
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Unroll dough in 13×9-inch baking dish; press to cover bottom of dish, firmly pressing perforations and seams together to seal.
2. Sprinkle ham over crust. Beat eggs, milk and pepper with wire whisk until blended; pour over ham. Sprinkle with cheeses.
3. Bake 25 min. or until center is set.

**Personal Review: No Review Yet**