Bacon Macaroni & Cheese Recipe | Sin & Soul Food Blog

See, I promised right? Bacon Macaroni & Cheese. Sinful and delicious, guaranteed to meet your comfort food craving. Pretty much guaranteed to make you over-indulge too, so cook this with caution.

Personally, I think homemade macaroni and cheese should always come with bacon. Let's face it, there is pretty much nothing that couldn't be made even better, even richer with bacon. I have a great trick to have a splatter-proof kitchen too. It's surprising how many people don't know this, it's surprising I didn't know this until the invention of Pinterest!

Anyway, take a cookie sheet and line it with tinfoil. I think parchment paper would work too, but I have yet to try it. I'll let you know how it works when I do. Place the strips of bacon on the cookie sheet, you can lay them really close to one another, no worries about them touching or even over-lapping a little. They'll shrink up with plenty of room. However, usually only a half package will fit on one cookie sheet, if you need more or are doubling this recipe, you'll need 2 cookie sheets. Then cover with another layer of tinfoil and pull the center of the foil to make a kind of "tent." Place in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Another great thing with this method, is you don't see as much shrinkage, meaning more bang for your buck!

I'll also preface my recipe by saying that, I use a combination of different cheeses and I also used Ziti for my pasta. You can use whatever you want. If the traditional elbow macaroni is more your style, then by all means go for it!

Bacon Macaroni & Cheese

1lb. Ziti pasta, cooked approximately 4 minutes less than directed

1/2 lb. bacon

1 C. Mozarella cheese, shredded

1 C. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

2 oz. cream cheese

1-1/2 C. half & half

1-1/2 C. milk

1/4C. butter

1 package Ritz Crackers, crushed

2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

2T. flour

2T. butter

salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pasta as directed, with slight variation of 4 minutes less cooking time. While the pasta is cooking, melt 2T. butter, add flour and continue to stir for 3-5 minutes. Add milk, continue to stir until mixture is no longer lumpy and has thickened. Reduce heat to med-low. Reserve 1/4 C. of mixture

Very slowly add literally DROPS of the reserved milk mixture to the egg yolks. You do not want to add large amounts at a time, because you will curdle the egg. This process is called "tempering." You're slowly raising the temperature of the egg yolks so they are not curdling, which will help to create a creamier sauce for your macaroni and cheese. If you're not comfortable, you can omit this step, but I highly recommend not to. With some practice, you'll be glad you have the eggs. I use a teaspoon, and put a tiny amount in the spoon and slowly add to the eggs while vigorously whisking. Once the entire 1/4 cup has been added to the egg, add to the remaining milk mixture, along with seasonings and stir well. Add 3/4 cup mozzarella and 1 cup sharp cheddar, stir to combine. Add cream cheese once the previous cheeses are entirely melted and combined. The cream cheese will take a while to melt in, just be sure it's entirely melted before continuing. Add the crushed, cooked bacon and stir.

Add your pasta, stir to coat. Pour into a large baking dish, cover with remaining cheeses and then crushed Ritz crackers. Pour 1/4 C. melted butter over the top, place in oven for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.

I think what makes my macaroni & cheese different, and better is the addition of the cream cheese and one additional egg from the usual ONE total egg. I also use Ritz crackers, while most people use saltines, or bread crumbs, or panko. I think the Ritz crackers add for a richer experience. T claims the Ritz crackers make this dish, I think I will have to agree. But, you use whatever you want. Make it your own, that's what makes macaroni and cheese so amazing, you can literally tweak it to your preferences and still have an amazing dish. Keeping the amounts the same, change the cheeses and see what you get. Use pancetta or ham, instead of bacon, even chicken would work. Be creative! Let me know what you come up with.

So that's it for today. I hope you love this recipe as much as I do. What is your favorite macaroni & cheese recipe? (It's okay if it comes from a blue box. I'm not judging!)

Bare Kitchen Recipes | Sin & Soul Food Blog

So along with great pictures, I also believe that a good blog is also about trust. I promised you guys a Bacon Mac & Cheese post tonight, but unfortunately that's not in the cards. I went out job hunting today, and unfortunately that didn't give me much time for writing my post and uploading pictures. I promise! Tomorrow! But for those of you who have been anxiously awaiting, I wanted to at least do you the courtesy of letting you know what is going on.

On top of everything, I had a bit of a mishap today. A bit irritating really, because I JUST did this same thing about a month ago. I was walking through our local mall, in my sexy 4" heels after dropping off a resume, and I slipped and fell. In the process of falling, my knee took the brunt of the blow and it hurts insanely! I'm all for laughing at myself, and the first time this happened (in completely different shoes, so it's not the shoes.) I laughed my butt off. I even told everyone on Facebook and let them have a laugh at my expense. But this time? This time it hurt, and I have a knob on my knee and a very nicely developing bruise and hobble to show for it. Yes, you can laugh...but you should feel bad. I would laugh too, if it wasn't my knee.

Anyway, when I came home I forgot to pick up chicken for tonight's supper and I didn't have anything thawed and needed supper ready in 30 minutes. Which brought me to my next thing. I am a whiz at whipping dinners up with next to nothing in the cupboard or refrigerator with the exception of the bare essentials. T makes comments about how handy I am all the time, so why not take advantage of that creativity through my blog. Which brought me to "Bare Kitchen Recipes." Once a week, I will share a Bare Kitchen Recipe with you, something I cooked up with minimal ingredients in my kitchen. I know how hard it is to be creative when you feel like there is nothing in the house, so hopefully this will help you think differently AND be proud of yourself when you whip something up that the whole family loves and can't believe you pulled together with minimal ingredients. Also, let's face it...with the economy being so difficult, every little penny you can save, helps. I made a quick meal tonight and I will share the recipe, but unfortunately no photos. Forgive me? I hope so.

So I don't have a name for this...let's call it: Chili Cheese Rice

1 Cup Uncle Ben's Brown Rice, prepared as directed

1/2 can Cheese soup

1/2 can water

1 small can green chiles

1 can diced tomatoes

4 eggs

salt & pepper

chives, optional

shredded mozzarella cheese, optional

Cook rice as directed. Once entirely cooked add soup and water, stir until combined. Add green chiles and tomatoes, stir until well combined. Let mixture heat until bubbly, stir. Add all the eggs, leave them on top of the mixture until mixture is bubbling again. Break the yolks and stir eggs into mixture. Cook approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add seasonings. Serve in bowls with mozzarella cheese, or plain.

Let me know what you think!

Candied Lemon Slices & Lemon Cupcakes

So, I've meant to have another blog post up wayyy prior to today, but unfortunately we have been so busy and our main computer with Photoshop on it is shared between myself and my boytoy, T. When I do get a chance to use it, it's mainly used for working on clients' photos and managing my blog. Obviously not this blog, and yes...I spend a lot of time "Pinteresting." Funny, how in such a short period of time, Pinterest can develop it's own verb. I am officially addicted! I kid you not. And if you find me on Pinterest, you'll see why and probably develop your very own addiction. Don't worry...we can start a support group.

Anyway, I have pictures all finished and ready to upload for my amazing Bacon Macaroni & Cheese, and I will be sure to get that uploaded tomorrow sometime. The boy helped me with a couple of the photos, simply because I really needed three arms and I wasn't about to risk 3rd degree burns just over being stubborn. Believe me, I tried!

In my process of coming up with more blog fodder, I came up with a recipe I will be trying to develop very soon. Wait for it....Lemon Cupcakes with either Blueberry or Lemon filling, and candied lemon slices. I've even considered going with chocolate filling...mmmm. Maybe this is where I will head.

This Limoncello Meyer Lemon Cupcake photo came from www.52kitchenadventures.com

The recipe is included on the page, but originally came from Tartelette. Beautiful photography from the blogger, I was mesmerized. There were a lot of lemon cupcake recipes to choose from and I chose this one because of the very nice photographs. I also found a great recipe for candied lemon slices, but I will share that when I actually make them and have my own photos to share.

During my research tonight, I also ran across the cutest video EVER:

It's You're My Honeybunch "The Original Cuppycake Song," sung by a 3 year old and it is just too adorable! I hope you enjoy. Since we're on the subject of cupcakes once again, what are your favorite cupcakes and do you have a favorite recipe?

Chicken & Dumpling Soup | Food Blog

Brrrr....it is COLD out there! I live in Wisconsin, and even though we aren't hitting record lows (we're probably hitting record highs, in all honesty!) it is still pretty darn cold out there. Checking the temperature outside just now, we're at 35 degrees which makes me feel like a baby for even complaining about how cold it is. But in my defense, it is still awfully gloomy. Which makes a great day for soup! Not just any soup though! A slightly smoky, rich & flavorful, dense & slightly creamy soup, with light & fluffy but slightly chewy inside; dumplings. Yep, that sounds perfect.

Except, I made it last night and today we ate leftovers. Don't you fret your pretty little face though, I'm still going to share. Which brings me to my next thing. I'm a pretty good photographer. I spend a lot of time behind the camera. But food photography never ceases to successfully evade me. I'm not a food photographer as much as I may try to be. I'm working on it though! And I am going to master it, part of having a good blog is having GOOD pictures. I'll get there, just be patient with me.

This recipe is slightly my own concoction, as mentioned earlier I am a fly by the seat of my pants type of girl when I'm in the kitchen. Little bit of this, little bit of that. I hardly ever write it down, and my boy: Travis, is always after me to "Write the stuff down!" I'm working on it. But for now, I'm slightly imperfect, but that will have to do. Hopefully you find the imperfections charming and endearing. (Yes, you're allowed to laugh.)

So, I started this recipe with my Dutch oven. I like the flavors I get from it, and I have been using this thing non-stop since receiving it a couple of years ago. I want it to have that perfect flavor everyone raves about: seasoning. You don't have to use one, you can use a plain old stock pot if you prefer.

Chicken Soup:

2 cans low sodium Chicken Broth (Swanson)

1 can Cream of Chicken soup (I used Campbell's)

left-over Rotisserie Chicken - I had about a half of one left.

roughly chopped

(include the gelatinous stuff.)

2 C. water

3 large carrots, sliced

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

fresh green beans, cut

Rubbed sage to taste (no more than 1 t.)

Poultry Seasoning to taste (no more than 1 t.)

salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

In your pan, combine the broth, soup, and water. Stir until well combined over medium-high heat. If it starts to boil, turn it down to medium. If needed, add more than the recommended 2 C. of water. Once soup starts to simmer, add chicken, carrots, and onion. Save the green bean until the last few minutes of cooking so they still have some bite left to them. Also save the seasonings until last. Cook until onion is clear, and carrot is tender to the bite. Add green beans, and seasonings.

Dumplings (From Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook)

1 C. flour

1 T. fresh or 1/2 T. dried parsley

2 t. baking powder

1/4t. salt

1/4 t. dried oregano

1 beaten egg

1/4 c. milk or half & half (I used half & half)

2 T. cooking oil

Combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Make a well in the dry bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a small bowl. Pour wet into dry, stir until just combined. Don't over-stir. The BHG Cookbook says to make 6 dumplings. I made a bunch of small, teaspoon size ones. Use your discretion, either way works perfectly. Make sure you are adding the dumplings to simmering liquid.

Serve soup in bowls with sprigs of fresh parsley as garnish, or chives.

I hope you enjoy this soup recipe! It's New Year's Eve, let's say good-bye to 2011 and Hello! to 2012. Thanks for tuning in to my food blog this year, I'll see you guys again next year. Stay safe, & happy! Now go get your Midnight Kiss!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes | Food Blog

I love Peanut Butter! I mean, who doesn't? I guess with the exception of those who are allergic, and those who are crazy! Peanut butter has a long standing place in my heart. I can still remember spending a lot of time with my grandparents as a little girl. During the week, it was just my grandma & I because my grandpa drove truck during the week. So, for lunches we usually had Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches. It was almost a ritual with us, and my grandma knew I could eat pb & j pretty much every meal and be happy. I still remember the brand she used: Peter Pan and she always bought the big, gigantic 64 ounce containers that as a child I thought was amazing! In my mind, I can still hear the jingle of the commercial: "Peter Paaaaaan Peanut Buttah!!" so silly! I think it's where the other jingle "Peanut, Peanut butter, & JELLY!" came from. A little steal from the Peanut butter that was popular in the 80's. You can still buy Peter Pan brand, but unfortunately it just doesn't have the taste I like as an adult.

Now I buy Smucker's Natural Creamy with Honey. Sure, I have to stir it and it can be a pain but oh is it worth all the extra effort! I highly recommend using it in the Peanut Butter frosting that this recipe calls for.

I am obsessed with cupcakes, I think it's just a thing we're all going through right now but honestly, I have always loved cupcakes. As a kid, I remember these plastic toys I had and one was a plain cupcake then you could top it with frosting and a cherry, kind of Mr. Potato Head gone girly toy. I wish I could remember what they were called, but a Google search didn't help. Let me know if you know what I am talking about! Anyway, I'm known to do these completely homemade and then sometimes I play it easy and use store-bought for some things and homemade for others so it's half & half. I debated on giving you guys a chocolate cake recipe and all that but honestly, I did not do a homemade cake with my version. I bought a Duncan Hines cake mix and I used that instead so that's what I would recommend here. So, enjoy these cupcakes! They were a HUGE hit and I have had a ton of requests for them since. The peanut butter frosting truly is the best I have ever had!


Cupcake:
1 Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake Mix

Follow directions on the box with one exception! Pull the cupcakes out of the oven 3-4 minutes before the recommended time. The cakes will continue to cook for a couple minutes once outside the oven and this makes for a more moist & springy cake. I do this with every cake I make, foolproof results every time and people always want to know how I got them so moist. This is how!

Let cupcakes cool. In the meantime, get started on frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe (yields 24 cupcakes)

1/2 C. unsalted butter

1 C. creamy peanut butter (use Smuckers! I promise you won't regret it!)

4 C. Confectioner's sugar

1/3 C. cream or milk

In a large bowl, combine butter & peanut butter and beat with electric mixer until light & fluffy. Slowly add confectioner's (powdered) sugar. Add enough of the cream or milk for frosting to reach a good spreading or piping consistency. Makes enough for one 13x9, 2 layer 9", or 24 cupcakes.

Once my cupcakes were cooled, I piped the frosting on. A really cool trick: spoon frosting into a plastic ziplock bag, close it. Snip a corner off the tip and squeeze. I start in the middle of my cupcakes and circle outward to make a clean looking frosted top. Once all the tiny cakes were frosted, I gave them a finishing touch with a tiny Reese's Peanut Butter cup mini. These are nothing short of incredible, they make your cupcakes look adorable & finished. I love Reese's for coming out with these! Just a heads up, usually the King Size bag will not have enough to top 24 cupcakes.

Voila! Easy, beautiful cupcakes for the next occasion that calls for them! Let me know what you think!

Erica Bauermeister School of Essential Ingredients & Molly Wizenberg A Homemade Life | Food Blog

Thankfully there are not enough followers here yet to pick at me about the fact that it's taken me almost 2 years to write another blog post. Yep, this baby started in March of 2010 and here it is the end of December 2011 and I am just now thinking about my food blog I started and whatever happened to that, anyway?

Well, at least I am coming back to it I suppose. Ha.

Anyway, I am still in love with the movie Julie & Julia. I've watched it several thousand more times since my Redbox rental way back when and I also own it. I can see it sitting in it's honorary place amongst my other semi-alphabetized DVD's. In fact, just writing this blog post makes me think that maybe I should watch it again.

Also since my last blog post, I came across a couple other food novels that left me absolutely breathless. Personally, I don't feel as though there are enough cooking related literary masterpieces out there. Nora Roberts, one of my guiltless pleasures and mindless reading mecca's has dedicated several of her books to cooking related plots and I can't say how much I appreciate it. Anyway, one of the books was also based off of a blog, some of you may have heard of it and if you haven't, I highly recommend you wander on over to Orangette and take a peek. Molly Wizenberg, the creator and author of A Homemade Life: Stories & Recipes From My Kitchen Table, successfully wrote one of the most important books of my lifetime. I'm not kidding! It is so beautifully written and at moments, incredibly bittersweet. I highly recommend both it, and the Orangette blog.

The second book was by Erica Bauermeister. The School of Essential Ingredients is a short novel, but a beautiful read. On top of it, Erica is such a down to earth person, only proven by her Facebook page that it seems she personally keeps up with and also answers fans. (Nora Roberts does too, by the way.) For both Molly & Erica's books, I was compelled to write them personal notes of thank you and gratitude, which I don't feel compelled to do very often. A book really has to move me in order to do that...but I did and I was incredibly surprised when I received personal responses from both of them. I'm quite sure I will be a loyal fan & stalker forever, now.

Anyway, this blog post has gotten a little long and I had intended to share a recipe for Peanut Butter cupcakes but I think we'll save that for tomorrow. And yes, Travis...I know you're reading. I WILL do the blog post tomorrow. :)

So, what are your favorite food related books? I'm still looking for more, and need all the help I can get!

Welcome to Sin & Soul

I will admit, I am a copycat...I recently watched Julie & Julia and the movie got me thinking that I should have my own food blog. I am constantly creating my own recipes and cooking up a storm in the kitchen. I thoroughly love to create food to fuel the people I love. To create an amazing meal is my way of saying "I love you." I also enjoy photography and I feel this will be an excellent way for me to share my photos and recipes with those of you who are interested.

My approach: I am all over the place. My interest in food runs the gamut, but there is one thing that is for sure...I really enjoy using fresh ingredients, and organic whenever I can get my hands on it. I love soulful, sinful things. The richer, the better.

I had to laugh while watching Julie and Julia, when Julie...while writing her blog spoke of butter. I love butter, so much so that my boyfriend picks on me and thinks it is hilarious. No butter imitations for this girl. What blasphemy!!! The more butter the better! Popcorn is really only an accompaniment to my butter. Well, not quite. But in all seriousness, I do love the stuff.

I enjoy making easy, simple recipes that will take 30 minutes. But there are times I will spend hours upon hours in the kitchen, preparing the perfect loaf of bread or the most gorgeous cheesecake. Creamy and decadent. Hopefully this blog will be a way to share my recipes as well as my attempts at the recipes of great chefs whom I admire.

So, here's to Sin & Soul. My new baby. May she grow to be a place that you all will love to come and visit. If you try a recipe, please leave a comment! I will love to hear from you.