Category: American recipe

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Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe

The Macaroni and Cheese made from starch is billion times better than a box. I love Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese. It is also American favorite comfort food. The Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese is cheesy, creamy and the baked crust is everything.

This is the image of southern baked macaroni and cheese
Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe

I start with a classic French cheesy sauce béchamel made from a white roux (butter and flour) and milk. Next I add part of the cheese, and let it melt. Remember, it’s called Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese doesn’t be afraid of using cheese (Sharp cheddar cheese, mozzarella, jack cheese…). I use cheddar cheese. It is buttery and milky tasting, mild and salty. And finally, I add the pre-cooked macaroni, top it with cheese and baked.

Why bake the Macaroni and Cheese in the oven?

You don’t have to bake the Macaroni and Cheese in the oven, but how else are you going to get the glorious bubbly cheesy crust? I don’t know about you, but the golden brown and crunchy top my favorite part!

How to top baked Macaroni and Cheese?

  • Grated cheese
  • Buttered panko breadcrumbs with some herbs
  • Bacon pieces and panko breadcrumb

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces macaroni (Precooked) – Boil a large pot of salt water and add the pasta. Cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain and reserve the pasta. – Don’t rinse the pasta.
  • ⅓ cup butter
  • ⅓ cup flour
  • 1 tsp bouillon cube
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3½ cups milk
  • 16 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

How do You Make Macaroni and Cheese?

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Make roux:

In a heavy-bottomed large pot over medium heat, melt the butter.

Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter, whisking until smooth. Stir constantly, until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, but don’t let it brown — about 2 minutes.

Make sauce bechamel:

Stir in the milk ½ cup at a time ( feel free to eyeball it ), only adding the next half cup once the previous one has been incorporated entirely. Continue to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring it to a boil.

Melt in the cheese:

Add a 2/3 cheddar cheese, salt, cube, stir into the milk/flour sauce until melted. Reduce heat to low and whisk until melted.

Toss pasta with cheese sauce:

Remove saucepan from heat, stir in the macaroni. Toss the macaroni with cheese sauce

Pour into a 2 quart baking dish.

Top with cheese and bake:

Top with the remaining extra cheddar cheese. Bake at 375 F for 30 minutes.

this is the image of Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe
Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe

Serve hot!

Tip to make the best Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese can be made ahead: After transferring the Macaroni and Cheese (not baked) in the pan, top it with the cheese and covering it with some aluminum foil. Refrigerate it for a day or 2. When you’re ready to cook the Macaroni and Cheese, let it sit at room temperature for 30 mins and bake for 25-35 minutes.

What cheese can be used in the Macaroni and Cheese?

Use a blend of cheese make the Macaroni and Cheese taste better awesome. Sometimes the pre shredded cheese might make the sauce grainy.

  • Cheddar cheese
  • Colby cheese
  • Muenster cheese
  • Gruyere cheese
  • Mozzarella cheese
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Steak and potato skillet

Steak and potato skillet

  • 0.5 kg beef (cubed)
  • 0.5 kg baby yellow potatoes, quartered
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
  • 2 tablespoon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seed
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and fresh pepper

Preheat the oven at 350F

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic cloves, ginger, mustard, mustard seed, olive oil, Salt and fresh pepper. 

Mix half of the marinade with the potato and the other half with the beef

Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes until the potato is browned and tender. Serve warm

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Avocado and steak salad

Avocado and steak salad

2-3 lb boneless steak

1 tablespoon garlic

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon paprika

1 cube

salt & pepper

4 tablespoon butter

3 avocados, diced

1 red onion, diced

1 small bell pepper, diced

1 big tomato, diced

 

Heat grill to medium high or 400 degrees.

Season a room temperature steak with garlic, ginger, paprika, cube, salt and pepper on both sides.

Add the butter to a hot skillet, and  sear the meat. 

Place steak on grill and cook for 4-6 minutes per side.

Remove from grill, let sit for 2-3 minutes. Slice steak.

Plate the avocados, onion, bell pepper, tomato and steak

1/2 cup parmesan 

1 tablespoons mustard

1 tablespoon mayonaise

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Blend the dressing ingredients together. 

Drizzle with the dressing

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Fried chicken drumsticks

Fried chicken drumsticks (orange brine)

10 chicken drumsticks

1 liter water plus ice

1 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves

1.5 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons brown sugar

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons ginger

1 tablespoons black pepper

1 bay leaves

The zest of 1 orange

The juice of 1 orange

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot. Stir until the sugar & salt dissolve. 

Add the chicken and Refrigerate for 16-24 hours.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, place the chicken, one piece at a time, in the oil. The oil should cover the chicken pieces almost completely and it will bubble gently as the chicken cooks. 

Continue to fry the chicken until the skin is golden brown. The exact amount of time you’ll need depends on the temperature of the oil, but the aunties left their chicken in for about 15-20 minutes (a long time!) with the oil over lower heat. 

Remove from the oil and set on paper towels to drain excess oil. Repeat in small batches until all the chicken is fried.

Curly Fries

2 large potatoes

Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Kosher salt

For the potatoes: Spiralize the potatoes into fries and soak in water in a container for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Drain the fries and pat dry,

Heat about 3 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat to 365 degrees F.

Cook the fries in batches until golden and crispy, about 2 minutes per batch. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate, sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

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No Buttermilk Skillet-Fried Chicken

No Buttermilk Skillet-Fried Chicken

2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoon salt

8 pieces chicken thigh

Wash and thoroughly dry chicken pieces and place in single layer in pan

Mix all the dry ingredients

Sprinkle flour over chicken in pan. Toss chicken to coat well in flour.

Heat up the oil in a cast iron pan and place chicken pieces, skin side down in hot oil.

Cook for approximately 10 minutes or until skin is pale golden brown. Turn chicken over and cook for 10 minutes on second side. Turn chicken pieces once more, reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook approximately 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken to paper towel lined plate and allow to drain for about 5 minutes.

Crispy Roasted Potatoes

2 pounds (1 kilo) white potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons good quality olive oil or canola oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 200°C | 400°F. Lightly spray a baking sheet or tray with cooking oil spray.

Arrange the potatoes on the sheet in one layer, and add the oil and salt. Toss until the potatoes are well coated and seasoned.

Roast in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, while flipping occasionally, until crisp and golden.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and season with a little extra salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle over with parsley and serve immediately

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Easy chicken nuggets

Easy chicken nuggets

Homemade chicken nuggets are healthier and tastier than the fast-food and frozen chicken nugget. Chicken nuggets are a common staple in the diet of many kids.  Contrary to popular believes, homemade chicken nuggets are easy to make. They are fresh, delicious and you don’t have to wonder what type of meat is ground up and packaged in your nuggets. To make the homemade chicken nuggets, you will need a food processor or something to ground the chicken breast.  The grounded chicken is battered, breaded then deep-fried in vegetable oil.

  • 4 – 5 chicken cutlets cut into cubes
  • 1 tablespoon parsley
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 glass of milk tea
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 tablespoons brie cream
  • 1 egg + 2 tablespoons milk + pinch of salt
  • breadcrumbs

How Do You Make Homemade Chicken Nuggets?

Trim off the fat from the chicken breasts. Then, chop them up into cubes.

Blend the chicken, garlic, parsley, pepper 

Add the flour, milk and the brie cream. Stir for 30 second.

With lightly oiled hands shape balls and drop as you go on the plate. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Spread the breadcrumbs in one bowl and the beaten egg, milk and salt in another.

Drench each chicken kibble in the egg then coat in bread crumbs. Deposit as you go on the plate.

Place in a cool place time to heat frying oil and fry each kibble until golden brown.

Drain and place on paper towels.

Serve hot with the sauce of your choice or simply mustard.

Note:

  • To save time, you can double or triple the recipe and keep the extra uncooked nuggets in the freeze for future meal. One the nuggets are ready to be cooked, remove them from the freezer, leave at room temperature until it unfreezes and fry. You can also freeze the cook chicken nuggets in which case, you can warm up in the oven or microwave.
  • To bread the homemade chicken nugget, you can use your own breadcrumbs, instead of store bought. You will need to dehydrate the bread in the oven and pulsing it in a food processor until you reach your desired size and texture. You can also add herbs and spices. If they are well dehydrated, it can be preserved for a longtime. To make these chicken nuggets more fun for your kids, because the chicken is soft and moldable after blending, you can shape them into cool shapes. You can use cookie cutter to make hearts, dinosaurs… before covering them with the egg and breadcrumbs.
  • Once the homemade chicken nuggets are you can serve with honey mustard, ranch or barbecue sauce.