Creamy Brie Mac n' Seven Cheese with Toasted Breadcrumb Topping

Creamy Brie Mac n' Seven Cheese with Toasted Breadcrumb Topping

There are a few dishes, in life, that we are constantly searching for "the best" of. I've done it many times, mainly with my chocolate chip cookies, tinkering with it just ever-so-slightly until perfection has been attained. I also do it with southern pimento cheese, fudgy brownies, and mac n' cheese. People rave about Martha Stewart's recipe, but although it was great, it was still missing something. But the other week, I came across this idea to use BRIE in the mac n' cheese. OMG I love Brie. I love it plain, I love it on sandwiches, I probably would eat it off the ground (if no one was watching). So, to toss something so utterly creamy & smooth into mac n' cheese, I just thought it was stunningly brilliant. A simple Béchamel sauce is made, but then is amped up with sharp white cheddar, fontina, havarti, gruyere, + parmesan cheese. That's a full cast of characters, y'all!! Ain't nothing wrong with that. I love this mixture of cheeses because they all are different in taste and texture (or melt factor, as I like to call it). Every single one plays a crucial role in this pasta dish, so don't leave one out... ya'hear. On top, I put some homemade breadcrumbs with butter and garlic. This gives the dish a great contrast of texture as well. All who tried this mac, raved about it. Especially my two year old niece, who can sometimes be picky. So all you mommies out there, this is kid friendly, yay. Anyway, make this now, while it's still super chilly outside and enjoy a big bowl of it by the fire. It'll be the perfect night!! Enjoy :)

creamy brie cheese + toasted breadcrumbs, yum :)

For the Topping:

3T Unsalted Butter

2 Cloves of Garlic, Finely Minced

1 ½C Toasted Bread, Pulsed into Bread Crumbs

For the Béchamel:

4T Unsalted Butter

¼C AP Flour

1C Heavy Cream + 2C Warm Milk

¼t Mustard Powder, Cayenne, Salt, & White Pepper

For the Mac n’ Cheese:

1lb Small Pasta (elbow, corkscrews, shells, etc)

1C Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

1C Fontina Cheese, Shredded

1C Havarti Cheese, Shredded

1C Gruyere Cheese, Shredded

6oz Brie Cheese, Rind Removed + Cut into Small Cubes

½C Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta until al-dente. You want it to have a bit of bite. It will finish cooking in the oven. Drain well.

3. For the Béchamel: While the pasta boils add 3 tablespoons butter to a medium skillet and melt. Add the garlic and sauté 30 seconds then throw in the homemade breadcrumbs and toss to coat.

4. Toast the crumbs for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Once the crumbs are lightly toasted remove form the heat and set aside.

5. In the same pot you boiled the pasta, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let cook/bubble for 1 minute, stirring once or twice to avoid burning. Gradually whisk in the milk and raise the heat up to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking frequently until the sauce has thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in all of the cheese, mustard powder, cayenne, salt and pepper. Stir until the cheese is fully melted. Stir in the pasta and transfer to the prepared baking dish.

6. Evenly sprinkle on the toasted crumbs and place the baking dish on a baking sheet.

7. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the crumbs are golden brown and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from the heat and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.

Mac n' Cheese Stuffed Burgers with Coca-Cola Caramelized Onions & Weaved Bacon Patties

Mac n' Cheese Stuffed Burgers with Coca-Cola Caramelized Onions & Weaved Bacon Patties

I've been lazy about blogging this week, sorry charlie. But no worries, I finally have a recipe to post today!! And its a doozy, lemme tell you. A couple months ago, we made these All-American Bacon-Crusted Burger with Thousand Island Mayo, and they were delish. I couldn't stop thinking about them and how I wanted to make them even crazier and more over-the-top than it already was. Well, I was thinking maybe I should stuff the burgers with some cheese, so it would get nice & ooey-gooey when you bite into it. But no, that wasn't crazy enough for us. Then bam, I was hit by a bus. No I'm just kidding... no bus incident here, but bam, a great idea had just popped into my head. Why not stuff a burger with a mac n' cheese patty. Holy Paula Deen... I couldn't wait to try it. So, we made some mac n' cheese and pressed inside of two burger patties and grilled them up. When you bite into these burgers (I mean that's if you can because they are so large, you practically have to un-hinge your jaw in order to do so), the mac n' cheese just oozes out and the cheesy-pasta-goodness just comforts your fatty Southern soul. The burgers are also loaded with Coca-Cola Caramelized Onions (um, what the what) that are sweet, soft, and perfectly caramelized. It's practically like a jam when you spread it on the burger buns. But one of our favorite components was the Weaved Bacon Patty. This patty ensures bacon in every bite, which is so genius. And you know what, next time I make a BLT, I making these patties for sure. They would be so perfect. We finished the burgers with my favorite thousand island mayo, tomato, and lettuce. But feel free to add anything else you would like... I mean it's your burger now isn't it? Yes. I also included a bunch of step-by-step pictures to show you how to make these stuffed burgers because it's hard to visualize the process. I hope it helps!! Enjoy :)

Press a portion of the ground beef into a large, round cookie cutter...

Then place a piece of American cheese inside...

Add in the mac n' cheese... 

And top with another slice of cheese and slide it out of the cookie cutter...

Press another portion of ground beef into the same cookie cutter, slide it out of the mold,
and place it on top of the mac n' cheese stuffed burger. Seal the edges to make sure
it's all covered and the mac n' cheese won't spill out.

Here are the cooked & crispy weaved bacon patties... yum 

Place a cooked burger patty on a bun...

Top the burger with a weaved bacon patty...

Load her up with all those delicious toppings & coca-cola caramelized onions... 

See the mac n' cheese stuffing? Heaven. on. earth. yep.  

Just let go & devour it..

For the Mac n’ Cheese Stuffed Burgers:

1lb Ground Chuck (80/20)

4 Slices of American cheese

Your Favorite Mac n’ Cheese Recipe

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Coca-Cola Caramelized Onions:

4 Vidalia Onions, Sliced

Butter & Olive Oil, For Cooking

Salt, To Taste

12oz Coca Cola

For the Thousand Island Sauce:

2T + 2t Mayo

1T Ketchup

2t Sweet Pickle Relish

½t Sugar & White Vinegar

¼t Paprika & Garlic Powder 

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Mac n’ Cheese Stuffed Burgers:

Prepared Mac n’ Cheese Stuffed Burger Patties, Cooked

Prepared Coca-Cola Caramelized Onions

Crispy Weaved Bacon Patties

2 Gourmet Hamburger Buns, Buttered & Toasted

Prepared Thousand Island Sauce

Homemade Pickle Chips

Heirloom Tomatoes, Sliced & Sprinkled Lightly with Salt and Pepper

Fresh Iceberg Lettuce, Ribs Removed & Torn into Bun-Sized Pieces

Directions:

1. For the Mac n’ Cheese Stuffed Burgers: Prepare your favorite mac n’ cheese recipe, pour it into a baking dish, and then refrigerate until cold and set. Split the ground chuck into 4 equal portions. Spray a large 4inch round cookie cutter with Pam and place it on top of a piece of parchment paper, press 1 of the portions of ground beef into the cutter, pressing it in to compact it and slightly pushing it up the sides, so there’s a deep indentation. Place 1 slices of American cheese on top of the pressed meat. Next, using a 3inch round rookie cutter, cut the chilled mac n’ cheese into small rounds. Place the mac n’ cheese round into the indentation of the beef, on top of the American cheese slice. Gently push the compacted mac n’ cheese-ground meat out of the cookie cutter, making sure it stays together. Repeat the process with another portion of the ground beef, compacting it in and pushing it up the sides (this patty portion will not be filled, but will be used to seal the burger completely). Place this formed patty on top of the other mac n’ cheese filled patty and seal the meat on the sides, so it’s completely formed. Repeat with the other two portions of ground beef. You should have two huge stuffed burger patties. Season all sides with salt & pepper. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and melt some butter in it until very hot. Fry the each burger and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the outsides are brown and crispy. Place them onto a baking sheet and bake them in a preheated 400-degree oven for 5-10 minutes until your preferred doneness. Let them rest slightly before you assemble the burgers.

2. For the Coca-Cola Caramelized Onions: In a large pan on medium heat sauté the onions in half the butter for 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally but not too much. Over stirring will not allow the onions to brown. When the onions have absorbed all the butter, add the remaining butter and sauté another 10 minutes, occasionally stirring. When the onions absorb the second round of butter or oil and they are brown and translucent, start deglazing with the Coke, using enough to cover the bottom of the pan in a thin layer. Keep stirring occasionally and repeat the deglazing process until the onions are completely brown and soft, and all of the coke has be absorbed. Keep warm until you are ready to use.

3. For the Thousand Island Sauce: Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Season with salt & pepper to your taste.

4. For the Weaved Bacon Patties: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with a Silpat. Cut strips of bacon in half and weave the bacon slices into a square patty. I did this similarly to how you would weave a lattice-topped piecrust. Just alternately overlap the slices of bacon with each other to form a square patty. Bake the weaved patties in the oven for 20 minutes, and then boost the heat up to 400 degrees and cook until the bacon slices are all crisp (this will depend on how thick your bacon is, mine took an extra 10-15 minutes). Set these aside until you are ready to use them.

5. Assembling the Burgers: Top each slice of buttered & toasted bun with a thick layer of Thousand Island Sauce. On the bottom slice of each bun, top the sauce with 1 slice of seasoned heirloom tomato and lettuce. Place one stuffed burger on top of the lettuce, spread with Coca-Cola Caramelized Onions, and then top with the other weaved bacon patty and finish with the top slice of the bun. Repeat the make the other burger.

6. Serve immediately with some French fries.

Classic Mac n' Cheese

We made this classic mac n' cheese recipe to go along aside our sweet tea fried chicken, and it was the perfect accompaniment. There's nothing special about it, it's just classic & always consistent. No crazy flavors, just good ole' mac n' cheese. I especially loved the toasted croutons on top for the topping. Make this any time you are having a crowd over or just when you need a side that everyone will love!! Enjoy :)

Classic Mac n' Cheese

For the Mac n’ Cheese:

3T Butter

¼C AP Flour

2 ¾C Milk

Pinch of Nutmeg & Cayenne

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

2C Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

1C Gruyere Cheese, Shredded

16oz Elbow Macaroni, Cooked

Bread Cubes, Toasted

¼C Parmesan Cheese, Grated 

2T Butter, Cut into Small Cubes  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and butter a casserole dish, and then set it aside.
2. Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the 3T butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, whisking, about 1 minute.
3. While whisking constantly, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time to keep the mixture smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, about 5-8 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the seasonings, 1 ½C cheddar cheese, and ¾C Gruyere. Set the cheese sauce aside.
5. Stir the cooked macaroni into the warm cheese sauce, and then pour the mac n’ cheese into the prepared casserole. Top the mac n’ cheese with the remaining ½C cheddar, ¼C Gruyere, toasted bread cubes, and cubes of butter.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the mac n’ cheese is hot & bubbly.

source: martha's mac n' cheese.

Frizzled Mac n' Rib Melt Panini

Have you heard of that famous panini/grilled cheese truck... that one that has a mac n' cheese & rib meat panini. Well, I have... I have been dying to make one. I mean mac n' cheese and BBQ on one sandwich, it really can't get more ridiculous than that. So when we decided to make BBQ ribs for the 4th of July, I knew I had to save some rib meat to make this amazing panini. Well, tonight was the night that we decided to make this yummy sandwich (with my own twist of course). Their recipe is just BBQ rib meat, mac n' cheese, grilled onions and cheddar (I believe). I decided to do BBQ rib meat, smoked cheddar cheese slices, mac n' cheese, red onion jam, and frizzled fried onion strings. It was soooo yummy... and ridiculous. But of course, it was right up Clayton's ally. It's definitely a sandwich for a man's man (I mean Clayton is definitely not a man's man), but it could definitely feed like Paul Bunyan or someone else really manly too (I just can't think of anyone right now). Ok, enough rambling... here's my adapted recipe! Enjoy :)

Smoked Cheddar Cheese, BBQ Rib Meat, Mac n' Cheese, Frizzled Onion Strings, Red Onion Jam

Frizzled Mac n' Rib Melt Panini

For the Red Onion Jam:

4C Red Onions, Thinly Sliced

1t Olive Oil

¼C Sugar

¼C Red Wine Vinegar

½t Dried Thyme  

For the Creamy Mac n’ Cheese:

8oz Elbow Macaroni

¼C Butter

¼C Flour

2C Milk

2C Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Frizzled Onions Strings:

1 Sweet Onion, Shaved into Very Thin Slices

2C Buttermilk

1T Hot Sauce

2C AP Flour

1T Cajun Seasoning

½t Paprika, Garlic Powder, & Onion Powder

1Q Canola Oil 

For the Panini:

4T Unsalted Butter, Divided

4 Slices of French Bread

Prepared Red Onion Jam

1C Leftover Pulled Rib Meat

½C BBQ Sauce

4C Prepared Mac n’ Cheese

1 Sweet Onion Cut into Slices & Grilled

6 Slices of Smoked Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

1. For the Red Onion Jam: Sauté the onions in hot oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Reduce to low and stir in the sugar, vinegar, and thyme. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the onion very tender. Keep warm or cool and place in a jar and put in the refrigerator until ready to use the sandwich.
2. For the Mac n’ Cheese: Cook the macaroni according to package directions. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; stir in the flour, salt, and pepper; slowly add milk. Cook and stir until bubbly. Stir in cheese until melted. Drain macaroni and then add the cheese sauce and stir to coat. Spread the macaroni and cheese in an 8inch square-baking dish to about ¾inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 45 minutes. Cut the macaroni into squares that are slightly smaller than the bread slices.
3. For the Frizzled Onion Strings: Place the thin onion slices into a dish and cover with the buttermilk and hot sauce, and let them soak for at least an hour. Combine all the dry ingredients and set aside. Heat your fryer to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, grab a handful of onions and toss them into the seasoned flour mixture and tap off the excess. Add the coated onions into the hot oil and fry them for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Drain them on a paper towel, and set them aside until ready to layer on the Panini.
4. Combine the BBQ sauce and the pulled pork in a saucepan over low heat and cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes.
5. Preheat the Panini grill to medium-high heat.
6. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and brush on one side of each bread slice. Flip over half of the bread slices and spread some of the red onion jam on each slice, and then layer 1 slice of cheddar, 1 Macaroni-and-cheese Square and another slice of cheddar on each. Top each with one-quarter of the pulled pork and frizzled onion strings and another slice of cheddar. Top with the remaining bread slices, buttered-side up.
7. Grill the sandwiches until the cheese melts and the bread is golden, about 5 minutes. 

source: BBQ Pork & Mac n' Cheese Panini. fried onion strings. 

Here's a Layer by Layer of the Panini

Marinated Chicken & Steak Kabobs with Buffalo Chicken Mac

Whenever my friends and I have a party, birthday, or tailgate to cook for, we always cook burgers and hot dogs. Mainly because they are really easy to make, and pretty much everyone likes them, and if you don't, I'm pretty sure you're not an American. Anyway, we were trying to think of something different to make for Sam's birthday dinner, and we decided on chicken & steak kabobs that we would marinate then string them on to skewers with red, orange, yellow, and green peppers & red onions. They were so yummy, and we had enough to feed a freakin' army (so definitely half this recipe for a smaller party, we had 8 people, but we could've fed 12). With our kabobs, Sam requested my Cajun Bacon Mac (which is her favorite & she always wants that, so no surprise there), but I was determined to make something new & different. Another favorite of Sam's is my Buffalo Chicken Dip, so I decided I would make Buffalo Chicken Mac as a side. I loved this mac n' cheese. The cheese sauce was made with this Buffalo Wing Cheese that I found at Fresh Market, as well as cheddar cheese, velveeta, and lots of buffalo sauce. We mixed the macaroni into the cheese sauce and layered it (almost like lasagna) with the creamy ranch rotisserie chicken layers. It's so cheesy & gooey, while being spicy & creamy, it's just so yummy. I want it again... now. So below is a picture of our entire birthday celebration meal for Sam. We also grilled some corn with cajun seasoning as another side. Enjoy all of this yumminess :)

Making the Kabobs

Marinated Kabobs with Buffalo Chicken Mac & Grilled Cajun Corn

For the Marinade:

½C Soy Sauce

½C Balsamic Vinegar

½C Worcestershire

¼C Brown Sugar 

4T Garlic, Chopped

4T Olive Oil

1t Fresh Rosemary, Chopped

1t Garlic Salt

1T Montreal Steak Seasoning

Salt & Pepper, To Taste  

For the Kabobs:

Wooden Skewers, Soaked in Water for 10-15 minutes

4 Ribeye Steaks, Cubed

4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cubed

2 Red Peppers, Cut into Squares

2 Orange Peppers, Cut into Squares

2 Yellow Peppers, Cut into Squares

2 Green Peppers, Cut into Squares

4 Red Onions, Cut into Squares

For the Buffalo Chicken Mac:

1lb Pasta

4T Butter

¼C Flour

2t Dry Mustard

2 ½C Half & Half

½C Buffalo Sauce

1 ½C Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

½lb Velveeta, Cubed

2 ½C + 1C Buffalo Wing Cheese, Shredded

1C + ½C Ranch Dressing

8oz Cream Cheese, Softened

3C Shredded Rotisserie Chicken

1C Panko

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Directions:

1. To Marinate the Chicken & Steak: whisk all of the ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Meanwhile, separate the cubed chicken and steak into two different gallon plastic bags and pour half of the marinade over each protein. Place the bags into the refrigerator and marinate over night (preferably longer), and make sure to squeeze the bag and move the chicken and steak around so that it is equally distributed.

2. To make the Kabobs: remove the marinated chicken and steak from the refrigerator and start stringing on the different colored peppers and onion between the pieces of meat, leaving some space at the bottom, for easier turning on the grill. Let the kabobs sit at room temperature for an hour, so that the proteins will achieve better grill marks. Grill the kabobs for 2-3 minutes on each side (or longer depending on how you like your steak cooked, but make sure the chicken feels firm), making sure the peppers & onions are charred nicely. Take the kabobs off the grill and let them rest for 5-10 minutes before eating. 

3. To Make the Buffalo Chicken Mac: preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9x13-baking dish with Pam, then set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the pasta and cook it according to the directions on the box. Strain the pasta and set aside. 

4. To Make the Creamy Ranch Chicken: in a medium-mixing bowl, mix together the ranch dressing and softened cream cheese, then fold in the shredded rotisserie chicken until completely covered, then set aside.

5. To Make the Buffalo Cheese Sauce: melt 2T of butter in a saucepan over medium high heat, then whisk in the flour and dry mustard. Slowly whisk in the half & half, then whisk in the buffalo sauce, whisking until the mixture becomes thick, about 2 minutes. Next, whisk in 1 ½C sharp cheddar cheese, ½lb Velveeta cubes, and 1 ½C buffalo wing cheese until smooth. Add salt & pepper to taste. Pour the prepared cheese sauce over the cooked pasta, and mix until the pasta is completely covered in the cheese sauce. 

6. To Layer the Mac n' Cheese: pour half of the macaroni into the prepared pan, then layer the creamy ranch chicken on top of the pasta, then top with the remaining macaroni. Finish the dish by topping it with the remaining ½C of Shredded Buffalo Wing Cheese and Panko breadcrumbs. Melt the other 2T of butter and drizzle over the Panko. 

7. Bake the dish for 30 minutes until the cheese is starting to bubble & melt. Serve immediately.