Green Bean Casserole

 

The Pioneer Woman

Servings: 8

•     2 pounds Fresh Green Beans, Ends Cut Off
•     4 slices Bacon, Cut Into 1/4 Inch Pieces
•     3 cloves Garlic, Minced
•     1/2 whole Large Onion, Chopped
•     4 Tablespoons Butter
•     4 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
•     2-1/2 cups Whole Milk
•     1/2 cup Half-and-half
•     1-1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
•     Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
•     1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
•     1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
•     1 jar (4 Ounce) Sliced Pimentoes, Drained
•     Extra Milk For Thinning If Necessary
•     1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

Prep Time: 20 Minutes / Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Cut green beans in half if you like pieces to be a little smaller.

Blanch the green beans: drop them into lightly salted boiling water and allow green beans to cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge them into a bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain beans once they're cool and set aside.

Add bacon pieces to a skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon for two minutes, then add diced onion and garlic and continue cooking for 3 to 5 minutes, or until bacon is done (but not crisp) and onions are golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a separate skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle flour into the pan and whisk immediately to evenly mix it into the butter. Cook for a minute or two, then pour in milk and half and half. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, while sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne then add the grated cheddar. Stir while cheese melts. Turn off heat.

Add pimentos to pan, then add bacon/onion mixture. Stir to combine. Pour over green beans and stir gently to combine. Pour into a baking dish and top with panko crumbs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and panko crumbs are golden.

 My Notes: This is really good. A step up from the classic version, but not as complicated as Martha Stewart. I used a combo of panko and crushed fried onions. The bacon brings it all together.

MXF

Watermelon Salsa

Trisha Yearwood for Food Network Magazine

Serving: 3 cups

• 1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest (from about 1 lime)
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from about 3 limes)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Freshly ground pepper
• 3 cups seeded and finely chopped watermelon
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 mango, peeled and diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 8 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• Tortilla or pita chips, for serving

Prep Time: 15 min

Stir together the lime zest, lime juice, sugar and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Add the watermelon, cucumber, mango, jalapeno, onion and basil and toss gently. Chill the salsa until ready to serve.

Add the garlic salt just before serving. Serve with chips.

My Notes: I didn't use garlic salt or jalapeno since it was for kiddos. This is really, really tasty. Make sure you use a small dice and scoopable chips. Very fresh. 3 cups is a lot though, so a half recipe might be just fine.

MXF

Pat's Famous Beef and Pork Chili

Down Home with the Neelys

Serves 4 to 6

• 6 slices thick-cut applewood smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 cup beer (recommended: Budweiser)
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (24-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (24-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
• Lime wedges, for garnish
• Sour cream, for garnish
• Shredded Cheddar, for garnish
• Sliced scallions, for garnish

Prep Time: 15 min / Cook Time: 1 hr 45 min

In large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until lightly crisp, stirring occasionally. Once the bacon is browned, add the garlic, onions, bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, chipotle chili powder, oregano, and smoked paprika and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until the vegetables are tender and seasonings are aromatic.

Add the beef and break it up with a wooden spoon. Once beef is broken up and beginning to brown, add the pork. Break up with wooden spoon like the beef, and brown, until no longer pink, roughly 4 minutes. Stir in the beer and beans. Toss together, then add the crushed and diced tomatoes.

Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if necessary. Transfer the chili to serving bowls and garnish with lime wedges, sour cream, shredded cheese, and sliced scallions

My Notes: I didn't add any chili powder, but even so with just the chipotle it was pretty spicy. Good for an adult, but too much for a child. Next time I'd go by tsps. But this was really simple and really tasty. The beer is key!

MXF

Goudarooni

Saveur

SERVES 10–12

DOUGH::

• ½ tbsp. olive oil, plus more for greasing
• ½ tbsp. sugar
• 1 (¼-oz.) packet active dry yeast
• 4 cups "00" flour, preferably Caputo Pizzeria Flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 tbsp. kosher salt
• Fine semolina, for dusting

FILLING:

• 1½ lb. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 tsp. granulated garlic
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1½ lb. ground beef
• 1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• ½ tsp. crushed red chile flakes
• ½ tsp. sugar
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup grated pecorino romano cheese

Make the dough: Make the dough: Combine oil, sugar, yeast, and 1¼ cups water heated to 115° in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Mix flour and salt in a bowl. With the motor running, slowly add flour mixture; mix until a smooth dough forms, 8–10 minutes. Transfer dough to a greased baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature until doubled in size, 1–1½ hours.

Make the filling: Place a pizza stone in the oven; heat to 500°. Toss potatoes with ¼ cup oil, ½ tsp. granulated garlic, salt, and pepper on a baking sheet and spread into an even layer; bake until tender, 8–10 minutes. Heat remaining oil in a 10" skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add beef, remaining garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up meat, until browned, 8–10 minutes. Add tomato paste, basil, chile flakes, sugar, salt, pepper, and ½ cup water. Cook until sauce is slightly thick, 5–7 minutes; set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 18" x 20" rectangle about ⅛" thick. Slide a large semolina-dusted pizza peel under half of rectangle lengthwise. Spread half each of the mozzarella and pecorino over the dough on peel, leaving a 1" border. Lay potato slices over cheeses, overlapping, and spoon meat sauce over the top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Fold other half dough up and over filling; press edges to seal and working from one end to the other, roll and crimp edges. Cut two slits in the top of the calzone and slide onto stone; bake until crust is puffed and charred in spots, 30–35 minutes.

French Bread Pizzas

The Pioneer Woman

Servings: 12 

◾6 whole Deli Rolls Or Crusty Italian Rolls
◾ Jarred Marinara Sauce Or Pizza Sauce
◾ Jarred Or Refrigerated Pesto
◾2 pounds Mozzarella Cheese, Grated
◾ Grated Parmesan Cheese To Taste
◾2 Tablespoons Butter
◾1 whole Onion, Sliced
◾1/2 pound Sausage (regular Breakfast Sausage Or Italian Sausage)
◾ Pepperoni Slices
◾ Canadian Bacon Slices
◾ Pineapple Chunks, Fresh Or Canned
◾ Roma Tomatoes, Sliced
◾ Sliced Black Olives
◾ Optional Ingredients: Goat Cheese, Sliced Bell Peppers, Various Cheeses, Pepperoncinis, Jalapeno
     Slices, Diced Red Onion, Any Other Pizza Topping You'd Like!

Prep Time: 30 Minutes / Cook Time: 12 Minutes

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Slice rolls in half and lay them, cut side up, on a large baking sheet.

Top each half with a generous portion of either marinara or pesto. Next, top with a generous amount of grated mozzarella and Parmesan, if you'd like. Add whatever toppings you'd like on top of the cheese!
Once all assembled, put the pan in the oven on the lowest rack for 8 to 10 minutes. Crank up the heat to 425 and put it on the highest rack until the cheese starts to bubble a bit and turn golden.

Remove and serve immediately! You can cut the pizzas in half right across the middle so there are mini-French Bread Pizzas for everyone.

Watermelon Cucumber Slushie

Thug Kitchen

• 3 pounds of watermelon (seedless is best but some seeds are cool)
• ½ cup skinned, chopped cucumber
• juice from 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
• 8-10 fresh mint leaves
• ¾ cup coconut or tap water
• 1 teaspoon agave, maple syrup, or honey (optional)
• vodka (optional)

Cut away the rind and chop up the watermelon flesh into pieces no larger than a quarter. You should get about 4 cups. Don’t stress about some seeds, they will get chopped the fuck up in the blender. Just get rid of any big ones you notice. Freeze the chopped watermelon for at least 4 hours or overnight. The watermelon is going to create the slush factor so you want to make sure that shit really fucking frozen.

When the watermelon chunks are frozen add them along with the cucumber, lime juice, mint leaves, and water to a blender and blend until it is all smooth and icy. If you picked out a shitty watermelon you might need to add a teaspoon of a sweetener to make up for the weak melon. Taste it, you’ll know. Trust.

Had a rough day? Replace up to a ½ cup of the water with vodka and get the fuck over it.

Makes about 2 ½ cups of sweet summer slush, enough for 2 people who need to chill the fuck out. Watermelon chunks will stay good in the freezer for at least a month no problem.

 

Banana Ricotta Toasts with Pecans, Dates and Honey

Martha Stewart Living

• 2 tablespoons part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 slice (1/2 inch thick) whole-wheat rustic bread, toasted
• 1/2 small ripe banana, sliced on the bias
• 1 medium pitted date, preferably Medjool, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped toasted pecans
• 1 teaspoon honey, such as acacia
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Spread ricotta on toast. Top with banana, date, and pecans. Drizzle with honey. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and some pepper.