Muenster Mac with Apples and Bacon

There are lots of great recipes for mac and cheese with apples and bacon, I got a great deal on a huge package of Muenster so I decided to give that a go.  I also needed something to try out my new food processor attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer so shredding cheese and dicing apples was perfect!







16oz pasta, cooked al dente
1 large granny smith apples, chopped*

Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped
1 clove garlic minced
4-6 TB flour OR 3-4 TB cornstarch**
2 1/2 cups skim milk
8 oz Muenster, shredded
salt and pepper to taste


Topping:
4-6 slices thick cut bacon, cooked crisp and diced, reserve 1 TB bacon fat
1/2-1 cup bread crumbs
1/4-1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

* I dip my chopped apples in a bowl of water mixed with 1 tsp lemon juice, to prevent browning.










Preheat oven to 350

While your pasta and bacon is cooking start the sauce

Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add onion and garlic and cook until tender and fragrant.









Add flour(less for thinner sauce, more for thicker) directly to the butter **If you are using starch, whisk it into the cold milk.

Add milk to the butter mixture, stir and cook until thick.







Add cheese and stir until fully melted

Remove from heat and add salt/pepper to taste.











In a greased 9 x 13 pan combine pasta, apples and sauce, toss gently.











Combine bread crumbs with reserved bacon fat, toss together well











Sprinkle bread crumbs, bacon pieces and Parmesan over the top of the pasta.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.









Uncover and bake 15 minutes more until hot and bubbly.

Ham and Scalloped Potato Pizza

I have been trying to come up with a  new idea for my potato pizza crust. I was going back through some old posts and saw it! A slight variation on Double Cheese Ham and Peas Pizza and it turns to Ham and Scalloped Potato Pizza!










Crust:

2 lbs potatoes, scrubbed well *
1 tsp salt

1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
3 TB olive oil, divided use 

*the last potato pizzas I used russets, this time I used Yukon Golds and it was delicious but a little less firm than russets....both tasty but russets may be a better choice

Sauce:

3 TB cup butter

1/4 cup flour OR 3 TB cornstarch

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar

1 tsp ground mustard powder

salt and pepper to taste

Toppings:

Ham, slices or chunks

Thin sliced sweet onions

Peas**

Shredded Mozzarella (you can change up the cheese flavor if you like)

** You can sub broccoli for peas if you like...or even green peppers are good, but you don't HAVE to use any veggie. We just like a little color in there.

Crust:

Preheat oven to 400

Slice potatoes with a mandolin slicer or food processor(I used my 4mm blade). Place in a large bowl and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Add 1 tsp salt and stir. Allow to soak for 15 minutes. 

Drain and rinse potatoes, Pour onto a large towel and blot dry, then put back in the bowl.

Mix cornstarch and seasonings together.

Sprinkle 1/2 the mixture over the potatoes, toss to coat. Sprinkle on the remaining half and toss to coat again

On a large pizza pan brush 1 1/2 TB olive oil making sure it is well coated.

Beginning at the outer edge layer the potato slices in concentric circles, overlapping about 1/2 inch. Press them down with clean hands to begin compacting them into a crust.  Brush with remaining olive oil.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender in the center and starting to crisp on the edges.

Sauce:

Melt butter over medium heat, add flour and stir into a crumbly paste. If using cornstarch whisk it directly into the milk.

Add milk to the butter and whisk until smooth, heat until very thick.

Add cheese and mustard and whisk until totally melted and thick.

Allow to cool slightly and spread over potato crust

Please note, I started this recipe with nearly double the sauce which is pictured...it was WAY too much so I halved it for the recipe

Toppings:

Sprinkle with ham and sweet onions and peas(or whatever veggie you like)

Top with a bit more cheese 

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Smoked Salmon Quesadillas

I made some homemade smoked salmon with my new smoker the other day so of course I wanted to put it into a meal. I found this recipe and modified it slightly for our needs. Great for a meal or for an appetizer.










Tortillas (flour, whole wheat, corn, gluten free....whatever you like)
butter

Filling:
6 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp dill
1/2 tsp lemon juice
3-4 rings pickled jalapeno(more or less for your spiciness preference)
salt and pepper to taste

Other Toppings:

Smoked Salmon
Shredded cheese.....cheddar, swiss, provolone, monterrey jack.....lots of options




Place all the filling ingredients in a small food processor and process until smooth and creamy (you can do this by hand too of course, I just prefer the processor)

Cover and allow flavors to mingle at least 30 minutes.




Heat a griddle or pan to medium and  butter 1 side of each tortilla. Place tortilla butter side down on the hot griddle and spread with a TB or more of the cream cheese mix. Sprinkle with smoked salmon and shredded cheese. Place another tortilla butter side up on top. Cook for 3-5 minutes until the cheese is starting to melt and the tortilla is turning golden brown. Flip and cook 3-5 minutes more until fully melted and the bottom is golden too.

Allow to set for 2-3 minutes before slicing.

Hawaiian Waffle Burgers

Another Waffle Burger!!!  These are the same method as my savory waffles, but I sweetened them up a bit to mimic something like a Hawaiian Sweet Roll. I served with homemade tater tots but I brushed them with teriyaki and stuck them under the broiler for some extra flavor!

Also great on a Sweet Hawaiian Roll instead of the waffle!








Waffles:
1 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup polenta(coarse cornmeal works fine too) 

1/4 cup butter 

1 cup milk 

1 egg 

2/3 cup sorghum flour 

1/4 cup potato starch 

3 TB tapioca starch 

1/2 tsp xanthan gum 

(OR sub the above 4 ingredients with 1 cup all purpose flour)

2 TB brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup crushed pineapple, drained well

Burgers:

1 1/4 lb ground beef 

2 TB pineapple juice
1 TB soy sauce or Bragg's Amino

1/4 tsp ground ginger

dash of garlic powder

Toppings

Grilled Pineapple Rings*

Thick Sliced Bacon(cooked to your crispness preference)

Tomato

Sweet Onion

Sliced Jalapenos
Roasted Sweet Peppers

Mozzarella or Swiss Cheese

* Fresh is of course way better, but canned worked just fine when I couldn't find a decent fresh one.
I brushed mine with teriyaki sauce and stuck them in my waffle iron after making my waffles!

For the waffles:

In a pot heat pineapple juice to boiling, add polenta and stir vigorously until thick. Add butter, reduce heat and stir until melted
Remove from heat and add milk. Set aside to cool slightly then add in egg and beat well.
In another bowl combine the dry ingredients.
Carefully mix the milk mixture into the flour mixture
Gently fold in the pineapple
Cook according to your waffle maker instructions. I tend to cook them a little longer than the recommended time to give it a little extra crunch.


For the burgers: 

Combine the pineapple juice, soy sauce and ginger, mix well then gently mix into ground beef. Make equal sized patties and dust lightly with garlic powder then broil or grill to you pink or no pink preference.

For the assembly:

I prefer to put my jalapenos and onions on the burger then a slice of cheese and melt the cheese over the top of those two items.

On the bottom waffle place slices of roasted sweet pepper, then add the burger patty(with the cheese, onion and jalapeno all melted together) then add some tomato, a slice of pineapple, some bacon and top with another waffle........slice and enjoy!!