This is one of my favorite dishes. Who doesn’t like mac n cheese? This version has chicken and broccoli. I saw a similar recipe a few years ago on Food TV. But that one had caramelized onions, and I hate caramelized onions. Blekh. I’ve posted my basic mac n cheese recipe before. It’s an old fashioned recipe…and my favorite of all time. I just added some cooked chicken and broccoli. That combo is really good and you have a whole meal right there. You can replace the broccoli with spinach if you are not a broccoli fan.

Everyone that I have fed this dish to, has absolutely loved it. I hope you do too.

Chicken and Broccoli Mac and Cheese

2 chicken breasts, cooked and sliced
cooked broccoli florets (as much as you like)

Add chicken and broccoli to your mac and cheese (recipe below). Simple as that.

Creamy Mac and Cheese
3 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni
1/2 stick of butter
8 oz of Velveeta cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup of milk or half and half, +/-

Cook the elbow macaroni in boiling water, to al dente. Drain and mix all of the ingredients together till cheese is melted and creamy. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4

This in one of those hearty, fill your tummy till it’s happy, meals. I make it often. Especially when the weather is cool. Lately it’s been too hot. But I made it anyway……what the heck. I use chicken thighs, but chicken breasts or legs work too. I use Italian sausage……the hot and spicy kind, but you can use mild. The flavor in this dish is incredible….you have the chicken and the sausage. Then, you have the onion and tomato. Put it all together and my, my. Oh, and I serve this with rice. The plain white rice absorbs all that juice….all those wonderful flavors. Oh, and its one of those dishes that tastes better the next day, so make a little extra. So-oo-o-o good.

Chicken-Sausage-Potato
serves 3-4

4  chicken thighs
3  Italian sausage links, cut in halves
1  small onion, sliced
2  cloves of fresh garlic, minced
2  medium-sized potatoes, cut in quarters
1  large can and 1 medium can of whole tomatoes
prepared rice

In a large skillet or pot, brown chicken thighs in a bit of oil. Add sausage, onion, garlic, potatoes and tomatoes. Let it come to a boil, over medium heat. Once it starts to boil, lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 45 minutes. Test chicken for doneness. Serve over prepared rice.

One of my favorite salads is a steak salad. I always look for them on restaurant menus. They are so good…full of all kinds of good stuff. They are also very filling. My second favorite salad is a chicken and pear salad. One of my favorite department stores has a café and they serve this chicken and pear salad. I was reluctant to try it at first. But since their menu is limited, I decided to give it a try. I’m so glad I did. YUMMMMMMM. Now I make them all the time.

Now, let’s start with the steak salad.

I love piling all the goodies of this salad onto a piece of toasted sourdough. But it’s just as good without the bread.

Steak Salad

Sirloin or ribeye steak, cooked the way you like it and sliced thin
good mixture of salad greens – arugula, spinach, lettuce, etc
crumbled blue cheese
dried cranberries
purple onion, sliced very thin
tomato slices
candied walnuts or pecans
Orange Vinaigrette (recipe below) or you can use Italian salad dressing

Mix everything but the steak together, in a large bowl. Toss with salad dressing and scoop it onto a plate. Arrange slices of steak on top. Sprinkle with a few blue cheese crumbles. Simple right?

Ok, now the chicken and pear salad……

Chicken Pear Salad

Chicken breast, cooked and cut in large pieces
1 fresh ripe pear, (any kind works), sliced
good mixture of salad greens – arugula, spinach, lettuce, etc
crumbled blue cheese
dried cranberries
purple onion, sliced very thin
candied walnuts or pecans
Orange Vinaigrette (below)  or you can use Italian dressing

Toss everything together in a large bowl, scoop onto a plate and sprinkle with some nuts.

Orange Vinaigrette

1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tblsp Vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tblsp honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Place everything in a jar and shake, shake, shake.

Have you ever heard of a cooked frosting that has flour in it? Ick right? I know! But……you just gotta try this!!!! I felt like I was making gravy the first time that I made it. I was like “whaaaattttt?” I wasn’t even sure that I even wanted to try it, but I got curious. It is truly one of my favorite frostings.

For some folks, it’s all about the frosting. To others, it’s all about the cake. That would be me. I’m a more cake, less frosting kinda gal.   I am not even a real buttercream fan either, but I am crazy for this one.  I absolutely love this stuff. It’s kinda magical, I must say. It’s super creamy, shiny and scrumptious. I actually kept this a secret for a long time. My friend Brian L. who is a pretty good baker himself, used to ask me for this “secret” recipe. Well Brian, here you go. No longer a secret. I may even give you one of my secret cake recipes one day. 🙂  Maybe.

Best Chocolate Frosting Ever

2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
3 -4 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup milk
2 sticks of butter, room temp
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, melted and room temp (about 40 seconds in the microwave)

In a small pan, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa. Add milk and whisk over medium heat until it boils. Continue whisking for 1 minute. It should be the thickness of thin pudding. Remove from heat and put it through a strainer in case there are any lumps. Chill in the refrigerator. In the meantime, in a mixing bowl, whip the butter until creamy….about a minute. Beat in the cooled pudding mixture. until fluffy, about 1 minute. Now, add the melted chocolate chips and whip for about 2 minutes. It should be very fluffy. Frost your favorite cake or cupcakes. Frosts about 2  1/2 dozen cupcakes.

Important: lick the beaters, the spatula and even the bowl.

Note: Chill cake or cupcakes if you’re not eating them right away. But if you do chill them, be sure to allow to set out for at least 20 minutes before eating.  With all the butter in this, chilling will firm it up quite a bit.

Everyone likes mac and cheese. Everyone has their favorite kind of mac and cheese. My favorite is actually really simple. It’s one that I posted awhile back and is in my recipe index. But this one is another favorite of mine. It has chicken, green chiles, pepper jack cheese….all, really good stuff. Now, I used fresh green Anaheim chiles, but you can use the canned green chiles. They will work just fine. This is definitely one of those comfort dishes. It’s rich, ooey gooey, creamy deliciousness. Enjoy!

Green Chile Chicken Mac and Cheese
serves 4, or 3 hungry people

1/2 pound elbow macaroni boiled to al dente and drained
1/2 stick of butter
3 cups of milk
1/4 cup of flour
3 cups of grated pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup diced green chiles (I roasted 4 green Anaheim chiles and peeled them)
salt and pepper to taste
1 chicken breast cooked and sliced

Put the cooked macaroni in a large baking dish. Add the chicken slices and the chiles. Set aside. In a saucepan, on low heat, melt the butter. add the flour and whisk till smooth. DON’T LET IT GET BROWN. Slowly add the milk. Add the grated cheese a little at a time, stirring into a nice smooth sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over the cooked macaroni. Stir everything together. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Add more cheese on top if you like!