Appetizer Classic: Sausage Balls

These are a staple for every party, family get-together, holiday, the Super Bowl, World Series, or any other excuse you can think of to clog your arteries with cheesy, sausage-y goodness.

SAUSAGE BALLS

1 pound bulk hot sausage
3 cups Bisquik or other buttermilk baking mix you like that's comparable
1 pound of extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup water

Cook the sausage, breaking it up into small bits as it cooks. Remove from heat, and drain off fat. Place a double layer of paper towels on a large dinner plate and move the sausage to the plate ... this gets rid of the excess greasiness.

In the bowl of a mixer, place the Bisquik, sausage and cheese; stir to coat. Add the water and mix until blended. Roll 1 inch sized balls of the sausage dough out onto a parchment lined baking sheet at least 1 inch apart from each other. Bake in a preheated 400 degree Farenheit oven for 12-15 minutes.
Makes about 60.

Mama Mia: It's Stuffed Shells!

Sometimes you just don't feel like cooking, but everyone still expects dinner on the table. The nerve, right? This is one of those recipes that you can make ahead and freeze, and then pull out just what you need.  I happily set aside a couple of hours to make a double batch: stuff the shells, and then freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Then I place meal-sized batches in plastic freezer bags and pop them back into the freezer for future use. Meal prep then consists of pulling them out of the freezer, letting them thaw for an hour or so, then placing them in a single layer in a greased baking dish with some tomato-based pasta sauce, slathering them with shredded parmesan cheese, and popping them into the oven. Add a salad and you're good to go. Dinner is done! You can also use a single entire recipe to feed a horde up to 6 on the day you make them, too. The choice is yours.

Cheese Stuffed Shells 
this recipe will serve 6; it's also a great recipe to double for a crowd, or made ahead and freeze into smaller batches for meals; I usually double this recipe just for this reason
 
16 to 20 pasta super shells
12 ounces or more whole milk ricotta cheese
4 ounces or more shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic 
2 teaspoons finely minced parsley
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese + another 1/2 cup for the top
Marinara or other tomato-based pasta sauce -- about 36 oz.

Cook the shells in 6 quarts of boiling salted water for 12 minutes. Drain, then run cold water over them to stop cooking. Drain again, and place shells on paper towels to completely drain and cool.

Mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, egg, salt, pepper, garlic, parsley and parmesan cheese until well combined. Stuff each shell with enough cheese mixture to fill it but not overfill it -- shell edges should be able to meet. 

At this point, you can freeze them on a cookie sheet for about 2 hours, or until solid. Then place enough shells for a meal (allowing 3 or 4 shells per person) in a freezer bag and freeze until needed. Or continue onward for immediate use:

If using all of the shells immediately, butter or oil a lasagna pan or 9 x 13 pan, then add 1 cup of pasta/marinara sauce to the bottom of the pan. Lay all the shells in a single layer on the sauce, then top with another two cups or so over the shells. Cover tightly with foil and bake in a preheated 350 degrees Farenheit oven for 35 minutes; uncover and top with the additional parmesan cheese and bake 10 minutes longer. 

Note: If you are making a smaller batch from your frozen stash, then use an appropriately sized baking dish for the amount of shells you are baking -- as well as a proportional amount of sauce and parmesan for the topping -- for the pan. I use a 8 x 8 inch baking dish when making 8 shells (enough for two hungry diners).

PSS: You can also add a bag/box of frozen spinach that's been of cooked and drained dry to the cheese filling for a Florentine version of Stuffed Shells.
 

Yum!: Cheesy Potato Casserole

How have I managed to largely ignore potatoes on the blog? We love them, they are a staple in a thousand ways, and are probably the most ubiquitous comfort food item of all. Here is a yummy (and festive) make-ahead potato casserole that is delicious with pork or ham, and is a welcome dish at potlucks, and feeds a crowd. 

Cheesy Potato Casserole
this recipe requires a bit of lead time, as the potatoes must be cooked then chilled. You can cook the potatoes a day ahead, then proceed the next day with the recipe.

6 medium to large potatoes, peeled

4 ounces (or more!) extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup milk
2-3 tablespoons butter - more for buttering the dish, too
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 very small onion, grated
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika (not the smoked kind)
pepper to taste

Cook the whole peeled potatoes in boiling salted water about 25 minutes or until just done enough to pierce with a knife. Don't overcook. Drain, then refrigerate until chilled well; can be done a day ahead if you like, or very early on the day you make the casserole.  

Grate the potatoes and set aside. 

In a large saucepan or small dutch oven, combine cheese, milk, 2 tablespoons of butter, and cook over low heat until cheese melts, stirring often. Remove from heat, stir in sour cream, onions, salt, pepper and paprika. Fold potatoes into cheese mixture, and pour into a heavily buttered 2 quart casserole dish. Dot with additional butter, and sprinkle with paprika. Bake in a preheated 350 degree Farenheit oven, for 45 minutes or so. Serves 6.


 

Retro Comfort Food: Mac and Cheese

For decades, this has been a staple comfort dish on cold days and days when you just want something homey, delicious and satisfying. This serves a crowd, too, so it's a winner for a potluck or picnic.

MACARONI AND CHEESE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit

butter a 2 qt. or larger casserole/baking dish WELL

INGREDIENTS:1 quart (32 ounces) milk
6 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons flour
1 tsp.salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
16 ounces of shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

 * * * * *
more butter for dotting the top  OR 2 slices of bread, toasted completely dry++ and crumbled into 3 tblsp. butter

++ bread slices can be dried in the oven on a middle rack  for 20 minutes or more; crush the bread into crumbs.


a couple of ounces of shredded extra sharp cheddar for the top

8 ounces of elbow macaroni, cooked very al dente, and drained (about 6 mins.)

* * * * *
DIRECTIONS

Cook the macaroni in several quarts of salted boiling water while making the sauce; then drain and place into the prepared casserole dish.

SAUCE:
Warm the milk in a pitcher or large quart size measuring cup in the microwave for 4 to 5 minutes, until it simmers. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 2 quart or larger saucepan over low heat. Add the flour, and increase heat slightly and continuously whisk until the roue turns pale golden, about 3 - 4 minutes.  Increase the heat to medium, and add the milk slowly while whisking it in, and keep on whisking to incorporate, bringing the sauce to a simmer. Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, dry mustard and worcestershire sauce, stirring. Gradually stir in the cheese and stir until all is melted and well blended together.

 ASSEMBLY
Immediately after the cheese is melted and mixed in well, pour over the cooked macaroni in the casserole/baking dish. Stir the sauce and macaroni gently together. Dot with butter, then sprinkle with some extra grated cheese OR the butter/crumb mixture. Bake, covered, in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove covering and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove from oven and let stand a couple of minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings or more as a side; 6 as an entree.

An Occupational Hazard: Claire's Beer Cheese

Claire works for a brewery, so I have become, by default, far more informed about beer than I ever dreamed. She whips up all sorts of concoctions with it, too. This is her Beer Cheese, which is totally addictive.

CLAIRE'S BEER CHEESE

1 pound extra sharp cheddar - the sharper, the better - cubed
1 clove of garlic
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
4 ounces of lager -- Devil's Backbone Vienna Lager  or Devils Backbone Gold Leaf Lager, preferably (we're biased)

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the cheese a bit, and add half the beer. Add the spices, then add the rest of the beer and continue pulsing the mixture until it is smooth. Refrigerate an hour or so to allow the flavors to marry. Serve with pretzels (we make soft pretzels or use buttery pretzel sticks or mini pretzels), or crispy raw veggies, like celery and carrots. Yummy!! Best Super Bowl dip ever.

Pretty cheesy! Cheese Biscuits

We (as in our family) have a long standing love affair with cheese. Good cheese, not grotty american processed cheese products or wimpy flavorless varieties. Cheeses with character and backbone, cheeses with personality and gumption. And to that end, we love recipes that use cheeses of that ilk.

So no surprise that this cheese biscuit recipe is a favorite: It incorporates a heady cheddar and a pungent parmesan for a wonderful treat of a biscuit. I snack on them often instead of the same-old-same-old tired fare of chips, etc.

They are wonderful as the starch part of a meal instead of rice, potatoes, or pasta. They are, in a word, yummy.

CHEESE BISCUITS

2 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking POWDER
1/2 teaspoon baking SODA
3/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into smallish cubes
2cups (packed!) shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese (about 4-5 ounces)
1cup (about 2-3 ounces) grated or shredded parmesan cheese
1 1/3 cups buttermilk

Oven 400 degrees

Fit a baking sheet with a width of parchment paper OR grease lightly

Whisk dry ingredients together, then cut in butter and blend wit ha pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cheeses all at once and toss to coat well. Gradually add buttermilk, and stir only until mixed together.  Round up the dough, and drop by large spoonfuls (a scant 1/4 cup) and drop onto baking sheet about 2" apart. Bake 16 - 20 minutes; be sure to check them right at the 16 minute mark for doneness. Don't overbake. Serve at room temperature for best flavor.
Makes 16 biscuits.

Can be doubled, which is usually what I do .... since they make excellent snacks, too.