Baked in the South

oooooo goodness!  this is the best mac & cheese!  and y'all know how much I love mac & cheese.  I recently asked my boyfriend of nine years if he knew what my favorite food was.  I thought this would be an easy question, but immediately, I knew I had ventured into dark waters.  Much to my dismay, he guessed for about ten minutes before I finally had to tell him, it's MAC & CHEESE you ding dong!  He promptly replied "I was going to say that"    Ya....Right.... Anyway, now he knows:)  So, tonight when you ask your boyfriend if he knows what your favorite food is, be prepared, because he probably doesn't have a clue... Ingredients 1/2 pound elbow macaroni 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons flour   3 cups milk 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1 large egg 6 ounces gouda cheese, shredded 6 ounces swiss cheese, shredded 1 teaspoon kosher salt Fresh black pepper Topping: 1 cup panko bread crumbs Directions Preheat oven ...

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons flour 1 cup milk 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded smoked gouda cheese 3 ounces cream cheese 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon red pepper 8 ounces of smithfield country ham, chopped 16 ounces cooked macaroni Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt the butter in a large skillet.  Whisk in butter to make a roux.  Stir until smooth.  Whisk in milk and evaporated milk. Stir for 3-5 more minutes until slightly thickened.  Stir in gouda cheese 1 cup at a time and mix until cheese is melted.  Add cream cheese, salt and red pepper.  Stir until blended.  Stir in chopped country ham.  Stir in macaroni.  Pour into a greased 9x13 baking pan.  Bake for 30 minutes until hot & bubbly.  Recipe adapted from the Junior League of Hampton Roads Cookbook My Mama Made That

  I love Chipotle!  We go there regularly and I get the vegetarian bowl, with lots of rice, peppers, onions and black beans.  It is super healthy and delicious!    Here is the recipe for their cilantro lime rice.   1 teaspoon vegetable oil or butter 2 tsp. fresh cilantro 2/3 cup white basmati or jasmine rice 1 cup water 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 Lime In a 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil or butter over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted. Add rice and lime juice, stir for 1 minute. Add water and salt, bring to a full rolling boil. At boiling, cover, turn down to simmer over low heat until rice is tender and the water is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork    

  Ingredients 3 T. butter 1 cup celery, chopped 1 cup onion, chopped  2 1/2 cups chicken broth black pepper 1 pkg. (14 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Stuffing Directions Saute the celery and onion in the butter in a large skillet over medium heat under onions are soft. Reduce the heat to low and add chicken broth. Add the stuffing and mix lightly, cooking on low for 10-15 more minutes until stuffing is moist.  

  Ingredients 1 lb whole fresh green beans 3 cups chicken broth 2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup 1 (2.8-ounce) can French-fried onions Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Toss the green beans with the mushroom soup and chicken broth. Pour into a greased 9x9 baking dish. Top with onion straws. Bake covered for 30-40 minutes until hot & bubbly.  Remove foil and bake 10-15 more minutes until onion straws are crisp. Recipe adapted from Paula Deen

        Ingredients 1 pound elbow macaroni (cooked & drained) 4 cups milk 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 5 1/2 cups shredded sharp white Cheddar 4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips 1 large onion, diced Leaves from 1/4 bunch fresh thyme Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly to make a rue. Whisk the milk into the butter and flour mixture. Continue to whisk, and cook until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the 4 cups of the cheese and continue to stir to melt the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in the cooked macaroni and the thyme and fold to coat the macaroni with the cheese mixture. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish and top with the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly. While that bakes, saute the bacon until crispy. Add onio...

  this is so easy to put together and is always a favorite side dish at Thanksgiving.  I make it in the crockpot to save on space.   Ingredients 1 can whole kernel corn, drained 1 can cream-style corn 1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (I used Jiffy) 1 cup sour cream 1 stick butter, melted 1 cup shredded Cheddar   Directions Stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter in large crockpot. Top with shredded cheese.  Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Recipe adapted from Paula Deen

There are many au gratin recipes out there that require multiple steps and make this dish kind of a pain to prepare.  But with this technique, it couldn't be easier!  Serve these along side a nice steak, some grilled asparagus and a glass of cabernet and you have a gourmet meal in minutes! Ingredients: 3 large baking potatoes 2 cups heavy cream 1 cup parmesan cheese salt & pepper Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Wash potatoes and slice thin using a mandolin.  You can also slice them with a knife, but I like mine nice & thin.  Layer potatoes in a 9x13 baking dish.  Cover potatoes with heavy cream.  Top with parmesan cheese, salt & pepper.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until brown & bubbly. 

Southern Style Baked Beans Ingredients: 1 large onion diced 1 55oz. can of Bush's Baked Beans 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/4 cup light brown sugar 4 T Ketchup 1/2 lb chopped & cooked bacon Directions: In large Dutch oven, saute bacon until crispy.  Add onions and cook until soft.  Add Baked Beans, maple syrup, brown sugar, ketchup.  Cook on low for 1-2 hours, stirring occassionally.

Summer Picnic Potato Salad Ingredients 2lb. Yukon Potatoes (peeled, chopped into cubes and cooked until fork tender) 4 hardboiled eggs 1-2 cups helman's mayonnaise (add more or less to taste) 1 T. yellow mustard 1 T. cider vinegar 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/4 cup chopped green onion salt & pepper Cook potatoes until you can pierce with a fork, do not over cook or you will end up with mashed potatoes! Rinse potatoes with cold water and refrigerate until completely cold.  In large bowl, mix mayonaise, mustard, vinegar, onion, celery.  Peel and crumble two of the four eggs.  Fold in cooled potatoes & crumbled eggs into mixture.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  Top with sliced hardboiled eggs & chopped green onions. Best Potato Salad you've ever had!!!!