Bobby's Goulash

Photo source:  Paula Deen

I've never had goulash, but this recipe reminds me of chili mac without the beans.  Love one pot meals!

The reviews of this recipe were mixed about the seasonings. Many said they would not use as much salt the next time they made it.  I suggest adding the seasonings a little at a time, tasting each time.

This recipe is from Paula Deen, one of many awesome recipes you have to check out on her website.  Southern recipes at their best!  Click here to go to the recipe page.

Macaroni and Cheese

 

Photo source: Paula Deen

Being married to country boys taught me how to appreciate comfort food. 

I love the Food Network and Ina, the Barefoot Contessa . . . one of my favorite FN shows. She made the most delicious looking macaroni and cheese that has a bit of a twist to it. So I thought I would share it.

I'm also including a macaroni and cheese recipe from Paula Deen . . . my other favorite.  I can't really say one is a favorite over the other. They share the style of comfort food . . . much like I do . . . I've also listed my basic technique for Macaroni and Cheese . . . sorry, you know I'm the type of cook who does not measure anything on my basic recipes.

Gina's Macaroni and Cheese

I make my macaroni and cheese from scratch, but I don't measure anything. It is a combination of what these other ladies do . . . I guess you could use their measurements as a guide.

I make a roux of flour and butter as a base . . . add half and half (I use fat free) or milk and whisk over heat until I get the desired consistency. Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste . . . add cheddar cheese (I use a medium sized package of shredded cheese) . . . stir until smooth.

Pour over cooked macaroni.

NOTE:

When my tomato plants yield lots of tomatoes and
I have an abundance of tomatoes, I also cut up
tomatoes into the mixture . . . yummy!!

Mac and Cheese
Barefoot Contessa . . . The Food Network

INGREDIENTS:

Kosher salt
Vegetable oil
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 quart milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.




Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Paula Deen

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (4 cups cooked)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stuck) butter, cut into pieces
2 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well. Then add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Paula Deen's Corn Fritters

Corn fritters are one of my favorites!

This is Paula Deen's recipe that she recently featured on Paula's Home Cooking, Southern Favorites episode.  Yum . . . I'm hungry!!  Don't they look awesome?

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups self-rising cornmeal mix
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
• 1 (15.25 ounce) can corn, drained
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

Heat oil to 325 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal mix, flour, sugar, and salt. In a small bowl, combine milk and eggs. Add milk mixture to cornmeal mixture, stirring well. Stir in butter and corn.

Pour oil to a depth of 2 inches in a Dutch oven, or use a deep-fryer. Drop by tablespoons into hot oil. Cook 2 to 4 minutes, or until golden, turning once. Drain on paper towels.

Recipe and photo source:  Food Network

Pecan Pie Pockets

While I'm supposed to be focusing on healthy food recipes,

 watching the Food Network Channel lures me to the

 sinful stuff that I'm craving.

  Paula Deen always comes through with some new awesome

 treats to try out for those times you just gotta be bad with food.

Photo and recipe source:  The Food Network Website

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Flour, for dusting
• 1 premade pie crust
• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• Confectioners' sugar

Directions

In a Dutch oven or deep fryer, heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, butter and eggs. Stir in the pecans, vanilla and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce the heat and simmer 10 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, unroll the pie crust. Cut out rounds using a 4 1/2-inch cutter. Re-roll the dough as needed. Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough. Place 1 pie crust round on a clean, flat surface. Lightly brush the edges of the crust with the beaten egg yolk. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of pecan mixture in the center of the round. Fold the dough over the filling, pressing the edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining rounds and pecan mixture.

Fry the pies in batches until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Lightly dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Gooey Butter Cake

The title says it all . . . 

a decadent cake from Paula Deen!

Ingredients 

Cake:

1 18 1/4-ounce package yellow cake mix

1 egg

8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened 

2 eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

8 tablespoons butter, melted 

1 16-ounce box powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer.  

Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.  

Prepare Filling

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  

Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together. 

Next, add the powdered sugar and mix well.  

Spread over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.  

Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

Source:  Paula Deen

Crab Hush Puppies

You can't beat Paula Deen for the best southern recipes. 

Hush puppies are one of my favorite things to go with seafood . . . I love them plain, but have never tried anything like this before . . . and I can't wait to try them with the addition of crab meat.  These would make great appetizers. 

She made these awesome crab hush puppies on a recent episode of Paula's Home Cooking on the Food Network . . . I had to look it up and share it.

My variation . . . add some kind of hot pepper!

Ingredients

• Oil, for frying
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon minced thyme
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup very fine bacon crumbles
• 1 pound fresh picked blue crabmeat

Directions

In a Dutch oven, heat oil to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, thyme, baking powder, salt, garlic pepper, baking soda and cayenne pepper.

In a small bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, and sour cream. Add to cornmeal mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in onions, bacon, and crabmeat.

Dip spoon into water and then a spoonful of the hushpuppy mixture. This will allow mixture to easily fall off the spoon. Drop by tablespoonfuls into hot oil, and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Seafood Pot Pie

1 box frozen puff pastry sheets
1 egg, beaten
1 to 2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons diced onion
1 tablespoon diced fennel
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons diced celery
2 tablespoons finely cubed carrots
2 tablespoons green peas
3 large scallops
2 tablespoons diced ham
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon seafood seasoning
1/2 fish-flavored bouillon cube
1/4 cup lump crab meat, picked over
3 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 large oysters, shucked
White pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Thaw 1 sheet of puff pastry, unwrap it, and brush with beaten egg. Slice pastry into 1-inch wide strips. Weave strips into lattice design, sized to fit the top of a 1 1/2 quart oven-safe medium-sized serving bowl or casserole. Place pastry on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake until light golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand until needed.

Adjust oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Filling:

Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions, fennel, garlic, celery, carrots, and green peas and saute until tender.

Add scallops and ham and continue to saute until scallops are barely halfway done. Sprinkle in flour and stir until coated.

Add cream, nutmeg, seasoning, and bouillon. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. When mixture reaches a boil, remove from heat.

Add crab meat, shrimp, and oysters and season, to taste, with white pepper. Pour into the oven-safe serving bowl. Top with the pre-baked lattice puff pastry and gently press down into filling. Bake about 10 minutes or until bubbly.

Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving

"UNCLE BUBBA'S SEAFOOD POT PIE"
Source: Paula Dean, The Food Network