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Stove Top Beer And Bacon Mac And Cheese

09.10.2012 52 Comments

I’m not a beer snob. To be honest, the term has always rubbed against the grain.

I’m a beer fan, a beer lover, a girl fascinated by beer, but I’m not a snob.

I spent years on the fringes of the music industry in LA, and the beer snobs I meet now echo those same phrases I heard then. And so do my responses.

If you loved The Killers when we saw them play free shows at The Spaceland, you should still love them when they win Grammys.

Good music, is good music. Regardless of how many, or how few, other people like it.

If you loved Rogue Dead Guy Ale when no one carried it, you should still love it when it has mass distribution.

Good beer, is good beer. Regardless of how many, or how few, other people like it.

At a beer event a few months ago I asked the rep from North Coast Brewing why he hadn’t brought any Scrimshaw, "The Beer Snobs would eat me alive if I poured that!" And then whispered to me that it was what he drank more than anything else.

Stop doing that.

Good beer is good beer. Don’t be afraid to drink what you like, even if everyone else likes it too.

In celebration of good beer, I give you my favorite one pot, quick and easy, make this for Thanksgiving, you will never make it from a box again, Mac & Cheese. Hope you still love it even when everyone else does too.

Stove Top Beer And Bacon Mac And Cheese

Print Recipe
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups elbow macaroni
  • 4 strips of bacon cut in half
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 egg
  • 2/3 cup beer pale ale, blonde, bock, and Hef work well, an IPA will give you a very strong beer flavor
  • 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese fresh grated, pre-shreaded has additives that prevents it from melting properly
  • 2 tbs butter
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot of boiling water, add the noodles and cook until just before done. Don't over-cook the noodles or this will end up mushy.
  • Drain the pasta, return the pot to the stove and cook the bacon until crispy, remove from pot and allow to cool.
  • Drain off bacon grease and return drained noodles to the pot.
  • In a separate bowl, add the beer, egg and sour cream, beat until well combined.
  • Add the butter and the beer mixture to the noodles and return to medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted.
  • About 1/4 a cup at a time, add the cheese. Stir until cheese has melted before adding more.
  • Add the spices and chopped bacon, stir.

 

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Mac And Beer Cheese Soup

11.09.2012 35 Comments

 

I have a confession to make. Before starting this blog, I tried to make beer cheese soup and failed. I was baffled, at first, but figured out that a combination of my lack of patience (manifesting itself in my cheese dumping rather than slow adding) and a furious boil, resulted in a sloppy mess.

Second confession of the day (just call yourself a priest, and I’ll say a few Hail Mary’s on my way out) is that even though I love this recipe, I think I may love the photos more. Because right after I took them I was reminded via ping of my first post and how on their best day, those photos are hideously below average. I’ve worked really hard to bring my photography up to an acceptable standard and these photos reminded me of how my work is paying off.

Third confession, I won a state-wide Cook-Off on Friday. Ok, not really a confession, but I’m excited, so I thought I would share.

Fourth confession, I still have  a crush on Luke Perry. And Val Kilmer’s character in Real Genius. Looks like I went one confession too far.

Mac And Beer Cheese Soup

Note: Cheese sauce separates easily if the mixture is brought to a boil, or if pre shredded cheese is used. If the mixture does separates, try to puree the cheese sauce with a hand blender before you add the noodles.
Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 fresh jalapeno stemmed, seeded and chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 4 tbs butter
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 tbs corn starch
  • 12 ounces Hefeweizen
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese thinly grated, don't use pre shredded
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni noodles

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot heat the olive oil. Add the onions and jalapenos, cook until softened, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
  • Add the butter stir until melted.
  • Sprinkle the flour and corn starch on top of the melted butter and whisk until combined.
  • Add the beer, broth and cream bring to a low simmer.
  • 1/4 a cup at at time, add the cheese and stir until completely melted before adding more (do not boil or cheese will separate). Repeat until all the cheese is incorporated into the soup.
  • Add the salt, pepper, smoked paprika and stir to combine.
  • Add the macaroni noodles and cook until noodles are al dente.
  • Add additional beer or broth to thin to desired consistency.

Healthy Soup Recipe: 220 Calorie Mac N Cheese Soup

09.01.2012 34 Comments

So I made this resolution to not be so hard on myself.

This is a resolution I made, not for myself as much as for my daughter. And how I model womanhood to her.

I want to show her how to focus more on her successes than her failures.

Hold her strengths closer than she holds her weaknesses.

Our children only learn so much from our words, but our actions, especially those that we think they don’t see, are ingrained in who they are.

I’ve stopped using self deprecating statements, as my vow not to model for her what I so badly want to protect her from.

As I see her tiny body grow more and more into a mirror of my own, I now realize that all the things I say about myself, I am inadvertently saying about this tiny "Me"  who is now running around trying to mimic what I do.

It’s cute when she says, "Bacon, Yum!"

Would it be as cute if she looks in the mirror and says, "I’m too fat to wear this"?

I don’t get to pick and choose what she picks up from me. I can just be more aware of my own attitudes and try to shape them into what I want her to pick up. And hope that I do my best to eliminate the mentalities that cause me to say hateful things about myself.

I want to teach her to look back on her mistakes with a postivive filter.

Not to say:

"What was I thinking?"

But instead to try and figure out:

"What was I learning?"

How the heck does this relate to Mac N Cheese soup? Well, most of you have resolutions about weight. Some of you probably even need to lose weight for health reasons. But if you have a daughter, or even a sensitive son, please don’t say:

"I don’t want to be so fat anymore."

Instead:

"I want to be healthier. Run faster, jump higher."

Because, the truth is, unlike a lot of regrets we have in life:

Your weight is fixable.

That is great news, because so many things we have done aren’t. Make a plan, stick to it. Focus on your success, not your failure and give yourself time to make it happen. Because,if you have kids, our resolutions aren’t that different. They are for our kids, modeling how to live. Eat how you want them to eat and they will follow suit.

Mac N Cheese soup is great way to do this. It’s familiar, with just a bit of the high calories stuff. I’m focusing on the strengths of the food to bring it into a high flavor, low calorie food.

I used the Recipe Calorie Calculator on Spark people to find out how many calories are in this. It’s a great tool for homemade food. You can even adjust the ingredients to see how you can get the same amount of food for less calories.

The idea came from The Daily Unadventures in Cooking, and her Macaroni and Cheese dish. Check out her blog if you get a chance.


Healthy Soup Recipe: 220 Calorie Mac N Cheese Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 tbs Smart Balance Light (or other low cal margarine spread)
  • 1/3 cup red onions, chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tbs flour
  • 6 cups of low sodium, fat free chicken broth
  • 3 cups of butternut squash, fresh, peeled and chopped
  • 2/3 cup Macaroni noodles
  • 1/3 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes

Makes 4 servings.

Instructions

  1. In a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat, melt the Smart Balance Light. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, but not browned. Add the garlic and stir until you can smell them cooking, about 20 seconds. Add the flour and whisk until combined with the butter spread and no flour lumps remain. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the cubes of butternut squash, place the lid on at an angle allowing the steam to vent, boiling until the squash is very soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit. Using an immersion blender, puree the squash until smooth and creamy. Return to heat. Add the noodles and cook until al dente. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat and add the spices, adjusting to your preference. Add to bowls and top with chopped tomatoes.