Fan Request: Macaroni and Cheese

Oh, those boxed macaroni and cheeses are so tempting, but once you've made this recipe you'll be spoiled! This is sure to become a family favorite! You can use various types of pasta for this recipe like macaroni, penne, cavatappi or rigatoni. You can experiment with different cheeses, too, just make sure they are the types of cheeses that will melt properly.

Non-stick butter cooking spray
1/3 c. butter
1/3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
3 c. milk
1/2 c. sour cream
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. Slap Ya Mama or cayenne pepper
½ tsp. ground black pepper
4 c. grated mild cheddar cheese
½ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb. cooked pasta (I like cavatappi)
1.5 c. whole wheat bread crumbs

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with
non-stick cooking spray. Make fresh bread crumbs by placing four slices of whole wheat bread in a food processor. Pulse until crumbs form; set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and stir in flour until smooth. Slowly add milk and continue stirring until thickened and smooth. Add the sour cream and cream cheese, stirring to combine. Add the salt, ground nutmeg, dry mustard, Slap Ya Mama, black pepper and mix well. Stir in cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Add the cooked pasta and mix well. Pour into prepared baking dish.

In a small bowl melt 2 tbsp. butter and stir into breadcrumbs. Spread on top of pasta and bake for 45 minutes or until bubbling around the edges.

Fan Recipe Request: Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

One of my husband's favorites, I make this cake for him every year on his birthday.

3 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. poppy seeds
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. buttermilk
4 eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 tsp. grated lemon peel
Juice of two lemons

Dump everything in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Bake in a prepared bundt pan in a 325-degree oven for 1 hour.

Icing:

The icing is simply a mixture of fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar. If icing is too wet, add more powdered sugar until you achieve a drizzling consistency. Pour over cake. Let cool.

My Vavo's Spaghetti Sauce with Sausage and Peppers

My Vavo’s Spaghetti Sauce with Sausage and Peppers

3 tbsp. Portuguese or Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. sweet or spicy Italian sausage, either ground or in casing
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, peeled, halved and sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 c. good red or white wine
1 (28 oz can) crushed tomatoes
1 (14 oz can) stewed tomatoes
1 (6 oz can) tomato paste
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried red pepper flakes or 1 tbsp. Pimento Moida
Garlic and onion powder (My grandmother would put it in so that it looked like she’d dusted the top of the sauce with it; in another words, lots)
Approximately 2 tsp. salt
Approximately 1 tbsp. Italian seasonings
Sugar, just a pinch to round out the flavors (lots of acidity from the tomatoes)


In a very large skillet or Dutch oven, sauté the sausage until browned. The sausage should be browned, but not cooked all the way through. The sausage will continue to cook and help flavor the sauce. Transfer onto a plate. Saute onion and green pepper in olive oil until softened, about five minutes. Add garlic and cook a minute more. Add wine and deglaze the bottom of the pan. This is where all of the flavor is! Cook for about two minutes. Add remaining ingredients and let simmer for at least one hour.

Enjoy with your favorite pasta!