Mini Mac n' Cheese Bites

When I heard there was a such a thing as bite size Mac N' Cheese appetizers I knew I had to make them.  I'm a sucker for a good macaroni and cheese recipe so I love new ways to make it.  This original recipe is from Food & Wine magazine.

Mini Mac n' Cheese Bites

Recipe from Food & Wine Magazine-December 2007 publication
Serves 8

Ingredients:
1/2 lb elbow macaroni
1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, extra for brushing
1/4 cup Parmigian-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
3 oz blue cheese
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
4 oz deli sliced American cheese, chopped
1 large egg yolk
1/4 tsp smoked paprika


Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the macaroni until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain, shaking off the excess water.


Brush two 24-cup, nonstick mini muffin tins with butter. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the Parmigiano; tap out the excess.


In a large saucepan, melt the 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking, until boiling, about 5 minutes. Add the cheddar, American and blue cheeses and whisk until melted. Off the heat, whisk in the egg yolk and paprika. Fold in the macaroni.


Spoon slightly rounded tablespoons of the macaroni into the prepared muffin cups, packing them gently. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmigiano on top.

Bake the mini macs in the upper and middle thirds of the oven for about 10 minutes, until golden and sizzling. Let cool for 5-6 min­utes. Using a small spoon, carefully loosen the mini macs, transfer to a platter and serve.

We made this recipe as an appetizer to our Thanksgiving feast.  Everyone thought they were super tasty.  I think adding the blue cheese really made them a bit more exotic and special.  What a fun way to bring Mac and Cheese to any meal!

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Medallions in Red Wine and Rosemary Sauce

There is a judge frequently on Iron Chef America who swears that bacon makes everything taste better.  I wanted to test that theory so I bought 4 packages of bacon the last time I was at the grocery store.  Ok, not just because of the judge on Iron Chef America-but because it was on sale, BOGO, and I eat turkey bacon and Jeff likes the regular stuff.  Ok, OK, I admit we might have a problem.  Let's figure out a way to solve it....  Pork wrapped in bacon!!  Jeff always says there is nothing better for dinner than meat and meat!

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Medallions with Red Wine and Rosemary Sauce

adapted from Cook's Illustrated, The New Best Recipe by way of Pink Parsley

Ingredients:

1 pork tenderloin, trimmed of excess fat (mine was 1.5lbs)

sea salt

pepper

10 slices bacon, thick cut or Applewood smoked

1 Tbsp olive oil

3/4 red wine

2/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 tsp rosemary

1 bay leaf

Arrange bacon in a single layer on a cooling rack that is placed on top of a baking sheet with 4 sides.  Bake at 400 degrees for 13 minutes.  Remove from oven, blot excess grease with a paper towel and let cool on cooling rack.

Meanwhile, slice the tenderloin into 1" thick pieces.  Season both sides with salt and pepper and then wrap each medallion with one slice of bacon.  Secure bacon with a toothpick.

Heat oil in cast iron skillet until you see light whisps of smoke come from the oil.  Sear medallions until nicely browned on each side, about 2 minutes per side.  Feel free to do these in batches if they don't all fit in your pan.  Transfer medallions to a plate.

In the same skillet over medium-high heat, pour in the wine (I used a Malbec).  Cook, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, until the wine has reduced to about 2-3 Tablespoons.  This took me about 6-7 minutes.

Increase heat to high and add the chicken broth, rosemary and bay leaf to the reduced wine sauce.  Cook until this sauce is reduced to a thicker consistency, about 3-5 minutes.  Place the pork medallions back in the wine sauce, and add any juices from the plate as well.  Continue cooking, about 3 minutes, to heat and cook the pork through, turning once to coat each medallion with the sauce.

Transfer to a plate, remove the toothpicks, spoon additional sauce over each piece if you like and serve immediately with your favorite sides. 

The meat smelled delicious while cooking.  The medallions went from this:

To this:

To served up in the sauce on a plate:

The meat was so tender.  I didn't even think that pork could become that tender from being cooked on the stove top in such a short amount of time, but it was absolutely melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  I will be making this dish again and again and again.  We loved every bite.

From the original recipe I omitted the cherries completely, substituting a bay leaf instead and altered the cooking times slightly.  I'm not sure if it was the higher altitude, but the times needed extending for the pork to cook through fully.

Herb Roasted Potatoes

I love those little cubed potatoes they have at some breakfast restaurants.  Le Peep is one I can think of where I can't leave a potato behind!  I like making my own because you can make them a little spicier than restaurants usually do.  These are a bit spicy, not overly so, and delicious with breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

Herb Roasted Potatoes
Recipe adapted from this recipe at Allrecipes.com
Serves 6

Ingredients:
4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/8 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Mix oil and all spices together in a large sized bowl.  Add peeled and cubed potatoes and mix until potatoes are completely coated with oil mixture.  Add more oil if necessary.  Place potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Take potatoes out and increase oven temp to 475 degrees.  Turn potatoes over and continue cooking for an additional 10-15 minutes until nicely browned.  I recommend flipping one more time if you have to cook them longer than 10 minutes.