Tag: main course
Southern Baked Mac and Cheese
Southern Baked Mac and Cheese
Who doesn’t love mac and cheese?! Once you learn how to make it from scratch, you’ll never eat the boxed crap with powdered fake cheese again. Yeah, it takes a little bit more effort to make, but it’s worth it.
Ingredients
- 16 oz boxed macaroni prepared according to instructions
- 1 stick butter
- 4 tbsp flour
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 12 oz evaporated milk
- 2 cups marble jack cheese grated
- 2 cups gouda grated
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
- Prepare the boxed macaroni according to instructions; cooking 1 minute shy of being done. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water.
- Grease a 9”x13” cake pan. Pour in the cooked macaroni.
- Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the whole milk, evaporated milk, and all of the seasonings. Continuously whisk over medium heat for 5 minutes until the cream sauce thickens.
- Add in the shredded marble jack and gouda. Whisk until it melts into the cream sauce.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni.
- Top with the breadcrumbs and cheddar cheese. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbly.
Wisconsin Butter Burger
Wisconsin Butter Burger
The butter burger is indigenous to the state of Wisconsin. A true butter burger has grated butter mixed into the beef, butter in the center of the patty, and is cooked in butter; making this a pan fried burger, not a grilled burger. While I prefer to use 85% lean ground beef, I used 90% lean ground sirloin to make this burger since it’s going to be soaked in butter. You can make a traditional butter burger with Wisconsin cheddar, ketchup, and mustard; but I chose to have mine topped with blue cheese, fried shallots, and blue cheese dressing.
Equipment
- grater
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb ground sirloin about 90% lean
- 1 tbsp butter grated
- 1 tbsp butter divided
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
- brioche bun
Toppings
- blue cheese crumbles
- shallots sliced
- blue cheese dressing
Instructions
- Season the ground beef with salt and pepper. Finely grate refrigerated butter onto the beef. Mix it in.
- Form into a patty. Make a well in the burger. Place a 1/2 tbsp slice of butter in the center.
- Form the burger around the butter into a patty.
- Melt the other 1/2 tbsp of butter on a skillet over medium heat. Place the burger onto the pan with sliced shallots around.
- Flip the burger after 5 minutes.
- Place the cheese on top of the burger.
- Place a cover over the skillet. Cook for 4 minutes.
- Put the shallots on the burger. Place the brioche bun cut sides down into the pan and toast for a minute.
Grilled Garlic Jalapeño Lime Black Tiger Shrimp
Grilled Garlic Jalapeño Lime Black Tiger Shrimp
I recently bought some giant shrimp from work. Like 4-6 in a pound giant shrimp. It was a nice 52° day on January 31st in Minneapolis and I said to myself, “Thanks climate change for letting me grill in the middle of winter when it’s normally -40°.” So I made one of my favorite marinades for seafood: garlic, jalapeño, and lime juice, and marinated these lobster tail-sized shrimp for 20 minutes. I threw them on the grill and they were done in 10 minutes. You can definitely make this recipe with any size shrimp, but they will take less amount of time.
Equipment
- food processor
- chimney starter
- charcoal
- grill
Ingredients
- 8 black tiger shrimp 4/6 ct.; peeled and deveined
Marinade
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 large jalapeño
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Pulse the marinade ingredients in a food processor. Marinate the shrimp for 15-20 minutes.
- Start the charcoal in the chimney starter and allow to get gray. Pour in the grill. Put on the grate. Place the shrimp directly over the charcoal.
- Grill for 4-5 minutes a side.
