To add bacon or not to add bacon, that is the question

And as you can see, the answer to this eternal and existential question is always YES! Bacon makes everything better and I prove this point with my bacon mac and cheese. This creamy artery clogging concoction was perfect! Got the recipe from the food network website (Tyler Florence's ultimate mac and cheese) but modified it to make it mine. My recipe included De Cecco casareccia pasta, Mexican cheese blend, bacon and garlic. Here's the full monty just for you :)

Julia's Bacon Mac and Cheese

1/2 lb pasta of choice, cooked slightly under al dente drained

2 c milk

2 tbl flour

1/2 stick butter

1 pkg shredded Mexican cheese blend (not taco cheese!)

1 clove garlic

3 rashers bacon cooked and crisped

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 then cook pasta. In a separate pot (medium to large) make a roux from the flour and butter. Allow mixture to cook for about 1 min. Heat milk in the micro w. the clove of garlic, discard garlic then add milk slowly into the roux stirring constantly. Season to taste then add in 3/4 of the cheese to make the sauce. Add cooked pasta to the sauce, mix to combine then place in a casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Let casserole cook for about 15-25 min until cheese is melted and everything is hot and delish. Take out of oven, top with crisped bacon and let cool for 5-10 min then enjoy!

With the mac and cheese, I served oven roasted tomatoes, basil pesto tilapia and a delish salad with the same baby yellow tomatoes and organic romaine lettuce...truly and indulgent diner!

Perfect braised shortribs....

A very good friend gave me the perfect gift for my birthday, a gift card for William Sonoma. From the moment I opened the card, I knew what I wanted, my own Le Creuset dutch oven...the hard part was settling on a color. I really wanted steel but they didn't have the size I wanted in stock so I ended up with a beautiful red oven and decided to make my first dinner in in it that night. I went to my grocery store and found great looking short ribs. I had my butcher cut the ribs I'd picked out from the case in half to make them smaller and easier to eat then brought them home and made Tyler Florence's Bistro style short ribs recipe from Foodnetwork.com. I served these with golden mashed potatoes. This recipe is definitely a keeper and will remain a favorite in our house.

Ingredients

Short ribs:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 pounds short ribs, in 1 long piece or at least in pairs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 large tomato, quartered
3 ribs celery
1/2 head garlic, peeled
1/4 bunch fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
2 cups low-sodium, organic beef stock
4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions
Preheat a cast iron grill or outdoor grill.
Season the short ribs with salt and pepper, drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil, and brown on all sides.
Place the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and tomato into a food processor and blend until you reach a consistent, smooth pulp.
Take a large Dutch oven and place over medium-high heat. Add a 3-count of extra-virgin olive oil and add the thyme to infuse the oil. Next add the vegetable pulp, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook for about 10 minutes. Pour in the red wine and stock and bring it to a boil. Using tongs take the ribs and nestle them into the braising mix; the liquid should just about cover the meat. Place the lid loosely on top, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the meat is very tender, approximately 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
When the ribs are about finished, remove about 1 to 2 cups of liquid and strain into a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat the sauce until slightly reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes.
braised shrot ribs with orzo risotto







The next day I put the leftovers over polenta (me) and orzo "risotto" (J) then baked them in the oven with a little parm. They were amazing! If you have a dutch oven and a couple hours to kill I definitely recommend this recipe!


Ps. I LOVE my Le Creuset!

short ribs with polenta

The perfect root beer float

Root beer is one of my favorite things. I love the complexity of flavors, the fizzyness and how it goes well with cheesesteaks, Thai food and of course, ice cream. We have a local restaurant (Doumar's) that makes the best root beer shakes...I literally have dreams about these shakes and now I have the tools to make the
best root beer float at home. It all starts with the best root beer. In my opinion, Weeping Radish Brewery makes the best root beer I have ever tasted. They actually brew the beer and the flavor is so clean and crisp it could almost make you weep. though this libation is wonderful on its own, a little vanilla ice cream makes it sing. Here are the pics to prove it. If you are ever in the Outer Banks of NC or in the Hampton Roads area, try and find this delicacy and you will understand what I mean. If your not in the area, hopefully these pics will make you salivate and remember hot summer days, being a kid and having one of the easiest and tastiest deserts on earth, the root beer float.

A hurricane breakfast

Hanna came and went, and I am glad to say that we were lucky. Our house had no wind damage and I was able to take my first nap in years, due to the wind! Because we were sequestered indoors due to the weather, I decided to make us a hearty breakfast with items on hand (sourdough bread, eggs and milk from the farmer's market, maple syrup and smoked cheddar from Vermont and local nitrate free bacon). Breakfast was delish and I really was happy with the sourdough french toast. Sorry there are shells in the pic (took this on the dining room glass-top table.) Since I am sure most of you know how to make scrambled eggs and bacon, I am only including the french toast recipe. Hope you like it!

XO J

Sourdough french toast

1 egg

1/2 c milk or half n half

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

5-6 slices sourdough bread (preferably 1-2 days old)

mix all ingredients together reserving 1 tsp of sugar, until well blended then let bread soak in wet mixture for about 10-15 min. (I use this time to begin and complete prep on the other meal components). When bread is moist, top with remaining sugar then place slices on a hot buttered griddle and allow to cook for about 2-3 min per side. Butter the bread then serve with sliced bananas and warm Vermont maple syrup.