Spicy, Grown-Up Mac & Cheese

• 1 (14.5oz) pkg. Ronzoni Smart Taste Penne Rigate
• 3 Tbsp. Smart Balance margarine
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• 2 cups milk
• ¼ tsp. ground chipotle chile
• ¼ tsp. cayenne
• ½ tsp. onion powder
  
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) grated, reduced-fat mild Cheddar
• 8 oz. Raclette Cheese (Swiss variety), rind removed and cubed
• ½ cup grated Asiago, plus 1/3 cup
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. Smart Balance margarine (optional)
• cooking spray

In a large pot bring water to boil. Add pasta and bring to a boil again, cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Overcooking the pasta makes for a tender Mac and Cheese. Ten minutes later preheat oven to 350 degrees and over medium heat melt margarine in a sauce pan, then whisk in flour. Add milk to flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Whisk slowly until mixture thickens. Turn heat off of burner, then add chilpotle chile, cayenne, onion powder, and salt, whisk together well. Add the Cheddar, Raclette, and ½ cup of Asiago. Stir well with a rubber spatula until well blended, cheese does not need to be melted completely, just mixed well. Place in a 2 ½ qt. glass baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Then stir pasta and cheese mixture together and place in a 2 1/2 qt. glass baking dish sprayed with cooking oil.

You have 2 options for your topping. Option #1: evenly dust top of Mac and Cheese with 1/3 cup Asiago. Option #2: Melt 2 Tbsp. margarine in the microwave. Then to meduim size bowl add panko bread crumbs, 1/3 cup Asigo and the melted margarine, mix well. Dust mixture evenly over top of Mac and Cheese. If you like a crunchy topping on your Mac and Cheese then option #2 is for you. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly browned on top and bubbly.

It is up to you as to whether or not you use high fiber pasta, lower fat cheese and a healthy margarine in place of butter. I also used fat free milk and it is absolutely delicious. I like to cut fat and add fiber where I can without sparing flavor. The creaminess of the cheese gives a nice balance to the spices.

Wild Mushroom Soup

• ½ cup butter
• 1 medium sweet onion chopped, about 2 cups
• 2 lbs. assorted mushrooms, chopped (baby portabellas, white, oyster, beech, shitake, and maitake)
  
• 7 cups hot water
• 1/3 cup mushroom base
• 1/3 cup white wine
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• hearty grain bread, diced or torn into cubes
• Asiago cheese, grated

In a large soup pot over medium heat melt butter, then add onion and mushrooms. Saute for 8-10 minutes or until mushrooms are soft and onion is translucent. Liquid will form in pot from mushrooms. Then mix hot water with base, stirring until dispersed. Add water mixture to pot along with wine and black pepper. Cover and simmer for one hour. When ready, ladle into bowls and top with some bread cubes and Asiago cheese. Let cheese sit for a minute or two for bread to absorb broth and cheese to melt. Enjoy!!!

Use any variety of your favorite mushrooms for this soup. If you use a large portabella mushroom, cut away the dark gills. The gills won't affect the flavor, but will turn the soup an unappealing color. My favorite mushroom is maitake. I used Smart Balance margarine instead of butter. I also used a nice hearty multi-grain loaf of bread. You may purchase the soup base at www.soupbase.com or 1-800-827-8328.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Noodle is the soup I always make for my family when they are sick--good comfort food. But, there was only one problem, no one made any for me when I was sick! Unless you have two main cooks in the house, I recommend you make some in advance to freeze for later. Of course, it is so good, you don't need to wait until you're sick. You will never want canned soup again.

• 18 cups or 4 ½ qts. water*
• 1/2 cup chicken base*
• 1 rotisserie chicken, whole
• 1 ½ cup diced celery hearts
• 1 ½ cup diced sweet onion
• 1 ½ cup diced carrots
• 6-8 oz. Kluski egg noodles** (3 cups dry noodles)
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

In a large 8 qt. soup pot add water and base. Mix well with a wire whisk breaking up base, the base makes a delicious chicken broth. Add chicken and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cooked covered for 30 minutes.

While chicken is simmering dice carrots, celery, and onion. Remove chicken from pot and place on platter and set aside to cool. Add diced vegetables and black pepper to pot of chicken broth. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce heat to simmer.

Remove skin from chicken and discard. Pull chicken meat from bones and cut into bite size portions. Add to soup pot and simmer for 30 - 45 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook for 30 - 60 minutes. Serve immediately.

I purchase my rotisserie chicken cooked from the wholesale clubs or grocery stores. I always keep 1 or 2 in the freezer to be ready any time. Just add frozen chicken to pot.

*You may use 18 cups chicken broth in place of water and base.
**My favorite egg noodles are Kluski noodles, they taste and look just like homemade. Once you eat this you will never want canned soup again. Enjoy!

Whole Beef Tenderloin

 Whole Beef Tenderloin

• 1 whole beef tenderloin (about 6 lbs. or so)
• garlic flavored olive oil
• freshly ground sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• cooking twine
• paper towels
• heavy duty aluminum foil
• bar-b-q brush
• gas grill

About 1 hour before you cook the tenderloin remove it from refrigerator to clean the meat. I like to line a sheet of tin foil with a double roll of paper towels underneath the meat. You will need to pat excess juice from beef with paper towels. 

With a sharp knife remove silver like sheath on outer edge and all visible fat, discard. This will take about 20 minutes or so. You need to take your time and work on it moving meat around and following the silver like sheath and fat until there is nothing left but pure lean tenderloin.
On the thinner tail end of the meat fold over and tie the end together two times with twine so that meat is an even thickness for cooking. If thicker end of the meat has separated some tie that area as well but just once. 

Coat both sides of beef well with olive oil using a Bar B Q brush, also a  light coat of sea salt and black pepper. Let meat rest on counter until ready to cook, about 1 hour total from prep time to cooking time.

Preheat your grill to 450 degrees. Cook beef directly on grill for 10 minutes on each side, then 5 minutes on each side. Remove from grill onto a serving platter and let meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing into individual steaks. This is for a rare steak, cook longer if you want it more well done.

My family said this is the best Filet Mignon they have ever eaten.
 
Horseradish Sauce

• 1/2 cup Hellman's light mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. grated hot horseradish from jar
• 1/4 tsp. ground white pepper

Egg Nog Custard Pie

Egg Nog goes together with the holidays like Chevy Chase chopping down a 20 ft tree in the wilderness and driving it back on the roof of his sedan, like Ralphie and his Red Ryder air rifle, or like warm hearths, and the smell of spices and cinnamon, and good times by the Christmas tree. This recipe combines this perfect holiday treat into the perfect holiday dessert. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1⁄4 tsp. salt
• 1⁄4 tsp. vanilla
• 21⁄2 cup egg nog (scalded*)
• 1 tsp. rum (Bacardi light) or rum extract
• Nutmeg (sprinkle on top)
• prepared pie crust

Scald egg nog. Blend eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla and rum. Stir into scalded egg nog, then whisk together well. Pour into pie shell adding the sprinkling of nutmeg on top. Bake at 400° for 25 to 35 minutes or until a clean knife inserted in center will comes out clean. Cool for 15 to 30 minutes. Chill. Great for the holidays.

If you already have liquor in your Egg Nog delete the rum from this recipe. Now let's get rid of the leftover Egg Nog with dignity.

*How to scald eggnog: Place egg nog in a thick bottomed pan over medium heat, stirring constantly so that a skin will not form on top. It is ready when you see steam rising out and small bubbles on the edge. Do not boil.

Spaghetti Sauce Fondue

My Stud Muffin says, "This is so good, you can make this for me any time."

• 2 cups spaghetti sauce
• 8 oz. Raclette Cheese from Switzerland, cubed rind removed
• 1 cup Asiago cheese, grated
• 1/3 cup dry red wine
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 loaf hearty multi-grain bread, cubed

Warm up spaghetti sauce in microwave. Add to fondue pan sauce and next 4 ingredients. Heat over low flame until melted. Slowly beat in egg yolk while stirring. As soon as it is smooth and heated through dip in cubes of bread. Enjoy!

I always have enough Spaghetti Sauce leftover from my recipe in my book to use it for this fondue. Make sure the wine that you use is good enough to drink. The multi-grain bread goes well with this hearty fondue. You can find Raclette cheese in any store that has an extensive cheese selection. Do not use French Raclette, it has a strong odor.

Sausage and Bean Chowder

On a cold winter day this hearty sausage chowder is sure to warm you up. As good as it is, it will be even better on the next day after the flavors meld. I substituted turkey sausage to make it lower in fat, without sparing any flavor. Enjoy!

• 1 pkg. Shady Brook Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage, 20 oz.
• 4 cups water
• 1 (40.5 oz) can dark red kidney beans, undrained
• 2 (16 oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, cubed
• 1 green pepper diced
• 1 large bay leaf
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. dried whole thyme
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• 1 Tbsp. season salt (Morton’s)

Brown sausage in a large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking oil or you may cook sausage on grill. Set aside to cool. Add remaining ingredients to a large soup pot and bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Dice cooked sausage and add to soup pot. Cover, simmering 2 to 3 hours. Remove bay leaf before serving. Yield: 3 quarts.

Variation: use white kidney beans (cannellini beans) instead of red kidney beans.