Oh macaroni and cheese, what a love/hate relationship we have! I love you! I love you deeply, deeper than words can describe… but you’re soooooooooo bad for me! You’re like that super hot bad boy on the motorcycle with all the tattoos doing naughty things that feel oh-so-right. When I make you, I have an “eff it all” attitude like I have when I meet said aforementioned biker. I throw caution to the wind for just one night. I mean, when you’re using a pound of cheese in a recipe, why not go ahead and throw in some bacon… and if you need butter for the roux anyway, why not substitute 1 of those tablespoons with bacon fat for that extra naughty bacony goodness flavor? I’m pretty sure I read somewhere one time that bacon fat is no worse for you than butter, so what the hell? Substitute all the butter in the recipe with bacon fat if you’re really feeling mischievous.

I developed this bad boy biker of a mac & cheese recipe as part of the Knorr4 so of course the bechamel-based cheese sauce is spiked with at tub of Knorr Homestyle Chicken Stock for an extra depth of flavor. I mean, bikers can be deep right? Go ahead, make this mac & cheese and be a little naughty. I guarantee you’re gonna enjoy yourself.

*I am a professional recipe developer being paid by Knorr as part of the Knorr 4 promotion. While Knorr is footing the bill, all content and opinions comes directly from my (sometimes offbeat and slightly cheesy) brain.

Recipes in this post:

• Macaroni & Three Cheeses w/ Bacon, Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Basil

Related posts:

1. Loaded Muenster & Sharp Cheddar Mac & Cheese

With the holidays directly around the bend AND the college football bowl games upon us, these savory turnovers make great finger food for any social event. Or, as in our case, anti-social event where you can hoard them all to yourself and make a meal out of them like T and I did. Not that I suggest eating 8 huge-ass turnovers all in one sitting! That would just be wrong.

I decided to be nice to our herbivore friends and make one of the fillings vegetarian while using up some leftover cooked chicken we had in the fridge for the other set. If you don’t have any leftover chicken in the fridge and you don’t feel like cooking the chicken yourself you can always go buy a rotisserie chicken and shred that puppy up. Rotisserie chickens are god’s gift to the lazy man. Also, a Facebook friend mentioned to me recently that he couldn’t stand puff pastry…the eating equivalent to nails on a chalkboard. If you fall into that category but still want to makes some turnovers, I would suggest using the cream cheese pastry crust I used for these sweet fig turnovers. We’d love to hear how they turn out for you down in the comments section if you end up making them!

Recipes in this post:

• Roasted Veggie & Chevre and Tangy BBQ Chicken Turnovers

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1. Perfect One Dish Dinners: Baked Camembert w/ Cranberry Orange Relish
2. Knorr Homestyle Stock Chicken, Andouille & Tasso Ham Gumbo
3. Michelob Ultra Cider Review… And a Recipe to Boot!

I know you guys don’t hear us using southern terms like “y’all” and “fixin” all that often but that doesn’t mean we aren’t born and bred (expat) southerners who get hankerin’s for some comforting Southern soul food every now and then. Both T & I love us some good, fluffy buttermilk biscuits and when we get a craving we typically have to hook ‘em up for ourselves since not too many places in San Diego do ‘em right by our standards. (Urban Solace is the one exception to this – they know how to hook a sista up!) Anywho, the next time you start craving some homemade buttermilk biscuits we hope you’ll remember this post and give our recipe a try. If you try ‘em and like ‘em as much as we do, or even if you hate ‘em, we’d love to hear how they turn out for you.

Recipes in this post:

• Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

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1. Knorr Homestyle Stock Bad Boy Macaroni and Cheese

It’s a well-known fact that sweets are not really my cuppa beer. (I don’t really do “joe” either!) That being said, T-dog loves him some sweets so from time to time I give in and make him something decadent. This summer he’s been gobbling up cones of chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream from a local shop after we’ve had a hard day of boogie boarding and generally enjoying ourselves at the beach. It was this particular chocolate-peanut butter kick that inspired today’s pie.

Going into the this dish with the concept in my head, I had no idea how wildly popular it was going to turn out to be! Everyone who ate it fell to my mercy and begged me for the recipe. Nicole even tweeted,”….I just tasted it and almost died”. Thus the addition of “killer” to the title. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as Tyler, Nicole and our neighbors have. I’d love to hear feedback if anyone makes it!

Recipes in this post:

• Killer Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie

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1. Fudgy Earl Grey Chocolate Cake
2. Cinnamon Apple Pecan Crumb Bars
3. Spicy Ginger Brown Butter Blondies

With lots of goodies

T: how many of these muffins did you make?
A: i made 12 muffins and a huge cast iron skillet “loaf” of the corn bread.
T: how many muffins did you eat?
A: i’m thinking around 3… and half. we split one while photoing.
T: sweet. That means I ate 8.5 muffins in one sitting. that rocks. No wonder my bowels were playing games with me today.
A: heheheh too funny! these were some tasty muffins. i over cooked them to my preference by just a minute or two, but they still tasted awesome. the “loaf”, for lack of a better term, was cooked just right though.
T: I really liked these things. Haven’t tried the loaf yet, but the muffins were very good… obviously. If I were nitpicking I would say they could have used more goods on the inside such as cheese or pimentos. That’s just nitpicking though.
A: i agree they could have used a touch more pepper. i would have put more roasted serranos though, not so much red peppers. red peppers would be good… just not spicy!
T: you’re right. more green AND red peppers! I rate these little guys a 4.6/5. They were definitely tasty enough to binge on, but there is still room for improvement. Hopefully you’ll keep trying! I <3 cornbread.
A: ha ha… you said “i heart” something! who’s the myspace loving little girl now huh?
T: actually on myspace I’m a little boy, but that’s beside the point.
A: yeah, just remember what you said. i’m never going to let you live it down! i too “heart” cornbread. good cornbread, at least. there is definitely bad bad cornbread in the world… the corporate monstrosity Cracker Barrel serves some of the worst cornbread i’ve ever had the displeasure to try. these were nothing like those.
T: you just hate crack. barrel because you worked there when you were younger.
A: hmmm while that’s true… they do make good biscuits! just really really crappy cornbread. Okay, so I”m gonna give these little dudes a 4.25/5. They got a lower rating because they were just slightly over-cooked. i really meant to cook them at 350, but when i looked at the oven it read 400! oops! they still weren’t dried out, just not as moist as i would have liked them to be.
T: yeah, they were still totally delicious. They would have complimented any southern meal perfectly. The South would be proud of you, Mandy.
A: oh hell no! just because you are complimenting me doesn’t mean that you can call me mandy, tea-cakes.
T: didn’t you ever hear what that Indian guy said that time… An eye for an eye…?
A: nope. missed that one. .

* gracias Maw Maw for the cast iron muffin pan

Recipes in this post:

• Spicy Cornbread Muffins

Related posts:

1. Knorr Homestyle Stock Bad Boy Macaroni and Cheese

Almost cakey

A: i have to admit something: when i first got my new kitchen aid pro-edition for my birthday in may, i was intimidated! truly! i knew that the machine would change my baking life forever, but man! was i ever intimidated. thank god i got over that and baked us some damn brioche!
T: yeah, thank god… otherwise I would have taken it back and been like “the bitch doesn’t work”… and by bitch I mean my girlfriend.
A: hehehhehehehehhehe you right, you right. that bitch don’t work! you think the kind fellow at the store would take it back with that for an excuse?
T: Hmmm.. it was an ebay mixer… i don’t know how returns work on ebay. My understanding is that once you buy it you’re stuck with it for life.
A: or until you turn around and sell it to some other fool on ebay! fortunately that will not be happening with this fine machine! my new toy isn’t leaving our kitchen unless we move!
T: or unless we go on a road trip and I force you to bring it along because I don’t want to go without fresh bread for more than 2 days.
A: you know, actually, since i made the first brioche loaf i don’t think we have been more than two days without fresh bread! wooo hooo! fresh bread rocks.
Loafing around
T: speak it sister. It does rock. This brioche that you’ve been making has been particularly nice. It’s all buttery and flakey and cheesey and jalapeno-y. If I’m not mistaken, we’ll be running out pretty soon….. umm… do you have any thoughts on that situation?
A: heheh yeah, my thoughts are you should learn to make some damn brioche fo yo self!
T: perhaps I could stand to be a bit less demanding, but it would be a tall order for me to make brioche. I know that’s not exactly a simple thing to do…
A: uh… actually… it is simple! with the help of the handy dandy standy mixer!
T: sadly the mixer comes in and does the one thing that I could have done already… stir. It’s the other crap that I’m clueless about… like breeding colonies of microorganisms, etc.
A: mmm yeasty microorganisms rock! i heart bread.
T: Microorganisms are our friends. Saying that you “heart” something, on the other hand… Ok, ok, ok. The bread. I give it a 4.65/5. It was light and rich at the same time, I loved the cheese and jalapenos. I’m so glad that you’ve been baking more lately. Can’t wait to see what you make next. What’d you think of this one?
A: i loved it! it was light, fluffy, flakey yet doughy-ish with a hint of sweetness yet the savoriness of the jalapenos and cheese! I give it a 4…… a 4….. a 4.7!/5.
T: wow the suspense was killing me while I was reading those dots. Go on…
A: a-hole. needless to say i loved it. and it really was so simple to make. the dough has to chill for at least 12 hours so it’s not something you can just whip up in one day. it takes a bit more planning than i usually have. normally when i cook, i go into the kitchen and fix some stuff. immediate gratification and all.
T: Yes, immediate gratification is/are my middle name(s). But it certainly is great when past Amanda hooks up future Amanda and we can have these exquisite treats.
A: agreed! hmmm… now i have to find new breads and such to make. Any suggestions?!?

Recipes in this post:

• Herby Jalapeno & Cheese Brioche

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1. Knorr Homestyle Stock Bad Boy Macaroni and Cheese

A: oh my. this was one rich, yet deeelicious meal!
T: it was delish. Some of the best damn grits I’ve ever had.
A: sshhhhh! don’t call them grits! we’re trying to sound more sheshe! call it “baked polenta”.
T: but of course, darling… of course. How could I be so crude? We have long since left the South. We’re proper folks, now.
A: ha! proper my ass! does sheshe have to be proper?
T: If you have to ask… you’ll never know, darling.
A: until you threw in “darling” i thought you were starting to sing an old red hot chili peppers song.
T: Hmmph! Perhaps if it were 1991 and I were speaking aloud rather than typing. Then you would have been on to something. Ok, moving on. The grits- er polenta. It was quite tasty. The texture of the polenta was smooth, moist, and yet firm. I actually thought you had put some cheese in the grits…
A: but alas, you thought wrong! and really there was hardly any butter in the grits either. only a tablespoon or two for the whole dish! but i always make my polenta/grits with whole milk and water so it gives them a creaminess you don’t always acheive with water alone. this was certainly not a… ah… healthy meal… but my god it was tasty. it had everything… bacon, cheese, whole milk, butter… and some veggies and a pseudo-ish grain. mmm.
T: Yeah, it was rich. Although it wasn’t too filling, so I was able to put down quite a bit
A: i’ll admit this: when i pulled it out of the oven and saw some grease pooling on top i took immediate action and soaked it all up with a handy dandy paper towel. hopefully that helped some!
T: Well I certainly had no complaints about this one. I give it a 4.6/5. Flavor-wise, it was superb. I guess it could have scored higher if it had been a touch healthier, but… eh. I don’t care too much about that. It tasted good, I liked it mucho, and I will happily gobble it up if you ever make it again.
A: now you know i rarely… if ever… make the exact same thing twice. but, i do think we’ll be seeing this dish in some form in the future. i really dug it too. i am actually giving it the exact same score as you! 4.6/5. and pretty much for the same reasons… if the meal had been a touch healthier as well as that tasty it could have rated higher, but hey! we’re young! it’ll be decades before we need open heart surgery.
T: yeah and by then there will be little robots that come through the air and fix it for us anyway, so who gives a damn about heart health? Word to the wise (from the really wise): eat beef now.

Related posts:

1. Knorr Homestyle Stock Bad Boy Macaroni and Cheese
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Crispy, soft, cheesy, sausagyT: I’ll tell you what I liked about this pizza…
A: da…
T: all the cheese on it!!
A: wooo hoo! cheezy pizza! yeah. i had lots of cheeses to use up. fresh mozzarella, fig goat cheese, parmegiano reggiano. mmm. i also dug the spicy italian sausage.
T: I was about to say exactly that. That sausage kicked ass. This was a great pizza. I could have probably had some kind of spicy pepper on it since I’m addicted to spicy peppers on everything I eat. It was a delish pizza though.
A: i definitely thought about throwing some banana peppers or jalapenos on there, but i feel like everything i make has jalapenos in it!
T: everything you make has salt. Everything you make has meat and/or cheese and/or a vegetable. So, what’s wrong with everything having a spicy peppah?
A: hehehe absolutely nothing! i’m a mega spice nut. i could eat things that hurt for every meal and be happy… i just like to give a sister some options.
T: what sister are you giving options to? I’m confused.
A: the sisters who be reading this here thing. not everyone likes heat like you and i do! sometimes you gotta tone it down a bit.
T: What!? Those crazy hoes out there in internetland aren’t eating this stuff! We are. Try giving a brother some options here.
A: shit, i do! here’s your options: eat what i put in front of you or go get some damn take out!
T: Oh you love to hold that over me don’t you… dammit. So true. I’m a dependent.
A: only a food dependent. and you know i’m just kidding. i do think this could have used some peppers. but considering it didn’t have any heat, i still thought it was quite tasty. the second pizza that came out was a little better than the first… crispier, you know. i miss my pizza stone very much! it’s so much easier to achieve the crispy crust with the stone.
T: Yeah, it’s just a shame the oven is too small to fit your pizza stone… or any pizza stone for that matter.
A: you know, we could always go pick up a couple ceramic tiles and use them rather than a piece of ceramic made for baking. then we could at least fit a little stone in there! hmmm. i think this might be the first homemade pizza we’ve ever blogged about!
T: really, wow. Hard to believe. I give it a 4.4/5. It was super-good. It’s got some room for improvement though. What did you think?
A: i agree with you. it was tasty… but definitely room for growth. i thought the whole thing need a little sodium, too. the second pie was far superior to the first (and the left overs were great). I give it a 4.1/5. we’ll be seeing home made pizza again before too long, and i can guarantee that it will be better than this little ditty!
T: ahhh yeah, that’s the kind of confidence I like to hear. I believe you, too. Back to what you said about the leftovers being great. Are you talking about the little stuffed bread you made from the leftover ingredients? Because that was definitely tasty.
A: actually i was talking about the two slices of leftover pizza that i ate for breakfast the past couple of days! the stuffed bread was really good, imho. better than the pizza even!
T: I actually agree with you there. I would have given the stuffed bread a 4.55/5.
A: i would have given it similar! it’s a shame we didn’t get photos of it for the blizog.
T: ahhh, sadly so much of what you make escapes without a single photo.
A: one day we’ll have the time and energy to do it all!
T: yeah when we start taking speed.
A: or retire

Recipes in this post:

• Spicy Italian Sausage and Three Cheese Pizza
• Pizza Dough
• Fire-Roasted Tomato Sauce

Related posts:

1. Knorr Homestyle Stock Bad Boy Macaroni and Cheese
2. Loaded Muenster & Sharp Cheddar Mac & Cheese