Macaroni and Cauliflower Cheese Bake

You can either serve this macaroni unbaked, so it’s loose, gooey, and silky, or bake it under the broiler for a few minutes before serving to give it a crispy, golden topping. You could even try adding a grated hard-boiled egg or cooked prawns, but I like the simple style, as here.

	1/2	a head of cauliflower
	8	oz. Cheddar cheese
	4	oz. Parmesan cheese
	~	A small bunch of fresh Italian parsley
	~	Sea salt
	1	lb. dried macaroni (elbows)
	1	cup crème fraîche or sour cream

1. To prepare your pasta: Remove the outer green leaves from the cauliflower and discard. Slice the end off the cauliflower stalk and cut the head into small florets. Halve the thick stalk lengthways, then slice thinly. Grate the Cheddar and Parmesan into a large heatproof bowl. Finely chop the parsley stalks and leaves.
2. To cook your pasta: Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and all your cauliflower and cook according to the macaroni-package instructions. Place the bowl of cheese over the saucepan and add the crème fraîche. Carefully stir every so often until the cheese is smooth and melted. If the water boils up beneath the bowl, just turn the heat down slightly. Add all the chopped parsley to the melted cheese and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Carefully remove the bowl of cheese using a towel or oven gloves and put aside. Drain the macaroni in a colander over a bowl, reserving the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan, pour in the melted cheese, and stir. It should have a lovely, silky consistency, but if it’s too thick for you, add a splash of your cooking water to thin it out a bit.
4. At this point you can either serve the macaroni as is, or finish it under the broiler to make it crispy and golden on top. To do this, preheat your broiler to a medium to high heat. Add ⅔ cup of the reserved cooking water to the macaroni, stir in, then transfer to a baking dish. Place under the broiler until golden and bubbling.
5. To serve your pasta: Divide the pasta between plates or bowls, or place the baking dish in the middle of the table next to a nice green salad and let everyone help themselves

This content is from the book Jamie’s Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver.

Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes

Printable Version with Picture
Printable Version
*Serves 6-8
Potatoes:
3 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
26-ounce bag frozen shredded hash browns
1/2 cup light sour cream
Topping:
3 cups cornflakes, lightly crushed
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until the onion is softened and translucent,a bout 5-6 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute. Combine the chicken broth and milk in a liquid measure and slowly whisk in the mixture. Add the salt, pepper and thyme. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
Take the pot off the heat and stir in the cheese until smooth. Mix in the frozen hash browns, lifting and folding the mixture until well combined. Finally, stir in the sour cream.
In a medium bowl, toss the lightly crushed cornflakes with the butter until evenly combined. Scoop out the potato mixture into a 9X13-inch baking dish and top with the buttered cornflakes. If baking the potatoes by themselves, bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until hot and bubbly around the edges. If baking the potatoes with a ham (my ham recipe bakes at 300 degrees), bake the potatoes for 90 minutes at 300 degrees then crank the oven to 400 degrees and bake the potatoes for 10 minutes more. In both baking situations, let the potatoes rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Sweet Shredded Pork Recipe

This is a copy cat recipe of the shredded pork that is served at Cafe Rio.  

Don’t forget to make the YUMMY cilnatro ranch dressing here
You will need:

• 1-10 lbs Pork tenderloin roast ( any pork roast will work)
• 2 cans of Tomato sauce 15 oz
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 can of coke or Dr Pepper
• 1 clove garlic diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro minced

Add your meat to the Crock pot, I think it taste best if you use about 5 lbs….I did it with 8 lbs and the flavors were not as bold as I would have liked them.  But the Recipe says you can use up to 10lbs so it is all a matter of taste.

Add you Tomato sauce, brown sugar, and garlic.

Add  can of soda, and cilantro.   ( If you do not want to cook with soda I guess you could use broth instead)
Put the lid on your crock pot, cook over Medium Heat at Least 4 hours.  ( you can cook longer)

Once tender and pulls off easily with a fork, take out of liquid and shred with a fork.
Once Pork is shredded, return to liquid.

Eat on tortilla, with rice, black beans, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and Cilantro Ranch.


Source :  A Thrifty Mom