Joey's Favorite Broccoli and Cheese Mac

 

 Ok ok, I know I have MANY recipes for mac and cheese, but seriously, can one have too many?? I think not! So this is another variation. It’s literally as simple as it sounds: Regular mac and cheese with broccoli added to it. Simple, right? But it’s definitely proof that sometimes the simplest things are the best.  
 Now, before you cheese purists out there go all Judgey McJudgerson on me about using Velveeta “processed cheese product”, all I have to say is don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it! I’m not saying I don’t love cheddar or Swiss or any other variety of gooey cheese… but I just love how Velveeta melts, and it’s ALWAYS a big hit. Not only that, I just love how it tastes. I don’t even care if it’s not REAL American cheese. I still wind up cutting off little chunks for tasting whenever I use it. (It’s great in an omelette btw, and it makes fabulous queso!)
 This recipe is basically a riff on my sister Jeanie's recipe, and it's my go to for all things mac and cheese. It's a great side dish for, say, a ham dinner, and it also goes great with your Sunday roast. You can also just leave it as a stand alone dinner. This is definitely a great one to keep in your arsenal of recipes!


2 crowns fresh broccoli, cut into florets
1 lb cavatappi noodles or other favorite cut pasta
4 tbs butter
4 tbs flour
4 cups milk
2 tbs prepared mustard
1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed


Heat oven to 350ºF.
Spray a large casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large pot of salted boiling water, add broccoli florets. Stir them around for a minute or two, and then scoop them out, using a slotted spoon. Place them in the casserole dish. Set aside.
Add the pasta to the same boiling pot of water. Stir them around so they don’t stick together. Let it boil until about 2 minutes before they’re done.
Meanwhile, in another sauce pot, over medium heat, add the butter until melted. Add the flour and whisk to form a paste. Let it cook for about a minute, then add the milk, mustard, and cubes of velveeta. Stir over medium heat until the cheese is melted, and the sauce has thickened.
Drain the pasta, then add to the broccoli. Now pour the cheese sauce over the broccoli and pasta. Stir to coat well and evenly distribute the broccoli throughout the dish. Place casserole in oven, and bake for about 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for a good 10 minutes before serving.

Tips:
Make sure you include the mustard. It makes the sauce taste cheesier!
Don’t like broccoli? Try another veggie instead! How about asparagus? or how about carrots and cauliflower? Seriously any veggie will work.
For an added touch, sprinkle some shredded cheddar over the top before you bake.
For an EXTRA added touch, add some panko bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese to a little melted butter. Then sprinkle the buttered bread crumbs over the top for the last 10 minutes of baking. Perfectly golden crust!

One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Bread

OK, this one is so quick and easy, you won't even believe it.
I was browsing some recipes to use up a bag of chocolate chips, and I found this one on Taste of Home. I knew at once that I needed to test this one for my sister, Cathy, because (as I immediately texted her), this one has her hubby, Gregg's, name written all over it. Seriously, though, that's the absolute truth. You could bake ANY kind of cake or bread, and he'll say "it's great, but it would be better if it had chocolate chips in it." Not even kidding.
 Anyway... whenever I read recipes on different websites, I'm always sure to read the comments below. More times than not, it aggravates the hell out of me when someone says all the changes they made to the recipe, and then only give it one star because they didn't like the way it turned out. Are you kidding?? I want to say "Just make it as directed and maybe it'll turn out!"
 So, with this recipe, I noticed a lot of the comments said that it needed to be split into two loaves, or that it was too dense, or that it had too many chocolate chips for one loaf (as if that's possible). Honestly, I have no idea what recipe they're talking about, because mine turned out perfectly. It was the perfect amount of batter for one loaf, it was just the right amount of chips, and in baked in exactly the time was supposed to. And, true to its name, I only used one bowl!  Sounds pretty perfect to me!
 So if you're looking for a not-too-sweet bread to have with your coffee or your cup of tea, you should try this one. I'm pretty sure if you just follow the recipe, it'll turn out perfectly for you too!
This one's for you, Gregg! Hope you like it!





3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 cups sour cream
3 cups self-rising flour*
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350°F.
Beat eggs, sugar, and sour cream until well blended. Gradually stir in flour. Fold in chocolate chips. Transfer to a greased 9x5" loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 65-75 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

*As a substitute for 3 cups of self-rising flour:
Place 4-1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1-1/2 teaspoons salt in a 1-cup measuring cup. Add all-purpose flour to measure 1 cup; combine with an additional 2 cups all-purpose flour.




Tips:
OK, usually this is where I would tell you everything I would do differently, but like I said, I wouldn't change a thing. It took literally only 5 minutes to prep and get into the oven, it baked perfectly (right at the 65 minute mark for me), and it was exactly perfect in one loaf pan. The only thing I can think of that I would do differently is maybe to try adding different mix-ins. Cinnamon chips? Peanut Butter Chips? Butterscotch chips? I bet they'd all be pretty fabulous!

Chocolate Cherry Cobbler

 

 

 Usually, when you think of a cobbler, you think of apples or peaches, correct? Or maybe even blackberries, and yes definitely cherries. But most times, we think of a simple biscuit topping. Well, at least I always do. But what if we took that biscuit topping and made it a CHOCOLATE biscuit instead? Now we’ve bumped up the decadence factor a few notches! Of course chocolate and cherry are a wildly famous couple, and it comes together in no time at all. They’re even better when you serve them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Btw, speaking of couples, if you’d like to make this for your special someone, this has romance written all over it! Enjoy!



1  1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 (21 oz) purchased cherry pie filling or your own


Heat oven to 350ºF.
Coat a 2 quart casserole dish with vegetable cooking spray. Melt chocolate chips in a measuring cup in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds until smooth. Let stand for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until the dough is a uniform crumbly texture. Beat the egg into the melted chocolate chips, then stir the milk in. Pour the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir until well blended.
Pour the cherry pie filling in an even layer in the bottom of the greased casserole dish. Drop spoonfuls of the chocolate batter over the cherries in a random pattern.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until top crust is not doughy when lifted.
Serve warm.




Tips:
Be careful of scorching the chocolate chips in the microwave. Just take your time and stir at 20 second intervals as directed. Another way to do it would be to place your chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl, then place the bowl over a small pot of simmering water. Let the steam from the water gently melt the chips, then stir until smooth.
Not a fan of cherries? Use another kind of pie filling! How about strawberry?!