comfort food

Beer Cheese Fondue and Mac and Cheese

 in Entertaining / Home  tagged appetizer / comfort food / fondue / party food / pasta / recipes by

Are you looking for a fabulous cheese dip for your next party? Or maybe the perfect fondue for a fun dinner night. Or, maybe you want to spice up your macaroni and cheese? This is the Beer Cheese Fondue recipe for you!

I originally made this Beer Cheese Fondue as an appetizer for my family while watching a movie on TV. They loved dipping cheese bread and pita chips into it. (Don’t worry, the alcohol cooks out, so it’s non-alcoholic, only slight flavor from the beer is left.) My kids enjoyed having fondue; something I don’t fix very often. I really should make it more, after all, fondue is super fun!

We only ate a small amount of the Beer Cheese Fondue. So the next day, I cooked a package of spiral pasta, and used the remaining Beer Cheese Fondue as a sauce. It was absolutely delicious; Beer Macaroni and Cheese!

Here is the recipe:

  • 1 cup of an amber ale.
  • 1 teaspoon of Tabasco Sauce
  • 2 pounds of Velveeta. (Velveeta comes in a meltable, 2 pound cheese block. Super easy!)

Cut the cheese block to fit inside your fondue pot. Put the tabasco and beer inside the pot too. You don’t have to mix it right away. Cook on simmer until the cheese starts to melt, then using a wooden spoon, mix everything together. Let the mixture simmer on high, stirring occasional, for forty-five minutes.

If serving as a dip or fondue, keep warm in a fondue pot and stir occasionally as a film will form over the top if it sits a few minutes without being dipped into. If using as the cheese mix in macaroni and cheese, pour over 1 pound of your favorite cooked pasta, mix together, and enjoy!

My kids absolutely love this dip/fondue as Beer macaroni and cheese. The alcohol cooks out, so don’t worry about getting your kiddos drunk, or anyone on the wagon getting tipsy. This is a non-alcoholic food. Love that!

Things you may need in your kitchen to make this recipe:

I hope you enjoy this simple cheese fondue recipe. I would love to know if you serve it as fondue, or macaroni and cheese!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

Mushroom Bourbon Fried Chicken

 in Entertaining  tagged comfort food / entrees / lifestyle / recipes by

mushroom bourbon fried chicken recipe easy

One of my favorite foods is mushrooms; and one my kids favorite foods is fried chicken. Put them together, and you have happy kids, and a happy mommy. Love!

This dish tastes delicious and isn’t very complicated. It will impress your family! Wanna know the secret? It’s actually super easy to make! Especially if you cheat and buy the fried chicken pre-cooked. Safeway has pre-cooked fried chicken strips in their deli section, and they are delicious. That’s my secret!

Mushroom Bourbon Fried Chicken recipe:

  • 8 pieces of fried chicken
  • 11 oz. (or 2 cans) sliced mushrooms
  • 3 pats of butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin)
  • 1/3 cup chopped onions (green or white-your choice-I use white)
  • 1/3 cup bourbon
  • 1 cup heavy cream

Heat all together in a large skillet, occasionally turning the fried chicken over to soak up the sauce on both sides. Ensure the butter melts and mixes well into the mixture. Cook 20 minutes. Serve with chopped vegetables.

Things you may need to cook Mushroom Bourbon Fried Chicken at home:

When I photographed my Mushroom Bourbon Fried Chicken, I served it with corn casserole. The corn casserole did not come out very good, and tasted like a breakfast food. I recommend serving this dish with your favorite vegetables instead. It is very heavy, and vegetables will balance out your plate. Serving Mushroom Bourbon Fried Chicken with a heavy side dish will be too much to digest. That’s why a simple vegetable such as slice carrots or zucchini, makes the perfect side dish.

I hope you enjoy my Mushroom Bourbon Fried Chicken recipe! The alcohol cooks out, so this dish is safe to serve to your kids, as well anyone who doesn’t drink alcohol. No-one will get a buzz 😉

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

bourbon fried chicken recipe with mushrooms

Cottage Pie recipe – alternate of Shepard’s Pie with beef

 in Entertaining / Home  tagged cathys original recipes / comfort food / lifestyle / recipes by

cottage pie recipe

Raise your hand if you love comfort food! My hand is way up! This is the time of year when warm, heavy comfort food is perfect for combating the cold weather. One of my family’s favorite recipes in the cold weather months is Cottage Pie; which is also known as Shepard’s Pie with beef.

If you are familiar with Shepard’s Pie, then you know it is a recipe made with ground lamb. I don’t eat lamb, so I created my own Shepard’s Pie with ground beef; which is commonly known as Cottage Pie. I made this Cottage Pie recipe myself over the years through trial and error with ingredients my family enjoys to eat. I hope you love my Cottage Pie recipe, also know as Shepard’s Pie with beef!

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs. grass-fed, 90% lean ground beef (for Shepard’s Pie, substitute ground lamb)

4 Russet Potatoes made into mashed potatoes

1 cup shredded mild cheddar

3/4 cup chicken broth

3 carrots chopped

3/4 lb. green beans OR 1 bag of frozen peas (my family seems to prefer peas)

2 cups sliced mushrooms or 2 cans of sliced mushrooms

4 teaspoons Paprika

2 diced or smashed garlic cloves

1/4 cup chopped onions

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Yields: 8 servings

cottage pie recipe

How to make Cottage Pie or Shepard’s Pie with beef:

Start by boiling the four potatoes. When they are soft enough, mash up the potatoes, and mix in a half cup of milk, three pats of butter, and 1/4 cup chicken broth to help the mashed potatoes not get dry. The rest of the chicken broth will go into the meat mixture.

While the potatoes are cooking, cook the ground beef with a tablespoon of olive oil. Then, chop the carrots, onions, mushrooms (unless you use cans) and beans (if you use beans instead of peas). Throw all of the ingredients, including the garlic and paprika, into a mixing bowl. Stir until everything is mixed together. Keep the mashed potatoes separate.

cottage pie recipecottage pie recipe

Once everything is mixed together, scoop the mixture into a large casserole dish. Using a wooden spoon, smooth out the mixture so that it lays flat in the casserole dish.

cottage pie recipecottage pie recipe

Once your mashed potatoes are ready, scoop them into the casserole dish, on top of the meat mixture. You will want to smooth out the mashed potatoes on top of the mixture to make a flat top. This can be done with a wooden spoon.

cottage pie recipecottage pie recipe

When the mashed potatoes are nice and flat on top of the beef mixture, sprinkle the shredded cheddar on top of the mashed potatoes. Try to spread the cheese evenly on top of the casserole so that when it bakes, the cheese melts evenly on top.

cottage pie recipe

Cover your casserole dish. My casserole dish has a glass lid, but if you don’t have a lid for your casserole dish you can cover it with tin foil or aluminum foil.

Bake your Cottage Pie for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. After 30 minutes, remove the lid or foil and bake for another five minutes at 400 degrees. The total cooking time for Cottage Pie, from when you start boiling the potatoes, to when the casserole is done in the oven, is about 2 hours. Be sure to allow enough cooking time in your schedule. This is a dish you can always prepare ahead of time too! That is what I love about casserole-style dishes, you can prep them ahead of time, and then just bake them when you are ready!

This is an all-in-one dish, so you don’t need any side dishes. It is a complete meal! Love that! Serve with your favorite beverage, and enjoy!

If you would like to make Shepard’s Pie, you can substitute the ground beef for ground lamb, and this Cottage Pie recipe will instantly transform into a Shepard’s Pie recipe.

Things you might need to cook this Cottage Pie recipe at home:

I hope you love this Cottage Pie recipe, also known as Shepard’s Pie with beef. Enjoy!

XOXO

Cathy

cottage pie recipe