SWEET HONEY CATALINA DRESSING

One of our favorite salads:
torn lettuce
halved grape tomatoes, salt and peppered
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
shredded Parmesan or sharp cheddar cheese
torn rotisserie chicken pieces
Durkee’s french fried onion rings or similar topping
SWEET HONEY CATALINA DRESSING

SWEET HONEY CATALINA DRESSING
1 1/2 cups Heinz ketchup
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons sugar
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch ground cloves
3 tablespoons finely grated green onion
1 pinch salt
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1 cup safflower oil

  • Whisk all ingredients together until well blended and sugar is dissolved.
  • Chill.
  • Enjoy.

An email with Food for thought

This email came across my desk awhile back and I thought I’d share.

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don’t care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn’t allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn If all My followers did that there wouldn’t be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, look up John 15: 1 – 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don’t have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can’t afford and they don’t need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

4. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

5. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don’t know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.

6. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren’t allowed to wish you a “Merry Christmas” that doesn’t keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn’t make so much money on that day they’d close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families

7. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary– especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.

8. Here’s a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no “Christmas” tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don’t know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.

9. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don’t do things in secret that you wouldn’t do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

Don’t forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I’ll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I’ll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and remember:

I LOVE YOU,
JESUS

HOT WING SOUP ala NIBBLE ME THIS

Chris over at NIBBLE ME THIS invented this awesome soup that has become a family favorite here at our house! I’ve adapted it to what I had on hand and it was fabulous!

I loved Chris’ choices:
Fat –  Had to be butter, since that goes into hot wing sauce, right?
Mirepoix – Celery & carrot.  Celery because it is a standard accompaniment and carrot to help get the orange color I wanted.
Starch – I thought about using potatoes but went with buttery croutons instead.
Liquid – Chicken broth, beer and hot sauce – a no brainer

Hot Wing Soup

adapted from  www.nibblemethis.com

1 stick unsalted butter
5 cups Italian bread cubes, no crust* I used San Luis Cracked Wheat Sourdough
1/2 cup finely diced carrot
1/4 cup finely diced celery
salt (see instructions)
1/2 Tbsp paprika I used Sweet Hungarian
4 cups chicken broth
12 oz dark beer* I used Amberbock that I had on hand
2 Tbsp hot sauce*  I used Frank’s
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles I used gorgonzola
garnish:  meat from chicken wings, more blue gorgonzola cheese, chopped celery leaves*

  • Preheat a heavy bottom stock pan over medium high heat.
  • Add 3 tablespoons butter.  Once bubbling hot, add the bread cubes and quickly toss to coat evenly.  Season with a pinch or two of salt.  Cook until golden brown on all sides – about 5-7 minutes.  Remove.
  • Reduce heat to medium, add 4 tablespoons butter to the now empty pot.  Saute the celery and carrot until tender – about 8 minutes.  Season with a pinch or two of salt while sauteing.  
  • Add the chicken broth, beer, paprika, gorgonzola cheese, and the croutons that you made earlier.  Bring to a simmer and cook until the bread begins to break apart – about 5-6 minutes.
  • Use an immersion blender to blend to a smooth consistency.
  • Bring back to a simmer and stir in the last tablespoon of cold butter.  I know that technique at the end of sauces adds a little luster so I thought it couldn’t hurt with soup.  Taste for seasoning.  I added about 1/2 teaspoon more of salt at this point but let your taste buds be the judge.
  • Garnish with chicken wing meat, more cheese crumbles, and finely chopped celery leaves.

Chris’ Notes

  • Bread – I know, this sounds like a lot.  It will cook down.   He’s so right!!
  • Beer – I used Sweetwater Brewing Georgia Brown but any good dark beer will do.  You could also skip beer altogether and use more chicken broth but beer and wings go together, right?
  • Hot sauce – The family thought it was a little spicy at this level so if you want mild, just use one Tbsp Franks Hot Sauce would be the traditional hot sauce to use but I used Fire Ant Juice.
  • Celery leaves – Weird?  I like chopping them finely for a garnish.  Use parsley instead if you like.
  • Makes 4 servings

The Folded Napkin … A Truckers Story

This email came to me and really made me feel good about the potential in people.  While Snopes says this a False story, I choose to believe it could be true and that we can still find good everyone.

image credit  Truck Stop Diner by jwoodphoto

The Folded Napkin … A Truckers Story
I try not to be biased, but I had my doubts about hiring Stevie. His placement counselor assured me that he would be a good, reliable busboy. But I had never had a mentally handicapped employee and wasn’t sure I wanted one. I wasn’t sure how my customers would react to Stevie. He was short, a little dumpy with the smooth facial features and thick-tongued speech of Downs Syndrome.

I wasn’t worried about most of my trucker customers because truckers don’t generally care who buses tables as long as the meatloaf platter is good and the pies are homemade. The four-wheeler drivers were the ones who concerned me; the mouthy college kids traveling to school; the yuppie snobs who secretly polish their silverware with their napkins for fear of catching some dreaded “truck stop germ” the pairs of white-shirted business men on expense accounts who think every truck stop waitress wants to be flirted with. I knew those people would be uncomfortable around Stevie so I closely watched him for the first few weeks.

I shouldn’t have worried. After the first week, Stevie had my staff wrapped around his stubby little finger, and within a month my truck regulars had adopted him as their official truck stop mascot. After that, I really didn’t care what the rest of the customers thought of him. He was like a 21-year-old in blue jeans and Nikes, eager to laugh and eager to please, but fierce in his attention to his duties. Every salt and pepper shaker was exactly in its place, not a bread crumb or coffee spill was visible when Stevie got done with the table.

Our only problem was persuading him to wait to clean a table until after the customers were finished. He would hover in the background, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, scanning the dining room until a table was empty. Then he would scurry to the empty table and carefully bus dishes and glasses onto cart and meticulously wipe the table up with a practiced flourish of his rag. If he thought a customer was watching, his brow would pucker with added concentration. He took pride in doing his job exactly right, and you had to love how hard he tried to please each and every person he met.

Over time, we learned that he lived with his mother, a widow who was disabled after repeated surgeries for cancer. They lived on their Social Security benefits in public housing two miles from the truck stop. Their social worker, who stopped to check on him every so often, admitted they had fallen between the cracks. Money was tight, and what I paid him was probably the difference between them being able to live together and Stevie being sent to a group home. That’s why the restaurant was a gloomy place that morning last August, the first morning in three years that Stevie missed work.

He was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester getting a new valve or something put in his heart. His social worker said that people with Downs Syndrome often have heart problems at an early age so this wasn’t unexpected, and there was a good chance he would come through the surgery in good shape and be back at work in a few months.

A ripple of excitement ran through the staff later that morning when word came that he was out of surgery, in recovery, and doing fine. Frannie, the head waitress, let out a war hoop and did a little dance in the aisle when she heard the good news. Bell Ringer, one of our regular trucker customers, stared at the sight of this 50-year-old grandmother of four doing a victory shimmy beside his table. Frannie blushed, smoothed her apron and shot Belle Ringer a withering look.

He grinned. “OK, Frannie, what was that all about?” he asked.

“We just got word that Stevie is out of surgery and going to be okay.”

“I was wondering where he was. I had a new joke to tell him. What was the surgery about?”

Frannie quickly told Bell Ringer and the other two drivers sitting at his booth about Stevie’s surgery, then sighed: “Yeah, I’m glad he is going to be OK,” she said. “But I don’t know how he and his Mom are going to handle all the bills. From what I hear, they’re barely getting by as it is.” Belle Ringer nodded thoughtfully, and Frannie hurried off to wait on the rest of her tables.

Since I hadn’t had time to round up a busboy to replace Stevie and really didn’t want to replace him, the girls were busing their own tables that day until we decided what to do. After the morning rush, Frannie walked into my office. She had a couple of paper napkins in her hand and a funny look on her face.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“I didn’t get that table where Bell Ringer and his friends were sitting cleared off after they left, and Pony Pete and Tony Tipper were sitting there when I got back to clean it off,” she said. “This was folded and tucked under a coffee cup.”

She handed the napkin to me, and three $20 bills fell onto my desk when I opened it. On the outside, in big, bold letters, was printed “Something For Stevie.

Pony Pete asked me what that was all about,” she said, “so I told him about Stevie and his Mom and everything, and Pete looked at Tony and Tony looked at Pete, and they ended up giving me this.” She handed me another paper napkin that had “Something For Stevie” scrawled on its outside. Two $50 bills were tucked within its folds.

Frannie looked at me with wet, shiny eyes, shook her head and said simply: “truckers.”

That was three months ago. Today is Thanksgiving, the first day Stevie is supposed to be back to work. His placement worker said he’s been counting the days until the doctor said he could work, and it didn’t matter at all that it was a holiday. He called 10 times in the past week, making sure we knew he was coming, fearful that we had forgotten him or that his job was in jeopardy.

I arranged to have his mother bring him to work. I then met them in the parking lot and invited them both to celebrate his day back. Stevie was thinner and paler, but couldn’t stop grinning as he pushed through the doors and headed for the back room where his apron and busing cart were waiting.

“Hold up there, Stevie, not so fast,” I said. I took him and his mother by their arms. “Work can wait for a minute. To celebrate you coming back, breakfast for you and your mother is on me!”

I led them toward a large corner booth at the rear of the room. I could feel and hear the rest of the staff following behind as we marched through the dining room. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw booth after booth of grinning truckers empty and join the procession. We stopped in front of the big table. Its surface was covered with coffee cups, saucers and dinner plates, all sitting slightly crooked on dozens of folded paper napkins.

“First thing you have to do, Stevie, is clean up this mess,” I said. I tried to sound stern. Stevie looked at me, and then at his mother, then pulled out one of the napkins. It had “Something for Stevie” printed on the outside. As he picked it up, two $10 bills fell onto the table.

Stevie stared at the money, then at all the napkins peeking from beneath the tableware, each with his name printed or scrawled on it. I turned to his mother.

“There’s more than $10,000 in cash and checks on table, all from truckers and trucking companies that heard about your problems. “Happy Thanksgiving,”

Well, it got real noisy about that time, with everybody hollering and shouting, and there were a few tears, as well. But you know what’s funny? While everybody else was busy shaking hands and hugging each other, Stevie, with a big, big smile on his face, was busy clearing all the cups and dishes from the table. Best worker I ever hired.

Plant a seed and watch it grow. At this point, you can bury this inspirational message or forward it fulfilling the need! If you shed a tear, hug yourself, because you are a compassionate person.

Well.. Don’t just sit there! Share this story!

Keep it going, this is a good one!

HOT WING SOUP ala NIBBLE ME THIS

Chris over at NIBBLE ME THIS invented this awesome soup that has become a family favorite here at our house! I’ve adapted it to what I had on hand and it was fabulous!

I loved Chris’ choices:
Fat –  Had to be butter, since that goes into hot wing sauce, right?
Mirepoix – Celery & carrot.  Celery because it is a standard accompaniment and carrot to help get the orange color I wanted.
Starch – I thought about using potatoes but went with buttery croutons instead.
Liquid – Chicken broth, beer and hot sauce – a no brainer

Hot Wing Soup

adapted from  www.nibblemethis.com

1 stick unsalted butter
5 cups Italian bread cubes, no crust* I used San Luis Cracked Wheat Sourdough
1/2 cup finely diced carrot
1/4 cup finely diced celery
salt (see instructions)
1/2 Tbsp paprika I used Sweet Hungarian
4 cups chicken broth
12 oz dark beer* I used Amberbock that I had on hand
2 Tbsp hot sauce*  I used Frank’s
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles I used gorgonzola
garnish:  meat from chicken wings, more blue gorgonzola cheese, chopped celery leaves*

  • Preheat a heavy bottom stock pan over medium high heat.
  • Add 3 tablespoons butter.  Once bubbling hot, add the bread cubes and quickly toss to coat evenly.  Season with a pinch or two of salt.  Cook until golden brown on all sides – about 5-7 minutes.  Remove.
  • Reduce heat to medium, add 4 tablespoons butter to the now empty pot.  Saute the celery and carrot until tender – about 8 minutes.  Season with a pinch or two of salt while sauteing.  
  • Add the chicken broth, beer, paprika, gorgonzola cheese, and the croutons that you made earlier.  Bring to a simmer and cook until the bread begins to break apart – about 5-6 minutes.
  • Use an immersion blender to blend to a smooth consistency.
  • Bring back to a simmer and stir in the last tablespoon of cold butter.  I know that technique at the end of sauces adds a little luster so I thought it couldn’t hurt with soup.  Taste for seasoning.  I added about 1/2 teaspoon more of salt at this point but let your taste buds be the judge.
  • Garnish with chicken wing meat, more cheese crumbles, and finely chopped celery leaves.

Chris’ Notes

  • Bread – I know, this sounds like a lot.  It will cook down.   He’s so right!!
  • Beer – I used Sweetwater Brewing Georgia Brown but any good dark beer will do.  You could also skip beer altogether and use more chicken broth but beer and wings go together, right?
  • Hot sauce – The family thought it was a little spicy at this level so if you want mild, just use one Tbsp Franks Hot Sauce would be the traditional hot sauce to use but I used Fire Ant Juice.
  • Celery leaves – Weird?  I like chopping them finely for a garnish.  Use parsley instead if you like.
  • Makes 4 servings

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE

We hope you and yours have a wonderful, safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

I’m sharing my family’s scratch recipe for my Oatnut Sourdough Herb Dressing. My brother has been after me for years to always make it the same way dad always did (tradition) and write it down, so this one is for him and to see if he really does read my blog! LOL! We use this recipe for both Thanksgiving and Christmas and I always make enough to freeze for weekday meals too. It’s a great way to use up stale bread. Sometimes I will collect the stale bread into a wrapper in the freezer until I have enough to make a large batch.
Oatnut Sourdough Herb Dressing
10 slices Brownberry or Oroweat OATNUT bread, cut intobite size chunks
1/2 loaf sourdough French bread, cut into bite size chunks
1 large sweet onion, chopped fine
1 small bunch celery (leaves and all), chopped fine
1/2 bag baby carrots, chopped fine
1 box mushrooms, chopped fine
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon white pepper
2 sticks unsalted butter
4 cups hot water
2 tablespoons Better than Bouillon Chicken base
2 tablespoons Buttery Herb & Garlic Mix (I believe McCormick makes it)
4 cloves garlic, minced


  • Cut bread into bite sized chunks and spread out in a thin layer over cookie sheets.
  • Bake at 200 degrees for 3-4 hours until pieces are actually hard.
  • Chop all the vegetables.
  • In a large cast iron pan melt 1/4 cup of the butter.
  • Add the onions and saute until translucent. The add the celery and carrots and continue sauteing until crisp tender. Add the garlic last as it will burn first.
  • Whisk together the water, better than bouillon chicken base and all of the seasonings.
  • Add the melted butter.
  • In a large pan toss the bread slices together.
  • Add the sauteed vegetables and toss again.
  • Add the liquid mixture and toss again until well absorbed.
  • Fold entire mixture into at least a 9×13 baking dish.
  • Bake uncovered 1 hour.
  • At this point I use a small portion for our dinner that night and freeze the rest.
  • When it’s time to cook it again, I defrost it, put it back in the same baking dish and bake it again, but this time covered with foil until the last 15 minutes so it doesn’t dry out. We like it crisp on top so I remove the foil the last 15 minutes.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I hope you and yours have a VERY wonderful, safe and Happy Thanksgiving!
Now because it is Thanksgiving and everyone is sooooooooooooooooo busy this time of year I invite all my readers that want to participate to consider themselves tagged! Be sure and leave me a message so I can come read your answers!  I did this a couple of years ago and we had a lot of fun with it!

Now on to the FUN!!

1. Which do you like better: hosting Thanksgiving at your home, or going elsewhere?

Years ago I somehow ended up hosting for my family and that became tradition. I think I prefer it, but we have had many wonderful Thanksgivings elsewhere. Last year was at my sis-in-laws and 2 years before that at her DIL’s and while were both wonderful, they were much different from having had it here.

2. Do you buy a fresh or frozen turkey? Organic? Free-range?

Depends on what is available in the small town neck of the woods. I don’t care whether it is frozen or fresh per se, but do want a free range one.

3. Do you make stuffing or dressing? What kind?
Absolutely make it from scratch! It’s an Oatnut Sourdough Herb Stuffing.

4. Sweet potato pie or Pumpkin pie?
Neither, it’s Pumpkin Cheesecake here.

5. Are leftovers a blessing or a curse?
Definitely a blessing. We love the leftovers for easy meals the following week and MUST HAVE turkey sandwiches.

6. What side dishes are a must-have in your family?
Oatnut Sourdough Herb Stuffing, Apricot Carrot Casserole and Baked Pineapple.

7. What do you wish you had that might make Thanksgiving easier?
A double wall oven would be easier on my back.

8. If/when you go to someone else’s house for the holiday, do you usually bring a dish? If so, what is it? My Apricot Carrot Casserole because it is so different and blends well with whatever their menu is.

9. What do you wish one of your guests would bring to your house?
Smiles, appetites and positive attitudes.

10. What do you wish one of your guests would NOT bring to your house?
Bad attitudes coupled with deep seated arguments over politics and/or religion.

11. Do you stick with a particular menu from year to year, or do you mix it up?

While I do try to mix-it up now and then, a lynch mob quickly forms if I don’t keep it pretty close to what it has always been. For Christmas I have been able to mix it up better as it is also our youngest son’s birthday. He gets to pick the basic meat and then everyone else gets to pick a favorite to go with it and that has become our tradition since.

12. Is Thanksgiving a religious or secular holiday in your home?

It is a beautiful melding of both. We celebrate the pilgrimage with the influence God has always had on it.

13. Share one Thanksgiving tradition.
The Thanksgiving traditions in my family seemed to dwindle as the kids grew older and then the extended families and alternate get togethers grew. We do have a traditional meal with the same traditional recipes we have always used though.

14. Share one Thanksgiving memory.

As for disaster, it seems that in my parent’s house it always happened on Thanksgiving and usually involved the garbage disposal backing up and creating a HUGE mess. One year in particular it was really bad! So bad we couldn’t even have people over. My grandparents only lived a few blocks away. Long story short, grandpa brought their red Chevy station wagon over to our house with and old quilt spread out in the back and the adults loaded all the food there. My uncle and I rode in the back to keep all the bowls and pans from tilting over. While grandpa had been at our house, grandma had set the table at their house. All the food was unloaded from the station wagon and the preparation continued in grandma’s kitchen. It was one of the more memorable Thanksgivings I can remember.

15. Name five things you’re thankful for.

  1. My Faith and love of God
  2. The love of family and friends
  3. A roof over our heads
  4. Food on the table and Dirty Dishes
  5. Babies & Puppies

PAN SEARED CHICKEN w/ LEMON GARLIC GREEN ONION TAHINI (Lemon Sesame Sauce)

PAN SEARED CHICKEN w/ LEMON GARLIC GREEN ONION TAHINI (Lemon Sesame Sauce)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
sea salt and pepper
1/2 cup Panko crumbs
1 JUMBO egg
Baby Spinach
3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup tahini
6 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons safflower oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon sour cream
3 green onions, minced

  • Spread sesame seeds on cookie sheet and bake until fragrant.  8-10 minutes.
  • Shake frequently.
  • DO NOT BROWN. COOL!
  • Add sesame seeds and oil to a small food processor.  Blend until a smooth paste forms.
  • Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, green onions and 1 tablespoon sour cream blending until smooth.
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Pound chicken breasts thin.
  • Beat egg to use as a wash on chicken breasts.
  • After egg washing chicken, dredge in Panko crumbs.
  • In a large skillet melt butter until sizzling.
  • Add chicken pieces and sear on both sides until cooked through.  About 4-6 minutes per side.
  • Remove chicken.  Keep warm.
  • Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice to pan and spinach.  Saute lightly.
  • Plate spinach and then chicken.
  • Top with Tahini Sauce.

CHICKEN MILANSESE w/ KIWI CORN CHUTNEY

MILANESE – An Italian dialect or more commonly for our purposes, meat coated with flour or bread crumbs and browned in hot oil or butter.

CHUTNEY –  refers to a wide-ranging family of condiments from South Asian cuisine that usually contain some mixture of spices, vegetables and/or fruits.

GREMOLATA – Gremolata or gremolada is a chopped herb condiment typically made of lemon zest, garlic, and parsley. It is a traditional accompaniment to the Milanese dish in Italy.
CHICKEN MILANESE w/ KIWI CORN CHUTNEY

flour for dredging
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups plain bread crumbs
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, pounded thin
2 tablespoons butter
1 can Green Giant white shoepeg corn
1 cup red onion, chopped
3 ripe heirloom tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup tarragon leaves
1 kiwi, pureed
salt and pepper

  • In a small mixing bowl combine the lemon zest, parsley, thyme and garlic together to form a gremolata.
  • Add the bread crumbs and cheese.  Work with your fingers to blend well.
  • Use 3 shallow dishes for the eggs, bread crumbs mixture and flour.
  • Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
  • Dredge the chicken in the flour, coating well and then the egg wash followed by the bread crumbs.
  • In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat.
  • Fry the chicken pieces for 3 minutes per sides.
  • Puree the kiwi.
  • In a bowl combine the tomatoes, corn, onion, lemon juice, kiwi puree and tarragon leaves.
  • Serve chicken over mashed potatoes with chutney on top.

Grown Up Mac & Cheese with updated Danish Cube Steak

GROWN UP MAC & CHEESE
12 ounce package pasta
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon Frank’s hot sauce
3/4 cup sharp white cheddar cheese
3 ounces bleu cheese crumbles
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain Well.
  • Melt butter in a medium saucepan.  Add salt.
  • In a small food processor pulse bleu cheese crumbles until fine.  Set aside.
  • Add flour and whisk constantly over medium heat until smooth.
  • Gradually add milk, whisking constantly.  
  • Add hot sauce.  Bring to a slow boil.  Simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and whisk in all cheeses, salt and pepper to taste until smooth.
  • Mix pasta and cheese mixture together until well blended.
  • Scoop into a casserole or ramekins.
  • Bake 15-20 minutes.
  • Top with chopped chives.

DANISH CUBE STEAK REVISITED
3 ounces bleu cheese crumbles
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup minced green onions
6 pork cube steaks
1/2 cup panko crumbs
2 tablespoons butter

  • In a small food processor blend together the mayonnaise, bleu cheese crumbles and green onions until smooth.
  • Coat steaks on both sides with mayonnaise mixture.
  • Dredge through panko crumbs.
  • Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
  • Add cube steaks and brown on both sides.