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On the Q
In the Dish
In the Cup
In the Dish
 

Spicy Bacon Mac and Cheese

By Jennifer Reynolds, Sauce Goddess Gourmet LLC (www.saucegoddess.com)

Serves 8

 

2 cups         Bacon, regular thick cut low salt, chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 cloves      Garlic, diced

1 ea             Serrano pepper, minced

3 Tbsp.       Unsalted butter

1/3-cup       Flour

3 cups         Whole milk

1 cup          Gorgonzola or Blue Cheese, crumbled

1 cup          Jack cheese, shredded

2 cups         Sharp cheddar, shredded

2 tsps.         Hot sauce (the hotter the better)

2 Tbsp        Sauce Goddess BBQ Sweet Heat Seasoning

1/2 tsp.       Salt

1/8 tsp.       Black pepper (6 turns or so on the pepper mill)

1-pound      Dry pasta, any shape is fine

1/2-cup       Breadcrumbs

1 Tbsp.       Butter, melted

 

Start salted water boiling for your pasta.

1.     Start salted water boiling for your pasta.

2.     Cook bacon in fry pan with spatter screen until tender, about 10 minutes.

3.     Add garlic and pepper and cook for 2 minutes.

4.     Remove from pan. Leave 1 Tbsp. or so of the bacon drippings. The more drippings the stronger the bacon flavor will be in the sauce.

5.     Add the butter to the pan. Slowly add flour and stir to create a roux (or medium thick flour/butter paste).

6.     Slowly add milk to create the white sauce. Whisking constantly to prevent lumps.

7.     Add in hot sauce, Sauce Goddess BBQ Sweet Heat Seasoning, salt and pepper.

8.     Set aside 1/4 cup of the gorgonzola and jack cheeses and 1/2 cup of the cheddar for the topping. Add remaining cheeses in small batches slowly, adding more after the first amount has melted.

9.     Add back in the bacon and garlic. Stir to combine. Remove from heat.

10.    Cook pasta until almost done (still a bit firm when you eat it). You don’t want overdone pasta for this because you cook it in the oven for 45 minutes.

11.    Drain pasta and add to the sauce. Give it a final taste and add salt and pepper if it needs it.  Pour into a 9x13 baking dish.

12.    In a bowl mix the remaining cheeses with 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs and 1 Tbsp of butter. Sprinkler this over the pasta and sauce.

13.     Bake cover for 15 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking for 30 minutes in a 350 oven until the top is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Enjoy!

 
 
Super Spicy Guacamole
Serves 6-8

Ingredients
- 3 avocados
- 1 large red onion
- 4-5 small roma tomatoes or 1/4 cup diced roasted red peppers (or both!!)
- 4-5 tomatillos
- 1/2 cup chopped chili peppers or jalapeno peppers or serrano peppers, your choice
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 lime, juice of

Directions
1. Pit and dice avocados. I like mine very chunky, but you could mash or puree them if you like a creamier guacamole.
2. Dice red onion, peppers, garlic, tomatoes and tomatillos. Leave the ribs and seeds in the peppers if you like them to be VERY spicy! Again, chop everything smaller or larger depending on your preference of texture.
3. Add cilantro.
4. Toss diced veggies with cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, salt and lime juice.
5. Add the mixture to the avocados and toss (or mix if your avocados are pureed) evenly.
6. Adjust seasonings to taste, chill one hour to allow flavors to blend.    
 
Chef: Avi
City: San Diego
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