Super Bowl Sunday

Coming up with a great menu for the Super Bowl is very important. I didn't want to do the typical hamburgers, hotdogs, or cliche chips and dip, so I decided to branch out by taking some game day and comfort food favorites and adding a gourmet twist. I made Buffalo Chicken Sliders, Gruyere Bacon Mac and Cheese, and Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus. Let's just say this meal was any man's dream for a gameday meal, since there was chicken, bacon, and prosciutto.

Slow Cooker Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Ingredients:
4-6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (can be frozen)
1 (12 ounce) bottle buffalo wing sauce, divided
1/2 (1 ounce) package dry ranch salad dressing mix
2 tablespoons butter
2 packs of soft rolls like Kings Hawaiian brand rolls

Materials:
Slow Cooker
Forks (2)
Spoon to stir

Yields: 20 sliders or 7 full sized sandwiches (or more)

Place the chicken breasts into a slow cooker, and pour in 3/4 of the wing sauce and the ranch dressing mix. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. (I stirred twice).

Once the chicken has cooked, (usually after 4 1/2 to 5 hours) drain liquid if any, and shred the chicken with two forks. Then add the butter and the rest of the buffalo sauce.

Serve with rolls and coleslaw with blue cheese or ranch dressing if desired.


Gruyere Bacon Mac and Cheese

I used a little more gruyere cheese than what the recipe called for. I bought a block of gruyere cheese and shred it myself.  For grated parmesan, I used Parmesan Romano Cheese. I highly recommend using a Fusilli pasta or a fun shaped pasta of your choosing. In terms of bacon, make sure to use a good quality bacon like Jones Dairy Farm Sliced Bacon. Cook the bacon before cooking the past or the cheese sauce.

Ingredients:
1 lb of pasta
6 slices of bacon diced
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 1/4 cups (or to taste) shredded gruyere cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Materials:
Large pot
Cookie sheet
Parchment paper
Large spoon
Wooden spoon
Cutting board
Knife
Aluminum foil
Medium saucepan
Cooling rack
Pasta strainer

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cook the bacon on a large cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil with a piece of parchment paper on top. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until crispy. Remove from oven and let it cool. Transfer to paper towel and remove the excess grease. Dice the bacon on a cutting board, and set aside.

In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package instructions. While the pasta is cooking, in a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream, garlic, and thyme over medium heat. Bring to a slight boil and reduce by half, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in cheeses, a handful at a time, until smooth, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in pasta until well combined.

Garnish with bacon, and serve immediately.

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 Asparagus spears
6 prosciutto slices/strips

Materials:
Large frying pan

Wash asparagus and cut 2 cm off the ends. Cut prosciutto strips into two halves, going lengthwise, you should end up with 12 strips.

Place each prosciutto strip on a chopping board at a 45 degree angle. Place one of the asparagus spears on top of the meat, perpendicular to it. The tip of the asparagus should be lined up with the bottom of the prosciutto strip. Wrap the bottom end of prosciutto over the asparagus and holding the meat tight start rolling the asparagus up.  The prosciutto strip will wrap around the whole length of the spear because it's on an angle. You can try a different wrapping method, but I find this is a very quick way to do it. Don't worry if parts of the asparagus spears are not covered completely.

Sautee the asparagus in a large frying pan on medium heat cook each side for 1-2 minutes or until prosciutto is brown and crispy.

Healthy Pasta Bake

Sorry for the late blog post-- work has been hectic lately. However, I managed to try a new recipe last week. This pretty inexpensive and fairly easy to make. This pasta bake was delicious. I recommend making this for a large group of people, unless you don't mind having a lot of leftovers.

**I used two bunches of Asparagus, which was probably a little over a pound. I cut the asparagus in halves after I steamed it in order to make it easier to eat and dish out. For the chicken, I cooked 3 chicken breast, which equaled a pound, in 4 tablespoons of Olive Oil in a Deep Frying Pan. However, I'm sure you could buy a cooked chicken and cut it up, if you needed to save some time. Feel free to add more cheese, if needed.

Ingredients:
1 lb Asparagus- Steamed
1 1b of pasta (penne, zitti, or rigatoni)
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 lb Chicken Breast- Cubed and Cooked
1/2 Cup Sargento 6 cheese Italian Blend
1 tablespoon of garlic, minced (feel free to add more if you like garlic)

Materials:
Large casserole pan
Measuring cup
Serrated knife
Serving spoon
Large, deep frying pan (to cook the chicken)
Tablespoon



Add all ingredients into a 9 x13 pan (or large casserole pan) and stir to combine. 
Top with Cheese and Broil for 10-12 minutes at 400°F or until cheese is golden

Parmesan Asparagus

The other night I wanted to make something different instead of having steamed Asparagus. I decided to jazz up my dish a bit by adding a few ingredients. This is a pretty easy side dish recipe that's great to make for even a weekday meal.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2-3 teaspoons of grated Parmesan
1 bunch of Asparagus (bottoms removed), steamed

Materials:
Medium sized Corning Ware Dish with glass lid
Tablespoon
Teaspoon
*Frying Pan (optional)

Either sauté the asparagus in a frying pan with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. or cook asparagus in corning ware (add a little bit of water to the bottom) in microwave for 2-4 minutes depending on thickness. 

If you cook them in the microwave, cook until tips are tender and drain water. Then add Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

If you cook them in a frying pan, remove from heat when tips are tender and place asparagus in corning ware.

Finally, add parmesan. Don't add Parmesan when asparagus is piping hot. Let it cool for a minute, then add parmesan. 

Cover with lid until you serve.

Winter: Salmon in Parchment

This is the perfect fish in parchment during Winter. I made up the recipe myself. The pairing was perfect. This is a great and easy meal to make during the week. 

Serving Size: 1 Person

Ingredients:
1/2 pound of salmon
Half a bunch of Asparagus, with ends removed 
2 peeled sweet potatoes chopped into pieces
Heavily Pepper
Pinch of Salt
Old Savannah Spice: Seafood Seasoning, to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (to lightly coat fish and veggies)
Dill Chopped 


Materials:
Deep Dish Pan
Tin Foil
Parchment


Preheat Oven to 350°F.
Line Deep Dish Pan with a piece of tin foil.
Place a piece of parchment that smaller in size on top of the tin foil. Place fish and veggies on parchment. Be sure to put Salmon in middle and veggies around the salmon.
Lightly coat salmon back and front with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and do the same for veggies
Put chopped dill on top of salmon
Heavily pepper salmon and veggies.
Lightly salt salmon and veggies.
Sprinkle Old Savannah Spice: Seafood Seasoning over salmon & veggies.
Cook for about 30-40 mins