The 2 Spoons

love this creamy baked macaroni and cheese.

September 10, 2021 by Becky Spoon

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You also will love this creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese! Honestly, there are few that don’t love Macaroni and Cheese. It is a side dish so versatile that you can serve it along side so many main courses. For instance,

Meat Loaf The Best – Mom’s Meatloaf
Oven Fried Chicken Mom’s Super Oven Fried Chicken
Pork Chops perfect for a Sunday lunch or dinner – delicious southern smothered pork chops.

This is the perfect dish to have with just other vegetables. A pot of beans and cornbread. Mustard greens and mac n’ cheese are the perfect combination.

love this creamy baked macaroni and cheese.

I like to use the large elbow macaroni shells. I think they are the best for this dish. I know some like to use Penne but I really like the elbow shells. I bought these the other day and they were great: https://amzn.to/3BYSz2w. A nice brand and the shells were big.

Ronzoni Large Elbows Pasta No. 74 (3 Boxes)

Don’t let Macaroni and Cheese intermediate you if you haven’t made it before and please make it from scratch. There are just a few easy steps.

Boil the pasta and drain.
Make the cheese sauce by combining the butter and flour and whisking in the cream/milk.
Cook the sauce until it has thickened
Add the shredded cheeses and combine until melted.
Combine cheese sauce with cooked pasta.
Transfer half of the mac and cheese to a baking dish, add some of the shredded cheese.
Top with the remaining macaroni and cheese and top with the remaining shredded cheese.
Dot the finished mac and cheese with Velveeta cubes.

You can use your choice of cheeses. In this recipe I just used Medium Cheddar, Monterrey Jack Cheese and Velveeta. Other cheeses I like to use in Mac n Cheese are Muenster, Gouda, Gruyere, Fontina, Colby and American.

love this creamy baked macaroni and cheese.

Here you go with this great recipe! I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think!

Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

You will love this creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese! Honestly, there are few that don't love Macaroni and Cheese. It is a side dish so versatile that you can serve it along side so many main courses.

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Course easy side dish, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

2 cups large elbow macaroni
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pinch smoked paprika
1 cup mild to medium cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup Monterrey Jack Cheese, grated
6-8 1 inch cubes Velveeta cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter your casserole dish.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender. Drain the pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a large sauce pan. Add the flour and cook, while whisking a couple of minutes until it starts to turn a little tan in color.
Add the heavy cream and milk and cook until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. I like lots of black pepper in my macaroni and cheese. Add the onion powder, garlic powder and a pinch of smoked paprika. Taste and add additional seasonings if desired.
Add the Cheddar cheese and the Monterrey Jack Cheese (or other cheeses you choose) reserving the Velveeta cubes. Whisk the cheese into the sauce until completely melted.
Add the cooked macaroni into the cream sauce and combine.
Add half of the mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Add half of the cheese and the Velveeta cubes. Add the remaining macaroni mixture and top with the remaining grated cheese. If you need more milk add it at this time. I prefer a finished dish that is really creamy.
Place in the oven and cook until the cheese is melted and golden. Enjoy!

Keyword baked, cheese, creamy macaroni and cheese, easy side dish, macaroni, macaroni and cheese, side dish

simple and delicious banana pudding – 1 of the best

September 4, 2021 by Becky Spoon

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This banana pudding will become your #1 recipe go to for those Southern meals!

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This Banana Pudding really is amazing!! This is not my usual recipe but this may be my go to from now on! I ran across this recipe and it is supposed to be from the Magnolia Bakery in New York City that ships this deliciousness everywhere! So, with that said this is “supposedly” a close to their recipe and it is so good!

If you find yourself in New York City here is the link for their store www.magnoliabakery.com. And, of course, a photo of this deliciousness!

I’m going to tell you from the beginning that although this recipe is beyond simple, I do start the day before because you want the pudding portion to be thick and chilled before you go to the next step which is folding in heavy whipped cream. Yes, I said that, heavy whipped cream. If I haven’t gotten your attention yet, read on.

amazing, simple banana pudding.

This recipe for the banana pudding combines a box of vanilla instant pudding with a can of sweetened condensed milk. Yes. That in itself speaks deliciousness. I always use Eagle Brand but there are other brands available. https://amzn.to/37SYB6T this is a 4 pack.

And, of course vanilla wafers. I know there’s other brands of vanilla wafers, but I’m a diehard fan of Nabisco Vanilla Wafers. Can’t help it, I always get the Nabisco brand. https://amzn.to/2Zaq3t9.

amazing, simple banana pudding.

What you may need to make this banana pudding.

Before I post the recipe, here are some of my favorite things used in this recipe. I love these pyrex wet measuring cups. https://amzn.to/2ClKxHk.

If you don’t already use a roll of commercial clear wrap you have to if you have room for it! It is so easy to use, just put the bowl you want to wrap or ingredient in front, cover then the easy blade cuts it without any twisting or untangling saran wrap. I have used this foodservice for years: https://amzn.to/37NCj6F

Here is another delicious dessert I think you’ll love!Perfectly Peachy – Peach Cobbler

Here’s the recipe for this Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding! Enjoy!

Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 15 servings

Ingredients

1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups ice cold water
1 3.4 oz box vanilla instant pudding mix
3 cups heavy cream
4 cups sliced, barely ripe bananas
1 15 oz box Nilla Wafers

Instructions

In a large bowl, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined – about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well – about 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set. It will be watery if you don't let it set up long enough.
In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture until no streaks of pudding remain.
Dessert can either be made in individual portions or in a large glass bowl with 4-5 quart capacity (a 9×13 baking dish also works).
To assemble dessert, arrange 1/3 of the Nilla wafers covering the bottom, overlapping if necessary. Next, layer 1/3 of the bananas, and 1/3 of the pudding mixture. Repeat twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer. Cover tightly and allow to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours – or up to 8 hours, no longer (because bananas will start to brown.

Keyword banana pudding, bananas, dessert, nilla wafers, simple, whipped cream

we love a new mexico green chile cheeseburger.

September 3, 2021 by Becky Spoon

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NEW MEXICO GREEN CHILE CHEESEBURGER! Wow! If you haven’t had one, you must. Not mentioned in the title is that these are actually on homemade potato buns and here’s the recipe for the buns https://the2spoons.com/the-best-potato-hamburger-buns/

Of course, the homemade buns are not necessary, but they make a huge difference! If you don’t make them, get a good potato bun from your deli. A great potato bun I’ve bought on line before is Martin’s Potato Bun. https://amzn.to/3iQ5SJe. Buying them on line isn’t cheap, but they are the best potato buns I’ve ever had. But, a regular hamburger bun will work!

we love a new mexico green chile cheeseburger.

I’m hoping that you bought green chile in the store recently as we’ve just passed this years season. If you didn’t, you can use the canned Hatch Green chile or you can find it in the freezer section of many stores. The green chiles are roasted and the outside skin is removed leaving a beautiful chile!

Every time we are in New Mexico, green chile cheeseburgers are a requirement. Many times we are there during chile harvesting season and we load up and bring them home to keep in the freezer.

They come in mild, medium or hot. It’s just a personal preference as to the heat level you like.

we love a new mexico green chile cheeseburger.

I cooked this on a charcoal grill, but a gas grill will be great too, whatever you have available. I use 80/20 ground beef for any burger recipe If you’re going to eat a burger, you have to have that fat for flavor. If I’m making a smash burger I may even use a 73/27 ground beef which is 27% fat. Honestly, I won’t make a burger with any number above 80/20.

I also used two cheeses, cheddar and muenster. Also, you want to be sure and place the green chile on top of the meat patty, then place the cheese over the green chile.

Now, here’s the recipe!! If you haven’t had green chile, you are in for a treat!

Green Chile Cheeseburgers

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Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Equipment

Grill of your choice

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb ground beef (80/20 or 73/27)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
3 cloves garlic
3 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
4 whole Hatch Chile (You can use chopped if that is what is available to you)
4-8 slices cheese of your choice (I used cheddar and Muenster
4-5 Buns
lettuce
tomatoes
chipotle mayonnaise

Instructions

In a medium bowl combine ground beef, salt, cumin, and chili powder. Mix with hands to combine. Form into four 1/3 lb patties.
When ready to cook, Prepare the grill of your choice.
Toss the garlic with 1-1/2 teaspoons oil and a pinch of salt and black pepper; seal them in foil to form a pouch. Brush the onions with the remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper to taste.
If you are using chile from the fresh point, grill the whole chiles, onions and garlic for about 15 minutes, until the chiles are blackened all over (turning them every 5 minutes), and the onions are tender and grill-marked (turning them, and the garlic pouch, after 7 or 8 minutes).
Place the chiles in a bowl, cover with a plate or plastic wrap, and steam the skins loose, about 10 minutes. Peel and seed the chiles, chop finely and transfer to a medium bowl. If you are using purchased chile, most likely this process has been completed, You can purchase whole green chile that has been charred and skins removed, or the same with the canned chopped chle, they are ready to go. The freezer section usually has chopped ready to use also.
Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic and the onions and add to the chiles. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, stir to mix, and set aside until ready to use.
Place the burger patties on the grill and cook each side 4 minutes or until desired doneness (140 degrees F for medium). In the last minute or two, top each patty with the chile mixture, then cheese to melt.
Lightly toast the burger buns if desired.
To build the burger, place patties on burger buns, spread the chipotle mayonnaise, layer the bottom with lettuce and tomato, and top with your burger that has the green chile mixture and cheese. Enjoy!

Chipotle Mayonnaise

Combine one cup mayonnaise with one chipotle chile with 1 tsp sauce from the can.

Keyword cheeseburgers, green chile, grilling, hamburgers, hatch green chile, New Mexico green chile, New Mexico green chile cheeseburgers

easy chicken parm is the best.

August 31, 2021 by Becky Spoon

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What could be more delicious than this easy Chicken Parm? This dish comes together in minutes and everyone loves this dish. Cook your favorite pasta, use your favorite jarred marinara sauce, top with the crispy delicious chicken and some parmesan cheese, fresh mozzarella or provolone, that’s it!

These are the easy steps:

Breading
Frying
Adding our sauce
Topping with cheese
Baking

For the breading I use Panko bread crumbs combined with some Italian seasoned bread crumbs. The chicken breast are boneless/skinless chicken breast. I dredge them in flour, then egg, then the bread crumb mixture. They are fried in olive oil. I then pour sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish, add the chicken, the cheese and bake until the cheese is melted.

easy chicken parm is the best.

If you have homemade sauce on hand use it. Marinara is really easy. Here is my marinara sauce recipe: Basic Marinara Sauce

I used Rao’s Arrabbiata Sauce. It is a little spicy and I love it. Rao’s is little more expensive, but I think it is well worth the cost. https://amzn.to/2Y5n6Nk.

Rao's Arrabiata Sauce Gluten Free, 24 oz (Pack of 2)

These are 1.5 pound jars. They are larger than the jars sold in a grocery store.

easy chicken parm is the best.

Here’s the recipe for this chicken dish. A similar dish on the blog is my Eggplant Parmesan. It is equally delicious. I Love Eggplant Parmesan! Comfort Food!

Hope you make both of these recipes!! Enjoy!

easy chicken parm is the best.

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Course dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Chicken

1 cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan
2 large boneless/skinless chicken breast halved lengthwise
olive oil for frying
1 lb pasta

For the sauce

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce or your homemade sauce (see my link in the post)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a casserole dish or sheet pan large enough to hold your 4 chicken filets.
Set up your dredging station: Whisk together your eggs with a splash of water in a shallow dish. Set up another dish with the flour seasoned with a little salt and pepper. In a 3rd dish add the panko, parmesan cheese and Italian bread crumbs.
Pound your chicken breast out between 2 pieces of chicken wrap. Cust them down the middle to make 4 pieces.
Heat enough extra virgin olive oil in a skillet to cover the bottom. Heat to medium high.
Place each piece of chicken in the flour, then the egg mixture, then the final bread crumb mixture.
Add to the skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides. Remove to a wire rack as they are done. Continue until all of them have been cooked.
Heat your sauce. Pour a layer of the sauce in the bottom of your baking dish. Place your cooked breaded chicken on top of the sauce. Add a little sauce to each piece of chicken, then top with a sprinkle of Parmesan, then the sliced mozzarella or the provolone.
Place in the oven and cook until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes.
While your chicken is cooking bring a large pot of sated water to a boil and add our pasta of choice. I used spaghetti. When done, drain and toss in some of the sauce.
To serve, divide the pasta among 4 plates. Top each plate with the chicken breast, spooning any remaining sauce over each dish.

Keyword boneless/skinless chicken, breaded chicken, chicken, chicken parm, chicken parmesan, main course, marinara sauce, mozzerella cheese

a simple cajun-spiced, boneless pork roast.

August 30, 2021 by Becky Spoon

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a simple cajun-spiced, boneless pork roast.

This boneless pork roast was really hard to photograph! Haha! They are really so bland looking! But they are so delicious! I honestly prefer a pork roast over a beef roast. I love a good chuck roast with lots of marbling, but sometimes I want that pork roast with cajun spices and gravy. Spices like:

salt
garlic powder
paprika
ground black pepper
onion powder
cayenne pepper
dried oregano
dried thyme
red pepper flakes (Optional)

Honestly, in this case I was cooking such a small roast, about 2 pounds, I just sprinkled the roast individually with the seasonings. In the recipe I’ll try to list a specific about for a roast that small. Ideally, a mixture of these spices kept in a container is great. Then you can use as needed.

Because this roast was boneless, part of it had a “natural” opening where they had removed the bone that I could season the inside of the roast and the outside.

a simple cajun-spiced, boneless pork roast.

I cooked this pork roast in the instant pot. The technique will not change, just the cooking time. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, I encourage you to look at it as a purchase because they are well worth it. The prices are much lower now and it will cut hours out of your cooking time. https://amzn.to/3BmXwBZ

I seasoned this roast in every area I could and then I tied it. Because it did have a boneless roast I wanted to tie it so that it would cook evenly. Another thing I did was after it was finished cooking, I wrapped it up and chilled it. Because of that I was able to get nice slices, rather than “shredded pork” which I didn’t want. After it was completely chilled I removed from the refrigerator, sliced it, wrapped it in foil, then heated in the oven at 250 until just heated. I didn’t want to cook, just heat. When heated, I placed on a platter or serving dish and poured some of the roast gravy over. The first meal was with mashed potatoes, gravy of course and roasted carrots! Absolutely delicious!

What I’m going to make with leftovers is a hash that I will have for breakfast with homemade buttermilk biscuits.

This hash is absolutely delicious for breakfast. Mixed with fried potatoes, green onions, green peppers, red peppers on a homemade biscuit and toped with a fried egg is just delicious and makes a great breakfast.

a simple cajun-spiced, boneless pork roast.

Here’s the recipe for this great pork roast with a delicious gravy.

a simple cajun-spiced , boneless pork roast.

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Course Breakfast, dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

For the Cajun Spice Mix

2 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic powder
2 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 1/4 tsp dried thyme

For the Pot Roast

2 -3 lb Pork Roast
Cajun seasoning
flour for coating the roast
1 yellow onion, sliced or diced
olive oil for browning the roast
chicken stock
2-3 carrots, sliced

Instructions

Combine the spices together and store in an air tight container.
Remove the pork roast from the refrigerator. Place it on a sheet pan or tray. If you are using a boneless roast there will be a pocket where the bone was. Season this area, close and generously season the roast on all sides. Allow the roast to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Set the Instant Pot to sauté. Add some olive oil to the insert pan to cover the bottom and allow to heat.
In the meantime, generously flour your roast all over, rubbing it in a little so it will adhere. Place in the hot insert pan. Allow to brown on the first side, then turn and brown on all sides. This will take several minuets, but makes all the difference in the world for those spice flavors to intensify.
Remove the browned roast to a dish. Add your onions and cook for a couple of a minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning and to start breaking up the bits at the bottom of the pan that are loaded with flavor. Then the onions are a little translucent, add 2 tablespoons flour. Whisk until the flour has cooked through.
Add the chicken stock, whisking continuously until combined and starts to thicken. Add the roast back in. Set the Instant Pot for 45 minutes.
After the 45 minutes, quick release the steam, being very careful. I always place a kitchen towel over it and it won't spray everywhere.
At this time check the doneness of the roast by inserting a fork. You want your roast to be fork tender. If there's still resistance, I'd place the lid back on and set the timer for an additional 30 minutes. After that, allow the roast to naturally release the steam.
After it has released, add the carrots, replace the lid and cook 10 minutes. Quick release.
Remove the roast and place on a platter. Allow the roast to rest for about 15 to 20 minutes. You should have a very nice thickened gravy left in the pan. Check for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
To serve, slice the roast onto a platter and ladle the gravy over the roast. Great with mashed potatoes or rice. Make good use of that gravy! Bon appetite.

Keyword cajun spices, Instant Pot, main course, pork, pork, roast, pot roast

love these easy pancetta, egg and cheese boats.

August 29, 2021 by Becky Spoon

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These pancetta, egg and cheese boats are from leftover wheat bolillo rolls I used the other day when making a Mexican Torta. I love to use things on hand. These are filled with an egg custard, onions, peppers, spinach, pancetta and cheese.

I removed much of the bread in the middle, making sure to not go all the way through so they won’t leak your egg custard. Then I layer with a slice of swiss cheese (didn’t have any gruyere) then I pour the egg custard in, then divide the filling among the boats. This is also the perfect on the go breakfast dish.

love these easy pancetta, egg and cheese boats.

I saw this recipe from the blog Fork and Spoon, who btw have many great recipes. They call them the original baked egg boats recipe, which likely is. So my recipe is from their recipe, I just changed a few things.

These boats are pretty much quiche that the bread is your crust. I did not have a baguette or other French bread but that may work better than these for a crowd. If using a baguette, you’d want it to be about 10-12 inches. You would hollow out the French bread the same making sure you don’t go all the way through. These sourdough baguettes would be good: https://amzn.to/3mG2fdJ. They are 10 inches.

Other combinations you may like:

sliced and sautéed mushrooms, diced shallots, and spinach
caramelized onions, diced ham, sliced green onions or chives, and shredded cheese
spinach, crumbled turkey breakfast sausage, and crumbled goat cheese
diced and sautéed bell peppers, crumbled feta, and spinach or kale
sliced chives, minced thyme, minced parsley, and shredded or crumbled cheese

Like these I had made earlier with ham, red peppers, fresh spinach and cheddar cheese! Delicious!

These are the Torta’s I made the other day with this Bolillo bread and they were amazing! amazing torta – a mexican street food favorite

love these easy pancetta, egg and cheese boats.

Need other breakfast recipes? Try these:

Here’s the recipe for these delicious breakfast boats.

love these easy pancetta, egg and cheese boats.

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Course Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine American

Ingredients

2 sourdough demi baguettes or any bread you can fill like I did
6 eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 ounces finely diced pancetta
2 thinly sliced green onions
4 ounces gruyere or other swiss cheese
pinch of salt (pancetta can be a little salty)
fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut a deep “V” through the tops of each baguette until about a ½ inch to the bottom and remove top. Un-stuff demi baguettes as much as possible, while keeping the shell of the baguettes intact. It's very important not to puncture through the crust while slicing the tops off and while un-stuffing. Set hollowed baguettes aside and discard the tops and removed stuffing.
Sprinkle about tablespoon of shredded cheese into the bottom of each hollowed baguette.
Whisk together eggs and cream. Pour the mixture evenly to the baguettes. Distribute the other ingredients evenly over the egg mixture. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Top with additional cheese on top if you like.
Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake for 35 to 30 minutes or until golden brown, puffed and eggs have set.
Remove baked egg boats from oven and cool for about 5 minutes. Cut each baguette into pieces and serve.

Keyword bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese, breakfast, brunch, egg boats, pancetta, pancetta egg and cheese boats