Bacon, Date & Pistachio Encrusted Mac & Cheese

An accidental success gave birth to this unusual recipe.  My roommates and I threw a party where we served homemade macaroni & cheese and bacon-wrapped dates, alongside many other finger foods.  The next day, I heated up some leftover mac n' cheese and, as happens from time to time, it got mixed into the candied dates.  Naturally, I just ate them all together.  BOOM!  A creamy, luscious, taste-bud popping classic was born.

This twist on your everyday mac n' cheese replaces the quotidien bread crumb topping with a mixture of smoky bacon, sweet dates and salty pistachios.  Elevate your next bowl of mac n' cheese with these decadent ingredients for a TO.DIE.FOR comfort meal.

Bacon, Date & Pistachio Encrusted Macaroni & Cheese

Your Favorite Macaroni/Pasta & Cheese
5 Slices of Bacon, cooked
5-6 Pitted Dates
1/4 C. Pistachios, shelled (almonds would also work well)
Something green for garnish, like thyme

Preheat the oven to 350.

Place your cheesy pasta into a greased baking dish.  Set aside.

Roughly chop your bacon, dates & pistachios into similar sized pieces.  Mix them together in a small bowl.  Evenly cover the pasta with the bacon mixture.  Bake for about 15 minutes until the pasta is heated through and the topping has ever so slightly browned.  Garnish with thyme to finish.

Mom's Meatloaf

I think every man has at least one dish that his mom makes that he can’t live without.  This one’s mine.  This was my favorite Sunday meal growing up.  I remember being a child, walking inside from a day of winter sledding, peeling off my layers of snow clothes, cheeks all rosy, and sitting down to a meal of my mom’s meatloaf and potatoes.  I don’t think there’s much left in this world as real, unpretentious and wonderfully abiding. 

It’s light and dense at the same time, filled with concentrated tomato and smothered in caramel ketchup, bacon and bruléed onions.  Serve this on a cold day with roasted vegetables and horseradish potatoes for some hands-down, hug me hard, wrapped in a blanket, delicious comfort food.

Mom's Meatloaf

2 lbs lean ground beef

¾ Onion, finely diced

¼ Onion, in rings

1 Egg

½ C. bread crumbs

2 Cloves of garlic, minced

1 Can tomato soup

¼ C. Ketchup

2 T. Brown sugar

Bacon

Preheat the oven to 350.  Combine the beef, diced onions, egg, bread crumbs, garlic and tomato soup in a large bowl, mixing with your hands until it is thoroughly combined.   Form the mixture into a large loaf and place in a large baking dish. 

In a small bowl, stir together the ketchup and the brown sugar.  Smear this sauce on top of the meatloaf.  Add the onion rings and top with a single layer of uncooked bacon.  Bake until the meatloaf is cooked through, about 1 hour.  Serve with roasted veggies, your favorite potatoes and extra ketchup. 

*Thank you to Morgan Webb who suggested meatloaf sandwiches.  Each time I make mom’s meatloaf, I’m sure to reserve a few slices for the next day.  Come back to Natural Sugar tomorrow for a killer meatloaf sandwich.  

BONUS Recipe:  Oven Roasted Veggies

You can't go wrong with this side dish.  It's classic, rustic and it seriously couldn't be easier!  Use your favorite veggies or whatever you have in the fridge.

Your favorite veggies, roughly chopped (I use potatoes, onion, carrots & something green)

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Your favorite dried herbs (I like thyme or herbs de provence)

Preheat the oven to 375.  

Add all of the chopped veggies to a big bowl.  Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs.  Toss them so they are all evenly covered in flavor.  Dump them onto a baking sheet and spread them into an even layer.  Bake for 30-45 minutes, turning once or twice, until they are beautifully roasted.  

Pasta Bianca

I don’t know about you, but sometimes, I just really need some comfort food.  And when I crave comfort food, I throw caution to the wind.  Calories are shoved out the door (as they should be) and then I’m alone and able to curl up next to a big bowl of something yummy.  Today, it’s creamy, cheesy pasta.  Pasta Bianca, that is.  C’mon, it still has to have a fancy name – we’re not animals! 

Pasta Bianca is Campanelle pasta, (which is my new favorite kind of pasta that looks like a flower or cornucopia) tossed in a sinful and rich sauce made from bacon, onion and cream.  Campanelle is perfect for this dish because its shape protects and envelops all that delicious sauce.  This Pasta Bianca is the perfect comfort dish on a cold winter’s night.  Serve it with golden thyme biscuits and your evening just got a whole lot more comfortable.  

Campanelle Pasta - try it!  You'll love it.

This is what you'll need:  pasta, bacon, onion, cream, Parmesan & thyme.

½ lb. Campanelle Pasta

4 Slices bacon, cut into chunks

1 Medium onion

¾ C. cream (if I don’t have cream, I just use whole milk)

½ C. grated Parmesan

15 Sprigs of thyme (or 1 t. dried thyme)

Salt & Pepper

In a large pot, bring salted water to a bowl and throw in the pasta.  Cook until al dente, about 12-15 minutes.  Drain, but do not rinse. 

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat.  You want the bacon to be browned, but not too crunchy.  For this dish, chewy is better.  Remove the bacon from the skillet and set it on a paper towel to drain.  Leave the bacon grease in the skillet and add the onion.  Cook until the onion earns just a bit of color.  You don’t want them caramelized.  When you have reached that perfect stage just after translucence, add the cream and Parmesan.  Stir until its has formed a thick and luscious sauce.  Add the thyme and season with salt and pepper.  If it tastes grainy from the Parmesan, cook it a few minutes more. 

If there is enough room in your skillet, add the pasta right to it.  Toss to combine.  If not, just pour all that scrumptious sauce right into your pasta pot.  Garnish with more thyme and bacon and serve with thyme biscuits. 

*If you want even saucier pasta, splash some milk over the coated pasta and toss until it’s smooth.  

Try this new twist on biscuits.  Open a can of flaky biscuits and sprinkle them with fresh thyme.  Bake until they're golden brown.  The thyme gives them subtle flavor and rustic charm.  

Sue's Chili

My good friend Sue made this chili for me a long time ago when I was feeling under the weather.  It hit the spot then and it's tasted just as great ever since.  This chili is sweet and hearty and comforting.  It is a staple at my Halloween and Super Bowl parties and my go-to when I just want to curl up under a blanket on a winter afternoon.  This weekend, I made it for my weekly Amazing Race get-together and it was a hit.  Thank you Sue, for sharing! 

*Thank you to my friend Ruth for the cornbread in this picture.  

2 lbs. ground beef

3 onions, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

4 cans stewed tomato

4 cans beans (I use Black, Northern, & Kidney)

1+ T. sugar

1 T. salt

Pepper, to taste

1 T. chili powder

1+ T. Worcester sauce

1/2 C. chili sauce

Brown the beef and onions in a large pot.  Add the stewed tomatoes and beans.  Bring to a simmer.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer.  Cook at least one hour, or all day.  Season to taste with extra sugar and Worcester sauce.  Serve with cheddar cheese and cornbread.