Recipes

Yummy!!! Watch me prepare this ultra creamy Macaroni and Cheese recipe, using a few simple ingredients. It’s a comfort food classic that kids and families adore!

Tillamook Mac & Cheese

• 6 quarts water
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 pounds elbow macaroni
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 4 cups Tillamook Extra Sharp Special Reserve Cheddar Cheese
• 2 cups Velveeta Cheese, cubed
• 4 cups half and half, hot
• 1 teaspoon Johnny’s seasoned salt

1. It’s best to have the ingredients prepared before boiling the macaroni. Grate the cheese, heat the half and half, and melt the butter.
2. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt, and then add the macaroni noodles. Boil according to package directions. Pour the boiled pasta into a large strainer. Shake off excess water, and then return the noodles to the pot. Add the melted butter and stir well. Add the cubed Velveeta and stir well. Add the shredded cheddar and stir again.
3. Return to the stovetop and turn heat to medium-low. Add the hot half & half and seasoned salt. Stir just until cheese is melted.

Crunchy, quick, and delicious!! This recipe will knock your socks off! Watch Chef Becky prepare onion rings and dill pickles in batter made with Ninkasi beer!

Beer Battered Onion Rings

• ½ cup all propose flour
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ¼ cup instant mashed potato flakes
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup cold beer **(Nikasi Pravada Pilsner ) ** you may substitute cold club soda
• 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
• 2 large yellow onions (also try baby dill pickles, I dare you!)
• 3 cups canola oil

Sauce

• ½ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup ranch dressing

1. Peel and slice onions to ½ inch thick
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, potato flakes, cayenne pepper and kosher salt. Whisk in the beer and stir until smooth.
3. Place panko in a shallow bowl.
4. Make sauce by combining the ketchup and ranch in a small bowl. Set aside.
5. Heat the canola oil in a frying pan with high sides to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with paper towels.
6. Place 4 onion rings into the bowl of batter and toss to coat them.
7. Remove onion rings from batter and place into a pan of panko breadcrumbs. Turn to coat completely.
8. Carefully place onion rings in the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. The procedure is the same for the dill pickles!

This oatmeal is quick, easy, and delicious!!! I use rolled oats, rolled red wheat, cinnamon, brown sugar, milk, raisins, and a ripe banana for this recipe. It’s freezer friendly, so you can store some at home, or at work!

Banana Raisin Oatmeal

• 1 ½ cups rolled oats (not instant)
• 1 ½ cup red wheat
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 cups skim milk (almond, soy, rice, or coconut milk, may be substituted)
• 1 large ripe banana, diced
• ¾ cup raisins

1. Add oats, red wheat, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and milk to a medium sauce pan.
2. Using medium heat, bring to a simmer.
3. Simmer for 3 minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Stir in the banana and raisins.

Makes 4 large servings.

With bacon, blue cheese, and beef, how can you go wrong? Make these meatballs, and your guests will devour them!

Bacon Blue Cheese Meatballs

• 1 pound ground beef (12 to 15% fat)
• ⅓ cup Italian bread crumbs
• ⅓ cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon Johnny’s Seasoned Salt
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled fine
• ⅓ cup blue cheese crumbles

Condiments for serving: Ketchup, mustard, pickles, etc… whatever you would serve with a burger!!

1. In a large bowl, combine the milk, bread crumbs, and seasoned salt. Mixture will thicken and become like a paste. Stir in the crumbled bacon and then the blue cheese crumbles. Add the meat and mix well with your hands.
2. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Use a cookie dough scooper, scoop balls into balls. Roll each ball between your hands to get a perfectly round shape.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and use convection if you have it.
4. Bake meatballs for 7 minutes… open the oven, and give the cookie sheet a firm shake to loosen the meatballs from the foil. Bake 7 minutes longer.
5. Serve with cocktail forks and your favorite condiments such as ketchup, mustard, pickles, etc.

Watch me whip up these tasty waffles in no time at all, with a few basic ingredients. Top it off with blueberry sauce, sweetened with maple syrup and apple juice!

Waffles with Blueberry Sauce

• 4 cups blueberries, frozen
• 12 ounces Gala apple juice (‘Tude brand)
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ¾ cup whole milk
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• Extra oil for brushing the waffle iron

Special equipment: silicone brush, electric waffle maker

1. In a large saucepan, combine the blueberries, apple juice, and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, and then turn down to a rapid simmer. Simmer, and cook for 25 to 30 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients: eggs, oil, vanilla, and brown sugar. Whisk well. In a smaller bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir, just until combined.
3. Preheat waffle maker. Using the silicone brush, grease both top and bottom cooking surfaces with the extra oil.
4. Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop the batter and pour evenly onto the hot waffle maker. Close the lid, and cook until done, about 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Serve immediately with the hot blueberry sauce.

Deviled eggs are always the first thing to disappear at a potluck! Watch me prepare deviled eggs with a new twist!

Bacon Cheddar Chive Deviled Eggs

• 12 large cage-free eggs (I like Chino Valley organic eggs)
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled into tiny pieces
• 2 tablespoons sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon minced chives
• 2 pinches paprika, for garnish

1. Place cold eggs in a pot, add water to cover eggs by 2 inches, and bring to a boil. Turn down to a gentle boil, and boil for 9 minutes. When time is up, drain the boiling water off of the eggs, and fill the pot with cold water and ice cubes. Chill for two hours in the refrigerator. Peel and shell the eggs.
2. Fry the bacon until crisp, and then chop into tiny pieces.
3. Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks into a small bowl, and mash with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, bacon, cheese, and cider vinegar. Stir in mustard.
4. Fill egg white halves with the seasoned yolk mixture. Garnish with chives and smoked paprika.

Three simple ingredients are combined to make the perfect appetizer for wine tastings and summer parties!

Sun Dried Tomato & Basil Stuffed Brie

• 8 ounce Brie cheese wedge
• 3 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and julienned
• 3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped small
• Baguette or crackers for serving

1. Chill the brie in the freezer for 10 minutes to make it easier to handle.
2. Using a sharp knife, slice the brie triangle in half, so you end up with two identical triangles.
3. Place one triangle of the brie on a pretty oven-safe serving dish. Arrange the sun-dried tomato pieces on top, and then sprinkle with the chopped basil. Place the brie wedge on top and score the top of the wedge with a sharp knife. This will make it easier to serve after it’s been baked.
4. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Serve with sliced baguette, or your favorite crackers.

Mom’s need pampering every day of the year, but for Mother’s Day, we need to go all out!!! In this short video, I demonstrate two tasty recipes. Ham & Cheese Crescent Roll-Ups, followed by a tasty and colorful non-alcoholic drink, The Cinderella!

Ham & Cheese Crescent Roll-Ups

• 1 8-ounce tube crescent roll dough
• 3 ounces Nancy’s cream cheese, softened
• 2 teaspoons Koop’s stone ground mustard
• 1 tablespoon green onions, minced
• 2 tablespoons extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 8 thin round slices of ham
• Parchment Paper: Paper Chef pre-cut sheets

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, Dijon mustard, green onions, and extra sharp cheddar cheese.
3. Unroll the crescent roll dough and separate the triangles.
4. Using a small spatula, spread 1 tablespoon of the seasoned cheese mixture on each piece of dough. Then lay one slice of ham on top. Fold the edges of the ham in, so it is not hanging over the edges of the dough.
5. Start at the wide end of the triangle, and roll up, towards the point of the triangle. Place the crescents, point down, on the parchment paper.
6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Cinderella

• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup ginger ale
• 2 tablespoons grenadine
• Ice Cubes
• 1 orange slice, for garnish

Serve with a straw and a paper umbrella if you have it!

Makes 2 servings

1. In a cocktail shaker, combine the orange juice, pineapple juice, grenadine, and lemon juice.
2. Shake gently, and pour into a martini glass filled with ice.
3. Hang a slice of orange on the side of the martini glass.
4. Serve with a straw and a paper umbrella.

This recipe will knock your socks off! Meaty pork chops brine for 6 hours in porter, molasses, brown sugar, and kosher salt, then get rubbed with fresh garlic and sage!

Beer Brined Pork Chops

• 8 bone-in Pork Loin Chops (T-bone chops)
• 1 cup hot water
• 2 cups Deschutes Black Butte porter beer
• ¼ cup kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons molasses

• 7 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 ½ teaspoons table salt
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 5 teaspoons dried sage

1. In a glass bowl, combine the hot water, kosher salt, and brown sugar. Stir, and then microwave on high for 2 minutes to dissolve the sugar and salt. In a large bowl, combine the beer and molasses. Add the dissolved sugar and salt solution. Submerge the pork chops in the brine. Place in refrigerator for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Line a cookie sheet with plastic wrap, then two layers of paper towels. Remove pork chops from brine and arrange on the towel lined cookie sheet in a single layer. Blot the pork chops dry with several paper towels.
3. In a mini food processor, combine the garlic cloves, oil, sage, salt and pepper. Process until garlic is finely minced. Apply 1/4 teaspoon of this rub to each side of the pork chops. Press in well.
4. Preheat grill to medium-high. Place chops on grate, and close the lid. Turn heat down to medium. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn over, and cook for 3 to 4 more minutes. Do not overcook, or meat will become tough.

In this episode, I show how to make my own version of pasta salad with a warm parmesan cheese, garlic, and sun-dried tomato sauce.

Sun-dried Tomato Penne Pasta Salad

• 1 pound penne pasta
• 3 quarts water, with 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes, oil-packed variety, lightly drained
• ¾ cup parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil, and add 1 teaspoon salt.
2. Add pasta, and stir well. Bring to a boil, and cook for as long as the package states. Stir several times while pasta cooks.
3. In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise and minced garlic.
4. When pasta is done, pour into a large strainer. Do not rinse. Shake excess water off, and pour the hot pasta into the large bowl containing the mayo and garlic. Stir very well.
5. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and the parmesan cheese. Stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 8 servings.