Broccoli Mac and Cheese

After gum surgery my GF GF (Gluten Free Girl Friend) needed something soft to chew on. Amazing how nice this tastes. Easy to prepare and Gluten Free!



Ingredients
GF elbow noodles ( I used Ancient Harvest Quinoa Elbow Noodles)
Broccoli
Bacon - about 4 strips of thick cut should do fine
1/4 cup Butter
Parmesan and or Romano finely grated
1 cup of heavy cream
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese

Preparation
Boil elbow noodles and at same time 
Steam the broccoli until soft
Fry the bacon until crispy but not too crunchy
Drain off excess bacon fat leaving some in the pan for the next step
heat up the pan and add butter, scraping the drippings from the bottom of the pan
add the heavy cream and nutmeg whisking until it begins to boil
turn down heat and let bubble until it starts to thicken
Add in cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon, whisking until melted together
stir in the broccoli
add the noodles to the sauce and stir until all noodles are well coated in sauce.

Vartiations:
could include adding seared chicken breasts and sun dried tomato's. This could also be poured into a baking dish and baked in the oven. If baking in oven add some GF crispiness to the top like GF breadcrumbs.
Also leave out the broccoli and mix Sriracha or a favorite hot sauce into the cheese mixture before baking to make a Bahamas style Mac&Cheese.

NFL Chili


If you use better ingredients then the exact same receipe will come out very different. I used Ground Round for my beef.

Ingredients
Ground Round 1 1/2 lbs
Olive Oil
Sweet peppers (mixed yellow, red, orange)
1 onion
2 oz Bourbon, whiskey or dry vermouth
1 can of Pinto Beans
1 can of Kidney Beans
1 small can of tomato paste
1 can Diced Roma Tomatoes
1 tsp ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Turmeric
4 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp ground Cloves
Frozen Corn
Salt (Flaky Sea Salt - I prefer Maldon from Whole Foods)
Pepper (fresh ground)
Cilantro

In a large pot
Sear onion and peppers in olive oil
Add ground Round and continue to sear
Add spices and let them sear for a few minutes with the mixture
Add whiskey
turn down heat and begin to add the remaining ingredients (tomato, corn, and beans) holding the cilantro till later in the cooking.
When cooking is more than half way done add the Cilantro

Let cook covered for 40 to 50 minutes stirring periodically ad adjusting consistency as you like with water. I prefer a slightly dryer chili and this recipe

Garnish with your choice
Avocado or guacamole
sour cream or cottage cheese
cheddar cheese
any thing else that you like

Serve with Gluten free Corn Bread