Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with Parmesan Crusted Chicken


  






Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

-------------Ingredients------------
12 Oz Rigatoni
1.5 Lb Butternut squash, peeled,seeded, and cut into chunk
2 2/3 C Milk
1/4 C Flour
4 Oz Sharp Yellow Cheddar
4 Oz Sharp White Cheddar
8 Slices of Bacon
1 Onion, diced
3 Oz Sourdough Bread
Salt,Pepper,Parsley
2 Tbsp Butter, melted


-------------Preparation------------

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly butter a 3-quart au gratin or baking dish and set aside.

Cook pasta according to package, drain, and transfer to a large bowl.

White the water is boiling for the pasta, cook the bacon in the oven (400 degrees) until crispy. Once fully cooked, reserve 2 Tbsp of the bacon grease and crumble your bacon.

In a large saucepan, combine the squash and 2 1/2 cups of milk over med-high. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Simmer the squash until tender (about 20 minutes).

Stir the remaining milk and the flour in a small bowl and add to the squash mix. Bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes. 

Stir in the cheese and bring the heat down to a simmer.

In a separate skillet, cook the onions in a small amount of butter until they are translucent (about 10 minutes).

Add the squash-cheese mix, onions, and bacon to the bowl with the pasta. Mix well and transfer to the prepared baking dish.

Place bread crumbs in a food processor and pulse until it turns into large course crumbs. Transfer to a bowl and add the melted butter.

Sprinkle the bread over the pasta along with a little extra cheese.

Bake in the oven  for 15 minutes uncovered. 


Parmesan Crusted Chicken

-------------Ingredients------------
3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 C Mayonnaise
1/4 C Parmesan
4 tsp Italian Bread Crumbs
Italian Dressing

-------------Preparation------------
Marinade the chicken in Italian dressing for at least 2 hours before you begin cooking. Use just enough dressing to cover each chicken breast.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Combine the mayo with the cheese in a bowl.

Brush each chicken breast with the mayo then sprinkle each piece with the bread crumb mix

Bake the chicken for about 20 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked.