Oh, me. What a lovely creamy nacho cheese sauce this is. So smooth. So cheesy. It’s absolutely wonderful by itself as a dip for chips. It’s crazy good on nachos. Spooned on burgers. Drizzled on tacos. Anything that needs cheese (which is practically everything) needs this sauce.
Nachos Elevated
You can mix this sauce up by using a different cheese or even a mix of cheeses. Just don’t use that pre-shredded stuff. Although it has its uses, this isn’t it. That stuff has a coating that isn’t going to melt well. You’ll end up with a less-than-creamy nacho cheese sauce and that’s just not right.
Feel free to stir in some chopped chives, cooked crumbled bacon, or chopped chipotles in adobo sauce before serving.
Note: This recipe was developed using the Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-Less Fryer. If you are cooking using the Char-Broil Smoker-Roaster Grill you should cook with the lid open and the temperature set to High. You might also need to adjust the cooking time.
These garlic butter potatoes on the Char-Broil Big Easy were made in just minutes and made for the perfect side dish. The potatoes are tender, soft inside. With just a slight crunchy exterior. Oh, and the garlic butter sauce! Oh my goodness! The sauce is so creamy good. I just love garlic! You just want to swirl the potatoes around in the sauce. Get them good and coated. Then…. Boom! Devour!
A Bunk Bed Basket Means More!
You can fit a single disposable pan (for 3/4 pounds of potatoes) in the basket that comes with your Big Easy. Get a bunk bed basket and you can do a full 1 1/2 pounds of potatoes at once. You have to get a bunk bed for your Char-Broil Big Easy to make great side dishes like these garlic butter potatoes. It also gives you the ability to cook a side dish on one level and a main dish on another!
Fire up your Big Easy. Meanwhile, prepare the potatoes.
Place the potatoes into a microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave for 3 minutes on high. Stir and check for doneness.
Microwave another 2 minutes (or longer if needed) until just tender. Do not over-cook, they need to have a little bite to them.
In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, oil, garlic, salt and pepper.
Pour over the potatoes and stir to coat completely.
Divide the potatoes between two disposable pans and transfer the pans to a Big Easy basket fitted with a Bunk Bed so you can cook both pans at the same time.
Place the basket into the Big Easy and cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes start to turn golden brown around the edges.
Stir the potatoes.
Divide the mozzarella and Parmesan between the two pans and return to the Big Easy for another 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starts to get golden brown.
Carefully remove the pans from the Big Easy.
Garnish with parsley and serve.
Notes
Be careful removing the potatoes from the Big Easy. Make sure you support the pan from underneath.
Butterball sells a 3 pound turkey breast roast that you can find in your grocery’s frozen section. They’re very convenient and tasty. I usually roast mine, which comes out great, but not always as tender and juicy as I’d hoped. Well, sous vide to the rescue and then some! In no time at all, sous vide cooks up the turkey roast just flat out perfectly. Tasty. Juicy. Tender. You cannot beat it, whether you slice it thick to serve with gravy and mashed potatoes ala Thanksgiving or slice it thin for (out of this world!) sandwiches.
A Few Tips
There are a few key (but simple) things to keep in mind when making turkey breast roast using sous vide.
First, you have to remove the gravy packet. It doesn’t go into the sous vide. Now, removing it is easy if the turkey breast roast is defrosted, but if it’s frozen you’ll have to run it under cold water for a few minutes until you can pull it away.
Second, keep the turkey in the mesh bag that it comes in until you are ready to sear it at the end. Remove it carefully once the breast is sous vide or you’ll end up removing a lot of the seasoning.
Last, season the roast liberally. If you think you put too much on you probably nailed it perfectly. There’s a lot of turkey that needs to be seasoned. Don’t be shy with it and you’ll get that flavor in every bite.
If you own a smoker, you can skip the searing step and instead place the roast on a smoker for 30 minutes or so to let that great smoke flavor absorb into the turkey.
I use an Anova sous vide cooker. It’s my immersion circulator workhorse!
Tasty. Juicy. Tender. You cannot beat it, whether you slice it thick to serve with gravy and mashed potatoes ala Thanksgiving or slice it thin for (out of this world!) sandwiches.
Note: Keep the turkey in the mesh packaging until you are ready to sear it.
Remove the gravy packet. Note: If using a frozen breast, run briefly under cold water long enough to loosen and remove the gravy packet.
Sprinkle the breast with paprika and plenty of the seasoning. Don't be shy with it.
Transfer to a bag and vacuum seal.
Transfer bag to sous vide setup and cook for 5 hours if frozen, or 3 hours if defrosted.
Remove bag from water and cut open, draining off any juices. Remove breast (carefully so it stays intact) from mesh bag.
Sear the breast on all sides in a large skillet with a few tablespoons of oil over high heat. Or sear on a hot grill or under a broiler. You'll want to sear for about 1 minute per side.
Slice as desired.
Notes
This roast makes for some mighty delicious sandwiches.I have followed this recipe using a frozen roast and it came out perfectly too! I sous vide mine for 5 hours at 145 F.
It’s not that I don’t like ‘normal’ zucchini. I mean, yeah, it’s pretty ok in a stir-fry. But, deep fried Parmesan zucchini? Now THAT’S yummy zucchini! You can’t beat the flavor and the crunch. And of course, you gotta dip them in Ranch dressing. You’re already committed at this point. Sure, it’s not quite as healthy as stir-fried. Or raw on a salad. But, sometimes, you gotta let go and this… well, what a way to go!
Kick’Em Up
You can substitute Italian bread crumbs for the unseasoned bread crumbs and Italian seasoning if you want. I preferred to be able to amp up the Italian seasoning in my deep fried Parmesan zucchini, though. And make sure you drain the ‘coins’ well after frying. They’ll stay crisper that way.
If it’s just the two of us, I fire up my Fry Daddy fryer when I make these yummy appetizer.
I get out my big deep fryer when it’s time to fry a large batch of food. It comes to temperature quickly and it maintains that temperature perfectly. It has a built-in oil filter and storage unit so I can re-use the oil several times.
I’m by no means the first person to deep-fry ravioli. And there’s nothing particularly new or out-of-the-box amazing about this recipe. But, this is the best version of the yummy little fried bites that I’ve made. It’s my go-to, easy dinner recipe. Nothing fancy. Just really yummy. And a bit decadent. That’s probably why it’s yummy!
Psssst… It’s Ok To Add Some Heat!
I do admit, I do sometimes make a slight change to my deep-fried ravioli recipe. I like to add a few pinches of red pepper flakes or cayenne to the bread crumb mix. Sometimes I just want a bit of a kick, especially if I am serving these bites as appetizers instead of as the main course.
I use my Fry Daddy fryer when I make anything deep fried for just the two of us. It’s small, uses little oil and does a great job of frying.
I get out my big deep fryer when it’s time to fry a large batch of food. It comes to temperature quickly and it maintains that temperature perfectly. It has a built-in oil filter and storage unit so I can re-use the oil several times.
2cupsmarinara saucewarmed, for dipping. Pizza sauce is also great!
Instructions
Place a wire rack on a large baking sheet. You need a sheet that will fit in your freezer. If you don't have one, or don't have room, use plates lined with parchment paper instead.
Place flour in a pie plate.
Whisk the eggs with the milk in another pie plate.
In a third pie plate, combine the Italian bread crumbs, cheese, garlic powder, kosher salt and pepper.
Working in batches, coat the ravioli in the flour. Then coat in the egg mixture. Shake off any excess then coat in the breadcrumb mixture. Shake off excess and transfer to the wire rack on a single layer.
Place the baking sheet into the freezer for 30 minutes.
Heat oil to 350 F in a deep fryer or Dutch oven.
Line a few plates with paper towels.
Working in batches, fry the ravioli for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Transfer to the paper towel-lined plates.
Sprinkle with additional cheese and serve with warmed marinara sauce.
I follow a bunch of restaurants and pubs on social media. Some I’ve been to, some I hope to go to some day soon. The idea for these garlic Parmesan pub mushrooms popped up on my feed the other day and I instantly knew that I was going to try and make them at home. Sausage-stuffed mushrooms, baked in a sauce that is out-of-this-world delicious then topped with just a bit of mozzarella! These are the perfect appetizers!
Indulgently Fantastic
I made these garlic Parmesan pub mushrooms in a cast iron skillet on a grill. They’re perfect for a quick and easy dish before grilling dinner. You can make them in an oven too, and you don’t have to use a cast iron skillet either. A small baking dish will work just as well.
I found small Portobello mushrooms to be perfect for stuffing for these garlic Parmesan pub mushrooms but button mushrooms are fine also. Just try to use mushrooms that are all about the same size so they cook evenly.
Note: This recipe was developed using the Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-Less Fryer. If you are cooking using the Char-Broil Smoker-Roaster Grill you should cook with the lid open and the temperature set to High. You might also need to adjust the cooking time.
These Swiss scalloped potatoes using the Char-Broil Big Easy are proof that it can make fantastic side dishes. I actually already knew that. I use my Big Easy for everything from potatoes to beets to whole turkeys. It’s a great cooker, ideal for something as simple as these potatoes in a creamy cheese sauce that is the perfect side dish. The potatoes are all cooked perfectly, every single one, so every bite is perfect!
These Potatoes Are Always A Big Hit
I’ve made these Swiss scalloped potatoes on my Big Easy several times. The keys to success are equally-sliced potatoes (you want them to cook evenly) and good cheese. If you don’t have a bunk bed basket you’ll have to make the potatoes in two batches, which isn’t a big deal, but having that extra cooking space makes a big difference!
The best way to cook these potatoes is using a bunk bed basket. It doubles (or even triples) the cook space you have available to you. It can also make removing cooked items easier.
Bring to cream to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper and stir.
Add the potatoes. Add more cream if the potatoes aren't covered.
Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are just becoming tender. This will take 10-12 minutes. If the potatoes stick to each other you can break them apart with a fork but be careful to not poke or break the potatoes.
Remove potatoes from the heat.
Fire up your Big Easy.
Spoon 1/3 of the potatoes into the pan. Also get some of the cream. Spread the potatoes out evenly.
Sprinkle the potatoes evenly with 1/3rd of the cheese.
Add another 1/3 of the potatoes and some of the cream, topped with another 1/3rd of the cheese.
Finish up with the last of the potatoes, cream and cheese.
Transfer the pan to the Big Easy. I recommend using a Bunk Bed basket because it's easier to get in/out of the Big Easy and it provides support to the bottom of the pan.
Cook for 30-45 minutes or until the cheese is starting to bubble and the tops of the potatoes start to turn golden brown.
Carefully remove the pan from the Big Easy. If using a Bunk Bed basket remove just the basket.
Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
If you have any leftovers you can also use the Big Easy to re-heat them.
This slow cooker kids’ Sloppy Joe is the easiest recipe ever. The beef soaks up all that great seasoning after a few hours in the crockpot, making it better than the old skillet version in my opinion. I don’t know where it went, but summer up and left and it got cool, fast. I instantly went into hunker-down, comfort food mode. One of my all-time favorite cooler weather foods is a Sloppy Joe. Messy, beefy, tasty sandwiches. You can’t beat that.
No Toppings Required
I don’t put anything on my slow cooker kids’ Sloppy Joe. No cheese. No extra onions. And no jalapenos. Nothing. I keep it simple, like I remember as a kid. This isn’t the time for fru-fru, this is the time for good ole eats.
Now, I do have one sort of indulgence. I have to toast my buns. I just cannot stand soggy slow cooker kids’ Sloppy Joe buns. The longer that saucy sauce sits the more the buns soak it in and they get soggy and mushy. As a kid I would request (nicely of course) that my mom get my hamburger buns extra crispy. Not burned, just crispy.
I made some smoked ribs once that I called the ‘best’. Then a week later I found a new technique that was really the ‘best’. So I made a rule that I’d not call anything the ‘best’. Well, in a blatant violation of that rule, this is the best vegetable soup. Why did I commit such a flagrant violation? Because I’m not going to ever look for another vegetable soup recipe. I don’t need to. I can stop after this one. Packed with vegetables, easy to make (ok, there’s some chopping involved, but I consider that cook therapy), and oh so delicious, it’s a real winner. And it makes a really big batch. Plenty for a crowd, and great for freezing for later.
Whatever Veggies You Have, Toss Them In!
You can omit any vegetables you can’t find or don’t have on hand. This recipe for the best vegetable soup is pretty forgiving. More is better, though, so if you have to leave something out try to find something else that can take its place.
Don’t be shocked about the amount of dried basil. It might seem like a lot, but this recipe makes a LOT of soup. I don’t recommend cheating on the basil. Add the full amount.
I like to use my good ole trusty Dutch oven to make this soup and pretty much darned near anything like it on my stovetop. It’s nice and big and sturdy. That extra weight helps it maintain and distribute heat perfectly. As an added bonus, it’s actually pretty easy to clean up too!
It was a very cold few days here in Indianapolis. Not ‘brrrr’ cold but ‘brrr brrr’ cold, and that’s cold. That meant time for a good ole pot of stick-to-your-ribs comfort food. Time for some skillet sausage mac and cheese. Easy to make, a bowl of this will warm you to your cockles. I’m not sure what those are, but they’ll be warm! This makes a good-sized batch, perfect for lunches or dinner. Or both.
The Perfect Comfort Food
When I make this skillet sausage mac and cheese again (and it’ll be soon, because winters here are long) I might use ground Italian sausage instead. Or I might add a good pinch or two of red pepper flake for a bit of kick. I might even use a different pasta. No matter what I do, though, it’ll still be a great dish.
