Creamy and comforting macaroni and cheese

There's not much that can top the absolute comfort of macaroni and cheese. Here is my basic recipe that you can use as a springboard for an endless amount of creativity.

What you'll need:

• Noodles: macaroni, shells, orechiette - your favorite shape that holds sauce
• Cheese: cheddar, American, Swiss, provolone - as long as it's a combination of cheeses that melt well
• Milk
• Cream cheese
• Onions, finely chopped
• Flour
• Butter
• Bread crumbs
• Ground nutmeg
• Freshly ground pepper and kosher or sea salt

I'm using whole grain medium shells, extra sharp cheddar, and American cheese. Use whatever combination of cheese you have. I also finely chop half an onion. You don't need a lot, and you can certainly leave it out, but I like the sweetness the onion imparts to the cheese sauce.

To start, put a pot of water on to boil. When it comes to a boil, add a generous amount of salt and the pasta. Cook until al dente. In the mean time, heat up a frying pan with a few tablespoons of butter and a splash of extra virgin olive oil. Add the onions, and let them cook on medium heat until soft and translucent. Season with salt and pepper.

When the onions are soft, sprinkle them with a few tablespoons of flour, and allow them to cook for another minute, stirring constantly. This is what they'll look like with the flour cooked in:

Time to add the milk. The amount of milk, of course, depends on how much you're making. However much you're making, start with less milk. It's easier to thin out the sauce than to make it thicker. So add the milk, turn up the heat, and stir constantly. The sauce should thicken up quickly. If it seems too thick, add a little more milk. I like to have a sauce about the consistency of a pancake batter.

Once the sauce is thickened, turn down the heat to low, and season with salt and pepper. If you have ground nutmeg or some fresh nutmeg to grate, add a little to the sauce. If you'd like a little heat in the background, add a pinch of cayenne as well. When you have the sauce tasting the way you like, it's time to add the cheese. Lots of cheese. If you think you're adding too much cheese, believe me, you're not. I also like to add some cream cheese for a little extra creaminess and tang. Stir it all in until it's melted, then add the cooked pasta to the pan.

Mix it all together until the pasta is happily bathed in the cheese sauce. You definitely want to make sure you have an abundant amount of the cheese sauce to coat the pasta, so it's still creamy after baking. Transfer the mixture to a greased baking dish.

For the topping, I like to use buttered bread crumbs. Simply melt a couple tablespoons of butter, and mix in your favorite bread crumbs. Seasoned panko bread crumbs provide a wonderful crunch to contrast the velvety smooth texture of the mac and cheese. Sprinkle evenly across the top, then bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes until the top is browned and bubbly.

Before.

After.

You will want to dive right in, but try to let it cool a bit before serving. I like it served on top of some mixed greens dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette.

Now that you know how to make the basic cheese sauce, go crazy! Throw in some chicken and sun-dried tomatoes or steak and crumbled bleu cheese. Or maybe some ham and asparagus or bacon and peas. Add a tin of tuna or salmon. Whatever you've got can make this recipe even more amazing and satisfying.

Make what you like, and like what you make!

Cream of potato and leek soup with kielbasi

Ay, leeks is good. Shakespeare always cracks me up and that line from Henry V has stuck with me since I first read it decades ago. Ol' Billy Boy was right. Leeks are good, and they're spectacular in this creamy, satisfying soup.

What you'll need:

• 3-4 leeks, sliced
• Diced onions
• Minced garlic
• Diced celery
• Smoked kielbasi
• Butter
• Olive oil
• Flour
• Sliced potatoes
• Freshly ground pepper and kosher or sea salt
• Milk
• Water

If you don't know how to prep the leeks, do a search on youtube.com for a video. It's an easy process. Just slice off the root end and a bit of the tougher dark green leaves on the other end. Cut them lengthwise in half, then slice across each half. After I slice them up, they go in a bowl of water to clean them because there is often dirt between the layers.

Put a stock pot on medium-high heat with a splash of olive oil and brown the kielbasi. Remove the kielbasi from the pan, add a few tablespoons of butter and a bit more olive oil. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the onions, celery, and leeks, season with salt and pepper, and allow to cook until soft.

Add the sliced potatoes. No need to peel the potatoes. They'll get whizzed up in the end, and you won't even know they were there to begin with. Just be sure to use a waxy potato like red bliss or Yukon gold. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper, and allow them to cook with the other veggies for a few minutes.

Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of flour, mix together, and keep stirring while everything cooks for another couple minutes. Next, add equal parts of water and milk until it comes up over the veggies by about a half inch. Turn the heat up to high, and let it come to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer until the potatoes are soft. Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper if necessary. If you have some chicken base or bouillon, you can add a little for some extra flavor.

When the potatoes are soft, get out your hand blender. Whiz everything until pureed. If it's too thick for your liking, add a little more milk. The soup is done. You can throw all the kielbasi back into the soup or use it as a garnish when serving.

It is so creamy and comforting. The sweetness of the leeks and onions combined with the saltiness of the kielbasi make this soup a show-stopper. I'm sure Shakespeare would have loved it.

Shrimp quesadillas with peppers, onions, pineapple

This is another one of my hunting and gathering meals. When I don't have anything planned, quesadillas are my go-to, easy to assemble, last minute meals. Even easier when I always have a pack of tortillas in the fridge. I also found some frozen shrimp, a bag of frozen mixed peppers and onions, shredded cheddar cheese (which I also keep in the freezer), and some of my pineapple salsa (click here for the recipe).

I rinsed the shrimp in some warm water to thaw them out a bit, then peeled off the shells. I added some seasonings to the shrimp: chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne, dried cilantro, salt, and pepper. I also squeezed the juice of half a lime onto the shrimp. Just don't let the shrimp sit too long in the lime juice, or they will cook from the acid.

Put a frying pan on medium-high heat with a splash of olive oil. Cook the shrimp for no more than a minute on each side. They cook very quickly.

Take the shrimp out of the pan, and add the peppers and onions to the pan to cook until soft. Season with salt and pepper. When the peppers and onions are soft, add the pineapple salsa. You just want the salsa to heat through, no need to cook it for very long.

Remove the salsa mixture. I give the pan a quick rinse with water, and put it back on the stove on medium-low heat. Add a tortilla to the pan and layer with cheese, the salsa mixture, and the shrimp. Sprinkle the shrimp with more cheese, and add another tortilla to the top.

I like to add some weight to the top of the quesadilla to press it down, so I use a plate with my tea pot on top of it. Let the quesadilla brown on one side before flipping over. Use a large spatula to help with the flip, otherwise you might lose some of the stuffing. It's done when the cheese is melted and the tortilla is crisp.

Slice the quesadilla into wedges, and serve with sour cream, salsa, guacamole, whatever you like. It also works great with leftover chicken, pork, or steak. Even something as simple as a stuffing of cheese with a sprinkle of chili powder can be a fabulous snack.

Make what you like, and like what you make!

Pierogies with caramelized onions and kielbasi

Two staples in any freezer in Northeastern Pennsylvania have to be pierogies and kielbasi. They are most definitely two great tastes that taste great together. I like to call them the Polish version of ravioli and meatballs.

The key to making this combination extra special is to take the time and care to caramelize the onions. You'll need at least 20 minutes or more to accomplish this task. It takes time, but the results are well worth it. I use both butter and olive oil to cook the onions.

Frozen pierogies, a link of kielbasi, one large onion, butter, and olive oil.

Slice the onions and kielbasi. In a large frying pan on medium-high heat, add the butter and a splash of olive oil. When the butter is melted, add the onions and season with kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Mix the onions, so that all are coated in the butter and oil. Allow the onions to cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes at a time before stirring. After 10-minutes of cooking, turn the heat down to medium. At about the 15-minute mark, you can put a pot of water on to boil to cook the pierogies.

The onions at the start of cooking.

The onions after 10 minutes of cooking.

The onions after 20 minutes of cooking.

After 20 minutes of cooking, move the onions to the outer part of the pan to make room for the kielbasi. Add the kielbasi slices and allow to brown for a few minutes.

The onions will continue to caramelize while the kielbasi browns. When the water for the pierogies comes to a boil, season the water with salt, then drop in the pierogies. They are ready when they float.

Remove pierogies with a slotted spoon or drain the whole pot of water, then add directly to the pan with the onions and kielbasi. Stir to combine.

You end up with the fabulous combination of sweetened onions, salty and smoky kielbasi, and the soft, creaminess of the pierogies.