Chicken and Black Bean Nacho Dip

All the flavor of regular nachos, but easier to make (and eat)

Nachos! What could be better?

Well, how about easier-to-make nachos that don’t fall apart on the way to your mouth?

Enter this nacho dip. All the traditional nacho yum in a dip that stays put on tortilla chips.

Your washing machine will thank you.

Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich

This legendary dish is the perfect home for leftover turkey

Thanksgiving dinner is grand. But then come the leftovers. Turkey again?

No worries. Give those stray slices some swagger in this scrumptious sandwich.

The Kentucky Hot Brown (aka Hot Brown, aka Louisville Hot Brown) is an open-faced turkey sandwich smothered in tangy, cheesy Mornay sauce.

It’s quick and easy to make. So you can get out of the kitchen in plenty of time for those Black Friday sales.

Baked Jalapeño Popper Dip

Liven up your next party with this easy and zesty dip

That Super Bowl thingy is coming up soon. Party time! And what’s a party without dip?

This Baked Jalapeño Popper Dip would be perfect for game day. You can put it together quickly, then socialize while it bakes. Score!

Not in a Super Bowl party mood? Then just call this dinner.

Real-Chili Chili Mac Casserole

This cheesy gratin is comfort food for the whole family

Chili. Cheese. Pasta. Bring ‘em on!

And this dish does, in delicious combination. It’s a quick-bake casserole that makes a perfect cold-weather meal. It even gives you an excuse to use leftover chili.

You can have this dish on the table in about 30 minutes, so it’s great for weeknight dinners. But it’s tasty enough for company, too.

So take this along to your next pot-luck event. Like maybe your neighbor’s annual Super Bowl party. Who cares which team wins the game? You’ve won the meal.

Green Chile Cauliflower 'n Cheese

A slimmed down, kicked up twist on mac ‘n cheese

We love mac ‘n cheese. And it loves us back. So if we eat too much, it sticks to our ribs. Like, permanently.

So sometimes we make a healthier, less fattening version by substituting cauliflower for macaroni. The cheese keeps this dish from being truly low cal, of course. But you get the idea.

And this dish tastes great! Spicy green chilies love to snuggle with cheese, and both blend happily with cauliflower.

This dish makes a great side for a weeknight, or even a fancy weekend dinner. Plus, it’s hearty enough to serve as a main – just add salad for a complete meal.

And if you’re looking for a new dish to accompany your Thanksgiving turkey or ham? You just found it.

Cheesy Grits with Jalapeño (or not)

This traditional dish is the perfect sidekick for breakfast, lunch, or dinner

Grits are all-American. That’s because they’re made from corn (maize), a key crop of the New World.

Grits are traditional in the southern states of the US, where they often serve as a breakfast side dish. In recent years, though, they’ve been getting more love in the rest of the country. And not just for breakfast—we often see them served at dinner, where they make a perfect bed for rich meat or seafood dishes.

We like to add jalapeño for a bit of spice, though you can omit this ingredient if you want something less incendiary. But don’t skip the cheese—it adds creamy richness.

With or without jalapeño, these cheesy grits will fire up your taste buds.

Shredded-Beef Soft Tacos

Chilies spice up this easy-to-make Mexican dish

We can’t say no to tacos. Who can resist their luscious combination of corn tortillas, spicy chilies, savory meat, and cheese?

In the US, most people seem to favor ground beef for taco filling. But we prefer to use Mexican-style braised beef that’s been shredded. The flavor is deeper, plus the shredded meat has a more interesting texture.

And what about the tortillas? Well, we love the crispy Hard-Shelled Tacos that are a tradition in many Tex-Mex restaurants. But given a choice, we’ll take soft tacos any day of the week.

With soft tortillas, you don’t have to worry about the taco shell shattering when you take your first bite (there’s nothing messier than a taco that disintegrates in your hands). More important, when making soft tacos, you can use your own Homemade Tortillas. Freshly baked tortillas are amazing, and we grab any opportunity to use them.

So soft tacos give you wonderful flavor and loads of zip in an easy-to-eat package. Don’t you love the taste of Mexico?

Bacon Macaroni and Cheese

An old favorite gets even more savory

Need to warm up after a cold day—and chase away the winter blues? Well, mac ‘n cheese is your friend. Add some bacon, and this classic comfort food reaches a whole new level.

So mix up some Bacon Macaroni and Cheese, and let your soul escape from winter. At least for a little while.

Artichoke Dip with Cheddar Cheese

This Make Ahead, No-Bake Dip is Perfect for Parties

Having people over?  Whether you’ve invited just a couple of friends for a quiet evening, or your entire address book for the annual Super Bowl bash, you probably don’t want to stress over last-minute dishes.  So I’ll bet you’re in the market for a crowd-pleasing dish that won’t take too much work on your part — and one that you can make ahead of time.

May I introduce you to this tangy Artichoke Dip with Cheddar Cheese?  It’s a no-bake dish (unlike many of the artichoke dips out there), so you won’t need to be fussing over it just as your doorbell starts ringing.  And it improves in flavor if you make it a few hours ahead (or even the day before your event). 

Set it out with some chips, crackers, or raw veggie crudités, and let people serve themselves.  Your guests will rave about it — and assume you went to a lot of trouble to make it. 

In truth, this dip takes mere minutes to whip up, but they don’t have to know that.  What happens in the kitchen stays in the kitchen, right?

Pasta Cacio e Pepe

Romano Cheese & Black Pepper Combine in this Easy-to-Make Classic

Cacio e Pepe is an extremely popular pasta dish in Rome. Cacio is Italian for “cheese” and pepe means pepper. Combined with pasta, they form a deceptively simple dish that delivers big flavor.

The cheese of choice is Pecorino Romano, an Italian cheese made of sheep’s milk. It’s similar to Parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano), but has a more rough and robust flavor that is also saltier.

Black pepper is an ingredient we all know. Freshly ground pepper, and lots of it, is a large part of what makes this dish delicious.

And the best part of all? Pasta Cacio e Pepe is extremely fast and easy to make. It’s a great dish for a quick dinner — or as a snack after a night on the town.

Old-School Macaroni & Cheese

Traditional Flavor Worthy of Grown Ups 

Macaroni and Cheese may be the ultimate comfort food.  There’s just something pleasing and satisfying about pasta enrobed in a rich cheese sauce, baked to golden goodness.

But the versions of Mac ‘n Cheese we usually eat in the United States are “quick” dishes with less than full flavor.  Harried cooks generally prepare them from a “blue box” or use one of the myriad stovetop recipes available on the internet.

Those versions can be good enough, and many are kiddy favorites.  But they simply can’t compare to the traditional (and somewhat more time-consuming) recipe presented here, which involves making a cheese sauce.

I suggest making this traditional Mac ‘n Cheese on a night when you have an extra 20 minutes or so to spend in the kitchen.  The deep flavor this recipe delivers is so good that I’d proudly serve the dish to company, complete with a nice bottle of wine.

When you think about it, macaroni and cheese isn’t all that different from Fettuccine Alfredo (both contain pasta, butter, milk/cream, cheese — and little else).  And who wouldn’t serve fettuccine on a special occasion?

My Mac ‘n Cheese is so good your guests will come back for seconds.  And probably lick the serving dish clean.

Cheddar Cheese Chicken Curry - A Guilty Pleasure

We all have our secret guilty pleasures – something we like even though we know we “shouldn’t.”  When it comes to food, that usually means something that’s unhealthy or too déclassé for words.  Often both.   Dishes like:

• Tuna noodle casserole (bonus points for corn-flake topping)
• Cold leftover pizza for breakfast
• Lipton California dip (the one made with dried onion soup mix and sour cream)
• Mrs. Paul’s fish fillets (or fish sticks!) with cocktail sauce
• Frito pie
• Velveeta & Rotel queso dip 
• Jell-O mold
• Kraft's blue box macaroni and cheese

Yeah, some of those on are my list, and probably yours, too.

But my all-time favorite guilty pleasure is a recipe for leftover chicken curried in cheddar cheese sauce that I first tried over 40 years ago.

It’s not authentic.  It’s not healthy.  It requires a processed food product.  And it’s probably not something you want to tell your friends about.

But sample it once, and as its creator suggests, “you may find yourself having chicken often just so you can have leftover chicken often.  I can’t say that I’d blame you.”