Mac and cheese with bacon and caramelized onions

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 onions, medium or large, sliced
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 8 strips of bacon
• 8 oz elbow pasta
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup to 2/3 cup milk
• 1 cup freshly shredded sharp white Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyere
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• a pinch of paprika, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on high heat in a large skillet, when oil is heated, add sliced onions and cook on high heat for about 10 minutes, constantly stirring with spatula. The onions should start to brown, but without burning. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking onions for 10 more minutes, continuing to stir, as onions brown even more without burning. At this point add just a pinch of salt over onions. Continue cooking for 10 more minutes on medium or low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure onions don’t stick to the bottom of the pan or burn. Total you should have cooked onions for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle onions with a small amount of balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan. Using spatula, mix the onions, scraping the bottom of the pan and coating onions with a pinch of balsamic vinegar you just added.
2. While you’re caramelizing the onions, cook bacon
3. Bake it in the oven at 350 until it just turns crispy. Drain the bacon on paper towels and chop into small pieces.
4. Cook elbow macaroni according to package instructions. Rinse the macaroni under cold running water, drain. Set aside.
5. In a large saucepan, add heavy cream, milk, sharp white cheddar cheese, Gruyere cheese and 1/4 teaspoon salt on medium heat, stir and mix, until cheeses start to blend. Add black pepper, Cayenne pepper and paprika to your taste, or omit them if you don’t want them. Add elbow macaroni to the creamy sauce, stir to coat on low heat for about 5-10 minutes until cheeses melt completely and coat the macaroni.
6. Add caramelized onions and chopped bacon to the creamy macaroni.
7. Serve on warm plates as is, or with more cheese sprinkled on top.

Grape Poppers

Ingredients

• 48 fresh grapes
• 8 oz. (1/2 package) Vanilla CANDIQUIK Coating
• 1 cup chopped pecans (may substitute with any nuts)
• toothpicks

Instructions

Wash grapes and pat completely dry. Spear each grape with a toothpick.
Melt Vanilla CandiQuik in tray according to package directions.
Holding the end of the toothpick, dip each grape in the CandiQuik; allow excess coating to drip off.
Immediately dip the end of the grape in the chopped pecans; place on wax paper to dry.

Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers

Ingredients

• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Cooking spray
• 2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper
• 1 cup thinly sliced yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 1 large)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Brush chicken with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil; sprinkle spice rub over chicken. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over; cook 1 minute. Arrange chicken in an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until done.

Heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, shallots, and rosemary; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve bell pepper mixture over chicken.