Kevin's Waffles of Insane Greatness.

This is based off of the waffles of insane greatness recipe with a few key twists.  

These six items are the secret to the insane greatness. You can substitute, but the greatness may be reduced to just 'good'. Costco/Sams Club will save you on cornstarch/almond extract.  

    1) Cornstarch 

    2) Butter milk

    3) Sour cream

    4) Almond extract
    5) Separate and beat egg whites

    6) Use the deeper belgian waffle maker

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cornstarch (can use flour)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons salt

3 cups whole milk or buttermilk

1 cup sour cream (can use milk)

1 1/3 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs (separated)

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon almond extract (can use vanilla)  

Butter and syrup, for serving

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well. In a separate container, mix  the milk, sour cream vegetable oil, egg yolks, sugar and almond and mix well.  Mix with dry ingredients just enough to mix. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.  Beat the eggs whites till fluffy then fold into the batter (makes the batter more airy).  Batter will be thick.
2. Preheat a waffle iron. Do not use non-stick spray on the waffle iron; the oil in the batter will allow the waffle to release easily. Follow the directions on your waffle iron to cook the waffles. Serve immediately with butter and syrup.
3. To freeze the waffles, lay them out on a cookie sheet as soon as you finish cooking - don't let them sit for long. If you wait too long, the steam will soften the crispy outside. To warm - use your toaster.

Million Dollar Spaghetti

• Ingredients
• 1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti noodles
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1/4 cup butter, sliced
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 c chopped mushrooms, sautéd (optional)

• Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
3. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until "al dente" (cooked through but firm to the bite), about 12 minutes. Drain.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Cook and stir beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes, drain and discard grease.
6. Place to a bowl and mix spaghetti sauce into ground beef.
7. Combine the cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese until well blended.
8. Place half the slices of butter into the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
9. Spread half the spaghetti into the dish. Top spaghetti with creamy mixture.
10. Layer remaining spaghetti over creamy mixture.
11. Pour ground beef mixture over spaghetti and spread to cover casserole.
12. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
13. Spread Cheddar cheese over pasta and continue baking until cheese has melted and is lightly browned, about 15 more minutes.

We also add about 1/2c of chopped mushrooms that have been sautéd to the meat & sauce mixture.

*NOTES: Original recipe calls for an additional 1/4c butter slices layers on top of the second layer of noodles before pouring on the ground beef mixture. 

Oven-Roasted Beets and Potatoes

6 to 8 servings

4 medium golden beets, peeled

4 medium red beets, peeled

6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled

4 T butter

2 T thyme leaves, chopped

2 T rosemary leaves, chopped

salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Have ready a 9-inch oven-safe skillet (cast iron is perfect).

2. Using a mandoline, slice the vegetables into rounds about ⅛-inch thick. Set aside.
3. In a small pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the thyme and rosemary.
4. Brush half the herbed butter into the base of the skillet and up the sides. Stack 2-3 golden beet slices then 2-3 red beet slices, followed by 2-3 potato slices. Continue this pattern until you've formed a ring around the skillet. Repeat the process to fill in the center.
5. Brush the remaining herbed butter on top of the vegetables, then season with salt and pepper.
6. Roast until the surface of the vegetables is golden and crisp and the interior is tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Instant Pot: Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

We use an 8qt Instant Pot for this soup. You can half this if you're concerned about a smaller Instant Pot handling this amount.

1 yellow onion diced
1 1/2 cup carrots diced
1 1/2 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
4 tablespoons butter
2 chicken breast diced into 1 inch cubes
4 cans chicken broth (14 oz)
2 box Uncle Ben’s quick cooking wild rice
2 cup milk
2 cup half-and-half
4 ounces cream cheese
4 tablespoons cornstarch

1. On the sauté feature, add butter and sauté the onions, carrots, and mushrooms until onions are translucent (~5min).

2. Add the cubed chicken and seasoning packet from the Uncle Ben's Wild Rice box. Stir to combine, then add the wild rice and chicken broth.

3. Select Manual on the Instant Pot and set the time for 5 minutes. After the cooking time ends, allow it to stay on and keep warm for 5 minutes. Then quick release the pressure. 

4. While pressure is releasing, mix the cornstarch with a little bit of water to dissolve. Set aside.

5. Remove the lid and put on sauté again. Add milk, half-and-half, and cream cheese. Stir to combine and then add cornstarch mixture to thicken.

Creamy Lemon Tagliatelle

Creamy Lemon Tagliatelle

with Mushrooms, Garlic, and Tarragon

1 Red Onion

1/4 ounce fresh Tarragon

4 ounce Mushrooms

2 cubes Vegetable Bouillon or Stock

1/4 c Parmesan Cheese

2 cloves Garlic

1 Lemon

6 ounces Tagliatelle

2 T Sour Cream

1 t Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

1. Wash and dry all produce. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Halve, peel, and finely chop onion. Mince or grate garlic. Pick leaves from tarragon; discard stems. Finely chop leaves. Halve lemon. Thinly slice mushrooms.

2. Once water is boiling, add tagliatelle to pot. Cook until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Drain, reserving ½ cup cooking water.

3. Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes more.

4. Add stock concentrates, reserved pasta cooking water, and half the tarragon to pan with mushrooms. Let simmer until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes more.

5. Add tagliatelle, a squeeze of lemon, and half the Parmesan to pan with sauce and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and tarragon (to taste) and serve.

(Recipe adapted from HelloFresh)
*Quick and easy. Everyone loved this dish.