If you happen to be bringing over a dish to share this Thanksgiving, I highly recommend this bacon mac and cheese.  It’s an over-the-top baked macaroni that is perfect to indulge in this holiday.  Stuffed with a variety of cheeses whipped into a béchamel, it has crunchy bacon layered throughout the dish and has a golden panko topping {with even more bacon and cheese, of course!}

https://youtu.be/ns-H-fXHS68

5.0 from 5 reviews

Bacon Mac & Cheese

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 6-8 oz pasta
• 6-8 bacon slices
• 4 tb reserved bacon fat
• 4 tb unbleached flour
• 4 c warm half and half
• ½ ts freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tb unsalted butter
• S & P
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 lb grated cheese
• 2 tb reserved pasta water
• Panko, extra bacon and extra cheese for topping

Instructions

1. In a skillet, fry off the bacon. Drain and crumble.
2. In the same skillet, using 5 tb of the fat, sprinkle in flour and whisk/cook for about 3-5 minutes. You want the fat to absorb all the flour and cook off its raw flour taste. When this turns sandy beige, pour in the warm half and half. Whisk thoroughly to prevent any lumps.
3. Keep whisking and add nutmeg, salt, pepper, and butter.
4. Take the skillet off the heat and stir in the cheese, egg, and pasta water.
5. Cook off the pasta in salted water. Toss in cheese mixture.
6. In a buttered dish, layer in pasta with crumbled bacon. Top with panko, bacon, and cheese. Cover with tin foil for half the baking time.
7. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes (broil for about 5 to blister the cheese).

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Wishing everyone a happy and delicious weekend!

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

Part of my birthday was spent with one of my favorite people, my mama.  She was craving samgyeopsal (Korean grilled pork belly) so we decided to capture it all on video while we were at it.  Today I bring to you one of the easiest dishes involving Korean bbq.  Thick, uncured slices of pork belly are grilled and wrapped together with samjang {a Korean pepper/soybean condiment} in fresh greens.  We hope you’ll try it.

httpv://youtu.be/kg68dcJ4hSQ

Pork Belly {Korean Grilled Pork Belly} 삼겹살

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 4 Servings

Ingredients

• 1-2 lbs thick cut {uncured} pork belly
• Variety of veggies: garlic, peppers, mushrooms, etc
• Lettuce (boston, butter, bib, romaine, etc)

Samjang

• 2 tb Korean red pepper paste
• 1 tb Korean soybean paste
• 1 ts Korean red pepper flakes
• 2 ts sesame oil
• 1 ts sugar
• 1 ts sesame seeds
• 1 minced garlic
• 1-2 sliced peppers

Instructions

1. Grill meat and veggies.
2. Combine all the samjang ingredients together.
3. To create each lettuce bundle, tuck in a piece of pork belly, some veggies and samjang.

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Long live pork belly, bacon, and all its different forms!

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

Part of my birthday was spent with one of my favorite people, my mama.  She was craving samgyeopsal (Korean grilled pork belly) so we decided to capture it all on video while we were at it.  Today I bring to you one of the easiest dishes involving Korean bbq.  Thick, uncured slices of pork belly are grilled and wrapped together with samjang {a Korean pepper/soybean condiment} in fresh greens.  We hope you’ll try it.

Pork Belly {Korean Grilled Pork Belly} 삼겹살

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Ingredients

• 1-2 lbs thick cut {uncured} pork belly
• Variety of veggies: garlic, peppers, mushrooms, etc
• Lettuce (boston, butter, bib, romaine, etc)

Samjang

• 2 tb Korean red pepper paste
• 1 tb Korean soybean paste
• 1 ts Korean red pepper flakes
• 2 ts sesame oil
• 1 ts sugar
• 1 ts sesame seeds
• 1 minced garlic
• 1-2 sliced peppers

Instructions

1. Grill meat and veggies.
2. Combine all the samjang ingredients together.
3. To create each lettuce bundle, tuck in a piece of pork belly, some veggies and samjang.

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Long live pork belly, bacon, and all its different forms!

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

This idea sprung up on me one morning as I sat eating a late breakfast of heavy, streaky slices of bacon, topped with melted, broiled cheese, on crunchy, golden toast.  These bacon cheese fritters are exactly what I had for dinner that night…an echo of an earlier meal but made even more delicious with the magical properties of hot, bubbling oil.

This is even further accessible for the fact that a). they’re super easy and b). when a generous portion of bacon is fried off and cheese is grated earlier in the day, half your assembling work for dinner is completed.

Here’s how to do it:

Bacon Cheese Fritters

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Ingredients

• 2 c shredded mozzarella (smoked is very nice)
• 8 slices of crisped bacon
• ½ c Italian bread crumbs + healthy grating of parmigiano-reggiano
• 2 beaten eggs
• Egg wash: 2 beaten eggs + 2 tb cream/whole milk
• 2 c panko bread crumbs

Instructions

1. Combine your ingredients together in a bowl
2. Roll a spoonful or so of your mixture into a ball
3. Dip your ball into your egg-wash and roll into your panko
4. Chill all your prepared fritters in the fridge for at least 30 min
5. Fry in batches (the oil should be at 360 or so–a fry thermometer helps)
6. Retrieve your fritters when they’ve reached a deep, golden brown. Remember not to overcrowd the oil and to leave at least 2 inches or so on top in your heavy bottomed pan.

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Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

There I go rambling again, lol.  I bring up Engrish because a). I find it endearing, not an ounce of me is referring to it in an insulting or malicious manner.  As I always like to say…”A+ for effort!!” and b). Mixing Rice is exactly what I’m sharing with you today.  CNN reported that it’s among the 50 of the most delicious foods in the World–the World, people…pay attention!  =D

In my humble opinion, I find it to be a visual stunner.  She’s a gorgeous thing with all sorts of colorful veggies stacked up neatly in a circle on her bed of hot, fluffy rice.  She even has a sunny, Yellow Hat!  One of the most beautiful aspects of this dish is that every ingredient has something different to bring to the table (literally).  For example, there’s the Fern Brake that’s chewy and tender, you get satisfying crunch from the Sprouts, gooey richness from the Yolk, a gentle smokiness all around from the Sesame Oil and etc, which brings me to the point that you can really make Bibimbap with whatever you have, like, or is one sale. (Really, I could go on and on but I doubt anyone wants to read an abridged book version of my love for Korean food).

It’s best served in Dolsot Bibimbap form.  (The same dish but served in a very cool (hot, lol) Stone Pot).  I’m very, very sad to say that I do not own one.  It’s fantastic because it serves your entire meal piping hot and it develops a delicious, blistered rice crust on the bottom that you can later swirl around with hot water to drink and cleanse your palette with.

With Bibimbap, you can serve it any which way you’d like.

Here are some other options:
Zucchini, Tofu, Chicken/Fish/Pork, Bell Peppers, Cucumbers, Romaine Lettuce (Mom is particularly fond of crunchy, refreshing pieces of Romaine running through her bowl, it definitely provides a nice burst of cracklin’ freshness)!, Squid Jerky, Daikon, Carrots, Burdock or Bellflower Root, Broccolini, Baby Bok Choy, insert here ____ <<- go wild and crazy.

If you don’t like the idea of all the Sesame Oil, sub with Olive Oil or whatever Fat replacement you’ve got goin’ on.  I don’t feel it tastes the same, but do your thang!!

Here is me and Mom’s Bibimbap!

Watch this video on YouTube Embedded with WP YouTube Lyte.

About to rush downstairs to have another bowl…
Your Squishy Monster =D

This was dinner for 2–just me and Daddio.  Mom was away for a Church function and left to his own devices, Dad will binge on a slew of Double Stuffed Oreos, Fried Fish, Ritz Crackers, Animal Crackers, Ramen…and who knows what else?!  The Squishy Monster to the rescue!!

Dad doesn’t like “healthy” so this was a very nice compromise.

Watch this video on YouTube Embedded with WP YouTube Lyte.

’tis the Season to get fat so induuuulge my friends!!! =D

You’d think that my family has never heard of holiday ham or Christmas turkey.  Our clan does it up big– er, WEIRD I mean.  Since I do all of the shopping/cooking at our house (now), it’s since been tamed down to something that at least resembles a holiday feast.  There was a time when I was 8 and with no drivers license, that Christmas dinner meant scrambled eggs doused with ketchup and canned corn and beans mixed together (I have a great fondness for each of the aforementioned).  That or rice and kimchi jjigae (stewed kimchi soup).  For several years now, we’ve done a Christmas brunch following the ritual Christmas morning presents.  It is only Christmas day and Thanksgiving day that my entire family can get together without the nuisance of work getting in the way.  Here is one of the yummies we’ll be having:

Quiche w/ Bacon, Mushroom, & Cheese

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 6 slices of bacon
• 1/12 c cream (half/half if you find Cream to be too expensive)
• ¼ ts nutmeg
• S & P to taste
• 2 c spinach
• 2 c cremini or button mushrooms
• ½ c onions
• 1 c gruyere
• 1 c smoked cheddar

Crust:

• 4 oz softened cream cheese
• 3 oz softened butter
• 1 c flour
• 1 ts salt

Instructions

1. Fry your bacon, mushrooms and onions together.
2. Whip the eggs/cream with seasonings until light and frothy.
3. Add in your fried mixture and cheese (reserve some for the topping)
4. Layer the spinach in 2-3 layers.
5. Top with lots of cheese.
6. For the crust, blend your butter and cream cheese together and slowly sprinkle in your flour until just incorporated.
7. Press into the bottom of your pan.
8. Ladle in your quiche mixture.
9. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 35 minutes.

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Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

Watch this video on YouTube Embedded with WP YouTube Lyte.

Merry (early) Christmas!!!!!!

Scared of Korean Cuisine?  Think it’s too complicated?  Give this a whirl my friends!  Under 5 ingredients, 10 minutes (and most of the ingredients are optional)!  Oh, and Kimchi is said to have wonderful health benefits.  My mama used to tell me that it prevents Cancer (she also used to tell me the Bogey man was coming to take me away if I didn’t eat all my food) LOLOL.

*If you omit the Bacon, Butter, and sub with Whole Grain Rice or Brown/Basamati Rice, this will be even healthier for you.  But why in the world would you want to not include Bacon and Butter?!  Hmm??  Hmmmmmm?? =D

Kimchi Fried Rice

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Ingredients

• 5 slices of Bacon
• 1 c of deeply fermented Kimchi
• 2 c cooked Rice
• 2 Eggs

Instructions

1. Crisp up your Bacon. That rendered Fat will be valuable to this dish.
2. Add your Kimchi to the pan and soften it.
3. Drizzle in some Sesame, Olive Oil or a tab of Butter.
4. Introduce your Rice into the pan and break it up and work it into the Kimchi/Bacon mixture.
5. Move over your Fried Rice and scramble your Eggs. Salt and Pepper. Incorporate it into the Fried Rice.
6. Pepper the entire dish. Sprinkle with Green Onions or Sesame Seeds and serve with Fresh Kimchi and a hot, clear Soup.

Notes

Your nose will know when your Kimchi is ripe!

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