My first entry is Mystery Meat Casserole w/ Tequila Sauce:
First of all, the "mystery" isn't much of a mystery at all. It's actually chicken. "Mystery Meat" is just funny to me; it makes me think of that episode of Pete and Pete where the lunch lady serves sloppy joe's and it's super gross, and awesome.
Here are all of your ingredients: (feeds 4-5, or two if you have the "munchies")
Spaghetti (about 1/2 a small box)
Chicken (1 boneless breast)
Bacon(4-6 pieces)
Bacon Grease (2 tbs)
Parmesan Cheese (1/2 cup- 3/4 cup shredded)
Colby/Monterrey Jack cheese (1/2 cup - 3/4 cup shredded)
1 Red Bell Pepper
1/2 cup mushrooms
Butternut Squash (1/2 cup cubed pieces)
Garlic (4 tbs chopped)
Tomato Sauce
Tomato Paste
2 Roma Tomatoes
Shallots (6 tbs chopped)
Olive Oil
Butter (A TON!!!)
Ritz Crackers (1 sleeve)
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Tequila (petron if you rule; about 1 1/2 shots)
Alright, that's a ton of shit. Sorry....
(pre-heat your oven to 400)
To start, take your one chicken breast and soak it in a bowl of very salty water for 30 min-1 hour. use more salt that you think you should. make sure the water matches the temperature of the chicken, or else it will shock the meat (pretty much makes it tough).
While your chicken is getting ready, bust out your butternut squash. after you peel it, cut it up into small cubes (about the same size as cheese cubes) and place it into a bowl.
Then you will take out your red bell pepper, cut it up into long thin slices, cut them in half and place them into the same bowl as the squash. Drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil on top with 4 pinches of each salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Place the mixture on a cookie sheet (not greased) and put it in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the red peppers just start to burn. (it's also rad to mix in some garlic and shallots to the cookie sheet after about 20 minutes)
After the squash and red pepper go into the oven, you want to start working on your sauce. It's a tequila sauce with (duh) tequila, tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, butter, bacon (and it's grease!, parmesan cheese, shallot and garlic.
to start, melt down 2 tbs of butter in a small pot. Once it's melted and hot, add about 4 tbs each of shallots and garlic for maybe 5 minutes on medium/high heat. watch it closely though, garlic burns really easily and that doesn't taste good.
(get your grill going!!!)
At the 5 minute mark, add in your 15oz(i think) can of tomato sauce. chop your two roma tomatoes and mushrooms and add them to the mix as well. Then you add your 1 1/2 shots of tequila., 1 tbs of tomato paste, turn the heat to low/medium and let it all cook.
While all of this is going on, you should be cooking up your bacon! (mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm bacon) Take 4-6 slices (the more the merrier!) and fry them up. I usually cut them in half so that they fit better in the pan. Once they are good and crispy, pull them out, take two tbs of bacon grease with a spoon and drop it into your sauce and once the bacon cools down, create a handful of bacon bits and add them to the sauce as well. turn it to a low heat, cover, and simmer away.
I think the grill rules, so I would definitely recommend going that route for your chicken. After soaking in the salt water for 30 min-1 hour, pull it out, coat it with olive oil and drop it onto your medium heated grill.
At this point i would recommend getting the pasta going. bring your water to a boil, add some salt and your pasta and let it cook for about 8 minutes, or until YOU think it's ready. i like it pretty soft, not crunchy.
At the halfway point of your pasta, go out and flip your chicken. It should only need another 4-5 minutes then will be ready.
Cut up your chicken into small pieces (or shred it), combine it in a bowl with your roasted red pepper/squash mix, add the pasta and the sauce. put all of that into a glass baking dish.
now the best part: the crust!!!!
first, take about 1/2 stick of butter and melt it in a bowl. once it's melted, mix in 1 sleeve of ritz crackers, crushed into fine/small pieces and mix it all up. the mixture should be covered in butter, but not saturated. it should still have some crunch to it. once the "levels" are right, add in a few pinches of parmesan cheese, mix it up some more and then cover the top of your pasta mixture.
put it in the oven for about 25 minutes, or until the crust starts to brown.
EAT IT! AND LOVE IT! LIKE I JUST DID, LITERALLY 20 MINUTES AGO. there is a homemade pumpkin cheesecake in the oven. if it doesn't suck, i'll post that recipe too.
-Mike (without the y)
PS - i did not proofread this. word
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