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mac

Fall Recipe: Roasted Squash Macaroni and Cheese

October 9, 2018 By Dayton937

Recipe of the Month

Who says you always have to go out to eat for  a Food Adventures .  As the leaves turn and the air grows a slight chill, here is a recipe to warm your soul.

Today, we present you a taste of comfort food and a fall twist, an old favorite with a new spin.

One of your Food Adventures Crew, Jackie, has a Fall recipe that will awaken your taste buds.

It is called, Roasted Squash Macaroni and Cheese.

It is a family favorite, that even the kids will love !    ENJOY !!

 

ROASTED SQUASH MACARONI AND CHEESE 

For the Squash:

Squash Mac and Cheese

  • One small butternut squash, acorn squash, or sugar pumpkin!
  • Two cloves of garlic, peeled
  • ¼ cup yellow onion diced, divided
  • Balsamic Vinegar- Try Spicy Olive’s Red Apple Balsamic (or Maple Balsamic)
  • Spicy Olive Butter Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper

 

  1. Pre heat oven to 375.
  2. Slice squash in half, lengthwise.
  3. Scoop out seeds (you can roast them!) and place squash on baking sheet flesh side up.
  4. Using a paring knife, cut slashes into the squash.
  5. Place one clove of garlic and 1/8 cup onion into the hollowed out section of the squash.
  6. Drizzle on balsamic and olive oil. Then salt and pepper
  7. Bake for 45mins-1hour until flesh is soft and tops are caramelized.
  8. Allow to cool.
  9. Once cooled, scoop out flesh of squash from the skin and add the squash, garlic and onion to a food processor. Puree until smooth.

 

For the Mac & Cheese

  • 1lb penne pasta
  • 6-8oz sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 6-8oz pepper cheese (ie. pepper jack or habanero), shredded
  • 4tbs butter
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • ¾ cup milk
  • ¾ cup squash puree
  • ¼ tsp Cayanne (omit if you don’t want it too spicy, or add more for a bigger kick!)
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 cup cooked bacon, crumbled
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1 tbs Spicy Olive Butter Olive Oil

 

Jackie from Food Adventures

  1. Cook and drain pasta according to directions.
  2. Return pasta to pot and turn heat onto low.
  3. Toss pasta with butter until melted and pasta is well coated.
  4. Whisk together eggs, milk, squash and cayanne.
  5. Add mixture and cheese to the pasta. Stir until well combined and cheese is melted. (approximately 3 minutes)
  6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Toss breadcrumbs olive oil. Mix in bacon.
  8. Pour pasta into a buttered 9×13 dish.
  9. Top with breadcrumb and bacon mixture.
  10. Broil for 1-3mins until breadcrumbs are browned.

 

EAT!!

Please look for monthly recipes from the Food Adventure Crew, right here on Dayton Most Metro !

 

Squash Macaroni and Cheese

You can even add Maple Sausage !

Jackie, our in-house Hungry Italian Mom, is a native of Upstate New York

 

 

Filed Under: Dayton Dining, Food Adventures Tagged With: cheese, comfort food, Dayton, fall, Food Adventures, hungry jax, mac, macaroni, recipe, squash

Eli’s Restaurant: Inventive Comfort Food & WIN a $25 Gift Certificate

May 12, 2017 By Dayton937 3 Comments

Chicken and Waffles At Eli’s

Inside of JD Legends, a new eatery is making a name for itself.  It is simply called “Eli’s.”

Why the fuss in Franklin?  Well the menu is inventive comfort food.  Sinful favorite Southern recipes with a 2017 gourmet twist.   Whether you want healthy, savory, filling or rich, they have a meal for you.  And if you comment on the bottom of this article, you will have a chance to win a $25 Gift Certificate to try them out yourself !!

****WIN A $25 GIFT CERTIFICATE****

You are all familiar with what JD Legends has to offer, from bowling and video games to incredible concerts and sand volleyball.  But what does the new restaurant have to offer.   Sit back for a Food Adventure tour of this one of a kind menu, with some Dayton firsts.

Dipping the cheese curds into honey is heaven

 

HERE’S THE SKINNY on ELI’S RESTAURANT:

—Located inside JD Legends Entertainment complex at 65 Millard Dr.,  Franklin, OH  45005

—Open daily at 11am with late hours.  The kitchen typically stays open until 11pm

—A full menu and bar selection, featuring Southern, Comfort foods

Fried Green Tomatoes at Eli’s

—Practically the entire menu features home made items with family recipes.  Many are tweaks on old classics

—Seating includes high top bar tables, and low booths and low tables in a dining room that overlooks the bowling alley

—Live Music featured many nights.

Time to explore the unique menu for a Food Adventure.  Be bold, try the new stuff, you will be glad you did.

We have visited Eli’s Restaurant a half a dozen times since they recently opened.  We have a good grip of the menu and here are our patented, often imitated, never duplicated “must eats.”

Home Made Fried Pork Rinds and Candied Sriracha Bacon

 

MUST EATS at ELI’S RESTAURANT in FRANKLIN inside JD LEGENDS:

—FRIED CHEESE CURDS with HONEY for DIPPING:
Are you kidding? Richness upon richness of gooey, great flavor. The cheese curds are excellent and made in house. This is the appetizer that starts things out right.

 

—FRIED GREEN TOMATOES with SPICY RANCH SAUCE:
See Mom, we are eating our vegetables. This deep fried treat will highlight the night. Great fried crust, and the spicy ranch is an in house creation. So good and not too thick. A perfectly homemade breaded creation by Eli’s.

The Angus Beef Burger

 

—CANDIED BACON AND HOME MADE SPICY PORK RINDS:
We have never seen a dish like this. Super Thick bacon slices, dipped in sugar and sriracha sauce. The result is amazingly chewy and slightly crispy goodness. This is a sinful dish, that finishes off with house fried pork rinds. The pork rinds come dusted with spices and pack some heat. You’ve never had an appetizer like this.

 

—ANGUS BEEF BURGER:
We were very pleasantly surprised with the burgers at Eli’s in our trips to the restaurant. As you know Food Adventures differs itself from others in that we repeatedly visit a restaurant at different days and times to get a real feel for the place and real take on the menu. We promise the burgers will be juicy and delicious. Fresh hand slapped patties and fresh toppings do the trick. We were not expecting such a trong entry in the burger department, but boy they delivered !

Grown Up Grilled Cheese

 

—GROWN UP GRILLED CHEESE:
Big Ragu had to do it. It is literally a huge thick sliced Texas Toast Sandwich with mounds of 3 different cheeses and sauteed onions inside. It is like eating your own loaf of garlic cheese bread. A typical appetite might be full with half this sandwich. Eat the whole thing and you will likely take a nap with a smile on your face soon after.

 

—MEATLOAF DINNER with GREEN BEANS and MASHED POTATOES:
The cult favorite on the menu. Not a huge serving, but just enough to hit the spot. It is a sample of Americana on a plate. The Meatloaf has the ketchup sauce, familiar to most of us. We also have mashed taters and gravy for the gritty part. And we gotta get some greens, so green beans take the call. A solid choice that packs the comfort food feel, but won’t leave you miserably full.

Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy and Green Beans

—CHICKEN AND WAFFLES:
A nice spin on the country favorite. Southerners will appreciate the freshly made waffle. Fluffy and full, the maple syrup against the fried chicken planks give the sweet crunch you’ll crave. It is a fun dish and sure to be a kid’s favorite. Let the good times for your mouth begin !

 

There you have it.  Everything you wanted to know about Eli’s Southern Comfort Food.  They even featured a few craft beers on tap.  It is a nice stop on the local foodie tour.

A peek inside Eli’s Restaurant

Now,

*******WHO WANTS TO WIN A $25 GIFT CERTIFICATE to ELI’S ???********

 Just leave a comment below on why you should win and you will be entered into the contest.  

Food Adventures will choose a winner at random next week.
You remember the Three Dog Night song “Eli’s coming” from the 70’s?  Well Eli is here, in Franklin and it’s time to eat !!

Mac N Cheese – comfort food

Enjoying a Mich Ultra overlooking the lanes

Fun spot, unique menu

Food Adventures never end !

Nashville Hot Chicken Dip

Homemade Cheese curds

Grown Up Grilled Cheese Plate

Inside the grilled cheese- sauteed onions

House made Pork Rinds – fried and served dusted with cayenne

Fried Green Tomatoes

Angus Burger –

Kentucky Hot Brown Plate

 

Food Adventures has weekly feature articles on Dayton Most Metro, highlighting all foodstuffs in the Miami Valley.  We have no rules, and our passion for Dayton area food since 2008 has made us the go-to source for must eats around town.

Please browse our photos from our many trips to Eli’s and follow us on Facebook HERE

Filed Under: Dayton Dining, Food Adventures, The Featured Articles Tagged With: Big Ragu, burgers, candied bacon, chef house, chicken, comfort food, Dayton, eli, eli's, Food Adventures, franklin, fried green tomatoes, hungry jax, jd legends, jdlegend, mac, meatloaf, Miami Valley, pork rinds, waffles

Introducing NEW Food Adventures Crew & Fried Chicken at Lily’s Bistro ($25 Gift Card)

September 25, 2014 By Dayton937 7 Comments

Food Adventures Just Got More Adventurous !

Food Adventures just got a whole lot more adventurous….. and you can benefit by winning a $25 gift certificate to Lily’s Bistro in the Oregon district.

*** FOOD ADVENTURES WITH BIG RAGU and THE CREW ***

Blazing the trails in the foodie forums since 2008, Food Adventures has developed a large following…

Today, we add some big players to the mix.  They include Chefs, Foodie Fanatics, royalty and an appetite for Dayton that has never been bigger.  Although we have a couple of new faces, FOOD ADVENTURES with BIG RAGU and THE CREW, is still the same FOOD ADVENTURES you have come to love.  We will continue to have the MUST EATS, killer food photos that make your mouth water, and multiple visits to a place before we write an article.  Will continue to give you “THE SKINNY” on our favorites.  Follow our relentless pursuit of the best eats in the Miami Valley!

Together, your humble Food Adventurers will seek out locally owned restaurants, unique places off the beaten path, and even give our slant on some familiar favorites. Whenever we visit a place, we call it a “Food Adventure.”  You can expect pictures of each Food Adventure we embark on. You can expect us hugging waiters, visiting mom & pop establishments, posting nostalgic blogs, tongue-in-cheek comments and emotionally eating our way through life.   We don’t take ourselves seriously, enjoying the adventure all the way.  “We are not food critics, we just love to eat!”  Food Adventures won’t limit ourselves, we try it all – NO RULES !  We will leave no plate unturned.

You know the Big Ragu already ...

You already know The Big Ragu

We will continue to set the trends, host Food Adventure dinner events, and give our unique spin on Dayton’s best “Mom and Pop” places in the Miami Valley.  Food Adventures with Big Ragu and the Crew will continue to attend and support numerous local food and charity events.   We eat it all, and the photos are ours. No stock pics here.  We aren’t a share and click site.  We are Dayton Originals, so all of our stuff is original content. Often imitated, never duplicated, accept no substitutions.

You can find us here:

Facebook Page: Facebook.com/foodadv

Website: DaytonFoodies.com 

Twitter: @food_adv

Instagram: Instagram.com/Dayton_Foodies

 

Our recent “Meeting of the Mouths” happened last Sunday at Lily’s Bistro on Chicken Dinner night.  We will get into the Must Eats from that night shortly, but first…,

Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to MEET THE NEW CREW !

 

Chef House - expert foodie !LEEANNE HOUSE aka “CHEF HOUSE”:

Chef House or “The Sriracha Mamma” is all about the heat.  Lover of all things spicy she is constantly in the kitchen coming up with fun new ways to whip up veggies and add a little spice.  She is a Dayton native, with lifelong experience in the restaurant industry, working with some of the best chefs in the Miami Valley.  She loves to keep it local especially in the summer when beautiful produce is plentiful. She is a true foodie who knows we have a lot to offer in Ohio!

Chef House’s Top 5 Favorite Local Places for a Food Adventure :

(in no particular order)

1) Meadowlark (they do veggies right!)

2) Rue Dumaine (it never disappoints)

3) Fresco (best chef hands down)

4) Oregon Express (favorite pizza since I was a kiddo)

5) My kitchen ! …  duh!!!!

***************************************************

 

JACLYN SCANLAN aka “HUNGRY JAX”:

Jackie relocated to the Dayton are in 2006. This Italian from Upstate NY found herself in a very different culinary atmosphere than what she was used to back home in Utica, NY.  However, different proved to be good a she fell in love with not only this “gem” of a city, but also the food and foodies within it! Cooking is a passion of Jackie’s.  She loves to use her husband, John, and two daughters, Coraline and Ashlyn, as her lab rats to test recipes out.  Some of her recipes have even been published in National Food Magazines!  But as much as she loves to cook, she also loves to take a night off from her kitchen and enjoy eating out and letting someone else do all the work (and the clean up)!  Other foodie interests include years of volunteering at the Dorothy Lane Market School of Cooking and being an Alton Brown fan since way back when he wore bowling shirts.  Jackie is excited to be part of the Food Adventures team and is looking forward to experiencing some new eats!

Jackie’s Top 5 Favorite Local Places for a Food Adventure:

1) Lock 27

2) The Cakery

3) Sweeney’s Seafood

4) Dorothy Lane Market

5) Zombie Dogz
 *
  ***************************************************
 ***************************************************
 And our final Food Adventurer…
The King - all smilesBLAKE KING aka “THE KING”

After hopping the globe with the Air Force, The King recently touched down in Dayton with his wife and daughters. Flying recon for great local food, the Big Ragu has set the course for his newest wingman, and he is logging some serious mileage. The King is a dessert FREAK! There is no shake too shaky, pie too flakey, nor cake to…cakey for this lunatic. He wants to find the best dessert in Dayton. Please help him. He needs it, a lot.

The King’s Top 5 Favorite Local Places for a Food Adventure:

1) Taco Loco

2) Jet Freeze

3) Bill’s Donut Shop

4) Hasty Tasty Pancake House

5) Submarine House

 

 

Now to the food of the day .. not a typical article for us, this is just about one dinner …. The Sunday Chicken Dinner at Lily’s Bistro

Get your hens ready….

HERE’S THE SKINNY: 

— The dinners go from 5pm – 9pm on Sundays only

— The menu is pretty much fried chicken, with the sides, appetizers, and desserts changing from week to week.

— The prices are $9 for a 2 piece dinner, $16 for a 1/2 chicken dinner, and $28 for a whole chicken

— Sides are $3,  good prices, no clucking around

Now we ruffle our feathers and give you our patented.. Must Eats!

 

Buttered Johnnycake..

Johnny Cakes at Lily’s Bistro. Click to Enlarge the Goodness

MUST EATS:

— JOHNNY CAKES:  It might have been chicken night, but the appetizers and sides stole the show !  We couldn’t stop talking about the Johnny cakes. Pancakes, as an appetizer? This was right up our alley. The King wished he could have bottled the scent to keep by his pillow at night. Made with jalepeno, for just enough contrasting kick to the sweet buttery mapleness.   These cakes were  slathered in butter and syrup and simply amazing.  Who would have thunk it?   Crispy, sweet and spicy made for a perfect combination, and Chef House’s favorite dish of the night.

— SMOKED SALMON DIP:  Another great appetizer of the night, served with bagel “nuggets.”  We started out polite, then found ourselves thumb wrestling for the last bits.  Addicting, and addiction is an ugly thing.

— HOMEMADE MASHED POTATOES: We are talking the real deal, mashed with decent sized chunks in them.  We wondered why conversation stopped, it was as if all the Food Adventurers discovered these at the same time and were very quietly stuffing their faces.

— COOLDADDY COCKTAIL:  This spicy cocktail is a must.  Who could pass up a drink that features Chef House’s Sriracha sauce? Tequila, handmade pepper syrup, strawberries, cilantro are also among the ingredients.

— BEIGNETS:  Pronounced “Ben-yays.”   Known in some circles as “pizza frite”, “zeppole” or fried dough, these puffs of dough are a perfect end to a rich dinner.  Ever so slightly covered with sifted powdered sugar, Big Ragu had white on his “man bib vest” in no time.

 

Smoked Salmon Dip with Bagel nuggets - a must eat

Smoked Salmon dip, made in house, with Bagel Bites

Honorable Mention:  The mac n cheese and hand breaded, fried okra deserve a nod!

Thank you for reading our special  Food Adventure with Big Ragu and the Crew!

We always visit a place multiple times before we write a story, so we are ready for a trip back to Lily’s.. want to join us?  COMMENT BELOW on the story for a chance to win!

**** CONTEST **** WIN a $25 Gift Certificate to LILY’S BISTRO WITH BIG RAGU AND THE CREW !!   Just comment on the story below for a chance to win.  One entry per person, please.  A winner will be chosen at random.  We will revisit this restaurant for an another Food Adventure and you are welcome to join us !
Follow Food Adventures by giving us a like on Facebook.
[flagallery gid=109]

Filed Under: Food Adventures, The Featured Articles Tagged With: #dayton_foodies, #daytonfood, #food_adv, bagel, Beer, beignets, Big Ragu, BIll's Donuts, blake king, Cakery., chef, chef house, chicken, chunks, cocktail, cocktails, crew, dayton #dayton, DaytonDining, dinner, DLM, donut, Dorothy Lane Market, fazio, Food Adventure, Food Adventures, Fresco, fried, fried dough, fritters, Hasty Tasty, housemade, hungry jax, Jackie, Jaclyn, Jaclyn Scalan, jet freeze, johhny cakes, johnnie cakes, LeeAnne House, Lily's Bistro, mac, mashed potatoes, Meadowlark, most Metro, New Holland, okra, Oregon Express, pancake house, pizza frite, Rue Dumaine, salmon dip, Scanlan, school of cooking, sriracha, submarine House, Sunday, Sundog, Taco Loco, the crew, the king, zombie dogz

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