I said I was going to blog more often...and tell you about the macaroni and cheese that I made last week, didn't? Here it is.
I made the Mac & Cheese for a barbecue that I was attending at my friend's house last Sunday night. Albert gave me a hand with it! Cooking with your man is fun!
The recipe is a mix between Ina Garten's and another one I found on Epicurious.com from Gourmet magazine. Obviously, I can't follow a recipe very well. Never do.
Here was my version:
Kick Ass Mac & Cheese!
Topping:
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 cups panko coarse Japanese bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Swiss
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 t. truffle salt (or regular salt)
Cheese Sauce:
1 pound elbow macaroni
4 cups
5 T. unsalted butte
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups sharp cheddar (Yay, Tillamook!,) grated (4 cups)
2 cups Gruyere, grated
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 t. truffle salt
pinch of cayenne pepper(just a tiny bit!)
1. Boil the noodles for 6-8 minutes until al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat the milk in a pan. Don't boil it! In the meantime, in a separate pan, melt the butter.
3. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and stir until blended. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly.
4. While whisking, add the hot milk. Continue to cook and whisk until the mixture is smoothed and thickened, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the shredded cheeses, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and stir to blend.
6. Pour into a baking dish.
7. Make the topping: Melt the butter and toss with the panko crumbs.
8. Mix in the cheese and salt. Sprinkle on top of macaroni and cheese.
9. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until nicely browned
Enjoy!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Bad Blogger.
Yep. That's me. I'm a bad blogger. I have to give MUCHO credit to all the food lovers who manage to post on a regular basis.
Anyways, yes, I have been cooking, eating, and enjoying life in general. It's been a busy year and it's only 19 days in. Work has been....work. I've been enjoying many weekends in the Napa Valley, mostly hanging out, watching tivo'ed episodes of "No Reservations", and cooking with my man.
An update on what I've made in the eons since I've last posted:
More Pomegranate Chicken ( you HAVE to try this recipe, which is by Gluten Free Girl....who is fantastic!). I sprinkle my pistachios and cashews at the end after everything is cooked and on a serving platter, which adds a nice crunch.
A whole leg of lamb with lemon risotto. This came out pretty nice. I misread the directions and anticipated it cooking much faster than it did. The risotto didn't hold up as well as I'd hoped while waiting for it's friend, but everybody enjoyed it.
The BEST macaroni and cheese that I've ever had in my entire life (ok, I may be a bit biased), but it was fantastic...Again, other's agreed. I'll post that recipe in the next few days.
BUT!
The recipe I'm gonna post today is for Red Beans and Rice. I cobbled this together using a bunch of recipes I'd read online. It came out spicy and delicious....and it made so much that the leftovers fed several people for quite a few days. There is still some left, I think.
This is a good thing...because like most people, my New Year's resolution was trim down on spending. The beans are cheap, and really, so are most of the vegetables. The andouille sausage may be the most costly thing in it....which can be left out if you are a vegetarian or very frugal. The rest of ingredients were laying around my veggie drawer waiting to get used. No picture because, honestly, it's not that pretty. It just tastes good!
Kami's Red Beans and Rice:
Prep the beans:
I bought a 1lb bag of red beans and soaked them overnight.
The next day, I boiled them in water and leftover white wine with bay leaves until they were soft but not mushy.
To put it together:
1 T. olive oil
1 small green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small red pepper, 1 inch pieces
1 small yellow pepper, 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
5 stalks of celery, chopped
(aka the "holy trinity")
1/2 lb of okra (I saw these in the store and couldn't resist them)
8 cloves of garlic, chopped (yes, I love garlic)
1 jalapeno (mine beans and rice were SPICY)
1/2 lb of andouille sausage (any smoked sausage will work, I think)
a chunk of ham, or whatever salty smoky meat you have laying around. ( I used a bit of salt pork)
2 heaping tablespoons of cajun seasoning
salt and pepper to taste ( I used some applewood smoked seasalt)
1 small can of tomato sauce
Water to cover the whole mess
To cook:
1. Saute peppers, onions, and celery in olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and jalapeno, and stir until garlic fragrant.
2. Add sausage and brown it a bit. Mix in the cajun seasoning and cook for about or minute. Stir in salt and pepper.
3. Add the beans and cover by a few inches with water. Add tomato sauce. Throw smoky meat in, and cover.
4. Stir on occasion for as long as it takes to get the whole to desired consistency (mine cooked for about 2 hours).
5. Serve over cooked white rice. The leftovers are good.
YUM!
Anyways, yes, I have been cooking, eating, and enjoying life in general. It's been a busy year and it's only 19 days in. Work has been....work. I've been enjoying many weekends in the Napa Valley, mostly hanging out, watching tivo'ed episodes of "No Reservations", and cooking with my man.
An update on what I've made in the eons since I've last posted:
More Pomegranate Chicken ( you HAVE to try this recipe, which is by Gluten Free Girl....who is fantastic!). I sprinkle my pistachios and cashews at the end after everything is cooked and on a serving platter, which adds a nice crunch.
A whole leg of lamb with lemon risotto. This came out pretty nice. I misread the directions and anticipated it cooking much faster than it did. The risotto didn't hold up as well as I'd hoped while waiting for it's friend, but everybody enjoyed it.
The BEST macaroni and cheese that I've ever had in my entire life (ok, I may be a bit biased), but it was fantastic...Again, other's agreed. I'll post that recipe in the next few days.
BUT!
The recipe I'm gonna post today is for Red Beans and Rice. I cobbled this together using a bunch of recipes I'd read online. It came out spicy and delicious....and it made so much that the leftovers fed several people for quite a few days. There is still some left, I think.
This is a good thing...because like most people, my New Year's resolution was trim down on spending. The beans are cheap, and really, so are most of the vegetables. The andouille sausage may be the most costly thing in it....which can be left out if you are a vegetarian or very frugal. The rest of ingredients were laying around my veggie drawer waiting to get used. No picture because, honestly, it's not that pretty. It just tastes good!
Kami's Red Beans and Rice:
Prep the beans:
I bought a 1lb bag of red beans and soaked them overnight.
The next day, I boiled them in water and leftover white wine with bay leaves until they were soft but not mushy.
To put it together:
1 T. olive oil
1 small green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small red pepper, 1 inch pieces
1 small yellow pepper, 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
5 stalks of celery, chopped
(aka the "holy trinity")
1/2 lb of okra (I saw these in the store and couldn't resist them)
8 cloves of garlic, chopped (yes, I love garlic)
1 jalapeno (mine beans and rice were SPICY)
1/2 lb of andouille sausage (any smoked sausage will work, I think)
a chunk of ham, or whatever salty smoky meat you have laying around. ( I used a bit of salt pork)
2 heaping tablespoons of cajun seasoning
salt and pepper to taste ( I used some applewood smoked seasalt)
1 small can of tomato sauce
Water to cover the whole mess
To cook:
1. Saute peppers, onions, and celery in olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and jalapeno, and stir until garlic fragrant.
2. Add sausage and brown it a bit. Mix in the cajun seasoning and cook for about or minute. Stir in salt and pepper.
3. Add the beans and cover by a few inches with water. Add tomato sauce. Throw smoky meat in, and cover.
4. Stir on occasion for as long as it takes to get the whole to desired consistency (mine cooked for about 2 hours).
5. Serve over cooked white rice. The leftovers are good.
YUM!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Good food, No Pictures.
Who says you have to take a picture of everything you cook? For some reason, I always forget. I never forget to cook, though. I've come to realize that cooking is my way of releasing stress(doing laundry at the laundry mat is another. Don't ask why). When other people are filled with dread because they have to go home and make ANOTHER dinner, I look forward to it. Two hours in a kitchen will fly by. Anyways, there was a lot of cooking going on this week but nary a picture. Sorry!
What I've made this week:
Pomegranate chicken(Gluten-Free Girl's recipe), roasted garlic mashed potatoes, honey mustard glazed brussel sprouts.
Beef stew, balsamic glazed brussel sprouts
Steak tacos with homemade salsa (I'm a salsa snob. I refuse to eat the jarred junk)
Gingersnaps (these were fantastic! Spicy and chewy. Perfect for fall)
I might post the recipes for all of these things at some point but right now, I'm going just going to do the gingersnaps because they are pretty great.
I took the recipe that David Lebovitz's post on Chez Panisse Gingersnaps and made some changes. Yeah, I messed with Alice Water's cookies. Shame on me. In my defense, they are some rockin cookies! I had bought the pomegranate molasses at the store for the above mentioned pomegranate chicken and I was so excited about it, I had to use it right away. I threw in quite a bit more spice, too.
Here's my recipe.
2 cups flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
11 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted, at room temperature
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
2 Tablespoons molasses
1 large egg, at room temperature
Granulated sugar to dip prior to baking.
What I've made this week:
Pomegranate chicken(Gluten-Free Girl's recipe), roasted garlic mashed potatoes, honey mustard glazed brussel sprouts.
Beef stew, balsamic glazed brussel sprouts
Steak tacos with homemade salsa (I'm a salsa snob. I refuse to eat the jarred junk)
Gingersnaps (these were fantastic! Spicy and chewy. Perfect for fall)
I might post the recipes for all of these things at some point but right now, I'm going just going to do the gingersnaps because they are pretty great.
I took the recipe that David Lebovitz's post on Chez Panisse Gingersnaps and made some changes. Yeah, I messed with Alice Water's cookies. Shame on me. In my defense, they are some rockin cookies! I had bought the pomegranate molasses at the store for the above mentioned pomegranate chicken and I was so excited about it, I had to use it right away. I threw in quite a bit more spice, too.
Here's my recipe.
2 cups flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
11 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted, at room temperature
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
2 Tablespoons molasses
1 large egg, at room temperature
Granulated sugar to dip prior to baking.
1. Stir together the dry ingredients.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter just until soft and fluffy. Add the sugars and continue to beat until smooth, stopping the mixer to scrape down any butter clinging to the sides of the bowl.
3. Stir in the vanilla, both types of molasses and egg.
4. Mix in the dry ingredients gradually until the dough is smooth.
5. Divide the dough in two equal portions and roll each on a lightly-floured surface until each is a not so odd shaped log. Make sure they aren't too thin otherwise you'll have tiny cookies.
6. Wrap each in plastic wrap then roll them lightly on the counter to smooth them out. Refrigerate, or freeze the dough until firm.
7. To bake, preheat the oven to 350F. I pull out my trusty Pampered Chef pizza stone. I haven't burned a cookie since I started using this thing. I am looking to get another at some point to expedite my cooking baking process. (Christmas, hint hint).
8. Slice cookie dough into rounds a little larger than 1/4-inch rounds with a knife. Dip one side and press firmly in a bowl of sugar if you want, and place on the baking sheet, evenly-spaced apart. Leave a couple of inches en cookies since they'll spread while baking.9. Bake for 10-14 minutes, until deep-golden brown. The cookies will puff up a bit while baking, then settle down when they're done. Bake on the lower end of the range for softer cookies, and more for snappier ones, depending on your oven. I like mine chewy!
10. Let the cookies cool two minutes, then remove them with a spatula and transfer them to a cooling rack.
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