Macaroni and Cheese

I have had this recipe for quite a few years now, all thanks to my friend Scottie.  He had been working on a M & C recipe and this was what he came up with...it's amazing.  I cannot improve on it so I will share it with you as he did with me.  I will say,  I don't always have the exact amount of cheese.  In fact it's usually a wee bit over!  It's a wonderful recipe to make a day or two ahead and then all you need to do is pop it in the oven for a bit longer than usual.  I always, always, always double it.  Always.  It's that good.  Also, just as a side note, you're going to want to make sure you have a salad or veggie as a side to this meal.  The amount of cheese in it will stop a freight train from running on a regular schedule, never mind a human body.  Yes, I went there.  The family and I usually have roasted broccoli with lemon and it's fan-freaking-tastic!  This is a special occasion dish here...Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and for pot lucks so don't start complaining about the high calorie count.  Celebrate and enjoy!  Stay on the treadmill for a few extra minutes, you'll be fine.

Uncle Scottie's Mac and Cheese!

Here's What You Need:

• 5 Tablespoons Butter
• 4 Tablespoons AP Flour
• 2 ½ cups Whole Milk
• 5 ounces Gorgonzola, crumbled
• 4 ounces Fontina, grated
• ¼-½ teaspoon Cayenne or 1 Teaspoon Cajun Seasoning, or more to taste
• 1 pound Rigatoni, I use "Mezzi Rigatoni" it's shorter and has lines!
• 4 ounces Mozzarella, cut into small cubes
• 4 ounces Parmesan, grated

I find that having a large pot of water boiling and at the ready helps with the timing of this whole process and then bring it down to simmer while you're making your cheese sauce.  I also prep all of the cheese so that once the white sauce is ready you can toss the cheese in and voila!  Cheese sauce!

I always ask my husband to help with this part!  ♥

In another large pot melt the butter, then with a whisk add in the flour.  Whisk away for a minute or so and then slowly add in your milk.  I rarely use whole milk but in this dish it's imperative.  Trust me.  I've tried making a lower fat version and it did not go over well.  You are going to need to watch over your pot of almost goodness now, keep whisking so nothing burns on the bottom of the pan.  The sauce will thicken up in 20 minutes or so, a bit longer if your doubling (which again, I highly recommend).  You can call on your inner Julia Childs and do that fancy french trick of coating the back of a wooden spoon and run your finger through the sauce on it to see if the line stays formed, if you'd like.  Talk with a french accent if you so choose, I won't judge.

Once your white sauce is thickened I want you to add in the Gorgonzola and stir it all in with the whisk to help break it up further.  Then add in the fontina.  Things are going to start getting ooey and gooey really quickly now and you can start doing a subtle happy dance.  Turn your heat off and add in your seasonings.  You all know by now that I like spicy foods so adjust to your liking.  Now if you happen to have a nice loaf of bread laying about and you want to dunk a piece in the sauce, to check for seasoning of course, then go right on ahead.

So your sauce is done, now just boil your noodles and you are in the home stretch.  You will want to cook them for a minute or two less than what the package says since they will be going into the oven for a bit of time too.  Drain and add them right back to the large pot I told you to get in the first place.  Now comes the cheese sauce, add it in with the noodles, combine well and then add in your Mozzarella.   Stir it.

See those little cubes of Mozzarella?  Oh happy day!!!

Your happy dance can get a little less subtle.  Grab a casserole dish and transfer your cheesy noodle goodness to it and use a scraper to get every last bit of sauce out of the pot.  Hell you can grab another hunk of bread and get it all.  Again, I won't judge.  Just don't.  Leave.  It.  In.  The.  Pot.

Now top it all with your grated Parmesan and cover it with tin foil.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly then uncover for 15-20 to get the top nice and browned.  Don't forget that if you are making this ahead of time just stop short of baking it.  Put it in the fridge until you are ready.  It will need to bake for more like 45-50 minutes to get all bubbly and fabulous before browning the top.
Enjoy!

Bon Appetit...it's time to eat!
Kathi

Pea Shoot Pesto

It started off being a "normal" Thursday for us.  Then I got an email from my favorite farm Fat Moon giving me a heads up on what they were picking today.  Apparently my girl Elizabeth (head cheese at Fat Moon Farm) was overloaded with pea shoots and felt the need to send me an email about it.  I love her. Elizabeth also let me know she was holding some garlic scapes aside for me (more to come on those soon too!).  She could possibly be the best "foodie" I know!

I grabbed my babies from school and made a bee line to the farm.  My middle one had a hard day at school (damn girl drama!) and one of the women that works at the farm immediately took my brood to go pick our shoots.  Apparently she had been a preschool teacher for many years and made everyones life a little brighter today.  I like that the farm is our family happy place...I will be writing quite a bit more about them in coming posts!

So with my children happily plucking pea shoots from the earth and Elizabeth and I catching up on all things food (and girl drama!), she says to me that she needs a recipe for pea shoots and was thinking of may be a pesto...I was so excited!  I had thought the same thing last week but the children and I ate all of the pea shoots right out of the bowl before we could make anything with them!  I packed up all my greens and children and flew home (not over the speed limit of course!) to pull something together.

The largest went to ice her broken finger and the smallest scattered as soon as we arrived back at home but the middle one stayed with me to create.  We turned on some music and got to cooking and little by little we came up with something that we were both happy with...a small miracle!

Here's what you need:

• ¼ cup Pine Nuts (toasted)
• ¼ cup Walnuts (toasted)
• 7 cloves Garlic
• 5 cups lightly packed Pea Shoots
• 1 cup Parsley (I use flat leaf)
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon fresh Pepper
• zest and juice of 1 Lemon
• 1 cup Parmesan
• 1 ½ cup Olive Oil

First step is in a small saute pan toast the pine nuts on low...if you're like me, don't leave the stove.  Ever.  I have burned more nuts walking away "just for a second" more than I care to admit.  LOL!

Once they are a golden gorgeous color put them in your food processor (this can also be done in a blender!) then move on to the walnuts and repeat.  Make sure you peel the garlic and then add them as well.  Now turn that baby on and puree the hell out of them.

Once the nuts and garlic are pureed add in the pea shoots a cup or two at a time.  Next comes the parsley, juice, salt and pepper, zest and parmesan...add them and buzz away.  Once you start adding the olive oil (slowly please, don't just dump it in!) things should start coming together nicely.

I am pretty excited with this version of "pesto" but since Elizabeth had so many pea shoots, we have plenty more to experiment with.  Tonights fun was tossed with some pasta and everyone under this roof loved it.  The two that take lunch to school were already requesting it for lunch before they were even done with dinner!  

Bon Appetit...it's time to eat!  

Pasta with Beets and Feta

I had moved to the town we are currently residing in almost a year and a half ago.  My first "people" that I bonded with were the librarians at the Public Library.  Nancy runs the children's portion of the library, complete with a crown.  Yes, a crown.  And she deserves it.   She is an avid gardener and was telling me about this recipe she makes for her daughter, Mary, who is Vegetarian.  I was salivating.  She sent me the recipe and when I made it I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  It's another one of those recipes that totally scores because everyone loves it.  Of course the children also love that it turns their pee and poo pink...alright, I happen to find it funny too!  Whatever.

Nancy's original recipe calls for Oranges instead of Clementines, I use whichever I have on hand.  Both ways are delicious.  I also add Arugula to the Beet Greens because #1 I always have Arugula in my fridge and #2 I love greens.  The best part of this recipe is that it is amazing hot, room temp or right out of the fridge.

Here's what you need:

• 6-8 fresh beets, with greens
• Clementines, enough for 3/4 cup juice.  I used 10.
• 1-2 Limes
• Zest from 3 Clementines and 1/2 lime
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 5 Garlic Cloves, minced
• Arugula, 1 large handful
• Beet Greens, chopped
• 1-1 1/2 cups Feta
• 1 pound of Pasta, your choice

Roasting beets is easy peasy...cut the tops off and the little "tail".  DO NOT peel them.  Just some Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper and a cookie sheet...throw them in a 375˚ oven for about 40 minutes.  A paring knife should easily pierce the beets when they are done.  I also have done this step the night before if I have the oven on anyway...little bit of a time saver for me.  Once the beets are cooled you can peel them very easily. Then cube them and set them aside.

I grab the largest pan I have and add the Olive Oil and chopped garlic.  I know 1/2 cup sounds like a lot but it's going to make the sauce for all of that goodness.  Get the garlic nice and golden...not too much though, overcooked garlic is bitter and nasty.

Once the garlic is smelling good add in the juice from both citrus' and let it reduce for about 10 minutes.  Add in the Beets, Salt and Pepper and let it simmer while your pasta is cooking.  When the pasta is almost done add in the greens to the saute pan with the beets and let them wilt.  It won't take long.

 Drain the pasta (no need to save any of the pasta water this time around.) and put it back in the pot it came from.  Add all the goodness from the saute pan to the pot and mix it well.  I usually add half the Feta at this point and keep the rest for the table for people to add as they see fit.  This post is almost finished so I won't rant about my love for cheese...this time!

Bon Appetit...it's time to eat!

Zucchini Pasta

This recipe is my variation of one I had gotten from my friend Kristi, one of many delicious recipes I might add!  It was last summer when everyones zucchini plants were going insane in their gardens, what perfect timing!
I find myself saying a recipe is a huge success when everyone is eating what I cook rather than making themselves a peanut butter sandwich or a bowl of cereal.  Yes.  You heard me right.  If the wee ones don't like what is served, they make their own dinner.  Since they are not big enough to use the stove,  those are the only options for them to do independently.  It happens, but not often.  This recipe is a rather large success for sure and they love the leftovers for school lunches!

Here's what you need:

• 2 1/2 pounds of zucchini and yellow squash (or all of one)
• 1 onion, thinly sliced (I always have a vidalia or a sweet onion)
• 4-5 garlic cloves (chopped)
• 2 tsp 21 Season Salute (Trader Joes is the place to get this)
• 1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (it really depends on how spicy you like it)
• 1/4-1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, julienned
• 1 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 12-15 leaves Basil, chopped
• Parsley, 3 Tblsp chopped
• Lemon, zest and juice
• 8 oz long pasta (I use 4 oz of whole wheat pasta and 4 oz of white)

While you are getting the rest of the ingredients together throw a large pot of water on the stove to start boiling.  It's a time saver for sure.

Now get to work on that zucchini/squash, or both.  What you are looking for here is to peel the squash until you start hitting the seed core.  No need for those seeds in this recipe.  I make a lengthwise peel, then rotate it a bit...repeat.  You will wind up with a big old pile of zucchini/squash "pasta" in no time.  Ignore the pink in the background...I think it's a bag of romaine hearts.  Whatever.  

Chop your garlic and slice your onions thinly.  I don't think I should even have to consider them to be actual ingredients...they should be treated like olive oil, salt and pepper as far as I'm concerned, just a given.  You know you need them in the recipe to make everything taste good so just automatically add them to everything...unless you're baking.  That would just be nasty.

Once the water starts to boil add in your pasta.  While it's cooking you can get the rest of the dish cooked.  It's that quick.  Just make sure you have everything else ready before you drop those noodles in the water.

So the best pan I find to use to cook all the vegetables up in is my wok.  A few tablespoons of olive oil in there should work just fine.  Once that's nice and hot add in the onions for a few minutes before adding in the garlic.  Prepare yourself...in about a minute thirty seconds the house is going to smell amazing.  

Add in the 21 Season Salute, red pepper flakes, and sun dried tomatoes to the mix.  If you don't have a Trader Joe's near you to get this seasoning, first, I would like to extend my condolences, second, try some Italian Seasoning you can get anywhere, it won't be as good but it will do.  Seriously, I may need a moment of silence for anyone who doesn't have a TJ close by.  Sigh.

Grate your cheese while this magic is going on.  There isn't much better in my opinion than freshly grated Parmesan.  

OK.  Now add in the zucchini/squash "pasta".  

This will not take long since they are so thinly sliced. 

Mix it all up in the wok so that nothing burns on the bottom.  In about three minutes you will be close to eating.  At this point I am telling the wee ones to get the table set for dinner.  You want it ready so that when this dish is done you can just sit and stuff your face.  

Before you drain your pasta, keep a cup of pasta water aside to help with the sauce.  I put the pasta back in it's pot and then add in the wok goodies, a few more tablespoons of olive oil, the basil and parsley.   Don't forget to zest your lemon and then juice the whole thing in.  Zesting a lemon that has already been juiced isn't easy, trust me.  The husband insists that he hates zest but I put it in a ton of dishes (of course I don't tell him this!) and he loves it.  Men.  

See where you are at and add about 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta liquid, if you think you need a bit more...do it.  I never need the whole cup.

Put this pot of heaven in a large serving bowl and then make it rain with parmesan, about 3/4 cup.  The rest I reserve for the table.

I usually serve this with a simple salad of romaine (Remember?  It was on the counter in the background?) with basil and parsley, some tomatoes and cucumbers or whatever veg is in the fridge and a vinaigrette.  French or Italian bread...either works just fine for me.

Bon Appetit...it's time to eat!