Life Just Got a Little Cheesier: Zingerman's Shared Their Mac & Cheese Recipe!

ROADHOUSE MACARONI AND CHEESE

Ingredients:
Coarse sea salt
1 pound macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup diced onion
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 pound grated raw milk cheddar cheese
2 Tsp Olive Oil

Method:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons salt and the pasta and stir well. Cook for about 13 minutes (if using Martelli) or until the pasta is done. Drain it and set it aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter for the sauce in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat (be careful not to scorch the butter). Add the onion and bay leaf and sauté until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
Remove the bay leaf. Add the flour, and cook for a minute or so, stirring constantly.

Slowly add the milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly to avoid lumping. When the flour and milk have been completely combined, stir in the cream. Keep the mixture at a gentle simmer (not at a high boil) until it thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the mustard, cheddar cheese and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes and set aside.

In a heavy bottom skillet over med-high heat get the pan very hot. Add olive oil and when it begins to smoke add the cheese sauce and the drained cooked noodles. Toss thoroughly and continue to cook, stirring occassionally until you have approximately 15 % of the mixture golden brown.

Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Remove from heat.

Serve each bowl of macaroni. Dig in!

Sandwich Experiment #1

Today I decided to attempt to duplicate the Sweetilicious veggie delight sandwich for my lunch.

I used Great Harvest 9 Grain bread (only the best for a sandwich) and spread one slice with reduced fat onion and chive cream cheese. Then I put thinly sliced golden delicious apples on top, followed by spinach leaves and extra sharp cheddar. Then I grilled it in the George Foreman grill.

The result: a very yummy sandwich and a feeling like I was dining somewhere much fancier than my house. Definitely a sandwich I'll make again, maybe even for dinner sometime this week.

Since I have the bread in the house, I'll be trying different sandwich combos most of the week. We'll see what inspires me tomorrow.

Paula Deen's Cheesey, Buttery Macaroni

Tonight I tried a Paula Deen recipe that Brian had been drooling over for a few months (he drools over Paula Deen in general -- I think he has a secret crush). It was for Creamy Macaroni and Cheese but supplemented with a can of cheese soup. I shuddered when I saw the recipe, but it actually turned out pretty good. Of course, the half a stick of butter and the 3+ cups of cheese didn't hurt any.

It was relatively easy to assemble and then cooked in the Crock Pot for three hours while I played with Jack and we met with our financial adviser -- a nice way to fix dinner and then forget about it.

Although I don't love it as much as the more sophisticated flavors of the Barefoot Contessa's Macaroni and Cheese, I do think we'll probably make the recipe again when we're craving some comfort food.

Bacon and Cheese Make Even Cauliflower Taste Good

Since Jack has become such a huge fan of broccoli ("brock-lee!"), I've been looking for ways to branch out from steamed and roasted broccoli, so last night at the grocery store I decided to buy him some "white broccoli" (a.k.a. cauliflower). I saw a Giada At Home recipe that used bacon, gruyere, and buttered breadcrumbs to make a cauliflower casserole, so I decided to give it a try. The Cauliflower and Bacon Gratin turned out delicious. Brian loved it, I loved it, and Jack ate it. (He seemed to love the country ribs we served with it a bit more.) The casserole is rich and creamy with lots of flavor. The only change I made to her original recipe is using a combination of Panko breadcrumbs and regular breadcrumbs, and I left out the salt because the bacon and gruyere were salty enough. Next time, i wouldn't bother with the capers. They're too pricey for the minimal impact they have on this dish. With these modifications, this is a definite keeper!

Possible Birthday Dish...

I realized that I've been very lax lately about posting recipes, mostly due to a continuous sinus infection, coupled with a bout of the stomach flu for everyone in the house.

But I'm back to cooking new things, and tonight we decided to try out a possible macaroni recipe for Jack's birthday. We're planning to serve pulled pork and baked beans (Jack's favorite veg), so we thought some mac and cheese would work well with that, but we don't have a really fabulous mac and cheese recipe yet. So, we'll be trying out a few over the next two months.

Tonight we tried The Barefoot Contessa's Macaroni and Cheese, which was absolutely delicious, to the point that we both helped ourselves to extra spoonfuls, more than once.

The Recipe: Mac and Cheese

The Source: Barefoot Contessa (Food Network)

The Rating: 5 out of 5

We loved the nutmeg flavor and the nuttiness of the gruyere cheese. I especially loved the tomatoes on top. Brian says,"It just kind of snuck up on us how good it is" because at first we thought it was merely good. By the third extra helping, we knew it was fabulous.

My only complaint is the pricyness of the meal. Getting a GOOD gruyere cheese cost about $12 for 12 oz., plus the cost of the cheddar. Not cheap. But worth it for a special occasion.


Next time, we're going to try Paula Deen's Mac and Cheese recipe, which includes a can of cheddar cheese soup. I'm mildly appalled, but Brian says it's his birthday party, too, so he wants to try the Paula Deen dish. Personally, I think he might be a little in love with Paula Deen. ;)

Three-Cheese Penne

Source: Cooking Light

Recipe: Three-Cheese Baked Penne

Rating: 5 out of 5

Tonight I tried a recipe that Brian had marked in Cooking Light two years ago, right around the time that Jack was born. I've been a little behind on Cooking Light ever since and finally got around to pulling out all the recipes we'll potentially make.

All three of us absolutely gobbled it up. It was fairly easy, except for un-casing the turkey sausage, and fairly economical, except for the goat cheese. But with the cheesy, gooey delicious results, we'll be certain to make it again.

I made a couple of adaptations to the original recipe. I didn't have Italian seasoning, so I put in 1/4 tsp. oregano and basil and 1/8 tsp. sage. Also, I put a cup of Brian's homemade spaghetti sauce in instead of the tomato sauce that it calls for.

The crinkly, cheese sounds as I mixed in the mozzarella and the goat cheese were a clear indication that this was going to be a winner. Even Jack cleaned his plate with minimal objections, and with a little bribing with the cinnamon chocolate fudge.