Baked Mac and Cheese

Mac and cheese is my son's absolute favorite meal.  Whenever we ask him what he wants for dinner he replies with "mac and cheese".  I am not a huge fan of the neon orange cheese that first starts out as powder, so I tend to make this baked mac and cheese and it is extremely indulgent.

1 lb macaroni (sometimes I use small shells or cavatappi)
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1/2 tsp salt
pepper (to taste)
2-4 cups grated cheese (I tend to use 4 cups and I like a combo of sharp cheddar and monterey jack and I don't use the kind that is already shredded, for some reason I feel it doesn't have as much flavor)
1/2 cup bread crumbs sauteed with 1 Tbsp butter for the topping

Cook pasta according to directions.  In a medium saucepan, melt butter and stir in flour.  Slowly pour in milk while stirring to keep the mixture thick.  Do the same with the cream.  Add in your salt and pepper.  Add in your cheese and stir to melt it.  Pour the pasta and cheese into a baking dish and top with breadcrumb mixture.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

*for a lighter version, use only milk (no cream) and use 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp flour rather than the 4 listed above.

New England Clam Chowder

I absolutely LOVE New England Clam Chowder and have made this recipe a lot over the years, and I love to make this on a cold, rainy Sunday.  Although it is not exactly cold today, I think it makes for a great meal during the aftermath of a hurricane!

2 Tbsp butter
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 Tbsp dried thyme
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp flour
1 pint half-and-half
2 cups chicken stock
1-2 potatoes, depending on the size
2 cans minced or whole baby clams and their juice

In a large pot over medium high heat melt butter. (I like to use my dutch oven for this recipe.)  Add bacon and let the bacon cook a bit and get a little brown.  Add onions cook for 1-2 minutes and then add celery, thyme, salt and pepper.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Add flour and stir and cook for another minute or two.  Add half-and half and stock and bring to a bubble.  While you are waiting for the soup to bubble, peel and cut your potatoes and cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes so they are partly cooked.  Once soup is bubbling, add potatoes and clams.  Bring soup to a boil and reduce heat and simmer until your chowder is nice and thick and can coat the back of a spoon.  The longer you simmer the thicker the soup will get.  I like mine to be very thick, so I simmer it for awhile, about 30-45 minutes or more.

Banana Pudding Gone Amazing

My friend Nicole made this and calls it "Banana Pudding with a Twist" but I think it should be called Banana Pudding Gone Amazing because it truly is amazing!

Pre-heat oven to 350.  Makes an 8x8 dish, for 9x13 double the recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick, softened)

1 cup flour

1 cup coconut flakes

1/4 cup white sugar

1 box instant banana pudding

2 cups of cold milk

2 bananas sliced thin

1/2 container Cool Whip

Combine butter, flour, coconut flakes and sugar in a bowl until a crumbly mixture forms.  Put the crumbs on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 min (stirring once or twice so it cooks evenly) until light brown.  Allow to cool.

Make the instant pudding as per directions on box.

In a 8x8 dish put 1/2 coconut mixture.  Gently top with banana pudding, then a layer of thin sliced bananas, cool whip and the remaining coconut mixture.

Refrigerate until served.

Peanut Butter Frosting YUMM

I made this frosting for my mom's birthday. I put it on chocolate cupcakes.  I was not crazy about the chocolate cupcake recipe I used, it was way too dry and more like a chocolate muffin than a cake, but I will be trying again.  Next time I am going to try a new recipe and make the chocolate cupcakes with a mini peanut butter cup in the middle and then top it with this frosting!  The frosting will be enough for about 16 cupcakes.

1/2 cup peanut butter
5 Tbsp softened unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1-3 Tbsp milk (only needed to thin, if desired)

Beat butters together with an electric mixer.  Add sugar, thin with milk if you would like a thinner consistancy. 

Two Cheese Corn Gratin (courtesy of Good Housekeeping)

I made this for a BBQ and it was sooo yummy!  I will definitely be making this as a side dish again!

• 1 pound(s) yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 pound(s) ripe tomatoes, halved, seeded, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices
• 2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 tablespoon(s) chopped basil
• 1 1/2 cup(s) whole milk
• 2 tablespoon(s) cornstarch
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup(s) snipped fresh chives
• 5 ear(s) corn
• 3/4 cup(s) panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
• 3/4 cup(s) shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup(s) shredded mozzarella cheese

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Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In greased shallow 3-quart. baking dish, arrange squash and half of tomatoes in single layer, overlapping. Drizzle with half of oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and half of basil. Roast 25 minutes or until slightly dry.
3. Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk milk, cornstarch, and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper until cornstarch dissolves. Whisk in eggs and half of chives.
4. Cut corn kernels from cobs. In bowl, combine panko, 1/4 cup Cheddar, 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and remaining basil, chives, and oil.
5. Sprinkle remaining cheeses evenly over roasted vegetables. Top with corn; pour milk mixture over all. Place raw tomatoes around edge, slightly overlapping. Sprinkle panko mixture evenly over top.
6. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until browned and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. 

Sangria

I LOVE sangria, and what mommy doesn't need a little drink every now and then.  My friend Derrick gave me this recipe after I had it at a party and it is delish, and not very strong, which I happen to like about it.  I don't like when a drink suddenly knocks me on my ass, and this one you can have a few glasses of and still feel fine.

1 Bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rioja, Zinfandel, Shiraz)- I used Cupcake Vineyards Red Velvet, my favorite red of the moment
1 Lemon cut into wedges
1 Orange cut into wedges
1 Lime cut into wedges
2 Tbsp sugar
3 Cups of lemonade
2 Shots triple sec (optional)- I left this out since I don't have it in the house and used gin instead
1 Cup of raspberries and/or strawberries (frozen) - I used frozen mixed berries
1 Small can of diced pineapples (with juice)
4 Cups ginger ale

Preparation:
Pour wine into a large pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon, orange and lime into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and pineapple with the juice, then add sugar, lemonade and triple sec. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale, and frozen berries just before serving. If you'd like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over lots of ice. However, remember that the best Sangrias are chilled around 24 hours in the frig. - allowing the flavors to really marinate into each other.
I never use ice, I don't like the ice to melt, it will kill the flavor, so I use lots and lots of frozen fruit. You can also jazz it up by added a few shots of gin and using Mike's Hard Lemonade. Also shave just a pinch of cinnamon into the mix, gives it a nice aroma a touch of spice.

Lower Fat Alfredo Sauce

I wouldn't call this recipe low-fat due to the amount of cheese but it certainly is lower-fat than a traditional alfredo sauce.

1 lb pasta (I like to use any long flat noodle like fettuccine or pappardelle)
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
3/4 cups grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Optional: sauteed spinach or steamed broccoli

Cook pasta according to directions.  Meanwhile in a large saucepan melt butter and whisk in flour creating a paste.  Slowly whisk in milk so that the liquid gets absorbed and the mixture stays thick.  simmer over low heat about 1-2 min.  Stir in parmesan cheese and salt.  If you sauteed spinach or  steamed broccoli, add in now.  Add pasta and coat with the sauce and serve.  YUMM!

I made this the other night with spinach which I sauteed with a little olive oil, garlic and salt.  I also used fresh pasta from Uncle Giuseppe's.