Martha's Macncheese

The recipe is originally from Martha Stewart, but I got the recipe from the lady at Smitten Kitchen. I made this for some of my friends after a long day of skiing. It was a blast but we were ready for some warm food. Oh and do you notice some of the green in the macncheese picture? It's because I sent Nick to get the supplies. I asked for macaroni and he came back with 3 different types of pasta--none of them was macaroni. I chose the mixed pasta wheels (hence the green) instead of the egg noodles or farfalle. He tried.

Nick and I are getting ready to leave tomorrow (not really, I spent the day reading and baking cakes) so we'll be as unprepared as we usually are! My mom still can't get over the fact that we're only bringing carry-ons with us for 4 months. She keeps trying to sneak more stuff into my Vera Bradley. Oh well, tomorrow we fly to LA for a couple days.

The recipe serves lots of people!

6 tbsp butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
5 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cayenne powder (I like spicy food)
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded Gruyere (we even used the creamy version and it worked)
1 lb macaroni or any other pasta, really

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. You could also just use 2 smaller casserole dishes.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until it bubbles. Whisk in the flour gradually. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then pour in the milk gradually. Whisk constantly so the mixture stays smooth until the milk comes to a slight simmer and begins to thicken. This will take about 15 minutes. Just be patient or make your sisters do it like I did.
While this is happening bring a pot of salted water to a boil and boil the pasta for 3 minutes. Strain the pasta, then pour into greased baking pan.
Take saucepan off heat. Add the spices, salt, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere cheese. Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir gently to mix together.
Pour the cheese mixture over the pasta and mix to distribute the cheese mixture evenly. Sprinkle with the rest of the shredded cheeses (add some breadcrumbs and extra butter on top if desired) and bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.

Vegan Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cashews!

It seems silly to call this dish macaroni and cheese, but it actually does taste like it! Brittany said this is her favorite version of my many vegan mac and cheeses. I made it for a late dinner after yoga class at the Union project (it was much needed)!

2 cups butternut squash puree
1/2 apple, roasted until soft
1 small onion, roasted until tender
2 cups cashews, soaked overnight in bowl of water
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
salt and pepper
1 pound pasta

Vegan Macncheese!

The idea for this particular macncheese came from a couple different sites, mainly Fat Free Vegan and Detoxinista. Since it is still freezing here, I've been focusing my energy towards the best macncheese ever. Well the recipe from Smitten Kitchen is still my favorite (with the ricotta cheese!), but this is my second favorite. The sauce is creamy and surprisingly cheesy from the tahini and nutritional yeast. Top it off with some hot sauce and it is perfection.

For the cheese sauce:
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
2 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 head garlic (I love garlic)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp. dried mustard
dash of cayenne pepper
plenty of black pepper

For the pasta
1 pound bag brown rice pasta
vegetables of choice (broccoli, radishes, squash)

Soak the cashews overnight. Then rinse them well and place into a blender with 1 cup of water. Blend until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend well. Cook the pasta until it is almost done but still a little crunchy. For the brown rice pasta, I boiled it for 1 minute, and then covered the pot and let it sit for 12 minutes. Pour the pasta into a 9x13 inch baking dish with the vegetables (I used radishes). Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and mix to incorporate. I sprinkled the macncheese with dulse flakes and black pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until the top looks crispy.

Simple Mac and Cheese

One of the reasons why I look forward to winter is HOMEMADE MACNCHEESE. There are so many different ways to make it but I always make sure to put extra cheese and breadcrumbs on top for crusty deliciousness : ) In this particular version, I added broccoli and cauliflower because that's what we had!

1 pound of dried macaroni noodles
2 cups half and half
2 cups milk
4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 small bunch broccoli, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 small bunch cauliflower, chopped in the same way
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
breadcrumbs and extra butter for the top

Start with making the roux, which thickens the cream mixture that you pour on top of the pasta. Melt the butter until it is bubbly and then add the flour while stirring to incorporate. Keep stirring the mixture for several minutes, letting it get browned on the stove. You'll see the color darken and the roux will start to smell nutty and rich.
Then pour in the milk and the half and half. Keep the heat on medium and bring to a simmer while stirring occasionally.

I like to cook the pasta during this time since boiling the milk mixture takes some time. So just follow the directions on the package and cook the noodles until al dente, drain, and set aside.
Once the milk mixture start simmering, take it off the stove and add 2 cups of the cheese to the mixture. Wait one minute, then stir slowly to mix.

Divide the noodles between 2- 8x8 baking pans and add the broccoli and cauliflower to both pans.

You could also just use one 9x13 inch ban. Then pour the cream and cheese mixture over the noodles evenly and stir to incorporate. You want to make sure to have cheese in every bite!
Then sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese on top of the pans. Add the extra butter and breadcrumbs on top of the cheese. This is what it looks like before going in the oven:

Bake the macncheese at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or so or just until the top is lightly browned and the cheese is bubbly. Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

This is mac and cheese on butternut squashy steriods, it is so good. I got an enormous butternut squash at Schramm's and roasted it a couple days ago since I knew I wouldn't have time to roast and make this on the same workday evening. 

So when I did make this it was really quick. Making the cheesy squashy part took about as long as boiling the pasta.

I'm just going to post the original recipe from How Sweet It Is because I'm really not sure about the quantities I used for anything - I made it in a loaf pan with about a third of the huge squash I'd roasted. I also used cream cheese instead of mascarpone cheese. I roasted the butternut squash with cayenne pepper instead of nutmeg. I used a different kind of pasta, I think it's called fusilli, and I used monterey jack cheese instead of mozza and parmesan. No bacon this time. I'm sure it would be great, but I don't think it needs it. I added halved grape tomatoes on top.

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Roasted Butternut Squash Baked Penne

From How Sweet It Is

ingredients:

1 pound butternut squash, peeled and chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small shallot, chopped
1 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
2/3 cup milk
1/2 pound whole wheat penne
1/4 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
sage leaves
crumbed bacon, if desired

Mushroom Mac & Cheese

I had grand plans of having a mushroom-themed potluck tonight, but it pretty much failed.  I did, however, manage to make mushroom mac and cheese.  I'm not much of a photographer, so you'll have to use your imagination...or visit the website I got this recipe from :)

http://www.icancookthat.org/2011/12/mushroom-mac-cheese.html

Ingredients:

• 1 Package cremini mushrooms (baby bellas)
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 2 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• Cooking spray
• 2 Tbs dry sherry
• 2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
• 8 Ounces (1/2 box) uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1/4 Cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Small can evaporated milk 
• 1 Cup shredded fontina cheese (I used cheddar instead)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450F
2. Combine mushrooms, olive oil and garlic on baking sheet covered in cooking spray. Season with salt & pepper
3. Bake at 450F for 15-20 minutes until mushrooms are browned
4. Cook pasta as directed on box
5. When mushrooms are done cooking, put in a bowl with sherry and oregano
6. Keep oven on, but decrease to 400F
7. Add flour and evaporated milk in a large pot and stir with a whisk; Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly
8. Add the cheese, salt and pepper
9. Remove from heat and stir in the mushroom mixture and pasta
10. Put the pasta mixture into a baking dish and bake for 25 minutes
11. Sprinkle with oregano leaves and enjoy!