my macaroni and cheese

I love to make my homemade macaroni and cheese and I realized today that I hadn't shared that recipe with you, so, here you go! (make about 6 servings)

1 pound macaroni
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (I usually use a blend of mild cheddar, sharp cheddar and fontina)
1/2 cup blue cheese dressing
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1. preheat the oven to 375 and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  add the macaroni to the pot and cook according to package instructions and drain well.
2. in a large saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter.  add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes stirring with a whisk.
3. add the milk, continuing to whisk, and cook until thickened.  remove from the heat and stir in the 2 cups cheddar cheese, blue cheese dressing, salt, and pepper.  stirring until the ingredients are all incorporated.
4. pour the macaroni into a 3-quart baking dish and stir in the cheese sauce.  top with the shredded sharp cheddar.
5. bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown.  serve immediately.

fettuccine alfredo

today is national fettuccine alfredo day, so in honor of it, I am going to share my fettuccine alfredo recipe with you:

24 ounces dry fettuccine pasta
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces cream cheese
salt and pepper to taste (white pepper if you have it)
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. add fettuccine and cook as directed on the package;  drain.
2. put the butter back into the pot you cooked the fettuccine in and melt over medium heat.  add the fettuccine back to the pot.
3. reduce the heat to low, add the cream and cream cheese, stirring until the cream cheese is all melted and incorporated.
4. stir in the remaining ingredients and serve with additional parmesan cheese.

squash carbonara

we watched jamie oliver make this beautiful courgette carbonara the monday night and it started our mouths watering.  so we decided that we would make it tuesday night for dinner.  then, tuesday morning, our friend dee surprised us with fresh squash from waco city farms (talk about perfect timing).  here is how we made it:

1/4 pound pancetta, diced
1 whole yellow squash, cut into large chunks
1 whole zucchini, cut into large chunks
fresh thyme
black pepper
1/2 box whole wheat rotini
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup grated parmesan

1. cook the pasta according to the package directions
2. in a large pan over medium heat, cook the pancetta until crispy
3. add the diced squash and zucchini, stirring well
4. add the thyme and black pepper to taste and cook until the squash is lightly golden and softened slightly
   
5. meanwhile, mix together the remaining ingredients in a small bowl with a fork until well blended
6.  once the pasta is cooked, drain it reserving a little of the cooking water
7. add the pasta back to the pot (but not back on the heat) and add the pancetta and squash mixture to the pasta and then add the cream and egg yolk mixture
8. stir together adding the reserved pasta water if needed to make a creamy sauce
9. serve and eat immediately
   

caryn’s spaghetti sauce

my friend alicia came over for lunch the other day and I made spaghetti and she loved it so much that she is holding a truffle recipe hostage until she gets this recipe. well, here it is!

8 ounces ground beef (sometimes I crumble in a link of italian sausage as well)
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more, to taste
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 zuchini roughly chopped
1/2 cup shredded carrots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large (28 ounce) or 2 small (15 ounce) cans of tomatoes
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup sugar, plus more, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh oregno, chopped
1 small can tomato paste

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter

1. cook ground beef (and italian sausage if desired), seasoned with salt and pepper, in pan over medium-high heat until it is no longer pink. remove meat from pan, reserving fat in pan.
2. add onion, zuchini, and carrots and cook until tender (about 5 to 7 minutes). add garlic and cook 1 minute.
3. add the can(s) of tomoatoes, red wine, and sugar to taste
   
4. reduce heat to low and add basil and oregno. cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 1 hour.
5. using an emerssion blender or a regular blender, blend half the sauce to a smooth liquid. return the meat to the pan and cook for an additional 1 to 2 hours.
6. add the tomato paste, milk, and butter and cook until butter melts and all is mixed well (about 3 to 5 minutes). serve over pasta with parmesan cheese.

vodka pasta

my brother-in-law is cooking for a date later this week and needed a good recipe.  this is my never-fail romantic dinner.

 

    
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 cup vodka
1 cup chicken stock
1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
coarse salt and pepper
16 ounces pasta, (I usually use penne)
1/2 cup heavy cream
20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn
crusty bread, for passing

1. heat a large skillet over moderate heat. add oil, butter, garlic, and shallots. gently saute shallots for 3 to 5 minutes. add vodka to the pan and cook until vodka reduces by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. add chicken stock, tomatoes. bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. season with salt and pepper.
2. while sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). while pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.
3. stir cream into sauce. when sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. drain pasta. toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. pass pasta with crusty bread.

lemon linguine

my friend katie, asked me today if I had a good pasta recipe that I could share with here.  of course, I always have recipes to share.  this is one of those great dishes that are easy to make and we always have the ingredients on hand.  this makes a great, really simple dinner.

lemon linguine

2 pounds of linguine
2 egg yolks
⅔ cup of heavy cream
½ cup of freshly grated parmesan
zest of 1 lemon and juice of ½, plus more juice if needed
pinch of salt
freshly milled black pepper
4 tablespoons (½ stick) of unsalted butter
2-3 tablespoons of chopped parsley

1. fill a large pot with water and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package.
2. in a bowl, beat the yolks, cream, parmesan, zest of the whole lemon and juice of a half of it, the salt, and a good grind of pepper with a fork.  taste and adjust seasoning, if you want it more lemony, then, of course, add more juice.
3. as soon as the pasta looks ready, remove a cup of the cooking liquid and drain the pasta.  then, off the heat, toss it back in the pot and stir in the butter until the butter's melted and the pasta is covered all over.
4. once the pasta's covered with the butter, stir in the egg mixture until it is all incorporated into the pasta, adding some of the cooking liquid if it looks a bit dry.  (only 2 tablespoons or so--you do not want a wet mess--and only after you think the sauce is incorporated.)  sprinkle over the parsley and serve.

our new year's eve dinner

for those of you who know mike and I, you know that we never pass up a chance to cook a wonderful meal and last night was no exception. here is what we had:

cheese and crackers plate
mike has become a big cheese fan lately. so, when he stopped at heb on his way home to get a few things, he got some delicious cheeses for us to try. my favorite was the white stilton with apricots

blackberry bellini

frozen blackberries, champagne, vodka, and blue curacao, with a splash of roses lime juice. delicious!!

zuchini chips with horseradish dip
mike cooked up our zuchini fries sliced as chips, and I made my horseradish dip to go with them.

blue cheese vinegrette salad
this was my attempt to recreate the salad that we like so much at 135 prime. I used field greens with sliced apples, blue cheese, and candied pecans. I used the blush vinegreitte for the dressing. although it was not quite the same, it was a really good salad.

beer battered shimp with red pepper bowtie alfredo

several years ago, at a restaurant called Fish Camp near Gulf Shores, Alabama, we had fettucini alfredo with fried shrimp. ever since then, it's been one of our favorite combinations.

molten chocolate cakes with a shot of bailey's irish cream
since they didn't have mike's favorite dessert the other night at 135 Prime, I decided to try this tonight to see if it would work as a replacement. I made my standard molten chocolate cakes and added a shot of bailey's on the top!

blender mac and cheese

I love macaroni and cheese and until recently, it wasn't something that I tried to make myself. I have perfected a wonderful mac and cheese recipe (it has blue cheese in it, doesn't that just make your mouth water) and I will share that recipe with you later. but when I am feeling lazy, I make my version of nigella lawson's mac and cheese recipe from her nigella express cookbook. this recipe is really good and really easy!

blender mac and cheese

8 oz macaroni (cooked and strained or uncooked if fresh pasta)
lard or butter for greasing pan
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup whipping cream
8 oz ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch or couple of grates of nutmeg
2 cups coarsely chopped and 1/2 cup grated cheese (I use sharp cheddar and colby-jack, but you can use whatever your favorite cheese is)

1. pre-heat ther oven to 425 and grease with lard or butter a 10-inch baking dish (wide and shallow is best for lots of crispy edges)
2. in a blender, put the milk, whipping cream, ricotta cheese, eggs, salt, nutmeg, and chopped cheese and pulse until blended
3. pour a thin layer of the blender mixture into the bottom of the prepared dish
4. pour all the macaroni over the blender mixture in the dish
5. pour the remainder of the blender mixture over the macaroni
6. top evenly with the grated cheese
7. bake for about 10 to 15 minutes until it is bubbling and beginning to brown

serves about 4, enjoy!!