Things that are delicious

But I don't have pictures of them.

1. Spontaneous Veggie Pizzas

 All it takes is ready-to-bake dough or in my case a dry dough mix  just add water (I used an amazing Irish soda bread mix from the Green St. Farmers Market in Roswell that had parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme as seasonings) and then lightly saute any vegetables you have in a frying pan. I used orange chanterelles, zucchini squash, yellow summer squash, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and red onion. Spread a little balsamic vinegar dressing on the dough after it's about halfway cooked. Then add lots of cheese, I used extra sharp white cheddar, cook a little longer. Then add all the veggies with a bit more cheese and cook the last few minutes.

     2.  Burgundy-Marinated Portobello Mushrooms and Goat Cheese Burgers

Take some large and succulent portobello mushrooms. Scrape out the gills and then rub them down with salt, pepper and olive oil. Then, stick them in a pan and cover them in burgundy wine. Let those marinate for the time it takes you to get your grill hot, or maybe about 20-30 minutes, spooning the wine over them occasionally if the wine don't fully cover the mushrooms. Meanwhile, caramelize some onions. Grill the mushrooms. It is important for this step to have a grill master - mine is Mark. Serve on hot buns spread with goat cheese and balsamic vinegar. Add some fresh spring greens and the onions and you will go to food heaven.

    3.   Grilled Cheese with Gruyere and Green Apples

 Butter some bread. Add slices of Gruyere and green apples. Grill in a frying pan in some olive oil. Enjoy.

These delicious "recipes" are brought to you by Mark's vegetarianism and our garden.

Day of Infamy

Yesterday, I put confectioner's sugar into my famous mac and cheese instead of flour...


But can you blame me?
This looks exactly like flour in my mother's nondescript glass container.

The Culprit

But good news it, my famous mac and cheese is SO good, that everyone ate it anyway. The slightly sweet notes were only somewhat noticeable BUT i think I will stick to the real recipe.

Famous Mac and Cheese

One box of elbow noodles
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 tsp. of salt
1/2 tsp. of pepper
1/4 tsp. of garlic powder
1/4 tsp. of red cayenne pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups half and half (Or I used heavy whipping cream once because I had some leftover and that worked too)
8 oz. extra sharp cheddar, shredded (You'll never find this pre-shredded sorry)
16 oz. sharp chedder, shredded, halfed

Isn't it lovely?!                                                                 My Cheese Grater

1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Cook the pasta while you make the roux.
3.Melt the butter in a deep frying pan over medium high heat.
4. Whisk in the flour for about 2 minutes. As someone once told me, you need to cook the flour or your dish will taste like raw flour.
5. Add the next 4 ingredients (spices).
6. Gradually whisk in the milk and half and half. Whisking constantly, cook for about 8 to 10 or until thickened.
7. Add the extra sharp cheddar cheese and half the sharp cheddar. Remove from heat when mixed in.
8. Mix the cheese and the noodles and spread into an ungreased 9'' x 13'' pyrex pan. Sprinkle the remaining sharp cheese on top.
9. Cook for 20 minutes. The cheese will look a little bubbly, maybe a few golden spots when done.
10. Let rest for 5 minutes and enjoy!

And the best part is, this mac and cheese reheats for days and keeps on giving!


The Moral of the Story: If you put ingredients in new containers, please label them.