My Grandma's Baked Mac and Cheese

Every holiday or birthday when my Grandmother was still alive it was a tradition, she would ask us "What do you want me to make for "such and such" and without fail we would always answer "baked mac and cheese, baked mac and cheese!!"

You have to understand that her baked macaroni and cheese isn't like Stouffer's or Velveeta or some crap like that (I apologize if you like it, but seriously, my Grandma's mac and cheese is like something sent from the cheesy, starchy heavens).

She also cooked enough for an army, which is I suppose, where I get it from. If you Google baked mac and cheese you get many images of yummy looking dishes in "small" casserole dishes or even ramekins!

Pft, ramekins. That's for amateurs. When my Grandma made baked mac, she made it in a 7-8 qt. cast iron dutch oven. 3 POUNDS of pasta folks. That's how it's done....and let me tell you, she made the best damn mac and cheese ever. 

The worst thing about trying to get the recipe from a Grandma is that they never write anything down....or measure anything, have you noticed that?

"Oh, I just throw a little of this and a little of that until it tastes right!" 

Thanks Grandma....that's helpful to your 15 year old granddaughter who can't cook worth a damn....Luckily,  your now 29 year old granddaughter has learned a few things and figured out the secrets of the internet and finding recipes with all the components of your original recipe and how she remembers you making and thus, can now replicate your AMAZING mac and cheese for the masses!

Before I could replicate said amazingness however....I had to get the right baking dishes. So, I went on a shopping trip for a 7.5 qt cast iron dutch oven.

Like this, but red!

She is a thing of beauty, and makes juuuuust the right amount of ooey gooey mac and cheese. However, if you're a normal person, making normal proportions and not feeding an army of hungry people and wanting leftovers for over a week....a casserole dish will work just fine :)

I could just die of happiness, right here, right now.

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package macaroni

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1 cup cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

fresh ground black pepper, to taste

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded good quality

1/2 cup breadcrumbs, buttered

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions; set aside.
3. In a large saucepan melt butter.
4. Add flour mixed with salt and pepper, using a whisk to stir until well blended.
5. Pour milk and cream in gradually; stirring constantly.
6. Bring to boiling point and boil 2 minutes (stirring constantly).
7. Reduce heat and cook (stirring constantly) 10 minutes.
8 .Add shredded cheddar little by little and simmer an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.
9. Turn off flame.
10. Add macaroni to the saucepan and toss to coat with the cheese sauce.
11. Transfer macaroni to a buttered baking dish.
12. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
13. Bake 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Changes/Alterations: My only changes are that for my bread crumbs I use Panko bread crumbs which I toast with butter in a frying pan until golden brown before step 12. Also, while using cream makes it oh so deliciously creamy...holy heart attack waiting to happen! I replace the whole milk and cream with straight up 2% milk and it's still amazing. Yum! This recipe is for 4 servings. If you are like me, quadruple all ingredients to feed an army with leftovers. 

When you have 10 lbs of Mung Beans.....

You have way, way too many mung beans....obviously.

What would possess a person, you might ask to have so many mung beans? Well, that's a good question. You see, as I might have mentioned before (*scoff*) I'm getting married, and mung beans are actually quite pretty, so I got it into my ridiculous little head that it would be a good idea to use them as decor.

The unfortunate thing about buying mung beans in bulk is that you have to get them in 25lb increments. While that seemed like a fantastic thing at the time, because hey, I would use 25 lbs of mung beans to decorate with, right? As it turns out....it wasn't, and I didn't. So...here I am with 10 lbs of mung beans and not a huge plethora of recipes to choose from in my repertoire, because...well...I'm white.

So with that I decided to scour Pinterest for some Mung Bean recipes. I was lucky and found a simple one that required ingredients I already had in the kitchen (no trip to the local Asian market this time). Without further ado, I give you Mung Bean and Kale Soup! (So tasty!)

Mung Bean and Kale Soup

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 cup mung beans
• 7 cups of water
• 2 cups kale, chopped
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp coriander, toasted and grind
• salt and pepper
• Directions
  In a large pot, heat the olive oil and add the onions. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the mung beans, spices, salt and pepper, stir well to combine. Add water, cover and cook until the beans are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Check the beans after 20 minutes to make sure they have enough water. When the beans are ready, taste and adjust salt and liquid if needed. Add the kale and cook for 5 minutes more. Serve with bread
  
  .***Changes/Alterations*** We used 3-4 cups of kale, 6 cups of chicken stock and 3 cups of water and an entire onion rather than 1/4 an onion. We also doubled all the spices as well.  This soup was great! Loved it!!!

Meatless Monday...a day or two late

I used to be a vegetarian. Actually, that's a lie. I was a Mainer. I ate fish, and seafood. Though, not copious amounts of lobster as non-Mainers seem to think we do, but enough to qualify me as a non-vegetarian. They call -those- types of vegetarians, pescetarians. (Actually,I'm lying again, because if we want to get REALLY technical, I was an ovo-lacto pescetarian, which is apparently an important distinction to some vegetarians/vegans when saying you're of that dietary preference to them...but that's another story entirely)

When I moved to Wisconsin all that ovo-lacto pescetarianism went right out the window. I blame bacon. Tasty, tasty bacon. What the hell Wisconsin? I can walk into a bar and order a basket of bacon?!? Why...I mean..who...I...what happened to just ordering french fries, people?!?!?

Yeah, I wasn't kidding- It's a real thing

Ugh, my poor arteries clog just LOOKING at that photo. So in an effort to help my poor, poor clogged arteries, I instituted meatless Monday's in my household.

The nice thing about Meatless Monday, is that when cooking for two people, you often have several days worth of leftovers, so it becomes Meatless Tuesday and Wednesday as well, therefore continuing the healthy food streak for days.

Today's recipe is delicious Red Lentil Coconut Soup adapted from Scaling Back

Ingredients:

• 2 cups red split lentils
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper cut into 1/2 inch dice
• 1 fresh jalapeno or serrano chili, finely chopped, including seeds
• 1 tablespoon fresh peeled and minced ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 7 cups water
• 1 can unsweetened light coconut milk
• 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• lime wedges for serving

Directions:

1) Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a dutch oven or large soup pan and add the onions, bell pepper and jalapeno and cook for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables have softened and start to take on some color.  

2) Add the garlic, ginger, spices and tomato paste and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes until the mixture is toasty and fragrant.  

3) Add the water, coconut milk, lentils and chickpeas and cook uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes adding the lime juice at the end of cooking.  

4) Taste and adjust with more salt or more lime juice if desired.  

5) Serve with some extra limes on the side.

Changes/Adaptations- The original recipe called for cilantro. I completely omitted this ingredient because cilantro is the devil. Feel free to add it back in if you would like to (it's a garnish with the lime at the end).  I doubled both the onion and the red pepper as this my second time making it and I was disappointed the first time at how little the pepper was showcased in the soup. Two bell peppers was perfect. I also added a second jalepeno for an extra kick of spice. The end result was amazing!

Apple, Cranberry and Gingersnap Crumble

Before moving to Wisconsin I had never baked a cake from scratch in my life. I undertook my first cake from Smitten Kitchen for Geeky Dude's 30th birthday, a chocolate cake with peanut butter cream cheese frosting and a chocolate ganche glaze...3-layers. No big deal, or anything.

Amazingly, the cakes didn't fall, the chocolate ganache didn't seize up, and the cream cheese frosting wasn't lumpy. I had succeeded, and thus began my love for baking...and my stalking of Deb over at Smitten Kitchen....because seriously, her recipes are amazing.

Today's recipe is an adaptation of her Pear Cranberry and Gingersnap Crumble which I've also made and found amazing. I didn't have pears, however so I changed it to apples and made an Easter Apple Crumble which everyone gobbled up with some vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Soooo tasty!

Apple, Cranberry and Gingersnap Crumble
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Crumble
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup  granulated sugar
1/4 cup  packed dark or light brown sugar
1 cup gingersnap crumbs (about 16 cookies)
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon table salt
Pinch of white pepper, important if your gingersnaps aren't particulary...gingersnapish? (White pepper is used for looks, if you don't have it you can use regular black pepper)
1/2 cup  unsalted butter, melted and cooled

This is the hard way...the easy way is with a food processor

Filling
3 pounds granny smith apples (about 5 fairly large apples)
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoon cornstarch

Just a few ingredients on the way to tasty!

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Stir together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, gingersnap crumbs, ginger and salt. Stir in the melted butter until large crumbs form.

In a 1 1/2 to 2 quart baking dish, mix the pears, cranberries, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk the sugar and cornstarch together then toss it with the fruit mixture in the pan. 

Sprinkle the gingersnap crumble over the fruit. Set the crumble on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake it for about 45 minutes, until the crumble is a shade darker and you see juices bubbling through the crumbs.

***Changes/Alterations***  We didn't have ground ginger. Oops! Oh well, we added extra gingersnap crumbs and it was still quite tasty. :) 

Garlic-Lemon Double Cheesy Chicken

The downside to trying many new recipes in a week, and posting about them, are the copious amounts of leftovers in both our fridge and freezer. I say this is a downside because, I keep cooking and baking and wanting to post about it, which involves making more leftovers....more than we could possibly ever eat, just the two of us and so this creates a slight problem.

This also half explains my week-long posting hiatus. Geeky Dude and I had a lot of food to finish up in our fridge before I could make more (it was really delicious, we didn't mind!). Honestly I blame that matzo lasagna, because it was such a large dish that it took nearly a week for us to finish, but honestly, it was SO worth it. YUM!

You'll notice I said that it HALF explained my week-long hiatus. The other half of the explanation is sheer laziness. It's true, I was lazy and didn't -want- to cook all week. I was tired and cranky and just wanted to eat a pint of Ben and Jerry's. You can stop looking at me with those judgy (it's a word, I said so) faces. Sometimes people just have those sorts of weeks and mine was last week. 

For the most part Geeky Dude was complicit with my laziness, he even went out at 9:00 pm to buy me the aforementioned pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. He's a pretty good guy, and anyway, like I said we had so many leftovers. Towards the end of the week however, the leftovers were dwindling and we had ingredients to use up in our fridge. 

Now, I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but Geeky Dude is a pretty fantastic cook. It's true, he's Geeky, romantic, thoughtful and can cook.He's pretty darn cute, too.  I know, I know...I'm a lucky lady! This recipe is the result of him going through MY Pinterest boards and cooking us dinner while I continued to be lazy and not cook.

It's a solid recipe, we paired it with steamed broccoli and enjoyed it quite a lot. It's not a light meal by any means. The combo of cream cheese and cheddar cheese stuffed into the chicken make it quite heavy and incredibly filling....but tasty. 

INGREDIENTS:

oil, for greasing pan 8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into 1/2 inch slices 1 (8 ounce) package Cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2 inch slices 1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese 1 tablespoon minced garlic 3/4 cup butter, melted 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, or to taste 1/2 teaspoon paprika (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly coat a large, shallow baking dish with oil.
2.	Butterfly each breast by slicing in half horizontally through the center, cutting almost but not completely through. Place one slice each of Cheddar and cream cheese in the center of each breast. Close again as if placing between the pages of a book. Set aside.
3.	Pour milk into a shallow bowl. In a separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs and Romano cheese. Carefully dip each breast first in milk, then in breadcrumb mixture, patting lightly to firmly coat. Place breasts side by side in a single layer in pre-oiled baking dish, tucking edges under to seal.
4.	Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in lemon juice and garlic, and drizzle evenly over chicken. Season breasts with garlic salt and paprika, if using.
5.	Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until no longer pink in center and juices run clear.

Changes/Alterations: We used Parmesan instead of Romano because that's what we had on hand. We also used Panko bread crumbs instead of Italian because we also had those on hand instead of Italian.  We modified this recipe down to the measurements needed for 3 chicken breasts instead of 8. This was -more- than enough food for us. It's VERY filling. Half a breast is enough for 1 person. 

Also the tucking the edges under part....super important!!! The cheddar oozes out if you don't do this step! 

And for my Jewish Readers....

Passover (also known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a little bit of wisdom I stumbled across on the interwebs tonight) begins this weekend. Actually, that's a lie. It begins on Monday, but if you're my amazing Maid of Honor you're getting a head start on your festivities and going on a Passover road trip because you are just that cool.

Though I am not Jewish, I am an avid lover of many things matzo, so it seemed like a good time to get a head start on the Passover celebrating as well (also known as "getting my food on") not to mention helping my good friend celebrate from afar.

A few years ago, I was having my last big birthday bash in Maine before moving to Wisconsin to be with Geeky Dude. There were games (funniest game of Apples to Apples I've ever played in my life) and friends and very diverse foods, from Thai Green Curry, Tiramisu, Mac and Cheese to Matzo Lasagna (made by the aforementioned friend and Maid of Honor).

Geeky Dude would like to interject that there was also a VERY serious chili competition between he and I that was being judged by all the guests. He would like the world to know that he won, because yes folks, he is THAT competitive. 

All the food was amazing, but that Matzo Lasagna really stuck in my mind as something I needed the recipe for because it was WAY easier than regular lasagna and therefore Geeky Girl approved! (I wasn't much of a cook at the time)

Now, she did at one point give me the recipe...but I lose pieces of paper something fierce, and since she's on a road trip to visit a mutual friend, I had to to turn to Pinterest. This recipe is slightly different than hers, in that it has the addition of spinach (I don't remember hers having that), but honestly it still came out amazing and I highly recommend it, though I of course made some adjustments. I wouldn't be me, if I didn't!

Pretty Slices- Not One of My Talents

MATZO LASAGNA

9 pieces matzo, softened in warm water or wine
A favorite marinara sauce
1 pound ricotta cheese, part skim if possible
5 cups of spinach - chopped fine
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese


Place ricotta in a bowl and mix with the spinach, spices, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and 1/4 c. of the mozzarella.

"Mix It, Mix It Real Good"

Cover the bottom of a baking pan with some of the matzo. Cover with some of the sauce. Cover sauce with 1/3 of the cheese mixture.

Put some more matzo on top of the cheese and continue the process until all is used up making sure that top of lasagna is matzo and some sauce.

On the top, spread the remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

Ready to be put in the hot oven!

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until cooked through.

I should look like this when I'm done

***Notes/Alterations***  I added a little bit extra spinach because I wanted to use the entire bunch of spinach we bought and not have leftovers. I also added some extra ricotta I had laying around from the pumpkin ravioli's from last night (maybe 1/2 a cup?) along with a little less than 1/4 cup of mozzarella so the measurements wouldn't be off. 

I subbed out garlic powder and opted for fresh garlic, something that really paid off in the taste of the final product.  

Holy Smokes I Actually Made Pasta

With my bare hands, because I don't currently have one of those fancy pasta roller attachments for Black Betty. Who is Black Betty, you might ask? Well, besides being this really awesome song, Black Betty happens to be the hardest working member of the Geeky family and the source of ongoing joke between Geeky Dude and myself.  Whenever she is mentioned,the conversation always ends in each of us racing to say "Bam-Ba-Lam!" Oh yes, we're that couple.

Black Betty does love her accessories, however not as much as Geeky Girl loves her shoes, so therefore she remains pasta roller attachment-less. I'm a bad Kitchen Aid mother. As a punishment, I get to roll out my own pasta dough, which honestly folks, and pardon my French here, is a real pain in the arse. 

But, you didn't come here to read about my amazing shoe collection addiction..... so, without further adieu, please enjoy this AMAZING recipe for ravioli! It's seriously going to rock your socks off.

Pumpkin Ravioli in a Rosemary and Thyme Brown Butter Sauce

Pasta Dough

5 eggs

1 tablespoon of salt

1 tablespoon of olive oil 

3 cups of all-purpose flour

Simple Pumpkin Filling

1 can of pumpkin
1 cup of Pecorino {or Ricotta which is what I used}
2 Teaspoons of Nutmeg
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon of Rubbed Sage
1 Teaspoon Thyme
1 dash of salt and pepper

Rosemary and Thyme Brown Butter Sauce


4 Tablespoons of butter
Rosemary 
Thyme 

In a small bowl, beat the eggs, salt and olive oil. In a large bowl, place the flour and pour in the egg mixture. Stir with a fork and fold together until all of the egg mixture is absorbed and the dough forms into a sticky ball.  Flour your hands and divide the dough into 3 separate ones. Knead each dough a bit to form it into a ball. Cover each in cellophane and refrigerate for a few hours.

While the pasta dough is chilling, prepare you pumpkin filling by thoroughly mixing together all ingredients. Set aside.

Roll out the ball of dough as flat/thin as you can get it. I cut mine into circles using a cookie cutter but you could do squares as well with a knife or ravioli cutter. 

After you've cut the dough into whatever shape you choose, roll each ravioli a little bit before scooping on a small dollop of pumpkin mixture. Place another square or circle (depending on what shape you chose) on top, and using a fork, press the two pieces of dough together at the edges, which creates a pretty border.

Once you've assembling your masterpieces, place them in a pot of well salted boiling water until they rise to the top. About 3-4 minutes....or 10-15 if you didn't roll out your dough thin enough. Drain them (carefully!) in a colander.

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Just before it starts to brown, add fresh rosemary and thyme leaves, stirring until the butter slightly browns. Pour over raviolis, admire your homemade works of  art, and then devour.

**Notes and Alterations** Holy smokes, I was worried about this recipe because I tried a ravioli before putting on the sauce and honestly it wasn't super. It kind of tasted like pumpkin pie got confused and lost inside a ravioli shell....but then, then we made this amazing savory browned butter and oh my holy browned buttery goodness. I will most definitely make this again....sadly probably this week because that easy pumpkin filling makes twice what is needed for what the pasta dough makes for ravioli shells and Geeky Dude pretty much inhaled it.  

Next time, I'd like to use fresh squash, butternut would be amazing. I didn't have fresh herbs because it's winter (okay technically Spring now, but there is still several feet of snow on the ground and my herbs are not happy and growing outside yet) so I used dried herbs. I can't even begin to imagine how much more amazing this would be with fresh rosemary and thyme browned butter.