Today is National Cheese Lovers Day. Again, a WTF “holiday” made up by the promote cheese eating association, but while were all here, I might as well share my recipe for easy stove-top Mac + Cheese (only with a sillier name). Believe it or not, it uses American cheese for part of it (mostly because of the emulsification factor). If you can’t get get American, a mild Fontina will do. If you happen to be in Germany, “Butterkäse” is a good substitute. The cheddar makes it kick-ass though (if you aren’t a cheddar person, a young Emmentaler or Grueyer will do the trick). Best part of this recipe: takes all of 22 minutes to make, which is pretty much long it would take you to make the “out of the box” (blech) kind, so you might as well go with a good one. Peas are optional, but not in my world.
Cold weather food returns with another pending dumping of snow headed for Greater Boston (though really, not that much and it *is* winter, after all). This Thai-style Red Curry with Vegetables and Shrimp is one of my favorite winter meals. Why? Because it’s spicy so it warms you up and it is *brilliantly colorful* which warms the soul too. Substitute chicken or beef for the shrimp if you aren’t a seafood person, or just do veggies. Serve with rice. On the table in under 30 minutes. Go!
When life hands you beat up looking bananas, make some spectacular Caramel Rum Banana Streusel Muffins! This recipe is actually originally for banana *bread*, but I have now made this same recipe also as coffee cake and muffins. All have been great, but I do have to say that the original *bread* version is still my favorite. Happy Monday!
Remember when you were a kid and your mom would drop you off at the cinema for a matinee and *suggest* you buy a healthy bit of snack, usually suggesting Raisinetes or something, and you said “sure thing Mom” but then ended up buying the three gallon vat of artificially buttered popcorn anyway, because frankly Raisinetes were kind of a dorky snack and you didn’t want to look like a dork in Middle School? That is the inspiration for these cookies. Turns out, Raisinetes make a pretty yummy addition to your standard Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. So there you go. Enjoy.
Yes, it’s that time of year again when I actually *bake a cake*. I usually stick to the cupcake side of things, because they are asier to transport and share, but it is my birthday, so I thought that I would make an actual cake. Here it is: Chocolate Raspberries and “roses”. The roses I bought, and they are edible, though not very tasty and a little styrofaomy. Doesn’t take away from the rest of the cake though so yum. And happy birthday to me!