4 Cheese Mac + Cheese

HALF RECIPE:

1/2 Lbs Macaroni Pasta

2 Tbs Unsalted Butter

1/2 Large Onion

2 Cloves of Garlic

2 Tbs All Purpose Flour

3/4 Cup Whole Milk

4 Cups Cheese, Gruyere, Parmesan, Fontina, Cheddar

Salt

Cook Pasta 1 to 2 minutes shy of packaged directions.  In the meantime, Melt butter and saute onions and garlic until soft and translucent.  Add Flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.  Add milk and stir/whisk till it is combined in mixture.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, let simmer until thick, about 5 minutes.  Add in 3 cups of cheeses and stir until combined.  Combined cheese sauce with pasta and transfer to a baking dish.  Top with the remaining cup of cheese and broil till the top is crusty and brown.  ENJOY!

FULL RECIPE:

1 Lbs Macaroni Pasta

4 Tbs Unsalted Butter

1 Large Onion

4 Cloves of Garlic

4 Tbs All Purpose Flour

1.5 Cup Whole Milk

8 Cups Cheese, Gruyere, Parmesan, Fontina, Cheddar

Salt

Cook Pasta 1 to 2 minutes shy of packaged directions.  In the meantime, Melt butter and saute onions and garlic until soft and translucent.  Add Flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.  Add milk and stir/whisk till it is combined in mixture.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, let simmer until thick, about 5 minutes.  Add in 6 cups of cheeses and stir until combined.  Combined cheese sauce with pasta and transfer to a baking dish.  Top with the remaining 2 cups of cheese and broil till the top is crusty and brown.  ENJOY!

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• Brocolli Tacos
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Challah Hangover

I don’t know much, but I do know my alcohol.

Before the word “DRUNK!” runs into your head let me explain... 

When I first came to NYC I realized that the best place to make a buck was a bar. Drunk people had to be better tippers than the sober coffee drinking teenagers at my last job.  So though I had never actually been in a bar (details, details) and barely knew that vodka and gin were two different things (it all tastes the same, right?!) I somehow convinced a man named Tom that he just HAD to hire me. 

I was SO convincing that I was not only hired but given the serious responsibility of...Keeper of the Coats!! 

The only thing I could say was that I would be “the BEST coat check girl EVER.”

Yep, really living the NYC dream!

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Basil + Mint Pesto

Everybody loves herbs, basil is an Italian staple, Rosemary is meat’s best friend and parsley seems to find it’s way into everything...and mint...well mint...um mint...well mint...makes...a great cocktail?!

True enough, but let’s give poor mint a little more credit!!

 

Mint’s fresh and vibrant flavor simply screams summer. And quite frankly Mr. Mint is sick of being thought of as a dessert/cocktail-only herb. He is ready to please you palate and make his mark on your dinner plate.

So to celebrate him and his delightfully minty ways I bring you...this pesto!!

 

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Oreo Sliders

Desserts to me should always be whimsical and please that hungry inner child in all of us.

My hungry inner child is often found staring at me with a glint in her eye daring me to come up with some sinfully delicious and completely outrageous new dessert. 

And when she has that look in her eye I have no choice but to simply concede and let my stomach do all the thinking…

Lately she has been on a real oreo kick.

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Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

  

RECIPE:

3 Tbs Olive Oil

3 Large Roasted Red Peppers (from a jar or fresh)

1 Roasted Jalapeño, seeded

4 Garlic Cloves

2 Scallions

1 Tbs Fresh Mint

1 Tbs Fresh Thyme

1 Tsp Paprika

1/2 Lemon

2 heaping Tbs of Sour Cream

1 Tbs Butter

Put oil in pan and add garlic, cook for 1 minute till fragrant and add Red Peppers, Jalapeño and Scallions. Salt mixture and add Herbs and Paprika. Cook for 3 more minutes. Put mixture in food processor of blender, add sour cream and puree. Transfer back to pan, add butter and lemon juice, cook for 2 minutes. ENJOY!!

NOTES:

•  I have found a slightly easier way to make this since I did this video. Just put everything except the sour cream, butter and lemon in the food processor (raw) once everything is pureed put mixture into the hot pan with the oil and cook for  5 minutes. Add the sour cream, butter and cook for 2 minutes more, finally add the lemon and serve.
• You could use parsley or even basil instead of the mint and thyme but I do this those herbs add something special.
• Great as a dip too! You could also add some cream cheese to thicken it up.

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• Brownie Bites with Caramel Centers
• Roasted Garlic + Basil Hummus
• Irish Soda Bread
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• Brie + Jam Crostini

Buttery Biscoff Bites

Scene opens

MY SISTER:  “There’re made with Biscoff spread, you know from Biscoff cookies”

ME:  “You mean Bisotti cookies”

MY SISTER:  “No, I mean Biscoff cookies”

ME:  “Your saying Bis…cot…ti, right”

MY SISTER:  “NO!! BIS…COFF!!!”

ME:  “BISCOTTI??”

MY SISTER:  “BISCOFF!!!!!!”

ME:  “BIS…COFF?!”

MY SISTER:  “YES!! BISCOFF”

ME:  “Oh...OK!…Now, what the hell is BISCOFF?”

Fade to Black 

ANSWER: They are a seriously delicious cookie with a cinnamon undertone and crisp texture…and some mad food scientist decided to take those cookies, puree them up with some oil, flour and more sugar and create a peanut butter like spread that should be highly illegal in at least 20 states…

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Irish Soda Bread

QUESTIONNAIRE:

Have you ever chosen a particular restaurant just because they serve great bread on the table?

Have you ever ordered mussels just to be able to dip large amounts of bread into the broth?

Do you have a loaf of bread on your counter right now that costs more than you would like to admit?

Have you ever chosen a sandwich at a deli based soley on what bread it came on?

If you answered yes to these questions you may be...a BREAD-AHOLIC.

And you maaaaaaaay love bread as much as I do. Though loving bread as much as I do is a hard and possibly unobtainable goal.

I know, I know, you're disappointed, but only one of us can be the bread queen. And considering I’m pretty sure 80% of my body is made of bread, I have to say I win that title.

As much as I love bread, and as simple as some recipes will tell you it is to make, making your own bread can easily go terribly, terribly wrong (BELIEVE ME!).

This is exactly why when I have a hankering for some fresh bread, I love QUICK BREADS!

You see, they are...well...QUICK!! No rising, no kneeding, just GREAT BREAD...QUICK!! And the quicker I am eating this bread, the better it is for not only me, but everyone around me ;)

RECIPE:

4 cups all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

Wash:

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup buttermilk

         

        Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a large baking sheet. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in the buttermilk and egg and mix till just combined. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on the prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine the ¼ cup melted butter with the ¼ cup buttermilk and brush the loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.  During the baking process brush the loaf with the butter and buttermilk wash at least once.

NOTES:

• The buttermilk wash will burn if it gets on your pan so try to not let it drip too much over the sides of your bread.
• You can brush with the buttermilk as often as you wish just make sure you give it at least 10minutes with no extra brushing of the wash at the end of the baking to allow the top to brown completely.
• It is supposed to be a little chunky and not overly smooth so don’t over knead it. 

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• Roasted Garlic
• Appetizer Cups
• Irish Soda Bread
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Brie + Jam Crostini

I’m obsessed with appetizers.

I’m the kind of person who would rather pick at a million different things all night than sit down to a full meal (and of course then I convince myself I didn’t eat nearly as much ;)

And when I host a party, I like to have as many things as possible in mini size, like a fun size candy bar, the perfect amount for one person...

Or at least the perfect amount for one person per one minute!!

And though a baked brie can be heaven. It’s big, messy, and once all the good toppings are gone you are just left with melted cheese. 

NOT that melted cheese isn’t arguably my favorite food. Oh! And un-melted cheese my second favorite…yes...that seems fair.

BACK TO THE POINT....

So like everything else in my life I took a classic baked brie and made it mini!! These have all the flavors of a baked brie in a two bites (or one bite for my husband). Perfection...

RECIPE:

1 small baguette

1 wedge Brie (approx. 6oz)

1-1.5cups Raspberry Jam

8 sprigs of Thyme

Cut baguette into 16 ½-1inch thick slices, cutting on an angle. Toast until just lightly toasted. Top with a heaping tbs of jam, then a ¼- ½ inch slice of Brie and finally the leaves from about half a sprig of thyme. Put in a toaster oven or regular oven until cheese is mostly melted. Serve warm and ENJOY!

Notes: 

• Lots of jams work with this recipe, my favs are apricot, strawberry and blackberry
• Make sure to put a nice thick layer of jam, there should be an equal amount of jam to cheese
• To get the thyme leaves off the stem easily simply run your fingers against the grain along the stem
• These are still good even when they become room temp, the cheese stays a little melted

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• Roasted Garlic
• Appetizer Cups
• Irish Soda Bread
• Cookie Dough Truffles
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Cookie Dough Truffle

It’s a relief to know that every now and then a crazy idea of mine actually works out in the kitchen. You see I have a tendency to experiment...

...AKA mess up perfectly good recipes, especially if I’m baking...

I get unshakeable ideas in my head and they simply will not go away! And yes, sometimes they don’t quite work. But, there are other times when they just...well...WORK! This time, oh baby! It just WORKED!

3 ingredients...TOTALLY RIDICULOUSLY GOOD!!  Yes, the joys of experimenting! Enjoy the delicious fruits of my labor...

RECIPE:

1 12oz box of Entenmann’s original soft Chocolate Chips Cookies

4oz Cream cheese

10-12 oz Milk chocolate

Combine cookies and cream cheese in a food processor, and process till the mixture forms one dough-like ball.  Let mixture chill for 1hr in the fridge or 15min in freezer.  Roll into 1inch balls and put back in fridge for 30minutes or freezer for 15minutes.  Make a double boiler by putting a glass or metal bowl on a sauce pan with a simmering inch of water.  Put chocolate in the bowl and stir until melted.  Take a couple balls from the fridge and drop them in chocolate, remove with a fork, shake off excess chocolate and set on wax paper or a silpat.  Let set in fridge and ENJOY!!

Notes:

• If you are having problems with the dough balls falling apart when trying to dip in the chocolate let them chill for longer and then try again.
• The more chocolate you shake off when scooping out the balls the less of a puddle will form under the ball when it is hardening up.
• If you don’t have wax paper or a silpat than spray a baking sheet or tin foil with cooking spray and use that to put the finished balls on.
• I like these right out of the fridge because the chocolate is harder and gives you more of a bite, but they are good at room temp too, just softer.

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