Random Food Night

It is unseasonably cool in the Mitten for May. Seeing today topped out around 55 degrees, baked Macaroni and Cheese sounded amazing. My younger brother was my sous chef today because he's home for the week before heading to Chicago for his internship. Mac & Cheese is a little on the straight side of life, I decided we needed a fun dessert. I also used quite a few of my Le Creuset pieces. That always makes me happy.

Another cookbook I highly recommend is Everyday Food: Great Food Fast. Quick easy recipes based on seasons and generally under 30 minutes of prep time. I made the Macaroni and Cheese recipe on page 317. I'll put my edits in red.

Macaroni and Cheese - 8 Servings
1 lb. Elbow Macaroni
4 tbsp. butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup all purpose flour
4 cups milk
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper (I did not use this)
1 1/4 cups shredded Yellow Cheddar Cheese
1 1/4 cups shredded White Cheddar Cheese (I used Montery Jack)
Salt & Pepper to taste
8 oz. Ham, diced (I used bacon)
2 Slices White sandwich bread (I used 1/2 cup Panko)


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and reserve. Meanwhile, in a 5 qt heavy pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened (3-5 minutes). Whisk in flour to coat onion. In a slow, stead stream, whisk milk into pot until there are no lumps.
2. Cook, whisking often, until the mixture is thick and bubbly (and coats the back of a wood spoon), about 6-8 minutes. Stir in the Cayenne pepper and 1 cup each of the yellow and white cheeses. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Toss the pasta with the cheese mixture; fold in the ham (or bacon). Transfer to a 9x13 pan or individual dishes.
4. In a food processor, pulse the bread until large crumbs form. Toss with the remaining 1/4 each of cheeses. (I combined the Panko and cheese and added to top of mixture.) Top the pasta mixture with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake until the top is golden, about 30 minutes.

Upside Down Pineapple Cake
From my favorite food magazine, Food Network Mag (pg. 120). I ended up doubling the recipe and using my larger Cocettes. To divide batters and to also make all your cookies evenly sized, I highly suggest getting Scoops, mine are from Pampered Chef.

Brush 4 - 4 oz. ramekins with butter. Sprinkle the bottom of each with brown sugar and line with pineapple slices. Whisk 1 egg, 1/4 cup buttermilk (I used Whipping Cream because I had extra), 3 tbsp. melted butter and a dash of vanilla in a bowl. Then stir in 1/2 cup flour, 6 tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp. baking soda and a pinch of salt. Divide among ramekins. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Cool and unmold. Top with confectioner's sugar.

Here's to warmer weather! My tomatoes need to start growing!!
M