Macaroni With Four Cheeses

First off, I'll admit my darling husband made this, and not me. It's so wonderfully sinful that it cannot go unmentioned. We both like to cook and often have slightly different ways to reach our destination. He makes a different Mac and Cheese than me, but they are both wonderful. I add the cheese to the sauce, he does not. I once read in a fortune cookie that mac and cheese makes for a happy marriage. Ok, that's not true, but it should be!



4 quarts water
1 tbsp salt
1 lb dried pasta

6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups milk
2 cups evaporated milk
salt
pepper
pinch nutmeg
1 1/2 cups Gruyere or Swiss
1 1/2 cups Emmethaler or Jack
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar
1 cup Parmesan

1. Boil pasta as directed by package with 1 tbsp salt in water.
2. Preheat over to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
3. In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly for approximately 5 minutes. Add milk and evaporated milk to pan and whisk until smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Continue whisking until sauce has thickened over medium heat, approximately 5 more minutes. Add to cooked pasta directly into baking dish.
4. In a bowl, combine 4 cheeses, then sprinkles evenly over pasta. Bake until cheese melts, about 25 minutes. Serve immediately.

Balsamic-Rosted Chicken

Ever on the quest for a new way to make chicken, as I have mentioned before, I was intrigued with the use of vinegar in this recipe. I love roast chicken, I just do. One of those oft-mentioned comfort foods, I suppose. I have been having a hormonal week, so "going home" with food was just the ticket. The recipe was simple and straight forward, and made a beautifully dark roast. The cookbook is called Foster's Market Cookbook and includes the best ever recipe for yeasty rolls. Yum.



1 Chicken (3.5-4 lbs)
6 sprigs fresh sage
1 lemon, cut in half
1 yellow onion, cut in half
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 white wine (I used vermouth)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
salt and pepper

1. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees
2. Gently loosed skin on clean whole chicken around the breast and thigh area. Place several sprigs of sage between skin and meat.
3. Place the chicken breast side up in a large roasting pan and squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken. Place the lemon halves, along with the onion halves into the cavity of the chicken.
4. Pour vinegar and wine over chicken. Rub the breast with olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Turn the chicken over, breast side down.
5. Roast chicken for 30 minutes, basting occasionally. Turn the chicken breast side up and cook an additional 50-55 minutes, while basting.
6. Let chicken rest 10 minutes and carve.

Quinoa Salad

Just a quicky post, here. Been a bit busy with Valentine's happenings and the like. My current favorite salad deserves a mention. I've been trying to eat healthier, which includes limiting meat to a meal a day. This salad satisfies the basic urge for protein and can be jazzed up in many ways. Fantastic paired with a main dish item, but even better just on it's own.

Quinoa Salad
-1 cup dry Quinoa, cooked per package instructions
-2 tbsp olive oil (preferably the good stuff)
-juice from one lemon
1/2 cup Italian parsley
1/3 cup feta, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
salt and pepper to taste

While quinoa is still warm, mix in oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Add other ingredients and toss.
Serve at room temp or right out of the fridge.

This is a very adaptable recipe. If you had them around, tomatoes would make a fine addition. You can also substitute almond or walnuts for the hazelnuts.

Roxie's Easy Paella

Paella is the stuff dreams are made of. Or memories, in my case. The year before I got married I had the fortune to travel to the south of France to stay with relatives. Yes, yes, Paella is Spanish, not French. The grandmother of the family I was staying with was born in Spain and emigrated to France. The brother in law was Moroccan, the rest of the family french. It truly was a week of indulgent food. One I'll never forget.



This is the second time I have written about Paella in this blog. The first time, two years ago, I chronicled my first attempt. Now I feel a bit more able to adapt and tweak a recipe to make it my own. Feel free to adjust the seafood to suit your needs. The sausage can be left out if you desire.

Seafood and Sausage Paella
serves 6-8
Cook and prep approx 1 hour

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 lb bay shrimp
1/2 lb white fish (I used sole) in 1/2 inch chunks
10 clams
1/2 lb small scallops
1/4-1/3 lb sausage (I prefer spicy when kids aren't eating it)
salt
pepper
3 garlic cloves, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 medium yellow or red bell pepper, diced
1 fennel bulb (optional)
3 fresh tomatoes or 14oz canned diced with juices
4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups long grain white rice
saffron threads

Roasted fennel (optional)
1. set oven to 350
2. cut fennel bulb into quarters and drizzle with evoo and a pinch of salt
3. roast for 20 minutes and then dice
Keep oven on for rice

Paella
1. In a deep, large oven proof skillet saute sausage until cooked. Set aside.
2. add 1/8 cup olive oil and saute fish and scallops until almost cooked, then add bay shrimp to warm through. Remove from pan and set aside with liquid juices.
3. Saute onion in remaining 1/8 olive oil until translucent. Add garlic.
4. Add vegetable stock and diced tomatoes. Bring to boil and add rice. Boil for 5 minutes
5. reduce to simmer and add saffron. Simmer for 10 minutes.
6. stir in fennel, sausage and cooked seafood. Bury clams in the rice. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and transfer to oven.
7. cook for 20 minutes until rice is tender
8. serve straight from pan.