Macaroni & Cheese

Photo shamelessly grabbed here

photo shamelessly grabbed here

This, my friends, is the yummiest (and healthiest) macaroni and cheese I have ever eaten! 

It's insanely good and I have two pans of it sitting in my freezer right now.

I take no credit for the recipes, only for the brilliant idea of combining two of them to form perfection. 

(they are both delicious on their own, but somehow even better and more delicious together)

I use two parts Rachael Rays Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese (Note: I used fresh butternut squash and roast it. Also, the thyme in here is so so good) to one part Lindsey's Healthy (cauliflower) Alfredo, (to which I add parmesan cheese. I also sprinkle some over the pasta before serving.) 

This triple combination makes a lot of pasta, which I love. 

Because it's nowhere near as easy as throwing a kraft packet on the stove.

So I'm happy to put in extra work and have tons leftover to freeze and eat throughout the month, especially as it gets colder outside.
But you could just as easily 1/2 the cauliflower recipe and use one full recipe of the squash.
It will still make a lot, trust me.

You definitely have to tell me if you try this.
And just try and convince me it doesn't change your life!

Favorite Things Party

A throwback to that lovely time when spring meant having an outdoor favorite things party with friends. 

Can everyone please move back here so we can make this happen again?

I collected some of my favorite ideas from this day and that delightful conversation that went on for hours!

Also, that food! So delicious, every bite. 

The Evolution of our Lasagna

 

It's components are roasted sweet potatoes, carrots, and onions with rosemary & garlic.

Pureed and then layered between spinach lasagna. 

With some chopped rotisserie chicken and sautéed mushrooms thrown in for good measure. 

(Zucchini was also part of my concept for this lasagna, but Ryan accidentally picked up two cucumbers instead.)

And then I smothered it in béchamel sauce and topped it all with sliced tomatoes and grated mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. 

It's the best thing we've had for dinner in weeks.

Cause I've had bronchitis for the past couple - it's been super awesome. Blah!

We ate half a small pan for dinner last night.

Finished it off today for lunch. 

And Ryan is already calling for the de-frostation of the extra one I made and froze as a quick back up for those nights when we'd rather do anything but cook.

I might cave and actually do that.

It was maybe the best lasagna I have ever eaten, definitely the best I've ever made. 

Seriously.

And so I don't forget, the recipe:

This made one large (9x13 deep) and one medium (10x7) pan

3 large sweet potatos

 4 carrots

1/2 large onion

1 T rosemary

Garlic, S & P - to taste (don't be stingy) 

This recipe for béchamel

except I only used 8 T butter.

 I also added garlic and 1 cup of parmesan cheese to the mixture at the end.

And an extra cup of milk to thin it out a little. 

1 box spinach pasta

1/2 rotisserie chicken

box of button mushrooms

3-4 large roma tomatoes

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese

Layer and bake covered with foil at 425 for 40 minutes.
Remove foil and brown cheese an additional 15.
Let sit for 20 minutes before serving.

But next time I think I'll skip the chicken and add those two sautéed zucchini instead.
The sweet potatoes make it so vegetable-y and creamy that I think that might just make it even a little bit better that way.

Year of the Snake

Yesterday was Chinese New Year. 

And today is the first day of the year of the snake. 

We used this as a delightful excuse to have friends over and eat loads of delicious food.

The orange blossom drink was insane!

The fried rice was perfection. 

The beef of beef and broccoli was the most tender I have ever had.

And the pot stickers could have been a meal all on their own, they were seriously that good.

The coconut sticky rice with mangoes was pretty insane too.
Let me tell you, our friends can cook!

And now we only have about 21 cups of leftover jasmine rice in our fridge. 

(Ryan may have over shot it a little bit on the rice)

The kidlets turned this kraft paper table into a real Picasso-esque work of art by the end of dinner.

And then I think Kung Fu Panda held their attention for at least another ten minutes after that. 

 I need to make a more diligent effort at getting pictures with adult humans in them during our get togethers.

It always just sort of happens that once we get together we get much too busy talking, and laughing, and eating to actually care. 

Also, just go ahead and pretend you didn't notice how un-ironed my tablecloth is.

Engagement Dinner

My baby sister got engaged over the weekend.

Ah, those words! I can hardly believe it.

She is glowingly happy and we celebrated with an engagement dinner last night. 

Just the love birds and us. 

Well that and by taking loads of engagement pictures. 

It was a ball!

Happy engagement again you two!

Swiss Fondue Party

It was inevitable really, that this should be on our Christmas party menu this year.

Because what better alternative to the cheaply made typical souvenirs than dipping stuff in hot, stringy cheese and warm, melty chocolate?

It was such a fun way to bring a bit of Switzerland back with us for our friends (who feel more like family) to try!

  

And the aftermath.

We Ate Our Way Through Cinque Terre

European outings should not be taken too lightly or embarked upon without some sort of objective and purpose.

And so ours was excitedly decided upon while riding the train full speed toward our destination.

Our goal would be to taste something delicious in every village.

We would eat our way through Cinque Terre.

And ate our way through we did!

Pesto focaccia Pizza in Riomaggiore.

Pesto lasagna & spaghetti in Manarola.

Margarita pizzette and ciabatta in Vernazza.

Gelato in Monterosso.

Panini (& more gelato) in Milano.

Ryan even tasted a hand full of the salty water of the Mediterranean Sea long before we went swimming in it just to be sure of it's saltiness.
And a few other tasties were thrown in there for good measure.
Here's proof - as if you needed any.

best thing I ate there for sure. I was thinking of you, you would have been in heaven.

Look Mom, all the pizza is square. Turns out you were doing it right all along and didn't even know it!

second best thing I ate. can you see how crispy the broiled pesto top is? and the brown stuff isn't chocolate, it's a balsamic reduction. I'm salivating. 

Pesto anything was hands down my favorite.

The pesto from this region was to die for.

I don't know what exactly they do differently but it puts all other pesto (which I love) to miserable shame.

It was a delightful way to experience these coastal villages.

Not just because it was delicious (which it most definitely was) or because it added another dimension to our sightseeing (which it most definitely did) or because it was a lovely way to meet and speak with locals (which it most definitely was) but because these pizza and bread making artisans were up and baking at 3:30 in the morning to stock their shops.

So it seemed only appropriate to reward their dedication to their craft with our recurring solicitation.