OMacG! Smoky Mac and Cheese with Caramalized Onions

The following recipe was inspired from something I saw on the Rachel Ray Show the other week. Rachel termed hers French Onion Soup Mac and Cheese and used Gruyere cheese. I found that I could purchase double the amount of cheese by using a type other than Gruyere, which is a little pricey.

I knew I had to use cheese with an edge since I was cutting Gruyere which has a twang to it. I decided to go for body and creaminess instead - so I went with a hot pepper cheese and a smoked Gouda. Very good decision when paired with the sweet onion mixture.

The second thing I am quite happy about is my decision to use a very very small pasta - one I'd typically throw into an Italian soup. Not orzo or anything - you still need a little bite. The cheese sauce permeated every single nook and cranny and I noticed I didn't have to use as much sauce to get a cheesy flavor. HUGE money saver because you can literally make double!

To start, slice 1 large onion and 3 cloves of chopped garlic and start frying it on medium heat.

Let it caramelize low and slow and then add 1/2 tsp sage, sprinkle of salt, pepper, 1/4 - 1/2 cup of cooking sherry, and about 1/2 cup of beef stock. Let this cook down, then add another 1/2 cup of beef stock or enough to thin it out. Stir in about 1/2 tsp of cornstarch to thicken the mixture and set aside after it looks like the picture below.

Boil your pasta - I used a pound. Make sure to salt your water, too!

Then start on the cheese sauce by melting 2 Tbs of butter and 1/4 cups of flour. Whisk together for a few seconds, then add 2 cups of milk - maybe even 3. Stir until thickened - it will look runny and then all of a sudden come together. Stir in your cheese (turn the heat down to medium low). I used a whole package of both cheeses, so it made a lot (about 2 1/2 cups of cheese total). Whisk until creamy, then add a good couple of squeezes of Dijon mustard.

Add the onions and store half in a container (I freeze this so I have more later) and mix the rest in with your pasta. I like creamy mac and cheese, so this is where I ended the show. But you can always cover with a little butter/breadcrumb mixture and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

A little trick I use to maintain the creaminess of the pasta when I reheat it is that I add an extra squirt of mustard after I microwave the leftovers. This acts as a binder and adds an extra punch of flavor. I also sprinkle with a little more pepper before serving.

Who Doesn't Love a Late-Night Cookie?

Now, if you've been following this blog for a while, you'll remember a post I wrote a while back called Brownies for Breakfast?, an homage to my love of chocolate and my love of ooey gooey brownies. Today I'd like to focus for a moment on my possible insane infatuation with cookies.

Cookies. Gosh. I love 'em. Everything about them: how they are good both warm and cold. How they can house so many different flavors. The textures - crunchy, chewy... both! The fact that they are perfect for one person - you never feel lonely eating a cookie. And you can make them big or small depending on how guilty you want to feel. These little dears always make me smile - they make anyone smile, for that matter. Who doesn't love receiving a batch of homemade cookies? Who? Find them for me and I'll convert them.

One of the best (and possible most dangerous for my waistline) things about living on my own is that if I want a cookie for dinner, then doggone it, I can have a cookie for dinner.

And today, that is exactly what I did. I made 4 cookies. Yep, only four. I cut the recipe down a lot just to make a personal sized portion of delicious, giant, chocolate chip cookies spilling over with Ghirardelli chocolate chips. I don't care how weird this might sound to y'all...in fact, Weston was telling me today how weird I am because I love cookies so much. All I know is that this recipe is good. Use it with caution.

1/2 bag chocolate chips

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cup of white and brown sugar - I just estimate half of each

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1 egg

1 stick of butter - oh gosh, I used a stick of butter...

1 tsp vanilla

Let the butter come to room temp - this is key. Mix is with the sugars, then add the egg and vanilla. Cream well, then mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt - just to combine. Add your chips and bake at 375 for 11 minutes.

Okay, so maybe this makes a few more than 4 cookies. But by the time I was done baking, I swear there were only 4 left ;)

Needless to say, there is only the one picture to commemorate this occasion.

Magic Bars - for the Super-Sweet (Tooth)

Some days we just have a hankering for something from a memory. For me it was magic bars: you know, shortbread cookie on the bottom with chocolate chips and coconut on top. What pulls it all together is a layer of sticky sweet condensed milk. The chef at my dorm used to make them and they were the best - but very, very buttery. I always felt so guilty afterward.

And yet I found myself wishing for one so badly. Happily, I happened the have all the ingredients in my cupboards. Here is the recipe I used, from Martha Stewart Everyday Living.

Also! Did you know that Tollhouse has come out with dark chocolate chips!!! They are super, super yummy! Not on par with Ghirardelli yet, but still a very good consistency and a step up from the semisweet.

Magic Bars (aka Everything Bars)

3/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup oats

1 cup chocolate chips

1 15 oz can condensed milk, I used 2%

2 cups plus a little more shredded sweetened coconut

(the recipe also said you could add a 1/2 cup raisins and 1 cup walnut pieces)

Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a 9x13 inch pan - use buttered parchment paper or Pam.

In a food processor pulse butter, sugar, flour, and salt. Then add oats and pulse again. Pack into the bottom of the pan and bake until golden brown - 20 minutes.

Once it comes out, let it cool for about 5 minutes. I added this step so the chocolate chips wouldn't melt all over the place. I like them to hold a little shape.

Sprinkle over the chips ans walnuts, and raisins, if using. Drizzle over this the can of condensed milk, then the coconut, making sure to cover the top completely.

Bake another 20 minutes until the coconut is golden - careful not to overcook otherwise the coconut might burn. Don't touch them because the milk is really hot when it comes out of the oven.

Let cool a little before cutting into 18 pieces. You can cut them smaller if you want, because they are really sweet and a little goes a long way.

Crispy Risotto Bites with Spicy Marinara

Here's the little treat I made for myself the day I found out I got into dental school. I just took some leftover risotto that I had in the fridge and warmed it up just slightly. I heated some oil and rolled little bits of the risotto in breadcrumbs. I fried them on both sides until they were golden and then served over some spicy marina (fra diavolo-esque) I made last week.

To make that you just blend a can of crushed tomato, 3 cloves garlic, one medium onion and salt/pepper/and Cayenne pepper. Heat over the stove and freeze any you don't plan on using within a week. I plan to use the extra that I made in a stew in the upcoming weeks.

These are kind of addictive - possibly because they are all teeny and bite sized and crispity crunchity.