Mac and Cheese

During the winter months, I love to cook comfort food, you know, the staples like mom used to make, that remind you of home. Mac and Cheese is one of those meals for me. There are many variations, but this one is my fave so far.

Preheat oven to 375.

Cook one cup of macaroni noodles according to package directions in boiling salted water.
(If you need a shortcut here, boil the water in the kettle first and then add to the pot.)

In a medium sized saucepan, melt 3 tbsp butter over medium heat. Let it bubble a little and then add 3 tbsp flour.

Let bubble a bit, until it starts to brown just a little, and then add 2 cups of hot milk ( I microwave this in a 2 cup measuring cup, while the pasta is cooking), a tsp of dijon  and 2 cups of very nippy cheddar.

Stir your sauce until smooth.

Drain the pasta and then return it to the pot. Add the sauce and mix well.

Turn into a glass baking dish. Top with crushed, French Onion Sunchips and bake for 30 minutes.

Bon Appetit!

Sue's "OMG I have no pan juices" gravy

Sometimes you have to cook amidst chaos. Sometimes the cooking process itself turns into chaos. This was my experience while recently cooking a Christmas meal for my in laws. True to my nature of biting off more than I can chew, I sent my wonderful husband out on an errand, while I went to get dressed and whilst the prime rib was cooking away on the rotisserie of the bbq. Needless to say, I completely forgot about the meat, and James was sent on a wild goose chase trying to track down 5 X 7 photo paper in Oakville. He returned to find me performing "surgery" of sorts on the now very charred prime rib.  All was not lost, as it was simply the outer layer of the meat that charred, while the inside remained tender. There were no pan juices to speak of, my inlaws were arriving momentarily and I needed to make gravy. Here's what I recall throwing together, amidst the chaos of screaming kids, horrified husband and ticking clock.

OMG no pan juices gravy:

In a medium sized saucepan, heat 1 cup of wine and 1/2 apple cider.
Once heated, add 2 sachets of beef bouillon.
To this add a dash of balsamic and a dash of soy sauce.
Adjust quantities to your taste.
Add minced garlic.

This sounds like a mish mash of ingredients, but actually turned out quite well.

Bon Appetit!

From my kitchen to yours

As friends as family have often asked for recipes for the things I make, I decided to start blogging as a sort of online recipe book. Enjoy!

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 tbsp balsamic

1/2 tsp dijon

sea salt to taste

mix these ingredients together in a small bowl

Whisk in, in a thin stream, 1/4 cup of olive oil and maple syrup to taste.

I throw this over mixed greens with dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, walnuts, cheese, apple and sometimes leftover pork roast.

Bon appetit!