Alton's Mac & Cheese is still better than this stuff

I’ve mentioned my love of Alton Brown many times. His show is essentially Cooking for Geeks, which is right up my alley. His tips and techniques have definitely helped me become a more skilled cook and baker. Not only that, but his recipes tend to turn out perfectly. My husband declared Alton’s brownies “the best he ever had”. They were pretty amazing, chewy and fudgy with just the right amount of crispiness on top. At a recent Super Bowl party, a friend made his onion dip and wing sauces, which were also incredible. So when I wanted a macaroni and cheese recipe last week, I decided to give his a shot.

Macaroni and cheese is one of those things that I make only a few times a year, generally when it is cold and snowy and I have an overwhelming craving for comfort food. I usually use Rachael Ray’s White Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese recipe, and accompany it with her Sugar Snap Peas with Onions & Bacon. (Hey. Nobody said this was a healthy meal. This is pure comfort food). But the last time I had a macaroni and cheese craving, it was a very snowy day. After being sent home from work early, there was no way I was going to the grocery store in a blizzard just for some cheese and snap peas. Since Alton’s recipe called for ingredients I already had on hand, and his recipes have always turned out well, I went with his instead. It made a creamy macaroni and cheese that was quite good, but definitely not my favorite. Still, not every recipe I blog about has to be a hit. So here it is.

Baked Macaroni & Cheese
Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients
1/2 lb. macaroni
3 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. powdered mustard
3 c. whole milk
1/2 c. onion, diced finely
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 large egg
12 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. bread crumbs
kosher salt & fresh black pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Boil pasta to al dente in a large pot
3. Melt butter in another large pot. Whisk in flour and mustard and stir for about 5 minutes, being careful to remove all lumps. Add milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for 10 minutes and remove the bay leaf.
4. Temper the egg into the mixture, then add 8 oz. of cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add pasta to the cheese sauce and pour into a casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bread crumbs.
5. Bake for 35 minutes, then let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

My Thoughts & Suggestions
I had forgotten what it means to temper in an egg. I will explain the procedure here to save you some googling time. Essentially, you beat an egg, then slowly add some hot ingredients from to it. This heats up the egg and allows it to be added to the dish without scrambling.

So why wasn’t I thrilled with this recipe? Honestly, it just was not my preference for macaroni and cheese. This recipe created a good and very creamy macaroni and cheese, but not a very cheesy one. To me, macaroni and cheese should taste like cheese. This one tasted more milky than cheesy. Also, I have never made a macaroni and cheese recipe that called for onion. I had my doubts about it, but wound up liking the little extra flavor it gave to the dish. Still, I don’t think I’ll be making this particular recipe again.

I neglected to take a good shot of this dinner, which is why I used a silly picture instead. But, in case you’re curious, I served this recipe with garlic-roasted broccoli and cauliflower. It’s the easiest side dish ever, and can be adapted to a number of fresh or frozen vegetables. Toss some chopped vegetables with a little olive oil, minced garlic & salt. Place on a baking sheet. Roast for about 35 minutes in a 350ºF oven. Enjoy!

Recipe Source: Alton Brown’s Baked Macaroni and Cheese from Food Network.

Sometimes, the best recipes are the simplest ones. This Twist is a great example. It combines crescent dough roll, vegetables and cheese to make an appetizer that is satisfying to eat and pleasing to look at.

Baked Spinach & Cheese Twist
Makes 16 Servings

Ingredients
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
10 oz. package of frozen spinach, thawed & drained
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1 tomato, seeded and diced
16 oz. (2 cans) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and frozen spinach. Add remaining ingredients, reserving 1/2 tsp. oregano.
3. Unroll crescent dough and separate into triangles. On a baking sheet, arrange triangles in an 11-inch circle, with short sides of triangles overlapping in center and points of triangles toward outside. Spoon cheese mixture onto dough near center of circle. Bring outside points of triangles up over filling, then tuck under dough in center of ring to cover filling. Sprinkle with oregano to garnish.
4. Bake 35 to 40 min. or until filling is heated and crust has browned.

My thoughts:
This recipe is super versatile. The original one called for broccoli and mushrooms. Since neither Jared nor the friends I was having over when I made this eat mushrooms, I used spinach and tomatoes instead. I don’t think it would have been as good with mushrooms and broccoli. On a side note, I was very happy when my finished product looked just like the picture in the magazine I got it out of.

Recipe Source: Inspired by Easy Baked Cheese & Vegetable Twist in the Holiday 2009 edition of the Kraft Foods Food & Family magazine.

Normally, I’m a proponent of making baked goods by hand. But it’s hard to argue with the convenience of the bread machine. Put ingredients in the machine and set the timer before you leave for work. Come home to fresh bread. That’s why this recipe is meant for use with a bread machine. It tastes almost as good as hand made bread and worlds better than most of the stuff from the grocery store.

Garlic Parmesan Bread
Makes a 1.5 lb. loaf

Ingredients
10 oz. water
3 cup bread flour
2 tablespoons butter
1.5 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2.5 teaspoons yeast

Directions
This is where I get to cheat. Just dump everything in the bread machine according to its instructions. Generally, this means add wet ingredients first, dry ingredients second and yeast last. Turn the machine on. Wait a few hours while it does its thing. Profit.

My thoughts:
1. When the bread had about 20 minutes to go, I sprinkled the top with a little parmesan and oregano. This gave it bit more flavor and a lot more aesthetic appeal.
2. This bread goes great with soups and almost anything Italian-inspired. Tonight, I served it with this Roasted Garlic Chicken Recipe from Food Network Magazine and some fresh broccoli tossed with olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper and parmesan cheese.

When I was 17, I went to Mexico City with my Spanish class. I loved everything about it – the hotel overlooking the Zócalo, the pyramids, the sense of history, the colors, the energy and the food. While some of my classmates were happy with KFC, my mom I tried all sorts of new things. We had grilled corn with chili powder and lime from a street vendor and decadent pan dulce from the bakeries. But my favorite new food experience was a meal of chiles rellenos served with red and green salsas and refried black beans. Ever since then, I’ve considered chiles rellenos one of my favorite foods.

In spite of my love for these deep-fried, cheese stuffed poblano peppers, I had never attempted to make them myself, until recently. I can’t think of a better way to start this blog than with a recipe for my favorite food.

Chiles Rellenos
Makes 6

Ingredients
6 poblano or Anaheim peppers
12 oz. queso fresco or monterey jack cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 eggs, seperated
1 cup all-purpose flour
canola oil, for frying
red and/or green salsas (I used canned tomatillo & homestyle salsas, though I will probably make my own salsa next time I make these)

Directions
1. Cut a slit down the side of each pepper. Place peppers in a broiler or dry frying pan until skins blister.
2. Place the peppers in a plastic bag and seal the top. Let steam for 20 minutes.
3. While the peppers are steaming, cut the cheese into thin, 2-3″ strips.
4. Once the peppers are steamed, remove their skins and seeds.
5. Fill each pepper with cheese. If desired, use a toothpick to hold peppers together. Chill for 30 minutes.
6. Whip egg whites into firm peaks. In another bowl, thoroughly whip the egg yolks. Fold the yolks into the whites.
7. In a shallow dish, spread out flour and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
8. Heat oil to 375°F.
9. Coat peppers in flour and then in egg.
10. Fry peppers in batches until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
11. Garnish with salsa and shredded cheese.

My thoughts: These took quite a long time to make, mostly because it was my first experience blistering and skinning peppers. They turned out extremely well, making them completely worth the time and effort. I served them with black beans and margaritas made from scratch.

Recipe Source: Adapted from my favorite Mexican cookbook, Mexican – Healthy Ways With a Favorite Cuisine by Jane Milton. The recipes tend to be time-consuming and probably aren’t as healthy as the title suggests. But the book has yet to steer me wrong when it comes to tasty, authentic Mexican food.