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What are you having for dinner? (wanna share your recipe?)

I’m bringing fancy-pants Mac’n’Cheese to the family potluck I’m going to, tomorrow… so it’s not what’s for dinner tonight… but I’m MAKING it tonight 😉

I’m Personally thinking of them as : Spicy, Boozey, Plain, Whole Foods, & Vegan.

4:5 are essentially the same thing…
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Shredded Cheese
- Al Dente Cooked Macaroni

Equal parts cream & cheese + 1.25 parts pasta added to a sauté pan stirred for 2-3 minutes on high until it melts & comes together in creamy luscious-ness.

😎 Super Duper Easy.

The only variables are the types of cheese / toppings / etc. Even the vegan one is “just” cashew cream & Chao shreds instead of dairy heavy whipping cream & cheese.

For all 5… boil elbow macaroni in salted water until al dente, drain, toss with olive oil, and set aside.

Pretty much in order of difficulty/time spent, below


PLAIN

- Shredded/Crumblex Cougar Gold (or Beechers) cheddar cheese*
- Heavy whipping cream
- Pasta

*Alternatively Mexican 4 Cheese shreds. But I really do love Beechers / CougarGold.

Method:
- Add apx equal weights cheese & whipping cream to sauté pan
- Add apx a weight & a quarter of pasta (6oz/6oz/7.5oz -or- 32/32/40)
- Crank the heat up to high and stir constantly for the 2-3 minutes it takes for the everything to become a melty/luscious awesomeness.
- Season to taste with fresh cracked pepper, or white pepper
- Plate & top with a scattering of cheese whilst still hot enough to melt over the top.

Bacon & Beer-Cheese Sauce

Exactly like the above, but with a half measure of beer added to the whipping cream, a dollup of stone ground Dijon mustard, & topped with fresh cooked bacon & green onions. I let the Crema and beer simmer for a minute or two (before adding the cheese) to get rid of as much of the water as possible (without scorching the cream) before adding the cheese & pasta.

BBQ Pulled Pork w/ Jalapeños (Spicy)

- Shredded Pepperjack
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Pasta
- Diced jalapeños
- Pulled Pork
- Buttermilk Cheese crumbles (looks like feta cheese)
- BBQ sauce (in a squirty/drizzle bottle)
- Sour Cream + Buttermilk -or- (same thing, really) Mexican Crema (in a squirty drizzle bottle)
- Green Onions

Method
Same as the above 2 = Cream + Cheese + Pasta
- Plate (or in my case a big ole tinfoil To-Go serving dish)
- Top with pulled pork
- Drizzle over BBQ sauce & Crema
- Scatter crumbly cheese & green onions & jalapeños

Plain Vegan

- Cashew Cream
- Shredded Chao Cheese
- Macaroni
- Any desired toppings… but most vegans are so thrilled for creamy “anything” that it’s all just gilding the Lilly. (Personally, I add bacon & green onions to mine, but I’m also not vegan,). A dusting of OLD BAY is a delightful add, as well. Bacon or no bacon.

Ditto above 3 for method. Voila!
Alternatively there’s the super complex, yet very delicious, Plum Bistro Mac’n’Yease recipe or their simplified version of it here

Whole Foods (Which of these things is not like the others?🎵)

- Alfredo Sauce (Bertoli Original is what I’m using)
- Shredded Yellow Cheddar
- Panko Crumbs
- Pasta

- Toss cooked macaroni in Alfredo sauce In a baking dish, top with shredded cheddar & Panko, bake at 350F/175C until panko is golden brown and sauce is bubbly. Apx 15-45 min depending on how big & deep your dish is! <<< Because this process -unlike sautéing- means the noodles will absorb a lot of the sauce? Make sure to make it extra saucy/soupy in the beginning so it’s still creamy instead of dry, after baking.

^^^ This one is just because 2 of the kids coming will only eat Whole Foods style Mac’n’Cheese. So they get their own little dish of “it”.
 
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You missed my fave.....(and its so easy)
Camera_20150915_120346.jpg


.......mmmmm Hot Dog......
 
Not for dinner but a snack yet so tasty I have to share.

“Lib Koosa” (zucchini and garlic dip)
Chop onions and zucchini or summer squash
Sauté in olive oil until soft
Add minced garlic and salt, turn down low
Mash it all up
Take off heat
Add lemon juice, cumin, pepper
Add minced mint and parsley if you have it

Let cool if you have patience. Eat with bread

I’m eating with saltines because the only bread I have is raisin bread 😄
 
Another dip that is amazing 🤩

Eggplant Pate

Roast in 350 oven until soft
1 eggplant
2-4 tomatoes
1 head garlic
1 onion
You don’t even have to peel any of them. You might need to take some out before the others depending on size.
Now peel or squeeze out flesh into blender or food processor. Add about 1/2 cup walnuts and/or hazelnuts
Add juice of one or two limes
A few glugs of olive oil
Spices: cumin, powdered ginger, paprika
Salt and pepper
Blend it up.
Top with extra olive oil and paprika.

Eat with toasted bread. I also topped my bites with black olive tapenade. It was like silky smooth with mellow flavor, very comforting. Something about dipping bread in stuff calms me. 😸
 
My cooking goals for the weekend

- Sweet & Sour Pork & fried rice
- Creamy Poblano sauce & soup
- Butter Chicken & Chicken Biryani
- Cuban Style Puercos Masitas w/ Plantains & rice w/ black beans

^^^ AKA ^^^ I keep thinking that after cooking for 10 hours I’ll come home and either cook something that night OR will wake up and cook in the morning… and NOPE! Even someone with as much of a flatline learning curve as I have? Can’t really argue with 2 months of good intentions leading to… yet another week of only “eating” box drinks & V8 :blushing:

I’ll give myself a pass on only making 3:4, but 4 out of 4 will feed me -very well- for the next week. And 3 outta 4 ain’t bad.

Recipes I don’t have links for? to be added a bit later. I just need to not lose this list and forget food goals until Monday
 
Most interested in the Cuban pork recipe when you have a chance, @Friday, always looking for inspiration for Sunday dinners for the north. this week, I transported a brisket…I think I will do it in the oven as we have a charcoal barbie with very little control up here, I hade been planning on using smoke chips and setting it on the grill for a couple of hours to add a wee bit of smoke, but I don’t want to be babysitting it for the two or three hours to make sure it doesn’t burn. So into the oven it will go, it turns out delish this way too, just missing the wee smoke. Since I can’t bring alcohol here in its normal state, ie a bottle or can of beer, I made up the beer baste at home and froze it for transport.
 
Making a sort of low carb, open burrito. Never made a burrito. Used a small corn tortilla n piling stuff on top so I can use less bread, and no rice.
Based on this recipe
Also made this Pico de gallo. Never made that before, never tasted it either. Thought I might not like it cause of all the chilli but I love it.
Served it all with lettuce, avocado and wee bit of lactofree cheddar
Making it in MY kitchen with the radio on yeah 🙃
 
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Zucchini Soup @Friday

2 Tablespoons Butter- wasn't homemade this time, didn't have the patience
1 small Yellow Onion
2 cloves Garlic
¼ teaspoon Rosemary
¼ teaspoon Thyme
¼ teaspoon Pepper
¼ teaspoon Salt
1 pinch Cayenne- I use more than a pinch ;)
5 cups Zucchini- I leave the skin on if it's tender enough
3 cups Chicken Broth (homemade)
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
2 Russet Potatoes

Optional:
1/2 cup Half and Half, or heavy cream
1 cup Cheddar Cheese

Saute onion and garlic in butter, when they're soft add zucchini and seasonings and cook for five minutes.
Add chicken broth, soy sauce, and diced potatoes.
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, cook until vegetables are very soft.
Blend until smooth, then add cream and cheese.

Most everything is homegrown, except the peppers and salt, haha. The cream came from a local farmer with milk cows, scrape it right off the top of a jar of fresh milk. I don't like milk but I like cream for my soup! Traded for the chicken, I didn't have to clean her thankfully. I can do it if I have to, but prefer not too. Anyway, I love fresh broth. My brother grows the plants. It's a win. The recipe doesn't call for it, but I add a splash of apple cider vinegar, I am crazy about vinegar. I don't care if it's healthy, I just love vinegar, any vinegar. Not related to this soup but one of my favorite, simple snacks is cucumbers and onions in vinegar with salt and pepper with a bit olive oil.
 
Not related to this soup but one of my favorite, simple snacks is cucumbers and onions in vinegar with salt and pepper with a bit olive oil.
Half my childhood was in Japan. I rub cucumber & carrot (and countless other veggies, but mostly those) with rice vinegar & a pinch of sea salt & bliss out.
 
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