Marianne's Mac 'n' Cheez for Boy #2

Boy #2 has been bugging me for weeks to make the mac & cheese recipe he found in a Nickelodeon kids' (obviously) cookbook we have. I finally got around to it and it was pretty good. I still think I like Ina Garten's recipe better--but this was good. It was easy and surprisingly quick to prepare. Buying pre-shredded cheese made it even easier.

MARIANNE'S MAC 'N' CHEEZ
from Stir Squirt Sizzle, a Nick cookbook

6 T unsalted butter
1/2 C plus 2 T all-purpose flour
4 C milk ( NOTE: I used skim--not that it will help!)
1 1/2 t dry mustard
1/4 t cayenne, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound elbow macaroni
3 C coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (about 12 ounces)
1 1/3 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces)
1 C fresh bread crumbs (NOTE: I omitted these)


1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter a long, shallow baking dish (like a 13-by-9-inch pan).
2. With an adult's help, melt the butter in a big saucepan over low heat. Add the flour slowly while whisking until it's completely combined.
3. Turn up the heat just a bit and add the milk, slowly pouring it in as you whisk. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat and add the mustard, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
4. Let the mixture simmer, whisking it occasionally, until it begins to thicken. This should take about 2 minutes.
5, Meanwhile, cook the macaroni by following the instructions on the box, undercooking it the teeniest bit.
6. Combine the macaroni, the sauce, the Cheddar cheese, and 1 C of the Parmesan in a big bowl. Mix it all up and pour it into the baking dish.
7. In a smaller bowl, mix the remaining 1/3 C Parmesan with the bread crumbs and sprinkle it on top of the macaroni and cheese. (NOTE: I just sprinkled the remaining Parmesan cheese over the top)
8. Have an adult place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it is so golden and bubbly that you can't bear to wait another minute.

Serves 4 to 6.

Mrs. Smith's Lemon Squares

When I was in 5th or 6th grade I took piano lessons from Mrs. Smith, who lived around the corner from us. Every so often she had a recital featuring all her students. I don't know which was more exciting--playing in the recital or eating one of her fantastic lemon squares, which she made for each recital. I don't know if Mrs. Smith is around anymore, but I will always think of her whenever I make these delicious, citrusy, sweets.

MRS. SMITH'S LEMON SQUARES

Crust
3/4 C (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 C powdered sugar
1 1/2 C flour

Topping
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 C sugar
3 T flour
juice and rind of 1 1/2 lemons (NOTE: 2 if they're small--a microplane is great for zesting the lemons)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Cream butter and powdered sugar together, then mix in flour til blended. Spread on bottom of square pan and bake for about 15 minutes. Crust should be soft and pale--not raw-looking but just slightly set. Meanwhile, mix together the topping ingredients. When crust comes out of the oven, pour topping over crust and return to oven. Cook for an additional 20 minutes or until topping is set (not wiggling). Cool, cut into squares, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Barefoot Bloggers: Easy Sticky Buns--or "You Might Want to Have Your Sweat Pants Handy"

Ina, Ina, Ina. You'll stop at nothing to fatten us all up, won't you? You don't care about our New Year's resolutions or our tight jeans, is that it? It's all about the butter, isn't it, Ina? This installment of "Barefoot Bloggers" features Easy Sticky Buns. This recipe was chosen by Melissa of Made by Melissa.
This recipe WAS easy and very good. You DO need to discard the ends of the roll as instructed by Ina--just listen to her--she knows what she's doing. Also--make sure you check on the rolls toward the end of cooking--burned raisins and blackened puff pastry are NOT a good combo. I mean, that's what I hear.





INA GARTEN'S EASY STICKY BUNS
from Back to Basics

12 T (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 C light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 C pecans, chopped in very large pieces
1 package (17.3 oz/2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted

For the filling:

2 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled--NOTE-you may need a bit more
2/3 C light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 t ground cinnamon
1 C raisins

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 12 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.
Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold one sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with half of the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon and 1/2 cup of the raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2 inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.
Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. NOTE: It's a good idea to check on them at about 20 and 25 minutes--you don't want to burn these babies!. Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon), and cool completely.

Simple and easy, right? Unbutton your jeans, eat, and enjoy! Great for a brunch too!

Roasted Cauliflower or "I Can't Believe I Ate an Entire Head of Cauliflower All By Myself!"

For all you people who are still steaming or boiling vegetables--read this. Friend don't let friends steam or boil. I don't know what it is about roasting that transforms vegetables into something amazing--but it does. The ingredients are simple and the process is easy--I roast practically any vegetable--asparagus, green beans, brussels sprouts, onions, potatoes, eggplant, zucchini, carrots, beets, and more. I have a hard time picking my favorite--it changes from time to time--but right now it is cauliflower. Boy #2 eats roasted cauliflower like it is candy. OK, maybe not like candy...but he just loves it! Now I usually roast two heads at a time and we RARELY have any left over.

One of the keys to roasting is a hot oven--I usually roast at about 400°F to 425°F. Preheat your oven for at least 15 minutes before you put the baking sheet in. You can also preheat the oven WITH the baking sheet IN the oven and then pour the vegetables on the baking sheet--you will hear a nice sizzle that way. For the cauliflower, I cut the head up into small pieces because I want as much of the surface to brown as possible. Put the pieces in a large bowl or ziplock bag and add olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper and toss. Don't go crazy on the oil but don't be stingy either--about 1/8 of a cup per head should be fine--I don't really measure--you can always add more if you think you haven't used enough. Kosher salt is less salty than regular salt--so don't be worried that it's going to be too salty--probably about 1/2 to 3/4 of a teaspoon per head is good. Again--I don't measure--I just sprinkle. Fresh pepper to taste. That's it. Spread out on a baking sheet--I line mine with parchment paper for easier clean-up. You want the cauliflower to roast, not steam, so don't overcrowd the baking sheet. Cook about 20 to 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Basically--with any roasted vegetables--you cook them til they are done the way you like them--I like my cauliflower brown and a bit crunchy so I probably cook them for at least 30 minutes--sometimes more. It's a matter of personal taste. Try it tonight--let me know how it turns out.

Grandma's Toffee Bars

Every time I used to go to my grandma's house there was something yummy there. Both my grandmothers were great cooks AND bakers and one of my mom's mom's specialties was Toffee Bars. There were usually some in the freezer and, while I preferred to wait til mine thawed, my brothers liked to eat them straight from the freezer. My grandfather always claimed ownership of the little bits that crumbled off during cutting!

GRANDMA'S TOFFEE BARS

1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 C light brown sugar
1 t vanilla
1 egg yolk
2 C flour
1 small bag semisweet chocolate chips
chopped nuts (Grandma always used walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream the softened butter and sugar together. Add the vanilla and the egg yolk. Then mix in the flour til completely blended. Spread on bottom of square baking pan and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes--check after 20 minutes--cookie bottom should be set but pale. Then turn oven off and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and return pan to oven for 3-4 minutes or til chocolate is melted and spreadable. Spread over top to cover and sprinkle with the chopped nuts. Wait til cooled slightly before cutting into squares.

Beth's Glazy Crazy Cocktail Franks

OK, OK, not the best photo, I know, but what can I say? I need to plan ahead better. Many years ago, when I was young and single, my roommate Beth and I used to have parties all the time. She made these cocktail franks that had people practically licking the toothpicks they used to spear the little devils. These are sure-fire winners, easy and delicious. Dump all the ingredients in a pot and cook the crap out of them. I'm serious--cook (uncovered) for about 2 to 3 hours--you want the little dogs to get all shriveled and glazy.

BETH'S GLAZY CRAZY COCKTAIL FRANKS

several packs (3,4,5??) cocktail franks or cocktail smokies
1 box light brown sugar
1 bottle seafood cocktail sauce
1 bottle beer


Add all ingredients to pot and cook, uncovered, for several hours. That's it!

Barefoot Bloggers: Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

Yes, it's time for another episode of "Barefoot Bloggers" featuring Banana Sour Cream Pancakes. This recipe was chosen by Karen of Something Sweet by Karen. I make pancakes from scratch all the time for my kids, so at first this recipe didn't seem that exciting to me, but the pancakes were actually quite good and my kids really liked them. I think the lemon zest and the vanilla extract really added something great to the batter. The recipe I usually use is from one of the older Joy of Cooking cookbooks and is pretty similar but does not include sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. I made a few minor changes to Ina's recipe (my changes are included as notes below)--I added more milk because we don't like our pancakes quite as thick as she apparently does--and the pancakes were STILL pretty thick even with the additional milk I added.. I also added 3 T melted butter to the batter, thereby eliminating the need for butter on the pan or griddle. I used a non-stick pan for cooking. You can make this batter the night before if you like, but you may need to add additional milk to the batter in the morning before cooking. Another easy way to save time is to measure out the dry ingredients into a bowl or ziplock and then add the liquid ingredients in the morning. When my kids were younger and I made pancakes A LOT, I used to measure out several ziplocks of dry ingredients at a time in an effort to make my life just a bit easier! You can also substitute another fruit for the bananas (berries, peaches, etc) or serve them without any fruit at all. I made these for dinner the other night because, in our house, whenever I can't think of anything for dinner, I make breakfast! We all agreed that we would definitely make these pancakes again!

INA GARTEN'S BANANA SOUR CREAM PANCAKES

1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (NOTE: I used about 3/4 t kosher salt)
1/2 cup sour cream (NOTE: I used light sour cream)
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk (NOTE: I used about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 C skim milk)
2 extra-large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (NOTE: Anywhere from 1/2 to 1 t should be fine and if you don't have a lemon-just make it without the zest and it will be fine)
Unsalted butter (NOTE: I added 3 T melted butter to the batter)
2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving
Pure maple syrup


Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles.(NOTE: If you've added melted butter to the batter and you are using a non-stick skillet you can skip the previous step.) Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a rounded tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, (NOTE: Again, if you've added butter to the batter, no need to wipe out the pan--just keep cooking!) and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.