A little break...

I am back in DC and will be in policy training for the second half of the fellowship for the next two weeks, so my ability to cook & post will be limited for a while. I promise to return ASAP though!!

Baked Maccaroni & Cheese

I realized that I never have posted about one of my all-time favorite recipes on the site! Thankfully, my father asked me to make it for his birthday dinner tonight so I have a reason to pass it on here. This recipe is from Alton Brown, one of my all-time favorite chefs/science nerds/food network stars. I have made this at least 10 times and while its a little bit of work compared to boxed mac & cheese, I promise you it is worth it!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon powdered mustard
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 large egg
• 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh black pepper

Topping:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf. Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat.

Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

My next post will be from my new apartment in DC!!! There won't be internet for a little while, so it may be a week or so, but I promise I'll be back soon! Thanks!

-Eric

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Flavors Named After Bush

I found this and thought it was the best thing ever. It mixes my two loves, ice cream & politics!!

http://www.lavidalocavore.org/showDiary.do?diaryId=921

Enjoy :P

Mango Lassi Frozen Yogurt & Rosemary Bread

Tonight, I am having some co-workers over for the Superbowl (which is really one big excuse to play Settlers of Catan...a party I entitled "SuperSettlers!") There was a request to make ice cream, so I started brainstorming for some new ideas. I realized I had never tried to make frozen yogurt and then I realized that one of my favorite things ever is mango lassis! I can't believe I never thought of it before!! It is really spectacular, and takes a significantly less amount of time than ice cream (and is significantly healthier)

Mango Lassi Frozen Yogurt
2 ripe mangoes
2 Cups plain yogurt
1/2 Cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cardamom

Blend the mangoes with a little bit of water. Mix with the other ingredients, chill in the fridge, and freeze in an ice cream maker for 10-15 minutes.

Thats it! And it's so good! Although I would go a little bit less on the cardamom since it is such a strong spice and stands out a little more than I would have liked.

I also decided to make my favorite bread, a wonderful rosemary bread that I used for my first attempt at bread making a few years ago. Some of you might have tried this already since I've made it for a few dinner parties. This recipe is incredible and will give you a really light, soft bread.

Rosemary Bread
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Place yeast, sugar and water in large bowl or food processor and allow mixture to become bubbly.
2. Mix in 1 T olive oil, salt, and 2 cups of flour.
3. Add one tablespoon of the fresh chopped rosemary.
4. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or in food processor about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
5. Add more flour if necessary.
6. Oil a bowl, put dough in it and cover with a towel.
7. Let dough rise in a warm place for one hour until doubled.
8. Punch down dough and divide in half.
9. Let dough rest about 5 minutes.
10. Spray baking pan or cookie sheet with cooking spray.
11. Shape the dough into 2 small rounded oval loaves.
12. Sprinkle remaining 1 Tablespoon of rosemary over the loaves and press lightly into the surface.
13. Let loaves rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.
14. Preheat oven to 375° F.
15. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned.
16. Carefully remove from oven, brush with remaining olive oil and sprinkle sea salt.

I usually don't separate the dough into two portions. I usually have one big ball and bake it free form. Today, I decided to bake it in a bread pan so we can use it for roasted veggie sandwiches!

This recipe has never failed, I highly reccomend it! It was originally based on the wonderful bread from Macarroni Grill, but I think this is even better!

Go Arizona! (?)