Read Your Recipe!
This is an ATK (America’s Test Kitchen) recipe that has become my go-to mac and cheese. You make a classic cheese sauce, starting with the roux (equal parts fat and flour) but the small additions here of minced garlic, cayenne and dry mustard give it a fantastic flavor. The sauce to noodle ratio is fab, especially if you let this rest about 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven.
When the kids arrive and see the title of the recipe, I usually get a lot of quizzical looks and one or two enthusiastic responses by those who have had it before. In my explanation I ask if anyone has had lasagna, stuffed shells, baked ziti or ravioli before. Inevitably every hand raises. Noodle, tomato sauce, egg, cheese (ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan), parsley, Italian herbs. Careful rearrangement of these ingredients ensures a pretty good time, whether it’s week night frozen ravioli or a pre-game pasta party.
Props to Pioneer woman for this one. A class a while back, due to scheduling, was only 25 minutes. We’d already had our notes day for the week and I wanted to make something quick but life changing that I KNEW they’d love and replicate. Pioneer Woman’s cheesy garlic bread! Using no fresh herbs or spices, this is simple to make from ingredients you’d likely have around. It’s VERY garlicky, so if you’re not a fan, then skip the fresh garlic clove and just use the garlic powder. This has become the only garlic bread I will make when I entertain…it’s flawless!
I really struggled to name this dish. It’s basically baked ziti. However, we add ground white meat, spinach, and use whole wheat penne instead of standard ziti. I still don’t like the name, but it’s stupid to waste any more time thinking about it.
So today is Buffet of Grains! We made Bulgar wheat, Quinoa, Couscous, Risotto, and Wild Rice. Yum! My 1st pd. kids ate every bite and loved it all! Their fave was the risotto, so I thought I would put this recipe up first. The couscous and wild rice recipes are so simple I probably won’t post them here, but I will post the other two later on. Like, tomorrow.
