This Is Not Your Childhood Mac & Cheese

I love the NPR show "The Splendid Table" with Lynn Rossetto Casper and listen to her live and on podcasts. Well, one episode someone called in about making fried chicken and then they added that they were going to serve it with macaroni and cheese. Lynn immediately told them about this recipe. I was practically drooling in the car!

Today is a little chilly and I thought what's better to have on a chilly Sunday after noon? Mac and cheese! This is a very easy recipe and very adult with three types of cheeses (cheddar, Gruyere and cream cheese) and garlic and onions.

21st Century Mac & Cheese

Serves 4 and doubles easily.

1/2 pound (2 cups ) raw penne pasta, slightly under cooked and drained (I used curly tube pasta)

1 large egg

1 cup milk

1 small clove garlic

3/4 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 generous cup (5 ounces) shredded good quality, extra-sharp cheddar cheese

5 ounces cream cheese, crumbled

2/3 cup (3 ounces) shredded Gruyere cheese

Generous 1/8 teaspoon each hot red pepper flakes, salt, and freshly ground black pepper

Generous 1/4 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

12 saltines, coarsely crumbled (I used whole wheat crackers that I happen to have in my pantry)

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a shallow 1 1/2 quart baking dish, and add cooked macaroni.

In a blender or food processor combine egg, milk, and garlic, and process 3 seconds. Add onion, cheeses, peppers, salt, and paprika, and blend 10 seconds. Turn into dish, folding into macaroni. Casserole could be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 24 hours at this point.

To bake, bring casserole close to room temperature. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Coat crackers with butter and spread over top of casserole.

Bake about 20 to 30 minutes, or until thick yet creamy. If top is not golden, slip under broiler for a minute. Remove from oven, let stand about 5 minutes, and serve.

Wow, this was satisfying and very rich. This definately beats anything that comes out of a box and would be a very good side for any occasion!

A Lighter Round For Breakfast

Okay, I can admit that I love bread! Bread has gotten such a bad rap too. Not enough fiber, too white, too many carbohydrates...yadda, yadda, yadda. I'm fortunate that I love breads other than super white or super processed wheat. I plan on making my own as I've come across a great recipe to keep the dough in your fridge and you can make a roll or a whole loaf whenever you want. I'll post that in the near future.

For the time being I came across these cute little things called Orowheat Sandwich Thins. They kind of scared me as they look suspiciously like MRE shelf stable bread. I've eaten more of that then I care to admit and the dense crumb of the bread and the Play-Do-like flavor was less to be desired, but when I split open one of these flat little buns I discovered that it was moist and slightly coarse. Each little round contains 100 calories and 5 grams of fiber. That's a lot of fiber packed into a little slice of bread. A normal slice of commercial wheat bread contains 70 calories (and usually you need two slices to make a sandwich) and less than 2 grams of fiber per slice. I don't usually count calories, but as I'm getting older the calories that I consume usually count if that makes any sense. Let's just say my midsection and tush aren't as trim as they used to be!

Anyhoo, Darcie gave me a cute little egg pan a few years ago and it's not very practical. You can make one egg in this 5 inch or so pan. Well, I realized that it was perfect for this little sandwich thin. A perfect fit you might say. Lightly toast the round (don't over due it or you will be sorely disappointed) lightly butter (I used 1/2 tbs Brummel and Brown at 20 calories) , and slap a slice of cheese (I used Havarti at 110 calories per slice) on the egg (70 calories per egg or even less if you use Egg Beaters) while still in the pan then gently slide that bad boy onto the bun. Heaven. A perfect little breakfast sandwich for one at about 300 calories. Compared to a fast food egg and cheese biscuit at a 410-450 calories (and my favorite bagels are over 300 calories each!). I'm finding at near middle age (I'm going to be 110) every calorie (or lack of) counts! Enjoy!