macaroni and cheese

what is more american than macaroni and cheese?  admittedly, there is a time and a place for the kraft blue box stuff, but i also like the kind that takes a little more effort.  i won't claim it's gourmet or upscale, but it's yet another recipe i took from my mom and started adding extra herbs and such.  i think it works.  especially when it's been rainy and dreary all day.

total time (preparation + cooking) is about an hour.  this amount will feed a brian for about 5 or 6 meals.

ingredients:
- pasta (i use a 13.25 oz box of whole grain rotini)
- 2 eggs
- milk (about 1.5 cups to start)
- 1/2 tsp dried mustard
- texas pete
- paprika
- black pepper
- oregano
- thyme
- shredded cheese (i use upwards of a pound)

preparation:
cook the pasta per the box's instructions and drain.  i generally aim for al dente because the pasta will cook some more in the oven.  while the pasta is cooking, mix the eggs, milk, texas pete (3-4 shakes), dried mustard, and paprika (a few shakes for color) in a separate bowl.

grease a casserole dish with cooking spray, and add alternate layers of pasta and shredded cheese.  today, i decided to mix italian five cheese blend and sharp cheddar cheeses.  yes, i cheat and buy the pre-shredded stuff, and yes i'm probably overpaying.  but it's in a resealable container, and this way, i get to mix different types of cheeses!  i also sprinkle oregano, thyme, and black pepper on top of the layers of cheese (before the next layer of rotini).

once all the pasta and cheese is layered (don't skimp on the top layer of cheese, either...rotini without cheese on top ends up getting hard in the oven), pour the egg mixture evenly on top.  if the liquid doesn't reach to the top layer of pasta, add extra milk until it does.

bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.  times may vary depending on how large (and what type) of dish.  i've found that i have a corningware dish that is the perfect size for the amount of pasta i cook.  the crust should be nicely browned, and the juices (when poked with a toothpick, etc) should be set.

jamaican jerk vegetables

so i'm running out of rosemary.  it's a sad state of affairs, really, and it was one i wanted to rectify yesterday.  however, my local grocery store was sold out of this wonderful dried herb, and i was too lazy to drive somewhere else.  but there was a container of jamaican jerk seasoning...and i have always been curious to try this in cookery.  i also had potatoes in my pantry, carrots in my fridge, and broccoli in my shopping basket.

naturally, i decided to mix them all together.

ingredients:
- a couple potatoes
- a handful of baby carrots
- a few florets of broccoli
- jerk seasoning
- black pepper
- garlic powder

preparation:
cut the potatoes into chunks, and trim the broccoli into manageable trees.  throw these pieces, as well as the  baby carrots, into a mixing bowl, and toss with olive oil.  sprinkle on a healthy amount of garlic, black pepper, and jerk seasoning.

spread the vegetables on a baking pan (use parchment paper), and roast at 400°F for about 30 minutes.

verdict:
in hindsight, it probably isn't a good idea to roast the broccoli for the same duration as the potatoes and carrots.  next time, i would probably roast the potatoes and carrots longer (maybe 45 minutes) and add the broccoli to the pan later (maybe 15-20 minutes before the rest is finished cooking).  that way, the potatoes would become crispier, and maybe the carrots would fully caramelize.

as it was, the potatoes were cooked but lacked that extra crispiness, and the carrots were still a little al dente.  and unfortunately, the broccoli was mostly blackened.  also, the jamaican jerk seasoning has more of a kick than the smell from the container initally led me to believe! 

oatmeal (and such) bars

i've been contemplating this recipe (as seen on kraft's website) for years, and i finally decided to try it out.  because i'm so wonderfully awesome, i'll even repeat the recipe here instead of making you go to the other site.  i will say, though, that i don't quite know whether this is classified as a dessert, a breakfast bar, or something else entirely.

see the pretty flowers?

ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 cup flour
- 1 and 1/2 cup oatmeal (quaker quick cook)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup margarine
- 1 and 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 4 oz (or so) semi-sweet chocolate (i used a leftover bag of tiny chips from the back of my freezer)
- 1/2 cup (or more) pecans
- 1 cup (or so) craisins
- 1/4 cup orange juice

preparation:
mix the first four dry ingredients together (flour, oatmeal, baking powder, and salt) and set aside.  thoroughly mix the margarine and brown sugar in a separate bowl.  mix in the eggs, and then gradually blend in the flour mixture.

on a personal note, i tried using a hand mixer (rather than the old-fashioned spoon approach).  unfortunately, the bowl i was using wasn't big enough to contain all the splatter.  very messy.  so i went to the fall-back spoon approach.  i clearly don't do well with certain technology.  how did i become an engineer again?

anyway, once the batter is mixed, add the craisins and orange juice to yet another bowl, and microwave on high for 30 seconds.  as far as i can tell, the microwaving is intended to help the craisins absorb a little of the juice.  also, i have no idea why orange juice and cranberries play so nicely together in recipes...but why ocean spray fails to have an orange-cranberry juice.  one of the mysteries in life, i suppose.

start adding the pecans, chocolate, and craisins.  once the batter is thoroughly mixed, spoon it into a 9x13 pan (pre-greased with cooking spray) and spread it out evenly.  bake at 350°F for 25 minutes (it should be a light golden brown).  wait until it cools before cutting into bars.

verdict:
i was somehow expecting the consistency to be somewhat akin to a chewy oatmeal cookie, but these bars were closer to a brownie or a poundcake.  they're a little crumbly, but the orange juice seems to keep them at least a little moist.  i'm glad i added more than the specified amount of pecans and craisins, but i think i should have added even more chocolate bits.

also, i don't think this is quite as healthy as the kraft website claims...but it still tastes nice!