Easy Caprese Mac n Cheese

Behold, it is tomato season, and we are loaded with tomatoes! Also, because it has been hot, I have not felt like cooking in the slightest. There are recipes going around for doctored up ramen, but easy mac is more my specialty. You can add healthy veggies, extra cheese, meat if you so desire, and no hot oven! For this recipe I used Annie's white shells and cheddar, but really any will do. Also, if you already have some basil pesto, you can skip half the prep and toss in the pesto with the tomatoes. That was my original plan, but then I remembered I already ate all the pesto. Oops.

Ingredients:

1 box instant Mac n cheese

2 tomatoes, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbs milk or milk substitute (or however much the box of Mac says to use)

1/2 cup mozzarella, grated (I didn't really measure this, more just grated directly into the pot...)

Large handful basil, finely chopped*

Drizzle olive oil

Drizzle balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Cook your macaroni in a pot of boiling water, as directed by the box. Drain in a colander. Drizzle a bit of oil into the macaroni pot and on very low heat, sauté the garlic for one minute. Add milk and cheese powder to pan and stir, as directed by the box. Put macaroni back in pot. Throw in mozzarella and stir to combine. After a minute of melting, add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper to taste. Continue heating and stirring another one to two minutes until everything is warm and mixed well, and the cheese is all melty. Serve with a drizzle of vinegar on top.

Wasn't that easy?

*Chopping tip: Stack the leaves of basil on top of one another, roll up, cut thin slices cross ways, then cut those strips in a couple places lengthways.

Smoky Gruyere Scallioned Potatoes

Once upon a time, when I was young and stupid, I ate scalloped potatoes from a box and promptly gagged. No prince came to save me, but as a capable and independent woman, that's quite alright. I learned to cook properly and lived happily ever after, avoiding boxed potatoes. I never had any thoughts of trying to make scalloped potatoes in any form again until our first community farm share came home yesterday and it contained loads of potatoes and scallions. Welp, time to try again!

Ingredients:

3/4 lb yellow potatoes, sliced thin

3 scallions, greens and all, sliced

3 eggs

3 oz smoked Gruyere, grated

Splash of milk

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Microwave the potatoes for two minutes to soften them up a bit. Toss them in the largest sauté pan you have with a little oil or cooking spray, salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat in a single layer (or as close as possible) until nicely browned on the bottom. Flip them over, toss in half your scallions, and brown the other side.

Meanwhile, combine eggs and milk and gently scramble. Stir in the cheese. When the potatoes are done, turn heat to low, pour the egg and cheese over the potatoes, cover, and cook until the egg is set and cheese is melted. Turn off the heat and sprinkle remaining scallions on top. Add more salt and pepper.

This was yummy. I contemplated adding other things - hot sauce, salsa, guacamole... But any of that would detract from the yummy smoky gruyere. However with a less delicious, stand out on its own cheese, those would be very nice additions.

Mushroom Chestnut Stew/Pie with Red Wine

Pictured above as stew, below as pot pie.

Happy weekend! Today you get a two-for-one recipe! You can make this either as a stew or a pot pie, whichever happens to strike your fancy. With temperatures a good 10 degrees below average, and the coming weekend twice that, it's a good one for warm, hearty comfort food. I'm a big fan of stews in the winter, and while I don't usually care too much for pot pie, I think this actually works better as one. Also I found a whole potato was a good amount for the pot pie but was a bit much for the stew, so consider a small potato if you're going for the stew.

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
8oz portabella mushrooms, sliced
5oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced or chopped, depending on how much you like the flavor of garlic and how much you hate vampires
2 large or 4 small sausages of your liking (I used tofurkey apple "chicken" - dry and  unimpressive on its own but soaks up liquid nicely.)
1 cup chestnuts, peeled, chopped roughly
3/4 cup broth of your choice
3/4 cup red wine
Salt and pepper to taste
Bunch fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried
1/4 cup flour
1 potato*

Directions:
First, decide whether you want this to be stew or pot pie. If stew, cube the potato into small pieces. If pot pie, turn it into mashed potato as you would normally prepare this. If you are making stew, use any pot; if pot pie, a Dutch oven is your friend.

Saute onion 2 minutes over medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic, and saute another 10 minutes until the mushrooms have released some moisture. Add sausages, chestnuts, potato if making stew, broth, wine, salt, pepper, and thyme.

Drink some wine while simmering 5-10 minutes until the liquid reduces. If making stew, cover and simmer another 10 until the potatoes cook through, and drink more wine.

Make a slurry with the flour and 1/4 cup water. Stir into the stew and cook 2-3 minutes until thickened.

If stew, you're done, ta-da! If pot pie, remove from heat, cover with potato mash and bake at 425 10 minutes or until potatoes brown slightly. Have more wine.

Buttercup Mac and Cheese with Horseradish

Sometimes it's good to be healthy. And sometimes it's good to have a big bowl of mac and cheese. Luckily I start feeling guilty if I'm just eating cheese and pasta so usually I spruce up my mac and cheese with some healthy stuff. (Besides, pasta is boring.) I used Buttercup squash because I like the nutty flavor but you could easily substitute butternut squash instead if you happen to have18 of them lying around anyway. (Right Suzanne??) The horseradish isn't overpowering in this, and it could easily take more if you're big on horseradish. I will definitely be adding more next time I make this.

Ingredients:
1 box of your favorite pasta
1 buttercup squash
1 sweet onion
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp mustard powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 cups (12 oz) horseradish cheddar* (see note), divided
Prepared horseradish*
Handful of pretzels

* Vermont may have horrible winters, but one thing we do have is lots of cheese. The Cabot creamery produces a horseradish cheddar that is very easy to find around here. If you cannot find a horseradish cheddar, simply use regular cheddar and add prepared horseradish as indicated.

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta and drain. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Using a good peeler, peel the buttercup squash. (I'm not kidding about the good peeler. Spend a few extra dollars and get a nice one. It will save you so much time and frustration. Right now I am using the Titan that comes with a julienne tool. It was $15 but so worth it.) (Not a Titan sales person.)

3. Put the squash in the microwave for five minutes to soften. When it is done, remove the seeds and chop into small pieces.

4. Chop the onion and saute 3 minutes or until it just starts getting soft. All you are doing here is taking a little of the bite out of it, but you want it mostly still in tact texture-wise.

5. Melt butter in pasta pot. Add flour, stir, and cook till thick and bubbly. Stir in mustard, salt and pepper. Add milk, stir, and cook till thick. Add 2 1/2 cups of the cheese, stir, and cook till the cheese melts and you have a creamy sauce. (If you are adding horseradish, now's the time to do it. If you are using plain cheddar, start with a tablespoon, taste, and add more. I'd probably go with two tablespoons, but you may like more or less. If you are using horseradish cheddar but want MOAR HORSERADISH, add more 1/2 TBS at a time.)

6.Combine your pasta, squash and onion in a casserole dish that's too small. Spill it everywhere, and then transfer what you can salvage into a bigger casserole dish. Resolve to get a new casserole dish that is somewhere near the middle of two and six quarts in size.

7. Mix these well, then pour sauce over the top. Stir thoroughly to combine. Cover and bake 30 minutes.

8. Meanwhile go all Hulk on your pretzels and make them crumbs. (Or put them in a food processor and pulse, but what's the fun in that?) Toss them with the remaining cheese.

9. When the 30 minute timer you definitely did not forget to set goes off, turn the oven to broil and sprinkle your pretzel-cheese over the top. Broil 5-10 minutes until the topping starts to brown a little.