Jalapeno mac n cheese n cheese n cheese

Somehow I made it to the ripe old age of 38 without ever making homemade mac n cheese.
I decided to give it a try for a potluck at work.
How did I never know how easy this stuff is?

Jalapeno mac n cheese n cheese n cheese


1 pound elbow macaroni or shell pasta
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
6 tablespoons flour
3 cups half and half or whole milk

1 package (5.2 ounces) Boursin garlic and herb cheese
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded
2-3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (I used 2, but could have used 3)
Salt and pepper to taste
Topping:
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs (I used half panko, half fine bread crumbs)
3 tablespoons melted butter

Grease or spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or baking dish. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the pasta in boiling water following package directions. Drain and rinse; set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until smooth and bubbly. Add the milk or half-and-half and Boursin cheese. Cook, stirring, until hot and thickened. Add the cheese and peppers. Cook, stirring, until cheese has melted. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Combine the sauce with the pasta and stir to blend. Spoon into prepared baking dish.

Toss melted butter and bread crumbs together and sprinkle over the casserole. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

I like the bread crumbs to be pretty toasty, so I gave it a few minutes under the broiler to get them very golden and toasty.

This seemed to go over pretty well at the potluck. I made a big pan of it for that and a smaller pan for Nick and I to have for dinner with a salad on the side.

There were no leftovers at all.

I used two jalapenos in this, but I think one more would have been good for a little more heat.

Or, if you want more chile flavor but not more heat, maybe add in some roasted red pepper or a small can of chopped ortega chiles.

grilled lamb chops with smoked paprika and garlic (and a link to lemony chick pea salad)

I got a nice little package of lamb at Trader Joe's and decided that I wanted to do something different than my normal grilled lamb chops with redcurrant glaze.
I really like the flavor and aroma of smoked paprika, so I decided to try a simple rub with garlic and smoked paprika and then cook the chops in the grill.

The chops I used are the small, lollipop type chops.

This recipe fits into the 3-4 ingredient category even though it is not from my 3-4 ingredient cookbook.

Grilled lamb chops with smoked paprika and garlic
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
8-10 small (lollipop) lamb chops
salt and pepper

Combine smoked paprika, garlic and olive oil in a small bowl.

Season chops with salt and pepper.

Rub the chops all over with the paprika-garlic rub and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
Grill on high heat about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Boom. Done. Simple.

These were really good and really tender. It was a nice change from the sweeter redcurrant chops.

I served the lamb with lemony chick pea salad from Food & Wine's Web site and some sauteed mixed greens.

salmon with arugula and warm lentil salad

Since I had the baby, dinner is all about what is easy. But it also still needs to be up to my dinner standards.
This dish fits the bill perfectly.
The lentils are very flavorful and hearty as a side dish. They could be a meal if you are as big a fan of lentils as I am.
They also would go great not just with the salmon, but with most main dishes. I think a grilled or roasted chicken would be good with the tangy mustard flavor of the lentils.

Salmon with arugula and warm lentil salad
(modified from a Real Simple recipe)
makes 4 servings

1 pound cooked lentils (I cheated and used Trader Joe's steamed lentils)
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
4 pieces skinless salmon fillet
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 bunch arugula, torn (about 4 cups)
1 lemon, cut into wedges
kosher salt
ground black pepper

heat lentils microwave or on stove top until very warm
mix together 2 tablespoons oil, the vinegar, mustard, onion and parsley
season to taste with salt and pepper
stir in lentils and set aside

heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a skillet on medium-high heat
season salmon with salt and pepper
cook salmon about 4 minutes on each side, or until opaque

To serve mound about 1 cup of arugula on the plate, spoon lentils over arugula.
Serve fish on the side with a wedge of lemon.

I also served this with some lemon-herb poached baby artichokes that I had left over from the previous night.

Lemon-cornmeal shortbread

I love shortbread. It is so easy and so satisfying.

I grew up making a basic butter-flour-sugar version. It was simple and the ingredients were always on hand.

Lately I have been into trying new varieties of shortbreads.

One of my favorites has been the oatmeal-pecan shortbread. I even made it at the holidays and added a chocolate garnish to pretty it up.

As I was cleaning out a drawer a few days ago, I found a clipping for a recipe for lemon-cornmeal shortbread.

I needed a "fun snack" for my childbirth class (all the expectant couple take turns so there is a "fun" and a "healthy" snack each week. Of course I chose a "fun snack!")

The lemon-cornmeal shortbread seemed like a nice choice.

And, as it turns out, it was quite popular. People asked for the recipe... Nice!

So here it is:

Lemon-cornmeal shortbread

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal (I used medium grind, but would recommend a finely ground)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature

1 3/4 cups confectioner's or powdered sugar

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (I used my fab microplane grater.)

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

With the rack set in the middle spot, preheat the oven to 325.

Lightly grease a 9x13-inch pan.

(A straight-sided metal pan would be great for sharper edges, but I had a jelly roll pan, so that is what I used.)

Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. This will make getting the cookies out so much easier.

In a medium bowl stir together flour, cornmeal and salt.

In a larger bowl, mix butter, sugar, lemon zest, lemon extract and vanilla extract with electric mixer on medium-high, until creamy, about 4 minutes.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the flour-cornmeal mixture and beat on low speed until it forms moist clumps. Turn dough out of bowl into the prepared pan.

Using a floured rubber spatula or floured fingertips, spread the dough evenly in the bottom of the pan.

I used my fingers at first, adding more flour to them as needed to keep from sticking, to get the dough spread out. Then I used a floured rubber spatula to smooth it out more.

Bake until the top is golden brown and dry-looking, about 40 minutes.

Remove pan from the oven and immediately cut into pieces.

1-inch by about 2-inch bars are good.

I cut mine into 1 by 1-inch squares to get more pieces, cutting off any edges to get nice, clean squares.

You want to CUT THEM IMMEDIATELY. If you wait until they cool, the shortbread is too dry and will crumble.

Let the shortbread cool in the pan completely, then use a small metal spatula or knife to carefully remove the pieces from the pan.

Note: The dough can be made ahead, spread in the pan and frozen for up to a month before thawing and cooking. Baked shortbread keeps for about three days, kept well-wrapped at room temperature.

The result: Crumbly shortbread with a light lemony flavor. The medium cornmeal gave the shortbread a distinctive crunch that I liked, but MF found a little odd and unexpected.

For this reason, I would recommend getting a finely ground cornmeal if possible.

Lemon spaghetti

I was looking for a tasty side dish to pair with pan-roasted pork tenderloin and came across a recipe in "Everyday Italian" by Giada DeLaurentis.

The combination of lemon and Parmesan cheese sounded like it would be a nice compliment to the meat and a simple side of steamed asparagus.

After reading the recipe, I decided (of course) to make a couple of my own modifications.

So, here is my version, with a little more cheese than she called for and with some garlic that she did not call for.

Lemon spaghetti

2/3 cup olive oil

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 pound dried spaghetti

1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 tablespoon lemon zest

salt and pepper

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

Meanwhile, whisk together olive oil, Parmesan, lemon juice and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste.

Once pasta is cooked, reserve 1/2 cup of cooking liquid, then drain pasta.

Toss pasta with lemon sauce, basil and lemon zest. If you want the pasta to be saucier, toss in reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time to get desired consistency.

This was a great side for my roasted pork. The lemon gave it nice little zing and the garlic I added gave it more of the bite I was hoping for.

I think this would be good on its own as a simple dinner with a salad. It also seems like it would pair well with grilled shrimp or fish.

Herb-grilled chicken with herb-yogurt sauce

Since my fish options are limited these days, I am trying to find new and different (and easy) ways to make chicken.

This was a very easy, very tasty option. I started the chicken marinating the night before, so it got close to a full 24 hours in the marinade.

As I was making Tuesday's dinner, I just whipped up the marinade for this and got a head start on Wednesday's meal.

The herb puree-marinade made a nice crust on the chicken when it was grilled, and the herb-yogurt sauce was a cool and tangy contrast.

Herb-grilled chicken with herb-yogurt sauce

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or breast steaks
salt and pepper
1 cup Italian parsley leaves
1/3 cup basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne or other hot pepper
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup Greek yogurt

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.

Puree the parsley, basil, garlic, salt and cayenne until it is a paste.
Blend in olive oil until it is smooth.

Set aside half the herb mixture.

Using the other half of the herb mixture, set the chicken to marinate. Cover and refrigerate. The chicken can be marinated for up to 24 hours.

Get your grill ready... I used a gas grill set on high to preheat it, then lowered to medium before I put the chicken on to cook.

Cook chicken 7-10 minutes, turning halfway through, until firm to the touch.

Once the chicken is done, remove it from the grill and let rest 10 minutes.

While chicken is resting (or in my case, the night before) mix the yogurt with the herb puree that you had set aside. Sauce will be fine in the fridge overnight.

Serve chicken with sauce.

I made some grilled yellow squash, zucchini and orange peppers with this. I gave the veggies a quick dip in some olive oil and balsamic vinegar before grilling.

For a carb, I brushed some baguette slices with the oil and vinegar and grilled those on each side.

It was a flavorful meal, but still fairly light. And it was sooooo easy.

Chocolate, cream and raspberry tart

I saw a version of this ages ago in Sunset magazine and ripped the page out just based on the picture.

It took me a while, but I finally got around to making it this weekend.

After reading through the recipe, I decided it was not chocolatey enough. So I basically doubled the amount for the chocolate layer. It was perfect.

My taste testers had no complaints about the extra chocolate!

Chocolate, cream and raspberry tart on almond shortbread crust

Makes 10 to 12 servings

Special equipment: 10-inch tart pan with removable rim

3/4 cup sliced almonds (for crust)

1/2 cup sliced almonds (for top of tart)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon almond extract

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (for chocolate layer)

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (for cream layer)

8 ounces mascarpone or soft cream cheese

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350°. In a food processor, pulse almonds and granulated sugar until finely ground, but NOT until they turn into nut butter.

Add flour and salt and pulse to blend. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. With motor running, add egg, egg yolk, and almond extract and whirl until dough comes together.

Evenly press dough into the bottom (not the sides) of a 10-in. tart pan with removable rim.

Bake about 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool to room temperature, then remove rim.

To get the base of the tart pan off, I waited until it had cooled some, then carefully slid a butter knife between the base and the crust to loosen it. Be careful not to crack or break the crust.

The crust can be made a day or two ahead and stored in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic.

In a the bottom of double boiler, bring water to boil. Reduce heat to medium. Put chocolate in the top of the double boiler and stir until melted.

Stir in 4 tbsp. cream, stirring constantly to blend.

Spread chocolate on crust and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes. (I put mine in the fridge to speed up the process.)

In a large bowl, beat remaining 1/2 cup cream to firm peaks. Beat in mascarpone or cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla.

Spread cream mixture on chocolate-coated crust. Arrange raspberries on top and sprinkle with extra almond slices. (The original recipe did not call for the extra almonds, but I wanted a little more crunch. I toasted the almonds to golden brown in a dry saute pan, stirring frequently to keep them from burning.)

Serve tart immediately or cover with plastic wrap and chill up to overnight.