Mac and Cheese

This mac and cheese recipe is perfect for a party. You can do it the day before and it feeds a lot of people. Yes it involves a lot of cheese and fat and dairy and goodness, but it's well worth the calories. Everything in moderation. This will easily make two 9 x 13 baking dishes (about two inches deep). You can certainly make it thicker by using a deep dish, lasagna-type pan if you would like to make just one dish. You can also add Tapatio or pepper jack cheese for a little kick.

Here's the recipe...

2 pounds elbow macaroni

6 eggs

1 pound cubed Velveeta cheese -- (I know it's not cheese, but this what makes it creamy)

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, melted

6 cups half-and-half, divided

4 cups grated sharp extra sharp cheddar cheese -- divided

3 cups grated mozzarella

2 cup grated Asiago

1 cup grated Gruyere

2 cup grated Monterey Jack

2 cup grated Muenster

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until slightly al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to keep warm.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until frothy.

Add the Velveeta, butter and 2 cups of the half-and-half to the large bowl of eggs. Add the warm macaroni tossing until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the remaining half-and-half, add the cheddar reserving one cup, the remaining grated cheeses, and salt and pepper, tossing until completely combined in the large bowl. Taste to add salt and pepper if needed.

Pour the mixture into prepared baking dishes and bake for 40 minutes. (All this can be done the night before -- they day you want to serve it, take it out of the fridge and bring to room temp before putting in the oven.) Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of sharp yellow cheese and bake until golden brown on top, about 30 minutes more.

Packaged Salmon

Oh, my goodness. This salmon is my new favorite. The only unfortunate part about it was that Morgan wasn't home so I had no one to share it with. This was a total 25 minute meal, plus the easiest clean-up ever (second best part!). My fish was about 8 oz, which could have served two people...I had total self-control last night and didn't eat the second serving. I hope the leftovers are just as good.

This is what you need for one:
Salmon fillet (8 oz)
Half an onion thinly sliced
1 zucchini thinly sliced
1 lemon -- 1/2 for the juice, the other 1/2 thinly sliced.
1 teaspoon capers (if you have them)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil - divided
1 large piece of foil

Heat grill -- if you have three burners, put the front and back on medium/high heat and the center burner on low.
Drizzle 1/2 olive oil on the foil. Place 3/4th of the onion slices and lightly salt and pepper. Place zucchini slices on onions and light salt and pepper. Place the fish on the zucchini. Pour lemon juice and olive oil on top, sprinkle with lemon pepper, place remainder of the onions and lemon slices on top. Sprinkle capers on the top and TIGHTLY wrap. Make sure no air gets out. Place fish on the center burner. Cover the lid. Cook for 20 minutes (might be less if you have a thinner cut of fish). Enjoy.

Flank Steak with Red Wine Balsamic Sauce

The marinade and the sauce for this dish can be used for flank steak or tri-tip. The marinade is my go to, the longer you can let the meat marinade the better! Sorry no pictures for now...will post some soon.

Marinade:
1 cup red wine
1/4 soy sauce
1/2 cup worcestershire sauce
6 diced garlic cloves
2 Tablespoon Pepper
2 fresh sprigs of oregano
1 fresh sprig of thyme

1 3 pound flank steak or tri-tip roast --
Mix all the ingredients together. Place in zip lock bag and seal. Store in the fridge for 1 - 3 days.

Sauce:

3 cups balsamic vinegar

1 cup red wine

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 cup ketchup

1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon paprika

2 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

1 chopped serrano chili

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon pepper

1 teaspoon sea salt

In a medium sauce pan on medium heat add vinegar and red wine. Bring to a boil and then simmer. Allow to reduce until thick -- about 30 minutes (take a wooden spoon and stir the liquid, wipe the back of the spoon with your finger. If it leaves a line then it's thick enough). Meanwhile prep the other ingredients. In a sauce pan over medium heat saute the onions in the oil. Once soft, add serrano and garlic, stir together and cook for a minute. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together. Add the wine/vinegar mixture. Allow flavors to come together on low heat for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce together (if you don't have an immersion blender use a regular processor or blender but be careful of the heat). Allow sauce to sit for ten minutes before adding anymore salt and pepper.

Flank Steak --

Preheat grill to medium high heat. Remove meat from marinade and allow to come to room temperature before placing the the grill. Place meat on direct heat. Close the lid. Don't open the lid for 4 - 5 minutes. Flip the meat. Then let it cook for another 4 - 5 minutes. Allow meat to rest for 5 - 10 minutes. CUT MEAT AGAINST THE GRAIN (THINK PERPENDICULAR). Serve with sauce.

Lemon Shrimp

Once the shrimp have been cleaned this is a quick dish. I think Trader Joe's has frozen shrimp already cleaned, but I'm not sure. If you do go to TJ make sure you pick up the raw shrimp.

12 - 16 medium shrimp -- peeled and cleaned
1 medium onion sliced
1/4 cup Piquillo peppers chopped (found at TJs)
2 garlic cloves chopped - divided
1 lemon juiced
1 lime juiced
1 Tbls tequila (optional)
2 tspn lemon pepper
1 tspn salt
2 Tbls olive oil

Once shrimp have been cleaned place in a bowl. Sprinkle with half of the garlic, lemon juice, and pepper. While shrimp is marinating, add olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions until soft. Add remaining garlic, peppers, and salt. Saute for another 2 minutes. Add shrimp and tequila. Saute for 3 minutes. Serve over rice.

I also served it with roasted lemon broccoli.

Celebratory Stroganoff

This is definitely a celebratory dish...it's rich...it's creamy...it's doesn't come out of a soup can. Be prepared, it takes a long time. You can make the meat the day before or put it in a crock pot in the morning. Make sure you plan accordingly.

Ingredients

• 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped, plus 2 cloves, minced

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large sprig fresh thyme, leaves removed
• 3 pounds beef short ribs
• 1 can beef broth
  
• 3 pounds mixed mushrooms sliced (crimini or white)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1 cup 1/2 n 1/2
  
• 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1 pound egg noodles
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Place the chopped garlic, salt and pepper into a bowl. Add enough extra-virgin olive oil to create a paste. Add the rosemary and thyme leaves to the bowl and stir to combine.

Set short ribs out on a roasting tray and cover with herb paste. Pour in can of beef broth in the pan. Cover the meat tightly wtih foil. Roast in the oven for 3 hours until they are falling apart.

Heat a large saute pan over high heat and add a 3-count of olive oil. Add mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes until brown. Add shallots and minced garlic and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for a further 2 minutes until garlic and onion become fragrant. Remove pan from heat and carefully add brandy to deglaze the pan. Return to heat and add cream. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half. This takes about an hour. Turn off heat and stir in Dijon mustard and sour cream. Season with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper

Cook egg noodles in salted boiling water according to directions on package. Drain and toss with butter while still hot.

To serve: Pile the noodles high on a plate, top with stroganoff sauce and finish with rib slices. Garnish with fresh parsley.