I'd just like to start out with a recipe from Martha Stewart that I -pleasantly- stumbled across in a feed from SeriousEats.com. I enjoyed the reference that someone left in a comment about the recipe, as they called it "Crack N'Cheese" because it costs about 30 bucks to make... which is approximately $26.01 more than it should be. Make it for Christmas, maybe? Thanks Martha.
Macaroni and Cheese 101
- serves 12 -
Adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics.
Ingredients
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for casserole
6 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to l/2-inch pieces
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for water
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyère or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 pound elbow macaroni
Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place the bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside.
2. Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.
3. While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, 8 to 12 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyère (or 1 cup Pecorino Romano); set the cheese sauce aside.
5. Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook the macaroni until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir the macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.
6. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyère (or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano), and the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer the dish to a wire rack for 5 minutes; serve.
RAAARGH! BACK OFF JERKHEAD!
Okay, so on to a more serious topic. I don't want to give too much away just yet, but I spoke with someone today who gave me some nice thoughts to decipher about one's self-esteem. [moving into the present tennnnnse, now!]
You might think you want to try to fit into a type of box ---> [] that most people don't even fit into. When teasing is all that you hear for so long, it's hard to believe the compliments that you DO receive, even if you think they're true. Childhood memories can be hard to forget, but you reach a point of maturity where you can decide to change the way you feel about yourself. You can re-train your brain to believe positive messages- much like you re-train your brain to learn new information. If you can write down "I am beautiful" and "I am feminine" on a paper and say it out loud, and then say it to yourself in the mirror- then you can re-train your brain and develop a positive image about yourself.
[reversing back to the past-tenseeeee .~ >#$@>$%$656] This person also admitted to the cliche nature of the suggestion but the truth in it as well. (Well, I guess that's what a cliche is- even though you've heard it a million times and you can't stand it when you hear them, they're TRUE anyway! In yo' face!) So maybe I'll decipher that advice a bit more and see where it brings me... perhaps I'll fill you in with all the minute details later on when you're up at 12:42 am and looking for a distraction. ;]
Speaking of distraction, I watched "I Love the 80's 3D 1980" and "1981" as well tonight. I wasn't born quite yet, but I was born close enough. The comedians and the celebrities that VH1 manages to get to comment on that stuff so candidly really makes the show consistently watchable. Some of my favorite folks on there are:
Pretty much all the VH1 shows about loving decades are amusing, even you aren't familiar with all of the cultural references. I just can't believe they aren't waiting a little longer to shows the Millenium ones... I guess they're getting a head start so they can cover more shhhtuff. Shrug.
Well that's it for my first entry. I can't promise that much enthusiasm and gripping suspense every time, but I'll give it a good solid run. Goodnight.
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