Since the B.F. and I have been cohabitating, I have made an effort to become more domestic. So, not only do I try to make the bed each day and pick my hair out of the shower drain so he isn’t grossed out, I also make an effort to cook most nights of the week. This has been a savior to not only his wallet, but our waistlines as well. But my blog has been suffering.
We go out to eat at new restaurants much less than when we first started dating, which means I only post a new review about once a month. So I’ve decided to start documenting my catastrophes in the kitchen, to add more substance to my blog.
In my quest to become a better cook, I have tried numerous recipes that are definitely worth sharing. When telling the B.F. that I would now be posting recipes on my blog, he, in true smart ass fashion replied, “Wow, nobody has ever done that. You should try to cook the whole Julia Child cookbook in a year and blog about it.” (We recently watched Julie and Julia.)
So what follows is my first attempt to photograph and explain a recipe. A few things to note about my cooking technique: I never ever ever use full-fat cheese or milk or anything else. I try to cut calories from all my recipes in any way possible. So if you don’t like the low-fat or fat-free stuff…sorry! Also, I don’t really measure things out like you’re supposed to. My grandmother never uses measuring cups, and she’s the best cook I know. My downfall, though, is that I don’t really have any concept of how much any unit of measurement is. (The other day, I made a dish that called for 2 tsp of red pepper flakes. Since I eyeballed it, and apparently used way too much, the dish almost ended up in the garbage.) So I hope you enjoy my first recipe blog—Mac and Cheese Lite.
I ripped this recipe out of the September issue of Fitness magazine. Apparently, chef Rocco DiSpirito designed the recipe for his new book, Now Eat This!. So, armed with my phone (to take photos) and the tattered magazine page, I began my first attempt at homemade Mac and Cheese.
The ingredient list for the recipe is as follows:
(This makes 4 servings. I was only trying to make 2, so I halved all ingredients, which I know is a cardinal sin in cooking. But it turned out okay.)
-Nonstick cooking spray
-Salt
-4 oz of whole wheat macaroni (I couldn't find whole wheat macaroni, so I used whole wheat mini shells.)
-1/2 tsp of dry mustard (I could only find one brand in the grocery store, but it turned out fine.)
-Pinch of cayenne pepper (I omitted this)
-1 cup shredded cheddar (I prefer reduced-fat to fat-free...I think it melts better)
-1/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
-1/4 cup whole-wheat panko bread crumbs (I didn't measure these out, just eyeballed it)
-1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Aside from these ingredients, you also need to make an onion-garlic puree to take the place of the milk and butter that is in traditional mac and cheese. To make 1/2 a cup of the puree, you need:
-1/2 a Vidalia or other sweet onion
-4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
1.To prepare the puree, combine the onion and garlic with 1/4 cup of water in a microwave-safe bowl.
2.Season with salt and pepper.
3.Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 7-9 minutes.
4.Pour mixture into a blender and blend until smooth (I used my Ninja food processor...obsessed!)
Now comes the easy part:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 and mist an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook noodles according to package instructions.
3. While noodles are cooking, bring the onion/garlic puree, mustard and cayenne pepper to a simmer in a saucepan, stirring often. Whisk in cheddar until melted.
4. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in yogurt.
5. In a medium bowl, toss the macaroni and sauce together. Pour the mixture into the baking dish, and top with panko bread crumbs and Parmesan.
6. Bake about 10 minutes, or until Parmesan is melted and macaroni is heated throughout. Let sit for 2 minutes and enjoy! We paired our mac and cheese with some pork chops that I simply sauteed with garlic salt and pepper.
~Blair Branch
