a meal fit for a Bell.

Whew! Today's menu is a theme filled one--including 4 cooking themes I've been into lately:

1. Inspiration Cooking
2. Baking
3. Winter Fruits
4. Comfort Foods

Let's take a look at it:

Overnight Macaroni & Cheese
Red Leaf Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette
Graham Cracker and Meyer Lemon Curd Sandwiches

One reason I love listening to my "local" radio station back home [via their live stream] is because they always tell me about special days. Such days--holidays, birthdays, get-off-from-school days--are, for me, all cooking inspirations. Sometimes I have trouble coming up with ideas to make, but a special day gives me a good thematic base to work off.


For example, Monday was Alexander Graham Bell's birthday. That's a special day, no? Think of how much our society has grown and developed thanks to A. G. Bell! I mean, really, where would be without him?!? NO PHONES! EGAD!

So, on Monday, in honor of AGB, I did a little baking--a current habit--and made some homemade Graham Crackers! They were scrumptious and a perfect birthday "cake" for the great man.



The texture of this version is somewhat different from "real" Graham Crackers, but the flavor is right and the crunch-to-softness ratio was satisfying for me. The crackers were made even more fantastic with a dollop of the meyer lemon curd [winter fruits alert] I had made on Sunday alongside a cup of tea.




I would have made an entire meal dedicated to Mr. Bell, but I had already planned and started prepping Monday's dinner on Sunday before I knew it was his birthday...

Homemade macaroni & cheese is a great dish and some serious comfort food [if you're not lactose intolerant]! It's nothing like the stuff that comes out of the box. It is a dish that can be both simple and sophisticated at the same time.

With mac & cheese you have so much flexibility. Flavor can come from the cheese or from added herbs/spices/vegetables/meats. One of my personal favorite versions actually uses Velveeta and makes the creamiest mac & cheese ever.


I made a slightly fancier macaroni & cheese for dinner on Monday--it's an incredibly rich version that stands on its own or works well paired with a nice light leafy salad.

The other bonuses of this recipe--it's incredibly easy, takes no time, and is made the night before it's to be cooked. That means you can come home from work and have virtually nothing to do but preheat the oven!


I couldn't find real macaroni at my sometimes unreliable local grocery store, but they did have some hoity-toity multicolored vegetable cavatappi, which ended up tasting great.

A delectably easy feast!








Overnight
Macaroni & Cheese
[this recipe comes from The Best American Recipes, 2005-2006 collection]








8 oz. macaroni
2 c heavy cream
1-1/4 c milk
1 c grated Gruyere or Emmentaler cheese
salt
pepper

directions:

1. prepare mac & cheese mixture 24 hours before cooking
a. bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add macaroni, boil ~4 minutes until very al dente. drain and let cool.
b. mix cream, milk, 1/2 c of grated cheese in a bowl. add macaroni and mix well. add salt and pepper to taste.
c. put in the refrigerator until the next day

2. cook mac & cheese
[note: different types of pasta will absorb the mixture differently--if there is a lot of liquid left when you take it out of the refrigerator, pour it into a bowl and return up to 1/2 c liquid to the mixture.]
a. pre-heat oven to 400F
b. put the mac & cheese mixture in a casserole dish.
c. sprinkle the remaining 1/2 c of cheese on top.
d. bake for 15-20 minutes or until top is browned and crispy











Red Leaf Salad with Dijon Dressing









for the salad:

3-4 red lettuce leaves, coarsely torn into pieces
1 medium tomato, cut into wedges
1 celery stalk, cut into medium-thick crescents
1 pickling cucumber or 1/2 regular cucumber, sliced into rounds
1 carrot, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 red, orange, or yellow pepper, cut into large chunks
3-4 mushrooms, sliced
a handful of walnut pieces


for the dressing:

1 small shallot, minced
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper


directions:

1. make the salad
a. put all the ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine.

2. make the dressing
a. put the shallot, mustard and olive oil in a small jar. shake to combine. add more mustard or oil to taste.
b. add salt and pepper to taste.
c. pour over the salad and toss to combine.








Graham Crackers
[note: this is a recipe from A Whisk and A Spoon, who adapted it from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion: The Essential Cookie Cookbook]






1/2 c all purpose white flour
1-1/2 c whole wheat flour
3/4 c powdered sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 stick butter, softened
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp milk


directions:

a. whisk the dry ingredients together
b. cut the butter into chunks. using a food processor, a pastry blender or your hands, combine the dry ingredients with the butter until crumbly
c. in a separate bowl, stir milk and honey to combine. add to the crumb mixture and, using your hands, mix it all together until it comes together [you can add more milk/flour if it's too dry/wet].
d. knead "dough" 10-12 times. cut the dough in half and set one piece aside. place the other piece on a well-floured surface and roll to 1/16th inch thickness. trim the edges to form a rectangle and place rectangle on a piece of parchment paper. cut into squares but don't separate them.
e. place the parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake at 325F for 15 minutes or until slightly browned.
f. let cool and repeat the process with the second piece of dough.







Meyer Lemon Curd
[note: this recipe was adapted from the one found in Gourmet Magazine, December 1999. if you don't have meyer lemons you can make it with regular lemons, but up the sugar to 3/4 c]






6 small meyer lemons, zest of 6 and 1/2 c of juice
1/2 c sugar
2 large eggs
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces


directions:

a. in a metal bowl, whisk together zest, juice, sugar, and eggs.
b. place bowl over a pot of simmering water. add butter and whisk mixture constantly until thick and smooth and a thermometer registers 160F. [note: this step is to ensure the eggs get cooked. if you don't have a thermometer, cook the mixture until a stream off a spoon leaves a trail in the mixture]
c. strain the mixture to get out the zest, if you wish [i didn't]. place in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Praise be to Alex!



Comments, questions, and recipe alterations are always more than welcome.