Mac and Cheese the Panera Way

After nearly six days of fever, puke, sleepless nights, and obsessive amounts of disinfectant, the plague has left our household and our little 3-year-old is finally back to his normal self. It was a rough couple of days as this virus just did not seem to want to leave his system. I was getting a little worried about Matthew's noticeable weight loss from not eating much for a week but, as of this morning, his normal appetite has returned.

He even requested his weekend latte. He takes his morning pick-me-up very seriously.

He drank it voraciously. I have a feeling that he missed his coffee more than anything during his week of starvation.

"Stop taking pictures and let me drink my coffee in peace, Mom!!!"

In honor of Mr. Matthew feeling well, I would like to share with you one of his favorite dishes in the whole wide world: Macaroni and Cheese. Now, it took me a while to convince him that homemade Mac and Cheese is just as good way better than the orange powdered cheese stuff that you buy in the grocery store (although in a pinch that stuff is awesome). However, once I got the little twerp to actually try a bite of the homemade stuff, he loved it. Of course.

This particular version of Mac and Cheese is the same recipe used by Panera Bread. There is probably only one other person in this world who loves Panera Bread more than I. And that would be my son. He is obsessed with Panera. Whenever he sees the familiar logo while we are driving through town, he points to it and proclaims: "Nera bagels and coffee!" This may or may not be entirely due to my taking him there with my Mom when he was merely a week old for his very first outing as a newborn! He usually requests simply a sliced Asiago bagel and a chance to watch a couple customers fill their coffee mugs (it's an addiction). While I have never ordered their Mac and Cheese in the cafe, I have seen many, many patrons enjoying it and the smell has always been so enticing. When I saw that Panera published the recipe on their website, I gave it a try. Both Paul and Matthew were in melty, cheesy heaven. Paul especially was singing my praises (then again, it really does not take much to impress him). This was one of the last "cheese meals" before our "Lent without Cheese" began last Wednesday.

There are so many different variations of Mac and Cheese out there, but this one is particularly good due to the particular combination of cheese and the addition of a generous amount of Dijon mustard. It really elevates the dish.

Panera Mac and Cheese
adapted from the Panera website


16 oz small shells, macaroni, or nuggets pasta
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
4 oz white American cheese, chopped or torn into pieces
8 oz extra-sharp white Vermont cheddar, shredded
1 tbsp Dijon mustard (more or less to suit your tastes)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Frank's hot sauce

In a large stockpot, cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain well.

While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a 4-quart sauce pan over medium heat.  When the butter has melted and has started to bubble, whisk in the flour.  Cook for 1 1/2 minutes, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in the milk until no lumps remain.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook milk mixture, whisking frequently, until it thickens and bubbles, about 8 minutes.

Remove saucepan from the heat and by the handful, stir in the cheeses allowing all of the cheese to melt into the sauce before adding more.  Stir in the mustard, salt, and hot sauce.  Return the sauce pan to the heat and stir in the pasta.  Be sure to stir up the sauce from the bottom of the sauce pan and thoroughly coat all of the pasta with sauce.  Cook for 1-2 minutes over medium-low heat until heated through.  Serve hot in bowls with spoons.

Taking it Easy: Skillet Lasagna

It has been a long time since I have posted here - and for good reason!  My husband took a very long vacation for Christmas and we have been enjoying our time together as a threesome.  After all, the next time he takes time off it will be in honor of the arrival of our new baby.  It was perfectly wonderful to "just be" for a small amount of time - nothing pressing to accomplish and nowhere terribly important to go.  We read a lot of books to Matthew, ate plenty of deliciously unhealthy food, danced around the living room to the Thomas the Tank Engine soundtrack, took family trips to the gym, and played in the 8-inches of snow we were blessed with just in time for Christmas day.  It was such a wonderful time but went by all too fast.  When Paul headed back to work, both Matthew and I were a little sad that the vacation was over.  Now my focus is to spend as much time with my little guy before my attention shifts to our newborn.

Have I mentioned that he is the ultimate goofball? We were unpacking baby things and he decided to don this outfit.

I have really been enjoying the more causal approach to life that we have been taking lately and plan to continue that until the baby is born.  I am starting to get more and more uncomfortable with standing for prolonged periods of time mainly because my lower back begins to ache.  Thus, quick family dinners that require minimal amounts of standing over a hot stove have been a must (risotto has definitely not been the meal of choice for a while).  A couple months ago, my sister-in-law posted a recipe for skillet lasagna.  I had seen many recipes pop up for skillet lasagna over the past few months, but after she posted it I could not get it out of my head.  I honestly hate assembling and eating lasagna because of the ricotta/cottage cheese layer in the middle.  It has been a major source of disappointment for my husband who is a huge lasagna lover.  However, with this skillet preparation, I could easily scoop out the noodles/red sauce/sausage and leave the ricotta/cottage cheese for the other two to eat.  Plus, you get all the flavors of a traditional lasagna on the table in around 30 minutes.  Win, win!

Excuse the nasty pictures.  I have a very hard time taking photos when all natural light disappears at 4:00 pm.

Skillet Lasagna
from Cook's Illustrated

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound hot Italian sausage
10 lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup cottage cheese (do NOT use nonfat)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt

Add the diced tomatoes along with their juice to a 1 quart (4 cup) measuring cup. Add enough water to bring the volume to 1 quart total.

In a small bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 2 tablespoons fresh basil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Set in the fridge until ready to use.

Set a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the oil. When it starts to shimmer, add the onion and the salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion begins to brown, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and red pepper and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the sausage, using a wooden spoon to break it apart. Cook until browned.

Add the broken noodles to the pan, but do not stir - just let them sit on top of the onion/sausage mixture. Pour the tomato/water mixture and the tomato sauce over the noodles (again, don't stir). Cover the pan and bring the liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, now stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender (about 20 minutes).

Turn off the heat under the pan. Stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Drop the cottage cheese mixture by heaping spoonfuls onto the top of the lasagna (don't stir to incorporate), then cover and let stand for about 5 minutes to allow the cheese to soften. Remove the cover and sprinkle with the basil and additional Parmesan if desired.  Serve immediately.

Greek Pasta Salad

Summer days are quickly drifting away.  I have no idea why time has to fly by so quickly when the weather is beautiful and there is so much outdoor activity.  Before we know it, the freezing winds will be chilling us to the bone and Paul will be cursing every morning while struggling to shovel snow from the uneven cement of our driveway.  And I will probably be craving lots of pumpkin flavored sweets.

But for now, it is still summer.

This pasta salad is the perfect summer picnic dish.  It travels well, is packed full of veggies, has a lot less oil than your average pasta salad, and features all of my favorite Mediterranean flavors!  Plus, it can be made up to two days ahead of time!  Pretty sweet.  I have already made it twice in the past two weeks.  Paul and I even ate the leftovers as our main course for dinner for a couple days.  Neither of us complained - this is delicious stuff!

Greek Pasta Salad

adapted from Cook's Illustrated

For the Dressing:

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice from 2 lemons

1 medium shallot , minced

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Salad:

1 pound rotini pasta

1-2 large red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and diced

8 ounces crumbled feta cheese (about 2 cups)

1 cup pitted kalamata olives (about 6 ounces), chopped coarse

½ cup minced fresh parsley leaves

1 pint cherry tomatoes (about 12 ounces), quartered

For the dressing: Whisk all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl; set aside.

For the salad: Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Stir in 2 tablespoons salt and the pasta and cook until completely tender. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander. Transfer the hot pasta to a large bowl.

Stir the reserved pasta water into the dressing. Pour half of the dressing over the pasta and toss to coat. Stir in the carrots, bell pepper, feta, olives, and parsley. Scatter the tomatoes on top of the pasta (do not mix in).

To Store: Cover the pasta salad tightly with plastic wrap and poke several vent holes. Transfer the remaining dressing to an airtight container. Refrigerate the pasta salad and reserved dressing separately for up to 2 days.

To Serve: Microwave the pasta salad on high power to remove the chill, 1 to 2 minutes. Shake the reserved dressing to recombine, then pour half of the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Add the remaining dressing as needed to keep the salad moist.

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Garlic, and Walnuts

After nearly four years of marriage, a lesson that I keep having to relearn over and over and OVER again is this:  Paul is physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually incapable of being able to read my mind.  Especially when it comes to birthday celebrations.

Now, Paul is a smart guy.  He seriously has one of the most brilliant minds of anyone I have ever met.  However, when it comes to the romance department, I have to say he probably has as much Romeo in him as Pluto the Dog.  Sure, he's had his moments which have made my spirits soar with the hope that maybe he has finally learned what it takes to be a "Prince Charming."  Here are a few:

• Shortly before we were married, he sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers with a note proclaiming how excited he was for our wedding day.  

• When I was pregnant with Matthew and my quickly expanding midsection was making it difficult to find ANYTHING that fit, much less something remotely fashionable, he surprised me with a beautiful maternity dress from Ann Taylor.  I wore that dress all throughout the pregnancy and, even though it is a maternity outfit, it remains one of my most favorite outfits!

• For our anniversary last year, he planned a glorious event-filled day.  He set up a sitter for Matthew and then we went on a long bike ride, followed by lunch at a little Greek cafe, a walk along the beach, long conversations in the sun, a fancy dinner at a scrumptious Italian restaurant, and a communal ice cream sundae for dessert.  It was so wonderful to spend so much quality time together.

• When leaving for work early some mornings, he will program the coffee maker to brew a fresh pot for me and leave a sweet love note next to my empty coffee mug.

Yes, Paul has had quite a few moments of pure romance and thoughtfulness.  However, there have been a couple of misses in recent years:

• For my birthday one year, Paul bought me some summer clothes.  It was a sweet thought...but they were all size 15 on up.  I normally wear a size 4-6.  I was going through a bit of an insecure period of time with my body and immediately burst into tears when I saw the tags.  I think I traumatized him because he has not bought me any clothing since.

• For Christmas, I bought Paul the complete Calvin and Hobbes hardcover treasury because I knew how much he loves that comic strip.  He gave me a calendar.

• At 6:00 pm the night of my birthday, he asks me what I want him to make me for dinner.  I then had the pleasure of entertaining our extremely fussy baby while he ran out to the store to collect all the ingredients and then frantically prepared the dish by 9:00 pm.  By which time, we had to quickly inhale our food because the baby was extremely grumpy and screaming because Paul insisted on keeping him awake so he could see me "blow out the candles."    

• And for my most recent birthday, Paul came home late and then immediately began reheating the leftover Manicotti from dinner the night before.  Swoon.

Paul tells me that it is just as much my fault as his when things do not go over so well as far as birthdays go because I do not tell him exactly what I want him to do for me.  I, on the other hand, do not want to have to plan out my own birthday celebrations.  I know that he would be more than willing to buy whatever trinket I desire or take me to the romantic restaurant of my choosing if I would just lay it out for him.  However, in my hopelessly delusional female mind, I want him to want to plan out a romantic evening, dinner, present, whatever!  I want him to think "I am going to do this for her because I know she will love it!"  I have no idea what he was thinking when  he decided reheating leftovers was something that I would love to have for my birthday dinner.

However, I need to realize that when it comes to gifts, dates, and celebrations I do need to be more specific with him.  Even though he knows me well (sometimes I doubt he does), he will never be able to interpret what exactly it is I desire.  If I get into the habit of being more vocal about what I would like, generally speaking, then perhaps he can fill in the details.  For example, I should have told him that I wanted a nice dinner out for my birthday.  Then, I could leave it to him to figure out what restaurant, whether to bring Matthew or not, etc.  For the past few Christmases (after the infamous calendar incident), I created an Amazon wishlist to make it easier for him to get an idea of what I would like as a present.  He has appreciated that (and I LOVE my new kitchen scale!).  Because the bottom line is that he  truly loves me and really desires to make me happy.  He just is unsure of how exactly to do that half the time.

Ignore the crazy hair.  It was VERY windy that day.

Anyway...marriage is all about communication and I know that it is something Paul and I struggle with on a daily basis.  And despite how much I love to pick on him for his lack of romance or forethought, there is no one I would rather be married to than Paul.  He is kind, generous, hard-working, and loyal.  Nobody can make me laugh like he does (nobody can irritate me quite as much, either).  He is my person, now and always.  And I thank God every day for the gift of my wonderful husband.

Alright, enough mushy stuff...

The recipe I want to share today is a delicious vegetarian pasta recipe that we enjoyed very much for dinner this past week.  Have you ever roasted cauliflower?  If not, you should.  I like cauliflower raw, but roasting it adds a wonderful nutty complexity to its flavor.  Toss it in with some hot cooked pasta, a roasted garlic sauce, toasted walnuts, and a generous helping of Parmesan cheese and you have an excellent, healthy meal that is a treat for the taste buds.

If you are looking for an alternative to regular spaghetti and meatballs, give this recipe a try.

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Garlic, and Walnuts
from Cook's Illustrated

2 heads garlic, papery skins removed, top quarter of heads cut off and discarded

6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 head cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds)

Table salt and ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon sugar

1 pound campanelle, fusilli, or bow tie pasta

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 – 3 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon

1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves, chopped

2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)

¼ cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Adjust oven rack to middle position, place large rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees.

Place garlic heads, cut-side up, in center of a piece of foil. Drizzle ½ teaspoon oil over each head and seal packet. Place packet on oven rack and roast until garlic is very tender, about 40 minutes. Open packet and set aside to cool.

While garlic is roasting, trim outer leaves of cauliflower and cut stem flush with bottom. Cut head from pole to pole into 8 equal wedges. Place cauliflower in large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste, and the sugar.

Remove baking sheet from oven. Carefully transfer cauliflower to baking sheet and spread into even layer, placing cut sides down. Return baking sheet to oven and roast until cauliflower is well browned and tender, 20-25 minutes. Transfer cauliflower to cutting board. When cool enough to handle, chop into rough ½-inch pieces.

While cauliflower roasts, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta.  Cook until al dente. Squeeze roasted garlic cloves from their skins into small bowl. Using fork, mash garlic to smooth paste, then stir in red pepper flakes and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Slowly whisk in remaining 1/4 cup oil.

Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking water, and return pasta to pot. Add chopped cauliflower to pasta; stir in garlic sauce, ¼ cup cooking water, parsley, and ½ cup cheese. Adjust consistency with additional cooking water and season with salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice to taste. Serve immediately, sprinkling with remaining ½ cup cheese and toasted nuts.

An Early Visit with Santa

This past weekend, we spent a little time shopping at the Holiday Expo in downtown Erie. Now, please do not judge. I know it is not even Thanksgiving yet, but sometimes you just want to get an early start to Holiday shopping. Besides, it ended up being a bust and we walked away without a single purchase. Maybe we'll just give everyone gift cards this year. And cookies.

We ran into a very special (and jolly!) individual. As soon as the man in the big, red suit walked past, Matthew was instantly intrigued! And frightened at the same time. Santa sat in his chair and then held his arms open wide so Matthew could feel free to go sit on his lap. Matthew took three ginger steps forward...

...and then ran.

When we finally caught up to him and dragged him back, Santa suggested that "Mom" sit with him on his lap. Santa or no Santa, this mom was a little creeped out by his suggestion (I may or may not have imagined him seductively rubbing his leg with his white-gloved hand while asking me to "Ho-Ho-Hop on board!"). I only agreed to it if Paul also took a turn sitting on Santa's lap.

And he did...

Paul acted extremely sheepish and embarrassed about the whole thing. Secretly, I think he was thrilled! Doesn't he look so giddy and happy in the picture? And look how he is even wearing a shirt that matches Santa! He's sucking up early to the big guy with the hopes that he will receive a new MP3 player this Christmas since he just ran his last one through the washing machine.

After taking these pictures, Santa proceeded to give Paul and I some parenting advice that made absolutely no sense. Something about letting the kids stay up late so they sleep in longer and eat fewer cookies. Let me know if you can interpret that riddle of fun. What the pictures don't show is that we were sitting right across from a full cash bar and something tells me, at least based on the gibberish coming from his mouth, that Santa may have had a little too much bourbon.

Below is one of my favorite ways to use butternut squash. It is a dish that we have looked forward to making each fall when we can get some beautiful butternut squash for around 10 cents per pound. It is one of Paul's favorite fall dishes - probably because it has bacon in it. Matthew would not touch it, but his opinion does not exactly count. He chose a cut up hot dog over this deliciousness. Weirdo.

Pasta with Butternut Squash and Sage

adapted from Cooks Illustrated

4 slices bacon , halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces

8 fresh sage leaves, plus 1 tablespoon minced (Do NOT use dried sage)

1 medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

6 scallions, sliced thin (about 1 cup)

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt and ground black pepper

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 pound penne pasta

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

4 teaspoons lemon juice

1/3 cup sliced, toasted almonds

Cook bacon in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Add whole sage leaves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into small bowl, reserving bacon fat and bacon-sage mixture separately.

Return skillet to high heat, add 2 tablespoons reserved bacon fat and heat until shimmering. Add squash in even layer and cook, without stirring, until beginning to caramelize, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until spotty brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Add butter and allow to melt, about 30 seconds. Add scallions, nutmeg, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper, and minced sage; cook, stirring occasionally, until scallions are softened, about 3 minutes. Add broth and bring to simmer; continue to cook until squash is tender, 1-3 minutes more.

Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta. Cook until just al dente, then drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water, and transfer back to Dutch oven.

Add squash mixture to pasta; stir in 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and reserved bacon-sage mixture, adjusting consistency with reserved pasta liquid. Serve, sprinkling individual servings with almonds and additional Parmesan.