nathan’s day
happy birthday nathan!
life is good because your in it…
now enjoy your strawberry/rhubarb pie, sorry I am working!
get your water boiling…
Our weekend actually began prematurely with a “Snow Day” on Friday. It was exciting on Thursday night predicting whether there would be school or not…and of course eating some tasty MacNCheese helped with the chatter.
We had the kind of snow that JUST NEVER STOPPED and I shoveled twice. Once to let myself out of the driveway and the second time for poor Nathan. He had to work late and on his way home could not decipher what was a sidewalk or street! Good Grief!
Anyway, back to the MacNCheese (no more weather talk!)- I have to share the recipe. My friend served this yummy dish at her son’s birthday party and of course I could not get enough. She originally got the recipe from Cook’s Illustrated and modified it a bit (there is less cheese, but you would never know, and hey-it’s cheaper!).
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
serves 4 Main Course, 6-8 as a side
2 Large eggs
1 12 oz. can of Evaporated Milk
1/4 t. Hot Pepper
2t. Salt
1 t. Dry Mustard, dissolved in 1 t. of water
1/2# Elbow Macaroni
12 oz. Sharp cheddar, or any other combination
4 T. butter
Mix eggs, 1 cup of evap. milk, pepper sauce, 1/2 salt, and mustard mixture in a small bowl. Set aside.
Cook macaroni. Return to pan over low heat. Add butter and toss to melt.
With pan still on low heat, pour egg mixture over pasta with 3/4 of cheese; stir until combined and cheese starts to melt. Gradually add remaining milk and cheese, stirring constantly until hot and creamy, about 5 minutes.
My kids loved this so much. This is so easy to make…REJECT ALL MIXES! Of course, in our family we eat all MacNCheese with a side of ketchup.
So there- some comfort food that all in this family accepted. Success.
lunch
not much stitching going on my sewing table.
a few things cut out, but never the time to actually sew.
anyway, I thought my lunch looked hopeful- finding beauty in the everyday, that’s what I need to remind myself. not in what I produce, but man it feels good to work!
puff!
Can a cookie look angelic?
I think so.
This batch of goodness I donated to my kids’ cookie exchange at their school. Unfortunately I can’t attend, but hopefully they will make their way to a good home.
The cookie?
Coconut meringue.
so good
Happiness is making a simple crostata (love this book) using apples and blueberries from the summer. A total stress relief during a busy week.
Oh yeah, and having your guests enjoy the treat is a plus too.
I’ve been sort of lame with posting and not responding to people’s comments like I should. Sorry. I’ve been consumed with life and hope to have some more time in this part of the universe soon…I like this part of the world.
bulls eye
Last week, when I was planning for the week’s groceries, the air was cool and crisp. So obviously I was all charged to make soups and roasted sorts of delicacies…well, it is 85 here and I am NOT turning on the air!
I have to say, this soup made a wonderful lunch regardless of the heat…and a cool photo.
concord grape pie
As promised, I have linked a recipe for concord grape pie. I basically just “googled” it and made my own adjustments. For instance, I made a double crust pie instead of a crumb topping. AND I made a huge mistake and added gorgeous, juicy peaches to the mix. No good. Too juicy- tasted fine, but I like the pure grape flavor.
This weekend, go get some at the Farmer’s Market and have fun. You didn’t think Concord Grape jelly was made up by Smuckers, did you? Get the pure, natural flavor of grape…so wonderful!
do I smell grape?
A quick trip down the street to my local farmer’s market, got me thinking about pie!
There was an abundance of concord grapes and so I gave in to make one of my very favorite pies.
Perfect to involve 3 year old hands. Dough is in the fridge, chilling…
I will post the recipe, complete with photos so you can make your own wonderful pie. I swear it’s easy. You can even buy a store bought crust, I don’t care…just make it!
yumX2 or A is for ADDICTIVE
I love sweets. I love cake. I love frosting. I love to bake. I love to eat. I love angelfood cake. LOVE it.
I am torturing myself by keeping away from sugar, but not last night. Last night I was free from my own self-induced rules and fully enjoyed my mom’s birthday cake. As the evening progressed, my cloud of a cake became deflated due to high humidity, but it still tasted heavenly.
Oh- I cheated. I used a mix, but made the fluffy frosting myself.
Now, today will be a little less sweet. I better go find one of my kids and steal a kiss! Their sweetness can sustain- it’s when they aren’t so sweet I look for the REAL stuff.
What do you do to avoid sugar?
I’m joining in with this fun project and found that this post fits in perfectly with the letter “A”.
a party
This weekend (and week) was certainly busy at Moveable Feast. I thought some of you would enjoy shots of a wedding we catered at a nearby farm/park district property.
The work that goes into an event like this is amazing. I am always in awe of the details, strategic planning and obvious creativity.
The team that created the space was my sister’s good friend, RJA design. They did the dinner tables and overall feel of the event and it was totally breathtaking!
Pretty great, huh? Hopefully, the years to come for the new couple will only get better!