Cheese-atarian

I've been subsisting almost exclusively on veggies....ok veggies and carbs smothered in cheese. This must stop! Seriously!

Lunch today was sautéed kale, black beans and mac and cheese. That's not too bad.  But it seems like every time i see a nice wholesome veggie i feel an uncontrollable urge to drape cheese over it. Good cheese...we're talking Gruyere béchamels here.  It's a strange and delicious compulsion.  I shall reform. I must.  Bridesmaid bootcamp starts tomorrow!

Baked Mac & Cheese
1 egg
2 cups milk

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup cheddar

4 tbsp breadcrumbs

1 box elbow macaroni
1 cup shredded gruyere & swiss


Cook pasta and set aside.  Bring milk to a simmer.  Add butter and gruyere.  Whisk gently until well blended.  Whisk in egg until mixture is smooth.

Add white sauce and pasta to a medium baking dish.  Stir until pasta is completely covered with sauce.  Top with cheddar  and breadcrumbs.  Bake for about 20 minutes.

ps: it's rather gratifying to know my food pics look way better than Martha Stewart's.  i still love you Martha!

Roasted Acorn Squash

Many of my friends are Pioneer Woman enthusiasts so it is with some embarrassment that I confess I have never made a Rhee Drummond recipe before today.  But oh what a recipe!

Dreyer Farms has been offering local seasonal produce in Cranford since 1904.  I recently received a generous array of Dreyer's goodies and I've enjoyed preparing and consuming them all week.

I confess I felt very veggie ignorant going through my Dreyer's box.  I had to use google to identify two of the squash varieties therein.  Once I figured out that the pumpkin-esque green squash was acorn squash the next challenge was how to prepare it...enter inspired pioneer woman recipe. This dish was not only fresh, seasonal and local, it was also extraordinarily delicious.

bon appetit!
dani

• 1 Acorn Squash
• a pinch of Kosher Salt 
• 2 tsp of butter
• 2 tsp Brown Sugar
• 3 tsp Pure Maple Syrup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Halve each squash, then scrape out the seeds. Place the halves, flesh side up, on a baking sheet and sprinkle each half with salt.

Add butter to the center of each squash followed by brown sugar. Drizzle squash with maple syrup.

Pour 1/2 water in the bottom of the baking pan.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 30-45 minutes, or until squash is golden brown.

In the last 5 minutes of baking, turn on the broiler and allow tops to get a little more brown and the butter/sugar mixture to bubble.