2011- A New Year, A Lot of Syllables.

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I'm still home for break and don't get as much of a chance to cook. Plus, my family thinks I make weird food sometimes, which inhibits dinner options. For instance:

Mom: "What are you making?"
Me: "Scrambled eggs with goat cheese, tomatoes, and haricot vert."
Mom: "That's weird. Don't you want any ham in that?"

But 2011 is just around the corner, and I've acquired an armful of new cookbooks from Santa to start the year out right. Also, I'll be including a few new additions to the blog, which includes:

• An "Intimidating Recipe of the Month."-- I'll select a dish outside of my comfort zone to make, then revel in, or suffer with, the results. Cereal may be a dinner option, kids!
• Hangover Recipes-- Because it's college.
• Restaurant Remakes-- Because most students I know don't have the cash to eat out all the time. 
• And, finally, 5 Ingredient Recipes-- (Salt/ Pepper don't count!) So you have more time to focus on the important stuff in life, like GRADUATING IN JUNE. HOLY EFF. 

So have a happy NYE, and I'll see you in the multi-syllabic year of 2011!

Muenster Mac n' Cheese

Many things in life are under-appreciated. For instance, let's take a moment to recognize the full worth of deodorant. Or how about hot water? And when's the last time you sent up a prayer of thanks for city garbage pick-up?

(Note: I just did right now. Amen to local government!)

I'm taking the liberty of adding muenster cheese to this list. I finally tried it because it was a.) on sale and b.) it was Halloween. Monster--> Muenster. Hilarious, right?

...And it turned out to be monstrously good. (Couldn't resist. Sorry.) It's a sharp tasting cheese that's similar to cheddar. What better way to pay homage to this wonderfully delicious, yet not widely-appreciated, cheese than make mac n' cheese? Simply eating wedges of muenster with crackers is my favorite, but I'm always down for a bowl of cheesy pasta.

Muenster Mac n' Cheese     Serves: 2
2 cups cooked pasta, such a macaroni or other short pastas
1/2 cup muenster cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. flour
2/3 cup milk
Salt
Pepper

1.) Melt butter in a pot over medium-low heat. Once melted, whisk in flour. Let mixture cook, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes or until it turns golden.
2.) Slowly pour milk into the pot, whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper; cook until the lumps dissolve and it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
3.) Once thickened, stir in cheese. Stir in macaroni once cheese melts. Pour into serving dishes and top with more cheese, if desired.

Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes

I am home for break. I've got plenty to do with filling out graduate school applications and a research project to finish, but that only keeps my interest for so long. Pretty soon I'm going to start typing in "application language." i.e. Explain why this recipe is delicious in 500 characters or less:

So, I want to cook for my family for an application break. Mom responded with a resounding "HURRAH!" and my Dad simply said, "No weird stuff. And no eggplant. And go easy on the beans." Got it, dude.

These are not my family's standard mashed spuds. They're gravy-less, but the potatoes got family approval. Phew! My Dad didn't even realize goat cheese was mixed in, but he still ate two large helpings. I'd say it's a winner.

No picture due to the fact that I forgot my camera at school. I, however, managed to remember the charger. What kind of life am I living? 

Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes  Serves: 4
5 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup milk
1 T. butter
1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
Salt and Pepper
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 t. dill
1 scallion, sliced thin
1.) Place a large pot filled with salted (1-2 Tbsp. salt) water over high heat. Add potatoes and bring to a boil. Boil until fork tender, drain, and place back into the same pot.
2.) Place pot back onto the stove over low heat. Add in milk, butter, goat cheese, parsley, dill, and the scallion. Mash with a fork or potato masher to the desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste.

Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet

Well, I'm back from California, and my home state welcomed me with a raging blizzard. Not a delicious DQ blizzard, either. It's an all-out, 50 mph wind, so-cold-it-looks-like-you-got-botox-in-Beverly-Hills freezing snow storm.

This kind of weather calls for heartier fare.  The California bean sprout and avocado sandwich isn't going to cut it.  I found this recipe on Epicurious a while back, and now is the perfect time to make it.  Afterwards, you can go get yourself a DQ blizzard. Or drive to get a DQ ice cream cake, if you're as crazy as my family. (...true story.)

Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet  Serves: 2
1 precooked italian sausage link, sliced into thin rounds
1 t. olive oil
1 small onion, halved and sliced thin lengthwise
1 1/2 t. chopped fresh sage
3/4 t. dried italian seasoning, crumbled
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

For the topping:
1/2 T. olive oil
1 slice white sandwich bread, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2 T. finely chopped fresh parsley

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.) In a medium skillet, add olive oil and cook onions over medium heat until golden. Stir in sage, italian seasoning, parsley, bay leaf, tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Boil mixture, stirring, 5 minutes.
3.) Add sausage and beans to tomato mixture and cook, stirring, until heated through. Discard bay leaf.
Pour mixture into individual ramekins or a 1 quart baking dish. Set aside.
4.) For the topping: Add the bread, parsley, and olive oil into a food processor. Pulse until finely ground.
5.) Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the bean and sausage mixture. Bake until the breadcrumbs brown and mixture is bubbly, about 15 minutes.

Creamy (No Cream!) Mushroom Fettuccine

This dish tricks your mind into thinking a trip to the gym is in your near future. But, I'm writing this post from sunny LA. Ingesting heavy cream might qualify as an unforgivable sin in southern California. Pasty skin might make that list, as well.

I'd hate to offend the locals, so this recipe uses chicken stock and flour to thicken the sauce. The result is creamy and delicious, and the fresh herbs really brighten up the flavor.  If you've got a heftier budget than me, try it with a mixture of fancy mushrooms. Sausage would be a good addition, too.  And if you've got pasty skin, self-tanning lotion is a wonder-- but just until your Mom tells you your skin is taking on a bit of a pumpkin hue. Oops.

Creamy (No Cream!) Mushroom Fettuccine  Serves: 2
4 oz. uncooked fettuccine
2 T. butter + 1/2 T. for mushrooms
1 T. flour
2/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 small onion, diced
1 package button mushrooms
Handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
Couple of fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper
Parmesan cheese

1.) Boil fettuccine according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2.) In a skillet, heat 1/2 T. butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are golden brown and onions are soft. Remove and set aside.
3.) Meanwhile, heat 2 T. butter on a pot over medium-low heat. Once melted, whisk in flour. Cook for a minute, constantly stirring, then add chicken broth. Whisk until lumps are gone and mixture thickens, 1-2 minutes.
4.) Stir the mushroom mixture, 1/2 of the fresh parsley, and fettuccine into the sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. Divide into serving bowls and top with the remaining parsley, sage, and parmesan cheese.

Cheesy White Bean Flatbread

My sister and I have an unhealthy obsession with Dairy Queen. This was our conversation a few nights ago:

Carolyn: "Want to go get blizzards at DQ?"
Me: "It's 20 degrees outside."
Carolyn: "I want a medium mint-oreo blizzard."
Me: "See you in 5."

Needless to say, we had the place to ourselves. Well, at least until the lone worker's boyfriend showed up, and then we were kicked out 50 minutes before the supposed closing time...hmmm....

Our long-underwear sporting, hat wearing, parka-stuffed selves hustled back to Carolyn's apartment, but not before developing a pizza craving. The slices in a  local pizza parlor's window looked so good that Carolyn went in and ordered a large pepperoni, extra cheese.  Not really, but we wanted to. We backed down for the love of our arteries.

Pita bread makes for a nice little personal pizza when you're craving it.  I didn't have pepperoni, or sauce, or really any typical pizza toppings, but this turned out to be pretty delicious. Since it's pretty healthy, too, I believe I can now justify a run to the DQ.

Cheesy White Bean Flatbread   Serves: 1
1/4 cup white beans
1 t. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. roasted red pepper, drained and chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
1 t. olive oil
2 heaping Tbsp. mozzarella cheese, grated
1 pita round
1.) In a food processor, add white beans, lemon juice, red pepper, parsley, olive oil, and a dash of salt and pepper. Pulse until beans are creamy and well combined.
2.) Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add pita and toast until golden brown on one side, flip, then smear on bean mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and cook until the other side crisps and cheese melts, adjusting the heat if the bread begins to burn.