Better than the Box Mac-n-Cheese

So, you know how kids always like stovetop box mac-n-cheese better than the wonderful, hearty, feels-like-a-casserole baked kind. Well, mine sometimes like that, too, and my friend Renee has a fabulous recipe for it. But sometimes they (and let's face it, we) crave the smooth silky stovetop variety. SO. Alton Brown to the rescue! I copied this recipe from him--scribbled it on a magazine page, as a matter of fact, as he was giving it on Good Eats. It's great!

Alton Brown's Stove-top Mac-n-Cheese

First, cook

• 2 C elbow (AB says it MUST be elbow) macaroni in salted water

While it's cooking, whisk together:

• 2 eggs
• 6 oz. evaporated milk
• 3/4 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp. hot sauce (I do skip this for my kiddos, although I add it back in for me)
• 1 tsp. salt
• pinch pepper

When pasta is cooked, drain and return to pot. Add these in this order:

• 4 Tbs. butter (melt it in)
• mixture from above
• 10 oz. shredded cheese (I tried half cheddar, half Gruyère last week--not a hit with Miss Three!)

Eat right away!

I half the recipe (halve?). It works just fine.

PS We just watched an episode of Good Eats called "The Ballad of Salty and Sweet." We're making this soon!

Multi-Grain Waffles

Thanks to my friend, Mrs. Carter the Culinary teacher, I have some easy and delectable recipes that I make with my kiddos. This morning it was Multi-Grain Waffles. Thanks, Mrs. C.! (She got it from EatingWell.com)

• 2 C buttermilk (I use milk when I don't have buttermilk)
• 1/2 C rolled oats, old-fashioned
• 2/3 C whole wheat flour
• 2/3 C AP flour
• 1/4 C toasted wheat germ OR cornmeal (I used cornmeal--can't find the wheat germ in the freezer)
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 lg eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 C packed brown sugar
• 1 Tbs canola oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

1) Mix buttermilk and oats in medium bowl, let stand 15 minutes (while you mix up the dry team). (Mommy did this)

2) Whisk flours, wheat germ or cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon in large bowl. (This is Ella's job.)

3) Stir eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla into the oat mixture. Add wet team to dry. Mix with rubber spatula just until moistened. (Also Ella.)

4) Coat waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat. Spoon enough batter to cover 3/4 of the surface. Cook until waffles are crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. (Mommy's job.)

Prep time: 30 min (it didn't take us that long)

Cook time: 15 min

Serves: 8, 2 waffles each

My New Helper

So, Maggie no longer seems interested in helping as much in the kitchen, but Ella always wants to! So I either need to make a new blog or expand this one.

Today we made our favorite chocolate chip

cookie recipe. Actually, any cookie recipe is Ella's favorite, but I've been making this one because it uses melted butter. And it's just easier to melt it than get it that just-right-warm-not-cold-not-melted consistency. Also,

if you use salted butter, this recipe has almost a caramel-like flavor to it. I use a whole bag of Ghiradelli chips, minus 4 or 5 for the kiddos. Ella had a few and then saved the rest for Maggie, who was at school.

We packed some up to bring to the green and share with our friends, but our outing was short-lived. The past few days it's been cold enough to skate, but today it was decidedly NOT. The big kids decided to traverse the pond and Maggie almost made it. Three feet from the edge, she went through and lost her shoe! I think she was more upset about that than getting soaked and freezing! That set about a chain of events that ended in our friend's 4-year-old trying to get the shoe and getting stuck in the hole! The water was past her knees, and she could not and would not get out. So I trekked in, grabbed her AND the shoe and we were all out. Cold, wet, but safe. Did I mention it was about 50 degrees? No hardship. Oh, and we were each within minutes of our homes. So we went our separate ways, to warmth and baths, but no cookies! We will share them a different day. Maybe the green will be cold enough tomorrow! If only we can skate around the giant holes somebody made...