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...

Snickerdoodles

So, first I offered to make cookies with Ella, but didn't have a type in mind. Then snickerdoodles came into my head, so I started! Got part-way through a great-looking recipe before realizing I didn't have cream of tartar. And EVERY recipe either has cream of tartar or shortening (didn't have that, either). SO. This is a mash-up of Recipe 1 (source unknown or unremembered) and Emeril's recipe. Thank you, Emeril Lagasse, Food Network, and Google.

Snickerdoodle cookies

2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/3 C sugar (supposed to be 1 1/2 but I skimped)
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
(mix together. After I did this, I read where Emeril adds the eggs later. Smart move.)
add
2 3/4 C flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt

Roll into little balls, roll in 3 T sugar, 1 T cinnamon. Squash onto a cookie sheet w/bottom of a glass. Bake @ 350 for 12 minutes. (sigh) Taste childhood.

I remember making these with my mom. I'll see if I can get that recipe, too, for comparison. Both girls helped and it was so sweet. Rolling the balls in the cinnamon sugar is the best part! (OK, maybe the squashing is good, too.)

Cupcakes!

Maggie and Ella wanted to make cupcakes like Little Bear. So, I found a super-easy recipe and off we went! Ella gave up after the eggs were added, but Maggie stayed through the whole process. I wimped out on the frosting, just making blue (for Ella) powdered sugar glop for the top. We have a few left... maybe some buttercream is in our future. Click the title below for website.

Recipe Photos

Posted:

Photographer:

ProfileProfile | RecipesRecipes | Photos

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: CityCity, StateState, Country Country

Living In: CityCity, StateState, Country Country

| View All »

left

1 of 15

right

Simple White Cake

By: SCOTTOSMAN

"This cake was sent home from our children's school. It is the simplest, great tasting cake I've ever made. Great to make with the kids, especially for cupcakes."

Prep Time:
20 Min

Cook Time:
30 Min

Original Recipe Yield 12 cupcakes or 1- 9x9 inch pan

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

Ye Olde Banana Bread (Mark Bittman) for Recital

OK, he doesn't call it Ye Olde, but it's a chestnut. We like this recipe (but Daddy likes the West Indian recipe for bread machine even better).

1 stick butter
3 old bananas, mashed
2 eggs
1 1/2 C white flour
1/2 C whole wheat flour
3/4 C sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 t vanilla
1/2 C coconut
(1/2 C pecans or walnuts--we left this out because Maggie refused to even take a bite with nuts!)

Cream butter (we used the mixer). Add bananas and eggs. In separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add wet to dry (we added 1/2 wet to dry and then put the whole thing in the wet bowl--it was bigger). After mixed just until wet, add coconut and vanilla (and nuts, if you're using them).

Bake 350 45-60 min in a 9x5 bread pan. Toothpick should come out clean.

Orange Applesauce Cupcakes

We made these for Ella's Easter-time birthday party. We added mini chocolate chips (Maggie's idea). We colored the frosting in three batches: purple, sherbet orange, light green. Yummy but they seem like muffins rather than cupcakes. Not that that's a bad thing.

Orange Applesauce Cupcakes (full credit to the website Taste of Home)

ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 
  FROSTING:
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 2 to 4 teaspoons orange juice

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Beat in applesauce, vanilla and orange peel. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in pecans.
• Fill paper-lined muffin cups half full. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For frosting, in a small bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Add orange peel and enough orange juice to achieve spreading consistency. Frost cupcakes. Yield: 1 dozen.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 each) equals 315 calories, 14 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 43 mg cholesterol, 267 mg sodium, 48 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein.